By Zephyria Yohan’s eyes widened. That I’m a stronger Awakener than my Hyung? He had that thought first, then belatedly registered the word purification that Lee Hyun-muk had added. This time, instead of being surprised, he tilted his head. Purification? He prided himself on knowing the Awakener classifications well, but purification was a skill he had never heard of before.
“You can treat Corruption.”
So bewildered, Yohan couldn’t easily accept Lee Hyun-muk’s words. The idea that he could treat Corruption was also hard to believe. Then, Lee Hyun-muk glanced around and reached out to pull something half-buried in the dirt. It was… a frog!
“Wait, the frog is intact?!”
Yohan, who hadn’t seen a single healthy creature other than himself and Lee Hyun-muk since falling into the Abyss, shouted in surprise. The frog in Lee Hyun-muk’s hand croaked weakly and flailed. It was incredibly large, but it was a perfectly normal, healthy frog with no monstrous features.
“It’s one of the monsters you purified earlier. The others must have all run away.”
“Uh, uh, I, I…”
Only then did Yohan slowly begin to grasp reality. He was now a High-level Awakener, and he could treat Corruption. …He could treat Corruption, which had been known as incurable until now?! Yohan was indescribably happy to be able to treat Corruption, even more so than becoming a High-level Awakener. A cluster of light, sensing his mood, scattered into even brighter light.
“It made sense. Food usually spoils and rots quickly upon entering the Abyss. But the things you picked up yourself somehow retained their edible appearance and taste. And you yourself showed no Contamination Symptoms, no matter how much time passed.”
Only then did Yohan understand why Lee Hyun-muk had always dissuaded him from eating the food he found here or looked at him with suspicious eyes whenever he offered it.
“Then, then… does this mean Lee Hyun-muk-ssi can return to normal now?!”
Would he no longer have to meet that terrifying Madman, Lee Hyun-muk? Yohan asked excitedly, and Lee Hyun-muk smiled faintly. Then he replied,
“Perhaps, no.”
“That’s great…! …What? You said no?”
Yohan asked again, dumbfounded. Lee Hyun-muk got up, brushing himself off. He then gestured for Yohan, who was trying to stand, to sit back down and said,
“To return to normal, I’ve been here… for too long.”
“But, isn’t it too early to conclude? I haven’t even properly used my abilities yet…”
Lee Hyun-muk didn’t refute Yohan’s words but merely smiled without confirming them.
“I’ll go pick up some things, so sit here and rest.”
And before Yohan could say anything more, he strode away. Yohan watched, dazed, as the man who had almost died moments ago bent down to pick up a dented can.
Suddenly, a bird, as if purified by Yohan, flew overhead, chirping. Now that he looked, the grass, which had turned dark brown, was a vibrant, lush green. Only the area within Yohan’s ability range was faintly illuminated by something like sunlight.
“Can’t return to normal…”
Yohan muttered in disappointment and shook his head. Lee Hyun-muk had been too quick to make that assertion. He resolved that if he kept purifying, and purifying again, he would eventually be able to return to normal. It was at that moment, as he glared with firm determination, that the cluster of light hovering over his hand flickered out.
“Huh? Uh oh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Lee Hyun-muk asked, returning with a pile of cans and setting them on the ground. Yohan, struggling in confusion, exclaimed in fear,
“My abilities aren’t working anymore…!”
“When you first Awaken, it’s hard to control your abilities. And you used them all at once earlier, so it makes sense they’re not coming out. Here, let’s eat.”
Lee Hyun-muk’s calm and collected demeanor quickly helped Yohan calm down. As he said, he did feel a bit empty inside.
After soothing Yohan, Lee Hyun-muk began sorting the cans. A third of them were beyond edible after fighting monsters, and another third were burst or dented. Only about a third were relatively intact. Yohan looked on with great regret.
“What a waste…”
“The burst ones are beyond help, so we’ll have to eat them first.”
Yohan nodded and began opening the cans one by one. But Lee Hyun-muk, who had been crouching and moving slowly, was skewering something on a stick and setting it up over a fire. Yohan looked to see what he was doing and his jaw dropped. By some unseen means, he had caught and cleanly prepared three frogs, which were now roasting.
“F-frogs!”
Yohan exclaimed in shock, pointing involuntarily. Lee Hyun-muk adjusted the angle of the skewers and replied,
“Even if I let them go, they’ll either die or turn back into monsters. It’s much better to eat them for calories.”
Though a bit shocked, Lee Hyun-muk was right. Yohan recalled the time the Madman Lee Hyun-muk had served him what he called frog side dishes, presenting him with the rotten-looking legs of a monstrous frog. Compared to that, these grilled frogs were truly a dish fit for human consumption.
“But the frogs are quite large.”
The largest frog Yohan had ever known was a bullfrog, but these seemed much larger. To exaggerate slightly, they were about the size of chickens.
“The poison and Corruption are gone from purifying them, but their overgrown mass remains.”
“I see…”
Suddenly, Yohan became curious. If that giant monstrous frog were purified, would it become a giant grilled frog leg? And then another question arose.
“So, if I hunt other monsters and purify them, we can eat them?”
“Yes, our worries about food and water are significantly reduced. Eating things like that accelerates Corruption, after all.”
Yohan’s eyes sparkled so much that Lee Hyun-muk unconsciously reached out. Yohan looked up in surprise as a hand gently touched his flushed cheek, then he stroked Yohan’s head. Yohan’s cheeks grew a little warmer. The sound of frogs sizzling as they cooked could be heard.
For the first time since falling into the Abyss, they were able to eat their fill. There were quite a few dented cans. Lee Hyun-muk said he didn’t need to eat, but Yohan bravely tried a frog skewer. Visually, it was unappealing, but it tasted better than expected. It tasted like bland chicken.
After finishing their meal with satisfaction, the two repacked their belongings. Lee Hyun-muk’s backpack was torn to shreds, so they took the mattress cover they had used to tie themselves together. After packing the cans like a bundle, Lee Hyun-muk took Yohan’s backpack.
“Your arm is broken, so you need to be careful.”
“…Thank you.”
Yohan replied sheepishly. In truth, the backpack didn’t feel heavy at all since he had Awakened, but he was still grateful for Lee Hyun-muk’s consideration. With the serious situation resolved and his stomach full, Yohan, feeling cheerful, chattered as he followed Lee Hyun-muk.
“Can I also send monsters flying with one punch like you, Lee Hyun-muk-ssi?”
Lee Hyun-muk looked back at Yohan with a faint smile and said firmly,
“Of course, no.”
“Oh, no?”
“If you were a Healer, perhaps. Especially if you have no practical experience or training.”
Thinking about it, Lee Hyun-muk was right. Not all Awakeners had the same strength and stamina. Melee fighters like Lee Hyun-muk, or tankers, had the strongest physical strength among Awakeners of the same rank. Next were supporters, and then healers. Yohan, not discouraged, asked again,
“Then am I stronger than a mid-tier Dealer?”
“A ranged Dealer
(*Ranged Dealer)
, maybe.”
Hopeful at his words, Yohan asked again with excitement,
“Then, what about melee fighters…?”
“You can’t win. Why?”
“Because my older brother is a melee fighter… He’s so annoying when he shows off.”
This time, he answered dejectedly, and Lee Hyun-muk asked back in a voice tinged with laughter,
“Do you want to beat him up?”
“…If I could.”
This time, his expression turned grim. He remembered that beyond the limits of Awakener rank and class, it was impossible unless they could escape the Abyss. The atmosphere instantly soured. Soon, Yohan forced himself to cheer up and changed the subject.
“Do you know what kind of place this is? Where are we going now?”
They had emerged from the terrifying subway tunnel into a rather wide field where they had fought monsters. A dark forest surrounded the field.
“I’ve given arbitrary names to each area. The place we were staying was the Ruined City, and this would be the Swamp.”
“Swamp…”
Just hearing the name gave off a strong premonition of hardship to come. Yohan hoped his feeling was just unfounded.