THIFSGSTW CH 70

Chapter 70: It Won’t Be Easy

“Let’s head out. Please show me the map once more.”

As Min Joo-hyuk’s urgent voice rang out, a white map floated in the air in front of him. The red glow of the sunset pouring in through the window cast flickering shadows behind Min Joo-hyuk. Clenching my hands over my wildly pounding chest, I jumped up from my seat.

‘I can’t stop him recklessly.’

If Min Joo-hyuk didn’t go now, the others might be put in danger. If someone had been standing next to Min Joo-hyuk in the future vision, then that person would surely be harmed if he didn’t go.

‘Then I should go with him.’

At least I had some vague idea of what might happen. If I stayed by Min Joo-hyuk’s side, I could watch over the situation. When the blue light flashed, I’d push him to safety. This time, I wouldn’t let anyone get hurt.

Quickly, I wrapped my hand around Min Joo-hyuk’s arm. His firm forearm filled my grip. He seemed ready to depart, having just checked the coordinates on the map, but then he turned to look at me. Meeting his gaze, I spoke firmly.

“I’m going with you.”

“No.”

But Min Joo-hyuk was just as resolute as I was. Without hesitation, he brushed off my hand with a swift motion and looked at me with a desperate gaze. Then, in a low, serious voice, he added,

“I don’t have enough mana right now. Stay here. If the others arrive before me, tell them right away.”

So he’d only said he was fully recovered earlier to reassure me? If that was true, maybe I should try to stop him. My mind spun in dizzying circles when a calm voice from the village chief broke through.

“Are you a priest? Can you not use magic at all?”

I nodded, and after a moment of thought, the village representative slowly reached out his hand toward me.

“I will use teleportation magic for you. Let’s go together.”

“Ah, thank you….”

“No need for thanks. This friend will stay here.” Min Joo-hyuk swatted away the chief’s hand that had been reaching for me and firmly pushed me back by the shoulder. His brown eyes, unwavering as they met mine, shone sharply under the pouring sunset light.

“Min Joo-hyuk. I’m not being unreasonable here. It’s a dangerous area, right? Precisely because of that, it’s better if I go too.”

“Aren’t you thinking about yourself? That’s why you can’t go. It’s dangerous.”

“Heroes, we don’t have time for this.”

“I’m asking you too, Chief.”

I stepped toward the chief and tried to grab his arm, but Min Joo-hyuk grabbed the back of my collar and yanked me back toward him.

Thrown off balance, I ended up leaning against Min Joo-hyuk’s chest. His solid frame met my back, and I felt the warmth of his hands firmly gripping my shoulders.

“I’ll take him.”

“But you don’t have enough mana—”

Before I could finish, Min Joo-hyuk exhaled deeply and spoke with calm resolve.

“When I told you to stay, I meant it. But if you’re coming with me, stick close. Really close, Sun Yihan. The others will come as soon as they get the message.”

“Okay.”

I was relieved he’d agreed to take me along. While I was thinking that, Min Joo-hyuk lowered his head and whispered quickly in a barely audible voice. His warm breath brushed against my ear.

“Teleportation isn’t something you can just trust anyone with, you idiot.”

Ah, I see.

Soon, Min Joo-hyuk and the village chief exchanged nods, silently giving the signal to begin.

Whoosh.

With a strong wind, the scenery before us changed. It seemed we were near a valley, as everything was shrouded in fog. The faint sunset covered the leaves, dulling their vibrant green.

Min Joo-hyuk and the village representative dashed forward without a moment’s rest. I did my best to keep up beside them. I felt like my lungs were about to burst, but I managed to stay close.

“How close do we have to get before it gets dangerous?”

“A little further still.”

Their voices were unwavering. I couldn’t say a word because struggling just to breathe. Not that I had anything useful to say anyway.

To be honest, I had been trembling with nerves before we left. But now that I was running so hard my legs were about to give out, my mind went blank. It felt like the oxygen wasn’t reaching my brain properly.

Beside me, Min Joo-hyuk flicked his fingers, and a white light exploded into the sky with a loud pop. I’d seen Park Yul use that before, an emergency signal. But with the valley being so wide and full of mist, I wasn’t sure it’d be seen.

Min Joo-hyuk clenched his teeth. I heard a sharp grinding sound. He raised his hand again, and this time, a blue light burst twice into the air.

“No response. Hopefully they’re just far away. But what if something happened…?”

“Min Joo-hyuk—huff—stay focused. Let’s just go and—gasp—think when we get there.”

As I struggled to catch my breath, I suddenly realized that there were only two sets of footsteps. One of the footsteps had disappeared.

“…Huh?”

A low humming noise came from behind, overlapping with my voice. I quickly turned my head and saw a blue barrier had formed behind us. Min Joo-hyuk was already facing it, hand outstretched.

Zap.

The light Min Joo-hyuk fired bounced off the shimmering blue barrier. Beyond it, I could faintly see the silhouette of the village representative.

“What are you doing?”

Min Joo-hyuk pulled me into his arms with his right arm and spoke in a cold voice. The blue barrier surrounded us in a wide radius, and the fog that had been spread out was slowly being drawn toward the barrier, obscuring our view. Only the soft glow of the sunset filtered through.

The hot summer wind rustled the leaves, the only sound in the eerie stillness. Cold sweat trickled down my jaw.

Everything was happening so fast that I couldn’t think straight. I reached out and touched the barrier. It was solid.

‘A sealing magic?’

I recalled what Song Ha-gyeon had said. A spell that prevents passage from both inside and outside. But why now…?

The village representative was standing a couple of steps away from the barrier. I couldn’t see his expression due to the shimmering barrier, but I could hear his muffled voice.

“You’re too late, heroes.”

Too late for what? Min Joo-hyuk’s voice was low and heavy. “What do you mean? Drop the barrier now.”

But the village representative was already out of sight. He had either moved far away or returned to the village. Min Joo-hyuk looked around, trying to gauge the extent of the barrier. I stepped out of his embrace, taking a step to the side.

“Min Joo-hyuk, this is a sealing magic?”

“…Something like it.”

“Can’t teleport out?”

“No. We have to break it first.”

His voice wavered slightly. He was trying to stay calm for my sake, but I could tell he was tense.

For some reason, the blue barrier was gradually shrinking, it was  was getting narrower and narrower. Min Joo-hyuk pressed his palm against it and closed his eyes, focusing. Sweat trickled down his neck.

The fog crept in toward the edge of the barrier, encircling us and stacking up like walls to block our vision.

‘Wait a second.’

In this situation, if Min Joo-hyuk was being attacked, it wasn’t by monsters…

Before I could finish my thought, Min Joo-hyuk spoke.

“Okay. Got it.”

As a flash of blue light shimmered in front of him, the barrier burst like a soap bubble and vanished.

The fog that had clustered around us dispersed all at once, revealing the surrounding landscape. Min Joo-hyuk’s brown hair fluttered slightly in the wind. The sunset sank low over it.

Without hesitation, I threw myself to his left. I had to use all my strength since he was bigger than me. Min Joo-hyuk collapsed to the ground.

Stab.

I felt the sharp stab of something piercing my skin. I should’ve dodged too, but I was just a little too slow. My shoulder throbbed in rhythm with my heartbeat. Something hot flowed down and soaked my clothes.

There was a loud crashing noise nearby. Startled, I looked over and saw the village representative sprawled on the ground, tightly bound by what looked like blue glowing ropes.

It must’ve been Min Joo-hyuk’s doing, he’d acted fast. But he didn’t even glance that way. He sat on the ground and just stared at me blankly. His brown eyes were trembling violently.

At least he didn’t seem to be hurt aside from being startled, which was a relief.

‘I should have noticed sooner.’

I should’ve known when we were trapped inside the barrier. This was my mistake. I was too overwhelmed by the situation to notice. I never expected the attacker to be human. If I’d pushed him a second later, it could’ve been fatal.

“Ugh…”

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself. The barrier that surrounded us had been lifted. The village representative was captured. We could teleport back now and deal with the rest.

Hey, let’s go. I was about to say that to Min Joo-hyuk when I glanced at my right shoulder.

A dagger-like blade was lodged just below my collarbone. It hadn’t gone in all the way. The sleek metal glinted in the light of the sunset. It had no handle, just a double-edged blade. Damn. This won’t be easy to remove.

‘But I have to pull it out, right?’

Even if large wounds healed on their own, if the blade stayed stuck, that’d be a problem. My vision blurred from the blood loss. I bit my lip to stay conscious and reached for the blade.

That’s when Min Joo-hyuk, still seated, spoke in a voice filled with grief.

“Why the hell… is it always like this…”

His voice trembled. It sounded like he was about to cry. I’d never seen him like this, and my heart sank.

“Min Joo-hyuk, wait. I think I know what you’re thinking…”

I quickly crouched in front of him. Now I understood. I hadn’t saved him completely. Since I got hurt, Min Joo-hyuk would have no choice but to blame himself, even though it wasn’t his fault.

I felt a wave of guilt wash over me, and I struggled to find the right words to say. After a moment of hesitation, I forced my mouth open.

“I’m sorry for making you worry. But I’m really okay right now. So… Min Joo-hyuk? Are you listening to me?”