HG Ch 31

<31>

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

What is this?

I feel like I’m going to go crazy from how awkward this is.

Eunho couldn’t stand the silence any longer and finally spoke.

“…I didn’t customize it.”

Yoon Iseo was an adult, enough to realize that a reply given so late was, in its own way, an apology for what had just happened.

An apology? A moment ago, his eyes had been blazing as if he would never believe him even if it killed him, and now, just like that—

Kind and naïve Joo Eunho.

“It’s my real face.”

So full of words, tears, and affection.

“…Hyung-nim, you’re really petty. Just because you didn’t like that little thing, now you’re in a mood. Someone’s talking to you and you don’t even answer.”

An easy-to-handle kid.

The things that had once been familiar now felt entirely unfamiliar. And the unfamiliar was becoming familiar. Something kept stirring inside Yoon Iseo. The urge to pretend not to notice and soothe him alternated with the urge to push him away and break him.

“I just couldn’t hear you well.”

Yoon Iseo replied as if nothing had happened.

“Come on. I’m talking right next to you, so how could you not hear?”

Even with that simple answer, Joo Eunho’s voice brightened noticeably. Like a child who had never once been disliked, he spoke with innocence. Just from his voice, all of his emotions felt transparent. It was strange.

“Right next to me? You were working so hard to avoid me, you ended up sitting on the horse’s butt.”

“……”

“Enough of that, come here. I won’t touch you. I was just lost in thought earlier, that’s all.”

If he fell from here, it would reset everything in an instant. As he muttered, he could sense Eunho hesitatingly coming closer.

“Why do you hold someone’s hand while thinking of something else?”

In contrast, the breath brushing the back of his neck was familiar. The low voice, the way he took a breath just before speaking—it was all exactly the same.

“…Because I learned wrong.”

It kept confusing him.

* * *

Eunho made up his mind.

Even if Yoon Iseo was suspicious, he was still someone necessary to reach the ending, so Eunho decided not to show any sign of discomfort.

“If you’ve got nothing to do, enjoy the view of the sea. It should be worth seeing.”

“Why go out of my way to watch the sea…”

“Then look at the clouds.”

“I’m not nine years old. What am I supposed to get out of cloud-watching at my age…”

But just because he had made up his mind didn’t mean his body followed suit naturally.

“Am I still making you that uncomfortable?”

“…I’m looking at the sea right now.”

He lowered his gaze as if to escape.

Sshhhhh—

Over the crashing waves, sunlight scattered like powdered jewels, dazzling in its brilliance. As Joo Eunho silently admired it, he suddenly came to his senses.

The very thing I tried so hard to avoid, an in-game date. Yet here I am doing it.

It felt strange, but ever since the moment they had climbed onto the white horse together, the water had already been spilled. Yoon Iseo was holding the reins, and with nothing else to do, Eunho was simply watching the deep blue waves rolling below.

Shoooosh—

Yoon Iseo, who had also been looking down with Eunho, suddenly shot upward in a hurry. Startled by the sudden movement and afraid he might tumble off the horse, Eunho grabbed onto Yoon Iseo’s waist.

“Ah, drive safely, will you!”

He raised his voice, trying to calm his pounding heart, when—

“Take out your weapon.”

Yoon Iseo’s voice was low.

“A weapon? Why?”

Even as he questioned the sudden order, Eunho, like a well-trained slave, drew his weapon. Since they were on a moving horse rather than on solid ground, it seemed better to use something small and light for easy firing, so he chose the saechongtong^[1] (small firearm).

It was the moment Eunho gripped the saechongtong by the iron handle and took up an attack stance.

[SYSTEM] You sense killing intent from an unknown location.

Swaeeeeeak!

A pitch-black shadow descended over them.

Joo Eunho froze at the sharp killing intent, something one would only feel with a vicious beast right before their eyes.

“Joo Eunho, breathe. It’s fine, just attack.”

The voice coming from nearby sounded strangely unlike Yoon Iseo’s. It was much gentler and far more familiar.

As if bewitched, Eunho pulled the trigger.

[SYSTEM] The fired chasaejeon[2] (small arrow) hits the enemy directly! [SYSTEM] The enemy has sustained a critical injury. [SYSTEM] As the pitch-black shadow fades, the enemy reveals itself.

What appeared was a ghost that looked as if it were wearing a raincoat over its head. And it was not just one or two. Ghosts with flapping wings appeared and surrounded Joo Eunho and Yoon Iseo. There were so many that the once clear sky quickly turned as dark as night. The memory of the nightmare of being hunted in the rock cave came rushing back, and Joo Eunho swallowed hard.

Seriously, why are there this many mobs in a single map? And flying monsters, of all things?

[SYSTEM] The Geuseunsae[3], tainted by a sinister power and granted the ability to fly, attacks you.

This time, the pitch-black shadow darted straight for Yoon Iseo, who was holding only the reins. Startled, Eunho fired the saechongtong again.

“What is this? You made it sound like we were only in danger of shipwreck.”

“That’s right, only shipwreck danger. The Cheollima route won’t sink.”

“You can’t even draw a weapon because you’re holding the reins, and you’re talking like that?”

“My weapon’s already out, though.”

Already out? Eunho looked at Yoon Iseo. No matter how hard he looked, there was no sign of Yoon Iseo’s spear anywhere. Then their eyes met. Only then did Eunho realize what Yoon Iseo had been calling his “weapon,” and his face twisted.

Yoon Iseo shrugged his shoulders and shamelessly said, “Protect me well.”

He had made it sound like riding the Cheollima all the way to Jeju Island would be smooth and easy.

Tricked again!

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang!

“This is… huh! What in the… Why are there so many Geuseunsae in the sky?! At least put… ugh, some proper wings on them…!”

Anyone could tell the monster design was not meant to be “flying-type,” yet they were flapping through the air, causing a bizarre sense of dissonance.

Bang!

After firing dozens of times already, Eunho clenched his teeth and shot again. The moment a hit Geuseunsae plummeted, he aimed at another one rushing from a different direction, only for Yoon Iseo to suddenly veer the horse into a sharp drift.

The force of inertia lifted Eunho’s body, and the balance he had barely been keeping on the horse collapsed instantly. A chilling sensation, as if blood were draining from his toes upward, swept through him.

“Uwaaaah! What kind of driving is this?!”

The words of resentment burst out naturally from fear. Thoughts flashed past his mind like a film reel.

I’m going to fall into the sea and drown. After all that effort reaching max level, I’ll have to start from Spiritual Power level 1 again? And the cause of death for a max-level practitioner who survived everything? Falling off a horse. That’s so embarrassing, I can’t even put it in my will.

Even though he knew for certain that dying would just mean a reset, every time he faced danger, an overwhelming fear still surged up inside him. Eunho squeezed his eyes shut.

But just before he could fall from the horse, strong arms wrapped tightly around his waist in a firm grip.

“If you don’t want to die, hold on to me.”

Not wanting to go back to Spiritual Power level 1, Eunho hurriedly reached out and wrapped his arms tightly around Yoon Iseo’s neck.

“Good,” he whispered quietly, and then accelerated. It felt like being in a sports car with a race driver pushing 240 kilometers per hour. The fierce wind pressure pressed hard against Eunho’s cheeks. Afraid even to open his eyes, he instinctively buried his face against Yoon Iseo’s back.

How long had they been going like that?

Yoon Iseo spoke. “We’re going to fall now.”

What? Going to do what?

Eunho asked, flustered. “…Land?”

Yoon Iseo did not answer. With a look of despair, Eunho asked again.

“Really fall?”

“Yeah. It’s fine, you won’t die.”

“…Are you kidding me! How can someone fall and not die?!”

They descended in something close to a free fall.

The sky collapsed and surged back up several times. He did not even know how they finally touched the ground. The moment Yoon Iseo released him, Eunho collapsed onto the ground and then staggered to his feet.

Where am I, and who am I?

With half his wits gone, he glanced around when a system window popped up.

[Main Quest: Guardian of Hallasan (In Progress)] [SYSTEM] You have arrived at the entrance to Baengnokdam on Hallasan.

They had not arrived somewhere near Hallasan but directly at the entrance to Baengnokdam?

Eunho looked at Yoon Iseo, who was standing there immaculate and composed, completely unlike himself.

“On the way up to almost 2,000 meters above sea level, I was worried our Gunner might die.”

“Your judgment is impeccable.”

It seemed Yoon Iseo had taken advantage of the Cheollima to land directly on the summit of Hallasan. This part, at least, was satisfying. He had not liked a single thing about the driving habits or the landing technique, but the skill of parking as close to the destination as possible was one thing he could appreciate.

They started walking toward Baengnokdam. As Eunho took each step, grateful for the sensation of solid ground under his feet, a foul smell wafted in from somewhere. It was the stench one might smell from a stagnant pond as it began to rot.

Before long, a lake stained jet-black unfolded before Eunho’s eyes.

The mystical jade-colored lake where white deer were said to drink was nowhere to be found. What greeted Eunho was Baengnokdam transformed into the source of the stench.

[SYSTEM] What should be a place filled with pure energy, Baengnokdam, instead exudes a dense aura of corruption. [SYSTEM] Approach Baengnokdam and investigate.

It already felt like his nose was going to fall off from the smell, and now the system wanted him to get even closer? At the message, Eunho instinctively looked at Yoon Iseo, who only shrugged his shoulders before striding forward toward Baengnokdam. With no other choice, Eunho followed behind him.

They came close enough that Eunho could almost dip his foot into the lake. The state of the water looked even worse up close. What should have been clear and transparent was now black and viscous, like a swamp.

Then Yoon Iseo, as if it were nothing, plunged his hand into the filth. Eunho, whose stomach was on the weaker side, was horrified.

“Hey, your hand’s going to melt off like that!”

“Doesn’t seem like it’s melting for now.”

“You don’t have any cuts on your hand, do you? What if you get infected with parasites?”

“Get a grip. Why would a game have that level of detail?”

Saying that, Yoon Iseo pulled his hand back out of the muck. As he had said, his hand was perfectly intact. In fact, the clear, transparent water clinging to his skin made his hand look more moisturized and beautiful than usual…

Eunho suddenly froze at the sense that something was off.

If Yoon Iseo had put his hand into that filth, why was it so clean? At the very least, it should have been caked in mud.

Ding!

[SYSTEM] Ah, understood. [SYSTEM] The only thing that can purify Baengnokdam’s water… [SYSTEM] Is a person. [SYSTEM] In other words, a “living sacrifice.”

A living sacrifice? As Eunho frowned, still bent halfway forward to peer into Baengnokdam, a large hand slowly came to rest on his back.

Wondering what it was, Eunho turned his head, and his eyes met Yoon Iseo’s. He was staring at him with pitch-black eyes, lips curved in a faint smile. Just as Eunho was about to speak, chilled by the sudden ominous feeling—

Yoon Iseo shoved him hard into Baengnokdam.

“You humble one! I should never have trusted you again! Go die!”

With a splash, Eunho’s body plunged into the lake. The water that had swallowed him rippled violently for a moment, then returned to calm.

Yoon Iseo stood there watching for a moment, then, without the slightest hesitation, hurled himself into Baengnokdam as well.