FLIA 14

“Get on.”

“…Sorry?”

Yohan, his backpack strapped on tightly, blinked in confusion. Lee Hyunmook slung his own backpack around to the front and gestured.

“You’re too slow. This won’t do.”

“W-Will you be okay? That’s going to be way too heavy…”

Yohan asked, genuinely concerned. Carrying him would mean Lee Hyunmook was shouldering the weight of a full-grown man and two fully packed backpacks. Hearing that, Lee Hyunmook let out his first audible laugh. Yohan stared at him, wide-eyed.

“You’re calling this heavy? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard today.”

Only then did Yohan remember that Lee Hyunmook was a high-level awakener. Even his older brother, a mid-level awakener, could kick or drag massive monsters around like soccer balls, so for someone like Lee Hyunmook, this really was nothing. Still, even knowing that, Yohan couldn’t help but worry.

With a short laugh, Lee Hyunmook strode over and scooped up the hesitating Yohan in one swift motion. Before he realized it, Yohan was already on his back.

“Uh… please take care of me…”

It had been ages since anyone had carried him like this, and Yohan’s face flushed red from embarrassment. “Yeah,” Lee Hyunmook replied lazily, checking the mattress he’d picked up earlier. Then he tore the cover clean off. Yohan winced, even though he knew they were going to leave it behind anyway.

The cover was tough and durable. Like wrapping a baby in a sling, Lee Hyunmook tightly bound Yohan to his back using the mattress fabric. After bouncing lightly in place to make sure everything was secure, he stepped outside. As they left their cozy shelter behind, Yohan cast one last lingering glance back. Something had stirred.

The ruined city, once eerily silent, had become a cacophony of noise. It sounded like monsters everywhere were howling and screaming, like animals sensing an incoming disaster. Yohan tensed and instinctively clung to Lee Hyunmook in fear.

“Keep your mouth shut, don’t bite your tongue.”

Lee Hyunmook supported him firmly with one hand. Yohan nodded quickly. “Yes!” and clamped his mouth shut.

A moment later, Lee Hyunmook started running.

Yohan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even while carrying a grown man and two packs, Lee Hyunmook ran as though he felt no weight at all. His speed was astonishing, like riding a motorbike or a car. The streets Yohan had trudged through for half a day zipped by in seconds.

And so did the monsters.

Screeches and howls erupted as hidden monsters from the ruins burst into view, charging. Despite Lee Hyunmook’s warning, Yohan let out a short scream when sharp claws narrowly grazed his arm.

“Ah! Ah—!”

He quickly bit his lip and tried to stay quiet, but the danger was far from over. The monsters, more frenzied than ever, were chasing after them like mad. One creature, long-limbed and human-shaped, ran like a beast, jaws wide open, aiming for Yohan’s legs.

In the blink of an eye, Lee Hyunmook twisted his body and delivered a brutal back kick. Crack! The monster’s jaw shattered as it went flying. A creature the size of a midsize car tumbled away like a ragdoll. Lee Hyunmook leapt off another charging monster and soared through the air like there was no gravity. A five-story building loomed ahead, its windows filled with more beasts.

Crash! A long head lunged through the glass. Lee Hyunmook stomped it down and jumped even higher. In seconds, he landed on the rooftop of a seven-story officetel.

Clinging to him like a baby koala, Yohan squeezed his eyes shut. His only goal now was to keep from screaming. Gracefully, Lee Hyunmook continued hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Yohan soon understood why.

The streets were no longer quiet. Every monster that had been hiding in buildings was now out and rampaging in the open. All kinds of grotesque shapes snarled and howled, biting at each other in a frenzy. Pale with terror, Yohan watched them tear into each other and tightened his grip around Lee Hyunmook.

‘Please, I hope that Mr. Hyunmook stay sane until we’re safe…’

He understood it now: if Lee Hyunmook lost control again, he would dive right into that chaos without hesitation.

Thankfully, the blood seemed to be working, Lee Hyunmook remained lucid. Wordlessly, he darted across the rooftops, crossing the ruined city. The hospital Yohan had spent nearly three hours approaching appeared in less than ten minutes. Inside, a red siren was flashing. Strange and twisted shadows danced behind the hospital windows.

They passed it in a flash, soon reaching what used to be a bustling downtown. Being farther from the Flood’s center, it wasn’t completely overrun, yet. But the tension in the air was rising.

Lee Hyunmook began climbing a skyscraper that easily exceeded twenty floors. Yohan barely suppressed another scream, focusing instead on the back of Hyunmook’s neck. A lukewarm wind whipped against his face.

Without even breaking a sweat, Lee Hyunmook reached the rooftop. For the first time, Yohan saw the full view of the ruined city.

It was a city of dark gray.

Unlike normal cities that shimmered like a jewel box, this one was cloaked in lifeless darkness. It was like fragments of a destroyed Korean city stitched together, pieces eaten away, crumbling. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of writhing things filled the horizon with a grotesque sight. Yohan shuddered and turned his eyes away, only to freeze.

Something horrifying loomed in the distance.

The Flood. In that instant, Yohan understood why Lee Hyunmook had described it the way he did. A formless, invisible wave was approaching from the edge of the city. Ominous and unnatural, it spread inward like a tsunami. Everything it touched twisted and collapsed.

No, crushed, mangled, entangled. The grotesque became more grotesque. The twisted, more twisted. As if fermenting in madness, the whole thing warped until disgusting matter burst out in floods. Nausea rose in Yohan’s throat. He clamped a hand over his mouth, desperate not to throw up on Lee Hyunmook’s back.

“Urgh… ngh…”

“Don’t look. It won’t do you any good.”

Taking the advice to heart, Yohan forced himself to turn away. The nausea slowly subsided. Lee Hyunmook spent a few minutes scanning the area with sharp eyes. Then he pointed.

“You see that black mountain-looking thing?”

Yohan followed his gaze. Sure enough, something like a black mountain range loomed in the distance, right beside the city’s edge.

“Y-Yes!”

“There’s a canyon over there that leads into another zone. It’s a little dangerous, but we can get through it. We’ll be safe for a while after that.”

“O-Okay! Let’s go, quick!”

Having just seen how terrifying the Flood was, even a glimpse, Yohan answered urgently. Lee Hyunmook did one last check to make sure Yohan was still securely bound, then swiftly began descending the skyscraper. It was even more terrifying than the climb, and Yohan had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from screaming.

As the Flood grew closer, the chaos returned in full force. Monsters danced in madness, but Lee Hyunmook slipped through them with practiced ease. If necessary, he fought back, but carrying Yohan meant he avoided direct combat when possible.

After who knew how long, the “black mountain” finally came into view. Yohan was about to think There’s really a mountain here? when he remembered something.

Wait… he said “black mountain-looking thing.” So it’s not actually a mountain…?

It looked so much like one. But if it wasn’t, what was it? Instead of thinking deeper, Yohan just clung more tightly to Lee Hyunmook.

They weren’t the only ones fleeing the Flood. Even some monsters seemed to have enough sense to run instead of fighting. Those creatures began gathering toward the black mountain, forming a cluster. Thankfully, they kept their distance from Lee Hyunmook.

‘Come to think of it, even in that monster-infested city, we weren’t attacked that easily.’

It was like… the monsters feared Lee Hyunmook. Could they somehow sense he was a high-level awakener? As the canyon drew nearer, Yohan was lost in thought. Then, all of a sudden, the ground began to shake with a thunderous roar.