Chapter 87 (2/2)

Maybe it was the fault of not being able to sleep properly because drowsiness was relentlessly a.s.saulting him. The inside of his head was numb. His body didn't feel like his. He consciously blocked out all sensations and continued to trudge forward without a plan.

And so, as he continued to march in this state of no thoughts or feelings, Teresa's legs suddenly ‘went' upwards in his view.

‘Uh?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

For some reason, his body felt much more comfortable. The crumbling soil pressed against his cheek felt softer and cus.h.i.+er than any bed he'd been on.

‘….What's this…?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Abruptly, he heard someone talk to him. He felt the sensation of his body being shaken around.

”You gotta wake up!” (Teresa Hussey)

Wake up? That's weird. I haven't blacked out, you know.

”I'll help you up.” (Teresa Hussey)

His line of sight automatically rose up. It felt like he was being dragged up by force. Only then did he realise that he had collapsed on the ground.

And he also could see something quite huge in the distance. Seol Ji-Hu continued to silently glare with his blurry, unfocused eyes.

‘What… is that…?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Seol, that's a mountain. A mountain.” (Teresa Hussey)

‘A mountain….? Mountain… Uh…? What is… a mountain…?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

”We've arrived at the foot of the mountain range!! If we cross that….!” (Teresa Hussey)

‘The mountain… crossing…. a mountain?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

He dazedly looked on without any response, and Teresa Hussey observed him with worried eyes from the side. She couldn't see any hints of emotion beneath his half-closed eyelids.

”Ah….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

About ten seconds later, Seol Ji-Hu opened his lips.

”A mountain…. mountain…. Right…. a mountain….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

He murmured over and over again, but then….

‘The colour… Did I… switch Nine Eyes off….?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

….A frown formed on his brows.

‘Why can't I see any colour….?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu tried to force his legs to take unsteady steps forward. Unfortunately, he collapsed again after barely making it past the foot of the mountain range.

”Seol!!” (Teresa Hussey)

Teresa hurriedly approached him. His face clearly expressed his confusion regarding why he fell like that.

”Hah… hah, hah….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Are you alright? Should we take a short break?” (Teresa Hussey)

”N-no….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu used the spear as a walking stick and staggered back up. Teresa tried to stop him, though.

”This won't do. Let's take a break, even if it's only for a short while. If we continue on at this rate….” (Teresa Hussey)

”No, I can… still walk….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Pahng! The sound of air exploding suddenly resounded out. He had activated the Festina Earring.

”Look…. You see…” (Seol Ji-Hu)

He formed a soulless smile and s.h.i.+fted his legs. He seemed to be walking forward without many issues before falling back to the ground again.

”Uh….?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seeing him flounder about and babble on incoherently like that, Teresa Hussey began chewing on her lower lip. His breathing was rough, his skin boiling hot. It was obvious that his body couldn't endure anymore.

There had been small hints throughout the march. Actually, him being able to endure up until now could be seen as a legitimate miracle. Most average people would've crumbled in defeat in less than four days.

Yet, Seol Ji-Hu managed to last eight days, twice the average, with a grievously wounded body, being pursued day and night, and worse still, unable to eat or drink.

As a human being, one would naturally have his limits. Even if he was blessed with tough physique and Magic Power built up through a harsh training regime, he wouldn't be able to hang on forever.

Teresa dragged the unmoving young man and laid him down in between the several boulders jutting out from the ground.

”Stay here for a little while, okay?” (Teresa Hussey)

”……”

”I'll go and take a look if there is a fruit to eat or water to drink. Even if it's tree sap.” (Teresa Hussey)

By the time he regained his wits, the Princess was nowhere to be seen. Only the canteen and the spear lying on the ground were keeping him company.

He remained lying dead still like a corpse before forcing his upper torso to sit up. He dearly wished to stay down and black out, just like that. He thought that, if he was unconscious, at least he'd not suffer through this hunger and thirst for a little while. However….

‘I can't drag her down anymore.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

….Unless he was by himself, it'd prove to be a huge inconvenience for her to black out when they were supposed to be moving together.

‘I gotta stand up….' (Seol Ji-Hu)

In order to do so, though, he needed energy. He needed to give his body nutrients so it could move again. Just one sip of water, and he thought he'd be able to get going again. It was at this moment that the canteen entered his eyes.

”……….”

Seol Ji-Hu gingerly reached out to it.

‘It's not dirty.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Regardless of what, this ‘liquid' was expelled from human bodies. His trembling hands popped the top off and tilted the canteen over his lips. Now-cooled liquid dribbled down. Gulp, gulp…. He forced himself to swallow twice, and almost immediately, his brows furrowed violently.

”Wuup…. Wuuuook!!”

Accompanied by a fit of heavy coughing, he began vomiting right away. He supported his weight with both of his hands and retched over and over again. He knew that he was being pathetic, but no matter what he did, he just couldn't get used to the acrid stink unique to human p*ss.

”Keuh, heuh….”

Once his gagging reflex came to an end, he began sobbing next. However, there were no tears.

Honestly speaking, he wanted to break down and cry several times during his journey here. He didn't want to make her worry with a display of how badly he was suffering, so he held everything back. But now that he was left alone, the uncontrollable crying erupted out.

‘Compromise, my a*s….' (Seol Ji-Hu)

He'd been often thinking about this during the march. He thought that he shouldn't have come and that he threw his idiot self into this trouble. He should've listened to others when they tried to dissuade him. But when his thoughts reached there, he began hating himself. He felt like a pathetic loser.

”Keuk…. Kkeuh….”

His lips were sobbing, but neither tears nor snot came out. It seemed that there was not a drop of moisture left in his body.

He gasped and gagged for a long while before gritting his teeth. Perhaps due to all that retching and sobbing, his once-hazy mind had regained its lost focus.

‘I gotta endure.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

His innards tumbled ceaselessly, but he still bit into the spear shaft. He planned to conserve as much strength as possible and leave right after Teresa Hussey returned.

”……..”

However, she didn't want to come back no matter how long he waited.

‘Could she…' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Did he get left behind? His thoughts briefly reached there, but he immediately threw that notion away. Teresa wasn't someone like that… But, even if she did leave him behind, there was nothing he could say about that, really.

‘Gotta remain sharp.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

He decided to wait for a little while longer and activated his Nine Eyes.

‘Mm?'

Only then did he finally realise that something was wrong. He couldn't see any colour. The mountains were completely ‘colourless'. It was then.

Rustle, rustle….

Everything had been quiet until then, but he could now hear the sounds of dried leaves being stepped on. He tried to get up, thinking that it was Teresa but stopped abruptly. There was more than one footstep.

He slowly scanned his surroundings and almost bit his tongue. The mountains were still colourless, but the yellow colour was slowly approaching him from behind.

‘Parasites??' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Again. These things were pursuing him again. He just couldn't figure out how they were able to sniff out his traces, but nonetheless, what disgusting persistence this was.

Eventually, the yellow colour drew closer and closer until it began lazily encroaching past the jutting boulders. Seol Ji-Hu grasped his ice spear tightly and crouched his body as much as he could.

‘Keep going…. Keep going like that….' (Seol Ji-Hu)

He fervently prayed in his heart, but then, the footsteps came to an end. He unconsciously held his breath. A choking silence suddenly descended.

Sniff, sniff…..

There was the sound of something sniffing the air, and then…

Woof, woof!!

Out of the blue, he was greeted by the sounds of some things barking angrily.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

And then, there was the unmistakable presence of several things quickly running towards his location. Instinctively realising that things had gone very wrong, he raised his body up.

If he were to be honest, he dearly wished that these things were just some wild wolves.

‘Hah.'

Unfortunately, what revealed themselves were a group of Parasites. They consisted of six never-before-seen mummy-like humanoid things with mud continuously dripping off, as well as four wolves infested with maggots.

‘And the Princess isn't even here, too….' (Seol Ji-Hu)

”……….”

Seol Ji-Hu lifted his head up and stared at the sky, even though there were enemies in front of him. That was how great the despair he felt right now.

‘Just… die?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

For a moment there, he was really tempted by the idea. He somehow managed to force himself up, but he didn't think he'd win against these things. So, rather than wasting more energy and suffer more pain, why not cleanly stab himself in the neck and be done with it? Wouldn't that be better?

[”Even then, I'd like to do everything in my power to survive.”] (Seol Ji-Hu)

It was then, words uttered by someone entered his brain. No, it wasn't someone, but he himself said that.

[”Let's definitely go back home alive.”] (Teresa Hussey)

Once he remembered Teresa, the temptation dissipated.

‘Alive…?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

The moment he lowered his gaze, his expression vacant and distant…

‘….That's right.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

….His dried, cracked lips were firmly squeezed shut.

From the beginning, there ever were only two choices for him - either run away, or fight. Didn't matter which one he chose, he simply didn't want to die without a struggle.

Even if he did die here, taking one out with him would decrease the burden on her escape later. When his thoughts reached there, his courage level shot up by several notches.

Cough! He dryly coughed out. His eyes itched and ached. Just holding the spear made it feel like his arm would fall off at any second. His stamina had hit rock bottom a long time ago, so it was impossible to jump around and fight in a cool manner now.

Despite all that….

….Seol Ji-Hu still made a move. He didn't even consciously think of doing this, yet his right hand grabbed his left and placed it on the spear shaft. And then, the right grasped the bottom of the weapon. The spear unsteadily wobbled about. Just like that, he lifted the tip of the spear and took aim at his front.

‘If it's just one time.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Kiiiieeehh-!!

With a loud screech, enemies powerfully pounced on him. And he too thrust forward very naturally, as well.

Whoos.h.!.+

He scrounged up every ounce of power he had and performed ‘Thrust', the one he trained for hundreds of thousands of times back in the Neutral Zone.

Now freed from all thoughts and feelings, he stared in trance at the enemy rus.h.i.+ng at him and threw out his final attack.

And then, just as the claw-like arm reaching out and the extending spear sharply slid past each other….

< 87.=”” strange=”” bedfellows=”” (2)=””> Fin.