"Yoo Seowoo?"
Concerned about whether he was injured, Kang Sihyun called out his name, waiting for Seowoo's response. Being dragged by him, Sihyun found himself atop the patient's body as the wind swept over them.
Bothered by this, when he tried to get up, Seowoo's arms firmly held him down.
Worried that he might be seriously injured, Sihyun checked the boy's face, only to find himself speechless when he finally faced him. Being held by him, who was not heavy at all, Seowoo was casually smiling.
Has he gone mad from the battle?
Thinking there could be no other reason, Sihyun let out a sigh of disbelief as Seowoo, looking into his eyes, smiled gently. His pupils drew a line. The platinum eyes, glimpsed through long eyelashes, resembled a subtle moonlight.
Feeling somewhat puzzled himself, Sihyun added strength to the arms that encircled his waist as Seowoo loosened his grip on him.
"...What should we do."
There was a hint of laughter in his languid voice. Seowoo, who stared at him without even blinking, made Sihyun forget the discomfort of his posture as he opened his mouth.
"...Why."
"Because this is the first time I've endured this much."
"......?"
"What should we do, Sihyun."
Whispering, he raised one hand to run his fingers through his black hair. His long fingers swept through his hair, then grabbed and released it in a repetitive motion. Whether it was because of the quiet surroundings or not, the rustling sound was unusually loud.
Contrary to him, Sihyun, who held his breath, belatedly realized that they were in the underground of the coliseum. And he recalled that all this was being broadcasted in real-time. His ears turned red in an instant.
"Can you ease up a bit?"
...I want to get up. Sihyun, who spoke in a low voice, moved to rise. As Seowoo's arms still held his waist, only his legs moved relatively freely, causing Seowoo below him to flinch for a moment.
Ah, letting out a short groan, Seowoo chuckled hollowly as he looked at Sihyun struggling without knowing his condition.
"It's going to be difficult if you move like that."
Embarrassment was evident in his cool laughter. Finally releasing Sihyun, who he had gently petted, Seowoo slowly released his arms. Then, Sihyun, who could finally stand on the ground, looked at Seowoo, who was sitting up with only his upper body, his face filled with laughter lines.
"We managed to win somehow."
Looking at Redfall's corpse, Seowoo remarked. Listening to his voice, Sihyun, who scrutinized the corpse of the deceased Irregular, narrowed his eyes as he discovered something under one of Redfall's legs.
Could it be...?
Although he thought it unlikely, he moved his feet. As if possessed, Sihyun approached Redfall's lower body and observed underneath it. In the dusty space, a small light sparkled.
I should check it out.
It seemed like all his instincts were urging him on. Bending down, Kang Sihyun bit his lip as he prepared to lift the massive leg of Redfall. Normally, Yoo Seowoo would have asked if he needed help, but for some reason, he remained silent now, devoid of any strength to even utter a word.
Without his assistance, Sihyun had to lift the leg all by himself. Gritting his teeth and exerting all his strength, Sihyun managed to lift Redfall's leg with trembling hands.
Feeling like he wouldn't hold on much longer, he reached in and pulled out something that had been lying underneath. Then, as he let go of the leg, the ground shook with a thud!
Thunk.
Dust fell from the ceiling due to the slight tremor, but Sihyun couldn't care less. All his attention was focused on the box he had managed to retrieve using every last ounce of his strength.
"What? Even a master got beaten? Jaei... Oh, hello. Sihyun, how's it going over there? Have you found it?"
At a fantastic timing, Ihaan radioed in. Hearing the urgent tone in his voice, Sihyun opened his mouth to speak but let out a strange sigh instead.
"I found it."
Seowoo, who had been silent until now, spoke up. It was a statement that proved this wasn't just a hallucination. With a brief glance at him, Sihyun hesitated before reaching out towards the box he had found. Since Seowoo hadn't helped, it was only reasonable for him to take the box.
A subtle smile tugged at the corners of his lips. When he had encountered Redfall, he had thought he was in trouble, but now it seemed like it was all worth it.
"I found it."
After activating the radio, Najik murmured before opening the lid of the box. A brilliant blue light poured out, revealing a clear, blue gem that sparkled brightly, facing Sihyun. It was what Geonwoo had discovered.
A surge of emotion welled up inside him. As he slowly gripped the gem with hands that trembled either from exhaustion or tension, a bang sounded in his ears. Then, amidst the mechanical sound mixed with congratulatory music, a notification window popped up announcing their victory in the third siege battle.
<You have won the 3rd siege battle.>
That simple sentence filled him with elation. Smiling faintly, Sihyun closed the notification window and turned to look at Seowoo. Despite feeling closer to what they had found together, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of guilt.
Locking eyes with Sihyun, Seowoo extended the corners of his lips. There was no hint of anger in his smile; instead, it was a smile that seemed genuinely pleased with what they had found. As his vision darkened, drowned out by the triumphant sound of the horn signaling the end of the third round, Sihyun's heart swelled with pride.
"Well done, youngest!"
As Jaei rushed over, taking off his headset and embracing him tightly, his black hair was tousled vigorously. Amidst his passionate reaction, when Sihyun tried to calm down, Ihaan intervened, pulling Jaei away.
Struggling to straighten out his disheveled hair, Sihyun was shaken back and forth by Jaei, who had become excited again.
"See, you were supposed to be on the search team, right? What did I tell you? I said I would do something for you! Oh, you rascal!"
"Senior, please, my hands..."
Already feeling dizzy from spending too much time in virtual reality, being shaken made him feel even more nauseous. Covering his mouth as he spoke, Jaei, who had been engaging in somewhat aggressive physical contact, withdrew his hand in surprise. After a moment, the dizziness subsided. As he apologized, Sihyun, who was trying to comfort him instead, was approached by Bandal, who had taken off his headset.
"Where were you?"
"The treasure?"
"The treasure and you. I tried to process the first-year students and follow you, but there was no trace."
"There wasn't?"
Seowoo had clearly stated that there were traces left on the coliseum floor from when I used acceleration. But if there were no traces, what kind of trick had been pulled?
Considering that the opponent was Seowoo, it was a highly plausible story. Without revealing his thoughts, Sihyun answered that he had been underground. As Bandal looked at him as if to gauge whether it was true, he awkwardly patted his head. His touch was unfamiliar, as he wasn't usually one to give such praise.
"Well done."
Receiving a simple yet weighty compliment, Sihyun remained silent, unsure of the appropriate response. With the momentum of their victory in the third round, everyone gathered their hands to win the next round as well. Although Sihyun had to shout along with them, chanting "Go, Blue Team," to make up for his embarrassment, he had to taste a precarious defeat that rendered his embarrassment meaningless. It was because they found the treasure on the White Team's side just before the key was taken.
As a result, before the game ended, Jaei fired his gun wildly everywhere, roaring like a madman, and Sihyun, who heard the news via radio, decided to stay away from him. He had heard that people become rough when they hold guns, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent.
"I shot down so many heads!"
"Unfortunately, this game is a siege, not a sniper battle, senior."
"But it's still frustrating. By the way, why did you change your title from 'hyung' to 'senior'?"
"Put your hand on your chest, senior."
"...?"
On the way back to the waiting room, Kang Sihyun opened the waiting room door, trying to comfort Jaei, who seemed unjustly upset. As he did, the people from Group A greeted them enthusiastically with applause and cheers. Spotting Hamin's uneven expression amidst the applause and cheers, Sihyun couldn't help but smirk.
Even though they won in the end, I don't understand why he's making that face.
"Why the long face?" Hamin asked, looking at Sihyun while pushing away Haewoon, who was trying to hug him in praise. Sighing, Hamin glanced at Sihyun, tapping his head while Haeun clung to Sihyun's shoulders.
"Min has been like that since earlier. Since the third round."
"Why?"
"I don't know what's wrong with Haewoon."
After teaching him some strange affection that he shouldn't even know unless it's with Seowoo, he's been using a terrible third-person pronoun. The moment he heard it, he shivered all over and sent a pitiful glance, causing Haeun to show signs of disappointment. At that moment, Hamin, who had been silent, spoke up in a low voice.
"You told them to win, but what's with this cooperative game?"
"What?"
Blinking at the irritated question, Sihyun didn't understand what he meant. Seeing Hamin's puzzled face, he recalled the situation during the third round. The voices of the commentators who had seen Seowoo and Sihyun on one screen, fighting against Redfall, still echoed in his ears.
"Oh, Yoo Seowoo and Kang Sihyun students! They're fighting together against Redfall's appearance!"
"It looks like a joint match if you see it, right? Their friendship is strong."
"Wasn't this supposed to be a showdown between the Blue Team and the White Team?"
"Kang Sihyun student falling with Yoo Seowoo student!"
"They seem quite close."
Starting from the rare scene commentary to the screams of the audience and the murmurs of the Group A people saying something is strange about them. Hamin, whose eyebrows twitched, looked at Sihyun, who couldn't understand English.
Feeling frustrated inside but knowing that there was no one to blame since the other party didn't know anything, only a sigh escaped him.
"Why blame someone for your own obliviousness?"
"…?"
Hearing criticism for his efforts in the game, Sihyun made a bewildered expression. The psyche of Hamin, a 17-year-old who seemed dissatisfied with everything, had become truly unpredictable lately. Still, he seemed a bit transparent when they first met.
Seeing how unusually capricious he had become lately, Sihyun, thinking that he might be going through adolescence, shook his head in resignation.
Of all people, it had to be Hamin going through adolescence. The future seemed a bit more challenging.
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