By Zephyria Yohan, who had been tossing and turning comfortably, suddenly opened his eyes to see the Obsidian Cave. No, it wasn’t. Not the Obsidian Cave, but this… a cave made of black Eternal Stone, the hardest cave in the world. Yohan, terrified, looked around.
‘Hyun-mook Hyung definitely saved me, so why am I back here?’
Didn’t he break through the ceiling and pull me out? Then why am I back here? Was I dragged back in while I was sleeping? Terrified, Yohan barely recalled that he could purify this Eternal Stone. But no matter how much he sprinkled light and purified, and purified again, the Eternal Stone did not turn into a transparent, beautiful crystal.
‘Why, why is this happening? Why isn’t it working?’
After failing to purify the Eternal Stone, he tried desperately to break out of this place. But he gained nothing, only his hands becoming tattered. The ground and walls made of Eternal Stone even began to narrow, with rumbling sounds coming from all directions. He looked for an escape route everywhere and kept shouting Lee Hyun-muk’s name, but it was all in vain.
Eventually, Yohan was instantly trapped in a space as narrow as a coffin. At the moment he was crying from the sheer terror, he thought it was fortunate that there was still light.
Pfft.* Even the light flickering in his hand went out. Along with the darkness, a silent stillness began to choke his breath. He couldn’t breathe properly. Buried alive deep beneath the Black Mountain, Yohan screamed. Into the eternal black darkness, without a single speck of light…
“…Hah, hah!”
Yohan gasped for air and his eyes snapped open. Thankfully, what he saw this time was not a cave made of black Eternal Stone. It was a cozy dwelling inside a large, old tree, dimly lit by the Light Particles he had shed while sleeping.
It was a nightmare. Thank goodness, thank goodness… He had had a disturbing dream because of the terrifying incident of being trapped alone in the Black Mountain. Even knowing it was just a dream, Yohan felt uneasy and sad, so he whimpered and tossed and turned. Just then, he heard the sound of murmuring conversation.
“Ah! You can’t do that there!”
“You have to strengthen your weapon first. You have to be strong in everything!”
“This isn’t a stage you pass like that!”
Confused, he listened closely and realized it was Yoon Seung-ryong and Joo Ho-young bickering. He peeked his head up and saw the two of them, heads together, looking at a Game Console outside the old tree. Seeing their utterly peaceful appearance, Yohan’s mood improved slightly. He gazed at them for a moment, then turned his head and stopped breathing.
Lee Hyun-mook, lying nearby, was looking at him with his chin propped in his hand. As their eyes met, Lee Hyun-mook smiled, his eyes crinkling. Then, he lifted the Sleeping Bag he was covered with. It was a clear gesture inviting him inside.
Yohan looked at Yoon Seung-ryong and Joo Ho-young again, confirming they weren’t paying attention to him. Then, he crawled over to Lee Hyun-mook’s side. As he lay down inside the warmed Sleeping Bag, a sigh of relief escaped him. Nothing in the world offered such warm comfort to the heart as another person’s body heat.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Lee Hyun-mook asked in an incredibly gentle voice as he pulled the Sleeping Bag over him. This made Yohan feel even more sorrowful, and he nodded, holding back tears. He complained in a voice thick with emotion.
“I don’t want to be left alone ever again.”
“I promise I will never leave you alone again. I promise.”
Lee Hyun-mook said in a low voice, pulling Yohan, who was rolled up like a kimbap in the Sleeping Bag, into his embrace and holding him securely. As a large hand patted his back, the tears he had been holding back finally trickled out. Still, his anxiety and fear had subsided much more compared to when he had just woken up. It was as Yohan was slowly inhaling and exhaling his damp breath, shaking off the lingering effects of the nightmare.
“My timid Lamb.”
Lee Hyun-mook murmured in a soft voice. Lamb? Yohan’s head shot up.
“Did you just call me Lamb?”
“No?”
Lee Hyun-mook denied it so nonchalantly that Yohan almost thought he had misheard. He narrowed his eyes and stared intently into the other’s pupils. He couldn’t see any trace of the red glow that was evidence of Madness. He said suspiciously,
“You definitely said Lamb?”
“Did I?”
As the other played innocent, Yohan became a bit confused. Come to think of it, hadn’t the three of them not received proper purification for the few days they were in the Black Mountain? Worried that Madness might have taken hold, he diligently poured Light Particles onto Lee Hyun-mook. Lee Hyun-mook’s eyes softened languidly as he felt better from the purification. A gentle silence flowed between them for a while. Nestled in Lee Hyun-mook’s arms, enjoying the peace, Yohan spoke.
“Um, I have a question…”
“What could you be curious about?”
Lee Hyun-mook’s voice was so infinitely gentle that Yohan’s heart leaped.
“Is purification with bodily fluid more effective? I mean, not blood…”
Yohan stammered shyly, and Lee Hyun-mook leaned in, gazing at Yohan’s face. He pressed his lips with his thumb and said,
“This one certainly jolts the senses more.”
“Uh, uh. I-I see. I was trying to say tears, though…”
Yohan’s face turned bright red, and his voice became a small whisper.
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time…”
Argh! Keep it in mind for what?! Even as he said it, Yohan’s whole body felt restless, and he squirmed slightly. Lee Hyun-mook tightened his embrace, holding him more firmly. It was a tight hug, as if he wanted to stuff every part of Yohan except his face into his own body. The Sleeping Bag grew warmer. Lee Hyun-mook spoke in a pleasant baritone, perfect for reading aloud.
“However, it’s not just because it’s easier to snap out of it.”
“Ah… not?”
Yohan swallowed dryly and asked. His heart, which had been pounding, now felt like it would leap out of his mouth.
“Because it felt better that way.”
His heart threatened to go on strike but managed to regain its senses! As if all the blood in his body had rushed elsewhere, Yohan’s face grew even redder. Burying half his face in the Sleeping Bag, Yohan mumbled very softly,
“Actually, I liked that better too…”
Hearing that reply, Lee Hyun-mook sighed. Startled by the sigh, Yohan looked up, and he said,
“Yohan-ah, what are you going to do acting so cute?”
…What did I just hear? Yohan, letting out a silent scream, showered Lee Hyun-mook with purification and hid himself inside the Sleeping Bag. It was clear that Lee Hyun-mook was slightly out of his mind. The other, thoroughly bathed in light, let out a low laugh and then covered Yohan completely with his body. It was a comfortably pleasant weight…
Thanks to that, Yohan fell asleep and didn’t have any more nightmares. Waking up refreshed after a deep sleep, he stretched with a groan. When he opened his eyes, there was nothing inside the old tree. Rubbing his puffy eyes from sleeping too much, he crawled out slowly. Yoon Seung-ryong was laying something out.
“Oh, Yohan-ah. You’re awake just in time. Could you purify this for me?”
“Whoa. What is this?”
While Yohan slept, the grass near the old tree had taken on a lush green glow, as if he had been purifying it in his sleep. On the green grass, about twenty grotesque creatures lay dead. Many of them had a familiar, bizarre appearance.
“Should we roast birds today?”
The birds varied in size and appearance but could be divided into two types. One was dried up like a corpse, with nothing but bones. The other was so plump, so fleshy, it was questionable if it could even fly.
First, Yohan crouched down and purified the birds. As his touch fell upon them, they returned to a somewhat normal appearance, but they were still foreign birds, and he couldn’t tell what species they were. Yoon Seung-ryong began preparing the birds and was a little surprised.
“These are almost all just pure meat!”
The bone-only birds had little to eat even after purification, but they tasted savory. The plump birds, as Yoon Seung-ryong said, were all meat no matter where he cut them, and they were tender and oily. While he licked his lips, watching the birds roast to a golden brown, Lee Hyun-mook and Joo Ho-young, who had gone to scout the surroundings, returned. They were carrying vegetables and fruits.
“Did you sleep well?”
Lee Hyun-mook greeted him, and Yohan replied that he had slept well, pretending to be nonchalant so as not to show his fluttering heart. It wasn’t difficult, actually. Corrupted, strange fruits had fallen from Lee Hyun-mook’s embrace. Yohan quickly purified a fruit that was aggressively thrashing its tendrils. It looked like a banana, but after peeling and taking a bite, he couldn’t help but tilt his head.
“What do you think this is?”
“Uh… should we try cooking it?”
Yoon Seung-ryong scratched his cheek and placed the mysterious fruit on the grill. Besides that, they ate various strange fruits and several birds that were unfamiliar even after purification. The bone-only birds had little meat but were savory, and the all-meat birds were, needless to say, delicious.
After eating their fill, Yohan looked around. While he was sleeping, the three of them had tidied up the surroundings considerably. The grass, which came up to their thighs, had been neatly cut, revealing only the dark red earth. The nearby trees had all been uprooted and chopped. Despite the heavily corrupted scenery, a climate came to mind.
“Was this area originally a savanna climate region?”
“I guess so. Africa, perhaps? By the way, I can’t find a Water Source, what should we do? The humidity is also quite low.”
Joo Ho-young’s face became troubled. A Water Source was always a very important issue, especially since his offensive abilities involved freezing things. Fortunately, Joo Ho-young’s worries were soon resolved. As a few raindrops fell from the sky that afternoon, Lee Hyun-mook, who had been maintaining his weapon, suddenly stood up.
“Yohan-ah, shall we go inside?”
It was a command disguised as an invitation, and Yohan obediently crawled back into the old tree. As the others followed, a black downpour suddenly poured down.
Although it had rained a few times in the Japanese urban areas, it had never been this much. They quickly brought out empty containers and collected as much rainwater as possible. Unlike on Earth, the reddish water, exuding a foul odor, filled the containers. Joo Ho-young also froze all the raindrops falling around him and quickly gathered the ice shards. While purifying the drinking water, Yohan once again felt grateful for his Awakening ability. If he couldn’t purify it, he would surely have had to drink this murky water.
Thus, with that short downpour, the days in the new area began.