Free Web NovelWithout dreaming at all, Yang Yohan had slept deeply and sweetly—and the moment he opened his eyes, he shot upright. Rubbing his swollen eyes, he scrambled out of his sleeping bag.
“Ah, uh, I was supposed to take a watch... I’m sorry, I slept way too long, didn’t I? Please, go ahead and rest now.”
The Abyss had no day or night, and since Lee Hyunmook hadn’t woken him, he’d lost track of time and ended up oversleeping. But instead of sleeping, Lee Hyunmook rolled up Yohan’s sleeping bag—while Yohan was still half-asleep inside it. Before Yohan could say a word, a prepared ration meal was placed in front of ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) him. Flustered, Yohan asked,
“You’re not sleeping?”
“I wasn’t planning on it anyway. I’m fine without sleep for about a week.”
“But...! You must be tired, please try to rest even just a little.”
Feeling guilty for being the only one who got a full night’s sleep, Yohan urged him, but Lee Hyunmook merely shrugged and ignored him. He leisurely devoured the meal, then burned the dirtied spear with electricity until it was clean again.
“All right, let’s go.”
Yohan let out a silent scream inside as he followed behind Lee Hyunmook. He wanted to at least try purifying something out of guilt, but Hyunmook told him to conserve his strength. It seemed he’d never intended to sleep from the beginning, only Yohan. Thanks to that, Yohan’s grip on his backpack straps tightened with determination.
‘I might not be able to carry the whole weight, but... I want to at least carry half of it...’
With that vague resolve in mind, they traveled for about three hours. A forest filled with twisted trees, and then—suddenly—a dark cave appeared in the middle of a swamp. Having already experienced the hallucination-induced subway station, Yohan immediately tensed up. In contrast, Hyunmook quietly stared at the cave entrance. Feeling a foreboding dread, Yohan asked in a trembling voice,
“...No way, right?”
“That’s probably the place. Last time, that bastard Yoon Seungryong was right around here.”
“Ah...”
Yohan let out a sigh and stared at the entrance again. It was unnaturally silent, ominous, and dark—everything about it screamed not to go in. Lee Hyunmook gave Yohan a glance that clearly said, I really don’t want to take you in there. Stirred by that, Yohan mustered what little courage he had.
“We’ve come this far, so let’s at least check it out. If it really looks bad, we can just come back out... right?”
After some thought, Hyunmook stabbed the tip of his spear into the cave’s entrance. The stone, which had looked solid, crumbled with a brittle crack! Perhaps reassured by that, Hyunmook nodded.
“All right. Let’s go in.”
Even though it was his own idea, Yohan looked like he was about to cry as he followed Hyunmook inside. The cave sloped gently downward, as if slithering underground. It resembled the path carved out by some giant beast slowly burrowing into the swamp. Murky water trickled slowly down from the entrance, almost like a drainage system. Yohan kept glancing back nervously, prompting Hyunmook to say,
“There probably aren’t any other monsters inside. And none will follow us in either.”
“Why not?”
“They don’t want to get eaten.”
Yohan swallowed hard at that, tension running high. His palms were already damp with sweat. Any second now, something could leap out from the darkness.
But contrary to Yohan’s fears, nothing appeared, even after 30 minutes of walking. The tunnel just went on endlessly. As he stepped through the slow-moving swamp water, Yohan grew more anxious.
“Doesn’t it feel like the cave’s getting narrower?”
It had been wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side at first, but now they had to go single file. And the cave walls felt strange. What once seemed like hard stone now felt unpleasantly soft and squishy. It was like they had entered the inside of some living organ.
“You’re right. It’s narrowing.”
Hyunmook casually poked the wall with the end of his spear—something Yohan couldn’t bring himself to touch. A foul liquid oozed out where the wall tore.
“Ugh...”
Shuddering, Yohan instinctively pressed close to Hyunmook’s back. The urge to turn around and leave surged up his throat, but he forced it down. He felt like he might develop claustrophobia here.
The further they walked, the more distorted the cave became. Not only narrower, but winding unnaturally left and right, with the walls becoming hideously uneven. Yohan tried hard not to brush against the damp, quivering surface. But it didn’t last.
“L-Lee Hyunmook! The wall—it’s moving!”
“Hm. You’re right. It is.”
Unlike the screaming Yohan, Hyunmook remained calm. It wasn’t just a trick of the eye—the walls were really squirming and narrowing. The ground shifted beneath them, and Yohan lost his balance and fell.
“Ahhh—ugh!”
In a panic, Yohan crawled forward, and Hyunmook reached out and pulled him into his arms. Nimbly dodging the closing walls, Hyunmook moved forward quickly—but before long, they were trapped. Muscles bulged on his arms as he pushed against the walls, which made sickening squelching noises.
“W-What do we do?!”
“Wanna get real close for a bit?”
In the midst of his panic, Yohan was practically flattened against Hyunmook’s chest—but then he flinched, and, trembling, hesitated before speaking.
“Um, excuse me, but your....”
“My?”
This was the last thing Yohan wanted to bring up in this crisis, but he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Squeezing his eyes shut, he shouted,
“It’s touching me!”
Hyunmook’s... it was far too prominent. Yohan, who respected and admired this man—had even started harboring... feelings—had never wanted to learn about that so directly.
“Hmm.”
“I-It’s pressing against me!”
“Haha.”
Hyunmook didn’t answer—just laughed and then began crawling again, holding Yohan. It was practically a prone position, but somehow he managed. After a few minutes, he suddenly rolled over, laying Yohan on top of him and said calmly,
“No good, Yohan. We need to get out.”
“Right?! It’s way too tight!”
Yohan, trying hard not to brush against Hyunmook’s lower body, cried out. He really wanted to get out of this place.
“It’s releasing acid.”
“What?!”
Only then did Yohan notice the faint hiss and the smell of something burning. It seemed to be seeping up from the floor—but Hyunmook had already realized and positioned himself underneath Yohan to shield him like a human mat.
“You’re burning, Lee Hyunmook!”
Yohan screamed, activating his ability without hesitation. The strange acidic fluid purified into clean water—but it was no use. The acid just kept coming, endlessly from all directions. It felt like they were trapped in the stomach of a massive beast. His hair clung to his scalp. When he looked up, even the walls above and around them were dripping with acid that purified only upon touching him.
“It’s regenerating, isn’t it? It is, right?”
Yohan stammered, checking Hyunmook’s back and the back of his head where he’d been lying. They were unharmed. Breathing deeply, Hyunmook spoke softly.
“Yohan-ah. Close your eyes, and cover your ears. It’ll only take a few seconds.”
They were already pressed close, and that low, drowsy voice brushing his ear gave Yohan full-body goosebumps. He tried not to show it and quickly followed the instructions.
Then, darkness fell.
‘Huh?’
It was already dark in the cave. His eyes were already closed. And he was surrounded by a halo of glowing light particles. But still—he felt everything sink into pitch black. Though he knew Hyunmook was right beneath him, it felt as if a bottomless abyss had opened beneath his body. An irrational terror seized him, and he began trembling.
A cold wind blew—and then the world dropped out from under them. Yohan, thinking they were plummeting straight down, let out a scream and flailed, his hands coming off his ears.
But then—he realized his feet were on something solid. A voice followed, and Yohan opened his tear-streaked eyes.
“...Sheepie.”
“L-Lee Hyunmook?”
Looking around in confusion, Yohan realized they were back near the cave entrance. Just moments ago, they had been buried deep underground—but now... What the hell had just happened? He was still trying to comprehend when something soft and wet brushed his cheek.
“Uwaah! Lee Hyunmook, no!”
Whatever Hyunmook had done in that cave, he had reverted to madness again—and he was licking Yohan’s cheek. Even as Yohan struggled to escape, Hyunmook hugged him tight and licked away his tears like he was savoring something delicious. His tongue darted all the way to Yohan’s eyes, making him scream and activate his ability in a panic. The light washed over Hyunmook’s body, and the red gleam in his eyes seemed to weaken.
“Sheepieee...”
But it didn’t work. Still in a daze, Hyunmook continued suckling Yohan’s cheek. Only after both cheeks had turned red and puffy did Yohan finally escape—or rather, get released. Finally, he was able to see what had gotten them out.
Yohan gasped.
“W-What is this...”
There was a huge, gaping hole in the ground. It looked like it had been cleanly sliced by some unknown force. From dozens of meters deep, the winding layers of the ant-nest-like cave could be seen. The swamp’s murky waters flowed into it like a waterfall. And yet—there wasn’t a single scorch mark. Yohan muttered in horror. frёewebηovel.cѳm
“H-How did you even... do this?”
Of course, there was no answer from the madman. He only crept up behind Yohan and suckled at the back of his sweaty neck, making him leap in terror. His face flushed red.
“You’re not allowed to do that anymore!”
Yohan, now less afraid of the lunatic than before, slapped his back—and screamed silently. Even if he was just a DPS and Hyunmook a tank... he was way too solid...! Clutching his aching hand, Yohan sighed deeply. Then, looking at the man watching him with a slightly sulky expression, he asked,
“Do you... know the way back to the shelter...?”
As expected, there was no reply this time either.
