FLIA 155

Park Seungmin froze like a statue, his eyes wide open. It felt as if his nightmare had materialized before him. His own abilities seemed insignificant, while Yang Yohan stood above him. And in the form of a radiant ascetic, no less…

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the clusters of light simultaneously converged on the debris of the collapsed building. Yohan concentrated, sweating profusely. It required far less energy, but deploying the purification field felt much easier. His purifying power possessed a tendency to constantly diffuse, making it difficult to concentrate. 

But Yohan pushed the light up into the void with all his might. The light rose into the air, billowing like a beautiful veil. It then enveloped the cocoon that Seo Yakrin was lifting with telekinesis. Wherever Yohan’s light touched, the cocoon melted away like wax. Its volume gradually shrank until all that remained was a palm-sized fragment of an insect’s exoskeleton.

Only then did Yohan release the light he had been holding. A sparkling mist of light scattered and flowed out in all directions. It was like confetti in aurora colors scattered across the dark evening sky. Just as everyone was marveling, someone shouted.

“No!”

Yohan, who had been sweating while removing the massive corruption, finally remembered Park Seungmin and looked down. Park Seungmin was screaming in rage. It was a shriek bordering on a scream.

“No! Fuck! No! Noooooo!”

I’m the high-level purifier! I’m the high-level purifier! How dare that bastard Yang Yohan! He’s standing where I should be standing, using the abilities that should be mine! This is crazy!

Park Seungmin, blinded by rage and despair, had been screaming in denial of reality when he suddenly froze. He glanced around. Piercing stares were fixed on him. Swallowing dryly, he suddenly recalled the advice Yang Yohan had given him in the past.

‘Can you really handle this fame?’

‘I’m giving you this advice for your own good. From now on, live humbly and kindly. Don’t treat the people protecting you like servants. You’ll definitely regret it later.’

People stared at Park Seungmin. Slowly, realization seeped in amidst the looks filled with suspicion and condemnation. The first purifier who had shown little notable achievement thus far. Unlike other high-level awakeners, he was the one dogged by school bullying, various controversies, and rumors. So then, could it be…

Park Seungmin, his body trembling violently, looked up at Yang Yohan. Unlike his own disheveled, sweat-soaked appearance on the floor, Yohan stood high above, bathed in a halo of light, looking down at him. It was horribly repulsive. More so than his own nightmares. Yet, there was nothing he could do.

Before the people’s suspicion turned to certainty, Park Seungmin fled the scene.

* * *

[Did you guys see the chaos in Gwacheon?]

https://twt.com/status/158239183921

People living in Gwacheon, get to shelters or inside your homes quickly

This is seriously not normal

└What the hell is this again?

└Where are these corrupted people hiding, crawling out like cockroaches?

└I live in Gwacheon. That building over there is a cult. They were going around saying they could ‘awaken’ people.

└Like life isn’t hard enough already, now we have cults too? Hahahaha

[Fuck, I live right near there. I’m screwed.]

Well, since it’s come to this, let’s stream.

I’m launching a drone from the rooftop.

http://metu24stream.net/watch?id=33551-xkq

└You should be running away right now

└Hahahaha, my lower body’s too corrupted to walk anyway

└Ah;; Good luck surviving

└I reported it to the Rift Management Bureau

└Will they even show up in time? Goddess iyoung is still on the Busan raid too

└If we’re lucky, maybe we can sell the footage and make some cash? Hehe

[Gwacheon Live/ ? Why is Park Seungmin over there]

Looks like Park Seungmin believes that cult too

Seems like Go Jaewon is there too

└????? What the hell is going on

└What are they doing with all those corrupted people swarming around like that?

└Everyone seems to be hallucinating

└Aren’t we gonna lose the purifier? What the hell is the Rift Management Bureau doing? Not managing personnel?

[Gwacheon Live/ What the hell is that?]

Poisonous mist is coming out of the building

Everyone’s gone mad. Why aren’t they running? Crazy cult bastards;

└Gwacheon is fucked

└Damn, everyone should be home after work by now.

└Man, how many casualties will there be this time…

[Gwacheon Live/ We’re alive! Taeyang appeared!!!!!!!! Lee Hyunmook and everyone came!]

But what the hell kind of skill is that?

Did the Taeyang Team get a new member?

What the hell am I watching right now?

Light is pouring out everywhere

└Seriously, what is this? ??? ????

└Who is that guy?

└Broadcast drone, get a better shot! Can’t see his face

└Isn’t that Yang Yohan?

└Why is Yang Yohan here? He’s a low-level DPS.

└Must be Park Seungmin using his ability.

└Nope, Park Seungmin is losing his mind and dancing with the Corruptor.

[Look at this, it really looks like Yang Yohan?]

https://daynewsline.kr/article/107928

Compare the faces in the screenshots.

It’s Yang Yohan.

└It really is him.

└Do dealers even have skills like that?

└They said it’s a strength-enhancing type.

└No matter how you look at it, that’s not a melee skill, right??? Is he a support?

└Even if it’s a melee skill, it’s weird. Can a low-level awakener really unleash that kind of power?

[Gwacheon Live / Wow, Seo Yakrin is insane]

Taeyang Team’s raid is insane, seriously.

Proud to be Korean.

But what the hell is that skill?

└No matter how I look at it, that seems like a purification ability.

└Yeah; watching now, the corrupted ones on the floor are perfectly fine.

└That’s purification power? How is that even possible? Even the official demonstration video for Jeong Hanjin’s ability wasn’t that strong.

└Who is that nobody?

└Not a nobody. He’s a mid-level purifier from the Rift Management Bureau.

└Seriously? Not PSM?

└Look at him still losing his mind. Anyone can tell it’s not Park Seungmin lolololololol

└Come to think of it, he’s never shown off such an amazing ability before.

└Is Park Seungmin really a high-level purifier? Hahaha. Wait, did he scam us?

└No way he’d scam the public.

└He could have. Being a high-level purifier must be sweet. Damn, the signing bonus alone is at least a few billion won.

[Gwacheon Live / Going to verify if it’s a real purifier]

I’ll crawl there if I have to, haha.

└Fighting!

└Rolling down if I have to. If not now, who knows when I’ll get purified?

└What’s up with this? Putting a drone on your head? Hahaha

└Wow, crawling down those stairs must hurt like hell

└Hang in there, I’m watching

[Gwacheon Live/ My corruption is gone]

Ever since the Great Rift opened, I’ve spent years crawling around

Even I found it disgusting, couldn’t even go outside

But my legs, which felt like rubber clay, have returned to normal

I wanted to die every day, but this day has come

Still don’t quite understand what’s going on, but from now on, anyone who insults the Taeyang Guild is my enemy

└Wow, congrats

└Haha

└Congrats, I’m jealous. Wish I lived in Gwacheon too.

└If you know someone nearby, go check it out now while there’s still some light left.

└But is Yang Yohan a high-level purifier?

└Not sure about that yet. Honestly, seeing what Park Seungmin’s doing, I hope he’s not.

[Hahahahaha The Taeyang Guild mystery is solved]

Ah, so that’s why they named the guild Taeyang?

It was because it’s ‘Yang’ Yohan?

└Hahahahahaha I never would’ve guessed that reason

└It’s not even the same ‘yang’—just the pronunciation’s similar

└Turns out it was just the youngest member of the Taeyang Team being silly

└But if he’s a real high-level purifier, he’s got every right to be a fool.

└Yeah, I’d worship him too.

……

…

[Breaking] High-Grade Monster Alert Lifted in Gwacheon

[Breaking] New Guild Member Yang Yohan of the Taiyang Guild Revealed as a Purifier

[Breaking] Park Seungmin’s Purifier Reawakening Closely Linked to Cult

[Breaking] Purifier Park Seungmin’s National Grand Deception…

‎

‎

‎

‎

<11>

The Man Who Never Gives Up

Crackle! The drone buzzing around was hit by a spark flicked by Lee Hyunmook and plummeted down lifelessly. Someone below grumbled in annoyance, then, meeting disapproving glances, quietly slipped away. It was brave of them to keep trying, considering how many drones had already crashed.

Even after defeating the monster, the Taeyang Team didn’t leave. They wanted to figure out what had happened before the government arrived. Not only the Taeyang Team, but people lingered too. Not only did they stay, but somehow, the crowd gradually began to grow. These were people wandering around, desperately searching for any remaining light.

“Please shine a little more light here! Please!”

“Here too! Please purify this area!”

Yohan flinched at the pleading voices. But Lee Hyunmook’s hand gently cupped his forehead.

“No, Yohan.”

Lee Hyunmook deliberately used a stern voice to restrain Yohan, who was fidgeting with impatience to spread the light.

“Purification can be done anytime later, Yohan. In a situation like this, if the crowd gets excited, who knows what might happen. If things go wrong, there could be a stampede. Then your heart would suffer greatly.”

“Right, and besides, if you grant a request here once, people might start following you around constantly from now on…”

Pretending to be concerned and nursing him, Ju Hoyoung carefully placed the handkerchief wrapped around the ice pack on Yohan’s forehead and fed him, making sure the scene was well-captured on video.

“I’ll lie still.”

Yohan, who hadn’t even deployed his purification field but was lying on Lee Hyunmook’s lap pretending to be quite exhausted, answered meekly. Drones had already flown up several times to capture this scene. Following his teammates’ advice, Yohan acted out the part of someone worn out and collapsed, but he felt guilty.

But Lee Hyunmook was right. The people who had been severely corrupted until just moments ago and had received a widespread purification baptism were in a rather agitated state. If Yoon Seungryong hadn’t discreetly sprayed a mild sleep-inducing toxin to calm them down, something would have happened long ago.

“With so many people crowded together like this, it’ll be hard to get out, right?”

“We can jump from building to building, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Even if not, transport will arrive soon enough.”

Transport? Did they contact the Taeyang Guild to call for vehicles? Just as Yohan briefly wondered, the team members who had gone to investigate the half-collapsed building returned. They leapt over the screaming crowd, climbed onto the building, and reported to Lee Hyunmook. Seo Yakrin said with a serious expression.

“Team Leader. There was a hole dug beneath the building’s basement. It seems they’re moving through the ground, just like with the sewers.”

“Then there might be similar facilities elsewhere.”

Yoon Seungryong’s words made Yohan swallow. Just as in the Abyss, their goal was likely to eliminate Yohan, the high-level purifier. He recalled the corrupted who had blindly charged at Park Seungmin during the ceremony, screaming for the purifiers and trying to harm him. Lee Hyunmook analyzed carefully.

“It seems certain the Flood came over from the Abyss. But I don’t think it was that much. So it’s deliberately gathering sacrificial lambs to bolster its numbers.”

“Well… If it swept everything away like in the Abyss, no city could withstand it. The fact it’s going to the trouble of brainwashing, hiding, and seducing people suggests it’s lacking something? That’s somewhat reassuring.”

Seo Yakrin swept her disheveled hair back and spoke. But Yohan felt a chill. He had felt it in the Abyss too, the horror of this nameless, unfathomable mass of evil possessing its own will and intelligence.

“Then I suppose we should leave soon. Before more people gather.”

Lee Hyunmook carefully rolled up the uninjured Yohan into a ball and cradled him in his arms. Though his body was perfectly fine, being carried around so tenderly made Yohan blush with embarrassment. Only then did he hear a certain noise. It was a familiar sound he’d heard before. It was a helicopter. Lee Hyunmook gazed at the helicopter approaching in the distance, bearing the logo of the Rift Management Bureau, and said.

“Well, the transport we were waiting for has arrived.”