The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 40

The wave signatures would’ve been recorded, which meant Yeon Dogyeong, Cha Eunhwi, and Lee Shinra would come to clear it.

And if that happened—then what about me?

I could pour out all the resentment I’ve bottled up and say I’d rather die than go back with you. But considering how you usually act, there’s a high chance you’d just push back and start spewing bullshit instead.

If I wasn’t careful, it could turn into pouring water on a grease fire.

Truthfully, I wasn’t used to arguing or fighting. If I got worked up and raised my voice, my heart would race and I’d start stuttering like crazy.

Meanwhile, Yeon Dogyeong or Lee Shinra—who caused trouble as naturally as breathing—would start shouting before I even finished a sentence. And Cha Eunhwi would chime in with that infuriatingly smug tone of his.

No matter how I thought about it, that was a fast track to a vicious cycle.

I’d shut myself off even more, and the espers would treat me even worse.

What do I do…?

The anxiety I’d barely managed to calm began swelling again. I bit my lip, restlessly raking a hand through my hair.

Just ten minutes ago, I’d been relaxed enough to think I was bored…

Why did the gate have to open, of all times?

With a face full of grievance, I stared blankly at the rift.

And then—not long after—the tiny rift vanished without leaving a trace.

Just like when it appeared, there was no warning at all.

“…Huh?”

What? Where did my gate go?

I pushed myself up from the ground and blinked rapidly.

I looked around, but the scenery was peaceful, as though nothing had ever happened.

What was that, then?

Unless I’d gone completely insane, there was no way I’d imagined it.

Then… was it a hallucination?

Our unit had a powerful barrier-type esper, so I’d never experienced it personally, but there were plenty of monsters capable of that sort of thing.

According to Cha Eunhwi, those monsters trapped their prey by showing them the happiest dreams imaginable—so they wouldn’t try to escape.

Happy dreams.

That description fit my current situation disturbingly well.

Then am I actually inside a monster’s stomach right now, already eaten and slowly dying…?

It was an offhand thought, but the more I considered it, the more plausible it sounded.

Still, that didn’t fully add up.

I hadn’t wanted to go back at all—so why would an exit gate suddenly appear?

“…I don’t understand anything.”

With a sour expression, I looked up at the sky, sighed, and trudged away.

I didn’t feel like going for a walk anymore.

It seemed that living as “Guide Yoon Hyeya” had been harder on me than I’d realized.

The moment that sank in, I found myself wishing that if I really was being eaten by a monster and dying, I’d rather not realize it until the very end.

Two days later—after wallowing in gloom and lethargy—

Another gate appeared before my eyes.

“No, seriously—what the hell is this…?”

Lying sprawled atop the rabbit’s belly, I stared vacantly into the air.

Today’s rift was just a little larger than the one from two days ago, but beyond it, I could still see A Zone.

The nearby animals began creeping closer out of curiosity, and I hurriedly stopped them.

“Don’t go near it—…well, I guess it’s not dangerous.”

Only A- and B-rank gate monsters could leave the gate. There was no way this place was higher than C-rank.

But as that thought crossed my mind, one of the mysteries surrounding gates resurfaced.

Why was it that only A- and B-rank gate monsters could come out?

From the outside, you couldn’t see anything inside a gate.

That was why ESP Associations worldwide meticulously recorded gate waves and data.

On the other hand, the gate that appeared inside after a clear showed what was on the other side.

Because of that, there was a theory:

Inside the gate, monsters can see the outside. That curiosity might be what draws them out.

And on top of that, there was speculation that some additional mechanism prevented monsters from leaving C-rank or lower gates.

Naturally, people questioned who did it, how, why, and for what purpose.

But almost no one seriously researched it.

The reasoning was simple—no matter how much time or money you poured into it, it was impossible to verify. Meaningless.

Looking at it now… that theory was probably almost spot-on.

Still, it raised another question.

Why was it invisible from the outside, but visible from within?

Back in the early days, gates appeared everywhere—plenty enough to spark monsters’ curiosity.

Meanwhile, humans, unable to see anything, approached out of curiosity themselves.

Something about this feels off…

There was a faint sense of malicious intent.

Though, considering no one even knew where gates came from or why they existed, there wasn’t much that could be done.

In any case, what mattered now was why this gate kept appearing, and in such an unstable form.

I climbed down from the rabbit’s belly and circled the rift.

Did someone figure out how to deliberately create a specific gate?

It was a compelling hypothesis—but I quickly shook my head.

Gates were disasters. Like typhoons, earthquakes, or tsunamis.

You could prepare for them, but you couldn’t stop them completely.

All the Association could do was redirect them to specific locations.

If no one even knows the principle behind their creation, how could anyone make one on purpose?

Unless there was some incredible treasure inside a gate—which there wasn’t.

And while I was lost in thought again, the rift vanished just as abruptly as it had two days ago.

“Why does this keep happening to me…?”

I muttered emptily at the air.

But the strange phenomenon didn’t stop there.

Three weeks after voluntarily trapping myself inside the gate.

While brushing my teeth, I stared dully at the rift floating in midair as I rinsed my mouth.

That makes five times now.

It really didn’t get tired of appearing.

The anxiety I’d felt the first time was completely gone.

Now, it was nothing more than an annoying nuisance.

Even so, a vague sensation lingered.

That if I reached out, I could leave.

Because it radiated a tempting pull—as if whispering, Come in. Come in.

Not that I have any intention of leaving!

After washing my face and wiping it with a towel, I stood up.

Trying to ignore it as I moved away from the rift, I let out a sigh.

Starting from the third appearance, the rifts had been steadily growing larger.

It felt like something was trying to push me outside—and at this rate, it almost seemed like espers really would show up.

Of course, that was probably just my anxiety running wild.

Anyway, I planned to spend today lazing around again.

Ever since I started feeling the pressure that I might have to give up this life, I hadn’t felt bored even once.

Who knows? A gate that lets people in from the other side might connect as soon as tomorrow. I should enjoy this while I still can.

Clearing my cluttered thoughts, I leisurely headed toward the apple tree.

The animals here gathered beneath it as if it were a designated meeting spot.

Today was no exception—but when I returned after washing up, they were sitting in a circle, staring intently at something.

What are they doing?

Intrigued by the unfamiliar scene, I cautiously drew closer.

Rolling my eyes around, I saw it—

In the center of the circle formed by the animals lay a large, glossy egg.

Yes. An egg.

In a place where the only inhabitants were rabbits, squirrels, and a few small chirping birds—

An egg nearly half my height.

Even more startling was the fact that the animals were staring at it anxiously.

Even the giant rabbit.