“The starting point of the Reed Sea....”
Though it was called a sea, to Yohan’s eyes it looked no different from a boundless plain of reeds. When the wind blew, the uniformly tall reeds swayed gently. Even though he had heard a rough explanation about the Reed Sea, Yohan tilted his head in confusion—until Lee Hyunmook caught his body to halt him.
“If you misstep even a little, you could fall, so be careful.”
“Ah, yes!”
Yohan obediently pressed himself close to Hyunmook’s side. Hyunmook stirred the ground here and there with his spear, then gestured to Yohan as if to show him something.
“Watch closely.”
Hyunmook grabbed one of the gently swaying red reeds. As he pulled it slowly, it grew taut, then yielded, and kept coming, longer, longer, loooonger.... Yohan’s eyes widened. Only after pulling several more meters did the root finally appear and come to an end.
“Reeds grow this long?!”
“That’s right. Since reeds this long can grow here, imagine how deep it must be. If you fall, it will hurt quite a lot, won’t it? And this one is on the short side. The further in you go, the deeper it gets.”
So it was only “quite painful” a height? Really? With dread in his eyes, Yohan looked around again. What had seemed like a red reed plain that barely reached his thighs now appeared completely different. If all the reeds stretching before him were this long, then how deep was it beneath?
Just like it was impossible to gauge the depth of the deep sea, Yohan could not guess at the depth of the Reed Sea before his eyes. He could only imagine the sinister darkness cast beneath the swaying reeds. If Seo Yakrin were not hiding here, he would never have set foot in this place.
“Let’s carefully go down now.”
Following Hyunmook’s words, Yohan scattered faint grains of light as they headed in the direction the deer herd had vanished. The Abyss was dim to begin with, but inside the reeds, thick darkness immediately descended. Thanks to Yohan’s light, they could at least illuminate their surroundings.
At the very front was Yoon Seungryong. With lazy swings of his spear like cutting grass, the reeds—hard as bamboo—snapped apart. Overhead came the constant sound of reeds collapsing. Looking up through the narrow gaps where reeds had fallen, one could see the dark crimson sky. From now on, they would wander this vast, wide, dark place in search of Seo Yakrin.
Ssshhhhh... ssshhh... The endless rustling of reeds all around sounded like waves on a shore. Otherwise, there was perfect silence. Yohan already missed the world outside the Reed Sea. Huddled and clutching the Stone Age Eternal Stone weapon tightly, he glanced about nervously until Hyunmook spoke.
“Yohan, do you remember the swamp last time?”
“Huh? Yes!”
“Shall we train a little like we did then?”
Like then... he meant defending against monsters appearing from anywhere at any time. The difficulty would be even higher now. The reeds limited visibility, shortening the distance to react to ambushes. Swallowing dryly, Yohan nodded bravely.
“...Alright. I’ll try!”
No sooner had he shown courage than a rapid rustling sound approached. Something was flying at them fast. Almost simultaneously, Yohan noticed and swung his weapon—bang! The thing struck.
Screeeech!
Flopping on the ground was a bone bird, like the corpse-like ones he had once roasted and eaten. Before it could recover and rise, Yohan swung again and killed it. Shuddering at the sensation of a monster’s life snuffing out, he then realized in shock.
“How can they even fly in such dense reeds?”
“Maybe they dried out into nothing but bone so they could squeeze between the reeds?”
Seungryong said this as he picked up the bone bird and stowed it in his pocket-space. It had little flesh but was precious food.
As they advanced, swatting down incoming bone birds, the ground suddenly heaved and bulged.
“Uagh!”
Even as he screamed, Yohan reflexively swung his weapon, just as he had learned. Plump flesh birds burst from the ground, trying to bite him, but with a thud they were knocked away. As they tried to flee, Joo Hoyoung quickly snatched one and twisted its neck.
“Nice, food secured. Thanks, Yohan-hyung.”
While Yohan clutched his wildly pounding chest, Seungryong and Hoyoung laughed with delight. The sudden ambushes of bone birds and flesh birds kept coming, but over time Yohan grew used to them and flinched less. Still, it was exhausting. No matter how many they caught, there seemed no end.
“There are so many birds...”
Yohan whispered fearfully. Straining his senses, he could feel countless presences flitting nearby—tens, hundreds.
“The ones we saw in the plain were only a fraction.”
Listening carefully, one could hear eerie cries like an old man groaning—the bone birds’ cries. The dry scrape of their wings brushing reeds. From underground, the flesh birds chirped like laughing babies as they crawled.
“See? It really is like a sea. Especially since these are like sardines or anchovies—they’re the most numerous.”
Hyunmook spoke calmly, like a veteran explorer who had roamed this place for decades. Just then, from Yohan’s right, a flock of bone birds burst out together. Not yet used to multiple simultaneous ambushes, Yohan instinctively scattered light.
Screeech!
The moment the birds touched the light, they shrieked in shock. No—purified, they returned to the form of dried, nameless birds, fleeing in a panic. Yohan gaped at the beams of light spreading like an umbrella from the tip of his weapon. So it could be used like this! Last time, Seungryong had teased him calling it an umbrella—now, seen differently, it looked like a shield.
“Oh, that was pretty good just now.”
Seungryong praised as he picked up a frozen bird. Hoyoung clapped excitedly.
“Yohan-hyung, that was an awesome attack!”
Flushed red, Yohan looked to Hyunmook, who also smiled.
“To adapt and use what you learned in real battle—your skills are improving. Excellent. You’re doing well.”
Yohan’s face grew even redder. It had burst out like a sneeze or hiccup, not intended, so being praised felt unbearably embarrassing—especially since the three were powerful veterans who knew better than anyone what had just happened. Barely, in a tiny voice, he murmured thanks.
But it was true—purification was Yohan’s most powerful attack against contaminated monsters. With Hyunmook guarding the rear, Yohan safely practiced using his ability. The reactions of purified monsters were usually twofold: flee in terror, or freeze stiff. A few still charged out of inertia, but physical attacks sufficed to repel them.
“Always, without exception, every time.”
As he deftly drilled Yohan in dodging and defense, Hyunmook spoke. Shadows deepened beneath his sharp eyes, his gaze darkening.
“Your safety must be the very top priority.”
“Yeah. Healers and supporters must always remember—they are never damage dealers.”
Seungryong added his own advice. Not a damage dealer? Yohan glanced involuntarily at Hoyoung, who could unleash dozens of ice arrows in a single volley. Hoyoung shrugged.
“I’m not on their level, but I can still do an average dealer’s part. I’m an exception, hyung.”
Truthfully, from what Yohan had seen, Hoyoung’s ability was well above average. As he said, it only looked like support because Hyunmook and Seungryong possessed overwhelming firepower.
Yohan nodded in agreement. If the two main dealers’ combined power was 10, Hoyoung was around 3–5, and Yohan... perhaps 0.1.
‘It is at least 0.1, right?’
He tried to erase the creeping thought it was really 0.01. Or 0.001....
In any case, by the time he had grown used to the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) bird ambushes, dodging and countering perfectly, Yohan spotted a structure towering amid the reeds. No, more precisely, a gigantic structure shaped like a building. Its height and scale rivaled a skyscraper, resembling a massive rounded tower hardened from packed earth.
“What on earth is that?”
Stunned, Yohan asked. Seungryong, dark aura already leaking from his fingers, answered.
“An anthill. Probably termites? Perfect.”
“Termites?”
Yohan craned his neck forward, but suddenly a hand slipped under his armpit and lifted him away. Hyunmook set him down a distance away.
“It could be dangerous. Why don’t you stay back?”
Hoyoung had also moved right behind Yohan. Ever since they had been swallowed by the Black Mountain, the three were almost overprotective of his safety. Yohan, still traumatized by that event, clung close to Hyunmook nervously.
Once he confirmed Yohan was far enough away, Seungryong prowled around the anthill, dripping poison. Gray mist streamed down his spear, forming a great circle that encircled the mound.
After circling several times, he directed the poison inward. The tendrils wavered like tentacles, seeping into the anthill. Moments later, something began to crawl out in swarms. Yohan let out a sharp cry.
