By Zephyria That enchanting flight continued for about an hour. When the reed boat, having completed its voyage, landed near their temporary dwelling, Yohan looked at Seo Yakrin with eyes full of admiration.
No matter how much one uses their abilities, they grow stronger, but to be able to levitate and move an object of this mass for an entire hour… Actually, now that I mention it, it wasn’t just Seo Yakrin who was surprising.
Yoon Seung-ryong’s spatial ability, which still stores items without limit; Joo Ho-young’s speed, which no one can match; and finally, Lee Hyun-muk’s deep, dark shadow…
They seemed like people who had spent at least a hundred years, if not more, solely honing their abilities. But that was impossible, wasn’t it?
‘They must have gone through tremendous things over the past 3 years. And the Corruption probably played a part too.’
Yet, something felt undeniably unsettling. Yohan’s thoughts were interrupted by a bird that flew to his shoulder, chirping. These were the birds that had followed the reed boat, drawn to his light. Yohan smiled faintly and extended his hand; the bird tilted its head, looking cute. Seo Yakrin whistled, and the birds fluttered to perch on her head and shoulders.
“That’s right. Such cute things.”
Watching Seo Yakrin, who seemed to be conversing with the birds as she pleased, Yohan felt a thought about to surface. He tilted his head, but Yoon Seung-ryong called out to him.
“Yohan, could you do some purification here?”
“Ah, yes!”
The temporary dwelling, neglected for nearly a month, was in disarray. Yohan purified the surroundings, and Yoon Seung-ryong mowed down the overgrown grass, restoring it to its former state. As they began planting seeds for wilting fruits and vegetables, Joo Ho-young lingered near Seo Yakrin.
“Noona, when are you going to fix my weapon?”
“I’ll fix my weapon first, then the Team leader’s, then yours. And finally, his.”
Upon hearing that his weapon was last in line, Yoon Seung-ryong snorted. It wasn’t surprising. Seo Yakrin took out several daggers from her pouch. As someone whose primary ability was the excellent long-range attack of Psychokinesis, Seo Yakrin, unlike others, did not use a spear. Her specialty was to slash or pierce opponents by manipulating daggers. Lee Hyun-muk asked Seo Yakrin, who was meticulously tending to her weapons.
“How long will it take to fix the weapons?”
“At most, a week?”
“Good. Then we’ll leave a week from now. This isn’t a good place to stay.”
Lee Hyun-muk’s words were met with acknowledgments from various directions. Even though they had scattered and regrouped, no one denied that Lee Hyun-muk was their leader, nor did anyone refuse to follow him. It seemed natural to Yohan as well.
Joo Ho-young left for patrol, and Yoon Seung-ryong tidied up the vegetable patch. Seo Yakrin was focused on repairing her weapons, and with nothing else to do, Yohan subtly approached Lee Hyun-muk. Glancing sideways, he sat down next to him. Lee Hyun-muk, who had been poking at the campfire, looked at him. He gazed intently at Yohan’s face and then asked,
“Yohan, aren’t you scared of me?”
“Um…”
The image that naturally came to mind was during the recent Flood’s surprise attack. Literally nothing, just pupils of abyssal darkness on a face that was devoid of anything. Lee Hyun-muk had maintained his human form, but he was more terrifying than Seo Yakrin, who endlessly sprouted feathers and swelled, or Yoon Seung-ryong, whose form dissolved like a giant annelid. It was difficult even to look at him, and only then did Yohan understand why the others feared Lee Hyun-muk so much.
It felt like if he let his guard down even for a moment, he would be swallowed into that terrible darkness.
“To be honest, I can’t say I’m not scared…”
As Yohan stammered, trailing off, Lee Hyun-muk gave a bitter smile. Yohan, still captivated by his handsome smile, reached out his hand.
“But more than that…”
More than that, I like and cherish you. With that sentiment, Yohan clasped Lee Hyun-muk’s hand. This time, without looking at the people around them, he kissed the back of his hand. Just that alone made him blush with embarrassment. Seeing this, a faint smile spread across Lee Hyun-muk’s face.
“My Yangyang is boldly cute.”
The moment Lee Hyun-muk called him ‘Yangyang,’ Yohan’s eyes widened, and he purified Lee Hyun-muk. Lee Hyun-muk then laughed out loud.
“Isn’t it time you admitted these are pet names?”
“Pet names…?”
As he grumbled, he felt a sharp gaze. Looking up, he saw Seo Yakrin glaring at Lee Hyun-muk with narrowed, triangular eyes. Yohan became flustered, not because she was glaring at him, but because Lee Hyun-muk spoke gently.
“Yakrin-ah, you need to fix your weapon. Is there a problem?”
“…Nooo. No problem.”
Seo Yakrin replied sullenly, turned away, and silently resumed working on her weapons. Yohan felt extremely embarrassed and lowered his head, focusing intently on purification. It was then that Joo Ho-young returned from patrol and approached Lee Hyun-muk, scratching his cheek.
“Um, Team leader…”
“Yes, what is it?”
Lee Hyun-muk immediately fixed a sharp gaze on Joo Ho-young. Judging by Joo Ho-young’s expression, he seemed to have witnessed something troublesome or perplexing. Although he didn’t seem overly panicked, given everything that had happened, Yohan felt a sense of unease.
“Well, I saw a phenomenon I’ve never seen before…”
“Is it a Flood?” Seo Yakrin asked sharply. Joo Ho-young shook his head left and right. Then, he said sheepishly,
“No, it’s not a Flood. The Black Mountain… the Black Mountain is no longer black?”
* * *
Seo Yakrin stayed at the old tree dwelling for a week, repairing her weapons. Even the weapons that had seemed fine before became sharper and more precise after Seo Yakrin’s touch. They weren’t destroyed, but their shapes were strangely distorted.
With their newly repaired weapons in hand, they moved. They stopped and marveled when the Black Mountain, adjacent to the Reed Sea, came into view. Yoon Seung-ryong crossed his arms, scanned the area, and said,
“Shouldn’t we rename this now? Like, Spotted Mountain…?”
It was as Yoon Seung-ryong said. The Black Mountain, always gloomy and dark, was now mottled. Small, subtly glowing patches of various colors were visible throughout the mountain range.
“What in the world is that? What kind of messed-up thing is about to happen now?”
Seo Yakrin, unaware of how this had happened, wore an expression mixed with anxiety and anger. In contrast, the other three had their suspicions. Yohan, his brow furrowed menacingly, explained to Seo Yakrin what happened when they were swallowed by the Black Mountain.
“You purified the Black Mountain? So, all of this is Eternal Stone?”
After hearing the full story, Seo Yakrin’s expression turned grim upon learning that the Black Mountain was made of Eternal Stone.
“Still, it looks better than black, doesn’t it? It doesn’t feel particularly ominous. Since Yohan purified it, it can’t be too bad.”
“Old man, what’s with you saying something sensible for once.”
“Stop calling me old man.”
“What else should I call an old man if not an old man?”
Yoon Seung-ryong and Seo Yakrin began their usual bickering. Yohan, who had been staring intently at the mottled Black Mountain with a furrowed brow, finally grasped the thought that had been hovering at the edge of his mind.
“Hey, Yakrin Noona.”
“Yes, Yohan! What is it? Do you need something?”
Seo Yakrin stopped her fierce growling at Yoon Seung-ryong and replied in an incredibly gentle voice. It sounded almost like, ‘What do you need, my Baby?’
“Is it possible for you to communicate with the Black Mountain…?”
“Huh? With the Black Mountain?”
“I mean, like when you refine Eternal Stones, could you discern the Black Mountain’s will? Perhaps we could gain useful information…?”
Yohan recalled how the mountain seemed to watch him or move when he was trapped inside the Black Mountain. The fact that it had taken him and confined him was undoubtedly a movement imbued with the Black Mountain’s will. So, could they communicate with the Black Mountain now that Seo Yakrin was here? That was the thought that crossed his mind.
‘If we negotiate well, it could become a good resting place whenever a Flood comes. Or, it’s an untrustworthy entity, so that might be too risky?’
Upon hearing Yohan’s suggestion, the rest of the group seemed to have never imagined such an attempt. Indeed, before Yohan was trapped in the Black Mountain, they hadn’t even known the mountain was made of Eternal Stone. Lee Hyun-muk gazed at the Black Mountain and murmured,
“Communicating with the Black Mountain…”
“That might not be a bad idea… Failure wouldn’t result in significant loss, right? At most, the old man might get buried. Then it would be quiet for a while, which would be nice.”
Seo Yakrin glared at Yoon Seung-ryong’s remark, but she seemed to be taking Yohan’s suggestion quite positively.
“Since we’re going, I should bring back some Eternal Stones. They’ll surely be useful later.”
Yohan’s proposal was accepted unanimously. However, given the incident where Yohan had been separated alone before, Lee Hyun-muk instructed only Seo Yakrin and Joo Ho-young to approach the Black Mountain.
“Yakrin has Psychokinesis, so she can get out on her own if needed, and Ho-young can retreat immediately if things go south.”
“Okay, we’ll be back soon~!”
The remaining three decided to watch the operation from a considerable distance. They were so far away that the two appeared like distant dots. Still not entirely satisfied, Lee Hyun-muk’s thick arm wrapped around Yohan’s waist. Yohan leaned into Lee Hyun-muk without complaint.