Free Web Novel* * *
This area looked just like the typical rural Korean countryside. Yohan stared longingly at the rice paddies, which were filled with grotesque, venomous-looking plants and weeds that moved sluggishly as if they had a mind of their own.
“If I get the chance, I want to try purifying those too.”
“Plants might be easier than animals. Good for practice.”
But no—that wasn’t why Yohan wanted to purify them. It wasn’t out of some practical or tactical motivation. It was simply that, while eating grilled meat yesterday, the soul of a Korean blessed with the blood of Ungnyeo had stirred within him and cried out for garlic or gochujang...
Today, they decided to go a little farther out. Strolling down the road as if on a casual walk, they came across abandoned tractors, cars, and empty houses. Every now and then, a monster would burst out from the thick weeds, only to meet a grim end thanks to Hyunmook’s kicks.
“You know, I feel like the monsters are actually scared of you, Mr. Hyunmook.”
“Good eye.”
“So they are afraid of you...”
Turns out it hadn’t been his imagination—when monsters saw Hyunmook, they slunk away and tried to flee. Convinced it was due to the aura of a top-tier Awakened, Yohan nodded in satisfaction and asked,
“Then do you think they’ll be scared of me too?”
His eyes sparkled with anticipation, but Hyunmook looked at him for a moment and answered in a gentle tone.
“Maybe... But I think it’d be best if our Yohan stuck close to me, just in case.”
Kind as the phrasing was, the meaning was clear: Probably not. Yohan drooped in disappointment.
“Okay...”
He was reminded once again that he wasn’t a combat-type Awakened. Sure, he’d wondered if he might be safe just purifying monsters whenever danger arose. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized: even after purification, a monster didn’t turn into a harmless animal. Even that frog they ate had been huge. If he purified a monster only for it to turn into an enraged giant bull, he’d still get gored.
“Oh? Isn’t that a supermarket?”
Just as he was sulking along, Yohan suddenly perked up. Only a fragment of the sign remained—something like <□◇ro Mar⊡>—but the building itself was clearly a large supermarket. Catching Yohan’s hopeful look, Hyunmook wordlessly stepped inside. Yohan stood off to the side and watched with reverence as Hyunmook dispatched the monsters inside.
“I’ll purify you!”
Once the one-sided slaughter was over, Yohan ran up eagerly. Since Awakening, he’d actually begun to enjoy using his ability. Watching filthy, grotesque things return to a clean, natural state gave him an immense sense of satisfaction. It was like tidying a messy room and admiring the results.
As Yohan activated his ability nearby, a cluster of shimmering light wrapped gently around Hyunmook’s body. The tense lines of Hyunmook’s eyebrows relaxed slightly as he accepted the glow seeping into him. The sticky filth clinging to his body slowly disappeared.
“Your power... it feels like I’m soaking in a hot spring.”
“Is that a good thing?”
Yohan asked innocently, and Hyunmook responded with a faint smile. Lowering his glossy black eyes, he suddenly, for no particular reason, reached out and tapped Yohan lightly on the cheek.
“Of course it is, Yohan. It’d be impossible for it not to be.”
Yohan turned away with a forced laugh, but his ears were gradually heating up. He was twenty-three, for god’s sake—why did Hyunmook feel so fundamentally different from him? Was the gap between your twenties and thirties really that wide? Even as an adult himself, Hyunmook still struck him as the epitome of maturity. Yohan’s heart thumped wildly in his chest.
It’s like looking at a celebrity... No, he basically is a celebrity, isn’t he? fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Falling into the Abyss aside, Hyunmook was still the most famous person in Korea, even after three years. Yohan told himself that’s all this fluttering meant. With that bubbly feeling, he started searching the supermarket with renewed energy. The stench wafting in from all directions barely registered.
The first section he ran to was the seasonings aisle. After grabbing salt and sugar—nearly untouched by time—he began inspecting jars of gochujang and doenjang. A frown creased his brow.
“So this is what spoiled looks like... Even the label is weird.”
Relying on the light orbs he’d summoned, Yohan tried reading the altered label:
[■yang... go■jang]
Manu■acturing Date: 9■99-99-99
Expir■tion Date: ■-■-■
*Product Name: ■yang... go■jang
*Product Type:
*Net Weight:
*Blood Cont■nt: ??%
*Ingredients: 사■(5.6%), 死(3.2%), 死亡(2.7%), cái, chết, toqu, θάνατος, dood, død, muerte, dauða, ความตาย...
“I can’t understand most of it, but it’s really creepy...”
Reading the label reminded Yohan of those jelly packs he’d picked up shortly after falling into the Abyss. He laid a hand on the jar of gochujang and shook his head.
“I really thought it was just some weird foreign import.”
“I figured it was better you didn’t know. I assumed reality would hit you soon enough anyway.”
Yohan couldn’t deny that Hyunmook had made the right call. Sure, it was like drinking water from a skull like the old monk Wonhyo, but learning the truth too early might’ve made things even harder to endure.
“So once you fall into the Abyss, eating normal food becomes nearly impossible, huh?”
“Either eat rot, eat tainted meat, or starve.”
Hyunmook replied in an unbothered tone. Yohan was genuinely thankful that he’d Awakened with purification powers. Who cared about being a damage-dealer? Just being able to provide safe food for Hyunmook made him so happy. After all, this was the man who had saved his life over and over—he wanted to repay him, even in small ways.
“Alright, I’m gonna open this one.”
The jar didn’t look any different after purification, which made Yohan nervous. He peeled the plastic seal back cautiously. Though the contents had shrunk a bit in volume, the inside revealed perfectly intact, brightly colored gochujang. He dipped a finger in and tasted it, and the familiar spice made him leap for joy.
“It’s gochujang! It worked!”
Excited by the successful purification, Yohan began collecting various kinds of seasoning sauces. However, foods that had already rotted beyond saving didn’t recover. He tossed aside a bread bag that contained nothing but dry, dusty crumbs and sighed. Just like monsters didn’t shrink back to normal size after purification, food that was /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ too far gone didn’t revert either.
Though most of the food was unsalvageable, Yohan still managed to fill two carts. The biggest wins were a whole sack of rice and a stack of canned kimchi. Though the purification process nearly halved their weight, they were still rice and kimchi. Thrilled, Yohan used his unbroken arm to loudly wheel the cart back home.
Eating precious kimchi with freshly steamed rice—it didn’t get better than this. After their satisfying meal, Yohan tried purifying the fridge, but only ended up with a pile of clean plastic containers filled with powdery remains. Disappointed, he turned to Hyunmook, who said,
“Yohan, I’ve decided on a goal.”
“A goal?”
Closing the fridge, Yohan tilted his head in confusion and approached. Until now, their only goal after falling into the Abyss had been survival. Lately, they’d begun hoping for a bit of stability. Hyunmook nodded toward Yohan’s injured arm.
“Once your arm’s healed, I think we should go find my spear.”
“Really? You know where it is?”
Yohan was shocked. Awakened weapons weren’t ordinary. The more dangerous the rift, the higher the chance you’d find materials not found on Earth. Support-type Awakened would use their powers to refine those into specialized weapons or gear. Ordinary weapons decayed quickly inside rifts, so Awakened all sought gear made from those rare materials.
Hyunmook’s spear had been made that way. Years ago, he’d supposedly slain a Class-10 monster and split its horn to craft weapons with his teammates.
“If I remember right, it’s not too far from here. Now that I’ve got you, I should stop hunting barehanded.”
“Then let’s go find it right away!”
Yohan was all for it. He always worried watching Hyunmook fight with just his fists. Injuries were one thing—but direct contact with monsters raised the risk of contamination dramatically. That’s exactly why close-range fighters preferred long-reach weapons like spears.
Maybe if more purification-type Awakened appear, combat strategies will change too?
He touched his chest. At first, he hadn’t felt it, but now... he knew without a doubt: he was upper-tier. He could feel the enormous power inside him itching to flow somewhere, to go find someone else with the potential to Awaken.
Yohan gave a bitter laugh. Not that it mattered—Hyunmook and himself were the only humans down here. Unless they escaped the Abyss, he would be the first and last Purifier.
