A new Gate already? That was far too soon.Before the rewind, there had been more time between incidents.Still—“new Gate” didn’t automatically mean irregular. Raon forced himself to stay calm.“Is it another irregular Gate?”Seokhyeon kept his composure as he asked. The voice on the other end trembled in reply.—No, sir. It’s not an irregular Gate.“Good. That’s something.”—But, um… the color—“What about the color?”Seokhyeon’s brow furrowed. His tone sharpened as if pressing for an answer. A hesitant voice came through the line.—P-purple, sir.“What? Purple?”—Yes.A purple Gate. The first one of its kind. Raon’s face stiffened.In the original timeline, a violet Gate had appeared right after the irregular one in District 3—but this was too soon. And originally, it should’ve manifested as a colorless irregular Gate first.“Where did you say it was?”—Sector 7, sir.“Understood. We’ll deploy the Special Team immediately. Keep monitoring.”—Yes, sir!The call cut off. Seokhyeon lifted his head and met Raon’s eyes.“Seems we’ll have to finish this discussion after you return.”“Understood.”The article and all thoughts of Hanmyung faded to the back of his mind. Rising from his seat, Raon ran straight for the training field.***"N-nervous already… I can’t believe we’re actually entering a Gate."Inside the helicopter, Dasom clutched her seatbelt tight. Raon chuckled softly."Scared of the Gate, or of the helicopter?""Eek!"The rotors began to spin, the machine rumbling louder and louder as it prepared for takeoff. Dasom hunched her shoulders."I-it’s my first time on a helicopter!""Mine too.""Wait, really? But you’re so calm—""Mm."Raon nodded lightly. She looked at him, puzzled by how unruffled he seemed.Well, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) it’s only my first time in this life.Before the rewind, he’d ridden in helicopters like they were buses. Ever since public pressure had forced “villain Han Raon” into Gates, he’d been flown across Korea constantly as rifts opened one after another.Sector 7’s pretty far, though.Not as distant as Sector 5, which had included Busan, but still—it covered what used to be Gwangju, a long way from the main Center in Sector 1.Most Gates tended to appear in densely populated regions, so the Center and major bases were concentrated in Sector 1. Irregular Gates, though, had a mind of their own. That was what made them such a headache."Huff—it’s lifting off!"Whrrr-thump-thump-thump. The helicopter rose steadily. Dasom squeezed her eyes shut and held her belt like a lifeline.Raon leaned back in his seat, unconcerned. This was a novel world; no way he’d die to a helicopter accident.Did I accelerate the timeline by changing the original?He thought instead about the Gate. The Violet Gate—one of the trickiest and most unpredictable before the Black Gate. He’d wanted more time to prepare the team.If it had appeared earlier because he’d neutralized the gray Gate too smoothly, then perhaps each success was shifting the timeline forward.If we handle this one too well, the next might come even sooner.The thought made his stomach tighten. Even if they performed perfectly, could they really keep up if Gates kept cascading like this?And what if the System restarted midway?Anxiety churned through him."Don’t," Siwoo said quietly."Ah."He stopped biting his nails and glanced over. Siwoo was watching him. Raon gave a sheepish smile."Guess I got nervous without realizing.""It’s fine. Nothing’s going to happen.""Yeah. You’re right."Siwoo’s calm tone helped him settle. The helicopter cut through the sky at speed."Wow… this thing’s incredible…""Dasom, you okay?""Y-yeah."Hamin fussed over her as Raon turned to confirm the rest of the guide team was aboard."Team Leader Han Raon?""Yes?"A uniformed Esper approached—clearly military."Lieutenant Lee Juseong, surveillance unit of Sector 7. I’ll escort you to base.""Understood."The surveillance units were Espers dispatched by the army to detect and pre-scout Gates in each region. But given that this one was a never-before-seen color, they hadn’t had the chance to run reconnaissance yet."This way, please.""Ah, you’re here."At the base, the combat team leaders were already assembled. Raon nodded briefly to them."Let’s begin the briefing," Dojin said, confirming Raon’s arrival before starting.With so little data available, the meeting was short."Are we really deploying right away? No reconnaissance?" Yunchae asked carefully.Normally, they would scout a Gate first before any approach."Last time’s irregular Gate turned into chaos because you rushed the recon, didn’t it?" Inho added bluntly, not bothering to hide the jab. Dojin’s thick brows twitched."That’s the standard, yes—but the Gate’s wave pattern is extremely unstable.""Unstable? How?""By now, it should’ve stabilized like any normal Gate. But it’s still fluctuating, like it just opened.""Hm."The room of team leaders fell silent, grim.A Gate’s instability occurred only when it first appeared—or when it was about to rupture.An unstable wave meant high unpredictability. If they waited, it could collapse and unleash monsters into the city."So you’re saying we’ll go in blind?""There’s no choice while the waves are like this.""You reported this to the higher-ups?""Yes."None of them liked it, but if command had approved, there wasn’t much room to argue. Among their tense faces, Raon alone remained composed."Team Leader Han Raon.""Yes?"As the others hurried to prepare for deployment, Dojin called out to him. Raon approached, puzzled."What is it?""How about you assist the combat team at the front?""Excuse me?"The unexpected order made him frown. Dojin continued evenly."We don’t know what might happen in this Gate. The combat team may need support. You’ll go in with them.""No. I’ll stay with my own team."Outwardly, Dojin’s words sounded rational, but Raon didn’t buy it.Even as an S-rank Guide, he couldn’t support the entire combat team alone. And placing a designated Guide—someone who was supposed to be protected—on the front line was absurd."You’re refusing an order from your superior?""We’re both team leaders. My direct superior is the Center Director.""Han Raon!""—"Dojin snapped, his power flaring. The pressure of an S-rank Esper rolled through the air. Raon gritted his teeth and endured it."What’s going on here?"A voice cut through the tension. A dark head of hair appeared between them—it was Yunchae."This doesn’t concern you, Team Leader Kwon," Dojin said coldly."Why not? I’m still part of the combat unit.""Ha… would you just stay out of it?"He glared down at her, but Yunchae didn’t budge."I overheard. You’re putting Team Leader Han on the combat line alone? Are you out of your damn mind?""Watch your mouth, Kwon Yunchae. You’re not even a team leader anymore.""Oh, we’re getting real bold now, huh?"She laughed dryly, eyes glinting. For Yunchae to openly confront Dojin—it was no small thing. Raon swallowed hard behind her."Our job isn’t just killing monsters. We’re supposed to protect the Guides too.""You read the report on the irregular Gate, didn’t you? You should know we don’t have the luxury to predict anything this time."Neither backed down, their gazes locked like blades. Raon could only stay silent between them."Then how about we decide by majority?""…What?"The lazy voice came from the doorway. Turning, they saw Inho leaning against the frame, arms crossed, a faint smirk on his lips."Majority vote," he repeated. "We’ve got four team leaders here, don’t we? Seems fair enough. Matters like this should go to a vote."He tilted his head with that sly grin. Dojin’s face turned icy.

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