Chapter 51: A Call to Arms

The call from Jinseok came in the afternoon, not long after I had finished lunch.
Feeling a strange sense of foreboding, I answered the phone, and his low, subdued voice, different from usual, came through.

• [Guide-nim.]

“Yes, Manager-nim. What’s going on?”

• [I just got a call from the Association.]

At the words that a call had come from the Association, I felt that my ominous premonition was not wrong.

“What did the Association say?”

• [You know that an S-Class gate has opened in the US, right?]

“Yes, I know.”

It seemed they were struggling, as it was a high-level S-Class gate.
There was still no news that it had closed.

• [A request for support came from the American Association, and you were among those requested. The decision to provide support is up to you, so please don’t feel burdened and make a decision.]

Many thoughts went through my mind at those words.
To be honest, it would be better for my own safety not to go, but the situation at the US gate that Jihwon had shown me kept weighing on my mind.

“Will I be of any help if I go?”

• [I heard that they are very short on guides. If you go, you will be of great help. But as it is an S-Class gate, there are also many risk factors.]

Come to think of it, since the US had a much larger number of Espers than guides, guides would be even more necessary.
So I was even more conflicted by his words.
Just as I had died at an S-Class gate, there was no guarantee that I wouldn’t die at an S-Class gate again.
It was a matter of life and death, so I couldn’t decide easily.

• [It’s a dangerous situation, but I think it will be okay if you stay in the guiding shelter.]

“Can I think about it for a bit?”

I can’t make a rash decision.
It wasn’t an A-Class, but a high-level S-Class gate that hadn’t closed for over a week.

• [Yes. Since time is of the essence, it would be great if you could let me know quickly. The volunteers are scheduled to depart for the gate at 8 PM tonight.]

I said okay and ended the call.
I sat on the sofa and clutched my phone tightly for a while.
Then I turned on the gate news.
It was a channel that was broadcasting the currently occurring gate live.

For over a week, the news had only been broadcasting the situation at the US S-Class gate.
The downtown area of the US in the gate news was so devastated that its former appearance was unrecognizable.
The Espers also all looked exhausted and were covered in blood.

At this rate, the US would be destroyed by the gate.
If the gate didn’t close, the damage would spread to other countries and even our own.
I finally made up my mind and contacted Jinseok.

• [Guide-nim, have you decided?]

“I’ll go.”

• [Are you really going?]

“Yes. If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to help, even just a little.”

• [I understand. Then I’ll relay it to the Association.]

As I expressed my intention to go to the US gate, the reality of the S-Class gate situation became even more tangible.

If I was unlucky, I could die at the gate.
But the situation in the US was so bad, and if my abilities could be of any help, I wanted to help.

It was more painful to just stand by and watch when I was in a position to help.
I had also died at an S-Class gate, and I knew better than anyone how desperate help was in a desperate situation.

The call from Jinseok came again an hour later.
He said that the number of guides and Espers mobilized from Korea this time was 20.
And since all the necessary items at the gate site would be prepared by the American Association, I didn’t have to pack anything unless it was a personal item.
At that, I only packed my wallet, which had my mother’s picture.

“Are there any other precautions?”

• [Well…. Esper Hyun Taewoon and Esper Sung Yohan are also going.]

I hadn’t seen Sung Yohan since our pair was broken, but I expected him to have volunteered since he often went on overseas assignments.
And I thought Hyun Taewoon would follow if I went.

“I understand.”

• [I’ve sent the gate situation report to your terminal. Then I’ll come to pick you up at 7 PM.]

As soon as the call ended, I checked my terminal.
As he had said, a report had arrived.
Looking at it, it seemed they were struggling because the boss monster this time had regenerative abilities.
If it had regenerative abilities, they would have to inflict a critical hit and annihilate it quickly before it could regenerate.

They must have gathered a lot of information about the boss monster over the week, so if they received support from other countries this time, the gate would be able to close safely.

I looked at the report for a while and then thought of Wonjae.
Since it was a sudden schedule, I hadn’t thought to contact him.
When I checked the time now, it was in the middle of his training.

Fortunately, it seemed I could have dinner with him, so I sent him a message to come straight home as soon as his training was over.

I explained to the returned Wonjae the reason why I was going to the US gate, but he seemed to wish I wouldn’t go.
Even at my words that guides, unlike Espers, would only be staying in the shelter, he kept shaking his head, and in the end, he reluctantly told me to be careful.
At his words to come back immediately if my body was in danger, I also nodded, saying that was my intention.

After dinner, I was seen off by him and got into Jinseok’s car.
As soon as I got in the car, Jinseok told me about the upcoming schedule.

“We will take a flight shelter to the area near the gate. It will take about 8 hours. It will be tough, but you will have to go out for support as soon as you arrive.”

“It’s okay. I’m prepared for it.”

“It must not have been an easy decision. I admire you, Guide-nim.”

“If I can help, I should.”

When we arrived at the Association airfield, the Espers and guides who had already arrived were there.
They were all familiar faces.

I said goodbye to Jinseok and boarded the flight shelter.
I thought the flight shelter would be similar to an airplane, but when I got on, it was completely different.
They said a physical-type Esper’s spatial ability was applied to it, and although it looked small on the outside, the inside was quite spacious.

The space, which seemed to be more than twice the size of a regular guiding shelter, was fully equipped with convenience facilities, including a guiding room, and there were also individual rooms to stay in.

“Guide Lee Shinui’s room is room 07.”

“Okay.”

Passing through the lobby, I moved to the hallway where the rooms were, and as soon as I heard my assigned room number, I went straight into room 07.
Inside the room were a single bed, a table, and a small wardrobe.
On the table were items needed for the gate situation, such as a special combat suit, casual clothes, and an earpiece.

I was sitting on the bed, waiting for the flight shelter to move, when an announcement came from the speaker installed on the ceiling.

<Flight shelter No. 15, heading to Sector 1224, USA, will be taking off shortly.>

Listening to the announcement, I turned on the monitor attached to the ceiling.
On the monitor, information about the current flight status and location was written at the top, and the main screen was broadcasting the US gate situation in real time.

The situation still didn’t look good.
The American Awakened were fighting monsters day and night.
The Espers’ faces were covered in veins, flushed and swollen, as if to show that they hadn’t received proper guiding.
But since they were receiving support not only from Korea but also from other countries, the gate would soon close safely.

I was watching the gate video for a while.
I heard a knock on the door.
I thought it would be Sung Yohan or Hyun Taewoon, but at the friendly voice I heard from outside, I hurriedly got up and opened the door.

“Hello, Guide Lee Shinui. I am Choi Minseong, an A-Class guide from the 01S team.”

I knew him even without him saying so.
I smiled and greeted him.

“Yes, I know. Minseong-sun… no, Guide Minseong, what brings you here?”

Out of habit, I almost called him ‘sunbae’, but I quickly changed it to ‘Guide-nim’.

“As a fellow guide, I came to talk about this gate. Is that okay?”

“Yes. Of course it’s okay.”

I hurriedly pulled out a table chair so that he could sit.
He said thank you and smiled.

“I don’t think we’ve ever talked since we’re on different teams. I’m happy to be able to talk this time.”

“Me too.”

“When we arrive at Sector 1224, we will immediately move to the guiding shelter.”

“Yes. I heard.”

“In the shelter, I will mainly be in charge of the A-Classes, and I think you will be in charge of the S-Classes.”

I had also heard this from Jinseok beforehand, but I listened to his words without showing it.

“The gate has been open for a long time, so the Espers will be very sensitive. I’ve prepared one for you as well, just in case of an unforeseen situation.”

What he gave me was an Esper-exclusive paralysis chip.
It was an adhesive type, so if you attached it to the skin, the paralysis effect would appear immediately.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“You’ve only been a guide for half a year, and you’ve only been in charge of Esper Sung Yohan, so I thought you might not know about unforeseen situations.”

In the past or present, his consideration was consistent.
I was sick of the fake appearances of people after becoming an S-Class, but at the sight of him, a faint smile formed on my lips.

“Let’s all return safely without getting hurt this time.”

“Yes. Let’s return safely.”

Soon, he told me to rest until we arrived and left the room.

I looked at the paralysis chip he had given me for a while.
After returning to the past, I had often thought I was alone, but now, at the sight of him, I felt my cold heart warm up a little.

Since it was an 8-hour flight, I closed my eyes and when I woke up, we were already arriving in an hour.
I changed into my special combat suit in advance and put on my earpiece.

The earpiece had an automatic translation function, and I could also communicate with others on the same server.
By the time I finished getting ready, an announcement was heard to gather in the central waiting room as we would be arriving soon.
When I went out to the waiting room, people were already gathered.
Even though they looked calm, tension was evident in their eyes.

As soon as the flight shelter landed at the airfield, the Espers were immediately deployed to the gate site.
The guides, including me and him, used the transportation provided by the American Association and headed to the guiding shelter as instructed.

When we arrived near the guiding shelter, I could see a red city covered in monsters and flames from a distance.
It was a scene straight out of hell.