By Zephyria Jin Mu-hae’s Crystal Blue Mining site in Khan Rano was an open space carved out in the middle of a dense forest.
Only that spot was devoid of trees, allowing sunlight to pour down. The open space, bathed in light like the center of a stage, was so brightly illuminated that the bloodstains seemed jarring.
Amidst the fragments of shattered bodies, he looked up at the sky, giving the fleeting first impression that he had descended from above.
‘Come to think of it, he did say something back then.’
Was it, “It’s a person?”
The awkward smile clinging to his red lips remained etched in his mind.
Since then, Joo-oh had always been smiling, but none of his smiles could replicate the strangeness of that day.
“Get in.”
“Hoo. I’m nervous.”
‘Nervous about what.’
Arriving at the airfield and switching to the Small aircraft, Joo-oh’s gaze once again groped the air.
The Small aircraft slowly gained altitude, rising high into the sky. Mu-hae lowered the control panel above his head and estimated the time to their destination.
‘Coordinates are set correctly…’
Buckta was a region with so much Crystal Blue that there wasn’t even a rest stop, let alone a Comfort zone, within a radius of a thousand kilometers.
Naturally, almost nothing remained intact of human-made structures.
Once they disembarked from the aircraft, they would travel on a ground vehicle only as far as the damaged road allowed, and then explore the wild area on foot.
If he input the local time before leaving, the Small aircraft would automatically fly to the pre-set coordinates and park itself.
“Jin Mu-hae.”
“……”
“How long will it take?”
“Four hours, if nothing goes wrong.”
“And if something does?”
“If the weather’s crap, it could be over six hours.”
Sometimes, it wasn’t so much scary as it was boring, but it seemed like he could endure it now that Joo-oh was here.
After gaining some experience, Jin Mu-hae usually took on most requests alone. He couldn’t remember the last time he had such trivial conversations on the way to a job.
“Do I have to wear a hat there too?”
“Whatever you want.”
As soon as he got permission to take it off, Joo-oh let out a “pooh” sound and flipped the hood back.
His fine, delicate hair scattered in all directions, not as fluffy as Mu-hae had imagined, but it still made him want to press it down with his hand.
They had clearly showered with the same product, but Joo-oh felt exceptionally smooth. He was still radiant from head to toe, just like the day they first met.
“Give me your hand.”
Mu-hae frowned as he examined Joo-oh’s fingernails, finding not a single scratch.
The hand he pressed was soft and supple. He couldn’t find even a trace of calluses, no matter how hard he looked.
“Haha, heeheehee.”
In the meantime, Joo-oh clasped his hand and laughed strangely, so Mu-hae pulled his arm away as if rejecting him.
The fingers that had been persistently entwining were surprisingly slender, making his chest tickle in a strange way.
“If you’re bored, just sleep.”
“I’m not sleepy.”
A look that said, “You don’t plan on sleeping either, do you?” flew his way. Mu-hae rubbed the tip of his nose for no reason and turned his head away.
Far out the window, Goryeo City was shrinking like a dot.
Tedious, dissatisfying, and always rejecting him to the point of exhaustion… his comfortable hometown.
Jin Mu-hae traveled for quite a while even after getting off the Small aircraft and switching to the provided bike.
Each time the two-wheeled vehicle shook on the cracked and broken asphalt road, Joo-oh, who was sitting behind him, hugged his waist and pressed close.
“Jin Mu-hae’s is cooler, I think.”
He’d noticed it since last time, but Joo-oh’s words were a little ambiguous.
House, dishes, table, sofa, bike, everything was lumped together as “Jin Mu-hae’s,” but somehow it only sounded like “Jin Mu-hae,” which made Mu-hae feel embarrassed even for himself.
So he pretended not to hear and increased his speed. Just a little further and they would be near the first mining site.
It was said to be nearby, but they still had to walk for 40 minutes after getting off. Still, as a result of watching him more intently these past few days, Joo-oh seemed to have considerable stamina.
It felt like he wouldn’t show any signs of fatigue even if he walked and ran for 400 minutes, not just 40.
Whoosh-.
Unlike whose possession it was, the bike quietly stopped from the engine.
Mu-hae tapped the hands clinging to his waist to release them, rummaged through his bag, and took out a case about two spans long.
As if telling him to take it, he gestured with his eyes, and Joo-oh quickly took it and opened the box.
Narrow, long cylindrical bullets were neatly arranged inside.
“The three in the front are smoke. The two in the back are electric shock. If you think it’s dangerous, break the button on top, press it, throw it, and run back the way you came.”
“Is it mine?”
“Only use it when you need it. It’s more expensive than your food expenses.”
Mu-hae pulled Joo-oh, who was looking into the case with an excited face, and unzipped his jacket.
Inside, where there was plenty of space, were several pockets with straps attached.
“Spread your arms. I’ll put them in.”
Joo-oh nodded and spread his arms wide to both sides. Mu-hae groped inside the hood jacket, inserted the bullets into the inside, and secured them one by one.
It wasn’t a safe route, but this much would be enough preparation. While fighting on the way to Iron Horse Valley, Mu-hae had observed Joo-oh several times.
At that time, he was surprisingly silent. Even though he was standing with a defenseless posture without any weapons, the Twilight Tiger’s aggro didn’t trigger.
The Thorn wolf was an exception since he had approached it first, telling it to tear him apart and eat him. Perhaps Joo-oh had another ability besides his tremendous strength.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Excited footsteps followed Mu-hae, who was striding ahead, pattering along behind him.
The first mining site required them to pass through a low mountain path.
Even though miners periodically came and went, grass and trees grew densely with each step.
Self-sustaining plants affected by Blue Energy were large and tough, unlike what the climate would suggest. If you grabbed a branch and tried to break it, the whole tree would shake with a creaking sound instead of snapping.
Click, beep-.
Jin Mu-hae checked the radar to confirm that there were no moving creatures nearby, then moved along the designated route. The sounds of insects subsided wherever their feet touched.
When Mu-hae, who had been walking with large strides, stopped abruptly, Joo-oh, who had been closely following, tilted his head and stood next to him.
Each time, fur was caught on a rough tree trunk, or hoof prints were pressed into the ground nearby.
“A deer, right?”
Joo-oh asked how he knew. Mu-hae frowned slightly without answering.
Several species of animal that had turned into Beasts also inhabited Buckta. However, thanks to the Company’s route planning to avoid dangerous creatures, Beasts that would attack humans did not live nearby.
Weaker Beasts would smell the unfamiliar scent and stay away on their own. In short, it meant that traces of deer shouldn’t appear this frequently here.
Mu-hae activated the radar again. There were still no noticeable life signs nearby.
Was it a coincidence? He recorded the traces of the Beast with a suspicious look.
“It smells like the sea.”
They were quite far from the beach, but he seemed to smell it like a ghost.
Not long after Joo-oh muttered, a reaction was detected on the radar.
Beep- beep- beep-!
Two red dots were moving far in the direction of their destination. Mu-hae stopped walking and looked into the distance.
It could just be deer. Or maybe two slightly more dangerous Beasts.
But the tingling sensation told him that the situation was not smooth.
Mu-hae calmly gathered his equipment and estimated the distance to the red dots. They were still more than a kilometer away, so they wouldn’t be attacked unless they loudly announced their location.
“It smells, you said…”
“Huh?”
“Then what about sounds? Can I?”
He asked even though he knew it didn’t make sense. Just in case, though he hardly expected anything.
Then, unexpectedly, Joo-oh’s face became serious. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head sharply.
It was exactly in the direction where their destination was located.
Swoosh-.
The wind blowing from above shook the treetops.
As the movements of the strangers stopped, the sounds of insects gradually began to be heard again from afar.
However, there were no huge screams or signs that could be detected even from 1 kilometer away.
What kind of delusion was he having? Mu-hae swallowed hard and swept his hair to the side when.
Grip. A white hand grabbed his arm.
“I can hear it.”
Red eyes, as red as the mark hovering at the edge of the radar, slowly met Mu-hae’s gaze.
“It’s very faint, but I can hear it.”
“……”
“Grrr, chr, chr… chr…”
Chills.
“Gyaaaaaack…!”
A cry that was as similar to the real thing as if it had been recorded flowed from his soft lips.
A chilling air stiffened the back of Mu-hae’s neck.
Goosebumps rose all over his body, running down his spine. A sensation that was more than strange, suffocating, grabbed his shoulders from behind.
Just as a clear danger signal was stabbing his brain.
“How is it? Helpful, right?”
Along with the voice whispering the question, Joo-oh’s expressionless face melted away.
Meeting his unadorned, proud smile, the air that had been blocked rushed into his lungs.
Mu-hae swallowed the overwhelming breath inside and nodded.
It was only for a moment, but he felt a strange fear. He had become so desensitized by countless battles that he wasn’t afraid even when he saw most Beasts or Aberrants, but just now, sweat was damply forming in his hands.
“It’s a Jaeger.”
“Yeah. The smell… I don’t know. The sea smell is too strong.”
“That’s enough.”
Mu-hae stopped him with a calm voice.
Joo-oh, who hadn’t forgotten the advice he’d heard over and over again, obediently followed his instructions.