FSA 69

“Ah.”

Seo Yakrin let out a cry. Her voice, hoarse from shouting for an immeasurably long time. Just as Yoon Seung-ryong had once done, she too stood naked, without shame, gazing endlessly at the sky. As if she had never resented Lee Hyun-muk for preventing her from dying, she suddenly murmured.

“It was good that I lived….”

The hemisphere of light covering the vast space filtered not only rain but also the ominous light shining from the dark red sky, like sunlight. Although a faint ominous golden hue still lingered, no trace of anger could be found on this beautiful face anymore.

Next, what had been crawling on the floor solidified back into Yoon Seung-ryong. Even as he spat out the clod of dirt he had been eating from his mouth, the corners of his lips turned up. Not with the Madness he’d let out whenever facing the Flood, but with a genuinely joyful face, he stretched out on the floor. Staring blankly at those three people, Yohan turned around.

Lee Hyun-muk’s face was still a dark void, revealing nothing. An unfathomable shadow, which did not disappear even in the sunlight, cast over him, leaving him without features. Yet, Yohan could feel a gaze quietly looking at him.

One who has fallen into the Flood cannot return to their former self.

And this being before him was someone who had entered and exited the Flood countless times to save his teammates. Someone who tried, without giving up, to save his teammates even from a living hell. Someone who protected everyone with a kind and gentle will, even in a place like this.

Therefore, he was human.

“Hyun-mook Hyung….”

Yohan, crying, called out the name of the person he loved and kissed him. As he cried and kissed the void, lips appeared there. Then, a sharp nose, as if washed clean by tears, and dark, shadowed eyes emerged. Seeing Lee Hyun-muk return to his normal self only made Yohan’s sorrowful cries grow louder.

“Waaaaah, uh-huh-uh! Kkeuk, heu-euk, uhng, ha-uh-uh….”

He cried so heartbrokenly that Lee Hyun-muk’s entire face became drenched. Lee Hyun-muk, looking flustered, picked up the sobbing figure and held him, comforting him. Now, his collar began to get wet.

“Yohan-ah, just a moment. Calm down a little…”

Far from calming down, Yohan clung to Lee Hyun-muk, sobbing. Beads of light trickled down his flushed cheeks.

“Th-this time, uhng-uhng, re-ally, heuk, kkeu-euk, re-ally…. Ho-ow, it, was do-oing….”

Being chased by the Flood was terrifying, but Yohan’s fear at seeing his companions helplessly fall victim to it was indescribable. Yohan’s wails, accompanied by cold sweat, drew the attention of the teammates who were enjoying the clear rain and light. Among them, Seo Yakrin, who had returned to her senses, asked in bewilderment.

“…Who is this crybaby?”

Amidst the scattering light filling the surroundings, the sorrowful cries continued faintly.

“Heuk, kkeu…. Heuk. Heuk!”

“Yes, yes. Drink some water. Eat something too.”

Yoon Seung-ryong fumbled around, taking out water, fruit, and dried jerky, and placed them in Yohan’s hands. While sobbing, Yohan put what he held into his mouth and chewed. The surroundings were filled with the fresh scent of sprouting reeds.

“Seung-ryong Hyung….”

Yohan, swallowing the jerky, called out in a choked voice. Yoon Seung-ryong responded with a truly kind, older brotherly demeanor.

“Yeah, why? What do you need?”

“Heuk, please… put on some clothes….”

Only then did Yoon Seung-ryong look embarrassed and take out clothes from his ‘pocket,’ fumbling to put them on. His clothes had instantly disintegrated when he became a crawling thing, leaving him completely naked. Among them, the one who was relatively the most normal

—who had never fallen into the Flood and hadn’t even touched it during this incident—

Joo Ho-young’s condition was a bit strange.

“It was good I listened to Yohan! Yohan said I absolutely couldn’t run away and that there was a way to solve it, so I came here, and then I wore a shining umbrella like the sun, rain fell, and everything sparkled with rainbows, and it was all beautiful, and the Flood can just go away….”

He bounced around, darting everywhere, and spewed out almost incomprehensible words at lightning speed. It seemed he was in an overly excited state due to everything being resolved. Seo Yakrin, who had been about to try and get an explanation from Joo Ho-young after receiving clothes, sighed and crossed her arms.

“What’s wrong with him? I can’t understand a thing.”

Then, she strode over and glared at Yoon Seung-ryong. Yoon Seung-ryong, who was preparing fruit for Yohan, glared back fiercely. Yohan, worried they might fight, stopped crying. He then drew Seo Yakrin’s attention.

“Hello, I am Yang Yohan. Sniff, I’m someone who came to the Abyss a few months ago. My ability, as you can see, is purification….”

As the blankly staring Seo Yakrin looked down at him expressionlessly, Yohan, speaking with a stuffy nose, began to shrink. Lee Hyun-muk, lying with his head on Yohan’s lap and peacefully dozing, was his only refuge. Seo Yakrin, staring intently at the trembling Yohan, broke into a wide smile.

“Oh, your ability is purification? That’s so cool and amazing! I’ve never seen the Flood be purified in my life! You did so well! Really well! Your ability is the best in the world! Awesome! It was hard, but you tried so hard to save Hyung and the Noonas, right?”

The terrifying Seo Yakrin’s endless stream of praise made Yohan’s eyes waver in confusion. Seo Yakrin, despite having plenty of space, deliberately pushed Yoon Seung-ryong aside with her foot and came closer, patting Yohan’s shoulder.

“Baby cried because Hyung and Noona turned scary.”

“I, I’m twenty-three. I’m not a minor….”

Yohan desperately tried to convey that he wasn’t a ‘baby,’ but Seo Yakrin’s attitude didn’t change at all. If anything, it intensified. Wasn’t Seo Yakrin the same age as Yoon Seung-ryong? That would make her twenty-five….

“What, twenty-three? You’re practically just born! Don’t you want to see the Reed Sea? Shall Noona show you? It wasn’t even the Reed Sea when I first settled here, back then, I think it was… around one hundred and something…”

Seo Yakrin, about to recount her rough and violent past in the Abyss, screamed. Yoon Seung-ryong, who had been frowning, had bitten her calf with his teeth.

“Yoon Seung-ryong, you son of a bitch! Are you crazy?!”

“Hey, old hag! How is it that you start acting like an old hag the moment we meet? I’m not interested in your stories at all!”

“You punk! You should have just stayed put, why are you picking a fight out of nowhere!”

Seo Yakrin grabbed Yoon Seung-ryong by the hair and kicked him. Yoon Seung-ryong, screaming in pain, lunged at Seo Yakrin, and the two began to wrestle, biting and punching each other, rolling around on the floor where green reed shoots were growing. Yohan’s lips moved as if to say something, then he lowered his hands. He simply didn’t have the energy to stop them.

Indeed, his purification power was not just depleted but completely gone. The Purification Field, cast with all his might with Joo Ho-young’s buff, was still shining, holding its ground. Yohan estimated it would remain like this for at least a few days. Which meant… this place was safe for a while.

Ho-young seemed excited, and Seo Yakrin and Yoon Seung-ryong looked like they would fight for a long time. So, it should be alright to get some rest, right? Thinking this, Yohan rubbed his heavy eyelids.

As he stroked Lee Hyun-muk’s handsome face, he dozed off. When he woke up, his position had changed.

“Slept well?”

Lee Hyun-muk, who had been letting Yohan sleep with his head on his broad chest, asked in a low voice. Yohan, for no reason, reached out again and traced his clear features. He recalled the empty, terrifying face with nothing there. Lee Hyun-muk spoke in a gentle voice and lowered his head.

“Why, are you scared?”

“No…. I’m not scared at all.”

Lying listlessly, Yohan touched his lips one last time. They were soft. They were undeniably human lips. The chest he leaned on and the arms that held him tightly were not just warm but scaldingly hot. Letting out a sigh of relief, Yohan checked his purification power, which had barely reached ten percent.

‘My storage capacity has definitely increased a bit….’

He knew his ability grew stronger with each use, but when he unleashed it to its limit like this, the growth was incomparable. Compared to when he first Awakened, he seemed several times stronger. It was a fortunate development, especially now that Seo Yakrin had joined and more purification power was needed.