FLIA 75

“Ugh, the smell.”

Yoon Seungryong, covered in blood and slime after thoroughly hacking the mudskipper to death, grimaced in disgust. Watching from behind Lee Hyunmook, Yohan quickly rushed over and purified him. As he did, he glanced at the spot where the mudskipper had emerged. The area was slowly filling with water that reeked of fish. It wasn’t just a simple mudflat after all.

“Seeing the mudskipper come out like that, this place must’ve been a tidal flat.”

“We need to be careful. It didn’t used to be this much of a mess.”

Lee Hyunmook stepped closer and studied the spot where the mudskipper had leapt out. After purifying the creature, Yohan turned his attention to the water pooling in the depression. In the Abyss, potable water was always the most precious resource. Yoon Seungryong dipped a bowl into the filthy puddle, scooping up a full ladle. The water was slick with an oily sheen that made Yohan cringe in disgust.

“I’ll purify this too.”

Though it looked like wastewater, the moment Yohan’s light touched it, the water cleared. But for some reason, the salty smell remained. Yohan dipped a finger in cautiously and tasted it, eyes widening in surprise.

“It’s salty?”

“Huh? Let me see… Whoa, that is salty. Seawater’s coming up here? Could it be connected to the lake?”

Yohan poured more light into the water, furrowing his brows in concentration to try and remove the salt. But no matter how much he purified it, the water remained salty. Disappointed, Yohan was comforted by Ju Hoyoung.

“Hyung, don’t worry. The humidity’s so high here that getting drinking water isn’t hard. Look.”

As Ju Hoyoung said, even a simple gesture caused chunks of ice to form in the air, so they didn’t need to worry about hydration. Watching Yohan’s disappointed attempt at purifying the saltwater, Seo Yakrin seemed to fall into thought before speaking.

“Maybe the components that make up your body aren’t something that gets ‘purified’ easily?”

“The components that make up my body?”

“Yeah. If your body lost all its sodium, that’d be really bad, right?”

Hearing that, Yohan remembered the time in the jungle when he’d been hallucinating. Back then too, there were substances in his body that had beneficial effects and couldn’t be purified for days. With no other choice, he gave up on purifying the saltwater and stepped back, thinking to himself.

‘So is the standard for purification my own body? Since things like plastic and metal can’t be purified, maybe it’s based on substances from Earth… No, it feels more complex than that. And also…’

Yohan began to reflect more deeply on the concept of ‘purification.’ Until now, he had seen the ability as something that provided beneficial effects to allies. But thinking about it now, this power wasn’t just for keeping things clean or restoring sanity to maddened allies.

From the perspective of the Abyss, corruption, and the Flood, ‘purification’ was an aggressive, exclusionary force. Practically equivalent to deletion or annihilation. Only now did he begin to understand why the Flood had been so desperate to chase him down.

The purifier was practically the mortal enemy of the Abyss. The moment the Abyss swallowed Yohan, it was like it had ingested poison.

***

The mudskipper meat was surprisingly chewy and delicious. Thankfully, even the fishy smell counted as part of what Yohan’s ‘purification’ could eliminate.

After their meal and some digestion, Yohan took down the purification zone. It was Lee Hyunmook’s instruction not to waste power just to remove bad smells. As the stench came creeping back, everyone held their breath and bore through it until their noses adjusted.

Because the entire area was a mudflat, their makeshift shelter wasn’t great either. They spread the mudskipper’s skin over the squelchy ground and laid mattresses on top. The fog had grown so thick that it was hard to even tell the lake’s outline anymore.

“Almost makes you want to go back to the Reed Sea.”

Seo Yakrin muttered, glaring toward the Black Mountain for no real reason. Yohan couldn’t agree more. Thanks to the purification enveloping him, he didn’t smell much, but every now and then, a wave of stench would hit and give him a headache. Ju Hoyoung sighed as he played a game, muttering,

“Even for the Abyss, this stench is way too much.”

“Something must be rotting alive in that lake. Let’s finish our job and get out of here. The Russian zone sounds like a perfect place to settle.”

Yoon Seungryong grumbled that even the cooking ingredients were absorbing the stench. Just then, a haunting wail echoed from beyond the fog. It sounded like a whale’s cry or someone weeping in anguish. Yohan shivered. Lee Hyunmook pulled him into a warm embrace and murmured,

“Whatever it is, it must be a massive creature.”

His voice was so calm that it held no hint of fear or unease. In that solid, comforting embrace, Yohan found peace. As long as Lee Hyunmook was by his side, even this terrible Abyss seemed bearable.

After that uneasy rest, the group resumed their journey. As they moved toward the Black Mountain, keeping as far from the lake as possible, Lee Hyunmook took Yohan’s hand and laced their fingers together. It was a little embarrassing, but holding hands like this meant that even if they were buried alive in the mountain, they wouldn’t be separated. Yohan tightened his grip in return.

“Should we just tie Yohan up with a rope?”

The group didn’t even joke. They seriously considered the idea. Yoon Seungryong even followed through, pulling out a carabiner and metal chain he’d picked up earlier and linking Yohan to Lee Hyunmook. A regular rope could snap during battle.

Everyone seemed satisfied, except for Yohan, who was mortified.

They had walked for some time when suddenly, the nearby Black Mountain began to tremble. Everyone stiffened as the nearest mountain peak cracked open. The entrance was a dark cave, its mouth rimmed with crystals like brilliant Eternal Stone.

“Team Leader, what do we do?”

Everyone looked at their leader, waiting for instructions. Lee Hyunmook stepped up to the entrance. As he peered inside, something dark and vast seemed to brush past their feet and shoot into the cave’s depths. Yohan gasped. The cave seemed to shudder in response.

‘What was that?’

While staring at the ground in confusion, Yohan saw Lee Hyunmook slowly nod after gazing into the cave.

“We’re going in. I’ll take point. Then Seungryong, Yohan, Yakrin, and Hoyoung.”

Following their leader’s order, everyone drew their weapons and entered the cave. Yohan scattered light particles around to illuminate the dark passage. The Eternal Stones shimmered faintly wherever the light touched.

The slope of the tunnel carved by the Black Mountain was quite steep. What lay at the end of this passage? Dark, dreadful possibilities came to mind, along with a faint hope that maybe, just maybe, there was an exit.

The deeper they went, the heavier the air became. Yohan could see beads of sweat on the back of Yoon Seungryong’s neck. He was tense too. Yohan’s own palms, gripping his spear tightly, were damp with sweat. After about an hour of marching single file, Lee Hyunmook came to a stop.

“…This is the end of the tunnel.”

“So Yohan was right. Looks like it really did bore through the rock layer.”

Yoon Seungryong muttered, looking at a fallen chunk of Eternal Stone. In front of them, there were signs that the Eternal Stone had worn away the rock layer over ages, leaving behind a hole. But beyond it was pure darkness. Nothing could be seen. Trembling, Yohan tried to keep calm and asked,

“Should I send in a light?”

“Go ahead. But don’t step closer. Just send the light.”

With permission, Yohan swallowed dryly and created a beam of light. He spread it wide, then folded it like a paper airplane and launched it over Lee Hyunmook’s shoulder. The paper plane, glittering with light, flew deep into the gloom.

Only then could they see what lay inside.

Beyond that point was a vast, round chamber encased in a shell of solid rock like an eggshell. At the center, there was a spiral pit resembling an ammonite fossil. And in every coil of that spiral, countless monsters squirmed. Not killing each other, just writhing together, they all turned their heads toward the intruders.

“…!”

Yohan slapped a hand over his mouth. The Black Mountain had been swallowing monsters for ages. And this was where they’d all ended up, piled like a mountain. They looked like maggots lumped together, grotesque and disgusting. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of monstrous eyes tracked the glowing paper plane. Then they roared, extending limbs and tentacles in all directions. The cacophony made the light flicker dangerously.

“What the hell is this?”

Seo Yakrin muttered through clenched teeth as she watched.

“That bastard sent us here on purpose to screw us over, didn’t it?”

It’s trying to bury us alive. Rage filled Seo Yakrin, and golden mist began to rise faintly from her body. Even in the middle of the shock, Yohan was straining to maintain the light and suddenly cried out.

“There’s something in the middle of the monsters! Something…!”

Something dark, ominous, and foul. A heart, maybe a brain, or something even more vital. A grotesque core made from worms, maggots, rot, mud, pus, tumors, brains, tentacles, all fused into a single vile mass. It oozed a sticky liquid that looked just like the Flood…!