Chapter 28: The Unexpected Ally

Chapter 28

‘There’s no change, even though he should have been eliminated.’ I quickly scanned the area where Park Hyeon-seo was standing. He was peering around inside the boundary line with a bewildered expression. It seemed he hadn’t yet discovered Yoon Geon-woo or me, who were still hidden.

‘Something’s off.’

Even with the level adjustment, the practice taser gun’s power should have been considerable. Having been shot in a vital spot with a taser designed for beasts, he ought to have flinched from the impact. Yet, Park Hyeon-seo’s surprisingly subdued reaction was puzzling.

‘Could I have missed my shot without realizing it?’ I wondered. However, that possibility was quickly dismissed. I had clearly seen his body stagger violently the moment I shot Park Hyeon-seo.

‘Could it be… because of that?’

Though unlikely, I considered if there might have been an inexplicable system error. To handle the situation carefully, I refocused on the scoreboard, where the number of remaining participants decreased and an elimination mark appeared on another student’s photo.

As expected, it wasn’t a system error. This led me to the conclusion I had inwardly reached: the problem lay with Park Hyeon-seo.

But wasn’t he the one who suffered in the previous round? Since returning, I couldn’t pinpoint where things had gone awry. Regardless of the current situation, my mind reeled, trying to determine if he truly was the culprit who had aimed a gun at me.

‘If, by some slim chance, Park Hyeon-seo is the culprit… then the taser he’s holding must be…’

Before the regression, hadn’t Yoon Geon-woo disarmed a fallen Park Hyeon-seo and aimed the gun at him? Speculating now, it occurred to me that Yoon Geon-woo’s unusual behavior might have stemmed from an Esper’s intuition, sensing something amiss with the taser Park Hyeon-seo had fired.

As I pondered how to deal with Park Hyeon-seo, Yoon Geon-woo, who stood beside me, was the first to speak.

“Just now. Did you shoot him knowing something?”

Seeing him ask without hesitation, it seemed he, too, harbored doubts about the scoreboard, which still hadn’t registered an elimination.

“Answer me.”

When I didn’t respond immediately, lost in thought, Yoon Geon-woo grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. It was a stark contrast to how he used to react violently at the mere touch of a fingertip; now, his contact felt much more natural.

I frowned slightly at Yoon Geon-woo’s prodding, slowly shaking my head.

“No. I… I just wanted to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?”

“I was wondering if he might be the one who sang the school anthem.”

Why, of all people, did I have to encounter Park Hyeon-seo here? My heart ached even as I continued speaking.

Perhaps sensing my troubled expression, I felt Yoon Geon-woo’s grip on my shoulder loosen completely.

“If he’s the culprit, then? What do you plan to do?”

“Then… I’ll have to subdue him, no matter what it takes.”

“That’s unexpected. You’ve been protecting him all this time.”

My change in behavior seemed to elicit a significantly different reaction from Yoon Geon-woo. The very person who had once chided me, claiming everyone was an enemy in battle, friend or foe, now appeared genuinely surprised.

Naturally, I responded as if he were asking the obvious.

“There’s no other way. My priority right now isn’t Park Hyeon-seo; it’s you, Yoon Geon-woo.”

“What in the world…”

Yoon Geon-woo seemed to falter for a moment, taken aback by my unexpected answer. Before he could retort, I interjected.

“Regardless of everything, we *are* a team, aren’t we? And a temporary… pair, at that.”

I pointed to the team symbol displayed on the scoreboard, and he, seemingly without a counterargument, spoke in a sullen voice.

“The taser gun didn’t even work. How do you plan to face him?”

“Do I need a special plan? I have an S-rank Esper watching my back.”

I offered a smile, as if asking what better plan there could be. Although the situation was subtly different, Yoon Geon-woo gave the same response as before.

“What makes you trust me?”

Having already experienced this dynamic, dealing with him wasn’t particularly difficult. I whispered in a low voice, just loud enough for Yoon Geon-woo to hear.

“You said you wouldn’t let me die. You said that yourself.”

As I lightly tapped Yoon Geon-woo’s shoulder, a blue aura rippled around him. However, unlike before, he didn’t block my path when I tried to advance towards the enemy. Instead…

‘What’s with that expression?’

Yoon Geon-woo raised an eyebrow, looking at me with an amused interest. A slight chuckle escaped him, suggesting he was curious to see how far I would push things.

“Fine, do what you want.”

An unexpected affirmation came from Yoon Geon-woo. I wasn’t sure if I could live up to his expectations, but I was thoroughly fed up with the current situation, where I kept dying.

However, a crucial matter still remained to be addressed before I left. I also made sure to drop some information that might prove useful in the upcoming fight.

“Yoon Geon-woo, how much do you know about beasts?”

“What’s with the sudden…”

“Have you ever heard of a beast called Ophedian? The one that occasionally appears in A-rank Gates… the one that looks like a snake with legs.”

Yoon Geon-woo wore a puzzled expression, as if wondering why I was suddenly bringing up beasts in their current situation.

Paying him no mind, I continued speaking. I needed to impart critical information to him, as he would soon be confronting an Ophedian.

“Ophedians possess potent venom. Furthermore, it’s a dangerous species where consuming its blood or letting it touch bare skin can lead to poisoning and death.”

“Venom?”

“Yes, venom. But there’s one substance that can quickly neutralize its blood. What do you think that is?”

As I rattled off my explanation about the Ophedian, Yoon Geon-woo reacted as if to say, ‘How would I know that?’

‘Right, I didn’t expect you to know.’ I had anticipated that reaction. I let out a soft sigh and pointed to Yoon Geon-woo’s broad chest, specifically his left side.

“It’s the magic stone near the Ophedian’s heart. Heating a magic stone extracted from it creates an antidote.”

Not just Ophedians, but most beasts within Gates carry a magic stone inside their bodies. While the location of the magic stone varies depending on the type of beast, it is generally situated in the creature’s weakest point—its vital spot.

‘The location of the magic stone is essentially the beast’s weakness.’

Memorizing the varying locations of magic stones in each species was akin to memorizing the beasts’ weaknesses. This was precisely why the SAA included ‘Understanding Heterogeneous Organisms’ as a mandatory subject in its curriculum.

As for me, having always associated with Han Seon-ho, who consistently topped the school, I was familiar with most of these facts. However, Yoon Geon-woo seemed to have neglected not just practical training but even theoretical knowledge. Given his difficulty controlling his contamination levels, he likely missed many classes, which I could understand, but…

‘Could that be why… back then?’

I recalled that before the regression, the last time I saw Yoon Geon-woo, his entire body was caked with beast fluids.

It had struck me as odd that an S-rank like him took longer than expected to handle a single A-rank beast.

To think that someone with more outstanding potential than anyone else couldn’t properly wield his power. Since he didn’t even know of the Ophedian’s existence until I mentioned it, he naturally wouldn’t have known the location of its magic stone, would he?

In that case, he must have overwhelmed the Ophedian with sheer power and abilities, rather than targeting its vital spots.

‘This isn’t easy.’

In that moment, I remembered him going around hitting Espers with a taser gun. I instinctively realized that maintaining a temporary pair with Yoon Geon-woo meant I had to worry about more than just his unstable contamination levels.

“So, why are you telling me all this now, anyway?”

“Just so you know. An Ophedian will appear here soon.”

“What?”

While I was lost in my thoughts, Yoon Geon-woo, clearly displeased, harshly swatted away my hand, which was pointing at his chest. I must have been looking at him with a worried expression without realizing it. Composing my face, I answered him.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no time for explanations right now. I’ll tell you everything in detail once we’re out of here. Just this once… trust me.”

Yoon Geon-woo still looked full of doubt, yet he followed my decision without further argument. He must have instinctively sensed that the unfolding situation was anything but ordinary.

“If you’re playing any tricks, I won’t let it slide.”

“Right, don’t let it slide, throw me somewhere if you want. Anyway, if an Ophedian appears while we’re here, aim for the part with the magic stone first. That’s its vital spot.”

Before heading out of the structure, I gave Yoon Geon-woo a final heads-up on the direction from which the Ophedian would attack. Naturally, he wore a complex expression, as if wondering how I knew such a thing.

“Weren’t you going to deal with that guy first?”

“I have something to confirm first. Besides, if you come with me, Park Hyeon-seo will get scared. You stay here and provide rear support.”

I recalled when Yoon Geon-woo had thrown me to the top of a ruined temple before the regression. Even when I landed far away, his ability allowed me to touch down without pain, so I made an educated guess.

“Is that enough?”

“It’s plenty.”

“What if an emergency arises then?”

“Then you’ll have to step in.”

‘You said you wouldn’t let me die.’ I reminded him of his own words once more. Even though I had already faced death three times in front of him…

Perhaps due to Yoon Geon-woo’s strangely compliant attitude, I felt as though I could definitely count on his help this time.

“You’re a pain in the ass. You just make me do whatever’s convenient for you.”

Yoon Geon-woo grumbled in a dissatisfied tone. But that was all. Seeing that he didn’t respond with an outright refusal, it seemed there would be no problem proceeding with the plan.

Feeling reassured, I prepared to rush towards Park Hyeon-seo.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

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