Free Web Novel“Haa....”
After walking for a while, Yohan let out a sigh. The black forest hadn’t exactly been pleasant to travel through either, but this jungle was on an entirely different level. It wasn’t just the stifling air—the strange, overgrown plants surrounding them on all sides made it worse.
Even now, Yoon Seungryong was cutting a path with his weapon as they moved forward, and yet Yohan’s arms and legs were breaking out in rashes from plant toxins. Fortunately, thanks to his purification ability and the regeneration of a high-level Awakener, he recovered quickly, but it didn’t make the experience any less unpleasant.
It was after about half a day of walking through the prickling, itchy sensation that—
“Oh, a road?”
When Yoon Seungryong stomped lightly, there was a hard thud beneath his foot. Between the tangled plant roots, a black concrete surface appeared. When Lee Hyunmook tore away a nearby vine, the purple plants covering the building flinched and scurried away like snakes. Soon, an exotic-style building emerged.
“Looks like at least two different zones got merged. The city zone must have appeared first, and then a nearby jungle zone overlapped and swallowed it.”
At Yoon Seungryong’s explanation, Yohan looked around curiously. Following the bits of visible road forward, they soon saw several buildings buried under plants and trees. Standing at the center of what must once have been a busy intersection in some country, watching the modern buildings overtaken by writhing plants, gave him a strange feeling. freewebnøvel.coɱ
“We’ll rest here today.”
At Lee Hyunmook’s declaration, Yohan relaxed and let his shoulders drop. Spending half the day wandering through a jungle full of stinging, sticky plants had left him utterly exhausted. The three of them began scouting the area for a building they could use as shelter.
When Yohan inspected one of the interiors for anything usable after purification, he was disappointed.
“Is it because the plants rotted them? They look like buildings that have been here for hundreds of years.”
In the ruined city, older districts already made it hard to find anything worth salvaging, but this place was worse. The furniture had decayed so much it crumbled at a touch, and anything metal was rusted through. He finally found what seemed to be an old grocery store, but the only things left were rusty canned goods. Skeptical, he purified and opened one, only to find the contents less than a quarter full.
“It must have been heavily contaminated or rotten....”
Looking into the thick, porridge-like contents, Yohan clicked his tongue. Usually, purification turned any harmful substances into harmless dust or made them disappear entirely—hence why the can was almost empty. As he sighed, Yoon Seungryong leaned over.
“Let’s see... tastes fine, though?”
Boldly dipping a finger in to taste, Yoon Seungryong smacked his lips. Yohan, just as bravely, took a taste as well—and was pleasantly surprised.
“It tastes like corn porridge...!”
It would’ve been a waste to throw them out, so the scraped-together contents of the cans became their meal for the day. In the meantime, Lee Hyunmook found a building suitable for shelter.
“Let’s stay here tonight.”
He spoke while running electricity through the plants covering the building, burning them away. Compared to the others, this building was in relatively good shape, without crumbling walls. First, Lee Hyunmook electrocuted any monsters inside, then Yohan purified it. After that, Yoon Seungryong set up mattresses and a tent, making it fairly livable.
After a meal of corn porridge, some kind of fish porridge, and fruit porridge from rusted cans, Yohan looked around the interior. The exotic-style building, now faded and worn, was decorated with an unrecognizable mural. After a closer look, Yohan tilted his head.
“Feels like an Asian-style building. Maybe... Indian?”
“Oh... I’ve never been to India before.”
Yoon Seungryong muttered from where he’d sprawled out as soon as their shelter was ready. Thanks to Yohan’s purification, his condition had improved greatly, but he still had moments where he suddenly grew lethargic and lazy. Now was clearly one of those moments—he didn’t seem like he’d get up unless something serious happened.
While Yohan peeled a chocolate bar and put it in his mouth like watering a withered plant—sprinkling purification over him as well—Lee Hyunmook returned from a perimeter check.
“Doesn’t seem like there’s any major threat nearby.”
“Good work! Come here, I’ll purify you.”
Lee Hyunmook walked over lazily and sat nearby. Yoon Seungryong, who had been flailing his arms and legs, suddenly quieted down. Yohan handed Lee Hyunmook a chocolate bar and scattered purification over him too. The last thing he wanted was for one of them to suddenly turn into a lunatic in the middle of the jungle—just imagining it gave him a headache.
As Yohan purified them, peaceful expressions spread across both their faces. The sharpness in their eyes softened, their gaze loosening. When Yohan yawned from fatigue, Lee Hyunmook tapped the back of his hand.
“Good work.”
Heehee... Yohan quietly smiled, feeling proud. After a thorough purification, the two of them looked as if they’d just taken a refreshing bath—clean and comfortable.
That night’s watch was Lee Hyunmook’s turn. Yohan had insisted before that he’d take his share of the watch, but the two of them always brushed it off, telling him to do it “next time.” As a result, Yohan’s turn had been pushed back indefinitely. Their reasoning—that it was better for him to sleep well and recover his ability—was convincing enough that he’d stopped arguing and now tried to get as much rest as possible.
By now, he was used to sleeping between the two of them. Crawling into the center of the mattress, Yohan glanced once at Lee Hyunmook, sitting against the wall with his spear in hand, then drifted off to sleep. And so their first night in the jungle passed without incident.
* * *
If there was one thing about the Abyss that was hardest to get used to, it was the absence of night and day. No matter when he woke, without sunlight, he never felt truly rested. Rubbing his eyes, Yohan glanced between the two sitting close by his side.
“Do you guys even sleep...?”
Aside from one time in the ruined city, Yohan had never actually seen either of them asleep. Yoon Seungryong, looking even lazier than yesterday, waved a hand.
“It’s fine not to sleep—we won’t die. We won’t die.”
Insomnia was a common symptom of contamination, but the two of them seemed to have it worse than most. Yohan got up slowly, sprinkling them with the purification he’d recharged overnight.
Looking around, he noticed the building’s interior—which had been dark and dirty yesterday—now felt almost warm and inviting. The mattress they always used outdoors looked freshly bought, and the stench was nearly gone. Even the light seeping through cracks in ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the walls felt almost like sunlight.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Yohan spoke.
“It feels like my ability’s getting stronger bit by bit.”
“It’s not just a feeling—it’s real. The more you use it, the more it grows. Not all mid-tier abilities are the same, right?”
Yoon Seungryong was right. It wasn’t common, but some low-tier Awakeners had trained their abilities to surpass even mid-tier levels. Many had testified to it in interviews and published studies. Lee Hyunmook nodded in agreement.
“Since you only awakened recently, your growth rate will be even bigger. You’ve still got a long way to go.”
Yoon Seungryong looked at Yohan with the fondness of an older brother. As he ruffled Yohan’s hair absentmindedly, Lee Hyunmook said evenly—
“Stop touching him. You’ll wear him out.”
“If our Yohan wears away and disappears, that’d be terrible. Terrible.”
Even so, Yoon Seungryong kept tousling his hair until it floated, only pulling his hand back when Lee Hyunmook gave him a pointed look. In any case, the mood among them was cheerful, and Yohan felt good. At least until they finished breakfast and stepped outside.
“Haah, already feels like shit....”
Yoon Seungryong’s tone was rough, but Yohan silently agreed. After being in a perfectly purified building, the contaminated environment outside felt twice as unpleasant. Even the mud clinging to his shoes seemed stickier—and sometimes, lumps of mud actually crawled around, so maybe it wasn’t just his imagination....
Glancing back wistfully at the building they’d stayed in for half a day, Yohan trudged after Yoon Seungryong.
“What if we found a big building one day and made it ours? We could plant fruit trees in the yard, till some fields, dig a well....”
Just thinking about it made him happy. Smiling at the pleasant daydream, he glanced at Lee Hyunmook—only to find him smiling brightly, a rare sight.
“Sure. Whatever you want to do, just do it.”
The generous answer made Yohan feel flustered, and he scratched his cheek, looking away. This was a problem—he liked Lee Hyunmook more and more as time passed. ...But honestly, how could anyone not like someone like Lee Hyunmook? Korea’s strongest Awakener, that handsome, that cool, and even kind?
