By Zephyria “Get on my back.”
“…Yes?”
Yohan, who had his backpack slung securely, asked in surprise. Lee Hyun-muk slung his own backpack over his front and gestured.
“Your movement speed is too slow.”
“A-are you sure? It’ll be too heavy…”
Yohan asked, genuinely concerned. If he carried him, Lee Hyun-muk would be bearing the weight of one adult male and two backpacks. Hearing that, Lee Hyun-muk laughed aloud for the first time. Yohan stared at Lee Hyun-muk, his eyes wide.
“To call this heavy, what strange things I hear.”
Yohan belatedly remembered that Lee Hyun-muk was a High-level Awakener. Even his Hyung, an intermediate awakened, could kick monsters several times larger like balls or drag them around with ease, let alone a High-level Awakener. Though his mind knew this, Yohan couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Lee Hyun-muk, who let out a short laugh, strode closer and abruptly snatched Yohan, who was standing awkwardly. Before he knew it, he was on Lee Hyun-muk’s back in an instant.
“Well, please take good care of meee…”
It was the first time he had been carried by someone since he was young, and Yohan’s face flushed with embarrassment. Lee Hyun-muk replied perfunctorily, “Yeah,” and then examined the mattress they had picked up last time. He soon tore off the cover that had been on the mattress. Even though he knew it had to be discarded, a hint of regret flickered in Yohan’s eyes.
Lee Hyun-muk tore the durable and sturdy mattress cover into long strips and tied Yohan and himself tightly together, like swaddling a baby. He lightly jumped in place to check if it was tied securely, then strode out of the dwelling. Yohan, unable to leave the comfortable dwelling due to lingering attachment, turned his gaze back. It was due to sensing the commotion.
The Ruined City, which had been quiet when they first arrived, was now in a state of uproar in all directions. Like sensitive animals making noise before a great disaster struck, monstrous roars and screams could be heard from all sides. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed this until now. Instinctively, Yohan flinched in fear and hugged Lee Hyun-muk tightly.
“Keep your mouth shut tight so you don’t bite your tongue,” Lee Hyun-muk said, supporting Yohan firmly with one arm. Yohan quickly replied, “Yes!” and clamped his mouth shut. And a moment later, Lee Hyun-muk began to run through the streets.
Yohan’s eyes widened. Even carrying an adult male and two backpacks, Lee Hyun-muk ran as if he felt no weight at all. Moreover, his speed was considerable. The surrounding scenery flashed by terrifyingly, as if on a motorcycle or in a car. The familiar streets Yohan had struggled through for nearly half a day on foot flashed by in an instant.
And the monsters too.
Kyaaak! Kkaaaak! Monsters hidden throughout the Ruined City roared and lunged. Despite Lee Hyun-muk’s instruction to keep his mouth shut, Yohan let out a short scream. Sharp claws had narrowly grazed his arm.
“Hwak, ak…!”
He managed to compose himself and shut his mouth, but the danger remained. The monsters, driven by a greater Madness than usual, began to chase Lee Hyun-muk and Yohan with all their might. They looked like people with long limbs, and they lunged like dogs, opening their jaws to bite. And just as they were about to bite Yohan’s feet.
Lee Hyun-muk, who had been running forward, turned his body and swiftly kicked a monster with his heel. Kack! The monster’s snout burst, and it tumbled away. Its body, about the size of a mid-sized car, fell away pathetically. Lee Hyun-muk stepped on another monster that lunged from elsewhere and leaped high into the air as if gravity didn’t exist. The glass windows of a building, five stories high, drew closer. Monsters swarmed inside them too.
CRASH! The window shattered, and a monster’s long head stretched out. Lee Hyun-muk stomped on its head again and leaped even higher. Reaching the rooftop of a 7-story office building was instantaneous.
Yohan, wishing he could faint, clung to Lee Hyun-muk with all his might like a baby koala. Truly, not screaming was his best effort. Thus, Lee Hyun-muk skillfully leaped from rooftop to rooftop. Yohan soon understood why he was doing so.
The quiet streets were no more. All the monsters that had been hiding in the buildings had now burst forth. Monsters of all sorts of bizarre shapes rampaged in Madness. They bit each other and roared. Yohan, his face turning pale as he watched them slaughter each other, hugged Lee Hyun-muk tightly. And he earnestly wished.
‘Please, let Lee Hyun-muk-ssi maintain his sanity until we escape safely…’
He could instinctively tell now. If his Madness returned, the Madman Lee Hyun-muk would undoubtedly leap into the fray and join the slaughter.
Fortunately, perhaps thanks to drinking Yohan’s blood, Lee Hyun-muk was currently maintaining his sanity. He silently moved from rooftop to rooftop, crossing the Ruined City. The hospital, which Yohan had taken three hours to walk to, appeared in less than 10 minutes. It seemed there were other Red Heads who had survived, as red sirens flashed inside the hospital windows. With every flash of red light, strange and hideous shadows danced.
He swiftly passed the hospital and soon entered the city center, which must have once been very bustling. Perhaps because it was further from the Flood, monsters weren’t rampaging as much here. However, a palpable sense of unease could be felt.
Lee Hyun-muk immediately began climbing a high-rise building that far exceeded 20 stories. Yohan barely managed to suppress another scream that threatened to escape. He fixed his gaze intently on Lee Hyun-muk’s nape. A disturbingly lukewarm wind struck his face forcefully.
Lee Hyun-muk, who had climbed the high-rise building without breaking a sweat, soon reached the rooftop. Only then could Yohan see the panorama of the Ruined City they had been in for the first time.
It was a dark gray city.
Unlike a normal city that shines brilliantly like a jewelry box with lights, this place was like a dead city submerged in darkness. It was a place made by piecing together parts of Korean cities that had been gnawed away here and there. Thousands, tens of thousands of wriggling things created an even more grotesque scene. Yohan shuddered and turned his gaze away, then froze.
Far away, there was something horrific.
The Flood. Yohan understood instantly why Lee Hyun-muk had described it that way. Something invisible and formless was approaching like a tidal wave from the edge of the city. The ominous and unsettling thing spread from the city’s edge, and wherever it touched, things crumbled and tangled.
No, they were crushed and mixed up. The bizarre became more bizarre, the twisted became more twisted, and in the end, like a fermenting dough that mixed and churned noisily, something disgusting poured out in a torrent… Yohan’s stomach churned, and he gagged. He couldn’t bear to vomit on Lee Hyun-muk’s back, so he covered his mouth.
“Ugh, ugh.”
“Don’t look. There’s nothing good to see.”
Following the wise advice, Yohan forced his head to turn away. Only then did his churning stomach begin to settle. Lee Hyun-muk scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes for a few minutes. Then, he pointed somewhere with his hand.
“Do you see that thing like a Black Mountain over there?”
Looking where Lee Hyun-muk pointed, indeed, a range like a black mountain was visible, just as he said. It was right next to the Ruined City.
“Y-yes.”
“If you go that way, there’s a gorge that leads to another area. It’s a bit dangerous, but it’s passable. Then you’ll be safe for a while.”
“O-okay! Let’s go quickly.”
Having witnessed even a part of how terrifying and dreadful the Flood was, Yohan replied in a somewhat urgent voice. Lee Hyun-muk checked one last time to ensure Yohan was securely tied. Then, he quickly descended the high-rise building they had climbed. It was scarier than climbing up, and Yohan had to cover his mouth to avoid screaming.
As the Flood drew closer, the surroundings began to become noisy again, just like before. Lee Hyun-muk nimbly slipped through the monsters as they became violent and performed their frenzied dances. If necessary, he would attack, but perhaps because he was carrying Yohan, he generally tried to avoid confronting monsters.
After running for some time, the Black Mountain Lee Hyun-muk had mentioned soon appeared before them. Yohan thought, ‘There are mountains here too,’ then suddenly recalled.
‘Wait, he said something like a Black Mountain earlier. Does that mean it’s not a mountain…?’
It looked so much like a mountain, but if it wasn’t a mountain, what else could it be? Yohan didn’t ponder further and clung to Lee Hyun-muk more tightly.
They weren’t the only ones trying to escape the Flood. It seemed even monsters had some level of reason to avoid danger, as some were floundering and fleeing instead of biting each other. They gradually gathered towards the Black Mountain, forming a cluster. Fortunately for them, they kept their distance from Lee Hyun-muk instead of attacking him.
‘Come to think of it, I wasn’t easily attacked even in a city teeming with monsters.’
As if Lee Hyun-muk were something truly terrifying… Could monsters sense that he was a High-level Awakener? As he looked at the gorge drawing nearer, Yohan fell into thought for a moment. Suddenly, with an immense sound, the ground trembled.