By Zephyria Yohan could only fully recover his strength after sleeping soundly for a whole day. Perhaps because he had a nosebleed, his teammates’ attitude towards him became even more solicitous, with Seo Yakrin being the most extreme among them. Whenever she had a chance, she would always look at Yohan with a pleased expression.
“Would you like to eat this too, our Yohan-ssi? Noona did some hunting while Yohan-ssi was sleeping. Do you like venison? How about turtle? But why are you so skinny, just skin and bones? Being strong and healthy is the best for a person. You need to eat well and rest well. Don’t pick at your food, eat heartily. I’ll even ask that Yoon Seung-ryong to boil it down with the bones for you, so drink that too. Oh, eat even if you’re full. This is all Noona doing this for your own good!”
It was a regrettable thing to say, but Yohan could somewhat understand why Yoon Seung-ryong called Seo Yakrin a nagging old lady. However, to Yohan, she was a nagging old lady in a good way, so he gratefully accepted Seo Yakrin’s kindness. He ate whatever she offered him without refusing. Lee Hyun-muk, gazing fondly at Seo Yakrin who was beaming with happiness, asked.
“Yakrin-ah, did you rest well too?”
“Ah, of course! I haven’t felt this good since I fell into the Abyss!”
“Then, could you take a look at our weapons?”
Yohan wasn’t the only one who had been resting well. This was because both Seo Yakrin and Yoon Seung-ryong had fought so fiercely that their abilities were depleted, leaving them with deep wounds. As Seo Yakrin readily nodded, everyone gathered the weapons they had. She picked up Yohan’s chipped stone weapon first. Seo Yakrin chuckled as she caressed the shimmering Eternal Stone.
“They just shoved the Eternal Stone in there so crudely.”
Even so, her gaze as she examined the Eternal Stone was careful and deliberate. She peered at it for a long time, as if in a staring contest, then tapped it with her fingertips. Yohan, who had never seen Eternal Stone refining before, watched with curious eyes, taking care not to get in the way. After about an hour of caressing the Eternal Stone as if it were precious, Seo Yakrin suddenly exclaimed, as if she had realized something.
“This looks like the best quality I’ve ever seen…”
Seo Yakrin tilted her head, gazing at Lee Hyun-muk for a moment, then refocused on Yohan’s Eternal Stone.
It was quite different from the Eternal Stone refining process Yohan had imagined. He had expected it to involve tempering with fire and striking with a hammer, but no physical impact was applied at all. Seo Yakrin merely looked into it, stroked it, and occasionally moved her lips as if whispering something. Yet, the incredibly hard Eternal Stone felt like it was softening.
‘No, it’s actually softening!’
Yohan’s eyes widened as he watched. The Eternal Stone, shaped like a chipped obsidian stone roughly broken from a rock, was being rounded. After stroking it for a long time, Seo Yakrin applied force for the first time, and the Eternal Stone softened like clay, revealing its interior. Yohan was surprised.
“It’s not black?”
Inside, surprisingly, was a pure white ore, hidden within the obsidian-like blackness. Seo Yakrin, without touching the inside, asked Yohan while stroking only the black part.
“What do you want, our Yohan-ssi?”
“What do I want….”
“Would you like to be able to handle your abilities with precision? Or would you prefer increased output? How about being able to use your abilities for longer?”
Yohan pondered for a moment. He heard that when refining Eternal Stone into Adamantine Steel, one could draw out energy in the desired direction. Lee Hyun-muk had wanted to handle his abilities with precision, Yoon Seung-ryong had chosen to use his abilities for longer, and Joo Ho-young had opted for increased output. All three were appealing, but if he had to choose just one, it was only one.
“I want to become stronger.”
After receiving Joo Ho-young’s buff this time, he was even more certain. It was definitely better to become stronger with this purification ability.
‘I wish I could fight back against the Flood without running away, even if it comes again.’
This was especially true after learning that the Flood could be a disaster that rained down not just from the ground but also from the sky, like radioactive fallout. He wanted to prevent situations where everyone suffered terrible pain like today, or worse, were scattered.
Hearing Yohan’s thoughts, Lee Hyun-muk and the other team members were convinced that Yohan was growing stronger and would continue to do so.
‘Your abilities grow stronger the more you use them, and Yohan-ssi, you are a Purifier. In an environment filled with Corruption like the Abyss, it’s like using your abilities all day long, which is why your growth rate is so steep. There’s no need to be too impatient.’
Although Lee Hyun-muk told him this, Yohan wanted to become stronger even a little faster. He wanted to keep all these people safe, clean, and comfortable… As he made this resolution, the comfortable dwelling in the Japanese sector kept flashing before his eyes.
“Yes, it is better to become stronger.”
Seo Yakrin smiled and stroked the Eternal Stone. Golden energy flowed from her fingertips, enveloping the Eternal Stone. The inside and outside seemed to flip, the white part appearing only to be covered again by the black part. After a few back-and-forth movements, it transformed into a peculiar pattern where black and white seemed to bite each other’s tails, reborn as a single spearhead.
“Ugh. The finishing is terrible too.”
Seo Yakrin clicked her tongue and removed the metal rod that Lee Hyun-muk had crudely attached. Then, using Psychokinesis, she smoothly shaped the metal rod and skillfully connected it to the newly refined Adamantine Steel.
‘I see. Seo Yakrin-ssi doesn’t need any other tools…’
With the convenient tool of Psychokinesis, she didn’t need to use her hands or hammers. As she handed the neatly refined weapon to Yohan, Seo Yakrin said.
“I’ll reinforce the spear shaft once I find suitable materials.”
“Thank you!”
Yohan accepted his weapon with a fluttering heart. The moment he held it, a warm heat spread through him. It was incomparable to the days when he had a chipped stone loosely attached. When he infused a little power, the result was astonishing.
“Ah!”
Yohan’s eyes widened. Just by making it emit a little light, the Adamantine Steel scattered an incredibly bright light. It was clearly a spear, but it felt like holding a wizard’s staff rather than a spear. He felt good just thinking about how powerful a purification he could perform when Joo Ho-young’s buff was also applied.
“With this, we can defeat small-scale Floods easily now!”
Yohan exclaimed with sparkling eyes, his cheeks flushed red. The people around him, as if mesmerized, slowly approached Yohan and basked in the light.
“This is the most rewarding weapon I’ve made so far.”
Seo Yakrin said proudly, extending her hand to catch the scattering light. Her sharp eyes softened as they received the gentle light. Yoon Seung-ryong came closer and merely glanced at it.
“It’s so amazing. Seo Yakrin-ssi…”
“Noona.”
Seo Yakrin gently pinched Yohan’s cheek and looked at him with a gentle gaze, as if he were a much younger brother or nephew. But Ho-young was clearly the youngest. Yet, Yohan, blushing with shyness, answered obediently.
“Yakrin Noona…”
“That’s right.”
“Can you talk to Eternal Stones?”
Watching Seo Yakrin’s ‘refining,’ Yohan was reminded of the time he saw illusions in the jungle. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered if it wasn’t just an illusion, but if Lee Hyun-muk’s and Yoon Seung-ryong’s weapons truly had a consciousness. This was especially true since Adamantine Steel was made from Eternal Stones, and those Eternal Stones were once from living beings.
“Hmm, if it were in the past, I would have said no, but now… I think so.”
“Oh? Really?”
Joo Ho-young asked in surprise. This seemed to be a fact that others didn’t know, as they showed similar reactions. Seo Yakrin repeatedly tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand.
“Do they talk? It’s a bit far from that. It’s more like I’m guessing their will when it’s conveyed to me. It feels like communicating with a lump of clay. But I don’t know exactly what to call it. It’s a sensation you can only understand by refining it.”
Yohan looked at his weapon with wonder. The Eternal Stone of unknown origin, which Lee Hyun-muk had somehow obtained, felt even more precious. Lee Hyun-muk gently rubbed Yohan’s flushed cheek with his finger and said.
“Since we made Yohan-ssi’s weapon, let’s head back to our dwelling soon.”
“Ah! Okay! Let’s go back quickly!”
Yohan jumped up and readily agreed. It had been almost a month since they had wandered through this gloomy, dark, and eerie Reed Sea to bring Seo Yakrin back. He wanted to get out of this Reed Sea and return to the old tree they were using as a temporary shelter.
“How many days will it take to get back?”
“No, why would it take days?”
Seo Yakrin laughed triumphantly and brought over a clump of reeds nearby. Then, she beat it with Psychokinesis to make it into a boat and hopped onto it. Yohan, looking bewildered, boarded the reed boat with the other team members. Then, the golden mist-like power flowing from Seo Yakrin’s fingertips lifted the boat into the air.
“Wow!”
An involuntary exclamation of admiration escaped Yohan. He had never imagined that Seo Yakrin’s Psychokinesis could be used in such a way. The reed boat instantly rose to a height where the dark red sky was visible, then began to fly across the rippling Reed Sea.
“…Ah!”
A surprised breath escaped his parted lips. Yohan instinctively stood by the edge of the reed boat. It felt like flying over a sea that shimmered golden and rippled under a setting sun. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had seen since falling into the Abyss. As they flew just above the Reed Sea, birds reacted and flew out.
Bone Birds let out grotesque squawks like old women, chasing the reed boat. Yohan, watching them calmly, raised his weapon and infused it with purification power. As a brilliant light scattered around the boat, the grotesque squawks turned into chirping bird songs. White, blue, red, and yellow birds flew, following the light. The light Yohan scattered left blue trails like waves parting the sea. For the first time since falling into the Abyss, Yohan, feeling cheerful, laughed out loud. And then, he suddenly realized.
No matter how terrible a place it might be, it could still be good if he was with these people.