“It’s noisy around here lately. The American team is really determined to catch Nova.”

“Isn’t that one of the top three anti-government forces there? Going up against Nova would require war-level preparations.”

“There’s even defense industry corruption involved. Honestly, I’d like to get the green feathers and leave before their main force arrives. If we get caught up in it, we’ll be the only ones to suffer.”

Only the characters changed, but most of the events in the psychic community were similar. Similarly bad guys and similarly righteous people intertwined and fought.

Baek Sang-ho was a veteran who had experienced the exhausting war of attrition to the bone.

“I’ll bring back any spoils if there are any.”

Yoon Tae-ha deliberately joked at his tired and troubled face. Baek Sang-ho nodded his chin and told her to leave. He also greeted Choi Bo-mi, who approached, with a worried expression.

Having received all the instructions and greetings, the four got into the cars. Yoon Tae-ha naturally glanced at Cheon Geon-young, who was in the driver’s seat. Come to think of it, she hadn’t exchanged a single word with him today.

As the car driven by Shim Gyu-jong started, he naturally took the rear and moved. The two cars slowly exited the parking lot, which was smaller than the Acheron camp’s parking lot.

It had only been a day since they last spoke, but the air felt awkward. Yoon Tae-ha turned her head to look out the window.

She was confused whether her heavily beating heart was because of the man sitting next to her or the unknown land they were heading to.

As soon as they left the parking lot, a bumpy road welcomed them.

The air freshener in the new car smelled particularly strong today. A strong cherry scent. She silently lowered the window slightly. She was content with the outside air that wafted in through the small gap.

“Do you have a headache?”

Suddenly, the window rolled down coolly. Cheon Geon-young found the air freshener somewhere in the driver’s seat and tore it out.

Yoon Tae-ha took it, sealed it in a plastic bag, and flicked it to the back seat. Just as she was about to turn her head back, looking as if nothing had happened, Cheon Geon-young said,

“Shall I guide you?”

“It’s okay. I’ll tell you if I need it.”

She replied and subtly checked his expression. Cheon Geon-young’s face was more subdued than usual. He drove with his lips tightly shut. After that, it was silent again. Yoon Tae-ha ventilated the car and closed the window again.

She organized the information received through Jet, writing neatly on the tablet. She marked the route they would take and wrote down the flora and fauna they should be careful of. She didn’t realize how time was passing as she wrote down the characteristics, appearance, and weaknesses of the frequently appearing monsters.

In the official mission, they planned to receive some help from Jet. It was unavoidable even just for smooth communication with Choi Bo-mi and the others.

However, it was necessary to prepare for situations where communication might be cut off. She couldn’t memorize all the information that the artificial intelligence carried around, but she had to try.

Yoon Tae-ha, who knew better than anyone else why Baek Sang-ho had given her separate instructions, concentrated even in the shaking car. From the moment she started writing with her pen, Cheon Geon-young drove the car more carefully.

The two cars entered a road in a mountain valley. Branches of trees about the height of the car were obstructing their path. When Yoon Tae-ha put down her tablet, a message came from the front car.

— Tae-ha, could you clear this up for us? This kind of section will probably last about 300 meters from here.

“Yes. Please back up slightly first. There’s space.”

— Okay.

She stroked her ring once and went outside through teleportation. The door wouldn’t even open properly because of the branches.

Standing on the path thick with the smell of grass, she quickly moved forward. Through the passenger window, she could see Choi Bo-mi looking at her with sparkling eyes. She muttered a release word like a sigh.

“Second floor of the abyss.”

Bright blue light swirled above the black ring like a vortex. Two long, straight entities like spears formed.

“Rotate.”

The entities simultaneously rotated like propellers. She sent the two rapidly spinning blades into the path filled with branches.

Small branches were cut off, making a loud noise. Anticipating that dirt and leaves would fly up, she slightly closed her eyes. The pungent forest scent became richer.

When she opened her eyes, a path that was incomparably wider than before appeared. It was a change like creating a new tunnel. As she turned back to go to the car, Choi Bo-mi lowered the passenger window.

“Not bad?”

“The gardener will be going now.”

“Let’s drive as fast as possible to the first point. Let’s cut the rest period in half in the middle. Will that be okay?”

“Let’s do that. We need to go as far as possible while it’s quiet.”

Agreeing, she returned to the car. She didn’t forget to shake off the leaves stuck to her body before opening the passenger door. As she settled into her seat, Cheon Geon-young started the car silently.

Now Yoon Tae-ha was slowly starting to worry. Fastening her seatbelt quietly, she entrusted her body to the jolting movements of the car and tried to recall any mistakes she might have made.

What could be the problem? There were too many to know. Not pushing him away in the moment when he desperately sucked on her lips. That was probably the biggest problem.

Not being able to come to her senses and push him away, but instead melting helplessly under the excuse of it being the first time. Yoon Tae-ha pressed her forehead against the cold window with a listless expression.

Soon, she dozed off for a while and then woke up. The car had already left the mountain valley and was driving through the canyons again. When they reached a high altitude, the front car stopped.

— Let’s take a break. Do you want to rest first? Or should we rest first?

She asked Cheon Geon-young with her eyes what they should do.

“Let’s rest later.”

“Okay.”

Yoon Tae-ha pressed the communication button and said to Choi Bo-mi,

“We’ll rest second. We’ll keep watch, so eat comfortably.”

— Okay, thank you!

Silence fell as the cheerful voice disappeared. Cheon Geon-young said with a face that showed no signs of fatigue,

“I’ll go check the area below.”

Getting out of the car, he put on his equipment and then, holding his gun, strode down into the canyon.

Yoon Tae-ha quickly climbed onto the roof and first checked if there were any particular dangers in the direction Cheon Geon-young had gone. Only after realizing there weren’t any did she look around elsewhere.

The sight of the cloudless blue sky contrasting with the reddish canyon came into view at once. It was like a painting drawn by a skilled artist using only red and blue paints. A somewhat rough wind brushed past her delicate nape.

She thought of the Black Lions and Orca who would be living inside the canyon. Them, living by digging into the flesh of the canyon. She felt herself becoming anxious again.

An hour passed quickly. It was almost at the same time that Choi Bo-mi came out of the car and said it was their turn to rest, and Cheon Geon-young came up from the canyon.

For dinner, they had sandwiches and rice balls from the camp, so there was no need to cook separately. That was unfortunate for Yoon Tae-ha. It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to show off her swordsmanship in the middle of the canyon. It was because the opportunity to talk to Cheon Geon-young while washing and preparing things had disappeared.

After the meal, Cheon Geon-young took the wheel again. They drove for another half day and arrived at the first point.

A clearing that seemed to have been touched by human hands was hidden deep in the forest. Such hideouts were often located close to water sources or far from monster nests.

The hideouts were jointly managed by people who roamed the Green Sea. If monsters appeared nearby, they would drive them away, and if the signs on the path to the hideout were damaged, they would leave new traces with sturdy ropes or strings.

Agents from various organizations, guild members, and even anti-government forces. There was even an unbelievable story of agents and anti-government forces encountering each other in a hideout. Since there was an implicit agreement not to fight each other at least in this vicinity, rumors circulated that they would just sleep and leave.

When they arrived at the first point, a crescent moon hung between the dense branches.

Yoon Tae-ha got out of the passenger seat to prepare for camping. She also had to unfold the bed in the back, and there were more things to do than she thought. At that moment, Cheon Geon-young grabbed her wrist.

“Do we have to sleep all four of us together too?”

She felt a mixture of slight annoyance and embarrassment at the same time. Was he really suggesting they sleep wedged between that lovey-dovey couple?

Even though Shim Gyu-jong treated Choi Bo-mi dryly on a regular basis, they were truly in love. They were even engaged. Yoon Tae-ha knew her place.

No matter how close she was to Choi Bo-mi, she couldn’t say she would sleep next to her. Yoon Tae-ha said coldly and clearly,

“They’re a real couple.”

Because the car engine was off, she couldn’t properly see her guide’s expression.

“......Real?”

There was a faint anger in his voice. Only now was she certain. Cheon Geon-young was angry with her. She didn’t know why he was angry, but anyway, he was. And that made her feel wronged. Her already wavering composure began to crack.

“We’re different. We shouldn’t disturb them.”

She snapped and moved to the back of the camper van. She couldn’t believe that her relationship with her guide had deteriorated from the very first day.

Until now, she had mostly granted what her guide wanted. Except for touching each other’s bodies. She had bought him what he asked for and hadn’t taken him to places he didn’t want to go.

She had heard that she was offering excessive material compensation for radiation guidance, but she didn’t care. She had thought that just keeping him alive was enough.

Cheon Geon-young was really strange. He only asked for things that were difficult to grant. Perhaps that was why she kept shrinking in front of him.

Decisively, they had shared a kiss. But she couldn’t understand why their relationship was getting worse. The researchers only knew how to draw blood; they hadn’t taught her how to handle situations like this.

Yoon Tae-ha swallowed her bitter feelings and went into the bedroom.

She intended to divide the bed into two singles, placing a partition as high as possible between them. At that moment, she sensed someone behind her.

She composed her expression and turned around. But she let out a short scream because her body was suddenly lifted up.

Cheon Geon-young effortlessly lifted her and placed her on the desk. She was dumbfounded as it was her first time being moved like this. Before she could protest, her guide leaned over her. He strongly gripped her chin, forcing her mouth open.

Cheon Geon-young, who had first sucked on her lips, intertwined his own with her small, soft tongue. In an instant, her heightened breath disappeared into his mouth. Goosebumps rose on the inside of her thighs.

For a short time, Yoon Tae-ha had to feel like she might be devoured by him. Her back was against the wall, so she couldn’t escape, and his thigh between her knees prevented her from leaning back.

A sticky sound interspersed with the rattling screams of the desk. Because it was dark all around, the sound was even clearer.

The frantic heaving of her body subsided only after Cheon Geon-young pulled his lips away. He didn’t go far, leaving just a hand’s breadth between them. His face, showing no signs of being out of breath, was sharp.