"Ask if they can determine our current position. Esper Nam Taegun should be able to track it.""Ah, understood."Taegun’s ability had such a wide range that even from a distance, he could probably locate them. And with Minjae on the guide team, it should’ve been much easier to pinpoint their location.But Minjae’s reply wasn’t encouraging."He says the interference is too strong here—he can’t get an exact location.""I see."At that, Raon glanced upward. The height above was already swallowed in fog so thick he could barely make out anything. He swallowed a sigh and turned his head."Nothing we can do, then. I’ll find a route upward. Tell the combat team to conserve their strength and head in the planned direction.""Yes, Team Leader."Fortunately, the combat team’s Espers were high-ranking, so they didn’t seem to have taken the worst of the blast. With military medics among them, injuries could be treated as well.The problem was guiding. Considering the journey ahead, they had to locate a path quickly and regroup with the combat unit. Raon’s face tightened as he scanned their surroundings."Let’s form up and start searching for a route. Esper Minjae, use your ability to find a direction.""Yes."After ending the telepathic link with Taegun, Minjae looked oddly worn out. When Juwon, assuming it was from a lack of guiding, approached, Minjae gave an awkward smile and shook his head. Probably, the only guides here who truly understood Minjae were Raon and Hamin—the former Alpha-1 members."My detection range isn’t great, but... if we go this way, I think there’s a path leading upward."After a brief pause, Minjae cautiously pointed out a direction. Raon nodded and took the lead."Let’s move there first.""Yes."The wind direction happened to be in their favor. Siwoo and Yeojoon took point, leading the way. The other guides followed close behind, weapons drawn, every one of them tense."This place feels... different from the area above.""Hm."From behind Raon, Dasom whispered. Though faint, the chill in the air brushed against their skin—a sensation Raon understood perfectly.Maybe it was because they were below the original cliff, but the temperature here was noticeably warmer. Even so, something about the air felt cold."The wind’s barely moving," Raon murmured quietly. Even for a lower ledge, the altitude should still be high enough for wind to whip through, yet it was eerily still. Perhaps that was why there were so few monsters in sight.As he tilted his head, Raon caught sight of a hazy outline through the fog."What’s that...?"He blinked. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him—but no, they weren’t. Startled, Raon kept walking forward with the team."There’s a building here.""Looks like a tower, doesn’t it? It just keeps going up."Hamin and Dasom stared in awe at the structure. The ivory stone building was grand, like the ruins of some ancient Greek civilization. While the others marveled, Raon stood frozen in shock.Why is this building here too?This building should’ve been located on top of the cliff. It was supposed to be the gateway to the next phase. Raon stared at the identical structure from his memories, completely thrown.But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t exactly the same as the one he’d entered before his rewind. This one stretched much farther upward.Could it be connected?He tilted his head. Maybe the building extended straight through the cliff, connecting top and bottom.Come to think of it, the one /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ I entered before was built to descend.Judging by its height, this one seemed to ascend instead. His theory was starting to make sense."Team Leader, what should we do? Should we go inside?""Wouldn’t it be dangerous for just us to go in alone?"The guides looked uneasy. Raon rubbed his chin, thinking.If this building was truly the same as the one from before his rewind, they wouldn’t have to worry about monsters—creatures rarely appeared inside.After a moment of thought, Raon spoke."Let’s go in.""R-really?""And Esper Minjae..."Raon called him over and whispered something. Minjae nodded and used his ability on the group."Will this be enough?""Yes. Well done.""But I don’t know how much help my ability will be...""It’s fine. It’s enough."Reassuring the nervous team members, Raon stepped into the structure. The stone building had no door, and as soon as they entered, the interior began to faintly tremble.Fwoosh."Ugh—th-the torches just lit themselves!"Torches hanging on the walls flared to life one after another as they passed. Dasom flinched, clasping her hands together.Just as I thought.Though the details differed, the structure was unmistakably the same one Raon had entered before his rewind. His sharp gaze swept the area until it caught on a staircase. He stopped walking."Hold."At his command, the others immediately froze and scanned their surroundings. Raon hesitated.The staircase split in two—one going up, the other down. His brow furrowed.Back then, there was only a staircase leading down.The pre-rewind building had no path upward, only downward. But this one had both.If it really was the same building, going up should lead them back to the combat unit. Yet the thought left him uneasy."Shouldn’t we go up, Team Leader?""Hm."Taehyeok voiced what everyone else was likely thinking. But Raon didn’t answer right away.Normally, yes—they should go up. He thought so himself, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud."Raon.""Hm?""I’ll go down and check. You take the team up.""Ah..."Raon blinked slowly at Siwoo’s words, thrown off as if his thoughts had been read."It’s strange that a building like this has a downward passage. We should check it out.""That’s true, but—""I’ll be quick. Just go ahead first."Before Raon could stop him, Siwoo stepped forward. Snapping out of it, Raon reached out and caught his arm."Wait!""Yes?""I’m going with you.""But—"The unease gnawed at Raon’s chest; there was no way he could let Siwoo go alone. He turned to the others."Guide Juwon, lead the team upward. Espers Yeojoon and Minjae, stay on guard and protect them.""Team Leader...""We’ll follow right after.""Understood."Though Juwon still looked worried, Raon’s tone left no room for argument. The others cast anxious glances at the two, but since both were S-ranks, they convinced themselves it would be fine and began ascending the stairs."We’ll head down.""Yes."Raon and Siwoo descended slowly. Unlike the torch-lit corridor above, the staircase was pitch dark.Shouldn’t we do some guiding first?Now that it was just the two of them, Raon became acutely aware of Siwoo’s state. He remembered how little guiding they’d done these past few days.A glance at his wrist device showed Siwoo’s contamination level had dropped to 56%. Considering the abilities he’d used, it wasn’t dangerously low, but it was about time for another session.Hmm.As his fingers twitched, the memory of Siwoo refusing guiding and running off flashed in his mind. Because of that, he hesitated to reach out.While he deliberated, they reached a dead end. The staircase had ended—what looked like a wall was actually a door."Should we go in?""I’ll open it."Siwoo pressed his hand against the door, his face taut with tension. It wasn’t modern—no handle, just rough stone.Grrrind—The thick stone door scraped open with a long groan. Raon peeked past Siwoo’s shoulder into the darkness beyond."It’s pitch black in there.""Siwoo.""Yes?"Inside was so dark he couldn’t see an inch ahead. Raon drew a breath, summoning his courage."Before we go in... want to do some guiding?""Ah."Raon slipped off his gloves and held out his hand. Siwoo looked at it for a long moment, then raised his own."Sure."To Raon’s surprise, Siwoo answered calmly and took his hand. The act felt so natural that Raon’s earlier tension seemed almost foolish.Was it just my imagination?Maybe Siwoo hadn’t refused guiding because he hated it after all. Puzzled, Raon began the session. He could feel Siwoo’s contamination level slowly rising again.Whatever was inside that room, they needed to be fully prepared first."Hm?"Just as he lifted his head, Siwoo’s face was swallowed by darkness—he couldn’t see him at all. Raon blinked.Then came the sound of whispering all around them—impossible in a space with only the two of them."Uh—"Startled, Raon tried to pull his hand away, but a large hand seized his arm in a crushing grip."Get a grip, Han Raon. You really want to humiliate yourself here?""…!"That familiar voice pierced his ear like a blade. Raon’s eyes trembled as he slowly looked up.

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