Chapter 78: Uninvited Saviors

The cruise itinerary felt both long and short.
When I returned to my daily life, the days were heavy with the weight of the events that had transpired on the cruise.

I was contemplating how to answer Sehyun’s confession.
I had a favorable impression of him, but it was different from the feeling of love.
I could just reject his confession, but I didn’t want to grow distant from him, so I couldn’t easily refuse.

To be honest, I also had a desire for this matter to just blow over so we could go back to how things were.
And the future that Yeongwon had seen for me also continued to weigh on my mind.

It was certain that the devil’s gate would appear again.
If I hadn’t had the memory of the future, I would have just laughed it off, but since I had died at the devil’s gate, I couldn’t take it lightly.

The devil’s gate was supposed to open on my birthday in three years, but for now, it was unpredictable, so I had to prepare in advance.
And the future where I died might not change.
Yeongwon had said that the future could be changed, but what if not?

To avoid dying, I had to be sure to ask Hyun Taewoon how the gate had closed.
So that I would never experience that terrible situation a second time.

<A-Class Gate appearance in Sector 89. A-Class Gate appearance.>

I was resting at home with Wonjae when the gate alert began to ring.
Wonjae expressed his annoyance at the alert ringing during our break, but in the end, we moved to the Center together.

Sector 89 was originally a commercial district, but it was currently closed due to frequent gate openings.
So it was often used as a hideout for criminals and anti-Awakened.

In the guiding shelter, I looked at Sector 89 on the monitor.
Having been closed for over 10 years, Sector 89 had turned into a ghost town.
The unmanaged buildings were broken and corroded from frequent battles and were in a state of ruin.
The roads were also cracked and split, or overgrown with weeds.

The gates that appeared in Sector 89 were mainly B-Class fixed-type gates.
Because of this, it was rare for an S-Class like Hyun Taewoon to come, and this was my first time here as well.

He and I looked at the situation from the central waiting room and then moved to the 01S team’s exclusive room.
But all the team members’ expressions were not good.

“Is something wrong?”

“They said three gates opened at the same time.”

“Three?”

“Yes. One sudden-type A-Class and the rest are B-Class.”

The phenomenon of multiple gates opening at the same time had been occurring frequently recently.
Before returning to the past, I had seen two open at a time, but it was the first time that three had opened at the same time like now, so I felt a sense of unease.

“They said they’re moving with two guiding shelters this time too. There might be a lot of casualties.”

I was looking at the monitor of the sudden-type A-Class gate, and then I turned my gaze to another monitor to check the situation of the B-Class gate.

It was a high-level B-Class gate, and it was already open.
The high-grade Espers were all gathered at the A-Class gate, and the other Espers were at the B-Class gate, but since two had opened, this gate would be tough for everyone.

As all the gates opened, not long after, injured Espers came into the shelter.
The guides were busy guiding the Espers.
But there were too many injured.
At that sight, remote guiding came to mind.

I had never done remote guiding in a gate situation in Korea.
Before returning to the past, I had been his exclusive, and until now, I had been a pair with Sung Yohan, so I couldn’t try.

But after coming back from supporting the US gate, I had realized the power of remote guiding, and now was the time when remote guiding was needed.

I was looking at the Espers with low guiding levels and then finally moved to the shelter manager.

“Manager.”

“Yes, Guide-nim. What can I do for you?”

“I’m going to go out and do remote guiding.”

“You can’t. You can’t go out, Guide-nim.”

“Why not?”

I could predict the reason why the manager was telling me not to go out.
It was probably because it was dangerous since three gates had opened this time.
But at this rate, everyone would be in danger.

But contrary to my thoughts, the manager gave a different reason.

“Esper Hyun Taewoon said that you are absolutely not to be let out of the guiding shelter.”

“I have no relationship with him. I’m neither his exclusive nor his pair.”

“Still…”

If it was because of his words, I wanted to go out and help the Espers.

“Don’t you see the Espers dying right now?”

I said, pointing to the situation monitor with my hand.
On the screen, I could see Espers being eaten by monsters.

“If you understand, then get out of my way right now.”

At my words, the manager had a troubled face, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of moving aside.
After confirming that, I pushed him aside and headed for the door.

“Don’t look down on me just because I’m a guide.”

I took an energy gun in each hand and went straight out.
The manager called me, but I ignored him.

The place where the B-Class gate had opened was about a 10-minute walk from here.
I could see C-Class Espers using their abilities on the monsters nearby.
I also annihilated the monsters with my energy gun and headed forward.

It seemed my diligent gate training recently had paid off, as all the bullets hit the monsters’ heads.

Before long, I could see the B-Class gate in the distance.
I could see guides guiding Espers near the gate.
Their faces were all desperate and looked like they were about to burst into tears.

At that sight, my steps quickened.
To use remote guiding to its fullest, I had to go up to a high place.
I went into the tallest building nearby.

My breath became short every time I went up the stairs, but I endured it and went up to the 10th floor.
And I caught my breath.

My breath was up to my throat, and my lungs ached.
I barely caught my breath and prepared for remote guiding.

I clasped my hands together as if in prayer and released my wavelength to the maximum.
My wavelength spread out like an umbrella.
At first, one or two, and then the range gradually widened, and I could feel my wavelength connecting with dozens of people.

At first, I hated being a guide so much.
A C-Class who was not welcomed by anyone.
But now, I could help everyone.

When I did remote guiding, the surroundings sparkled like starlight.
I heard later that the more wavelength you release, the more it sparkles.
I had heard that it also served as a barrier because the sparkle was created as the energy was released.

I was relieved at the sight of the Espers recovering little by little outside the window.

I was checking the area around the gate in case there were any Espers who needed guiding.
I saw an Esper in a black coat flying towards the gate’s boss monster.

Since he was wearing a black coat, I thought it was Hyun Taewoon or Sung Yohan, but there was no Association mark.
It was a coat I had seen somewhere before, but my memory was hazy.

“Who is that? A new Esper?”

As the Esper, who was flying with his black coat, which came down to his shins, fluttering, sat on the boss monster’s head, there was a loud bang, and the boss monster’s face was slammed into the ground.

It was a single blow in an instant, so I was very surprised.

The person in the black coat was wearing a black mask.
Another Esper in the same coat separated the monster’s neck with a long sword.

The boss monster was annihilated so easily, and the gate began to close.

‘What are those people? Where did they come from?’

The Espers in the black coats didn’t seem to be from the Association or the government.
They quickly disappeared, but I was still puzzled.

Since they said there were criminals or anti-Awakened in Sector 89, it seemed they were one of the two.

I thought they would be bystanders even if a gate appeared, but to help close the gate.
It was strange.
But I soon erased the thought and did remote guiding again towards the exhausted Espers.

And when I thought the situation here was somewhat okay, I moved to another B-Class gate.
At that gate, I also saw Espers in black coats confronting the boss monster.

I knew immediately that they were not enemies, so I went up to a nearby building again and guided even the Espers in the black coats.

The guiding was working properly.
I could see the Espers getting their energy back one by one.
However, I, who had done remote guiding in succession, was exhausted and slumped in the building.
Since I had sent an emergency alert to my Guiding Watch, I just had to wait for someone to come and get me.

And so I was resting in the building when I heard footsteps.
It seemed to be the person who had come to rescue me.
I was about to say that I was here, but I closed my mouth at the voice I heard.

“It’s been a while since I had fun.”

“You don’t think we stood out too much?”

“When else can we show those Association b*stards the difference in our abilities if not at a time like this.”

I could tell from the approaching presence and wavelength that they were Espers.
From the way they said ‘Association b*stards’, they were not from the Association.

Since the voices were coming from right below, I moved my body and pressed the emergency alert again.

The Association was always slow to respond.
I was annoyed that I couldn’t get help in a truly urgent situation.

“Wait. I think someone’s here.”

The Espers downstairs also seemed to have sensed my presence.
I got off the stairs and hid in a room.
And I held my energy gun tightly, hoping that they would just pass by.

Fortunately, feeling the footsteps disappear, I leaned against the wall, but I felt a strange texture, not a hard wall.

When I turned my head back, a man in a black coat and a mask, whom I had seen just before, was standing there.