Chapter 1: An Unexpected Awakening

Today was the birthday of my mother, who passed away last year.
I stopped by a flower shop, chose a modest-sized bouquet from the display, and headed to the park cemetery.

Even though it had been a while since I’d gone to see my mother, a sense of gloom, rather than joy, clung to my feet, dragging behind me.
It was probably because I knew I could never see her again.

My mother, a single woman, was raising me alone when she passed away from lung cancer.
It was an expected outcome, considering she had been exposed to heavy metals for over 10 hours a day in a factory for 20 years.

After she was gone, I was left alone, living a listless life with a void in my heart.

I walked straight to my mother’s grave, finding it easily among the countless others.
I sat in front of the grave, placed the flowers down, and stared blankly at the tombstone for a while.
‘Staring at it like this won’t bring my dead mother back.’
I offered a few scattered greetings, knowing no reply would come.

It still felt as if my mother were alive, but facing her grave like this made the reality of her absence all the more painfully clear.

‘I should have brought some alcohol.’

Come to think of it, I had never even had a drink with my mother, just the two of us.
One regret led to another, each one adding to the weight on my shoulders.

As I sat there gazing at the grave, the sun began to set behind the mountain, bathing the area in a red glow.
It was time to say goodbye to my mother once again.

I slowly got up, promised my mother I would be back, and turned to walk to the bus stop.
Fortunately, a bus heading towards my workplace was already at the nearby stop, so I boarded it as soon as I arrived.

The bus, which had been speeding down the open road, began to slow down as it entered the city center.
Soon, the roads were completely jammed with cars in every direction.
It seemed the traffic was even worse because it was rush hour.

It looked like it would take longer than usual, and since I worked the late shift, I was already feeling drained.
Just as I was about to close my eyes to get some rest, the bus screeched to a halt, and my body lurched forward, crashing into the seat in front of me.
My groan was met with a chorus of sharp gasps from those around me.

“Ugh!”

I quickly grabbed the armrest and looked around.
Not only the inside of the bus, but the sky, which had been filled with a sunset just moments ago, was now darkening, filled with red and black clouds.

The red clouds, looking as if they were about to bleed, were a precursor to an A-Class Gate.
I pressed my face against the window and looked up at the sky.

Soon, the bus was filled with the sound of emergency alerts for a gate appearance ringing from phones and the confused voices of the passengers.

A few passengers who realized a gate had opened quickly ran towards the exit.
The situation outside was just as urgent and chaotic as inside.
Everyone had gotten out of their cars and was running on the road.

“Driver, open the door!”

The driver, also startled by the sudden A-Class Gate, failed to take proper action.

“Open the door!”

“Hurry up and open the door! Are you f*cking deaf?”

People don’t usually lose their composure like this, but being an A-Class Gate, combined with the ominous dark red sky, seemed to have thrown everyone into a panic.

I too got up from my seat with an ominous feeling and looked around.
According to the gate safety rules, we were supposed to stay inside the vehicle, but it seemed safer to move to a nearby shelter now.

The driver finally opened the door due to the passengers’ shouting and cursing, and people poured out of the bus all at once.
I followed behind them and managed to get off the bus safely.

The scene outside was bizarre.
A black door, at least 30 meters tall, was floating in the sky behind the bus.
I had never seen a gate that large before.

As the gate began to open, a loud booming sound echoed, and a scream, much like a human’s shriek of despair, blared from the crack in the door.
I immediately covered my ears with both hands.

Soon, a thick, red liquid dripped from the gate to the ground, and grotesque monsters began to pour out as if they had been waiting.

The monsters’ appearances varied widely.
Some were covered in fur like animals, while others had hard carapaces like insects or long wings like bats.

The people’s screams grew louder and incessant at the sight of these grotesque creatures, which looked like forced amalgamations of various animals.

Fortunately, the Espers who had been on standby in front of the gate immediately confronted the monsters.
However, the smaller monsters slipped past the Espers’ notice, descended to the ground, and began attacking people.
The people around me, myself included, had no choice but to run desperately towards the shelter to survive.

I saw a sign for the shelter; it was 300 meters away.

I ran with all my might, to the point my lungs burned, but I tripped on something and fell.
Just as I realized I had tripped over a person from the texture and warmth my hand felt, and tried to scramble up, a person running next to me was snatched away by a bat-like monster.

My whole body stiffened with tension.
Still, I tried my best to gather my senses and get up, but I was trampled by someone running from behind and couldn’t rise.

Amidst the pain and confusion from being stepped on, I managed to crawl into the gap between two cars and catch my breath.
The road was like a battlefield.
Awakened beings, monsters, and ordinary people were all mixed together in a state of pure chaos.
The surroundings were quickly covered in corpses and blood.

Huddled down, I looked around before glancing up at the gate.
A creature that appeared to be the boss monster was filling the entire gate.
The boss monster’s face resembled a gaunt human skull, but its eyeballs were intact.
The monster’s white pupils darted around ceaselessly.

Espers were attacking it with their abilities, but the boss monster paid them no mind, rummaging through the ground with its skeletal arm.

Seeing that, I was about to try moving to the shelter again.
The boss monster’s gaze locked onto me.
In an instant, a long bone shot out towards me.

I instinctively jumped away, but my legs immediately got tangled, and I fell.
Thinking I might die just like this, I tried to get up again, but something was wrong with my leg, and I stumbled once more.

My body trembled with the fear of death, and just as the thought ‘This is how I die’ crossed my mind, someone snatched me up by the waist.

A man who looked like an Esper held me and soared high into the sky in an instant.

I was so shocked that I struggled in his arms, but the man soothed me, saying it was okay.
It was then.
My heart dropped with a heavy thud, and I felt as if I’d been electrocuted, unable to collect my thoughts.

“Are you okay?”

As I trembled uncontrollably, the man continuously patted my back.
And then, strangely enough, the trembling stopped.
I turned to look at the man’s face and was startled.
The man was Hyun Taewoon, the S-Class Esper who was often in the news lately.
He smiled brightly at me and spoke.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. You’re a fascinating Guide.”

He lifted me lightly and set me down in a shelter building far from the gate.
Then, he spoke in a firm, admonishing tone.

“It’s dangerous, so don’t go anywhere. Stay here.”

I was so stunned by Taewoon’s appearance that I couldn’t speak and just nodded.
Seemingly reassured by my response, he returned to the gate.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Taewoon’s back as he quickly moved away.

From a window inside the building, I watched Taewoon and the other Espers relentlessly confront the monsters around the gate.

Even though I knew the area around the gate was now enclosed by a barrier, preventing more monsters from descending to the ground, my body remained stiff with tension.

The gate, which had been manifest for about 30 minutes, vanished as soon as the boss monster was annihilated.
The area around the gate was covered in red flames and the corpses of people and monsters.
However, the monster corpses soon turned to ash and disappeared, leaving only the human bodies behind.

In the distance, I could see Taewoon flying towards me.
He glanced around outside the building, and his eyes met mine as I stood by the window.
He came inside immediately and asked me.

“I was worried you’d disappeared. Which organization are you a Guide for?”

“Huh? …I’m not a Guide.”

“Not a Guide?”

Taewoon immediately took my hand.
When he held my hand, I felt a faint tingling, weaker than before, and sensed an energy moving from his hand into me.
It felt as if our bodies were connected.
I’d never experienced such a sensation before, so I didn’t know why it was happening.

“Even now? I’ve never had guiding work this well before.”

Just as Taewoon said, I could feel the murky, heavy energy from him gradually becoming lighter and softer.

“I’m… just an ordinary citizen.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re not in uniform. When was the last time you took an Awakening Test?”

I took the Awakening Test three years ago, before I started working at the factory.
The result was ‘non-awakened’.

“Three years ago.”

“Many people awaken late. I think you’ve just awakened now. Seeing how smooth the guiding is, you must be an S-Class.”

Taewoon said with conviction.
Looking pleased, he squeezed my hand tightly and pressed closer to me.

“This feels good. I’ve never felt anything like this.”

People nearby were staring at us with curious expressions.
Their gazes made me shrink back instinctively.
Taewoon met my eyes steadily and asked again.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Lee Shinui.”

“Even your name is pretty.”

At his words, I averted my gaze from his without realizing it.
It felt strange to be called pretty by a man.

“Thank you for your help. But I have to go to work now…”

“Can’t you go later? Please stay with me, even if it’s just for a little while.”

I was scheduled to start work at 10 PM tonight, so I needed to get going soon.
But with the roads in such a mess, it seemed I would have to stay here for a while anyway.

“…Until when?”

“Until my guiding level reaches 70%.”

Taewoon showed me a device on his wrist as he spoke.
The screen read 53%.

I nodded, signaling that I understood.
Since it was 70% and not 100%, I thought it would be fine.
After all, it was only an increase of 17%.

I wasn’t sure if I had really awakened as a Guide, but I felt I should make time if it meant I could help Taewoon, the man who had saved me.

At my agreement, Taewoon let go of my hand, pressed the earpiece he was wearing, and reported that he was returning.
Then, as if not wanting to be disturbed, he removed the earpiece and put it in his pocket.

“Shinui-ssi, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah… No.”

In truth, the places where I had been trampled still hurt, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to worry him.
But despite my words, Taewoon noticed the footprints on my clothes and had a nearby Healer-class Esper restore my body.

It was truly amazing.
The painful spots were healed in an instant, and I no longer felt any pain.

“Your body is recovered, so shall we go to my place now?”

“Your place, Taewoon-ssi?”

“Yes. Guiding works best at home.”

Taewoon said with a smile in response to my question.
I was flustered by his suggestion to go to his house, but since I had already said I would help, I had no choice but to nod.