Chapter 9
Seo Won was left speechless by the shocking story. Baek Rak, no, the people here had already lost so much and were living lives where losing things was natural. Lives where recovery was impossible, where you had to give up once you lost something.
He couldn’t scold them for not being progressive, nor could he encourage them to have hope. This was that kind of world.
Through Baek Rak, Seo Won felt like he had caught a glimpse of the atmosphere of this place. Could he really understand this world?
“……”
He still wasn’t sure. Not yet…….
Seo Won took a deep breath. He felt somewhat frustrated, as if he’d been given homework he couldn’t solve right away.
Come to think of it, what he had said contained the identity of those countless rocks embedded outside.
Meteorites.
Those huge rocks were meteorites, and creatures were endlessly pouring out from them. No matter how many they killed, they would reappear the next day as if nothing had happened, so it must feel like being trapped in an infinite loop.
A place where people existed who now aimed for survival rather than reclaiming their livelihood.
This world was a place too overwhelming even to protect one’s survival instincts.
“So don’t think unnecessary thoughts and just do as I tell you.”
“……”
“That’s the only way you’ll survive here.”
He did feel sorry for the desperate situation here. But separately from that, Baek Rak’s attitude was problematic.
Forceful oppression causes rebellion.
Such an attitude doesn’t lead relationships with people in a good direction. Even he had gotten a bit heated just now.
“Why do you talk like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not asking you to consider my position. We’re going to keep seeing each other, so wouldn’t it be better to get along well?”
“You want to get along well with me?”
“Yes.”
“So you want me to treat you kindly?”
“If possible, it would be good if we could be considerate of each other……”
“Isn’t it enough if you just listen to what I say?”
Huh? No, what kind of…….
Seo Won let out a hollow breath in bewilderment. How can someone not listen when you’re speaking nicely? Is there a need to be this extremely self-centered? Are all the people here originally like this? He roughly rubbed his face as his blood pressure shot up.
Only after shouting “relax” inwardly and barely calming his emotions could Seo Won face Baek Rak again.
“Since we’re talking about it, let me ask. What do you want from me?”
“……”
“What exactly is this thing you’re trying to make me do?”
What kind of amazing task is it that you’re being so forceful like this?
At first, he had grabbed his hand because he had no choice, but seeing his current behavior made him question things. Even though he spoke like that, he had saved him, so he believed he couldn’t be that bad of a guy.
But something was strange.
What a foreigner like himself could do in this place was limited. He didn’t know anything, so everything had to be explained to him. Yet Baek Rak was going through such trouble while demanding the condition that he listen to what he said.
What benefit could there be? Did he even intend to tell him beforehand?
“You, don’t tell me……”
Suddenly, a certain assumption flashed through his mind.
He had been naive. Happy about meeting another person, he hadn’t thought about how powerless people would be treated poorly in such a lawless world.
What could be the reason for taking in someone who couldn’t fight creatures and couldn’t survive alone? Having one more mouth to feed would only be burdensome.
Seo Won backed away from Baek Rak while thinking of the worst assumption. No, he tried to back away. If only his shoulder hadn’t been grabbed.
“Yoon Seo Won.”
“Ugh, let go!”
“That’s exactly the kind of unnecessary thinking I’m talking about.”
“……What?”
At that moment, a blue aura suddenly began to ripple and rise from Baek Rak’s body. Seo Won’s gaze was captivated by the wavering energy like a heat haze.
The energy, colored like a refreshing sea, like a blue sky, didn’t go beyond a certain range. It gathered together to become one giant mass of light, brightly illuminating the surroundings.
“Some groups use humans like slaves.”
“……”
“Others eat people.”
Light was dripping from Baek Rak’s eyes.
“You should be grateful that I don’t belong to such groups.”
Seo Won unconsciously stumbled backward. It felt like the light Baek Rak was emitting would come pouring down on him.
“You asked what I want?”
Baek Rak pressed both arms against the wall to prevent Seo Won from running away any further and looked down at him. His dazed pupils were wide open, filled with blue light. Like pitch-black darkness, the blindingly bright light made his vision blur.
“First, you need to receive my power.”
“Receive your power……? What power?”
When Seo Won seemed not to understand, Baek Rak added with feigned kindness.
“You need to become a Hunter.”
“……!”
At those words, Seo Won’s eyes widened. To receive Baek Rak’s power and become a Hunter…… Was that possible? Could he protect himself?
The joy at the unexpected proposal was brief, as uneasiness gradually crept up. But why did it feel unsettling? Just as he was about to trace the thread of that anxious feeling further, Baek Rak interrupted without fail.
“Tomorrow, once we move to a safer place than here, we’ll proceed immediately.”
“What?”
With those words, Baek Rak straightened up. Having gathered the energy he’d been emitting from his whole body, he turned his head away, avoiding Seo Won’s gaze.
“Wait, wait. Just wait.”
Seo Won urgently grabbed Baek Rak.
“How can you end a conversation so arbitrarily like this? I’m still……!”
“Can’t you hear this?”
Baek Rak, interrupting Seo Won’s words, pointed upward with his finger. Realizing what he was trying to say, Seo Won held his breath and looked at the ceiling.
In the space where the commotion had subsided, subtle vibrations were being felt once again.
Baek Rak slowly lowered his head and whispered quietly near Seo Won’s ear.
“Their hearing is quite sensitive.”
“……”
“It would be better to stay quiet if you don’t want to be discovered. If that seems difficult, at least try to sleep.”
Baek Rak slowly moved away from Seo Won. When the blue-glowing pupils disappeared in an instant and darkness returned, the ceiling began to rumble loudly.
The occasional movement of creatures that he had mentioned continued after that. So much so that it made him suspicious whether Baek Rak had lied.
The awkwardly interrupted conversation never resumed.
***
‘I’m tired.’
Seo Won frowned as he came out through the dim passage.
He couldn’t sleep properly all night due to the sounds of creatures moving, and had to hold his breath while being extremely tense. It was the first time night had felt this long. Waiting until morning was too difficult.
Still, after being in darkness where nothing was visible, the bright red sky was just welcome.
Seo Won, who had been looking up at the sky, looked around. He sighed at the changed appearance overnight. He doubted whether this was the same space as yesterday.
The creatures had moved so roughly that all the buildings that had retained their form had collapsed. The roads were nowhere to be seen, and there were dents everywhere. It was like ruins that had been entirely reconstructed.
“What a mess.”
Perhaps hearing his muttering, he felt Baek Rak’s gaze.
Seo Won deliberately turned away, pretending not to notice as he remembered the conversation that had been forcibly cut off last night. He had thought about it all night, but he had no choice. If there was one, it would only be between death and survival.
Honestly, becoming a Hunter had many advantages and would benefit both of them. The problem was that he felt uneasy not knowing what Baek Rak was hiding.
What exactly was he scheming?
“Yoon Seo Won.”
Before he knew it, Baek Rak’s voice was heard right next to him. He had no intention of answering, so he just turned his head, when suddenly his body floated up.
“Huh!”
Seo Won, who was placed on Baek Rak’s shoulder like luggage, urgently shouted.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“We’ll stop by Yangjae Stream first.”
“Hey! Baek Rak!”
“Keep your voice down unless you want to wake the creatures.”
“……!”
When Seo Won hurriedly shut his mouth, Baek Rak immediately started running.
Hung upside down and shaken mercilessly, Seo Won couldn’t suppress his dry heaving. His vision spun round and round, and his stomach was pressed against the hard shoulder. To describe the ride comfort, when he had been carried in Baek Rak’s arms, it was like a Mercedes driving on a well-paved road, but now, slung over his shoulder, it was like a truck driving on a gravel road.
‘To take revenge like this just because I ignored him for a moment!’
Seo Won stiffened his body while gripping Baek Rak’s waist tightly to prevent as much shaking as possible. The nausea was reduced compared to before, but it was only a slight difference – it was still difficult.
How long had they traveled like that? Eventually, Seo Won, who couldn’t endure it any longer, pleaded with Baek Rak with his face flushed bright red.
“Stop, please! Ugh! I get it, so please carry me properly…… please!”
However, Baek Rak didn’t even pretend to listen. He avoided his gaze and ignored him. If ignoring him was a crime, he would feel too wronged to sleep. Bad bastard.
The pain that seemed like it would continue forever only ended when they arrived at Yangjae Stream.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
