“Did you bring your weapon?”

“Yes.”

After some hesitation, I pulled out the standard-issue pistol. I didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention by taking out the Horaritron pistol.

The teaching assistant glanced at my gun, then checked something on the form. I knew it was just a formality, but... wasn’t that a little too careless?

I felt uneasy, but judging by his expression, the only thing on his mind right now was getting off work. And we’d only just arrived.

I was putting the pistol back into my briefcase—one with the Academy’s emblem subtly engraved on the side—when Aaron casually approached me.

He was holding a pistol too. The design, materials, and finish were all high-end.

It was rare to see a weapon that nice. Of course, it couldn’t compare to the Horaritron pistol.

“A standard-issue gun? That’s pretty flimsy. Shouldn’t an S-rank Guide at least carry an A-grade weapon?”

A-grade weapons cost a fortune—more than our family home.

Sure, there were places that offered to sponsor me with expensive gear. But those always came with strings attached—they wanted an exclusive contract. Sometimes they claimed it was a no-strings gift, but nothing in life is truly free.

There’s no such thing as kindness without a reason. It always turns into a debt later on.

Besides, I was a Guide—not an Esper who had to fight monsters directly. There was no need to burden myself with a high-grade weapon.

“Well...”

“So bringing that cheap thing means you had no intention of going into the gate, huh?”

Aaron cut me off, snapping sharply.

“No. I didn’t.”

The Academy always prioritized student safety during gate raids. Not just me—other Guides also didn’t enter the gate unless there was a very specific reason.

It was the norm. Reporters who specialized in ability users should’ve known that, too. And yet, the atmosphere suddenly turned chilly—probably because of what Professor Oh said earlier.

“Ah, so that rumor was true, then.”

Aaron smiled meaningfully.

“Rumor?”

“I heard you can’t go into gates anymore because of trauma from two years ago.”

“......”

At the mention of the incident two years ago, the reporters nearby stirred.

“Two years ago... that was the Horaritron Gate, right?”

“Yeonsu nearly died. Park Geonwoo saved him.”

“Poor Park Geonwoo. Risked his life to save him, and now the guy’s moved on to someone else....”

“Shh.”

Like whispering now is going to help—everyone heard it.

So that’s what he and Professor Oh were plotting. They planned to attack my weak point and drag Geonwoo hyung into it too.

If Aaron wants to date Seunghyuk so badly, he should try appealing to him instead of attacking me.

I’m not your enemy! Stop aiming at the wrong person! The sooner you get together with Seunghyuk, the sooner I’ll be free of him!

I held back the urge to scream. Jihee noona quickly stepped in to defend me.

“Aaron Guide, don’t go spreading rumors.”

“It’s not a rumor if it’s true.”

Aaron winked at me.

“If it’s really false, why not just join the raid? Isn’t that right?”

“......”

I bit my lower lip.

Professor Oh was standing a step behind the reporters, calmly watching me like he’d known this would happen.

This was all that man’s doing. Aaron might’ve come up with the provocation, but there’s no way he could’ve known about the type of gun I carry or the fact that I haven’t entered a gate since the incident two years ago.

But Professor Oh made one miscalculation.

Yes, I was traumatized by the Horaritron Gate. And yes, its aftermath still lingers. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enter gates.

It’s true I haven’t gone inside one since then—but not because of trauma or fear.

Two years ago, I entered a gate that was on the verge of breaking.

I knew it was dangerous. But the desire to do something, to be useful, clouded my judgment. And the result was disastrous.

I almost died. Geonwoo hyung was injured.

Worse, a gate break almost happened right in the middle of Seoul.

After that, I made a promise.

I won’t enter a gate unless it’s absolutely necessary. Rushing in with ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) blind enthusiasm and making mistakes—that only needs to happen once.

And today was definitely not one of those situations. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

This raid included S-rank Joo Seunghyuk, six A-rank Espers, and thirteen B-rank Espers. That lineup could easily take on an A-rank gate, not just a B.

If a Guide like me joined in, I’d only get in the way. But if I said that now, people would just think I was making selfish excuses to avoid danger.

What do I do? Should I just say I’ll participate?

It wasn’t just about the vow I made two years ago.

If I, an S-rank Guide, declared I’d join, other Guides would feel pressured to follow. Then the Espers would have to protect us all.

That would make what should’ve been a simple raid far more complicated. I’d be burdening everyone. I couldn’t do that.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared now that it’s real? Then just stay somewhere safe and take it easy. I’ll go in alone.”

Aaron grinned smugly when I hesitated. The reporters pounced.

“Oh! So you’re participating in the raid, Aaron Guide?”

“Yes. Unlike some people, I don’t shy away.”

So he plans to guide Seunghyuk himself? That was the whole point of this show—he trashed me so he could insert himself instead.

Going this far just to guide Seunghyuk... I scoffed in disbelief. But Aaron, unfazed, continued the interview.

“I can protect the Espers all on my own.”

“Who do you think you’re protecting?”

A cold voice cut through. As Seunghyuk approached, the reporters instinctively parted to let him through.

Just standing still, Seunghyuk was intimidating—but with his longsword in hand, the pressure multiplied a hundredfold.

He walked straight through the crowd and came to a stop in front of me.

“Hyung, what’s this?”

Seunghyuk looked at the pistol in my hand.

“Huh?”

“What happened to the one I gave you? Why are you using this?”

“Oh, well... it’s valuable, so I wanted to keep it safe.”

“You’re more valuable to me. Just use it.”

“Right...”

With no way around it, I took the Horaritron pistol from my briefcase. The moment it appeared, gasps spread through the crowd. Not just from reporters, but from other Guides—and even Aaron’s eyes widened.

Even someone from the so-called royal family like Aaron probably hadn’t seen an S-rank treasure up close.

“Guide Lee Yeonsu, that doesn’t look like an ordinary weapon. Is that the Horaritron pistol—rumored to be an S-rank treasure from the recent special auction?”

One reporter cautiously asked. Sharp eyes—he immediately recognized the difference between high-end gear and a real treasure.

“Ah, yes... that’s right.”

I nodded, unable to deny it, and the commotion grew louder.

“An S-rank treasure? That’s classified!”

“Horaritron? You mean the one from two years ago?”

“Isn’t that thing insanely expensive? Damn, Joo Seunghyuk’s the real deal.”

“Did Esper Joo Seunghyuk give it to you as a gift?”

As questions and chatter overlapped in the chaos, Aaron suddenly snapped.

“What’s the point of a weapon if you don’t actually use it in the field?”

Wait, you were the one who brought up weapon grades in the first place! That’s some Olympic-level backpedaling.

“Accepting a rare treasure when you don’t even plan to go into the gate... do you even have a brain?”

“Aaron Guide...!”

“Is your head just for decoration?”

I was about to protest his rudeness—but Seunghyuk spoke first, voice cold as ice.

I flinched. I may have been thinking the same thing as him, but you can’t just say that in front of reporters.

“Esper Joo Seunghyuk...”

The reporters were shocked. Aaron looked stunned, too. But Seunghyuk didn’t care.

“Or do you think I’m incompetent? That I can’t clear a B-rank gate without dragging my Guide into it?”

A wave of killing intent radiated from Seunghyuk. He hadn’t done anything—but Aaron’s face had gone completely pale.

I hurriedly grabbed Seunghyuk’s hand.

“Seunghyuk...”

“Why are you listening to that bastard’s nonsense? You’re too nice, hyung. That’s your problem.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just gave him an awkward smile.

“Esper Joo Seunghyuk is right. This raid is fully manageable with just Espers. We kindly ask the Guide students to remain in the guiding area.”

That was when Sunwoo-sunbae stepped in and politely addressed the group. With both S-rank Seunghyuk and high-seniority A-rank Sunwoo saying it, the situation finally began to calm down.

Just as we were about to begin the raid, a reporter threw another question.

“Esper Moon Seonwoo, what do you think about the claim that Guides who don’t enter gates are selfish?”

“Well...”

Sunwoo glanced at Professor Oh. He clearly didn’t agree with the claim—but it was hard to openly oppose the professor in public.

As he hesitated, Seunghyuk growled.

“Who said that bullshit? Sounds like you’ve been listening to some idiot with zero field experience pretending to be an expert.”

Professor Oh lacked field experience. His mana quality wasn’t great for his rank, and his guiding skills were poor—so he’d switched to Guide management early in his career.

When Seunghyuk openly targeted him, Professor Oh’s face contorted. He had no problem attacking others, but couldn’t take it when the spotlight turned on him.

But Seunghyuk didn’t even glance at him. He stared coldly at the reporter who’d asked the question.

“Choi Younghwan, Goryeo Daily.”

“Yes?”

“Be careful. How can you be a journalist and fall for such nonsense? You must be an easy mark.”

Each word from Seunghyuk dripped with frost. Even the other reporters nearby froze in place, cowed by the chill in his tone.

After silently sweeping his gaze across the crowd, Seunghyuk turned to look at me.

And just like that, the coldness disappeared.

“Hyung, I’ll be back.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

He held my hand and leaned in to whisper.

“I’ll earn 20 points, so just relax.”

“...Alright.”

We had been 10 minutes late to the rest stop and each got a 10-point penalty. If Seunghyuk performed well during the raid, I could receive bonus points too as his assigned Guide.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Don’t worry.”

He smiled gently and walked into the gate.