chapter Ten

A dragon made entirely of bones charged towards Almuten. It never stopped even when parts of its body were shattered by the violently swinging tentacles. Munyeong, riding on top of it, shouted.

"Attack! Don't worry about me... keug!"

It was just then, the tentacles struck the dragon's sides with precision. The ribs crumbled. The bone dragon, which had lost its balance, flapped its wings in vain and plunged headlong. Munyeong screamed not to cease the assault even as she fell from a height of hundreds of meters.

"Now!"

Those who hesitated for a moment quickly resumed their attacks. Numerous attacks poured down on the body of the colossal mutant that seemed impregnable as if it were a citadel or an unreachable star.

On the dark ground of the abyss, freshly shed blood flowed just as might be a river. Countless people had died, many were injured, some had lost their minds and passed out. But even in the midst of that, people were gradually getting the hang of the battle. They had already adapted quite well to this space as they had already fought to the death with the figures guarding the altar. Of course, Almuten was incomparably bigger and stronger than those small frys, but in the end, they were born from the same pit, so the essence was similar.

A response strategy was established based on numerous sacrifices, and countless trials and errors. If someone felt like they were about to rampage after prolonged exposure to Almuten's ability, they no longer panic and immediately fell back to the rear so that they didn't disturb the flow of the battlefield, and so that their allies were not harmed. Unless it was an irreversibly serious case, the rampage would be calmed down to some extent by guiding.

Yes. There was a guide on this battlefield. It was something they'd never experienced in any of the raids.

Erewhon Team 1's young exclusive guide was with a mask with a valve on his face, and armed with various equipment. At first glance, it was hard to tell him apart from a low-ranked Hunter. The guide could be seen running across the battlefield strewn with rubble and corpses without hesitation, skillfully avoiding the flying stone fragments and cracks in the ground that came as the repercussions of the attacks. Unlike the familiar guides whom they were used to, who only took charge of rear support without having to fight or train.

He stuck to Erewhon Team 1 most of the time, but whenever he was available, he would approach the wounded from other teams without hesitation. There was no contact beyond holding hands or touching the other's body over their clothes, but given the circumstances, that alone was more than enough. Even those who were dubious at first eventually had to rely on him.

Violent tremors shook the entire space. One of Almuten's many legs was cut off at last. It was the result of relentlessly aiming for one spot by gathering all the firepower even at the risk of damage. The black bodily fluid carrying deadly poison sprayed out like rain and melted the earth.

"Keuheoeong!"

Standing in the front with a severed leg, the black tiger raised its head and roared. He looked quite exhausted, and he also knew it more than anyone else. The glossy fur was littered with many cuts and gashes, exposing the inner flesh. But the odds were out. As long as they didn't lose concentration and kept to their strategy without being distracted, it was no longer impossible to knock down Almuten. Hadn't they already accomplished the feat of cutting off one leg? Just a little bit more, really a little bit more.....

That was when an accident came about.

"Now! Move!"

The Espers, who had been fighting cooperating with Hunters without a word, began to move strangely. People in dark red uniforms jumped out, uncaring of the established battle lines. Behind them was Lieutenant General Bae Cheolseong.

"What are you doing? I told you to move."

"But, sir. If we act alone here, it will become dangerous."

"Why do we have to hesitate when the prey is already in our hands? No one knows when those hyenas will act up and take all the credit. Immediately, move!"

Desperate greed shone in the eyes of the old man shouting commands in a loud voice. They were no longer in a hopeless situation where everyone's dying, and the odds of winning were now clear in front of his eyes. Once again, he couldn't help, but weighed the gains and losses that would come after the raid.

"Don't let them take the final blow! It has to be us to kill that thing!"

The Hunters who were suddenly stabbed in the back were confused. They hurriedly filled their vacancies when the Espers rushed out from their positions. The battle line, which was painstakingly built on the sacrifice of hundreds of deaths, was ruined in an instant.

"Lieutenant General, really..... You never change. You've been so consistent since the old days."

"Then I have to say you, Leader Woo, have changed too much. I heard before that if a person has already accepted their death, they will start to act differently. It looks like it will not be me who's going to die here, but Leader Woo is."

"Well. I don't know about that."

Shinje bit his lower lip, blurring the end of his words. His voice was clear and cheeky, but there was a slight nervousness in his eyes. Almuten was good at detecting people's confusion and fear. Until now, they had somehow managed to hold out using their numerical and strategic advantage, but now that they've shown a gap.....

"Yugeon hyung!"

Heesu ran out from the side with an urgent cry. He could only see Yugeon in his eyes. So far, Yugeon had only stuck to the rear. Now that the Espers had suddenly rushed out, his front was left entirely empty. Nothing was standing in his way from Almuten's dreadful gaze.

Beneath the rough and thick epidermis, huge red dwarf-like eyes moved languidly. He didn't know if it was just him, but Almuten seemed to have recognized Yugeon. The child who survived with his older brother from the site of the disaster where everyone else was slaughtered. Instinctively, he had an extremely ominous hunch. Heesu ran as fast as could, gnashing his teeth. [1]

"The lieutenant general or whatever, that dirty old fart, can't he stop messing around..... making me crazy."

He immediately threw himself in front of Yugeon, facing Almuten head on. The surrounding air quickly became sticky and cold. Just like the time when Almuten rolled his eyes and stared at Heeseong back in the ruined industrial complex.

"Don't look!"

Peog, peog! Blood spurted out from both Heesu's eyes. Since he could only see Heesu's back, Yugeon didn't know exactly what happened. But when the blood dripped down to the ground, together with shredded fragments of eyeballs...... he saw everything very slowly and clearly.

Unbeknownst to him, Yugeon had an unfounded belief, the belief that Erewhon Team 1 wouldn't die no matter what. Even if they were slightly injured during the battle, he believed that they would brush it off easily, and would heal shortly. Just as it had always been. They wouldn't die, they would survive and live for a long, long time, but at this moment, that belief had cracked.

"Kwon Heesu!"

Heesu's back collapsed like a sand castle. Yugeon ran towards him without looking back and forth. Heesu was in a state where he couldn't say that he was okay even with empty words. His whole face was covered with blood. There was a lot less blood on his mouth and chin, but he couldn't bring himself to look at his eyes.

A boulder flew across the air, split into hundreds along the way, aiming at Almuten. It was Shinje. Various attacks fiercely followed. Explosions, screams and roars surrounding him were deafening.

"The blood..... damn it."

Yugeon knelt in front of Heesu and held him up. He gritted his teeth and placed his palms on the messed up eyes. He could feel the guiding flowing to him, but the bleeding still hadn't stopped. Heesu, collapsed in a pool of blood, laughed, his body shaking.

"Ah... hahaha. You will see everything as long as you live. Yugeon hyung is worried about me, wow, it feels awesome. If only I knew this would happen, I would have plucked out at least one eye earlier."

"Is it time to joke around?"

Yugeon shouted out loud. Even without seeing it with his eyes, he could easily picture Yugeon's ferociously distorted expression in his mind.

"It's ability didn't work on me because of my mental resistance, so I think he blew my eyes out instead. Without eye contact, I won't be able to use my ability. Haha, that bastard is really clever....."

"Please shut up."

"Sheesh. Hyung always tells me to shut up wherever you see me."

He thought he had to stop bleeding first, instead of just waiting for the guiding to do anything. Yugeon tore off the sleeves of his shirt and wrapped them around Heesu's eyes like an eye patch. Just like Heesu once did to him. His hands kept trembling like aspen trees.

He didn't want Heesu to die. Whether he personally liked Heesu or not, this was different. It would have been the same no matter who the other person was. He had had enough seeing people die in Almuten's hands.

"Do you even know what you look like now? The guiding is doing nothing, and the blood..... fuck. It's not stopping....."

"So what? I came here prepared to die. I even got to see the final boss. I lasted a lot longer than I expected."

"....."

"Uhm. I would say it's a bit disappointing. There are still a lot of things I haven't done with hyung yet, we still haven't tried doggy style, and blind play..... we already did that. And there's also phone sex, and....."

"What's life for you guys? Is it over if you just talk about it like a joke and die?!"

Yugeon unconsciously pressed down harder on his hand that was stopping the bleeding. Heesu, however, did not even groan once, and instead, raised his lips and laughed.

"Of course. I was born, ha..... I was born for nothing."

Heesu exhaled a long breath. He could feel the vibrations from the ground. It was the sound of the ongoing battle. For him, this place was more familiar than a classroom, a home, or a busy street.

What would the mother, who died at the same time as his birth, and the father, who abandoned him in disgust, think of him if they saw him now? Would they think it was a relief now that the disgusting freak was finally dying? Or would they be a little bit sad since he was still a child of their own blood?

Either way, this one thing was certain. Even after all the things he had done, Yugeon was still worried about him, guiding him with his hands shaking. There never was a guide like him, and probably never will be.

"Kwon Heesu. Can you hear me?"

"....."

"Wake up. Answer me. Heesu-ya, Kwon Heesu!"

Heesu said nothing more. Yugeon stood up, hugging him tightly. His head drooped down and fell straight into his arms. The faint pulse felt at his fingertips and the guiding that was being sucked out of his body were the only indicators that he was still breathing.

Kwang! Almuten's tentacles slammed right in front of them. A few Espers' corpses were sticking along the barbed tentacles like fishes stuck on harpoons. Erewhon members hurriedly rushed towards them.

"Hunter Kwon Heesu-nim. Guide-nim!"

Yugeon took Heesu and retreated under their cover. However, he didn't know when that gaze would fall on the battlefield again. It had been awhile since the ranks, which everyone had painstakingly built together, collapsed completely due to the unexpected action from the Awakening Management Headquarters. Chaos had flooded the space.

Almuten opened his mouth. It was large enough to fit an entire building. There was nothing inside. Normally, whenever any creature opened its mouth, you would see its teeth, the roof of its mouth, and the tongue, but instead, the cavity in front of their eyes was entirely pitch-dark, similar to a black hole. One of the Espers in the forefront stumbled and fell into his mouth. His spine was quickly crushed and the guts devoured.

"Aaaag heuag, agh, kkeuaaag!"

The Esper's waist, chest, and shoulders were dragged into the darkness one after another. He kept screaming with blood foams in his mouth, then his eyes turned upside down and fell silent when he was eaten up to the edge of his neck. Dark red blood spurted violently from every orifice in his face. Eventually, even the head completely disappeared.

"Heueug!"

"Ah, ahah....."

The Espers, who had to witness their colleague's terrible end in front of their eyes, looked terrified. They staggered back, the instructions to unleash an onslaught and land the final blow already thrown to the back of their minds.

"You fools. Don't panic and go at it! It's because you keep thinking about running away that it is getting more aggressive......"

The lieutenant general's ill commands trailed off midway through. He hurriedly looked around. The shield that was tightly wrapped around his whole body was smashed before he knew it. And on the lower half of his body, a weighty tentacle as thick as logs had begun to wind itself around him.

"Director!"

The Espers cried out. The tentacle wrapped around the lieutenant general's body tightened. The scar that covered half of his face twitched. Shortly afterwards, streams of blood trickled down his mouth.

"Cough!"

The tentacle returned to the main body, holding the lieutenant general. His body was flung several kilometers across the air. The Espers kept calling for him frantically, while Hunters stared at them with astounded eyes.

"What are you doing? Eueug, not saving me with haste."

The lieutenant general yelled desperately. Even in the midst of that, his reason was still not disturbed. It seemed that he did not take the position of the head of the Awakening Management Headquarters with zero merits. That was the extent of it, however. The lieutenant general called for help several times, but no one moved. Not only the Hunters, but also his direct subordinates.

Unless the Espers were idiots, of course, they knew. The fact that the orders given by the lieutenant general were the only unreasonable things that were not helping in the slightest at getting over this situation. And the glaring fact that the lieutenant general wouldn't blink an eye even if they died while carrying out his absurd orders.

Until now, they had not dared to violate their superior's orders, fearing the punishment, obeying every command even against their will. However, the longer the battle went on, the more they thought that this was no longer the case. What was the point of blind obedience when they were in a situation when everyone could be slaughtered? [2]

"These..... stupid bastards."

The lieutenant general murmured blankly. Shinje, staring at him from afar, came into view. He was being dragged away at a speed so fast that he couldn't even move his head around, but strangely, he thought he could see his figure as clear as day. Shinje had a look on his face that was difficult to read.

"Woo Shinje....."

An indescribable feeling of anger and humiliation rose. That bastard must be laughing at him on the inside. How dare he. That half-breed. A mere chess piece. The fool blinded at the only thought of killing Almuten without looking far far ahead!

"You guys! When I return, cough, you all, will be punished, for disobe— keoeog......"

A hissing cough came from his wretched throat. Just as he had squeezed out the rest of his strength and shouted, a terrible pain came over him. The lieutenant general's complexion turned red, white, and finally blue.

"Keu, eog, kkeueug."

His upper and lower body could no longer withstand the tightening force of the tentacles, and were split apart. The muscles, flesh, and skin that supported the internal organs were torn up and down.

"Coug....."

The lieutenant general's torso was then thrown into Almuten's mouth, spilling bloody chunks of intestines from the cut. He couldn't even close his eyes. The lower half of his body, dressed in uniform and shoes, rolled on the ground. Everyone was silent. No one screamed, grieved, or even showed that they were thrilled by his gruesome death. It was an atmosphere too vain for the last moments of the person who ruled over all the Awakened belonging to the government of this country.

Almuten's main body, which filled the ground, wriggled slowly. He was chewing and swallowing whatever was in his mouth. Geueueueu.......... A sound that seemed like a mix of the cries of an unknown deep-sea creature and the noise of a broken acoustic device rang throughout Mazzaroth. It sounded as if he was overjoyed. Chan, who had returned to his human form for a moment to catch his breath, sneered.

"What, is it snack time? Yeah, pig out on your meal while we are dying here, you bastard."

Even with injuries that would have put a normal person on the verge of death, his voice was still clear. He gnashed his teeth at Shinje standing next to him.

"You dragged me here to catch something like this? Crazy bastard. Why didn't you just suggest mass suicide from the beginning?"

"Why? Having second thoughts? Sure. Yugeon-ie is always keeping an eye on us at the back, so it'll be a sight when he sees you running away with your tail between your legs."

"When did I say I was going to run away? And, fuck. Why do you have to bring up Baek Yugeon here?"

He had no intention of running away. Chan's personality was that he would rather die in a fight than do anything unsightly just because he was afraid of the enemy. On top of that, Shinje just had to fan his fire even more. Yugeon was unfortunately his reverse scale. [3]

So far, his life had been very smooth. Since childhood, he had a much bigger physique than his peers and because of his fierce looks, no one dared to treat him carelessly. His grades were decent considering he never studied at all, and excelled at sports no matter what he did. He was even popular.

It was not much different after becoming an Awakened. He just awakened suddenly while living well, eating well, while attending school. It was also as an S-class that was recognized around the world to boot. He didn't understand, but thought it was fucking awesome. After that, he joined the center as his parents recommended, quit just after a few months when that place turned out to be a den of shit, and joined in building Erewhon because it sounded cool. Everywhere he went, he was at the top of the hierarchy and a winner.

In the same vein, Chan had no doubts that he was the best among Erewhon's Team 1. He was an S-class that was praised everywhere he went, had the peak physical strength, and combat capabilities. Team 1 hadn't fought each other until death, but he was confident that he would win if he committed to it. The reason why he didn't become the leader or deputy chief wasn't because of his lack of ability, but because he was lazy. He would rather die than slog through tiresome paperworks. That was all.

The only thing he felt like he was being left behind was when it came to Yugeon. That guy would throw hissy fits whenever he was with Woo Shinje like they were shooting a very shitty soap opera, oddly well behaved and docile in front of Joo Taein, and even worse, he didn't know if it was because he was younger than him nor not, Yugeon's attitude towards Kwon Heesu, that lunatic, was quite gentle. Compared to them, Yugeon was, however, particularly harsh on Chan, and Chan alone. Whenever he saw Chan, he would be immediately on guard like a dog that found a burglar breaking into his house. He only showed his smile for the first time when he hid his identity and approached him in the form of a cat.

What about him? When he had done this and that with the other guys. His pride was hurt and he was pissed. The unfairness of it had been making him lose sleep, the thoughts of that damn guide jumping around in his mind whenever he closed his eyes. To be honest, it was no longer just about the competition between males that he was worried about. One-sided love or what not was irrelevant now. Everything might end soon enough anyway, so what was the use of all that?

"Yeah...... speaking of which."

Chan smiled and turned his shoulders to loosen up.

"I'll have to show Baek Yugeon something cool for one last time."

Almuten stopped attacking for a while while he swallowed his caught games. They took advantage of the opportunity to straighten up the ranks and double their offense. Chan also changed his appearance again. The blood-drenched beast limped and charged at Almuten.

The number of people had decreased significantly due to a single disturbance. Now, there were more people who were on the ground than those who could still stand on their own feet. They, however, had never ceased fighting. With bloodshot eyes and killing intent overflowing, they had not backed down even a single step in the face of an enemy thousands of times bigger and stronger.

Those who fight monsters become monsters. If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. In order to jump out of the abyss, you must first go down to the bottom of the abyss. Where they were was at the bottom of the abyss and the pit where mankind had been drowning for many years. Now that they had reached the bottom, all they had to do now was to go up.

"Keuaaaaa!"

Almuten opened his mouth wide and roared. The eardrums of those who heard the sound close burst and blood dripped down from their ears. As if responding to his wrath, a whirlpool arose in the empty air. The whirlpool quickly became an ice column and the eye of the storm, instantly freezing everything around it. Brinicle. An icicle of the deep sea. [4]

Chan raced between the frozen people just as he was fending off the attacks. He couldn't completely avoid the brinicle either. The white ice climbed up its hind legs even when he just brushed past it lightly. Unsurprisingly, it was no ordinary ice. The sensations of his body rapidly disappeared along where it was eroded by the cold. Perhaps both the nerves and muscles were already dead.

He clung to Almuten's side, sinking his claws into the hard epidermis. After long agonizing minutes of persistently scratching, biting and clawing away, one leg was successfully cut off. Now only one leg remained. Unfortunately, with that, his active role ended here. The cold air that had been creeping up from below was now covering his entire body. There was a white frost all over the black fur. His consciousness faded away.

Just a little more and I could have killed him. So close! Pissed off. Chan slightly moved his stiffening muscles, revealing his fangs, and growled.

"Keureung....."

Chan's body, hanging from a high place, slowly dropped to the ground. Taein ran past him as if taking turns. He melted the ice that was spreading on the blade by burning it with the poison from his hands. Shinje quickly joined him. Leaving Taein and the others to get rid of the remaining leg, he alone approached closely to the front of the massive body. Aiming for his heart.

The poison-laden blade cut near the root of the remaining leg. Fire, ice, shockwaves, thunderbolts, and many other attacks of different attributes repeatedly slammed down on the precise spot. Shinje ripped open the small scratch on the torso with his psychokinesis. Kkadeug, udeudeudeug. The epidermis was torn apart, and the cut was opened wide.

In it, the shapes of countless corpses wriggled and wailed. Brigadier General Woo Seongyeon, Lieutenant General Bae Cheolseong, fellow members of the SALIGIA unit who died a long time ago, Major Jeong Changhyeok, and Baek Heeseong....... They were gathered together like maggots that had hatched from the eggs laid in the rotting flesh of an animal, glaring at him, cursing at him.

"Out of the depths, I have cried to thee..... O Lord."

Muttering in a voice that only he could hear, Shinje reached out his hand.

"Lord, hear my voice. Listen to my cry."

The world had been a prison to him ever since he was born. No, it wasn't even a prison. Wasn't prison a place to confine ‘the guilty’? It was a cage for him. A cage to confine the man made beast.

So now, please free me from this cage..... He thrusted his hand into the wound where the corpses were writhing around. The ability was shot straight into Amuten's heart.

"Kyaaag! Kyaag! Kiiiiiig!"

Almuten's entire body shook as he went mad. A tentacle flew in with tremendous speed and heavy power behind, just to strike Shinje off his body. Dozens of people clung to it in an attempt to slow it down, but Almuten shook off that many people all at once.

"Ugh!"

He hurriedly rolled to the side halfway, but couldn't avoid it completely. One arm was crushed. The flesh fell off, and the shoulder bones exposed beneath it were also shattered. But there was no pain at all. His mind was strangely elevated. The sound of his own breathing, the screams Almuten made, and all the information coming through his senses were played as if in slow motion.

Shinje sprang up to his feet immediately. In his narrowed field of vision, he could only see a huge heart beating between the split open flesh. His wrecked arm was already unrecognizable of its original appearance. He pounced on the writhing massive body once again. He pulled all his strength up from below the pit of his stomach. The ability he had had since birth, which he had always felt more natural using than his own hands and feet, the psychokinesis poured out from his entire body and slammed onto one spot.

The fluttering heart contorted into a strange shape. The muscular tissues wriggled. Arteries as large as most underground roads or tunnels swelled up. Shinje closed his eyes tightly. All the nerves in his whole body seemed to be burning up since he had squeezed out all his abilities beyond his limits. And, finally.

Peoeog! One of the arteries that could not overcome the twisting and crushing force suddenly snapped. More cracks in others soon led to the collapse of the whole. The heart exploded with a loud rupture as if the world was collapsing. From that moment on, light slowly disappeared from Almuten's eyes, which had shimmered like ancient stars swimming in the cosmos for eons.

"Leader."

Yugeon's voice was heard from behind. However, Shinje's reason had not yet returned. With his unfocused eyes, as if he was making sure of the kill, he continued to pummel down one blow after another. Peog, peog, peog! Regardless of the black blood already soaking him from head to toe. Almuten's heart, which had already been reduced to chunks of meat, was carved and hacked into pieces again and again.

".....Woo Shinje!"

Yugeon cried out again, his voice laced with desperation. Only then did he come to his senses. Before him was Almuten, the corpse of the enemy he had been aiming for risking his entire life. Realization spread to all his nerves like ice melting. Almuten was dead. He finally killed this guy.

"Yugeon-ah."

Shinje didn't know what kind of expression he should make at a time like this. It felt like the right time to rejoice since he had achieved his long-cherished desire. So he turned around with his habitual smile.

"....."

But Yugeon looked strange. It was the first time Shinje saw Yugeon making a face like that.

Did he look like this when his older brother died? No. At that time Yugeon had cried intensely, bawling and weeping loudly like a little child. Right now, his face was all white, and he wasn't shedding a single tear. So why.....

Why are you making that face? He was about to ask. But not a sound came out. Shinje parted his lips several times in vain. He then followed Yugeon's gaze downwards. It was only then he became aware of it.

Something thick and sharp was protruding out from the middle of his chest. A thorn from the end of Almuten's tentacle. The entire thorn was glistening red with Shinje's blood.

".....Ah."

Shinje only stiffened up a little even when he noticed the thorn. As if time had stopped. His eyes widened slightly as if in surprise, and looked up to stare at Yugeon blankly. At a certain moment, his eyes wavered. Transparent tears slowly brimmed in his eyes.

Yugeon sometimes wondered how Shinje would look if he cried. It wasn't with a good intention, of course. It only stemmed from a simple curiosity that if there was any human emotion in that hateful man. He had confirmed he bleed red, but he was never successful at picturing the man's tears. Thus, Yugeon's imagination had always been concluded at a crude level. The only time Shinje cried would be only when he decided to act obnoxiously, and even when he did, he would only pretend to be sad and cry prettily. Unlike his beautiful shell, the insides of that man was hideous after all.

But in reality, it was quite the opposite. Shinje began to cry, with his eyes twisted, and the corners of his mouth quivering, far from his usual expertly decorated expressions. A faint gasp leaked out from between his slightly parted lips. A tear trickled down from one eye slowly slid down his cheek, pooled on his chin, and then dropped to the ground. With it, Shinje's body too collapsed. The thorn that had pierced his chest came out. Time, which had stopped, began to flow again.

".....are you going to die like this?"

Yugeon muttered, still frozen in place at the rear, even after Shinje had collapsed.

"No..... you can't die like this. You can't pay off your debts like this..... How could you do this to me? You said that with your own mouth. You wanted me to kill you with my own hands. You even said it's your request, fuck, who asked for this?"

Yugeon dashed across the battlefield, and collapsed on top of Shinje, muttering frantically in a delirium. He pressed his hands on his blood-stained chest, and as if that wasn't enough, he lowered his head and put his forehead on the back of his hand.

"I won't let you die like this. As long as I'm your guide, I won't let you, like this...."

Blood continued spilling out from the punctured chest. Yugeon gnashed his teeth and pressed on the wound. The guiding poured out uncontrolled. It felt as if a thick tube was inserted into his vein, draining out all the blood from his body. Beeeep......... An ominous tinnitus rang in his ears. The strength in his hands holding onto Shinje faltered. His heart was beating like crazy, craving for the vitality of the body that had been stolen away, but even that gradually faded away.

However, he couldn't stop guiding. Shinje's pulse, which seemed to have almost stopped, had returned, albeit very faintly. Perhaps because the thorn had pierced the center of the pit of his stomach, not the left side of his chest where the heart was located? He was barely clinging to his last breath. Yugeon gathered all his dithering willpower, and focused on guiding.

"Guide Baek Yugeon!"

Someone grabbed him from behind. It was Taein. He didn't make it unscathed either. He was blinded at one side with the blood dripping down from his injured head, so he had one eye closed as if frowning. However, he was in good condition compared to others.

"Stop it. If you continue guiding, you will be in danger."

"....."

"Are you going to die like this? Together with that man?"

"He's not dead yet! He's not dead. I can still..... keugh!"

While struggling to be freed from Taein's grip, Yugeon coughed up blood. For a brief moment, his vision went black. Taein bit his lower lip, and forcibly removed him from on top of Shinje.

"I'm sorry. But... I can't lose you either."

"I can't. I have to save him! Let go of me..... fuck, cough, let go!"

Taein pulled Yugeon into an embrace with his broken arm, who kept trying to run back to Shinje, and did not let go. While accepting all of Yugeon's pushing, kicking, and hitting him. It was enough with his sister for a guide to die once again in front of his eyes as if devoured by an Awakened.

Yugeon's body was already in a wreck even before this. To the point where it was commendable for him to still not lose his consciousness until now with the constitution of an ordinary person. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to beat Taein's strength. The frantic struggling in Taein's arms gradually lost strength.

"Guide Baek Yugeon, please."

Taein's lips, after whispering like a sigh, trembled and twisted. Yugeon squeezed out his remaining strength and turned his head around. Tears slowly welled up under his clouded eyes. Blood trickled down from his chapped lips as he struggled to utter a word.

"Why....."

Yugeon, who had resisted fiercely until the end, eventually lost consciousness. A thin light fell on his pale cheeks, smeared with blood and dust, like the first raindrops of a sudden shower. A clear, bright light........ that he thought he would never see again in his life.

The heart of the guide who had collapsed in his arms was beating faintly but regularly. The body was also still warm. Taein hugged Yugeon tightly, and inadvertently raised his head. So did the few remaining survivors. They all looked up together as if rehearsed.

Numerous holes were drilled one after another penetrating the deep sea swaying overhead. The number rapidly increased to thousands and then, tens of thousands. As if the old dark clouds were being chased away, the weather clearing itself up. Long, dazzling lights poured down from between.

The bottom of the deep sea, which had never escaped from darkness, was bathed for the first time by countless rays of light. The black, damp ground glistened. Everything was enveloped in a white, calm halo of light. The corpse of Almuten, the moss and mold growing all over the walls and ground, and the fallen.

The curtain of darkness, which seemed to never be lifted, was finally lifted.

"I asked Bari for assistance."

The man's hand wrapped in bandages and gauze laid a business card down on the table. Yugeon followed his movements in a daze. All his senses felt distant. It had been a while since he got out of Mazzaroth but it seemed as if he was still submerged in deep water.

"Guide Baek Yugeon! Are you listening to me?"

"Ah."

Yugeon startled in surprise more than necessary. Unfocused eyes looked up at Taein a beat later.

Taein, who was always seen dressed in neat dress shirts, was wearing a T-shirt and cotton pants. The dark brown hair, which was parted and combed sleek to the back at all times, was also let loose without any trimming. It was hard to see him as a deputy chief who was meticulous in everything, shrewd and sharp like a knife. It was a matter of course. Because he was no longer the deputy chief of Erewhon.

Erewhon was effectively disbanded. The headquarters building had been reduced to ashes, the majority of the members had died while most of the rest were still unknown or critically injured, and most importantly, the leader, which should be the center of gravity for everyone, had been fatally injured, so it was as good as it had been disbanded.

The guide, who had remained unwavering no matter how severe the words he had to endure said right to his face, was shaken just at his name being called once. It was like a puppy abandoned on the side of the road. A puppy that used to play competitively with anyone even with those who would bully it. How did this happen...... No, it was reasonable to see him like this. Taein swallowed a sigh.

"Leader Seok Munyeong said she would send a car. Together with a driver."

"....."

"If you left with our car, anyone would notice right away. So I made the decision out of necessity."

"The car..... What are you talking about?"

Yugeon asked with a hoarse voice. The back of his thin hands, exposed under the loose sleeves, shrank back. Taein's eyes grazed the back of Yugeon's scarred hands, and then once on his neck, which was now hanging nothing. Shortly after coming out of Mazzaroth, Taein came up to him with a key and removed the necklace himself.

After he collapsed while trying to guide Shinje, Yugeon's condition was more severe than expected. It was a price for trying to do something alone that dozens of other guides couldn't do together. At that time, if Taein had not forcibly separated Yugeon and Shinje, Yugeon would have been in fatal danger. When Yugeon also lost consciousness in his arms, Taein stood firm by himself. His body wasn't left intact either, but since none of the other team members were in good shape, he at least had to hold out.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

Taein carefully met his eyes and said his words clearly.

"Leave this place."

This was what he had planned long before they even entered Mazzaroth. The decision to put it into action was just now. Chan still had difficulty moving, and Shinje and Heesu were still unconscious. Now, he would be able to avoid their eyes and steal Yugeon away without any hindrance.

The world after being swept away by the disaster was left completely devastated. At a time like this, the Awakening Management Headquarters should be taking the lead in stabilizing the situation, but there was nothing they could do since many Espers, including the Head of the center, had perished in Mazzaroth. They were currently in a state where they couldn't even properly figure out the count of the victims, far from repairing the damage.

It wasn't just the Awakening Management Headquarters. The government, and even the entire country, was paralyzed. It was impossible for planes, trains, and express buses to operate normally. Taein had to find a car with much difficulty. A car that would send Yugeon to a faraway place.

In fact, there was another reason why he bothered to ask for help from another Order. If Taein sent Yugeon away by his direct order, he would naturally know his destination. Then..... he was afraid useless lingering feelings might arise. So, he swallowed his pride, and asked Munyeong and Seulbi for help. Please, don't let anyone know, even me, and tell them to whisk Yugeon away.

"....."

Even after hearing Taein's words, there was no response from Yugeon. He hoped he was glad that he could finally get out of this hellhole.

"The contract is over. I'm sure the guide knows it too. It will be just more painful for you to remain here. You might find it difficult to get a means of transportation by yourself, so as I said....."

"Right now?"

Yugeon lowered his head. His disheveled black hair, the round earlobes, and the slender nape that stretched straight under it looked particularly pale.

"When it's too late."

Taein gently closed his eyes. The painful regret that had been repeated hundreds of times bleeded out again. They shouldn't have let Yugeon join them. Neither Erewhon nor his heart should have felt even a touch of emotion for him. As he had done to countless guides, he should have stood by and turned a blind eye to what happened to Yugeon.

If so, Taein would have been able to die with relief at the end. As he had hoped for a long time, he would finally be able to go to the place where his mother and sister were and plead guilty. He didn't even understand himself. What lingering attachments did he still have in this world, and what sense of responsibility did you still have in mind to survive and send Yugeon away?

"What's left of me if I run away now?"

"....."

"Deputy chief, is there anything left for me?"

"....."

"My brother is dead. The house to return to was also burned down. I lived to protect my brother and avenge my parents, so what should I do now, and, I don't understand why..... why I'm still alive. I can't understand."

Yugeon stuttered, looking down at the tip of his fingers. Taein felt a surge of resentment for no reason. Taein still hated Yugeon. The hatred stemming from the sense of kinship after all. Chan, Heesu, or even Shinje would never know what the life of someone who had lost a family and had to live with a sense of guilt and duty everyday was like.

"Do you need a reason to live? Do you have to die just because your family is dead?"

"....."

"Didn't you have a hard time trying to survive Mazzaroth? So you can just live. No one will blame you for surviving alone."

Perhaps these words were what Taein had wanted to say to his past self. His throat choked up unexpectedly. Taein frowned and tightly closed his eyes. Emotions were fluctuating wildly while reason became clouded. The feeling of being out of control was awfully unpleasant. Once Yugeon was removed from his sight out of his reach, then..... He would never feel this way again.

"This is all I can do for you. Think of it as a substitute for severance pay."

"But, deputy chief. I....."

"Guide Baek Yugeon. Please!"

He grabbed Yugeon's shoulders on impulse. Yugeon raised his head sharply. Taein was reflected in his dark eyes trembling with shock.

"Please, leave when I say I'm letting you go. The more you keep hesitating like this, the more you will start to wonder if you have the slightest desire to stay..... because it will be a misunderstanding."

"....."

Yugeon didn't answer anything. With Taein still holding his arms, he only pursed his bloodstained lips. Until when will you keep persevering despite the humiliation, this young and pitiful guide. After losing everything and becoming truly alone this time.

Taein sighed and let go of his hand as if shaking it off. And he stood up, pushing his chair back. It was certainly a rougher move than usual.

"You are leaving tomorrow morning. Please be prepared."

Taein strode out of the room leaving behind only a reminder. He tried not to think about what kind of expression Yugeon would be making behind his back. If he did, he thought it would rather be him who'd regret the decision.

Even after Taein left, Yugeon sat absent-mindedly by the bed for a long time. Even though he heard a shocking offer, he didn't feel anything. It was as if a strong wave had washed away everything in his head.

Sunlight filtered through the thick glass windows. He could see tiny dust particles floating around the room. He didn't expect to see the sunlight again alive. Yugeon rose up to his feet. He limped across the room, trying not to put unnecessary weight on the injured leg. The pale sunlight streamed down the back of his neck, shoulders, and back, where the skeleton was outlined.

He opened the closet on one side of the wall. The closet was awfully empty. The only clothes Yugeon had were those he received when he had just arrived at Erewhon, but he couldn't bring them properly as he had to evacuate quickly before the headquarters collapsed. A uniform and two or three extra sets of clothes were all.

He stopped his own hand that was about to pick up the uniform. Yugeon gently bit his lower lip, picked up another piece of clothing, and tossed it behind him. Clothes that had flown through the air started to pile up on the bed. He then packed them into the backpack he first brought with him, leaving out the phone with a dead battery, his guns, magazines, and other equipment. These were things he didn't need anymore.

That was the end of Yugeon's luggage. It was too simple that it could easily be mistaken for a one-day trip luggage. A few months of time spent in Erewhon could be sorted out in a single bag?

There might be some he hadn't packed yet. In the bathroom or in the drawer...... Yugeon turned around. It was then he heard a small noise outside the door. It sounded like someone was scratching the door with a thin rake. When he opened the door, a black cat quickly stuck its head inside. The small ears that sprouted from its round head pricked up. The cat squeezed itself through a small gap that was less than a span wide.

"How did you follow me all the way here? Why are you here this time? Do you want more food?"

Yugeon asked indifferently and turned around. He didn't care what the cat's business was and resumed what he was doing. The cat came running up to him regardless of Yugeon's disinterest. It seemed it wasn't enough to hover at his feet, so he jumped up on the bed and rubbed its body against Yugeon's thigh.

"Sorry, but I have nothing for you to eat right now. Please don't pester me."

He gently pushed the cat away with the back of his hand.

"Go find someone else from now on. I'll be leaving tomorrow anyway."

The cat stopped moving.

"I don't know if there's anyone who can take care of your food because of the situation we're in. But you won't die that easily, I'm sure at least one person will feed you. Well, you're big and smart, so you'll be fine even if you go back to the wild."

Yugeon quickly stuffed all the clothes into the backpack, no longer bothering to fold them neat and tidy.

"A world without people might be a paradise for you. There's no rat poison to worry about when you go rummaging through food waste, but still, take care of yourself. Don't just pick up anything and eat, and..... don't....."

Yugeon's voice gradually trailed off, sensing the strangeness in the room. The clothes in his hands dropped to the bed. He kept an indifferent attitude and looked down. Instead of a cat with black fur...... he saw a strong arm wrapped around his waist. White bandages stained with blood covered the brown skin. The man rested his head on Yugeon's shoulder from behind.

".....Can't you not go?"

Chan whispered. His voice was already hoarse and cracked from numerous injuries he hadn't recovered well from, so the whisper became even more subdued. It was a sunken, depressing tone uncharacteristic for his usual personality. He had heard that he couldn't even get up from the bed due to his heavy injuries. How did he get here?

The rim of his ears were left tingling from his hesitant voice, making the fine soft hair on his nape stood on edge. Yugeon, however, did not look back. He picked up the clothes he had dropped earlier.

"I know it's nonsense. But just one more time, can you think over it just one more time..... I'll do whatever you want. If you want me to get down to my knees, I'll gladly do it. You can also beat me up if you want..... fuc, I don't know what I'm even talking about."

"Ha."

Yugeon burst into a dry laugh. Chan clearly froze as he hugged him.

"Between us."

"....."

"We never had that kind of relationship. Did we?"

The breath brushing against Yugeon's shoulder and nape became slightly harsh. Then slowly, and very slowly, the arms that had been holding Yugeon tightly, as if they would never let him go, slipped away.

He sat behind Yugeon with his head bowed, and remained silent for a long time. Yugeon too said nothing. The silence ensued. Just when Yugeon reached for his backpack again, no longer bothering to wait for his reply, Chan suddenly opened his mouth.

"Yes. Baek Yugeon."

"....."

"Let's never see each other..... ever again."

He gritted his teeth, and chewed out every single word. As if squeezing out all his pent-up emotions. He didn't raise his head until the end.

"I won't apologize. Even if I did, it would mean nothing to you."

"Yes."

"Bye. Live well."

Chan rose up from his seat slowly like a beast stretching his limbs. Hard muscles twitched under the bandages tightly wrapped around his naked upper body.

"I really meant it when I said live well. Also, try not to get caught by lunatics like us again, are you even aware that you are the perfect type to attract crazy people?"

Chan smiled when he noticed Yugeon staring up at him sitting on the bed.

"Then this will be the last time I see you. I won't come down tomorrow just to say goodbyes awkwardly."

He knew first love never succeeds. First love, unrequited love, whatever, but this relationship started wrong from the very first step. The ending was obvious. How was he different from the bastards who kidnapped Yugeon?

"Ah. I actually have one thing to apologize for."

"What is it?"

"That's, cough, heum. I'm sorry I pretended to be a cat."

"I don't mind. I kind of guessed it."

"You guessed it?"

"Because you don't act that differently."

Chan looked dumbfounded at Yugeon's words. Since when did he notice? Then, no way, when he jumped on Yugeon's neck and pretended to be a fur scarf, even then.....

"Should have told me when you noticed it, you little..... ha..... What a jerk."

Chan rubbed his face dry with his one hand free of bandages. He looked flustered.

"I'm leaving."

He raised his hand half-heartedly and left. The back of his neck he saw before disappearing beyond the door was flushed bright red.

In the end, Yugeon couldn't even fill half of his backpack. He was as empty-handed as he first came here. He laid down on the bed with a shabby luggage that didn't even look like one, and stayed up all night with his eyes wide open.

Almuten is dead and he is finally freed from the contract. But why does it feel like nothing has been resolved yet? It became unbearably stuffy all of a sudden. When Yugeon finally kicked off all the blankets and got up, it was barely at the peep of dawn.

The safe house they were currently staying in was a three-story detached house. When he opened the front door and went out, he saw a spacious porch before he could see a driveway. The garden at dawn, covered in night dewdrops, greeted him. A cool mist grazed the walls surrounding the mansion, and from time to time, the cry of grasshoppers could be heard from the neglected overgrown lawn. He stepped down from the porch putting on the slippers that were a size larger than his. The damp grass was trampled on with every step he took. As he breathed in the cool night air mixed with the smell of fresh grass, his head cleared up a bit.

Soon, everything would be over. When the dawn broke, the car sent by Bari would come and pick him up. All Yugeon needed to do was to get on it and leave. Whether Shinje or Heesu, who were still unconscious, died or not, and whatever happened to Erewhon Team 1 after he left, it was none of his business. Just as Yugeon no longer needed them, they no longer needed Yugeon. The world they originally lived in was far different from Yugeon's anyway, so after he left, they would never meet again in their lifetime.

It was a crystal clear conclusion. No need to worry more. However, he had a feeling that he was forgetting the most important thing. What on earth.....

Many wildflowers that he couldn't put the names to were blooming on the lawn. It was still dark everywhere, so he couldn't see their exact shape. A scene from his recent memories was superimposed on top of them.

"Do you know the name of the flowers? I brought these here on purpose for Guide Baek Yugeon."

"It's Hyperoxis Aurea. In other words, golden star grass."

Yellow wild flowers in a vase. His own birth flower. Shinje smiling with a flower in his ear. Saying it was a joke in a soft voice. Cut off from the miserable world outside, the tightly closed door and the feeling of the soft blankets....... Yugeon took a step forward as if possessed and picked up a flower. But when he held the flower close and looked carefully, he could tell. That this flower was a dandelion. Except for the fact that the petals were yellow, they didn't look alike at all.

"No. This isn't..."

Yugeon picked another flower. It was not that flower either. He picked one more. Not this, another. And another. He wandered through the whole garden, picking up every flower he could find. Small scratches had started to appear on his dew-soaked hands, and the flowers he was looking for were still not found even when the flowers he had picked were no longer enough to carry both hands, slowly filling his arms.

Yugeon briskly stood up, holding a bunch of wildflowers in his blood-stained hands. Only then did he realize the identity of the nervousness he had been feeling all along. He couldn't leave Shinje as it was. Shinje was the one who dragged him into the abyss, drove him to death, and eventually brought him back to life. So, it was only fair that his life also had to be tied with Yugeon's hand.

"If I'm still alive, after Almuten's death, after everything is over..... if then, I want Guide Baek Yugeon to take my breath away."

"You want me to kill you?"

When have you ever obediently listened to anything I wanted? How shameless are you to ask me to do that. You are really despicable. I hate you so much that it's unbearable.

".....do you think you can have everything your way?"

He strode into the house, holding flowers in his arms. He was dragging his injured leg and walking as if he was about to collapse just a moment ago, but now his steps had gained strength before he knew it. He basically ran through the dimly lit living room and hallway, blindly looking for Shinje's room.

He found the man placed on a bed in an empty room bathed in moonlight. ‘I could hear Yugeon-ie coming to me from far away.’ The man who would laugh and tease him was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was only a pale figure lying under the covers. Shinje was quietly sleeping. His face, shining white under the moonlight, looked like a painting. Even the long shadows under the eyelashes could be said to be part of the artwork.

After Almuten's death, he was carried out of the collapsing Mazzaroth moribund. Thanks to all the emergency measures taken, all his injuries had gradually recovered. New flesh grew on his crushed arm and filled the split open chest. Not even a small scratch on the cheek or arm was left behind.

However, even after he was all healed up, he did not regain consciousness. His pulse and breathing were normal, and he responded reflexively to external stimuli, but Shinje showed no signs of waking up no matter how much time passed. It was like an empty shell left after the kernel had been removed.

He had only walked from the garden to the bedroom, but somehow, he felt out of breath. Yugeon gasped for breath as he gently placed the flowers he had brought on Shinje's chest. Just as quietly and secretly as the night Shinje came to Yugeon's hospital room with a bouquet of flowers. White, yellow, blue, red, purple, wildflowers of various sizes, colors, and shapes were clumsily arranged not in any particular order. The flowers sometimes shifted from their places with his even breaths.

What are you dreaming about now? Or are you resting well without even dreaming? You really have no shame. You dragged me to Mazzaroth saying we would die together, but saved me instead and sent me back to reality, and now you're resting comfortably?

"Leader, are you listening? I will never forgive you."

Yugeon put his hand on Shinje's neck as if he would choke him at any moment. Whether he was aware of it or not, Shinje still had his eyes closed peacefully. The deep blue shadows of the night were smeared on one side of his face.

"Just like you did to me, this time....."

Yugeon's hand, which had been casting a shadow on Shinje's neck, trailed up, and only stopped at the side of his head.

"I'm going to rape you."

Did you say it's your wish to die in my hands? If that's the case, I'll keep you alive by all means. That will be my revenge, and the last affection I can spare you.

He pulled off the blanket and climbed on top of Shinje. Even though he was directly touching him, Shinje didn't show any sign of being disturbed. Yugeon placed his hand on his fair, soft cheek. He caressed his face with his fingers as much as pleased, which he would never have thought to do otherwise. He slipped his fingers between his light-colored locks, grabbed them, and tilted his head back.

"....."

Shinje's eyelashes trembled. His lips slightly moved without a sound. Yugeon stopped breathing for a moment. But that was all. Shinje neither opened his eyes nor spoke to Yugeon.

He let go of his hair and lowered his upper body. Until Shinje's breaths were brushing against his upper lips. If Yugeon moved just a little, their lips might touch each other. Unlike Shinje's smooth, ruddy lips, Yugeon's lips were dry, and chapped with blood. On the surface, Yugeon looked more like a patient.

After tenaciously observing Shinje's reactions, or lack thereof, without blinking once, Yugeon slowly closed his eyes and pressed their lips together. He immediately felt the warmth. He parted his lips slightly, changed the angle, and kissed him again. All the kisses he had ever had in his life were only after meeting Shinje. Other than that, he didn't know of any other kisses. Still, it would be quite a lot if he had counted the number of times, but Yugeon was still clumsy.

He pushed his tongue into his parted lips. It felt warm and moist inside. He tried licking the inside lightly as Shinje did with him. His movements were hesitant at first, but he became bolder and bolder as he continued.

"Heug, heueu..."

Yugeon's body, cooled by the early morning air, gradually warmed up on top of Shinje. The lower part of his belly felt tight. It was a perverse pleasure that came from straddling an irresistible opponent, and violating his mouth as he pleased.

His lips trailed down, brushing swift kisses along the sharp jawline, ears, and the solid neck under it. What's wrong with this human being, that even his auricles looked pretty? Swallowing the irritation that rose up from his heart, he bit down on his earlobe once, and let it go.

"Haa, haa, heog."

Yugeon straightened up, wiping his wet lips with the back of his hand. Sitting on top of Shinje, he crossed his arms, pulled off the T-shirt he was wearing without hesitation, and took off the rest of his clothes. What should I do next? Yugeon agonized for a few moments with a frown on his face, then pulled up Shinje's top. The curved abs came into view.

He buried his lips on the halfway point between his stomach and waist, and sucked on the skin. He even gently scraped the area near the pelvis with his front teeth. It didn't come off as a seductive attempt, but instead, a caress like that of a young animal that had just started to grow teeth. Red teeth marks quickly appeared on his marble-like white skin. It would soon disappear without a trace, but for now, the sight of it was arousing.

"....."

Shinje's brows furrowed slightly. He didn't know if it was a hallucination or not, but it seemed like he heard a moan-like sigh. Startled, Yugeon put his hands on Shinje's thighs to keep his balance on top of him. It was then he sensed something hard pressed under his palm. He was sure it wasn't even a full erection, but it felt already bulky. How did he put this inside him before?

Shinje would stir Yugeon from head to toe every time, causing his mind to be completely blown away, filling his insides until he felt nauseous. He never had time to be scared in advance estimating the size. Just while repeating the thought that he was going to die, clinging and gasping in his arms, his insides would be filled up before he knew it. He didn't know whether Shinje's technique was good or not, but he was always left breathless, dry heaving while tears and saliva spilled uncontrollably, and yet Yugeon had never actually seen blood with him.

Yugeon swallowed his dry saliva, and loosened Shinje's pants. When he got to the underwear, he had to prepare his mind once more. He pulled it down, chewing on his lower lip. A heavy, half-erect cock bounced out at an oblique angle. If he had taken it off without thinking, he would have been hit by it like before.

The heavy cock had thumping veins sprouted along the pale pink length. At the top was the rounded thick glans. The mere sight of it made him blanch.

"Ha....."

He breathed out a sigh and cupped the base of the cock with both hands. The heat of it burned his palms. Yugeon hesitated a bit after bringing the head to his mouth, warily licking his chapped lips. He then finally made up his mind. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth. There was no such thing like licking or swirling his tongue on the sensitive parts. He just tried to swallow the entire length in one go. Until the heavy, rounded tip was hitting the back of his throat.

"Cough!"

His vision whitened out for a split second. He could see there was still a long way to go, but he just couldn't swallow it any more. Yugeon stroked the remaining length with his hand, while clumsily sucking on the cock inside his mouth. Engulfed in wet heat, he felt Shinje's cock grow even bigger on his tongue. To the point where he thought his jaw might fall off.

"Eub, heu, eu..... Heog...... heueub."

Yugeon's bangs slowly became a mess as he began to move his head underneath Shinje. Drowning in his own strangled wet moans, he didn't pick up Shinje's faint moans mixed between. Hallowing his cheeks around the cock inside his mouth, Yugeon reached out to his back. He had never tried preparing himself, so he wasn't sure if he was doing right, even as he felt around the dry entrance.

"Heueug!"

The moment he forced one finger in his hole, a pained cry burst out of his throat. It hurt terribly, as if the soft inner walls were being scraped out altogether. Tears immediately welled up around his red-rimmed eyes. He spat out the cock he was sucking on for a brief moment, and pressed his index and middle fingers inside his mouth instead. He pulled his fingers out after roughly swirling them around the hot, soft flesh, then shoved his wet fingers all the way to the lowest joints. It burned a little, but it was far better than before.

Yugeon tried loosening up his hole as much as he could, but he soon gave up. The embarrassment felt greater than the pain. He thought he would rather put the cock inside right now than spend more time doing this. He got up on his knees and settled down on Shinje's thighs. The engorged tip brushed against his wet entrance. As if it would burrow itself right away if it could.

"Haa...... heog, haa, hu......"

Yugoen took a deep breath and looked down at Shinje. Before he knew it, a faint blush had risen on Shinje's fair cheeks. He looked as if he was also out of breath. His chest rose and fell noticeable enough to see it with naked eyes. The body was fine, but he showed no sign of waking up. The only conclusion they could make was that Shinje's unconscious mind was refusing to wake up. Yugeon made up his mind again. Forcing someone who had chosen death to hold onto their life, saving their miserable life by any means. There would be no revenge more suited with this man.

"Heu, eug....."

He bit down on his lip and lowered his body. The heavy glans slowly breached inside. Yugeon swallowed a gasp and threw back his head. A vein appeared on the back of his neck. His perineum had swelled up so tight that he could tell without even seeing it.

"Ah, ahah..... Ha-eu, eug."

It became harder to breathe at the feeling of a foreign object slowly burrowing itself inside. Yugeon closed his eyes tightly. Various stains covered his darkened field of vision. Intense pressure crawled up along the spine.

When he got to a certain spot, he could no longer sink down on it. No matter how much weight he tried to put on, only terrible pain spread throughout his pelvis and showed no sign of it entering any further. Yugeon exhaled a short breath, and pulled himself up. Since he didn't loosen himself properly, even with spit, he was left chafed when the cock, pressed hard against the dry narrow walls, was dragged out again. Yugeon felt like all his organs might be taken out together like this.

"....."

Yugeon could no longer make a sound properly and just kept his mouth shut. His forehead and hair below his ears were already soaked with cold sweat. A drop of sweat trickled down his chin and fell on Shinje's chest. Yugeon gritted his teeth and lowered his hips again.

He knelt on top of Shinje and moved his body clumsily into a sitting position with his thighs apart. Puck, puck, puck. A series of obscene sounds not suited with the quiet and cool atmosphere of the breaking dawn rang out in the room.

He had never done such an active guiding before. The other people would approach Yugeon first if they needed him, and leave when their desires were satisfied. In other words, they would come to Yugeon's full tank, take as much as water they needed, and leave.

Even when the subject of the guiding changed, it had always been the same. The only difference between hugging Heeseong over clothes, and being passed around among Erewhon Team 1, and lying under the same blanket with Shinje was that if Heeseong took about a cup of water, the amount the others took were as much as a swimming pool or a lake.

However, this was different. The other party had never said that he wanted it, but he was guiding him on his own. Every time he moved his waist, the heavy cock lodged inside was dragged all over his inner walls. He twisted his pelvis around, instinctively finding the spot that felt good. His insides had heated up and became too sensitive, that it was electrifying just to have the cock inside prod around him. The swollen tip would jab straight on his prostate from time to time again and again, and it was when his mind would turn blank.

Yugeon reached for his cock with trembling hands. He had closed his eyes before he even realized it. Shinje's cock had plunged tightly inside and was bulging just below his navel. He felt more naked than he could ever.

"Heog, heueug, ah...... ah, eueung....."

He held his cock in one hand and pumped up and down, and never stopped moving his hips. His hips jerking, as he kept pushing down deeper and deeper, forcing his waist upright. Instead of letting the other person take it away, on the contrary...... he pushed all the energy he had into the other person with all his strength. The energy was immediately drained out of his body without a stoppage. He felt as if someone had shoved their invisible hand right through the center of his rib cage and ripped out his heart. No, to be exact, it was closer to the feeling of splitting his own chest and tearing his own heart out.

He had never thought this kind of guiding would be possible. It was both ecstatic and terrifying at the same time. It felt as if his life would end together when this guiding, or sex, was over. It didn't matter anyway. Frantically, he poured all his life force into Shinje.

A pale blue light colored his eyelids. It seemed that the day was about to break. Tears welled up in his eyes. Every time he sat completely on top of Shinje, with the entirety of his twitching cock buried inside, his inner walls would spasm and clamp down on it uncontrollably. His movements gradually became sharper and more hurried. The insides of his thighs had tightened around Shinje's waist.

Yugeon gritted his teeth and raised his body, giving strength to his hardened thighs and knees. The swollen cock lodged deep inside came out with an obscene sound, sticky wet with its own precum. His inner walls clung to it desperately, the red rim clenching down hard on the withdrawing dick.

"Heueug....."

A sobbing moan broke out from between his teeth. It was when he felt something snapped, when his body started to move on his own, frantically putting his weigh down, pounded the cock deep inside, fucking himself on Shinje's dick. The cock he could feel pulsating inside his guts was throbbing vigorously. Without any notice, the engorged tip pressed exactly on his prostate spewed out. The burning heat he abruptly felt on his sensitive walls also pushed Yugeon over the edge.

"Ah...... ah-eug, ah, ahah!"

Yugeon came with his thighs shaking uncontrollably as if he had been electrocuted. It was a pleasure like death. All his senses went far away, his pupils blown wide.

He closed his eyes tightly. Tears brimming in his eyes trickled down from the corners of his eyes. They looked dazzling, glimmering under the gently pouring light of the dawn. Never again for any other reason. There should not be. Because, I'll never cry for you, ever again.....

"Eug, haa....."

Shinje groaned, his eyes trembling. It was only then he came to his senses. Yugeon propped himself up from the bed, stumbling on his weak limbs, and looked down.

The flowers that he had picked earlier had been scattered all over the bed by the violent movements. Bedding, clothes, and both of their skin were stained with the juice from the crushed petals. In the midst of that chaos was Shinje, still asleep. His stomach was also soiled with Yugeon's climax. The sight in front him was decadent, and at the same time, irresistibly bewitching.

Thump, thump, thump. Shinje's heartbeats sounded clearer than before. His flushed cheeks and intermittently twitching eyelashes looked alive. It looked as if he would open his eyes immediately and call Yugeon right away.

He could tell intuitively. Shinje would wake up soon enough. He would finally be forced to awake from his long slumber and continue living the life he so loathed. It was an intuition as someone who had mixed both body and mind with Shinje, and as a guide who had revived him pouring his own life into him.

And with that, Yugeon realized, it was time to leave. Since his duty to Shinje was now completely over.

"...Ah."

Yugeon sat in a daze. Beads of sweat, or tears perhaps, he didn't know, ran down his cheeks. The light from the window painted their silhouettes in a bluish color. The sun had been rising before he knew it.

Bari sent the car as soon as it was early in the morning, as promised. It was a military vehicle with a rough design. Bari's situation was not much different from Erewhon, so most of the cars they owned were also damaged. They must have found a car that was fortunately intact.

"Good morning."

A woman wearing a blouson got out of the driver's seat and greeted them. Taein lowered his head appropriately, and Yugeon reacted a beat later.

"Good morning."

"Guide Baek Yugeon, you're the one who's coming with me. Right?"

"Yes."

"I'm Bari's deputy... Well, this title is useless now, isn't it? This is Lim Hyojin. I came here at the request of our Leader Seok. Is that all I need to load?"

Hyojin had a large build and seemed to have a wild personality, just like the car she rode in. She grabbed Yugeon's backpack easily with one hand the size of a pot lid, tossed it into the back seat, then opened the passenger door, and patted the seat. [5]

"Get in. The car looks a bit old, but the ride's comfortable."

Yugeon turned his head back without meaning to. Taein, who was watching him with his arms crossed, nodded his head. As if asking why wasn't he getting in.

There were only three of them in front of the mansion's gate. No one but Taein came down to see him off. It was a laughably dull sight. Chan said with his own mouth that he would not say goodbye, and Shinje and Heesu wouldn't even know that Yugeon was leaving. Yugeon, unable to find anything else to say, took a step to get into the car. It was then Taein called him from behind.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

Yugeon stopped.

"Heesu woke up a little while ago."

"Is that so?"

"He heard the car and knew you are leaving."

"....."

Yugeon turned around. His shoulders were slightly stiffened with tension. Given Heesu's personality, it didn't seem like he'd let him go smoothly. It would be fortunate if he didn't try to kill Yugeon or cut off his limbs to keep him by his side.

"What did he say?"

"He asked if it was the case, took the medicine, and soon fell back asleep."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

It was an oddly plain response. Taein added, when he noticed Yugeon's expression was becoming more subtle.

"Heesu is used to parting. It's just that he was never given a chance to say proper goodbyes. He has countless experience parting after fellow Hunters' deaths, and with the guides who either went crazy or ran away within a month of joining."

"....."

"Anyway, you don't have to worry. If anything happens later, I'll do something about it."

"What about the Leader?"

A question, impulsively asked, popped out of nowhere. He didn't even know why he asked such a question when he had decided to throw away all his resentments and leave. Taein frowned slightly.

"He's..."

Bbang bbang! A cheerful horn rang through the morning air. Before they knew it, Hyojin was already in the driver's seat, and was ready to leave.

"Are you coming, or not? I came all the way here just because Leader and Guide-unni asked me to. If you keep dilly-dallying, I'll just go?"

"I'm sorry."

Yugeon bowed his head towards her. Taein closed his mouth with a shallow sigh. Yugeon turned back around, and put one foot on the car sill.

"Guide Baek Yugeon, wait."

His arm was grabbed from behind. Before he could figure out what was going on, his body was turned halfway around. Taein, who had come right in front of him, was holding his wrist. He was bare-handed. Since when? Taein wasn't looking at him as if he was dirty, and wasn't even wearing gloves when touching him.

"Bye...."

Taein paused on his words a bit uncharacteristically. The calm gaze that had been staring straight at Yugeon turned downwards.

"Goodbye."

He lowered his upper body deeply and pressed his lips on the back of Yugeon's hand. The warmth spread to his whole body, as if it wasn't enough to burn the spot his lips had touched. He felt as if he had touched the flame, not the lips. He didn't think it would be strange if he got burned along the spot.

The warm lips moved away like a fleeting daydream. Taein took off his lips, straightened his back, and stepped back with a calm face as if he had never done so. He then stood still in front of the gate and watched. Until Yugeon's car was completely gone out of the alley.

Yugeon stared at the side mirror the entire time the car was pulling out of the driveway. The car left the safe house behind and entered the main road. Soon, the man standing tall alone on the empty road and the mansion behind him disappeared from his view.

"Where are we going?"

It was the first thing Yugeon said, breaking the silence. Hyojin relaxed her hand on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead, and replied.

"South."

"South?"

"It's a small town, quite a distance from here, but a good place to live. It's my hometown. But I'm not so sure if it's still in one piece, you know."

The car passed through a residential area. Perhaps because it was a suburb bordering the mountains, it was relatively peaceful here. However, from the city center that could be seen faintly ahead, black smoke was rising ceaselessly.

"Are you going back to your hometown?"

"Before I entered Mazzaroth. I thought I won't come back out alive. I even wrote a will before I went in. But I regretted it a lot."

Hyojin scratched the back of her head as if embarrassed.

"If I die without ever being able to visit the place where I grew up one last time, see the faces of the family and friends I left behind..... I wondered what was the point giving up everything for humanity. Even so, I was going to die soon anyway, so I just closed my eyes and gave up. Then I survived? I resigned right away the very second we got out."

"Resign. Leader Seok let you resign that easily?"

"We'll have to lay off a lot of members anyway. I was just the first batter."

"What do you mean?"

"Huh? Guide-nim. Haven't you heard the news? That we are on the verge of a massive unemployment crisis."

"Yes?"

Yugeon only blinked with a puzzled expression.

"No new gates have been found anywhere since the end of the attack on Mazzaroth. No new Awakened or Guides either. Once we're done dealing with the existing gates..... maybe."

The car finally pulled onto the side of the boulevard. The bright sunlight bounced off the asphalt. It was blinding. Yugeon, who had been plunged into a daze at Hyojin's words, grimaced. He felt like crying.

"The world we never knew is coming back. The world before the Outbreak."

"Ah....."

Their car rattled across the city. The sight of the city under the bright sun was truly miserable. The high-rise buildings that used to form a dense concrete jungle had all collapsed, and the blue mountains were finally visible in the distance. Fully armed Hunters and Espers were seen occasionally roaming the ruined streets, but no civilians were seen, not even a peck of their nose.

"Will we be able to recover from this? It's all ruined."

"It may be difficult right now, but won't it be possible someday? Billions of people were slaughtered when mutants first appeared, but didn't we somehow manage to survive adapting to them? And vice versa. We've already been through one catastrophe, so the recovery might even be swift."

"Is that so?"

"Of course."

"....."

Yugeon leaned his head against the passenger side window and fell silent. He no longer had anything to say, or had too many things he wanted to say. Hyojin smiled.

"Sleep tight until we arrive."

"No, it's fine. You are giving me a ride. How can I...."

"I will be fine even if I don't sleep for a day or two, but Guide-nim is not the same, are you?"

"I'll be fine, too."

"Uh huh. What nonsense are you spouting? Your face is basically paper white, and your eyes are all bloodshot. You are totally not fine. I'm even thinking if I should have just put you in the back seat from the beginning."

"But."

Yugeon tried to protest again. However, Hyojin shook her head and stretched out one arm to hold his shoulder. The strength in her thick, rough arm was no joke. Yugeon couldn't say anything and was pressed down hard in the passenger seat.

"If you don't, I'll force you to sleep."

"....."

Yugeon looked at her reluctantly, and eventually closed his eyes. The desolate landscape of the once bustling city was no longer visible.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he immediately fell asleep as if he was knocked out. As if all the sleepless nights he had spent wide awake came rushing in. It didn't help that he was up all night before dawn broke. It felt like his whole body was being sucked into the car seat.

"I can't believe I'm unemployed..... Darn, do I have to study for a certificate now?"

Hyojin's grumbling could be heard beyond his fading consciousness. Soon even that drifted far away.

Immediately after arriving at Hyojin's downtown, Yugeon fell seriously ill. As if all the pain and hurt he had stifled down so far swam up to the surface. The fever kept rising like there was no end, his throat was so hoarse that he could barely make a sound. He couldn't even call an ambulance since he had left his cell phone and terminal behind. Even if he had called, they would have been busy dealing with more serious patients who were swept away by the disaster.

There was no older brother next to him who would get him medicine and water despite his nervousness, and no one to put him on a soft bed and call a doctor. Phantoms of the past haunted him as he stared up at the dim ceiling, suffering from a high fever all on his own. It was all the more painful now than when he was wounded in the middle of a battle.

Erewhon was well-known for being generous with their salary, and he was given a staggering amount of money, with a series of zeros that continued to the point where he felt sick to the stomach. He had much more money in his possession right now than what he had earned together with Heeseong in their lifetime. If he wanted, he could live in one of the most luxurious houses in the town. But he didn't want to. He felt guilty to live well-off in the world where his brother couldn't. Yugeon spent his birthday all alone, lying curled up in a shabby single room he got temporarily, swallowing the pain, until the end of the miserable summer.

Time passed the same way even in an unfamiliar city. After the summer that was like a sizzling boil on the ground, the weather gradually cooled down, and it became the season where biting winds blow.

"Group A's work is done for today. Thank you all for your hard work!"

Clap, clap, clap. Loud claps rang out. At those words, people scattered throughout the factory raised their heads one after another. Everyone took off their thick industrial dust masks and gasped for breath.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Be careful on your way home. Good work today."

"Sangmin-ie, you have to go up with me for a second. A request came in to change the quantity of yesterday's order."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't forget to fill out your shift log!"

"I'm leaving first."

"Take a look."

There was a brief exchange of greetings. There was a young man among them, dressed only in simple achromatic colors. It was rather hard not to notice him as he prepared to go home alone away from the chattering tired factory workers in groups of twos and threes.

"Baek Yugeon!"

A thick arm suddenly slung over his shoulder. There was a faint smell of sweat. Yugeon turned around with a blank face.

"Are you leaving alone without a word again? You're making me sad."

The middle-aged man grinned. He used to grumble that the young newcomer was unreasonably rude and didn't know how to be cute, but now he had gotten used to his stiff attitude. The kid looked a little cold at first, but he was a pretty cute guy when you got to know him. [6]

"Let's have a get-together today. It's Friday night."

A slightly younger man next to him stuck his head out as if he had been waiting.

"How about gopchang and soju?"

"Gopso is good." [7]

"Huh? Is that it?"

"Bastard, you ate 5 servings of beef alone the other day, and why don't you just pull out my spine, huh?" [8]

"So, Yugeon-ie, what about you? You are the only one who missed the get-together dinner last time."

"This kid, you know no one in this neighborhood, and lives alone, stuck at home every day. Did you put honey on your house? Do you have a pretty lover hidden somewhere?" [9]

"He's right. Hey, Yugeon-ah. What are you even living for?"

A question that was asked without much meaning ripped open the unhealed scab. What was he even living for? He hadn't been able to find an answer for himself yet. In fact, he wanted to ask himself a different question. Why was he still alive?

"I..."

Yugeon slightly turned his head and lowered his gaze. Black eyes that were hard to read what they were thinking turned to the floor.

Yugeon, as usual, was blunt without tact. He was tall and good-looking, yet this kid had no interest in playing around. The only time his nonchalant attitude softened a little was only when he was in front of the elderly, babies, and animals who showered him with affection. It was difficult to picture him in a relationship.

He was also strange at times. He would blur the end of his words when asked about his past, blinking his muddy eyes slowly, and sighed sweeping back his black hair drenched in sweat. It was a side of him he rarely showed, since this kid hardly ever lost his composure. It made you wonder what kind of life he used to live, but had no way to know as he almost never opened his mouth.

"Today, it's a little. I'm afraid I can't."

The men who had been waiting for Yugeon's answer with their eyes sparkling lost the sparks almost at the same time.

"You are being too expensive. Why is it harder to eat with you than our boss? Huh? Do we have to beg you to come along?"

"Anyway, you really are a dull bastard."

Disappointment came back right away in the form of harsh language. However, there was no change in Yugeon's expression. He added quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with his wrist.

"Today is the anniversary of my parents' death."

"....."

"....."

Yugeon, who rarely talked about himself, confided about his family for the very first time. But that was, of course, the date of his parent's death.

"Ah, uh... Yugeon-ah. Um. That, I don't know what to say..... but I'm sorry."

"Me too, I'm sorry I just ran my mouth without even knowing your situation."

"This kid, you should have told us earlier if that's the case. Cough, here, buy your parents a nice drink with this. And tell them we're sorry."

They rummaged through the pockets of their work clothes and handed him some crumpled bills. No matter how much Yugeon refused, it was useless. They patted Yugeon on the shoulder and left, telling him to rest well on the weekend.

"You know, the neighborhood next door. The place that they closed down long ago. I heard it's all cleared up."

"Huh? That place's been closed since I was a child. Is it finally no longer restricted?"

"I heard that the gate has completely disappeared, and those guys, Hunters or Espers, they took care of everything. So, it won't be a big deal anymore."

"Days like this do come when you live long enough."

"By the way, wasn't there like. A Hunter group that's really famous, you know. What's their name again? Ere..... Erewhon Eriwhon? That place where they do something. What are those guys up to these days?"

A name that he never expected to hear in this place came to his ears. Yugeon's pupils shook slightly. Regardless of that, the colleagues gradually walked away murmuring together.

"Really? Come to think of it, it's been a while since I saw something about them on the news."

"Didn't everyone die back then?"

"Eh, no way. They probably dusted off their hands and left since they've got less work to do now."

"Can't blame them, the money they would have earned must be in the tens of billions, why would anyone want to continue doing that risky thing?"

After staring blankly at their backs until they disappeared around a corner, Yugeon sighed and pulled down his hat. His sharp eyes were neatly hidden under the shadow of the hat's brim.

[1] Almuten's ‘red dwarf-like eyes’ - google says there's a type of stars called ‘red-dwarfs’. wiki

[2] 상명하복 - it originally says ‘top-down command’, but I translated it as ‘blind obedience’. [上命 下服, if commanded from above, the below must obey.] you can read more about the toxic culture of it, especially in military orgs. idk about the western countries’ military and stuff, but its quite the same thing in my country. ‘the top-down command’ culture.

[3] 역린 - [逆鱗] reverse scale/ the emperor's wrath. Used to describe a person's personal grievance, trigger, etc. read more

[4] Brinicle - [youtube]

[5] 솥뚜껑 만 한 손으로 - [hyojin's] hand the size of a pot lid, the description is pretty funny, so I looked up for a bit, and saw someone compiled a list k-idols who has hands ‘the size of a pot lid’. adgjfkgk

[6] ‘[Yugeon] didn't know how to be cute’ - like it doesn't ‘literally’ mean that guy wants yugeon to act “cute”, he wants him to be more ‘friendly’ to the senior workers as a newcomer.

[7] 곱쏘 - Gopchang 곱창 + Soju 소주 = Gopso 곱쏘

[8] pull out my spine - same meaning as breaking his back, can't afford the bills, etc.

[9] Did you put honey on your house? - for someone who always stick around in their house.

[10] 제사 - you can read more about Jesa ceremony here. yugeon is holding a gije for his parents.

[11] flowers blooming from a heap of ashes - i thought the description was pretty, so i looked up, and found out that some flowers do grow from ashes, especially after wild/forest fires, like fire poppies.

[12] Dante Aligieri, Divine Comedy, Seo Sangwon, Starbooks, 2019.

⤷ The original annotation from the ebook.

[13] 우리 - a long ramble about Chapter 10's title, 우리. when I started tl-ing part 1, i thought, ah, 우리, we, us. But then, when i reached part 2, i realized, oh, it also means, 우리, cage. Then i started tl-ing woo shinje's emo monologues, and all i could think was, fuck fuck fuck, do I have to go back and change the title???? So i dragged the raw file down to the very end, where I vaguely remember when I first read the novel, that the last chapter ended with the word, ‘우리’. And, i was right. ‘We’ 우리가.

I think it is a word play the author did intentionally. If it is, then it's pretty neat, i have to say. At the beginning, it was, 우리, shinje's cage. At the end, it was, 우리, them, yugeon and him.

I don't know, tbh, I'm not very confident. I may be wrong tho. Haha.....

translator note: and with this, we are done with main story!

here's my friend reacting to some of the best parts of this chapter.