The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 119

The scenery shimmered, and the very quality of the air changed.

We had definitely entered a Gate, yet unlike everyone else, I still couldn’t see the World’s Voice.

The three men, however—who had clearly awakened as Espers—were all staring into empty space.

Judging by the confusion on their faces, this seemed to be their first time entering a Gate.

Fortunately, there were no monsters in sight.

Unfortunately, there was another problem.

‘Everything here is ridiculously huge.’

Every tree looked hundreds of years old, towering high into the sky. Even the scattered boulders were so enormous that, in the outside world, they’d probably have been famous tourist attractions people visited before they died.

The ordinary grass wasn’t any different.

Every blade was absurdly tall. Thankfully, we’d been transported onto an open patch of bare ground. If we’d landed in the grass instead, we probably wouldn’t have been able to see more than a few feet ahead.

That wasn’t exactly reassuring, though.

If the landscape was this oversized, then the monsters living in this Gate had to be just as gigantic.

Swallowing a sigh, I lightly patted the frozen trio on the shoulders and backs.

“I know you’re shocked, but if you want to get out of here alive, pull yourselves together. The Gate information should’ve appeared in front of you, right? Read it to me from the beginning.”

If I asked them to read the Gate information, they’d inevitably realize I wasn’t an Esper.

Still, I’d encountered more than five Gates with ecosystems like this one, ranging across several ranks. I needed to know exactly which one we were in.

Han Yeonwoo was the first to respond.

His eyes, filled with wariness, fear, and confusion, darted around before he hurriedly spoke.

“W-We have entered Giant Garden. Maximum capacity: ten plus… seventeen people. Connected… three times. Fastest clear time: thirty-eight hours, twenty minutes, fifteen seconds. Total deaths… seventeen.”

He was trying to stay calm, but his face had gone completely pale.

Nam Woojin, still clutching the arm that had been swallowed by the Rift, looked just as white.

So did the tearful Park Minseok.

Still, the fact that none of them had panicked, screamed, run away blindly, or demanded to know who I was—that alone was enough.

‘Now I know where we are.’

It really paid off to have crammed every bit of information about Gates and monsters into my head.

Giant Garden.

A C-rank Gate.

Thankfully, it wasn’t particularly difficult to clear.

I patted the three of them on the shoulders once more before pointing behind us.

The place where we’d appeared divided two very different landscapes.

In front of us stretched a vast forest.

Behind us stood a cluster of crude-looking buildings.

Naturally, those buildings were enormous too.

Just from the Gate’s name and the oversized terrain, anyone could guess what kind of monsters lived here.

Maybe that was why all three visibly recoiled when I started leading them toward the buildings.

“It’s safer this way,” I whispered quietly.

They flinched, but obediently followed.

For nearly ten minutes, none of us spoke.

Everything was so massive that even after walking that long, we hadn’t actually gotten very far from where we’d first arrived.

‘This should be far enough.’

I stopped beneath a statue shaped like a giant torch.

The three who had been timidly trailing behind me stopped as well.

Watching them risk themselves to save a friend…

Quietly following me without making a fuss…

Still hesitating and nervously reading the room…

Those gentle, cautious actions made me lose any desire to intimidate them or make sure they didn’t underestimate me.

If it was all an act, they deserved an award.

But after secretly following them and listening to them for so long, I doubted that.

Putting on the dependable expression the survivors at the Association had always called trustworthy, I spoke.

“First of all, thanks for following me without making things difficult. As you can see, everything in this Gate is gigantic.”

I paused.

“That includes the insects.”

“I-Insects…?”

“Yeah. They’re classified as monsters, and they’re extremely sensitive to sounds and movement. There’ve been people who wandered into the grass carelessly and got attacked. That’s why I brought you over here.”

The detailed explanation made all three grimace simultaneously.

I didn’t need to describe exactly what had happened to those people.

Their imaginations had already done the work.

My eyes met Park Minseok’s.

He’d cried even harder than Nam Woojin, whose arm had actually been swallowed by the Rift. Tear stains covered his face.

Embarrassed, he silently flailed for a moment before suddenly lifting his head.

“U-Um… who are you?”

“R-Right… Who… are you?”

“If you asked us to read the system message… then you’re… not an Awakened person… right?”

The three gradually edged closer together, each timidly adding a question.

To them, I probably looked like nothing more than an ordinary young woman around their own age.

Yet they still refused to lower their guard, carefully watching my every move.

That alone made it painfully clear just how dangerous the world had become.

If we were going to clear this Gate—and if I wanted to learn more from them—I needed to get rid of that suspicion.

So I plopped down on the ground and opened my backpack.

Then I pulled out canned food.

And chocolate.

While following them, I’d heard them complain over and over that they were hungry and wanted something good to eat.

Sure, plenty of people disliked chocolate.

But in a world where even money couldn’t buy it anymore…

I figured far more people would want it than reject it.

There simply wasn’t a substitute.

“Chocolate…!”

Just as I’d expected, someone gasped.

My backpack refilled five chocolate bars every day.

Two with nuts.

Three regular ones.

I’d already eaten one earlier, leaving four.

I took them all out before looking up.

“I came from the Association. I stayed there for a while, but there are people I absolutely have to find, so I left a few days ago.”

“The Association…! Ah!”

The three exchanged quick glances.

It looked like they’d realized the presence Han Yeonwoo had sensed earlier belonged to me.

Their expressions softened noticeably.

That only made me more curious.

‘Do they have a good impression of the Association?’

Maybe that “Boss” of theirs had something to do with it.

After all, regularly checking on the area around the Association wasn’t something people would do unless they genuinely cared.

It made me even more curious about who this Boss was.

Still, I doubted they’d answer honestly if I simply asked.

Besides, clearing this Gate would take at least a full day.

There was no need to rush.

“Han Yeonwoo, your ability lets you trace where people have been, right? The trail coming from the Association—that was mine.”

“…Were you following us?”

“Yeah. I’m telling you because I want you to understand something important.”

I smiled faintly.

“None of you noticed.”

“I’m not an Esper, but I trained extremely hard at the Association.”

Nam Woojin unconsciously nodded.

He’d probably remembered how I’d suddenly appeared beside them and said I’d help.

Unwrapping one of the chocolate bars, I continued.

“I also know how to clear this Gate. As long as we cooperate, we can finish it safely without anyone getting hurt.”

“…”

I bit off the end of the chocolate.

Park Minseok swallowed hard.

Even then, he only fidgeted with his fingers.

Shrugging my shoulders, I added,

“I know trusting people isn’t easy anymore.”

“But if I’d meant you any harm, I wouldn’t have followed you all the way in here.”

“You left your bicycles and all your supplies outside, remember?”

“I could’ve just taken everything and run while the three of you were busy getting swallowed by that Rift together.”

“…Ah.”

“And as you can see, these canned goods and chocolate are still sealed.”

“I couldn’t have put drugs or anything strange in them.”

“I’m not giving them away for free, though.”

“We’ll have to work hard if we want to clear this place.”

It wasn’t nearly enough food to count as a proper meal.

But that was fine.

Giant Garden was a village inhabited by giants.

There was supposed to be a food warehouse stocked with fruit, smoked meat, cheese, and other supplies that were perfectly safe for humans to eat.

We’d just have to help ourselves.

Smiling kindly while secretly planning a little looting, I watched as the three cautiously sat down on the ground.