By Zephyria They arrived at the Anseong IC in an instant. The vehicles scattered haphazardly were all empty. The characteristic stench of monsters emanated from all directions, but their location could not be pinpointed. Yang Yosep clicked his tongue, lamenting the lack of a support-type Awakened with detection abilities. Yohan, scanning the surroundings, pointed hesitantly in a certain direction.
“I think it’s that way.”
“That way? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
In the Abyss, the contamination level was high everywhere, so they couldn’t tell, but here, Yohan could sensitively detect contaminated entities. It was like the principle of finding a black dot on a white canvas being easier than finding one on a black canvas.
As they ran in the direction Yohan pointed, monsters were lurking around a residential house. They were bizarrely pointed, with snouts that bent flexibly like tentacles, and though their fur was stiff, they looked like moles from any angle.
‘The monsters from the Abyss are definitely more grotesque. At least you can guess the original form of these.’
As they approached, they heard muffled crying from inside the house. There was a civilian inside who hadn’t been able to evacuate in time. Though they didn’t seem to have visible eyes, their mole-like noses turned towards Yang Yosep and Yang Yohan, as if sensing them. Their bodies then changed direction, an action that was strangely swift and peculiar.
“Oh no!”
Yang Yosep clicked his tongue and quickly changed position. It wasn’t for nothing that the Rift Management Agency assigned names like vanguard and rear guard. Dealers and tankers were always meant to be at the front, and healers and supporters were always meant to be at the rear. And Yohan was clearly not a rear guard.
However, before Yang Yosep could dash forward and block the moles, Yohan moved faster. He quickly picked up a stone and threw it, hitting one of the mole monsters in the eye, then moved towards the side where its vision was gone. With a light movement, he thrust his spear into its neck and killed it. Yang Yosep was momentarily shocked by the incredibly skilled response, but he quickly regained his composure.
He charged forward, cutting through them, and instantly dispatched two more. The mole monsters died in pieces without even letting out a sound.
Yang Yosep’s ability was a form of sharpness. If one were to put it in fantasy novel terms, it could be compared to a sword aura. The weapon in his hand was so sharp that it could slice through almost anything with ease. While it might not be effective against certain monster types, for simple animal-like monsters like these, he could easily handle threats up to Rank 7 alone.
While he killed three, Yohan killed one more. It was surprising how easy they were to deal with for their size. If Yohan was surprised, Yang Yosep was equally so. He swung his wide, long-bladed spear, shaking off the contaminated bodily fluid, and looked at his younger brother with a gaze of unfamiliarity.
“…You’re pretty good?”
Yohan, puffed up by a look he rarely received from his older brother, lifted his chin slightly.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of this. There’s a high mountain area in the Abyss, a rather terrifying mountain valley there.”
It was a somewhat difficult, but also… delicious place during the two-month journey to the Salt Lake. Yohan learned for the first time in the Abyss that lamb was that delicious. The mountain sheep monsters that inhabited the valley were covered in fur that was spiky and sticky like thorny bushes. Following Lee Hyun-muk’s instructions, Yohan had to repeatedly challenge himself until he could handle the resilient and fast sheep alone, eventually becoming able to handle up to three at once with ease.
‘Hyung Seung-ryong really hated leaving the high mountain area.’
How many sheep had they fought before leaving? Even those aggressive sheep eventually ran away with their tails between their legs, disappearing from sight. Yohan’s gaze unintentionally drifted to the dead moles. He watched Yang Yosep prod the split-open moles with his spear tip, searching for any potential Eternal Stones, and Yohan muttered.
“Do you think mole meat would be tasty too?”
“Why would you eat something like… this.”
Yang Yosep shuddered involuntarily at the gruesome thought and soon realized. In the Abyss, monsters were likely the only food available. Yohan, unaware of how his brother was looking at him and unconsciously swallowing, snapped back to reality. Having spent a year in the Abyss, everything that moved seemed like food.
They called out to the civilians trapped in the house, telling them it was safe to come out. Even hearing this, the civilians hesitated. It was a natural reaction, as some monsters were malicious enough to mimic human speech to lull their targets into a false sense of security. Only after the two men went inside themselves and the family confirmed with their own eyes that the monsters had truly been dealt with did they shed tears of relief.
“Sniff, thank you, thank you so much… I thought I was going to die.”
“Come, this way. We will escort you to the rest stop.”
Yang Yosep skillfully began guiding the civilians to the rest stop. Yohan followed behind with a sense of pride. After escorting the civilians, they did not leave immediately but waited at the rest stop, preparing for any potential surprise attacks from other monsters.
The soldiers dispatched by the Rift Management Agency arrived a full hour later. By then, the work was essentially done, and the citizens’ gazes were not favorable. However, these soldiers were not slacking off. Their uniforms and shoes were stained with monster bodily fluid. It was clear they had just finished fighting other monsters.
‘There isn’t enough manpower or money to protect everyone in time…’
Watching Yang Yosep relay the monster elimination locations to the soldiers, Yohan felt a sense of pity for the entire situation. Even these soldiers had a much higher contamination level than the civilians, albeit a mild one. It was a world where everyone had to struggle to survive.
Soon, the stalled vehicles began to move again. However, it took quite some time to reach proper speed, so Yohan sent a text message to Lee Hyun-muk, letting him know he would be a bit late. The stench from the mole monsters was quite bothersome, so Yohan nervously looked around and then purified the interior of the car.
“Ah. Purification is nice, isn’t it?”
Yang Yosep’s face softened, experiencing purification while fully conscious for the first time. The stench and the traces of bodily fluid, like radioactive material, that had been so dirtily smeared, vanished in an instant. Yohan puffed up with pride at Yang Yosep’s admiration. He felt quite good. No, he felt very, very good…
After driving for some time, they were almost at the Sun Guild. Remembering something he had forgotten due to the mole monsters, Yohan rummaged through his bag. While stopped at a traffic light, he took out what he found from his bag and handed it to Yang Yosep.
“Hyung, take this.”
“This is….”
Yang Yosep’s eyes widened. It was an Eternal Stone that his younger brother had handed him. What’s more, they were two precious items imbued with Yohan’s purification power, emitting a soft glow.
“Use it when you’re in a hurry. But its effect is weak, so be as careful as possible when fighting. If you use it all up, bring it back to me. I’ll recharge it for you. It should last for at least two to three months.”
“Hey, something this precious… You should give it to our parents.”
“I’ve already prepared some for Mom and Dad, so don’t worry and use it. You have more use for it, Hyung. If you’re in a pinch, holding it in your mouth will make it more effective.”
Yang Yosep stared intently at the particularly shimmering Eternal Stone before carefully placing it in the glove box. In times like these, such an item was more valuable than any jewel in the world.
“Okay, I’ll use it well.”
“In return, give me some allowance.”
Yohan boldly extended his hand and demanded allowance.
“You make more than me now.”
Grumbling, Yang Yosep emptied his wallet as soon as they arrived at the Sun Guild building and handed it all over. Like many successful Awakened, he always carried a substantial amount of cash in case the internet went out and cards wouldn’t work. Having given it all away, he seemed to be thinking of his younger brother’s situation, having to pretend to be a Low-rank Awakened for now. Seeing what Lee Hyun-muk and the others did, he figured they wouldn’t let him spend money on himself, but Yohan quickly took it.
The building where they had stayed with Lee Hyun-muk last time was strictly owned by Sunrise. Therefore, they couldn’t continue staying there, so they bought a building and converted it into their headquarters, and the renovation had just been completed.
The place they would stay this time was, like last time, the highest floor. Yohan entered after typing in the door lock code as Lee Hyun-muk had instructed and was amazed. The interior had been beautifully decorated in that short time. Yang Yosep, who helped Yohan move his luggage, closed the car trunk, which had been left wide open, and said.
“Try not to come down to the house too often. Instead, I’ll bring Mom and Dad to visit here sometimes. You probably won’t even have time to come home from now on.”
“Uh…”
“What ‘uh’? Haven’t you seen how active Sunrise Guild is? You won’t have time to come home either, you idiot.”
After chiding his younger brother, Yang Yosep got into the car. Rolling down the window, he stared at his brother and waved.
“I’m leaving.”
“…Yeah, go well.”
Watching the car Yang Yosep was in drive away, Yohan rubbed his arm and grumbled.
“Why is he being so nice? It’s awkward.”
Yet, feeling happy, Yohan skipped along, but suddenly stopped, startled. Lee Hyun-muk was leaning against a parking pillar, waiting for him. Yohan ran towards him, as if wagging his tail with joy.