Even though they were sitting side by side in silence, there was no longer the same awkwardness as before. Amidst the relaxed atmosphere, Kang Sihyun, who had been focusing on mana recovery, glanced at Hamin after confirming that he had secured over 80% of his mana. Whether it was due to the apologies and conversations that had occurred a few times, his expression seemed quite relaxed.
"How much mana recovery do you think we've achieved?"
"Enough to handle about two battles. Why?"
"Then get up."
"...?"
When Sihyun closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them, it seemed as if he was suddenly asking what was going on. As the planned strategy was to wait here until reinforcements arrived, when Hamin looked puzzled by this, Sihyun gave him a hint to get up from his awkward position.
"What now?"
"I've been too naive."
"How so?"
"If this isn't just a simple error, but something deliberately attempted by someone, how long do you think we can hold out here?"
Hamin, lost in thought upon hearing the question, alternately closed and opened his eyes. Eventually, he emitted a low groan, realizing that it was no longer a situation where they could wait passively for rescue.
"...We might starve to death faster than waiting for rescue."
"Do you think so too?"
Then we must act.
After stating his conclusion, Sihyun grasped his staff firmly. It was either fight or flight. There must be an exit somewhere. Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight in his place, and Hamin straightened his previously slouched back and scanned the wide space.
"So, where are we going?"
"We don't even know the way, so what's there to think about? Let's go wherever we feel like."
Nevertheless, Sihyun decided to follow Hamin's opinion. He knew from multiple experiences that luck wasn't on his side.
As they were considering whether to move through the air again, the shadow world, which had been quiet for a while, began to shake violently. It felt like an earthquake as the ground became rough and hills emerged. When they realized it would be futile to penetrate downwards, they looked around and noticed cracks appearing in the protective barrier at the corners. Naturally, their gaze descended. Sharp, giant thorns were piercing through the undulating ground, a sight unseen before.
Blue eyes shook with anxiety. Eventually, countless sharp thorns began to mercilessly rain down from above.
Thud, thud.
The sound of protective barriers shattering in succession was heard. While they were lucky that they didn't fall where Sihyun and Hamin were, all the protective barriers around them were shattered and falling to the ground along with the thorns. If they continued like this, Sihyun and Hamin would soon crash to the ground as well.
Thud!
Another thorn brushed against Sihyun's head and fell. Feeling a chill down his spine, Sihyun looked up at the perilous sky, then grabbed Hamin's arm.
"It's easier to dodge from below than here. I'll release the barrier, so stay alert."
Due to the seriousness of the situation, tension seeped into his voice. After swallowing once, he quickly released the barrier, which had protected him and Hamin for a long time. In an instant, the transparent plate that had kept them safe disappeared. Hamin, who had grabbed Sihyun's arm tightly for a moment, cursed under his breath. It wasn't a situation to laugh about.
As Sihyun's arm was tightly held, he felt tension in the air. After a moment of silence, Sihyun's hand, which had been held by Hamin, suddenly felt a tingling sensation.
There was no time to call out names. Just as Hamin lifted his head at Sihyun's urgent voice, on the verge of dropping his thorn, he swung his sword. Swish. A large thorn split in half and fell on both sides of Hamin. Sihyun could have missed seeing the round back of Hamin if he had been a little slower.
"You should ease up on the swearing too!"
With a mouth full of curses, Hamin increased the pace of his stabbing. Sihyun, who had let go of Hamin's hand due to this, swallowed his breath and glanced behind him. The wolves, who had been few in number, just a few moments ago, had swollen to over forty individuals. Moreover, their speed was fast, so if they fell behind even a little in stamina, they would be torn apart without hesitation. Understanding this, Sihyun quickly turned his head.
Come to think of it, I don't remember using the already created water much.
It was an application method he had never tried before. But coming up with another way to deal with this situation was unreasonable. Confirming Hamin, who seemed to be falling behind, Sihyun turned back and tightly gripped the staff.
In a moment, he increased the pace of his stabbing to swiftly catch up with Hamin. Sihyun, who was close to Hamin, a boy whose identity as a human or an irregular was unknown considering only his stamina, grabbed Hamin's clothes with one hand and swung the staff.
As the long staff's end sliced through the air, a large amount of blue water poured out from the end of the staff. Sihyun, with a furrowed brow, focused on controlling the water. Although his proficiency had increased considerably and the amount of mana had increased, he felt a momentary loss of strength as nearly forty percent of his mana drained away at once.
Hamin, who sensed Sihyun's condition as if by magic, grabbed Sihyun beside him. Sihyun, who bit his lip, gripped the staff tightly until the back of his hand turned white. As his control didn't match what he had thought, his fingertips began to tremble lightly.
When he suppressed the desire to give up and persevered with determination, the water that poured out suddenly gathered together into the form of waves. While Hamin was stunned by this sight, Sihyun held onto Hamin's arm and rode atop the created waves.
It was a method whose success was uncertain since he had never tried it before. However, fortunately, the water that consumed his mana rewarded him with that value. Like the time when the laboratory was filled with water, the gigantic water carried Sihyun and Hamin, turning into waves and starting to move forward. Initially, the speed was slow enough that it wouldn't be strange to be caught up by the wolves, but once he realized the knack, it became much faster than running.
Got a movement skill.
It seemed like an application that would only be possible in a vast wasteland like this place, unlike anywhere else. Sihyun, who had consumed quite a bit of concentration, exhaled deeply with a flushed face and looked back. Although the wolves, which had been running quickly on all fours, had increased their speed, the distance between them was only widening.
"Ha…."
Finally relieved, Sihyun relaxed his tense body. Hamin, who had experienced riding waves, looked at Sihyun with a bewildered expression.
"When did you learn something like this?"
"Just now."
"What?"
"I didn't know I could do it either. Since I can only use the summoned water until it disappears, the duration should be short, but it should be enough to shake off the pursuit and escape from here."
Judging by the speed, they should be able to escape at least until they were out of the thorn-filled area. With confidence in his voice, Sihyun spoke, but when Hamin mumbled that it was unbelievable, Sihyun rebuked him, telling him not to say unnecessary things and to find an exit.
The blue waves that made movement and escape easier scattered exactly as Sihyun had anticipated after leaving the area filled with thorns. Seeing Hamin seeming disappointed, Sihyun poked his side as he lowered his head.
"We saved energy, but I can't do it twice. The mana consumption is huge."
Even if they avoided the thorns and wolves, this place was still the Shadow World. As if reminding them not to forget that fact, the ground began to tremble again as they descended from the waves. Hamin gripped his sword. Now that wolves had appeared, it was time for irregulars higher than them to come out.
"Finding the exit is a priority over fighting. Don't forget."
As Hamin entered combat mode and warned so, Sihyun, who had momentarily stopped his stabbing, resumed it. Hamin followed behind Sihyun, dealing with the newly generated irregulars. The two stopped their steps when twenty minutes had passed since they resumed stabbing.
Although their stamina was gradually running out, the speed of irregular generation had increased significantly. Hamin, who was surrounded by them in a situation where the exit was not visible, pushed away the lieutenant-level giant ants that rushed at him and gasped for breath.
"Let's take a break."
Hamin, who spoke with a tired voice, took a breath and swung his sword. Turning into a purple aura, the giant sword repelled all the irregulars at once, while Sihyun quickly created a barrier. Having shared life and death together for several hours, they were now breathing in sync even without any significant signs.
"Hold on."
Hamin reached out to help Sihyun up onto the barrier. After confirming that he could hold his hand safely and escape, Hamin relaxed his grip on his legs.
"Ha…."
A tired sigh spread over the barrier. The two who failed their second attempt to find the exit looked down at the screaming ants, exhaustedly.
"What do you want to do if you get out of here?"
A low voice reached Sihyun's ears. Sihyun wished Hamin would stop setting up death flags and close his mouth.
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