Chapter 88: The Beginning Of A Rampage

“Ugh…!”

The cliff collapsed, and his vision spun violently.

So-won squeezed his eyes shut as he felt himself falling.

After a brief sensation of freefall, something wrapped around him.

So-won hurriedly clutched at whatever came into his hands.

But the body holding him was neither broad nor solid like the one he had expected.

So-won slowly opened his eyes.

“Tae-woo…?”

“I’m afraid not.”

The first thing So-won saw when he opened his eyes was the unwelcome sight of Si-hyeok’s face, and his own body suspended in midair, rapidly moving toward somewhere unknown.

So-won hastily twisted around to look behind him.

The cliff was collapsing.

The prefabricated house that had stood on top of it, and the very spot where So-won and Tae-woo had been standing just moments ago, were all disappearing without a trace.

“Tae-woo!”

So-won thrashed as he shouted Tae-woo’s name.

But the arm wrapped tightly around his waist didn’t budge.

“Where are you taking me?

Let go of me!”

“For now, we’re leaving the Gate.

The noise is about to draw the monsters from the deeper layers.”

Si-hyeok answered with his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Even as he spoke, the scenery rushed past them at high speed, and soon even the sight of the collapsing cliff vanished from view.

In the blink of an eye, Si-hyeok carried So-won straight out of the Gate.

***

Outside the Gate was bright.

Not because the sun was up, but because powerful lights were trained directly on the entrance.

“That’s quite the grand welcome.”

Si-hyeok curled his lips as he looked around.

Countless Espers had completely surrounded the Gate, and Si-hyeok and So-won stood at the very center of it.

In the sky, fighter jets and helicopters crisscrossed chaotically.

So-won shrank back at the sight of the weapons aimed their way.

Even though he knew they weren’t targeting him but Si-hyeok, his body stiffened on instinct.

Just then, someone stepped forward from among the Espers.

Seeing her, Si-hyeok greeted her with casual familiarity.

“What, even you showed up?

I thought you were overseas.”

“Yeah.

Some idiot went and took a monster’s precious Guide, after all.”

She walked straight up to Si-hyeok and So-won without any protection.

Watching her remain calm and unguarded even in front of an S-rank Esper, So-won felt puzzled—then belatedly realized who she was.

Min Ye-jin.

She was one of the S-rank Espers, just like Tae-woo.

She was famous, but since she usually stayed abroad, it had taken him a moment to recognize her.

The fact that even she—who rarely returned to Korea—was here meant his disappearance had grown into quite a major incident.

Ye-jin stopped in front of Si-hyeok and spoke.

“How about you give it up now?”

“Can’t be helped.

I don’t particularly want to take on two S-ranks in this condition either.”

Si-hyeok let go of So-won with startling ease.

Up until now, he had never once shown any intention of giving him up, no matter what happened, so So-won couldn’t immediately adjust to the sudden freedom.

He could finally move as he pleased, but…

As tension hung thick in the air around them, So-won hesitated, unsure whether it was really okay for him to move.

Ye-jin walked over to the hesitant So-won and naturally wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

So-won flinched and tried to shake her off the moment her arm touched him, but unlike with Si-hyeok, he felt nothing strange at all—and relaxed.

As the tension drained away, a wave of relief washed over him.

The strength drained from his body, exhausted by the long days of abduction.

Kugugung.

Before he could properly settle down, a thunderous roar—like a mountain bellowing—erupted, and the ground began to shake violently.

Trees surrounding them were ripped out by the roots, and the earth heaved up and down as if a landslide were about to occur.

Unable to even stand properly, So-won staggered wildly, barely regaining his balance with Ye-jin’s help.

“Oof, staying here’s going to be dangerous.”

Ye-jin suddenly scooped So-won up and leapt backward in one large step.

The tremors quickly subsided, but So-won, still unable to grasp the situation, looked around anxiously.

<Esper Choi Si-hyeok, Esper Kang Tae-woo!

Both of you, stop immediately!>

Tae-woo’s name rang out through a loudspeaker.

So-won lifted his head.

At the far end of his gaze stood Tae-woo, who looked as though he had just emerged from the Gate.

Facing Tae-woo, Si-hyeok raised both hands, signaling that he had no intention of fighting.

But Tae-woo stood completely still.

From the fist he had clenched, green blood dripped steadily onto the ground.

<Esper Kang Tae-woo, please calm down first—>

Just as it seemed Tae-woo might take a step forward, he suddenly charged straight at Si-hyeok.

“M-Mr. Tae-woo!”

The clash erupted once more.

Si-hyeok defended while Tae-woo attacked him with ferocious intensity.

The impact of their collision split the ground apart, forcing the surrounding Espers to retreat.

Ye-jin also withdrew, tucking So-won against her side to put more distance between them and the fight.

So-won urgently tugged at Ye-jin’s sleeve.

“Please stop them!”

“Huh?

You want me to jump in between those two right now?”

Ye-jin grimaced in disgust.

Judging by her reaction, it seemed she had no intention of honoring So-won’s request under any circumstances.

So-won could only watch Tae-woo from afar, hopping anxiously in place.

As the fight dragged on, dust billowed thickly into the air.

The haze obscured Tae-woo’s figure from view.

Still, the unceasing sounds made it clear they were continuing to fight beyond the dust cloud.

“Ugh…”

A helicopter descended, whipping up fierce winds.

So-won, who had been staring tensely toward where Tae-woo was, squeezed his eyes shut as dust blew into them.

He rubbed his eyes hard.

When he opened them again, the strong wind—and the dust along with it—had vanished, leaving his view clear.

Only then was So-won able to check Tae-woo’s condition, if only from a distance.

“…Tae-woo?”

But the moment he did, So-won froze.

Something about Tae-woo’s movements was wrong.

Tae-woo was attacking only Si-hyeok, paying no heed to the destruction around him.

Several Espers tried joining forces to approach and separate the two, but they were all knocked down before they could even get close.

After that happened a few times, no one dared approach them again.

The radius affected by the battle kept expanding, and the Espers’ defensive line was pushed farther and farther back.

“Tae-woo!

Please stop now!”

So-won shouted.

If he didn’t do this much, it felt like Tae-woo would never stop.

But even at So-won’s plea to stop, Tae-woo continued attacking Si-hyeok relentlessly—

As if he couldn’t hear So-won’s voice at all.

Through the torn fabric of his clothes, Tae-woo’s battered condition was visible.

His body looked like it was screaming.

So-won could feel it—Tae-woo was breaking down.

Restless with anxiety, So-won fidgeted.

Even during that brief time inside the Gate, Tae-woo’s condition hadn’t been good.

Blood vessels stood out even on his face, and his energy fluctuations were wildly unstable.

So-won’s face crumpled as if he were about to cry.

Tae-woo’s body had already gone beyond its limits.

“Please… stop…”

His throat tightened.

So-won tried to speak again, but only a thin, powerless sound slipped out.

At this rate, his voice wouldn’t reach Tae-woo.

So-won began stepping forward, little by little.

He needed to get closer to Tae-woo.

Even if the ground beneath him crumbled, even if nothing remained in the places Tae-woo had passed through.

He couldn’t even be sure he could reach him safely—

But So-won had to go to Tae-woo.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch him fall apart any longer.

“Guide, have you lost your mind?

Trying to get yourself killed?”

Seeing So-won move toward Tae-woo, Ye-jin hurriedly stepped in front of him.

When she yanked So-won back, a chunk of concrete that had been falling narrowly missed him, crashing down beside him.

“I—I have to go to Mr.

Tae-woo…

Like this, he’ll—”

“Yes.

He’ll go berserk.”

She answered immediately, without a moment’s hesitation.

So-won held his breath.

“It looks like he’s already entered the early stage of a rampage.

It won’t be long now.”

“T-Then, if that happens…Tae-woo will—”

“Either the bomb strapped around his neck will go off.

Or if he survives and keeps rampaging, I’ll be the one to take him down.”

“…..”

So-won bit down hard on his lip.

He couldn’t let that happen.

No matter what it took, he had to get to Tae-woo’s side and stop him.

He clenched his fist tightly, and pain throbbed through his palm.

When he opened his hand, blood dripped from his bluish, mangled palm.

Ye-jin examined the injury and said he should get treatment right away, but So-won shook his head.

“Esper Min Ye-jin, please help me get to Tae-woo.”

“…Are you serious?

He’s already lost his reason—he won’t even recognize his Guide.”

“No.

If it’s Tae-woo, he’ll recognize me.

I’m sure of it.”

So-won spoke firmly.

He believed that if Tae-woo heard his voice, he would come back to his senses.

Looking at So-won’s unwavering resolve, Ye-jin nodded with an uneasy expression.

“I’ll try to get us as close as possible, but…

If it gets too dangerous, we turn back immediately.

Got it?”

So-won nodded rapidly.

Ye-jin let out a small sigh and muttered, “You’re just as stubborn as Esper Kang Tae-woo,” before crooking her finger at a nearby Esper.

Moments later, a long spear flew into her hand.

Ye-jin caught it, swung it a few times to loosen up, then reached out toward So-won.

With a tense expression, So-won took her outstretched hand.

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