By Zephyria 
I went down to the parking lot and got straight into Vasily’s car.
As soon as I sat in the passenger seat, I gave Vasily the address I had received from Jo Woo-yeon. The location where the Gate had opened was somewhat distant, and looking at the position on the map, it was halfway up a mountain.
That shouldn’t even be Jo Woo-yeon’s assigned sector. Jo Woo-yeon must have been called in suddenly as the situation worsened.
Watching the car leave the parking lot and exit the association grounds, I asked Vasily.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
“I told you. I’m thinking of building this thing called ‘trust’ that Guide Kwon Gi-dam speaks of.”
“…….”
That phrase again.
Every time Vasily acted like this, I realized anew that the words he had spoken were sincere. But a Vasily who so readily granted my request… it was so unfamiliar that I didn’t know how to react.
The road leading to the Gate was controlled to prevent civilians from accessing it. After identifying myself and driving a bit further inside, the scene unfolded.
On the map, it was clearly halfway up a mountain, but the place we actually arrived at was half-collapsed, looking more like a cliff than a mountain.
‘Should I be glad I don’t have to climb a mountain…?’
I stepped out of the car and looked up.
The Gate was visible between the cliffs. Although part of it was buried in the mountain, even the visible portion was larger than a ten-story building.
My body began to tremble reflexively at the ominous energy flowing from the Gate. The sensation of entering a Gate resurfaced, and a vague sense of anxiety reared its head.
Just then, I saw something writhing and poking its head out from inside the Gate.
It was a giant monster shaped like a leech. They said it was A-Class, and the aura it emitted was indeed unusual. The moment my body froze from its overwhelming presence, the monster’s head was pierced by a sharp ice spear.
-Kieeeek!
“Hmm……”
It seemed one hit wasn’t enough to kill it. As the monster let out a high-pitched scream, Vasily raised his hand with an expressionless face.
Several ice spears materialized in the air. The ice flew at high speed, piercing the monster’s head from all directions.
Five or six pieces of ice penetrated the monster’s head in an instant. The sound of flesh being pierced echoed eerily.
The monster, its head shredded, went limp. Its torso, which hadn’t managed to fully exit the Gate, was pushed outward and plummeted straight down below the entrance.
Thump.
The ground shook violently with a heavy sound. The strong vibration caused the mountain to collapse further, revealing more of the Gate that had been buried in the soil.
The Espers, who had been preparing to fight upon the monster’s appearance, looked around in surprise at the ice that had suddenly flown in. Soon, those who spotted Vasily let out sighs of relief.
“Was it a Red Gate?”
“Ah, yes……”
Come to think of it, had I not told Vasily it was a Red Gate? Upon hearing my answer, Vasily’s expression crumpled even further.
“If I had known in advance, I wouldn’t have brought Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi……”
Vasily muttered softly.
“Hello, Esper Vasily!”
An association employee, hearing that Vasily had arrived, rushed over and greeted him. Vasily ignored them with practiced ease and commanded.
“Bring the combat suit.”
“Yes, sir!”
Vasily, a combat suit?
I looked at him with surprised eyes. Vasily always wore a suit even when entering a Gate. Today might be the first time I’d see Vasily wearing a combat suit.
A moment later, the employee brought the combat suit and handed it to Vasily. Vasily took the suit and led me into a nearby tent.
The inside of the tent was empty. It seemed it had been set up but not actually used due to the monster’s attack.
Looking around the cluttered interior, I asked.
“Why did you bring me here? If you’re going to change into a combat suit, I’ll go o—”
“I’m not the one wearing it. Guide Kwon Gi-dam should wear it.”
He didn’t bring it for himself? But I had no reason to wear a combat suit. Unless I was going into the Gate.
“……I’m not going into the Gate.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you telling me to wear a combat suit?”
“It’s a Red Gate. It could be dangerous, so wear it.”
I shut my mouth after hearing Vasily’s words. Esper combat suits are sturdy enough to block monster attacks.
I hesitated for a moment because an Esper combat suit was several times more stifling than a temporary one, but remembering the monster that had just met its fate at Vasily’s hands, I decided to change quietly.
I paused as I was about to put on the combat suit Vasily handed me.
“……Esper-nim.”
“What?”
“The combat suit is too big.”
The clothes I was about to change into were obviously too large. Vasily looked back and forth between the clothes and me, then chuckled.
“I guess they thought I was the one wearing it. Give it here. I’ll go exchange it for a smaller size.”
“……Yes.”
I’m quite tall myself.
I watched Vasily’s back as he walked out of the tent with the combat suit. Long legs and a balanced physique. Even at a glance, his proportions were perfect.
I remained silent, recalling the clothes I had briefly held against my body. The pant legs were a palm’s width too long and had dragged on the ground. I felt a slight sense of defeat.
Vasily returned quickly with another combat suit.
I held the suit against my body before putting it on. This time, the size was roughly correct.
The moment I started taking off my clothes to change, I paused, feeling a gaze from somewhere. Vasily was watching, arms crossed. Even after our eyes met, he didn’t shamelessly look away.
“Are you going to keep watching like that?”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“It’s not that.”
……We’re both men anyway, and it’s not like I’m taking off my underwear, so this much is fine. Letting out a shallow sigh, I quietly began to change into the combat suit.
While Vasily watched, I changed both my top and bottom without hesitation. Just as I was about to put on the vest and equipment, which had a complicated fastening method, Vasily, who had been watching the whole time, approached.
Seeing Vasily’s hand reach for the equipment hanging at my waist, I spoke.
“I can do it by myse— ugh!”
I winced sharply as Vasily suddenly tightened the belt forcefully.
“I’ll help you.”
“…….”
Is he doing this because I just refused his help? I looked at the smiling Vasily with an incredulous expression.
In the meantime, the equipment was fastened in an instant. As I habitually checked all the gear, Vasily gave me a piece of advice.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, just in case, don’t think about doing anything reckless while I’m inside the Gate.”
“……? Understood.”
“Sigh……”
Since he went out of his way to say something obvious with such a serious atmosphere, I nodded with a puzzled expression, causing Vasily to let out a long sigh. I clearly said I understood, so what on earth is the problem?
“Why are you sighing right in my face?”
“Doing pointless things is Guide Kwon Gi-dam’s specialty, isn’t it?”
“What does that……”
This is ridiculous. However, I shut my mouth because there were more things that hit home than I expected.
“Wait here quietly. Don’t do anything.”
“…….”
“Especially if I hear that you’ve guided another Esper, I won’t let it slide, so be careful. Got it?”
“……Understood.”
Only after extracting my answer did Vasily finally step out of the tent.
He left the cleanup of the site to most of the Espers and entered the Gate with a few who seemed to have higher ranks.
After confirming Vasily’s figure entering the Gate, stepping over the monster corpses piled at the entrance, I looked around.
Monster corpses were strewn everywhere. They were piled like a mountain especially at the Gate entrance, and the monster Vasily had just defeated lay limp at the very top.
As I tried to move, a damp sensation reached my toes. Looking down, I saw blood-soaked soil touching the tips of my shoes.
Seeing that the blood was dark red, it looked like human blood…… which meant there were that many injured people.
I should greet Jo Woo-yeon, but it seemed like it would be hard to find him in such chaos. I stood for a moment looking around, then plopped down on the ground.
At this rate, I’ll end up leaving without even seeing Jo Woo-yeon’s face.
I turned my head to look at the monster killed by Vasily’s ability. The long ice spear still maintained its presence.
With such a flashy entrance, Jo Woo-yeon must have noticed that Vasily had arrived. That should be enough.
While sitting quietly under the shade of a tree so as not to interfere with the busy Espers, my eyes met with a passing Esper. He frowned deeply and approached me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t think I saw your face earlier. What class are you?”
“C-Class.”
“That damn association asked for support, and they send a C-Class to an A-Class Gate?”
The Esper clicked his tongue, cursing at the association.
I blinked and realized. Ah, because I’m wearing an Esper combat suit, he thinks I’m an Esper.
“Follow me. We have to clear the monster corpses.”
“Ah, I……”
I tried to explain, but I shut my mouth after seeing the gruesome scene around me.
Right, it’s better to be even a little helpful than to just stay still.
Because I had once entered and wandered through Gates, I felt a certain sense of camaraderie toward Espers. Of course, I had never taken on such menial roles.
Moreover, I had been too far removed from the field for too long. Hadn’t my legs frozen just now upon seeing the monster? At this rate, if I were caught up in a Gate by accident, I might die without being able to do anything.
Vasily told me not to do anything reckless, but…… there’s no way he’d know what I was doing while he’s inside the Gate. Besides, this isn’t particularly dangerous, nor is it guiding an Esper.
“Yes.”
Thinking this, I stood up. If I just sat still, time would pass slowly. I should greet Jo Woo-yeon if I spot him while walking around.