By Zephyria 
Gi-dam’s pupils trembled violently. It seemed as though he had noticed something was off. Fearing that Gi-dam might realize he had never actually entered a Gate before, Vasily hurriedly tried to soothe him.
“You were in a coma for a month and only woke up yesterday. Your body probably couldn’t handle it.”
Only after receiving that consolation did Gi-dam seem convinced, nodding his head with difficulty.
Vasily felt a slight sense of disappointment seeing Gi-dam already exhausted. To have such a reaction after taking down just one monster.
However, today was Gi-dam’s first time entering a Gate. Since he was a civilian who hadn’t received any training, it was only natural that his body couldn’t keep up. Vasily already knew his physical strength was weak, seeing how quickly he tired even in bed, so it wasn’t particularly strange.
He could simply take him to the training center every day from now on and harden him. Then, he would at least be comparable to a low-rank Esper.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“……No.”
“Ah, there’s blood here.”
Vasily leaned down and gently wiped away the blood smeared on Gi-dam’s cheek. As their eyes met at close range, Gi-dam avoided his gaze with a look of discomfort.
Since Gi-dam was already exhausted, it seemed impossible to let him keep fighting. His body couldn’t handle overexertion, and this was a B-rank Gate. It would be better to start slowly with lower ranks later.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, rest now. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Understood.”
“Instead, could you stand up for a moment?”
Gi-dam stood up unsteadily. Without any suspicion, Vasily opened his arms and pulled the standing Gi-dam into an embrace. As Gi-dam’s body stiffened in panic, a powerful surge of guiding flowed in.
“Ah……”
It was a warm, pleasant wavelength. It felt as if his body might melt away at any moment.
Until now, Vasily had been satisfied with just Gi-dam’s body heat, but after tasting proper guiding once, he realized how foolish that thought had been. He would never be able to go back to how things were before.
As long as he could receive this kind of guiding, it felt as if nothing was impossible. For example… something like freezing this entire Gate.
“Just stay like this for a bit. I’ll finish this quickly.”
“What? Finish wha—”
Gi-dam could not finish his sentence. It was because a powerful chill instantly spread through the surroundings, flowing into his mouth and nose.
Ice starting from beneath Vasily’s feet froze the entire cave and extended deep into the Gate. Trapped in Vasily’s arms, Gi-dam’s vision was blocked and he could see nothing, but he could guess the situation from the sound of ice cracking and freezing that echoed everywhere.
After a while, the screams of monsters could be heard from deep within the Gate. But even those were quickly silenced.
Vasily did not move for a long time. Thinking that he was still using his ability, Gi-dam kept his mouth shut, as if not wanting to disturb him.
“…….”
Vasily remained silent, embracing Gi-dam and receiving guiding, but one thing bothered him. Gi-dam’s body had begun to tremble.
It seemed he was cold due to the chill leaking out as the cave froze. It might have been too much for a civilian to endure. He shouldn’t let him catch a cold, so it seemed best to stop now.
Seeing white breath escape every time Gi-dam breathed, Vasily spoke softly.
“It’s over now.”
“Are there no monsters left?”
“No. If you’re curious, do you want to go check for yourself?”
“……No thank you.”
In truth, the monsters in the Gate had been cleared out long ago. The only living beings left here were Vasily and Gi-dam.
Since the conquest was completed without having to go deep into the Gate, they were able to exit quickly.
As they passed through the exit and the space shifted, several employees waiting outside rushed toward them. The surroundings suddenly became noisy, causing Vasily to knit his brows.
“What is going on?”
He asked displeasedly, but no answer came. They were simply staring blankly at Gi-dam.
“No… why is he perfectly fine…”
One of them muttered softly. His tone suggested that it was impossible for Gi-dam to have emerged from the Gate unscathed.
“Why the reaction? Did you think I might have killed the Guide?”
“…….”
Silence followed. No one spoke, but their eyes looked as if they had expected exactly that.
Ha, Vasily let out a hollow laugh of absurdity. Come to think of it, an ambulance was even standing by in the distance.
He scanned the surroundings with a cold gaze before looking away.
Since he was in a good mood today, he decided to overlook their rudeness. It was likely their first time seeing a Guide enter a Gate, so they simply didn’t know how to act.
But they would have to get used to it now. Because from now on, he would enter every Gate with Gi-dam.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, go change your clothes.”
“Understood.”
After a short reply, Gi-dam turned toward the locker room.
Watching his retreating figure, Vasily suddenly thought that the combat suit suited Gi-dam quite well. That was probably why the Espers had mistaken Gi-dam for a comrade.
As Vasily gazed at Gi-dam, unable to take his eyes off him, the site manager asked cautiously.
“Esper Vasily, how far has the conquest progressed?”
“Do you think I would have come out without finishing the conquest?”
“Yes… is it already over?”
He asked back in surprise.
Vasily glanced at his watch. He had completed the conquest of the B-rank Gate in less than two hours.
What was even more unbelievable was his own condition. Despite pouring out so much power, his body didn’t feel cold. Rather, just by holding Gi-dam for a short while, his wavelength was more stable than it had been before entering the Gate.
From now on, every Gate conquest could be done this way. He wouldn’t have to drag along useless Espers, and the conquest time would be drastically reduced. He could even receive guiding whenever he wanted inside the Gate.
It was a truly perfect situation.
* * *
As soon as they arrived home after the conquest, a small delivery box placed in front of the door greeted them.
The box was small and light. After checking the Association address written in the sender information, Vasily handed the package to Gi-dam and said,
“It looks like a new smartphone.”
Gi-dam’s eyes sparkled as he looked down at the box. It was the first time his expression had brightened since waking up.
Having rushed back home, Gi-dam entered his room immediately without looking back.
Vasily stared at the firmly closed door in silence. His mood seemed to sink. He had just returned from a conquest, yet Gi-dam had gone straight into his room without even asking if he needed guiding.
He had considered letting him rest a bit, but his mind leaned toward needing guiding right now.
Vasily stood immediately in front of Gi-dam’s door. When he knocked, the room, which had been filled with rustling sounds until a moment ago, suddenly went quiet. He waited for a long time, but no answer came.
Aha… so that’s how it’s going to be.
Vasily opened the door and stepped inside.
Looking down, he saw Gi-dam sitting on the floor, having just opened the package. The screen in his hand was still black, as if he hadn’t even tried to turn the power on yet. Unfortunately, Gi-dam was destined to be unable to turn that power on for the rest of the day.
“……What is it?”
Gi-dam asked tensely. He was wary of Vasily, but in Vasily’s eyes, he looked like a cat threatening him with its fur all puffed up.
Vasily replied brightly with a smile in his eyes.
“Give me some guiding.”