By Zephyria 
Riding the gentle breeze created by the Aerokinetic Espers, a Pyrokinetic Esper soared silently into the air.
While everyone watched with bated breath, he landed smoothly on the rooftop of Building 2. The Espers watching through telescopes silently raised their fists in victory.
The Pyrokinetic Esper stood at the edge of the rooftop and looked down. Leaning his upper body forward slightly, his hand reached the top surface of the beehive. He placed his hand on the hive and ignited a flame.
The entrance of the beehive slowly melted. The Esper swallowed hard. A stronger red light emanated from beneath his palm.
Once a hole the size of his hand was finally formed, he carefully took a bottle of oil from his backpack. This, too, was an achievement of humanity. Faced with the global phenomenon of Gate occurrences, humanity had distinguished what worked and what didn’t against Gate Monsters through various experiments.
Modern weapons like guns or bombs were ineffective against most Monsters, but weapons requiring manual force—such as knives, axes, and spears—worked. Additionally, pure chemicals, such as oil or natural gas, were also effective.
As he tilted the bottle, the black liquid flowed in with a glugging sound. Highly focused, the Pyrokinetic Esper pursed his lips and pressed his palm against the opening. Now, all that was left was to fire a flame into the oil-filled hive.
Just then, a bee suddenly poked its head out of the hole. Two glossy black eyes glared at the Esper.
The Pyrokinetic Esper was startled, but he soon realized that the bee had barely managed to poke its face through the narrow gap and could not come out any further.
“Whew.”
The Esper let out a sigh. Sweat streamed down his forehead. He sighed once more and wiped his brow. The bee tried desperately to escape through the hole, but it seemed difficult as its shoulders and wings were caught.
—Hurry up!
The operations officer commanded through the earpiece. The Esper moved to the side and began creating a new hole. The oil was in. The operation would be over as soon as he flicked a flame onto it. The Esper ignored the bee stuck in the hole and immersed himself in the task.
It happened then. The bee, which had been struggling in the small gap, suddenly stopped moving and abruptly shot out its proboscis. The wide-open proboscis slammed into the Esper’s face. Startled, the Esper jerked back, but he couldn’t escape the bee’s grip.
A crunching sound of flesh being chewed echoed. At the end of the Monster bee’s proboscis was not a tongue, but a jaw shaped like a saw blade. The bee used those jaws to tear through human flesh and suck out the blood.
“Aaaaaagh!” The Pyrokinetic Esper screamed and tumbled onto the beehive. As the harrowing screams continued, the Esper was dragged along. With his face shoved into the palm-sized hole he had created, he screamed incessantly until he finally fell silent.
Hearing the commotion, a few Scout Bees emerged and climbed onto the hive, plunging their proboscises into the convulsing body of the Esper.
“…”
The platoon leader, who had directed the operation, lowered his telescope. The other Espers and Guides did the same.
No one could say a word. The operation was a failure. Someone let out a faint sob. It was one of the other Pyrokinetic Espers.
Turning his head with a devastated expression, Hae-jun’s eyes widened when he spotted Lee A-gon. He was standing in front of the barracks, looking at him.
“Lee A-gon?”
“Hyung.”
The two walked toward each other. Hae-jun looked at the uniform Lee A-gon was wearing. It meant he had finally received his official appointment and come here.
“Why are you here?”
“Because you’re here, Hyung.”
To the questioning tone, Lee A-gon calmly provided the wrong answer. Hae-jun frowned.
“I told you to stay at the hospital.”
“How could I do that? When you’re here.”
“You really…”
Hae-jun grabbed Lee A-gon’s hand and pulled him to a secluded spot. Lee A-gon followed him obediently.
“Why are you ignoring me? I told you I’d be angry if you came.”
“You also ignored me when I told you not to go anywhere dangerous, Hyung.”
“Hey, that’s different. I’m a Guide, and I went because the higher-ups told me to.”
“It’s the same for me. I’m an Esper, and I came down here under orders as well.”
“You could have chosen not to come.”
“How could I do that when you’re here?”
As Lee A-gon countered him point by point, Hae-jun began to get truly angry.
“Go back up right now.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Listen to your Hyung.”
“I can’t leave you here and go by myself.”
“Hey!”
“I’m not leaving until you do, Hyung.”
The two stood in a standoff, glaring at each other. There was no longing for having met after a long time.
Hae-jun clenched his teeth. During the first Gate incident, Lee A-gon’s legs had been melted, forcing him to spend four whole months in the hospital.
And yet, he followed me here before he was even fully healed? Do you really want to die, Lee A-gon?
“You’re still a patient. What help is a patient here?”
Hae-jun changed tactics, trying to coax Lee A-gon with a softened voice. But this didn’t work on Lee A-gon either.
“I’m all healed. Look at this.”
Lee A-gon pretended to jog. When Hae-jun continued to glare, he repeatedly sat down and stood back up.
“See? I’m fine.”
“…Are you really not going back?”
“As long as you’re here, Hyung, I’ll be here too.”
“You really…!”
Just as an irritated Hae-jun was about to snap, a shout rang out for all Espers to gather in front of the barracks.
Lee A-gon was the first to move. With a confident air, he left Hae-jun behind and headed toward the barracks. Hae-jun glared at his back and followed.
“The operation has changed. We will no longer go up to the rooftop.”
Though his expression was grim, the operations officer’s voice was cold and unwavering. The battle was not yet over. If the beehive wasn’t removed by tonight, a catastrophe would strike South Korea tomorrow morning.
“I need Espers to volunteer for CQC (Close Quarters Combat) to go up to the 14th floor via the apartment hallways, pour oil inside, and set it on fire. Please raise your hands.”
The moment the operations officer finished speaking, the barracks became deathly silent.
“I will ask again. Volunteers, please raise your hands.”
“…”
“Is there no one?”
The operations officer’s voice rose. Still, no one raised their hand. It was only natural. A comrade’s face had been hollowed out and killed just 15 minutes ago.
“I have a question. Can’t we use the elevator?”
To an Esper’s question, the operations officer replied calmly.
“The transformer installed on the apartment rooftop was broken by the bees. The entire apartment has a power outage. You have to walk up.”
Upon hearing the answer, the Esper slowly lowered his head.
“When the sun rises tomorrow, the bees will leave the hive and begin hunting in earnest. And they will create even more bees. If we don’t stop them, this area will be devastated.”
“…”
“Is there really no one?”
Disappointment tinged the operations officer’s voice. Then, an Esper standing at the very front raised a trembling hand.
“I’ll volunteer.”
“What is your ability and rank?”
“Fire. A-rank.”
“Good.”
The operations officer nodded. Soon after, another Esper raised his hand. It was Jeong Han-sol. His ability to deploy spatial barriers would certainly be helpful.
“Anyone else?”
As the operations officer looked around, the Espers lowered their heads.
“I’ll do it.”
At that moment, Lee A-gon stepped forward and volunteered. Hae-jun tried to grab Lee A-gon as he passed by, but it was useless. He was already standing before the officer. That little brat, seriously. Hae-jun clenched his fists.
“What is your ability?”
“Body manipulation, Psychokinesis, and barrier formation.”
“And your rank?”
“Body manipulation S, Psychokinesis B, and barrier A.”
Thinking he was useful, the operations officer nodded.
“Good. You join the team as well. You’ll deploy in one hour, so take a short rest… Now, I need to pick a Guide.”
At those words, Lee A-gon, who was about to turn around, paused. His eyes wavered anxiously.
“Any volunteers?”
The moment the operations officer asked, Hae-jun and Lee A-gon’s eyes met. Lee A-gon shook his head. No. Please don’t step forward.
“I’ll do it.”
Hae-jun confidently raised his hand and stepped forward. The operations officer placed a hand on Hae-jun’s shoulder with an expression that was both pitying and proud.
“Thank you.”
Espers were precious, but Guides were far more so. There were only about three hundred of them in the entire country. The operations officer couldn’t bring himself to say words of encouragement; he simply patted Hae-jun’s shoulder, told him to rest for a while, and left the barracks.
“Cancel it.”
Lee A-gon immediately approached. Hae-jun ignored him and walked past.
“Can’t you hear me? Go to the operations officer right now and tell him you’re canceling.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Hyung, are you crazy? Do you know where you’re going? You could die.”
“The same goes for you.”
“You’re a Guide, Hyung. I’m an Esper.”
“Do Espers not die? Are you immortal?”
“Hyung!”
As Hae-jun pushed past him and walked out, Lee A-gon followed. The two left the barracks and entered the path leading toward the rice fields. One in the morning. The air was clear, and white stars shone in the pristine sky.
“Cancel it.”
“If you cancel, I’ll cancel too.”
“I have to go. Because I’m an Esper.”
“I have to go too. I’m a Guide.”
“Fuck, Hyung!”
Unable to persuade Hae-jun with words, Lee A-gon finally raised his voice. The two stood facing each other in a standoff.