TGIC Ch 76

Chapter 76

By following the espers around the site, he was able to get a more detailed grasp of the situation.

It seemed there had been several battles already, as the espers moving about the site all had varying degrees of injuries, both major and minor.

Even just turning his head, he could spot the corpses of monsters that had yet to be dealt with.

“Captain! The Association is requesting a report on the current situation!”

“Ignore it!”

Judging by how the passing esper addressed the man, it seemed he had been the one in command on-site beforeVasily arrived.

If that were the case, then he was likely a high-ranking esper with considerable experience.

Probably a veteran A-rank esper. If so, they had surely crossed paths in a Gate before, but the face was unfamiliar.

He had likely either retired or died before they had the chance to meet. It hit him again just how much of a death-bound profession being an esper really was.

Continuing to walk, he eventually found himself near the Gate’s entrance.

Just below it lay a monster thatVasily had taken down—its head pierced clean through by ice.

Seen up close, its massive size and the sheer pressure it exuded were overwhelming.

There was no way he could have ever faced it alone, even in death and rebirth.

Moments like this made him truly feel the massive gap between a regular person and an esper.

He still couldn’t understand whyVasily from before the regression always took him into the Gate.

Even if you trained a Guide and made them fight monsters, there were unavoidable limitations in a non-esper body.

“You look young. You haven’t been active long, have you?”

“Uh… no. I recently awakened.”

Strictly speaking, in this body, it hadn’t even been a full year since his awakening—so it really hadn’t been long.

What the man considered “active duty” and what he was referring to were two completely different realms, but he simply nodded.

“Then let me give you one piece of advice. If you ever go into a Gate withVasily—stay as far away from him as possible.”

“…Why?”

“There are more espers who die atVasily’s hands than those killed by monsters when inside a Gate with him.

A C-rank like you would be dealt with at the Gate’s entrance for being a hindrance.

I’ve seen more than a few have their heads blown off with just a flick of his hand, all because they got in his way.”

“……”

He couldn’t respond.

Yeah, he knew. He had seen it himself, over and over.

Each time, he had thought he would be next, and so he had fought monsters with all he had, as if his life depended on it—because it did.

“The Association has made him look good with PR, butVasily’s a madman.

And the president, of all people, had to bring in someone like him…

They ought to just send him to another country already—but there are still three years left on his contract…”

The esper clicked his tongue in irritation.

Sorry, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Since he had becomeVasily’s Guide, there was little chance ofVasily leaving Korea now.

Feeling a prick of guilt, he averted his gaze and asked,

“Is he still like that… even now?”

“Hmm… now that you mention it, I don’t think anyone’s died recently.”

So, it seemedVasily was doing his best to uphold the contract clause about not harming others.

That eased his conscience a little, but it also felt a bit disappointing.

If there had been any breach of contract, maybe he could’ve used it as grounds for termination.

They arrived at a group of espers who were dealing with monster corpses near the Gate.

“You know how to handle cleanup?”

“You mean the task of sorting out the dead monsters?”

“Yeah. The valuable ones get sent to the labs. The ones too contaminated or useless get thrown back inside the Gate once the raid is over.

This one’s got value—move it over to the road.”

“Understood.”

If there had been an esper who could manipulate gravity, this would’ve been way easier.

But unfortunately, none with that kind of ability were around—or they’d already been injured and taken away.

He helped move the monster corpses onto a wheeled stretcher along with the espers.

This one was so big it took multiple people working together just to shift it.

Through thick gloves, he could feel the hard, heavy texture of its flesh.

He was careful not to get splattered by the occasional drips of blood.

It had been a while since he exerted himself this much.

He figured he might end up sore with muscle pain tomorrow, but kept at the task regardless.

“Phew…”

He finally managed to move one of them to the roadside and was about to head back when he suddenly stopped, spotting another monster corpse nearby.

‘Why is this here…?’

This type of monster normally decomposed rapidly after death, yet this one’s body was still perfectly intact.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

This thing might still be alive.

Swallowing hard, he quietly made his way back to where the captain had been standing.

Fortunately, the captain was still in the same spot.

“…Captain.”

“What is it?”

“That monster back there… I think it’s still alive.”

“What?”

The esper’s face instantly twisted into a scowl as he snapped his head around.

But there were so many corpses, it would’ve been hard to spot the one he was referring to at a glance.

He pointed at a monster lying motionless in the distance.

Luckily, the creature didn’t seem to realize it had been discovered.

It continued to play dead, not moving a muscle—so convincingly that espers and regular staff were freely walking nearby without noticing anything.

“That monster species decomposes quickly after death, but that one looks untouched.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I saw it before—when I went into another Gate.”

Upon hearing this, the captain gave him a curious look.

He probably found it odd that someone like him knew something even he didn’t—especially about a monster that only appeared in A-rank Gates.

But he had to say it this way to avoid anyone brushing it off as a mistake and ensure the threat was dealt with properly.

Maybe it was because this was an A-rank Gate, but the monsters seemed smarter—they were using their heads.

It had probably been waiting to escape when fewer people were around.

“That one’s too dangerous for a C-rank like you. Stay back. Hey!”

The captain gestured with a jerk of his chin toward a nearby esper.

They seemed to communicate everything with just a glance.

He quietly retreated to a safe distance, just as told.

From there, he watched the espers draw their weapons and slowly close in on the monster in a coordinated formation.

“……”

Noticing the shift in atmosphere, the monster’s eyelids twitched.

Its half-open eyes scanned the area.

It seemed to finally realize it had been surrounded, and just as it tried to flee—it was too late.

An esper who had approached up close plunged a weapon precisely into its forehead.

Shk.

The sound of flesh tearing rang chillingly in the air.

The monster convulsed briefly, then fell limp, dead before it could resist.

“Wow, it actually played dead.

Looks like A-rank Gates really do spawn smarter ones.”

With the monster subdued, the site once again buzzed with activity.

“If that thing had made it to the lab, it would’ve been a total disaster.

Hey, C-rank—you’ve got sharp eyes, huh?”

The captain laughed heartily as he smacked him on the back.

If he were an esper, it wouldn’t have hurt, but as a Guide, he nearly felt his spine crack.

He barely managed to stay on his feet, legs shaking, as he let out an awkward laugh.

They were nearly done organizing the monsters to be sent to the lab.

It had been a while since he worked this hard on-site.

Espers, Guides, and Association staff had all been running around, barely getting a breather only now that things were calming down.

He even ate dinner among the espers.

It was like he’d fully blended into their ranks.

If someone who knew him saw this, they’d probably assume he had awakened as an esper.

Suddenly,Vasily’s warning flashed through his mind.

He had told him not to do anything and just wait.

Although he hadn’t followed that order, he had helped prevent an incident.

He hadn’t guided any espers either, so… maybe it was fine?

Still feeling anxious, once night fell, he quietly found a corner of the site and waited obediently.

He wiped off the monster blood on his combat uniform and waited for the Gate to be cleared.

But seriously, when was this operation going to be over?

He was mentally preparing himself to stay up all night when a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Gidam-ssi?”

“Oh, Guide Jo Wooyeon.”

It was Jo Wooyeon.

Now that he thought about it, during cleanup earlier, he had briefly spotted the guiding tent looking incredibly hectic.

Jo Wooyeon’s entire body was splattered in blood, but thankfully, he didn’t seem injured.

It was probably blood from injured espers he had been guiding.

Knowing how busy he must’ve been, he didn’t ask.

Still, the fact that he was out walking around meant the rush was probably over.

After a brief exchange of greetings, he asked,

“Have you heard when the Gate is expected to be cleared?”

“They said it’s already been cleared and everyone’s starting to come out.

They also said if you’re an emergency fill-in Guide, you can head home now.”

He had expected the A-rank Gate to take much longer, but the clearing had wrapped up surprisingly fast.

‘Don’t tell me he overdid it again…’

He had said he’d guideVasily after the raid was done, soVasily had no reason to push himself.

But he couldn’t be too sure.

Vasily’s behavior was always unpredictable.