By Zephyria 
Soon after the announcement came that the Gate’s rank had changed to A-class, the atmosphere quickly became chaotic. I leaned back in my chair and quietly waited for the next piece of news. Well, Vasily went in, so it should be fine. He’ll handle it quickly and come back out.
The only thing I’m curious about right now is ‘how quickly the Gate will be conquered.’ I want to go home and rest soon… Surely it’s not a massive Gate that would require staying up all night?
Fortunately, Vasily hates dragging things out when conquering a Gate. Given his personality, he’ll likely clear the Gate and come out soon. Believing that, I let out a long yawn.
“Contact the association and request support!”
Once it became known that it had turned into an A-class Gate, the scene quickly became hectic.
Association employees ran here and there in the hot weather, dripping with sweat. Maybe I should have asked him to set up a few more ice pillars outside… Looking out from inside the cool tent, I felt a slight sense of guilt.
And as time passed, it eventually became night.
I let out a deep sigh while looking out at the darkened exterior. An all-nighter is confirmed. I shook my head, thinking that it was quite something for Vasily to still not have come out.
I had waited without sleeping, thinking Vasily would be out soon, but if I had known it would be like this, I should have just taken a nap. I have to guide Vasily once the conquest is over, too… I have no clue what time I’ll actually get off work today.
“Sigh…”
It’s already 9 PM. I made do with a tasteless lunch box for dinner and have been on standby all day.
There were more people in the tent than before. This was because as soon as they heard the news that it had turned into an A-class Gate, the association dispatched additional temporary Guides along with high-ranking Espers.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi, there aren’t any major problems with the Gate, right?”
“Yes. Esper Vasily went in, so it should be fine.”
Jo Woo-yeon was among them. He said he volunteered because he was worried after hearing that the Gate I was dispatched to had turned into A-class. Since Jo Woo-yeon was a B-class Guide, he was fully qualified to be deployed to the field.
I reassured Jo Woo-yeon, who had joined late, and looked in the direction of the Gate.
After the Gate changed to A-class, several low-ranking Espers were kicked out. It was simply that they were excluded from the conquest for their own safety because the rank difference was too great; it seemed they were now tasked with guarding the perimeter of the Gate.
If Vasily hadn’t entered the Gate, half of the people there would probably not be in this world by now.
After the second wave of hastily recruited Espers was deployed, fortunately, no one had been carried out so far. That must mean Vasily is conquering the Gate well. If so, I didn’t need to worry.
“I came because they said it was an emergency… but it’s a bit awkward since nothing is happening more than I expected,” Jo Woo-yeon whispered softly.
That was true. The Guides who arrived for support also entered the tent with serious faces at first. However, they were greatly bewildered to see us sitting harmoniously, surrounded by ice, and as the Gate remained quiet even as time passed, they were now resting with us.
It’s a good thing that there are no accidents. It means I don’t have to see dead people or guide injured Espers.
Either way, the money I receive is the same whether the number of Espers I guide is large or small. In that case, it was only natural to prefer the peaceful side.
‘Now all that’s left is for Vasily to finish the conquest and come out…’
Even though it was late at night, there were no signs of him emerging from the Gate. I want to avoid spending the night here… I volunteered to come knowing it would turn into an A-class Gate, but I didn’t volunteer for an all-nighter.
Just then, a large crack suddenly appeared in the ice. Crack, crack. Suspicious sounds continued as fissures formed on the surface, and an uneasy energy lingered.
Thump!
Soon, the ice shattered into pieces. Compared to the loud noise, it collapsed surprisingly quietly, so no one was hurt. The ice scattered on the ground melted quickly and soon vanished.
I frowned while looking at the damp ground. No way…
Boom!
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. I reflexively lowered my body and observed the situation tensely, and soon the vibration stopped.
Haa… Sighs of relief erupted from here and there. Seeing that it stopped after a brief shake, it seemed that, fortunately, the Gate hadn’t rampaged.
I looked at the damp spot where the ice had melted and disappeared with a complicated expression. The ice Vasily creates usually doesn’t break… It seemed something serious enough had happened inside the Gate that Vasily couldn’t maintain his ability.
Suddenly, something Vasily had said came to mind. Come to think of it, did he say he wasn’t feeling great today?
‘…Damn it.’
“Guide Jo Woo-yeon, I have somewhere to go for a moment, so I’ll be stepping away.”
“Now? With that vibration just now, I think it might be dangerous to go out…”
“I’ll be back soon.”
When I spoke firmly, Jo Woo-yeon nodded worriedly, telling me to hurry back.
I quietly stepped outside. Perhaps because of the vibration just now, the atmosphere outside the tent was also chaotic.
I looked around and spotted the site manager checking equipment nearby and approached him. Despite being busy, he welcomed me warmly, perhaps because I had invited him to spend time together in the ice tent earlier. I made a slightly difficult request to the manager.
“Could you possibly contact the association and prepare a Guide with a high matching rate with Esper Vasily?”
“What? Did Esper Vasily say he needs a Guide?”
As expected, the manager asked back in surprise upon hearing the request. Indeed, it wouldn’t be an easy request. He would have to contact various people, and the process would be complicated.
“He said he was in bad condition even before entering the Gate. But since the Gate mutated into A-class… I think he’ll need guiding once he comes out of the Gate.”
“Yes, I understand. I will make the request quickly.”
After hearing the details, the site manager nodded and answered. I bowed in gratitude and looked at the Gate, which was not yet closed.
Above the ground, which was sunken as if a meteorite had fallen, an ominous blue light was leaking out. Perhaps due to the influence of Vasily’s ability unfolding inside the Gate, cold air was flowing out, and cold smoke was wafting out as well.
I thought it was cool because it had become night, but to think cold air was flowing out of the Gate… I didn’t want to imagine the internal situation.
“Sigh…”
Once Vasily comes out of the Gate, I should first hand him over to the association and then pass him to the Guide the association prepared. If Vasily’s condition is truly bad, I alone am insufficient to guide him.
A moment later, the surroundings became noisy, and Espers began to emerge from the Gate one by one.
The vibration felt earlier must have been the impact created when Vasily dealt with the boss. Was the ice broken because he lost control while suddenly using a great amount of power? He must have struggled quite a bit, which is unlike Vasily.
Hearing the news that the conquest was over, I moved to the vicinity of the Gate with the other Guides and waited.
However, the condition of the Espers who came out after finishing the conquest was serious across the board. Their injuries were severe, and overall, they looked as if they were on the verge of collapsing. I thought it would be fine since Vasily went in with them, but what on earth happened?
Just then, an Esper who looked visibly unstable walked out of the Gate, supported by a colleague. A combat suit drenched in blood, labored breathing. Even just scanning him with my eyes, his condition was severe.
“I’ll check the guiding.”
I hurriedly approached and placed the back of my hand on his cheek. As soon as my hand touched him, I felt a sharp wavelength. At this level, the matching rate is quite decent.
As soon as I confirmed that guiding was possible, I immediately rolled up my sleeves and hugged the Esper to maximize the contact area. Despite this, there were no signs of the Esper’s condition improving.
I bit my lip and pondered for a moment. Contact guiding doesn’t seem to be enough; should I consider mucosal guiding?
Since regressing, I had only performed temporary guiding every time, so there was no chance for mucosal guiding. Even so, since mucosal guiding was something I had always done with Vasily, I had no aversion to it, but it was still my first time doing it with another partner, so I hesitated slightly.
But this isn’t something to ponder in front of a dying person. In the field, if guiding is delayed even slightly, the Esper could die.
The moment I made a decision and tried to attempt mucosal guiding, someone grabbed my shoulder and roughly pulled me up.
“What are you doing, Guide Kwon Gi-dam?”
“Esper Vasily?”
Vasily, who looked as if he had just emerged from the Gate, was standing in front of me.
As expected, he didn’t look to be in great condition. However, I was guiding an emergency patient, so I had no time to deal with him.
Recalling that I had requested a Guide from the association in advance, I spoke calmly.