They had disregarded that the church was surrounded by a sandy desert.
“Hey, why is sand coming in here?” someone asked.
The sand had risen to Ian’s ankles.
She whispered carefully, “Is it because of the principle of osmotic pressure?”
The others looked bewildered when she cited a term she had learned in science class.
“What principle?”
“Osmotic pressure.”
Anyway, it didn’t matter.
The pressing challenge was to rise before the sand accumulated too much.
Ian looked up, happy to see the walls joined at the hole.
Light coming in from above indicated that it led to the higher floor, thus scaling the wall was plausible.
However, someone must carry the guide and Esper with the wounded leg.
“Huh?!”
“You, one of you, carry them up.”
Without more ado, Ian grabbed the guide and motioned toward the summit, then effortlessly climbed the steep incline.
She was holding the guide, so she climbed with only his legs, literally racing up the wall.
“Is that even possible…?” mumbled an Esper named Jaewon, who was abruptly forced to try rock climbing.
The injured Esper impatiently tapped a teammate’s calf, encouraging them to carry them.
Gulp.
He can do that if the Guide can.
Jaewon, determined, picked up his injured friend and pursued Ian up the wall.
After repeated attempts, he was able to climb halfway.
His legs and the arms that supported his teammate’s weight began to tremble.
I should have focused on my fitness…
A sneeze took him by surprise as he approached the summit because of the sand, forcing his body to swing dangerously.
He desperately reached out to grab something for support.
“We’re going to fall…!”
Fortunately, Ian saw and grasped Jaewon’s outstretched hand, bringing him up.
On the first floor, everyone was weary, hands on the ground, gasping for air.
“Get up. We need to find the core.”
Ian’s persistent desire was evident.
The Espers were fatigued from fighting the knights.
In contrast, Ian, despite being dusty, appeared practically as fresh as when he entered the Gate.
“Ugh…!” Jaewon, who appeared unwell, was probably dealing with a high spike value.
The guide, Heeso, dashed to help him.
Ian had no idea Heeso was the guide she had helped during the A-grade Gate incident.
She was the one who cried, unwilling to die.
She didn’t despise Ian since she remembered how helpful she was.
Heeso, like Chanyoung, was one of the persons Ian helped.
“If you fall too, we’re in serious trouble.”
“I know.”
They were almost to the top of the cathedral, but due to exhaustion, even the little distance felt far.
Ian, silently observing, approached the two and asked, “Are you not confident in hand-to-hand combat?”
“What?”
“Or can’t you fight?”
“Hey!”
“You rely too much on your abilities, so your surge values rise quickly.”
“…”
“Born strong, yet failing to use it properly.”
What a waste.
If Hamin intended to provoke people, Ian did so unwittingly.
She had been like this with Sihyun and is now with the others.
Heeso looked at Jaewon, who appeared to have his pride piqued by Ian’s words, his jaw shaking.
Jaewon’s surge level fell to 76%.
Suddenly, he stood up and began punching the beasts.
“Who says I can’t do anything without my powers!”
Ian hadn’t said it exactly, but Jaewon was half-lost in his wrath, his voice full of defiance.
Ian nodded in approval as she saw Jaewon battle ferociously, even to the point of bleeding.
Her expression showed a hint of satisfaction.
“Do you see? You can do it.”
Ian frequently spoke directly, except when required to be socially courteous.
Whether she was upset or praising someone, she was always direct, regardless of who she was speaking with.
This imparted sincerity to her every statement.
Jaewon’s mouth opened in surprise at Ian’s frank appreciation.
Receiving praise from Ian, whom he considered considerably stronger, was a pleasant surprise for him.
“Of course, this is nothing for me,” Jaewon hastily concealed his improved mood by swiping his nose with his finger.
Heeso silently observed this and thought, ‘Simple guy…’
Meanwhile, Ian focused on the Esper with the twisted ankle, taking them by the nape and pointing them at the approaching demons.
“Don’t just sit there, do something.”
The Esper flailed in astonishment as Ian supported them.
“I am injured! I can’t do anything.”
“Your hands are fine. I’ll be here to guide you; just let your fire fly.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of flamethrower you can just activate with a button?!”
“Aren’t you?”
The Esper was startled by the beasts and quickly released a blast of fire.
The strong heat started to melt the knights’ armor.
Ian clasped the Esper’s neck as if to reward them, offering them some guidance.
“Can’t even guide properly!”
The disparity between rising surge levels and the limited guidance obtained was clear.
The Esper exhibited unhappiness by flailing their arms helplessly.
As usual, Ian ignored it.
She moved quickly through the passageways, wielding the Esper as an improvised flamethrower.
The other Espers, a little further away from the ruckus, were quietly doing their thing, apparently unwilling to become involved in the mess.
The core turned was found to be a crucifix held by a Virgin Mary figurine.
Despite being a statue, it moved with surprising speed, its limbs flailing as it rushed towards them, scaring Heeso to scream.
Ian charged forward, leaving the scared group behind, and chopped through the statue’s lower body and core, thus ending the conflict.
When the core was destroyed, they all rushed out of the Gate before it closed.
When Heeso saw the familiar structure outside, she slumped to the ground, tired.
Park Taeyung, the team leader, approached her.
“Thank goodness everyone made it back safely.”
Apart from Ian, the entire team appeared exhausted, but they were all alive, which was a comfort.
Taeyung breathed a sigh of relief before looking at Ian at the back of the group.
Unlike the others, she was only somewhat dusty; her look had hardly changed since they entered the Gate.
He swallowed hard in secret.
Even as a team leader, he was humbled to see his training records broken by a guide like her.
Ian must have thought a B-grade Gate was a piece of cake.
Taeyung’s eyes twinkled with admiration for Ian.
But Taeyung wasn’t the only one observing Ian.
Jaewon, who had gotten harsh training from Ian, also watched her closely.
Ian was preoccupied with brushing off the sand from her clothes, completely unaware of the attention she was receiving.
She appeared to be covered in sand every time she entered a Gate.
After dusting herself off, Ian leaped over the barricade to board the escort van, bypassing the civilians.
As her presence vanished, the audience began to grumble.
“Hey, how come Seo Ian isn’t hurt at all?”
“Was she just getting help inside, like she did outside?”
Unbeknownst to Ian, the bystanders became increasingly suspicious of her involvement and contribution.