Gong, the gate raiding specialist, hadn’t expected much from Yu-jin.

After all, Yu-jin’s base stats were only around B-rank. Even if he was exceptional in ways beyond sheer power, Gong hadn’t imagined Yu-jin would manage to be a standout in an S-rank gate.

He’d assigned Ninomiya to support him for this exact reason. With her by his side, Yu-jin would at least have a chance.

---

[Yu-jin] *"Done! Whew, thanks for all your hard work, Gong."*  
[Gong] *"Don’t relax yet. We haven’t even cleared the boss room."*

*Even though I saw this coming, it still feels unreal. Even with a Mana Fuel Rod, how is this even possible?*

Yet again, Yu-jin had pulled off an astonishing feat.

A five-person gate raid. A strategy that sounded insane, suggesting they draw out and fight each monster individually. But they’d done it.

Of course, without Gong’s strategy, Aika’s support, and the combined abilities of Sia and Alice, it would have been impossible. But Yu-jin’s brilliance couldn’t be understated either.

An S-rank gate cleared up to the boss room, with all monsters wiped out in ten hours. Zero injuries, zero casualties. This was an accomplishment only possible because of Yu-jin.

Gong’s eyes glinted with pride.

*Of course, my one and only friend... Only someone like him could match me!*

*Sly grin.*

*Why’s he looking at me all starry-eyed? And why do his eyes look so... soft? Does he want to fight me or something?*

The sight was annoyingly endearing for Gong, but at least the raid was almost complete.

Now, only the final challenge remained: the boss room—the most dangerous part of any gate.

Yu-jin and Gong exchanged a glance.

"Take a break before going in. Get plenty of rest, Yu-jin…"  
"You’re going to scout the boss room, right? Let me come with you."  
"...Fine. Come along."

The two slipped away from the rest of the group, intending to discuss the boss strategy.

Aika started to follow them.

"Student, let me come with you..."  
"Master, please rest. You’ve been exhausted from supporting me. You need to take it easy."  
"I’m fine, really."  
"I can’t bear to see you pushing yourself like this, Master, my delicate Master."  
"Hehe. Well, if you insist, student."

*Satisfied grin.*

*Being treated like a fragile woman is the best... hiding my strength was worth it!*

Content with Yu-jin’s genuine concern, Aika stayed behind, allowing Yu-jin and Gong to talk freely as they strolled through the gate.

They looked like comrades sharing a peaceful conversation, though the topic was anything but.

"...Wait, you saw an alert saying this was an S+++ gate? Just for you?"  
"Yeah. I don’t know why, but it might be because of me. A similar thing happened with the A+ gate. Only this time, it’s much worse."  
"And you’re only telling me this now, you crazy idiot!?"

The mood wasn’t exactly serene anymore.

Yu-jin averted his gaze.

"I thought I’d get less flak if I told you after carrying the raid… I’m really sorry."  
"Ah, you little—!"

*Thwack, thwack.*

Gong’s fists lightly pounded Yu-jin’s back, not hard enough to hurt him, just enough to let out his irritation.

The way he puffed out his cheeks was oddly cute, making Yu-jin wonder if Gong had been assigned the wrong gender. Regardless, the atmosphere lightened.

"Well, since you confessed before we entered the boss room and did carry the team, I’ll let it slide."  
"Thank you, Sister Gong."  
"Who’s a sister? Anyway, any other unusual details?"  
"Well…"

Yu-jin finally relaxed, beginning to explain.

*Should I mention that mysterious mark? Hmm…*

*Ding!*  
[Skill ‘Perfect Hypnosis’ waves a “No Go” banner frantically.]

*Guess not.*

Even if he couldn’t reveal the “???” detail, there was one thing he could share.

"Apparently, a transcendent being intervened. It killed the dungeon boss."  
"...What?"

The reason he’d decided to confess. At the very least, he had to warn Gong about the lurking threat in the boss room.

Gong’s eyes narrowed.

"A transcendent? Never heard of such a thing. Is it a special type of monster?"  
"I don’t know. Some letters showed up in the message, but they were all garbled and unreadable."  
"Unreadable letters? What on Earth…"

Even as an experienced S-rank Awakener, Gong had never heard of anything like this.

*A transcendent? And it killed the dungeon boss?*

"Is that all you know?"  
"Yeah. I’ll leave the rest to you, Gong."  
"Leave it to me."

Gong stepped forward to investigate.

Standing before the enormous magical barrier that led to the boss room, he began channeling his power, activating his unique talent, *Future Sight.*

Five minutes passed.

"Gong?"  
"...Nothing."  
"Gong, why is it taking so long? Are you worn out?"  
"...I can’t see anything."

Gong finally turned, responding only when Yu-jin’s concern became impossible to ignore.

A line of blood trickled from his nose. His face had gone pale, his eyes were welling with tears.

The emotion on his face was unmistakable: *Fear.*

Future Sight had shown Gong something so terrifying, he was on the verge of tears. Yu-jin’s expression darkened.

"What do you mean you can’t see anything?"  
"Exactly that. No matter how hard I try, I can’t see anything beyond the entrance."  
"Are you serious, Gong?"  
"Yes."

As his closest friend, Yu-jin understood the implications. Gong’s *Future Sight* could only show him what his future self would witness. If he couldn’t see anything beyond entering the boss room...

"There’s a monster in there. A monster that will kill me."

It meant one thing—Gong’s death. Instantaneous death. If he were even slightly alive, Future Sight would still work.

Yu-jin quickly pressed for more information.

"What if you don’t enter alone, but go with the other Awakeners?"  
"Death."  
"And if my Master and I join you?"  
"Death."

Every scenario led to the same outcome.

In those five minutes, Gong had checked every possible path. No matter the formation or the strategy, with everyone he trusted and any backup he could summon… entering the boss room meant his death.

Despair was understandable.

*Yu-jin, you crazy bastard… Sigh. Can’t really blame him. I’m the one who insisted we go together.*

*Sly grin.*

"Well, we’re screwed."

Despite it all, Gong managed a wry smile, a testament to his character.

Seeing that laugh, Yu-jin…

"Why are you giving up so soon? You’ve only been thinking about it for five minutes."  
"...Huh?"  
"We have plenty of supplies. Think it over for a day or two. We’ll wait until you find a way."

Yu-jin spoke with hope instead of despair. His golden eyes gleamed.

*Gong, dying instantly? Not while my Master and I are here.*

Unlike Gong, Yu-jin knew one thing.

The creatures from the EX-rank gate had been untouchable, their attacks unstoppable, leaving him and Aika on the defensive. But even those monsters hadn’t been able to kill them.

Whatever was in that boss room couldn’t be worse.

"And I trust you. You’re not the type to die here, Gong."  
"Yu-jin…"  
"So, don’t cry. You’re too cute when you do, and I might want to punch you."

*Ding!*  
[Skill ‘Perfect Hypnosis’ cheers on, dressed in a cheerleader outfit, jumping up and down!]

"...Oh."

Gong’s eyes brightened.

*Unlike me, who trusts in Future Sight, he trusts in me as a person... What a friend I’m showing him.*

Brushing away his tears with his suit sleeve, Gong spoke with determination.

"One hour. Let me rest for an hour and try again. I’ll keep going until I find something."  
"Good. I’ll be here for whatever you need, even emotional therapy."  
"Thanks."

He sat down, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.

He needed to recover from the exhaustion of the ten-hour raid and clear his mind, to find a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak future.

Finally, after pushing his abilities to the point of coughing blood...

*Ding!*  
[Status effect ‘Overload’ acquired. Skill ‘Future Sight’ unusable for one week.]

"*Cough!*"  
"Are you okay!? Take a moment to rest."  
"...I saw it. The future."

For the first time, Gong glimpsed a future where he survived entering the gate.

"Really!? That’s amazing…"  
"…"

*How should I tell him?*

But his face remained grim.

The future he saw was only thirty minutes ahead. No one died, but…

Someone was suffering as though they wished they had.

His friend, Yu-jin.

*What could have happened to make him look like that?*

The conditions of this “safe” future were specific: Yu-jin would enter the boss room alone, and after some time, the others

 would follow.

When Gong tried it, he saw Yu-jin alone in a wrecked boss room, trembling.

He was pale with terror, gripping his katana so tightly that his hand was bleeding, breathing erratically in panic.

He couldn’t even imagine what Yu-jin must have experienced in those thirty minutes to be so utterly broken.

*And why would it take this much of a toll just to glimpse that future?*

Something was off. Normally, Gong could look a day into the future without issue. A mere thirty minutes shouldn’t have exhausted him so severely.

But now…

"Well, the thing is…" Gong spoke, his voice thick with guilt.

He couldn’t shake the dread he felt about the looming disaster, about sending Yu-jin, a young Awakener, into such unknown peril.

"So, you’re saying I’m just trembling? Not injured or anything?"  
"It’s worse than that. The sight was so overwhelming I coughed up blood just by looking at it. Whatever you’ll face…"  
"Hey, if I’m not dead, then that’s fine."

Yu-jin’s tone was calm.

He didn’t know what he’d face, but if he’d survive, it would be enough. Even if he got hurt, he could rely on Soo-yeon to heal him.

"And, uh… do I, you know, wet myself?"  
"...Yes."  
"Well, then I’d better hit the bathroom before we start."

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about that in front of his wives.

Gong finally broke into a smile.

"Does that even matter?"  
"For a guy, dignity is a major thing."  
"Fair enough."

With the atmosphere lightening, Gong rejoined the other Awakeners.

It was time for the final strategy of this S+++ gate raid. They would attempt the reckless tactic of sending Yu-jin in alone to scout the boss room.

"From now on, Yu-jin will…"  
"You’re sending my student in alone? Are you out of your mind?"  
"Master, please!! I know he looks delicate, but he’s dependable in situations like this!"  
"Let go of me, student! I’ll fold that boy in half before he goes anywhere alone!"  
"...Ugh. This is already chaos."

Naturally, the other Awakeners, especially Aika, fiercely opposed the idea.

"If Yu-jin dies, I’ll die with him. Satisfied, Ninomiya?"  
"...What?"  
"If he gets so much as a scratch, you can beat me up as much as you want. Even turn me into a woman, as you once promised on our trip to Korea."  
"Oh."

With a solemn vow, Gong staked his manhood. Yu-jin was touched, the other Awakeners were impressed, and even Aika hesitated.

"You believe in him, thank you. I’ll be back safely."  
"Go on. Take care."

And with that, the brave young man headed to the boss room, saluting the Awakeners behind him, facing the unknown without fear.

Trusting in his friend’s word.

*Whatever hardships await…*

*Step.*

*I trust you, Yu-jin. With everything, even my life.*

The final operation of an S+++ gate, a battle on which the lives of two S-rank Awakeners depended, had begun.

---

The moment Yu-jin stepped into the boss room...

"A humanoid monster! You’re beautiful, but I won’t hold ba—"  
"Eine solche Schutzbarriere für die Seele zu errichten, zeugt von bemerkenswerter Kunstfertigkeit."  
"...Huh? Are you… human? Are you a human?"

*Curious tilt.*

"Ahem. Would you understand me better like this?"  
"Wow! You even speak Korean!"

Yu-jin felt a sudden swell of K-pride at the unexpected response.