By Zephyria 
Standing a few paces away, Vasily was waiting for me, intentionally leaving an opening as if to concede the first move.
In that case, I wouldn’t decline.
Now was the chance, while Vasily was off guard. I dashed straight toward him and leaped into the air. Putting all my weight into my toes, I struck down at Vasily with all my might.
Thud.
With a dull sound, my kick landed squarely.
I aimed for his immobile right arm, but Vasily took the hit with a look in his eyes that suggested he had expected it. He surely could have dodged or blocked it, but he stood motionless, as if he hadn’t even considered doing so.
Does he think an attack like this isn’t even worth dodging? My eyebrows twitched, my pride wounded.
As soon as my foot touched the ground, I hurriedly created distance. I expected Vasily to counterattack, but he was simply dusting off his suit—now marked with a footprint—with a face that looked as if nothing had happened.
There wasn’t a single sign that he had been affected. Seeing his still-composed expression, I quietly grit my teeth. I was the one who attacked, yet it was my own instep that was throbbing. It felt less like I had struck an arm and more like I had kicked a boulder.
How on earth am I supposed to beat a monster like that?
I thought I might have a chance since I’d given Vasily a handicap, but that was a delusion. To think that a body transcending human limits was the barrier from the start.
In the past, I had sparred with him often while training under him every day, but I had never won once. I thought I could exploit a gap this time because Vasily didn’t know my attack patterns, whereas I knew his movements…
Anyway, he said I just had to knock him down.
It’s too early to give up. I racked my brain quickly. It would be better to aim for the legs and break his balance. I could strike the back of his knee and, while Vasily was staggering, use my weight to pull him down.
Having formed a plan, I approached him once more.
This time, I dove in lower and faster. Vasily still didn’t move. Was he planning to take two hits? My mood plummeted at the thought that he viewed me as a pushover.
I changed the plan. If he was going to just take the hits, this was my chance to smack that brazen face of his.
When I reached him, I rose from my low crouch and drove my fist straight toward his face. However, despite the sudden change in direction, Vasily easily avoided my attack with a slight tilt of his head.
I guess he does hate getting hit in the face. I had half-expected the attack to miss anyway.
The moment my fist sliced through the air and passed him, I immediately planted my hand on the ground and twisted my body. Then, I swung my leg back and struck Vasily’s knee.
As I pierced the back of the knee precisely, Vasily’s center of gravity—which had been motionless all along—finally wavered slightly. Now was the chance.
Without hesitation, I grabbed Vasily’s arm and pulled down with all my weight. However, the force with which Vasily pulled my arm back was even stronger. Instead, my body was yanked violently toward him.
“Ugh!”
It felt as if my body were being thrown into the air. I thought I was going to fall backward and hit my head, but a firm arm wrapped around my waist.
When I came to my senses, I was cradled in Vasily’s arms. Moreover, it looked as if we had just finished a passionate tango and were striking the final pose.
Huff, huff… I looked up, breathing heavily. Vasily’s eyes were curved into beautiful crescents. A flicker of euphoria was visible in his silver-gray eyes, which held a faint blue tint.
Our faces were far too close. Close enough that my ragged breath reached him.
Vasily looked down at me quietly, then slowly opened his mouth.
“I surrender. I lost.”
“…”
I lost all my strength at Vasily’s declaration of surrender.
Sigh… I let out a deep breath and slipped out of his embrace. I slumped onto the floor and focused on steadying my rapid breathing.
Right, it wasn’t a fight I could have won in the first place. If I had beaten Vasily, it would have been a special feature on the 9 o’clock news. Because I had seriously hoped I might win, the sense of emptiness was even greater.
More disappointing than that was my pathetic body, which was out of breath just from moving this much. I should double my workout volume or something…
Vasily asked as he helped me up from the floor where I had been lying and panting.
“So, what is your wish?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“How disappointing.”
I had intended to state my wish immediately if I had won the spar fairly, but with this result, my conscience wouldn’t let me demand anything. Maybe I could use this as leverage to ask him to let me go once the suppression chip implanted in the back of my neck is discovered. Of course, such a thing shouldn’t happen in the first place.
Perhaps because I’d moved my body for the first time in a while, I felt refreshed. Working as a temporary Guide is great because I don’t have to enter Gates, but since my job consists of sitting and guiding all day, my waist and entire body usually ache. If the future version of me heard these privileged complaints, he’d probably grab me by the scruff of the neck.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, the arm that got hit earlier seems to be hurting… would you like to give me some guiding?”
“Stop lying.”
“I’m serious… I think I’ll feel better if I receive guiding.”
His intentions were transparent, but I just laughed it off. Since I was currently excluded from duties, I had nothing to do right now anyway. Maybe I’ll play along with Vasily just this once.
“All right. Let’s go to your private room, Esper-nim.”
As I answered, I looked down at my body to take off the combat suit. But the moment I saw the complexly tangled knots, everything became a hassle. Since it had been a while since I wore the combat suit, the feeling of it tightly compressing my body somehow gave me a sense of stability.
“…”
Furthermore, the other Espers were buzzing and watching us. Vasily didn’t particularly enjoy becoming a spectacle.
Sure enough, a chill began to emanate from Vasily’s direction, and I could feel his mood gradually souring. I thought it would be best to leave the area quickly.
“I’ll take off the combat suit in the private room. Let’s head to your private room first, Esper-nim.”
“I’d like that.”
We left the training ground and entered the Esper Association building. Just as we were heading toward his private room while discussing the spar, I saw an Association employee running toward us from somewhere.
“Esper Vasily!”
The urgency was evident. Vasily seemed about to ignore him and pass by, but when I stopped walking, he stopped with me as if he had no choice.
The employee, who had rushed up to us, spoke while gasping for air.
“H-hello, Esper Vasily. An A-rank Gate has appeared near Seoraksan. Monsters are continuously pouring out, so I believe you must hurry to the scene…”
The moment I heard the location, a chill ran through my chest. Come to think of it, was it around this time? When I witnessed the first civilian casualty.
The memories of that day have not faded.
Immediately after returning from a month-long overseas dispatch with Vasily, I was deployed to an A-rank Gate that opened domestically. I remember the damage was quite severe because the Gate burst open suddenly in a mountain village without any warning signs.
By the time Vasily and I arrived, numerous monsters had already spread out from the Gate. Since the monsters were scattered across the vast mountains, making it difficult to track them one by one, Vasily simply froze the entire surrounding area.
However, there were those who couldn’t escape. Two young siblings. It was only while checking if any monsters remained in the village after the Gate closed that we discovered those children. Of course, they had already stopped breathing.
“…”
The guilt that had remained in a corner of my heart since that day.
If it’s now, I might be able to save them. Because I know the place and the time. But the problem was the method. It would be no easy feat for a mere Guide like me to illegally enter a village that had been sealed off due to a Gate occurrence and rescue the siblings.
“I’ll have to receive guiding later.”
Vasily spoke to me quietly after hearing the news. He began to move, instructing the Association employee to prepare a helicopter. I watched him silently for a moment before grabbing Vasily’s arm.
“Esper Vasily.”
Vasily looked back.
“Can I use my wish right now?”
“Now? Now is a bit inconvenient…”
“Please take me to where the Gate opened as well.”
Vasily narrowed his eyes upon hearing my answer. His reaction suggested he wasn’t particularly pleased.
“…It will be dangerous.”
“Won’t I just be waiting in the safe zone anyway? You’ll need guiding once it’s over, so I’ll wait at the scene in advance.”
“…”
I continued firmly, meeting Vasily’s gaze. In the past, he had been desperate to drag me into Gates, but now, when I simply said I wanted to go near one, Vasily’s reaction was reluctant.
“Won’t you be scared? A monster might appear.”
“Since Esper Vasily is there, nothing dangerous will happen. Or are you not confident enough to protect a single Guide?”
“Then it should be fine. Since that won’t happen.”
Hearing something between flattery and provocation, Vasily accepted, seemingly pleased. A success. I followed Vasily with a smirk.
As we moved to the rooftop, a helicopter was already waiting. We boarded immediately and moved quickly to the region where the Gate had opened.
The scenery of Seoul unfolded beneath the helicopter. As the altitude increased, my ears began to pop. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Looking at Vasily sitting opposite me, I felt a bit restless. I had barely managed to obtain a life free from Vasily, yet I felt as if I were becoming entangled with him once again. Was this the right thing to do?
But at least one thing I could be certain of: if I missed this opportunity, I would regret it once again.