BP 26

Jae-il’s gaze slowly drifted downward. His condition, which normally would have stirred Jae-il’s irritation, was not very good. Ji Seung-hyun, barely showing his profile, had his eyes closed, unlike usual, and a look of distress was etched on his face. Occasionally, he let out low groans of pain. His breathing was also slightly labored.

Jae-il lightly pressed the back of his hand against the man’s cheek and then pulled away, his brow furrowing slightly. Above all, he had a high fever. He had been like this since the afternoon; Jae-il wondered if he had finally come down with a severe cold.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Jae-il swept his bangs back. The bridge of the man’s nose and his jawline created an attractive volume reflected in the dim light. His gaze, which had drifted diagonally away from Seung-hyun, returned with the sound of a click of the tongue.

Unconsciously, his fingers reached toward the area of Seung-hyun’s forehead. He indifferently brushed away the sweat-soaked hair and then pressed firmly against the skin.

“You really are something…”

* * *

The ruins known as the 13th District were once a land overflowing with life. Humans left the place because of the Oni, but the fundamental cause lay in their wicked nature, which did not hesitate to consume and defile. In a place that had lost its function as land, filthy mud without eyes began to be born. They were crazed for human blood and preyed upon human by-products.

Humans began to thoroughly exclude areas that were no longer recoverable. The ’13th District’ was one of them. They named the abnormally formed slums the 13th [unauthorized copystyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[unauthorized copy]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">visit our site]District but refused to recognize them. They shared neither laws, rules, nor public security. They treated it like another planet—or, to put it harshly, like a trash can. This was because they deemed there to be no lives worth protecting there.

However, denying it did not make the place disappear entirely. It couldn’t. Humans who could not leave the Old World, or those who had been weeded out, still lived on that soil. Though they had taken root in the wrong place, it was still a place where people lived.

“Ah. It’s acting up again.”

Frowning, Seok Ji-won lightly kicked a worn-out machine that reached up to his thighs. The square machine, with its complex wires and haphazardly attached iron plates, looked like junk at a glance. It was a pulse measurement device that had made a great contribution to defeating monsters just before Neo was founded, but as an early model, it was now nearly at the end of its lifespan. Seok Ji-won’s logic was that even if this was the only thing they could rely on, if it flickered, it had to be disciplined with a blow. Seung-hyun, who was beside him, was horrified by the outburst.

“Why are you kicking it!”

Compared to the way he smacked Ji-won’s back for his mischievous behavior, his voice was cautious. This was because this unreliable machine had signaled a pulse a few hours ago. There was no knowing when or where a monster might appear.

Despite being hit quite hard, Ji-won rubbed his back with a sly face.

“You. Is it okay to just hit your hyung’s back like this? Huh? It hurts.”

Despite that, his expression was playful. Since one cannot spit on [visit [Read on Read BL Novels]our site]a smiling face, Seung-hyun glared at the grinning face before finally relaxing his shoulders.

“I hope it was a malfunction this time too.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Ji-won answered Seung-hyun’s mumble earnestly and knelt before the machine. As he skillfully operated the complex buttons, the machine began to run with a whirring sound.

“See. I told you it needed a hit.”

“What if it actually breaks?”

“It’s weirder that this thing is still working. We need to bring in a new one soon. Relying only on this…”

Just then, a radio call rang out from Ji-won’s side.

[Kshhh, get out of there right now! Grade 3, charging your way. Kshhh, we can’t catch this one [unauthorized copy]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]immediately. Just fall back!]

Becoming quite serious, Ji-won sent a radio message back.

“Total of 10 people, moving now. Requesting cover fire.”

[Got it. Run for your lives.]

Seok Ji-won glanced at Seung-hyun while checking his gun. Aside from the high grade of the Oni, this was a situation they encountered occasionally. The hope that the pulse was a malfunction had vanished, but Ji-won was satisfied in his own way that it had worked correctly. Today was a rare Grade 3. As mentioned in the radio, it was better to fall back and mobilize all available forces.

Just before leaving, Ji-won roughly patted the back of the pale Seung-hyun’s head.

“Get a grip.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Although Ji Seung-hyun fought on the front lines with excellent marksmanship, he Read on Read BL Novelshad very little stolen contentimmunity to this. It was likely largely due to his father, whom he lost on the battlefield.

“It breaks hyung’s heart to see you look so weak.”

“It’s not like that.”

Even as they left the building without delay, the radio rang again. An urgent voice urged them on.

[This bastard is no ordinary one. Ksh, the speed is insane.]

Ji-won gave a bright, eye-curving smile to the people following him.

“Hear that? Let’s run for our lives.”

Seok Ji-won’s relaxed smile reassured the people. It felt as if he were cheering them on, telling them they could survive as always.

Taking his smile as comfort, Seung-hyun also began to run, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. Ji-won, who had been unauthorized copydata-wm="Read on Read BL Novels" style="display:none;" aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsleading at a steady visit our sitepace, slowly slowed down. His intention to guard the rear was evident. When Seung-hyun tried to fall back with him, Ji-won shook his head.

“No, you stay in the lead.”

“Let’s go together.”

“It’s right for you to be in front. What are you doing? You’ve slowed down.”

Since he urged him calmly, Seung-hyun thought today would just be another ordinary day that happened to be a bit dangerous. Seung-hyun nodded and increased his speed. The shelter was right in front of them.

Not long after Seok Ji-won fell to the very back of the group, a dull tremor rose from deep underground. It felt as if thunder were striking below. Dirt splashed upward following the vibration. The surface surged so violently that their bodies swayed. It was an ominous sign.

The men behind the cover began to gesture desperately for them to come over. Seung-hyun naturally looked back. At that moment, a roar erupted, as if it had approached in an instant. A Grade 3 Oni, surging up like a bursting underground spring, began to attack the people.

The Oni’s movements were difficult to predict. This was because one never knew where a spike would extend from its mass. In front of a Grade 3 Oni, everything looked small. Humans were infinitely powerless and fragile before the monster. Someone always died in these battles, large or small, but Seung-hyun thought that this time would be different. That it wouldn’t be them.

The Oni lunged with terrifying speed.

‘No.’

The words he screamed in his heart soon became reality.

One of the spikes extending from it accurately pierced Ji-won’s abdomen. The distance was far too close. Far from counterattacking, he couldn’t even dodge. His face, eyes wide open, distorted in pain. As the spike, which had pierced sharply through to his back, ripped out, the man’s body collapsed like a sheet of paper. The tentacle-like spike scattered blood into the air.

“No!”

As soon as despair flashed through Seung-hyun’s pupils, they filled with venom. He swung his shotgun, modified for rapid fire, and aimed at the Oni.

The higher the grade of the Oni, the harder it was to locate the core. Even if he turned it into a honeycomb, it was useless if the core wasn’t removed. Sparks flew from the muzzle. As he fired bullets randomly like a half-madman, the Oni’s momentum faltered under the consecutive hits. Seung-hyun ran to the fallen Ji-won.

Bullets grazed perilously over his head and beside his shoulder. The sharp sound of gunfire rang loudly in his ears. Those firing from behind the cover shouted at Seung-hyun.

“Hey, you brat! What are you doing! Get down!”

Bright red blood leaked profusely between his fingers. Pressing hard was useless. The hole pierced by the Oni’s spike was too large to be filled by a palm alone. It felt as if he were putting his hand into a pool of blood. Seung-hyun’s pupils shook miserably as he pressed down on Ji-won’s sprawled abdomen.

“This is crazy. This is insane.”

He muttered like a soul-less person with blurred focus. Then, a hand reached up from below. Ji-won wrapped his arm around Seung-hyun’s neck, pulling his upper body down. Explosions and gunfire surrounded them chaotically. The arm, which still held some warmth, slowly wrapped around the back of the trembling Seung-hyun. Although the man’s abdomen was pierced to the point where his internal organs were visible, he calmly comforted Seung-hyun.

“It’s okay.”

“No. No… No!”

Even amidst the rampant roars, the low and peaceful voice was transmitted fully from chest to chest.

“Hyung is okay. Get a grip, kid.”

* * *

Was there any antipyretic at home? A light cold would heal after a few days of suffering, but for Ji Seung-hyun, who had to constantly adapt to an unfamiliar land, his daily condition seemed quite important. As he pulled back the blanket halfway to cool the fever, Jae-il searched his memory for the location of the antipyretic. He remembered one that Joy had given him a while ago, telling him to keep it as a standby medicine.

Before standing up, Jae-il glanced down. It seemed that the fever-stricken Seung-hyun had a habit of sleeping curled up like a shrimp without a pillow. True to his nature as a guiding-obsessed man, he was tossing and turning, trying to get closer to the person who wasn’t there. Watching that absurd sight, Jae-il’s brow furrowed slightly as he discovered a wound on the man’s hand. Seeing the nail marks and scabs he hadn’t noticed before, he recalled Ji Seung-hyun habitually fiddling with his hands.

He really thought the man was something else. He acted with such resolve that it made one conclude his meddling was overstepping, yet he would make eccentric suggestions that left one speechless, and now he was making Jae-il worry over a single wound.

Just then, Seung-hyun’s shoulders flinched. The furrow in his already wrinkled brow deepened, and his lower lip curled inward, pressed against his upper teeth. His tightly clenched lower jaw looked ominous.

“Ugh…”

He groaned, biting his lip as if he were about to tear it. Clicking his tongue, Jae-il finally reached out and pushed the lower lip away with his thumb. At that, his mouth popped open, and he took a deep breath and exhaled, like someone who had just emerged from water.

“Haa!”

“…”