“I’ll guide Esper Joo Seunghyuk.”

“What a load of bullshit.”

Joo Seunghyuk reduced Aaron’s words to a single sentence. Even Aaron seemed shaken—perhaps even he couldn’t withstand such a cold rejection from someone he liked. His shoulders flinched ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) involuntarily.

That’s when Professor Oh, who had been standing next to Aaron, put on his signature fake-friendly smile and spoke up.

“Haha. Seunghyuk, instead of reacting like that, why don’t we have a guiding competition? We’ve got two S-rank Guides here. Isn’t this the perfect chance to find out whose skills are superior? Reporters, don’t you agree?”

“Oh, of course. Lee Yeonsu versus Aaron Han, the clash of the century.”

“Sounds thrilling.”

Several reporters responded like they’d been waiting for that cue. Was this whole thing just another one of Professor Oh’s staged performances?

They must think that if Aaron and I guide him at the same time, Seunghyuk will choose Aaron. They’re convinced Aaron is more skilled than me.

But the truth is, Aaron barely has any real-world experience. His family coddled him excessively, and he always refused to guide anyone else, saying he was saving himself for an exclusive bond.

Aside from guiding his older brother David a few times, he had virtually no practical experience. And yet, they still think he’s better than me—just because he’s from a royal family and a dominant Omega.

Professor Oh would always scoff from the corner whenever other professors complimented me. I knew he looked down on me, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.

Being dismissed as a Guide stirred a kind of disgust in me that was on a whole different level from anything I’d felt before.

But no matter how angry I was, there was no matching Joo Seunghyuk’s fury.

“So you want to experiment on my body?”

“Seunghyuk, it’s not an experiment...”

“Professor Oh, have you forgotten that I have a history of guiding rejection?”

Murderous energy dripped from every word Seunghyuk spoke. Professor Oh looked terrified, but he kept glancing at Aaron and continued.

“I know, but you might be better now...”

“And if I go berserk?”

“In that case, wouldn’t it just mean the Guide was incompetent? Aaron Han is nothing like an F-rank. And if anything does go wrong, we’ll cut off the mana flow immediately to avoid any incidents.”

“I heard rejection symptoms fade over time. Guide Lee Yeonsu, don’t back out and give it a try.”

The reporter who had earlier tried to warn Seunghyuk jumped in to back Professor Oh. He really was close to him. Just like the professor, he wouldn’t dare say anything to Seunghyuk, but had no problem poking at me.

No matter what I said now, they’d twist it against me. If I agreed, I’d be putting Seunghyuk at risk. If I refused, they’d mock me for running away because I wasn’t as skilled as Aaron.

Checkmate.

Then Seunghyuk spoke in an icy tone.

“Mr. Choi Younghwan, will you take responsibility if I get guided by someone other than Lee Yeonsu and go berserk?”

“Well, that’s...”

“Professor Oh Seokgwang, if I lose control, everyone here will die. Can you handle that?”

“......”

“And the rest of you reporters—are your lives that worthless?”

The journalists who had been so excited about the S-rank Guide showdown fell silent in unison.

Seunghyuk’s mana flared outward, thick with murderous intent—so intense that even unawakened people could feel it. Everyone’s faces went pale.

Just as I was about to step in and calm him down, a familiar voice rang out.

“Damn, Joo Seunghyuk. Still got that nasty temper, huh? Cool it. You’re scaring the reporters.”

“It’s Do Hyeokjin!”

“Esper Do Hyeokjin!”

The reporters lit up when Do Hyeokjin appeared—like civilians spotting a cop while being chased by a serial killer.

“Hello. I’m Do Hyeokjin, Guildmaster of YL Guild, here today to oversee the Academy’s practical training session.”

Even though the gates chosen for students were lower-ranked than their abilities and involved strict weapon inspections for safety, tackling an actual gate always came with risk. That’s why someone from a guild or the Center would usually come to supervise and harvest the mana stones afterward.

No one had shown up today, which I thought was strange. Turns out YL Guild had been assigned.

“Training’s supposed to start at 3 o’clock, right? Seems like there was some kind of mix-up.”

It was currently 2:32 PM. So technically, Hyeokjin-hyung wasn’t late.

Professor Oh must’ve told him the wrong time on purpose. Would’ve been hard to push his nonsense about “selfish Guides who don’t join gate raids” with Hyeokjin-hyung around.

“Looks like the gate’s already been cleared. Regardless of the reason, I apologize for being late.”

Hyeokjin-hyung gave a passing glance to Seunghyuk, whose uniform was stained with blood, then turned to the reporters to apologize. After that, he walked over to us.

“Yeonsu!”

He broke into a bright smile when he saw me.

“Hyeokjin-hyung.”

“Our little Yeonsu...!”

He moved in for a hug—but was blocked before he could get close.

“Touch him, and I’ll cut you.”

Seunghyuk held a blade to Hyeokjin-hyung’s throat. The reporters and students gasped in horror—but Hyeokjin didn’t even flinch.

“Yeonsu, how the hell did you end up stuck with this bastard? I told you over and over, you should meet someone kind like your hyung—”

The sound of a blade slicing through air rang out. Seunghyuk had actually swung. Hyeokjin leapt back, but a thin line of blood appeared across his neck.

“You bastard.”

“Try dying by the bastard’s hand, then.”

The enmity between Seunghyuk and Hyeokjin was infamous.

No one knew the exact reason, but the most accepted theory was that they fell out when Hyeokjin left Sungan Guild to start his own.

Still, I used to think they might just be putting on a show for others—and maybe actually got along in private.

In the original novel, they were bitter rivals. When Do Hyeokjin died, Seunghyuk didn’t attend the funeral. But he visited the grave alone at night and wept. Said he was sorry and cried uncontrollably.

It was the only time Seunghyuk showed tears in Swamp of the Guide.

At the time, it felt out of nowhere.

But after realizing this world was a novel, I revisited that scene. And it stuck with me.

Maybe there were things between them the story never revealed.

So even when I heard they’d become enemies, I entertained the possibility of something more.

But now, watching Seunghyuk swing a blade at Hyeokjin without hesitation, I realized—I’d read too much into it.

They really are just enemies.

“Joo Seunghyuk, are you out of your goddamn mind?! Yeonsu, dump this asshole and come to me—”

Seunghyuk’s blade of mana shot toward him again. Hyeokjin dodged, but the mana struck a cardboard box behind him, setting it on fire.

The reporters screamed and scattered. The Guides backed away. A startled water-type Esper quickly put out the flames—then turned teary eyes to me.

“Lee Yeonsu sunbae...”

Why are you looking at me? He’s the one who caused the mess...

But the other Espers and reporters were staring at me just as desperately.

I sighed and cautiously grabbed Seunghyuk’s arm. Honestly, I had no confidence in stopping this berserker once his leash was off—but I had to at least pretend to try.

“...Seunghyuk-ah, you’re scaring everyone.”

“Even you, hyung?”

“Yeah. A little. So stop, okay?”

“Fine. If hyung says so, I’ll hold back. For now.”

Seunghyuk surprisingly lowered his sword without protest.

But what did he mean by “for now”? Was he planning to stab someone later instead? A chill ran down my spine, but I didn’t have the guts to ask.

“Hyeokjin-hyung, you should stop too.”

“What did I do? I just want our sweet Yeonsu to meet someone kind like me...”

“Hyung, do you think it’s funny to mess with me like this?”

He always joked like that, but today he crossed the line.

When I said it firmly, he bowed his head and apologized.

“Sorry.”

Now that the two of them had stopped fighting, murmurs of admiration followed.

“Wow, amazing.”

“As expected from Lee Yeonsu.”

It was suffocating.

All I wanted was to escape the role of villainous sub-uke and live a quiet life. This kind of attention? No thanks.

“So what caused all this chaos in the first place?”

When Hyeokjin-hyung asked, Professor Oh eagerly explained.

“I suggested a guiding competition between Aaron and Lee Yeonsu.”

“A guiding competition?”

“Yes. What do you think? Wouldn’t it be good to see how talented Guide Aaron really is?”

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?

Professor Oh was trying to rope in Do Hyeokjin—Seunghyuk’s nemesis—to help push Aaron into guiding Seunghyuk. He must really want it to happen.

“Hm... I see.”

Hyeokjin-hyung looked thoughtful. He didn’t seem thrilled. If he refused here, Professor Oh wouldn’t be able to press the matter.

But my hopes were quickly dashed.

“Sounds fun. I was curious about Aaron’s skills anyway.”

“Haha. I knew Guildmaster Do would say that.”

Professor Oh clapped him on the shoulder, and a triumphant smile spread across Aaron’s lips.

“Great. Let’s get started. Guide Lee Yeonsu, please guide Joo Seunghyuk. Guide Aaron, you’ll guide Esper Moon Seonwoo.”

“...What? You want me to guide someone other than Joo Seunghyuk?”

Aaron’s face, which had been glowing with anticipation, crumpled like a crushed tin can.