# Chapter 80
And that was probably…
‘A B-class insect-type monster, a parasite.’
Parasites were known to burrow into other organisms’ bodies and take away their freedom. It was said that they robbed freedom while the host maintained consciousness when alive, and after the host died, they completely dominated everything about the organism.
‘But back then, no one knew about this.’
The discovery of parasites would only become accurately known years later from now. So among those in this Gate, the only person who knew about the B-class monster parasite was Jaehee, who had regressed.
‘I’m sure of it.’
Jaehee confirmed his thoughts when he saw the dead ants rising again.
‘Then I need to find where it’s hiding.’
All the Espers were in combat. He was the only one who could move freely, knowing everything about this place.
Jaehee looked around.
‘The ants can’t attack me at all.’
He examined the ants that couldn’t approach him and were standing back a step, watching. Then Jaehee turned his head to look at the queen ant. The queen ant, too, was only dealing with the Espers and trying not to come toward where Jaehee was.
It was strange. And Jaehee had witnessed this strange occurrence with his own eyes before the regression. Dohyun and the Espers who had entered the Gate came out in a miserable state. But not a single Guide was seriously injured. In fact, the higher the rank of the Guide, the less likely they were to receive even the tiniest wound.
‘Why?’
Jaehee didn’t know the reason either. But what did the reason matter in the current situation? Only the fact that the ant swarm couldn’t touch him was important.
Moreover, if they couldn’t touch those with higher ranks, then they certainly wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on him, the one with the highest rank among them. That single fact was important to Jaehee. He could use it as much as he needed.
Hwhareuruk!
Jaehee looked around for any organisms that might contain parasites. The safest place as perceived by the parasite. Jaehee looked at the ants to find it.
But at that moment, a large flame suddenly erupted above his head.
Jaehee looked up. He could see a large circular flame burning the flying ant swarm in the sky. It slowly descended to the ground while burning the ants.
The ants turned completely black, burned to ash within it. In Minhun’s case, since precise control of his ability was difficult, he had maximized his ability to increase the flame’s power.
But as the amount of ability he needed to use greatly increased, the consequences accumulated in Minhun. The wavelength inside his body fluctuated unstably the more he used his ability.
‘I need guiding.’
Minhun looked toward where the Guides were. The Guides were performing radiant guiding toward the Espers from outside the ants’ territory. But that felt insufficient. Minhun, who hadn’t yet mastered how to use his ability efficiently, was quickly becoming exhausted due to his crude overuse of power. A thirst for guiding welled up inside him.
As this state continued, controlling his ability became increasingly difficult.
Peobung! Though he was trying to use his power while adjusting it to avoid hitting the Espers fighting alongside him, gradually the flames were splashing onto the Espers. He desperately needed guiding energy. Increasingly, he felt his body couldn’t withstand the wavelength and was entering an out-of-control state.
That’s when it happened.
“Esper Lee Minhun!”
Someone called out to Minhun. He looked toward where the voice came from. There stood Jaehee.
“Guide Lee Jaehee?”
Jaehee stretched his hand toward Minhun and approached. The ants backed away to avoid contact with him.
“Come here. You look like you need guiding.”
From Minhun’s perspective, Jaehee appeared like a savior. It had been that way the entire time in the Gate. In every battle, despite Dohyun’s objections, Jaehee had stepped forward to provide guiding to Minhun.
The corners of Minhun’s mouth naturally curved upward. Lee Minhun, who had just become an adult, smiled like a child. He approached Jaehee. Fortunately, the number of ants blocking his path had decreased significantly from before.
“Lee Minhun!”
Dohyun, watching Minhun from a distance, raised his eyebrows.
“I’ll just get some guiding and rejoin!”
Minhun said that and approached Jaehee. He even used his ability to create a flame barrier around him and Jaehee to prevent ants from approaching.
“Guide Lee Jaehee!”
Minhun glanced at Jaehee, then subtly shielded him behind himself and looked around. The ants weren’t attacking Jaehee, but just to be safe.
Minhun extended his hand behind him to make it easier for Jaehee to provide guiding. The implication was that he would keep watch while Jaehee performed guiding.
“Esper Lee Minhun.”
“Yes?”
Minhun answered while looking around.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
What did he mean? With those words, Jaehee reached out to check inside Minhun’s torn shirt sleeve. There were red wounds from ant bites and small cuts from their legs.
“Ah, it’s fine. They’re not serious wounds.”
The corner of Minhun’s mouth slightly turned up. He was very satisfied with this situation—performing well on his first mission and definitely catching the eye of an S-class Guide. Jaehee looked at Minhun’s wounds with concerned eyes and extended his hand.
Jaehee’s guiding energy flowed into Minhun’s back. Though the amount was small, the high-purity guiding energy made his whole body tremble. Minhun resolved to protect Jaehee so that not even a finger would be hurt. He displayed confidence.
“Guide Lee Jaehee. Don’t worry. I’ll clear everything as quickly as possible!”
Minhun stretched his shoulders, telling Jaehee to just trust him. Then he used his ability against the ants.
“What…! Guide Lee Jaehee!”
But a tearing scream was heard. Simultaneously, people’s gazes turned toward Minhun. Why?
And something flowed down his back. It was red blood. Jaehee had taken out a knife and stabbed Minhun right next to his heart.
Everyone looked shocked. The most surprised, of course, was Minhun.
“…Huh?”
But without even realizing it himself, it wasn’t near the heart where the knife had been planted. Somehow, without his knowledge, his hand had stretched behind him and was firmly gripping the knife Jaehee had stabbed with. The blood was flowing not from near Minhun’s heart but from his hand.
“Why on earth…?”
While Minhun stammered, not understanding Jaehee’s actions or his own hand’s sudden movement, he suddenly pushed Jaehee away with his other hand, the one not holding the knife.
“Huh? No, this is…!”
He hadn’t intended to push Jaehee, but his body moved on its own. Then flames erupted from Minhun’s fingertips. A large fireball, enough to burn a person, flew toward Jaehee. A faint layer of Jaehee’s guiding energy had somehow spread around the confused Minhun. And, peobung! By a narrow margin, the fireball landed next to Jaehee.
“Don’t move.”
Jaehee, getting up again, approached Minhun and said.
“Stay still.”
As if those words were an absolute command, Minhun couldn’t move his body. The guiding energy he had been receiving since entering the Gate seemed to be circulating throughout his body, whispering to obey Jaehee’s orders.
But such commands were not the only ones. ‘Kill.’ Something inside Minhun’s body was shouting at him. Telling him to kill the person before him.
“So I can stab you in one go.”
Jaehee said that as he pulled the knife from Minhun’s hand. Then he gripped it firmly again. Using his guiding ability to hold Minhun immobile, Jaehee raised the knife high.
At that moment, as if to stop it, Minhun’s hand grabbed Jaehee’s neck. But Jaehee didn’t care about that and immediately brought the knife down near Minhun’s heart.
Pook—!
Blood flowed from Minhun’s body along the knife. This time he couldn’t block it. New blood poured over the red blood already flowing from his wounded hand.
But it wasn’t red blood.
‘The parasite.’
Before the regression, there was an Esper in a more serious condition than Dohyun among those who entered the Gate. It was Minhun. A rookie Esper on his first mission in the Gate. They said he had overused his ability due to a sudden anomaly, which eventually led to him going out of control and dying in the Gate.
But the truth was different.
‘It wasn’t going out of control.’
Blue blood flowed from Minhun’s body.
Seuseuseusuk.
From the stabbed area, a very small monster resembling a finger-thick horsehair worm was crawling out, bleeding. It was a parasite. A parasite that lives near the heart of its host. Knowing its habits, Jaehee had done this.
Targeting the backs of ants was also because that’s where the parasite laid eggs and controlled the hosts at will. The warning not to get bitten by ants was because parasites travel through wounds created when the host bites.
And the safest space here. At the same time, the place where Esper forces could be broken. That was Minhun’s body.
“Ugh!”
Jaehee applied pressure to the hand holding the knife. To make sure the parasite that had flowed to the floor was completely eliminated. The B-class monster parasite was a dangerous being that could lay eggs inside its host and control thousands or tens of thousands of monsters, but alone it was far too weak. That’s why Jaehee could end it too.
And if the parasite died, all the ants moving like zombies would return to nothingness.
But could it sense its impending death?
The parasite rushed at Jaehee. Jaehee firmly gripped the knife, prepared to be bitten. But that’s when it happened. From behind, a wavelength so enormous it sent chills down his spine scattered. Simultaneously, pook! Something flew from behind Jaehee and pierced through the body of the parasite that was about to bite him. It was a dark red arrow imbued with an ominous energy.
Jaehee turned his head. He heard the screams of Espers confronting ants nearby. It wasn’t because of the ants. As the parasite died, the dead ants that had been moving like zombies all stopped moving and returned to being corpses.
The screams were heard because they had been hit by the dark red arrow. And its owner was now fully revealing the wavelength that had been hidden until now, walking out from inside the temple.
With a bright smile.
While scattering a wavelength that should never be felt in a C-class Gate.
