By Zephyria 
He hadn’t even hoped for the kind of passionate confessions, fervent embraces, or tearful kisses that only seem to exist in romance novels.
Seong Mu-yeon knew his place, and he knew his counterpart well. There were other people suited for such beautiful scenes, and the two of them were not among them.
…Still, wouldn’t a little bit of melodrama be alright?
“I went through all the trouble of saving you, and why the hell did you follow me here and cause this disaster! Does it hurt to just stay quiet for a single day, or what?!”
Affection, my foot.
There was no trace of such soft emotions in Baek Ryeo-il, who was speaking with such vehemence that the veins in his neck were popping. His piercing eyes looked as if they wanted to devour Seong Mu-yeon.
“Why do you think I followed you?! No, do you really think I’d rush over the moment I got out of bed just to harass someone? Why are you suddenly losing your temper!”
Seong Mu-yeon also possessed a formidable personality; he wasn’t the type to take one word without giving three back. As if to ask when he had ever been so sentimental, he snapped back without hesitation.
“Think about what you did! How could I not be angry?! And why didn’t you wear one of those pathetic masks that don’t even work this time? Did you fail to get a new one?”
“D-do you really have to bring that up in this situation?!”
“Yes, I do! There’s a limit to how much you can treat someone like an idiot! If you truly thought I wouldn’t recognize you, then you’re disappointingly incompetent! I thought you were despicable, but I didn’t think you were stupid!”
“….”
Rumble rumble…!
Even amidst the arguing, the massive boulder chased them closely, as if intending to crush them flat. Because the path was gently sloped, it was gradually gaining momentum.
If they continued running and hit a dead end, they were in danger of being flattened instantly. Baek Ryeo-il seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he shut his mouth and wore a serious expression.
“There’s a space ahead!”
“I felt it too!”
As they expanded their energy sense, they detected a space positioned in front of them. The empty space approached quickly, matching their speed.
“Get ready.”
Baek Ryeo-il warned. Seong Mu-yeon nodded, maintaining his tension.
Their running speed was too fast. The space ahead was not wide enough to sufficiently decelerate their momentum.
The moment they entered the aperture, they would have to pivot their angle. Colliding with the wall was inevitable. The impact would be great, but they wouldn’t die. However, if they failed to avoid the boulder following behind, they would certainly perish.
“Now!”
The moment the pitch-black aperture drew close enough to be seen with the naked eye, Baek Ryeo-il’s arm wrapped around Seong Mu-yeon.
The world spun. Seong Mu-yeon’s eyes widened. Before he knew it, Baek Ryeo-il was so close that their noses were almost touching. He tightened his grip on the arm encircling Seong Mu-yeon.
And then, the impact hit.
Crash!
“Urgh….”
Baek Ryeo-il let out a groan. Seong Mu-yeon flinched and looked up.
In that brief moment, Baek Ryeo-il had pulled him close and twisted his body to take the impact on his back. Thanks to that, Seong Mu-yeon felt nothing more than a stinging sensation in his nose from being pressed against the other man’s chest.
Thump!
Another loud sound echoed. The first had been the sound of the boulder hitting the wall at full speed; this time, it was the sound of it sliding down to the floor.
The floor was not flat but sloped toward the center, where a circular groove exactly the size of the boulder was carved. The fallen boulder began to roll in a circle, as if finding its rightful place.
“A-are you alright?”
Coming to his senses, Seong Mu-yeon checked on Baek Ryeo-il. He was grimacing painfully, but he didn’t seem to be injured anywhere.
As the shock subsided, Baek Ryeo-il slowly opened his eyes. He immediately locked eyes with Seong Mu-yeon, who was right in front of him.
Seeing that he was safe, he let out a faint sigh of relief.
However, Seong Mu-yeon felt resentful instead. Baek Ryeo-il was always like this. He would constantly spout harsh words, only to act in the exact opposite way at the most critical moment, catching people off guard.
While he was angry, the tip of his nose felt a stinging warmth.
Then, Baek Ryeo-il did something unexpected. He roughly pushed Seong Mu-yeon away.
Seong Mu-yeon was so surprised that he stared up at him blankly.
It was then.
That familiar click sound rang out again. A chill ran down Seong Mu-yeon’s spine as he stiffly turned his head. The boulder that had been rolling in a circle had finally settled into the central groove.
Simultaneously, one wall collapsed with a thud. It was where the passage they had entered through was located. The only passage connecting this place, which was now blocked by walls above and below, had vanished.
What is it this time!
Just as Seong Mu-yeon and Baek Ryeo-il were scanning the area with tense expressions, water began to pour from dozens of pipes between the ceiling and the walls that they hadn’t even known existed.
“Please, just have some moderation….”
Baek Ryeo-il muttered in a voice exhausted by absurdity. Seong Mu-yeon felt the same.
Just how precious a treasure did they hide here to go to such lengths? But since the Poison Freak had already settled in, even if there had been something, the fellow would have claimed it. Seong Mu-yeon vowed that once he caught the Poison Freak, he would definitely find out what the man had obtained here.
The water quickly rose to their ankles. In less than half a shizhen, it seemed poised to fill the cubic space entirely.
They searched the walls, floor, and ceiling thoroughly, but no exit-like opening was visible anywhere.
Baek Ryeo-il tried cutting through the wall with the Nansaeng Sword to see how thick it was, but he couldn’t pierce it. Even when trying to check for other passages, his energy sense could not detect anything beyond the walls.
Meanwhile, the water level continued to rise, soaking them up to their knees.
“There must be a way out.”
Baek Ryeo-il broke the silence with a mutter. He spoke as if to himself, but it was meant for the other person in the room to hear. However, Seong Mu-yeon only glanced at him before turning back to focus on groping the wall.
An awkward atmosphere had lingered ever since Baek Ryeo-il pushed him away. There was a mountain of unresolved emotions piled up between the two of them. However, because they were facing the risk of drowning before they could even touch upon them, the emotions in that pile were becoming even more tangled.
Was there really a need to be that horrified? But now was not the appropriate time to argue. Since he also had absolutely no desire to drown in a place like this, Seong Mu-yeon merely glared at the innocent wall with a hardened face.
Though he didn’t want to agree with Baek Ryeo-il, Seong Mu-yeon was also certain that there must be an exit somewhere.
In a space completely sealed on all sides, the only thing that stood out was the single boulder that had made them run for their lives.
Baek Ryeo-il, who had been grumbling and kicking the water for no reason, soon noticed Seong Mu-yeon staring intently at the boulder and approached him.
The massive boulder sat prominently in the middle of the room.
Seong Mu-yeon wanted to see the floor beneath the stone. However, the boulder, which was taller than he was, wouldn’t budge with his strength alone.
“Move aside.”
Baek Ryeo-il slid in. Seong Mu-yeon glared at him coldly, his mood worsening as he thought about how the other had pushed him away in such a panic, but he stepped back obediently.
Rumble…!
As Baek Ryeo-il applied a bit of strength, the boulder slid aside with a heavy sound. Due to the slope of the floor, it would return to its original position the moment he let go. While Baek Ryeo-il held the boulder, Seong Mu-yeon quickly inspected the floor.
There was a groove carved exactly to fit the boulder. Other than that, there was nothing special. However, looking closely, water was being sucked into a gap.
“Did you find something? Hurry up!”
Baek Ryeo-il urged him, sweating profusely. It seemed the weight of the boulder was burdensome for him as well.
Seong Mu-yeon pouted. For a moment, he considered dragging it out to give the man a hard time, but he wasn’t stupid enough to do such a thing in a flooding sealed room.
Seong Mu-yeon plunged both arms into the water and felt around the circular floor. As he leaned over, the water splashed just beneath his chin.
After some time, his fingertips caught on something.
This is it!
As he struggled to lift a circular plate, the water that had been leaking out slowly surged through the gap all at once. There was an empty space beneath. He lost his grip on the plate a few times due to the water pressure, but after a moment, once the room was completely filled with water, he was able to remove it easily.
A cylindrical pit revealed itself. Although it was filled with water, he could feel through his energy sense that the curved end connected to another space.
“Is it a path? Did you find it?”
Baek Ryeo-il shouted while straining.
“Yes, I found it. We can go down through here.”
“Go first! I’ll follow!”
Seong Mu-yeon took a deep breath and entered the cylinder headfirst. After a moment, he felt a slight vibration, as if the boulder were returning to its place. Glancing back, he saw Baek Ryeo-il had arrived right beside him.
The two swam vigorously. Before long, they saw the surface of the water shimmering with light.
To those who had been wandering in darkness, a single ray of light provided a massive sense of relief and the certainty that the exit was right before them.