Lying on the narrow shield where only two people could barely lie down, Sihyun, lost in thought, gazed at the pitch-black sky with unfocused eyes. Despite attempts at a third escape and even a fourth, all efforts were futile and exhausting. With each try, exhaustion mounted, and even the slightest movement became a struggle.
Repeated attempts merely changed the distance traveled, but the outcome remained unchanged. Even after twenty-four hours had passed, allowing for the reuse of the copy skill, the situation remained the same.
Even if teleportation was copied, there wasn't enough power and skill proficiency to escape this place, and other skills were equally ineffective for similar reasons. While they might be useful in battles with irregulars, they couldn't resolve the fundamental situation. No matter what solution they considered, they kept hitting a wall, feeling as though the situation itself was countering them.
In this situation, the cooldown recovery of the copy skill became a source of despair. The pairing device was malfunctioning, and without the sun rising or setting, they couldn't gauge how much time had passed. The cooldown of the copy skill revived the sense of lost time, making it impossible to entertain the positive thought that perhaps only a day had passed despite feeling trapped for so long.
Turning his head, Sihyun saw Hamin, also drained and staring at the ground. While he used to be terrified, now his eyes, as he gazed downward, seemed quite indifferent. They had spent far too long airborne to fear it anymore.
It's time to get up.
After the failed fourth attempt, it seemed like four hours had passed, making it time to try again.
As before, they planned to alternate between ground and aerial movements to efficiently use each other's mana. They would attempt ground movement first and, if overwhelmed by the grade and number of irregulars, flee to the air, resting when mana fell below 40%. After repeating this four times, they were becoming adept at the game of cat and mouse with the shadow irregulars. The fifth encounter would be particularly harsh; it was said that many A-ranks had perished here, indicating the strength of the irregulars. The bizarre climate of this place played a significant role as well.
Initially, it rained thorns, but by the fourth attempt, it was toxic rain. Because of this, Sihyun had to maintain a barrier to prevent rain from touching him and Hamin, and when the barrier corroded from the toxicity, he had to repeat the purification process, depleting a significant amount of mana. The delay in the fifth attempt was due to this.
"Let's go again."
There was no hope of finding an exit, but there was an obligation to try. As Hamin rose from his seat, Sihyun sighed while examining his expression, which revealed nothing. Both of them had significantly reduced their speech since entering the shadow world. It was to conserve energy.
Even though not a word was spoken, they had implicitly reduced their speech since the fourth attempt. Unable to recharge through food, they realized the necessity of conservation to endure in this world.
As expressions faded, it was evidence of declining energy. Hamin, who once seemed lively, now looked quite fatigued, which was natural considering their usual intake of food.
Hopefully, they could find something within the sixth attempt.
As mana recovery slowed, their chances dwindled. By the seventh attempt, one of them might be exhausted to the point of death. Both mentally and physically, they were on edge.
They had underestimated the shadow world.
They thought they could escape easily, but it was not so straightforward. Unlike themselves, the irregulars of this world were infinite, so there was a real possibility of dying here. It was a situation they had never imagined they would find themselves in.
Since the Titan incident, this was the closest they had felt to death.
Conveying a silent agreement with his gaze, Sihyun leaped out of the shield. Wolves immediately emerged as they landed, seemingly out of nowhere. Whether it was an illusion or not, the irregulars' rate of creation seemed to have doubled since before.
Hamin took the lead, clearing a path, while Sihyun followed, fending off irregulars that trailed behind. Even walking around a city would take a long time, but this place encompassed the entire Jeju Island. Finding an exit was akin to winning the lottery, though it wasn't impossible.
With eyes struggling to stay open from accumulated fatigue, Sihyun surveyed the surroundings. Amidst this, the thought of getting some sleep after this attempt crept into his mind. He was already disheartened.
With a chilling sound, Hamin's aura split the writhing ground, and Sihyun swiftly increased his pace, stepping on the momentarily quiet ground. He deliberately saved the copy skill. If they were to force themselves to move when they could no longer run, they would need to copy not just one or two but several skills.
He considered it a stroke of luck to have witnessed Haewoon's battle up close. A shadow irregular, with the body of a snake and the torso of a human, lunged at Hamin. It seemed like they had barely run, yet they were already facing high-ranking threats.
Hamin dodged the irregular's attack, then increased his speed. Sihyun noticed the tension in Hamin's hand, gripping the sword handle. It seemed like he was exerting his strength already. They were running out of time, and Sihyun prepared to throw water bombs at the irregulars closely trailing behind. The exit was nowhere in sight, and the shadow irregulars swarmed ominously. The scarcity of good news indicated that the shadow world was far from stagnant. Perhaps the longer intruders stayed, the more difficult it became. Either way, there was no good news.
Amid dodging attacks from behind, sometimes taking hits, Hamin staggered. Reacting quickly, Sihyun grabbed Hamin's arm and supported him. Though Hamin muttered an excuse about stumbling, Sihyun couldn't believe it so easily. He had a gut feeling that Hamin had reached his limit, so he created a platform from the shield, mechanically repeating the process after much practice.
Climbing up meticulously crafted footholds while supporting Hamin, Sihyun raised him up above the ground about 7 meters, creating a foothold in mid-air to lay Hamin down, ensuring that the Irregulars couldn't follow. Hamin, drenched in sweat, struggled to catch his breath. Normally, he would boast even in such a situation, but this time, even breathing seemed overwhelming. It felt overwhelming due to the aftermath of repeatedly exhausting themselves, depleting mana to its limits without eating or sleeping.
Unlike me, who injects mana into a staff for use, he had to physically engage with the Irregulars, so it wasn't unreasonable for him to tire out faster.
"Hah…"
He let out a hollow chuckle, as if trembling from the situation. Due to his labored breathing, even that sounded like a groan. Seeing the furrowed expression on the boy's face, Sihyun massaged his body. Hamin's palm, now covered in blood, swelled with veins, then subsided. Extending his hand, Sihyun applied healing to Hamin's eyes and gently covered them with his hand.
"If it's tough, just say so."
Not even knowing that his palm had burst due to the strain of forcibly using Aura and swinging the sword, I was too impatient. My vision narrowed due to being overly anxious. Thinking that Hamin, who had followed his own pace despite being completely exhausted, was foolish, Sihyun gently closed Hamin's eyes with his hand while covering them.
Hamin's breathing, which had been erratic, gradually became regular. After some time had passed, Sihyun, who had removed his hand from Hamin's face, looked at the sleeping boy, then embraced his knees and bowed his head.
Exhausted breaths escaped.
Reality was hell, so he could only hope for it to be a dream.
***
"Wake up?"
A low voice was heard as he lifted his heavy eyelids as if even a lump of lead had been placed on them. It was a familiar voice. Sihyun, who turned his gaze at the familiar tone heard after a long time, confirmed Hamin's appearance. Hamin's face, which looked much healthier than before falling asleep, came into view.
Looks like he's better.
Thinking so, Sihyun slowly realized that it was he, not Hamin, who was lying in bed.
"How long has it been…."
The words that flowed out like a habit stopped abruptly, unable to finish. There was no way to check the time. Sihyun, who stopped speaking and sighed, was stared at quietly by Hamin, who then relaxed his body. Even though he was starving, the powerhouse seemed unchanged; sleeping had somewhat restored his energy.
"If you're awake, start getting ready slowly. We might need to leave as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"They're getting stronger, those guys."
At the indifferent response, Hamin, who looked down at the ground, frowned. From his tone, it seemed like he wasn't the only one who felt that the difficulty of the Shadow World was increasing. If Hamin also felt it, it wasn't just a simple misunderstanding. As there was nothing good to wait for, time was dragged on for a long time.
"Let's go."
Without hesitation, Sihyun, who stood up from his place, tightened his grip on the staff. Perhaps sleeping was indeed a remedy, as waking up after a short rest made him feel better than before. Taking a deep breath, their eyes met again. With a smirk, Hamin chuckled softly. By the time it was around the 6th attempt, it seemed like his mind was halfway out.
His laughter seemed out of place and irrelevant, causing Sihyun to chuckle dryly. Together with Hamin, he descended from the protective barrier. Perhaps because their condition had improved, this time, there was a strong feeling of success.
And that feeling of success turned out to be completely off the mark.
Thunk!
Far from escaping, they found themselves trapped in another place.
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