By Zephyria 
For a long time, pretending to doze, Yohan-ssi savored Lee Hyun-muk’s firm embrace before Yohan-ssi slowly turned his head. Whether a lull had set in while he slept, or if they had reconciled, Seo Yakrin and Yoon Seung-ryong were sitting far apart with Joo Ho-young in the middle. Joo Ho-young, seeming somewhat uncomfortable with his position, kept glancing at the two of them while playing a game.
Leaning against a clump of reeds, Seo Yakrin gazed blankly at the bird perched on his hand, his face expressionless and carrying a cool light. Perhaps Seo Yakrin earlier, having just been purified and regained his senses, was also in a state of excessive joy and excitement like Joo Ho-young. Noticing Yohan-ssi’s gaze, Seo Yakrin offered a faint smile. As Yohan-ssi returned an equally awkward smile, Lee Hyun-muk asked,
“Yohan-ssi, do you want something to eat?”
“Ah, yes… I am feeling hungry.”
As always after using his abilities to the fullest, he was extremely hungry. As Yohan-ssi began to stir and try to pull away from the comfortable embrace, Lee Hyun-muk lightly pressed his lips to Yohan-ssi’s forehead. Yohan-ssi’s eyes widened. Without thinking, he glanced at Seo Yakrin, who was staring with disbelief, as if questioning his own eyes at the action he had just witnessed.
“Seung-ryong-ssi, Yohan-ssi says he’s hungry.”
“Huh? Really? Then we should eat. I’m starting to feel hungry too.”
Whether Yohan-ssi was frozen or not, Lee Hyun-muk paid it no mind. Yohan-ssi also avoided Seo Yakrin’s gaze and pretended not to notice.
Having overcome this hurdle and with another team member returned, Yoon Seung-ryong began to prepare a grand feast. He took out wild pork, the origin of which no one knew, and made it into large chunks, then roasted it over reeds as fuel until it was a whole spit-roast. As the meat spun over the flames, sizzling fat dripped down, releasing an incredible aroma.
“What is this? What’s going on?”
Had everyone eaten nothing while Yohan-ssi slept? Seo Yakrin, as if entranced, approached them. Yoon Seung-ryong let out a scoff and, as if to show off, took out his prized kimchi and ssamjang. Seo Yakrin’s eyes widened further.
“Am I dreaming?”
In addition, there were tender bird roasts seasoned with pepper, fresh vegetable wraps that had grown vigorously even in this arid savanna climate, garlic, fruits, and sweet canned goods, causing Seo Yakrin to lose himself in wonder. Setting aside any ill feelings towards Seo Yakrin, Yoon Seung-ryong, always serious about food, deliberately portioned out bowls of rice and set out cutlery.
Having experienced meals like this a few times, Yohan-ssi’s stomach also rumbled. Yoon Seung-ryong, making a grand gesture, scooped out large dollops of ssamjang and gochujang and shouted.
“Let’s eat! Eat well and let’s gain strength!”
After that, no one spoke. Everyone who had fallen into the Abyss was serious about meals like this. Seo Yakrin ate each dish, lost in thought, then began to devour them at a rapid pace. When the prepared food had completely disappeared without a single crumb left, Seo Yakrin muttered.
“So you’ve all been eating delicious food like this without me?”
His voice was tinged with a bit of anger but also deep emotion. He looked down at his empty rice bowl with a gaze full of longing, then let out a long, impressed sigh. He seemed to be trying to recall when he had last eaten like a human, just as Yoon Seung-ryong had.
“So this is what a Purifier is good for…”
“It’s fortunate we defeated the Flood, otherwise you’d be pecking at bugs,” Yoon Seung-ryong said, provoking him in a teasing voice after the meal was over. Seo Yakrin glared at Yoon Seung-ryong and retorted.
“If I had eaten you, I would have been full for at least ten years.”
In other words, ‘Yoon Seung-ryong, you are a bug.Because everyone had eaten their fill, the atmosphere wasn’t as chilling as before, but Yohan-ssi, worried, quickly intervened between the two.
“But the Flood was unusually weak this time, wasn’t it?”
Softened instantly by Yohan-ssi’s intervention, Seo Yakrin smiled, looking at him with an appreciative gaze.
“You defeated the Flood, and our Yohan-ssi is so humble…”
“Ah, no…”
It was a relief that they no longer called him ‘Baby,’ but the fact that she still called him ‘our Yohan-ssi’ with a similar nuance left him bewildered. It was even more so when Seo Yakrin slyly slipped a banana he had secretly stashed earlier into Yohan-ssi’s embrace. As Yohan-ssi tried to refuse and return the banana, Lee Hyun-muk peeled it and put it in his mouth, saying.
“Yohan-ssi is right. This Flood was definitely weak. It must have consumed a lot of its power, especially in the Japanese sector.”
“True, it was threatening because it fell like raindrops, making it unavoidable, but in terms of scale, it was small.”
Yoon Seung-ryong nodded in agreement with Lee Hyun-muk. Yohan-ssi felt the same way. Compared to the jungle attack, it was overwhelmingly numerous, but compared to the Flood that had surrounded the entire Japanese sector, the amount was clearly less. Moreover, this time, the concentration felt lower.
“This might be an early judgment, but the Flood seems to be getting weaker. No, this Flood was definitely weak. Yes, it was. It was weak…”
When the person who had fallen into the Flood the most said so, everyone believed him without question. After contemplating and assessing for a long time, Lee Hyun-muk nodded.
“Because Yohan-ssi purified it perfectly, the blow will be even greater this time. So, you might not have to run away like this next time. Or it might attack much later. Perhaps it will be at least a few years from now. The attack this time already felt like a stretch…”
“Really?!”
Overcome with joy, Yohan-ssi involuntarily shrieked and jumped up. How he regretted leaving that comfortable residence in the Japanese sector. The thought of being able to decorate such a place again made him overjoyed.
“Then can we go back to the Japanese sector?”
“Wait, Yohan-ssi.”
Lee Hyun-muk frowned and reached out his arm. As soon as he grabbed Yohan-ssi’s waist for support, dizziness washed over him, and the bridge of his nose felt hot. With a thump, a popping sensation, and something dripped from his nose. It was a nosebleed.
“Oh, oh.”
Panicked, Yohan-ssi quickly cupped his hands to catch the blood flowing from his nose, so he didn’t notice the expressions of the other three. Lee Hyun-muk subtly gestured towards the relentlessly flowing red blood, looking at each of them one by one. The three, whose eyes met Lee Hyun-muk’s impassive gaze, slowly lowered their eyes.
“Don’t tilt your head back. That’s right. Lean forward.”
Yohan-ssi, feeling embarrassed, followed Lee Hyun-muk’s instructions. Fortunately, as he was a High-level Awakener, the nosebleed stopped quickly.
“Team leader, here.”
Yoon Seung-ryong offered a damp cloth. Unlike before, there was no trace of Yohan-ssi’s bloodlust in his eyes, only concern. Taking the cloth, Lee Hyun-muk meticulously wiped the blood from Yohan-ssi’s nose and hands, speaking in a stern tone.
“No matter how weak it is, the Flood is the Flood. You pushed yourself too hard this time, so you need to rest well.”
“I am tired…”
As Yohan-ssi agreed with Lee Hyun-muk, sleep suddenly washed over him. Despite having just slept, a heavy urge to sleep, as if that wasn’t enough, descended upon him. Seo Yakrin glanced around, then gestured in a certain direction. A golden mist-like power flowed from his fingertips, and soon a giant ant nest nearby floated up. The ants had all fled in fear due to the battle of the strong and the onslaught of the Flood, leaving behind an empty insect nest.
However, there were small things inside, so after shaking out the ant nest, Seo Yakrin, measuring its size, muttered with a troubled expression.
“This is too big, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Just take a suitable piece from the tip.”
Following Yoon Seung-ryong’s words, Seo Yakrin used his powerful Psychokinesis to crush and detach the upper part of the ant nest. Then, Yoon Seung-ryong swung his spear, neatly shaping the ant nest. In an instant, a one-room dwelling was completed and placed nearby with a thump.
“Wow…”
Yohan-ssi, who had expected to be sleeping rough, marveled as he witnessed a dwelling appear in an instant, his eyes heavy with sleep. Joo Ho-young quickly scouted the interior to confirm its safety, then laid out soft bedding. Seo Yakrin looked at the mattress and sleeping bag and muttered with a sense of futility.
“So you’ve all been living so cozily without me?”
“Ah, stop grumbling. It’s good enough that you found us like this.”
Yoon Seung-ryong chided, and Seo Yakrin glared again. But after a moment, he shrugged and conceded.
“Well, that’s true. I’m grateful.”
Joo Ho-young, who had quickly claimed a corner seat and taken out his Game Console, exclaimed.
“Wow. The two of you haven’t fought in the same place for this long? Has it really been this peaceful for us in such a long time?”
“It must have been. It’s probably been a long time since everyone was sane too,” Lee Hyun-mook replied, laying Yohan-ssi, who was half-staggering, onto the mattress. He propped up a pillow, covered him with a sleeping bag, and patted his chest a few times, but Yohan-ssi, with desperate will, kept his eyes open. And he steadfastly asked.
“Where are we going next? The Japanese sector…”
“Going back to the Japanese sector won’t be the same as before. The Flood has already swept through once.”
Is that so? Come to think of it, considering how terribly the Flood makes everything, it was an obvious answer. Yohan-ssi sighed in disappointment and tried to keep his half-closed eyes open. It wasn’t easy. Perhaps because his stomach was full, he felt overwhelmingly sleepy and tired.
“Then where are we… going now…”
With Seo Yakrin being the last to be found, were there no more team members to search for, and thus no destination? Lee Chan-ha was said to be dead, so there was no reason to look for her. So, were they now heading to find a new dwelling? Lee Hyun-muk seemed to say something in response to Yohan-ssi’s unclear question, but before he could fully comprehend it, a deep, hazy sleep claimed him first.