They walked, and walked, and walked without end.
Even as a high-tier Awakener, Yohan had thought his stamina was strong—but the field stretched on impossibly, endlessly. Only after an exhausting march did they finally secure a place to stay.
It was an immense, ancient tree—so massive it looked like something straight out of a film. Birds perched among its branches, shrieking and feasting on the wailing fruit it bore. When they saw the intruders, they spread their beaks wide in threat. But after a few bolts of lightning struck from the sky, the flock let out mournful cries and scattered. Some were skewered mid-flight by Seungryong and Hoyoung.
“The tree’s solid. I like it.”
Hyunmook rapped on the trunk, producing a metallic kang-kang sound, and smirked. Curious, Yohan also struck the bark—only to clutch his stinging hand. This wasn’t just hard wood; it was almost like steel. No wonder it rang like metal when struck.
“If we hollow out the inside, it’ll make a perfect shelter.”
“But it’s so tough...”
“It’ll take some effort, yes.”
Placing his hand on the trunk, Hyunmook pressed down. Slowly, his fingers sank into the wood, then clenched. With a dull crack, a chunk tore free. Yohan’s mouth dropped open as Hyunmook casually tossed it behind him. Hoyoung snatched it up gleefully.
“Score! Firewood.”
Fist-sized chunks fell one after another. Yohan tried gathering some too, but couldn’t keep up with Hoyoung’s speed. Meanwhile, Seungryong swept the tall grasses with his polearm like a guandao, clearing the view and preventing surprise attacks.
Watching them work, Yohan folded his hands politely and asked Hyunmook,
“Team Leader, what should I do?”
“Ah, yes. Yohan, you do have something important to do.”
With a handful of iron-hard wood, Hyunmook guided Yohan toward a bent root that formed a natural seat. He sat Yohan down and gently stroked his hair and cheek.
“Sit here and rest.”
“Uh... but...”
While everyone else worked? Yohan fidgeted awkwardly, unable to argue, until Hoyoung came over and lit a fire with the gathered wood. Moments later, Seungryong handed Yohan roasted potatoes and corn before returning to his weeding.
Embarrassed, Yohan nibbled at the warm, fragrant food, sending out gentle waves of purification light. His body was stiff from tension, and sleepless days of constant purification had left him exhausted. Now, with the campfire’s warmth soaking in, his head drooped.
He nodded off, startled awake, then nodded again, until—
“Yohan-ah.”
Startled by the sound of his name, Yohan jerked upright, rubbing his heavy eyes. He blinked. All the work was finished.
“Huh? Already done?”
“Yes. Now let’s get inside and rest properly.”
Even after his nap, Yohan could hardly keep his eyes open. Leaning on Hyunmook, he headed for the hollowed trunk. Seungryong and Hoyoung settled near the fire.
“Go ahead and sleep first. We’ve got some things to talk over.”
“Okay...”
Hyungs? Yohan thought sleepily. Hoyoung isn’t a hyung... But the thought faded. The pull of sleep was too strong. Crawling into the tree, Yohan gasped softly.
“Wow. It’s nice...”
Once purified, the wood gave off a faint, soothing fragrance. Inside, Seungryong had laid out mattresses and sleeping bags. Yohan dove straight into the soft bedding. Nestled beneath a sleeping bag, it felt like pure luxury.
Yawning, he looked drowsily around. The inside was snug and warm, the outside filled with the low murmur of voices by the crackling fire. And Hyunmook was right there with him. The taut wire of his nerves finally loosened. Safe. He could finally feel safe.
His eyelids sank. With a slurred voice, he wished Hyunmook sweet dreams, then fell into unconscious sleep.
* * *
The moment Yohan vanished into the ground with only a scream left behind, Seungryong and Hoyoung froze in terror. For two reasons:
The dread of losing the one miracle in this hell—and the dread of the man standing next to them.
“Ah.”
Hyunmook let out the shortest of sounds. And then—
The first to flee were the birds, who had charged recklessly at Seo Yakrin’s command. Their humanlike shrieks rang out as they scattered. But faster than even Hoyoung’s speed, black shadows poured from Hyunmook’s body.
No—this wasn’t shadow. It was darkness. The kind Yohan once described during his jungle hallucinations: pure black, devoid of light, like paint splattered on the air. Unreal, consuming darkness exploded outward.
“Aaagh! Aaaahhh!”
Hoyoung collapsed, screaming convulsively, trembling so violently he couldn’t lift his head. Seungryong managed to remain upright, but his fear was the same. The first target of Hyunmook’s black tide was the black mountain itself.
As the darkness seeped in, the mountain convulsed violently, quaking like it was being shredded. Hyunmook raised his gaze slowly to the side.
“...I lost him.”
His crimson eyes snapped upward. Seo Yakrin, the monstrous bird, flapped furiously and launched into the sky. One of its vast wings bent at a grotesque angle—the muscles severed in an instant by Hyunmook. Watching it stagger and flee, he muttered:
“It’s fine. Yohan has a piece of me inside him. I’ll always know where he is.”
Kyarrrrk, kyarrrrk!
The countless birds caught in the spreading darkness flapped frantically, but unlike Seo Yakrin, they couldn’t escape. The shadows swallowed them whole until not a sound remained. Hundreds devoured in an instant. Hyunmook’s voice softened as he addressed trembling Seungryong.
“Seungryong. Move.”
The moment he heard those words, Seungryong leapt straight into the black mountain where Hyunmook’s power had loosened it. His body twisted and swelled unnaturally, but was soon hidden by the dust cloud of collapsing earth as he vanished inside.
“Hoyoung. You too.”
Choking, vomiting, Hoyoung still obeyed. He dashed after Seungryong, freezing the cave open as the mountain tried to close. Hard, crystalline ice spread through the black earth, holding it still.
Seungryong dug desperately. His body, though strong, was weaker than the mountain’s stone, and tore with each strike. But regeneration—strengthened again and again by Yohan’s purification—carried him through. Pain barely registered.
I # Nоvеlight # must find him. I must find Yohan. I have to.
Muttering blindly, he clawed deeper until a whisper slid into his ears on a stream of shadow. Down. Deeper down.
Without hesitation, Seungryong changed direction, digging straight downward. A chill pricked his back—not Hoyoung’s frost, but gooseflesh from the whispering presence.
Right.
He veered right.
Down. Again. Deeper.
Before him, Hyunmook’s shadows tunneled first, softening the mountain’s body. A massive centipede-like form tore the interior, making the ground quake as though in agony.
Left. Down. More left. Hurry.
Good... very good. Faster now. You can do it.
Seungryong moved like one entranced, following every whispered command.
The pursuit stretched on, relentless, for days. None of the three would ever give up until one of them ceased breathing. The black mountain tried everything—collapsing tunnels, crushing them alive—but every effort failed. Hyunmook’s darkness, thicker and crueler than the mountain itself, drowned its resistance.
At last, it was the black mountain that yielded. Despite clinging to its precious prize, it finally surrendered, disgorging what it had hidden in its deepest, most secret heart. The whispers fell silent. Seungryong collapsed, body shredded, limbs hanging limp.
A dark shape loomed close, stroking each broken teammate gently, almost tenderly, as if to say well done. Seungryong raised trembling eyes to see his Team Leader. This terrifying being could take on human form—and now it stepped into a fissure in the earth, where faint light shone through the crushed ground.
As light and shadow swirled together like shimmering heat, Seungryong...
