They reached the Anseong IC in no time. All the wrecked vehicles scattered around were empty. The stench unique to monsters filled the air from all directions, yet the exact source was unclear. Without a support-type Awakener with detection abilities, Yang Yosep clicked his tongue. As Yohan scanned the area, he hesitantly pointed toward a certain direction.
“I think... maybe over there.”
“Over there? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
Inside the Abyss, contamination was so thick on all sides that he never noticed it, but here Yohan could sharply sense the taint of contaminated creatures. Like spotting a black dot on a white canvas compared to a black one—it was that principle.
When they rushed in the direction Yohan pointed, they found monsters loitering near a residential house. Their snouts were bizarrely pointed, twisting like tentacles, their fur stiff and coarse—yet they were unmistakably mole-like.
‘Definitely, the Abyss monsters are more grotesque. At least with these, I can guess what they’re supposed to be.’
As they got closer, faint sobbing could be heard from inside the house. Civilians hadn’t managed to escape. Though the creatures seemed eyeless, their snouts suddenly twisted toward Yang Yosep and Yang Yohan. Their bodies followed, shifting in a disturbingly quick, alien motion.
“Damn it!”
Yang Yosep clicked his tongue and moved fast. It wasn’t for nothing that the Rift Management Agency assigned the names vanguard and rear guard. Dealers and tanks always took the front; healers and supporters belonged in the back. And Yohan was clearly a rear guard.
But before Yosep could rush forward to block the moles, Yohan moved first. He snatched up a stone and flung it, striking one mole monster in the eye. Then, darting into the blind side, he drove his spear clean through its neck, killing it. Yosep was briefly shocked at the fluid, practiced movement, but quickly regained focus.
He burst forward, slashing across, and cut down two more in an instant. The mole monsters died without a scream, their bodies hacked into pieces.
Yang Yosep’s power was a kind of sharpness. In fantasy terms, it resembled sword aura. Whatever weapon he held became so keen it could slice through nearly anything. Against some monsters, attributes made it useless, but against simple animal-type beasts like these, he could handle danger level 7 alone.
While he felled three, Yohan dispatched another. For something so bulky, the fight was almost too easy—it surprised even him. Yosep, too, was startled. He swung his long-bladed spear to shake off the contaminated fluids, then looked at his brother with an unfamiliar gaze.
“...Not bad.”
That look was rare from his brother, so Yohan raised his chin with pride.
“I’ve fought a lot of things like this. In the Abyss, there’s a high-mountain zone with a really nasty valley.”
On the two-month trek to the Salt Lake, that valley had been difficult—and, in a way, delicious. Yohan first learned there how good mutton could taste. The monstrous sheep living there were covered in spiky, sticky bramble-like wool. Under Lee Hyunmook’s orders, Yohan had to fight them alone until he could manage them. Eventually, he could take on three at once.
‘Seungryong hyung really hated leaving the high-mountain zone.’
Until the very end, they had fought countless sheep. By the time they left, even those aggressive sheep bolted in terror at the sight of them. Yohan’s eyes drifted to the dead moles. As Yosep poked through a carcass with his spear, searching for Eternal Stones, Yohan muttered:
“Would mole meat taste good too?”
“...Why would you even eat this.”
Yosep recoiled at the revolting thought—then realized. In the Abyss, creatures like this ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ had been the only food source. Unaware of his brother’s expression, Yohan swallowed reflexively before snapping himself back. After living a year in the Abyss, anything alive looked edible.
They shouted to the civilians trapped inside that it was safe to come out. Still, they hesitated. Some monsters mimicked human voices to trick their prey, so suspicion was natural. Only after Yosep and Yohan went inside and showed the corpses did the family burst into relieved tears.
“Th-thank you, thank you so much... we thought we were dead.”
“Come, this way. We’ll escort you to the rest stop.”
Yosep led the civilians expertly toward the highway rest area. Yohan followed behind, feeling proud. Even after delivering them, they remained on standby at the rest stop in case of further monster attacks.
The soldiers dispatched by the Rift Management Agency arrived an hour later. By then, the work was done, and citizens’ eyes weren’t kind. Yet these soldiers hadn’t been slacking—monster fluids stained their uniforms and boots, proof they’d been fighting elsewhere.
‘There just isn’t enough manpower, or money, to protect everyone in time...’
Watching Yosep debrief the soldiers on the monster’s location, Yohan felt heavy-hearted. Worse, the soldiers showed higher contamination than ordinary citizens. It was a hard world for everyone.
At last, traffic began moving again. Even so, it took a while before the cars picked up speed. Yohan sent a message to Lee Hyunmook, letting him know they’d be late. The lingering stink of the mole monsters was so bothersome he cleaned the car interior.
“Ha. Purification really is something.”
For the first time, Yosep experienced Purification in his right mind. His face relaxed as the stench and the radiation-like fluids vanished. Yohan puffed up with pride at his brother’s amazement. He felt good—no, really good.
They drove on, and before long the Taeyang Guild headquarters came into view. Yohan, suddenly reminded of something he’d forgotten, rummaged in his bag at a stoplight. He pulled something out and handed it to Yosep.
“Here, take this.”
“This is...”
Yosep’s eyes widened. His brother had given him two Eternal Stones, faintly glowing with Yohan’s Purification.
“Use them if it gets urgent. They’re weak, so be careful in battle. If you run out, bring them back—I’ll recharge them. They’ll last you two or three months easy.”
“Hey, something this valuable... you should give them to our parents.”
“I already left some for Mom and Dad, don’t worry. You need them more. If things get rough, holding one in your mouth works better.”
Yosep stared at the sparkling stones, then placed them carefully into the glove box. In times like these, they were the rarest jewels in existence.
“...Alright. I’ll use them well.”
“In return, give me some allowance.”
Yohan boldly held out his hand.
“Now you’ll earn more than me anyway.”
Grumbling, Yosep still handed over all the cash in his wallet as they arrived at the Taeyang Guild building. Like most successful Awakeners, he always carried large sums of cash in case the internet went down and cards became useless. Giving it all away was his way of looking out for his younger brother, who had to pretend to be a low-ranked Awakener for now. Yohan knew Hyunmook and the others would never let him spend his own money—but he gladly took it anyway.
The previous building where Yohan stayed with Hyunmook had actually belonged to Sunrise, so they couldn’t remain there. They’d bought a new one and remodeled it into guild headquarters, and construction had just finished.
Their residence, like before, was on the top floor. Yohan entered after punching in the passcode Hyunmook had given him, marveling at the interior, freshly and beautifully decorated. Yosep, after helping unload his bags, shut the trunk and said:
“Try not to come home too often. I’ll bring our parents here instead. Honestly, I won’t have time to go home either.”
“Uh...”
“What do you mean, uh? Haven’t you seen what it’s like with the Sunrise Guild? You won’t have time to visit home either, idiot.”
Scolding his brother, Yosep got back into the car. Lowering the window, he gave Yohan a long look and waved.
“I’m off.”
“...Yeah. Take care.”
Watching Yosep drive away, Yohan rubbed his arms and muttered irritably:
“Why’s he being so nice all of a sudden. Awkward.”
Yet he was in high spirits, skipping along—until he froze. By a parking pillar, Lee Hyunmook stood waiting, leaning casually. Overjoyed, Yohan rushed toward him, as if wagging a tail.
