Could it be because the distance was too far? The rising and falling movement of the chest was not clearly visible to the eyes. The absence of even the slightest movement made it seem as if he was not breathing at all. For Kang Sihyun, who had seen Kang Haewoon tossing and turning roughly in his sleep for a year, it was unfamiliar to see Haewoon lying quietly with his hands on his abdomen.
Step by step, the sound of footsteps was accompanied by a hard noise. Previously, the floor had been muddy, but now it seemed to be paved with stones, as it was entirely made of golden-colored stones. Torches and glowstones were embedded in the walls here and there, but there was no time to look around. With his gaze fixed on Haewoon, Sihyun approached closer, enveloped in a strange emotion.
He wanted to rush over and check on Haewoon's condition immediately, but the fear that Haewoon might actually not be breathing made him hesitate. Unable to speed up, nor to stop, he walked very slowly, very carefully. Finally, standing right in front of the statue, Sihyun used one of his reserved Copy uses to copy the Flight skill and picked up Haewoon from the statue.
"Kang Haewoon."
He called the name of the boy who lay as if dead. No response came back. A ominous premonition led Sihyun to lay the boy down on the ground, having carried him down from the statue.
Upon closer inspection, injuries that were not visible from afar came into view. For instance, a large hole in the abdomen, or the damaged organs visible inside.
"......"
It was a sight so cruel and brutal that one could go days without eating, but perhaps because it felt unreal, no nausea came. Quietly observing the wound on Haewoon, Sihyun's mind raced. It seemed the diameter could be about 15cm. Could a person survive with a hole of this size in their body?
Despite his outwardly calm expression, Sihyun's hands trembled noticeably. The trembling that reached the tips of his fingers indicated the tension in his body.
Thump.
A fingertip touched the tip of Haewoon's nose. Sihyun remained in that position for a long while.
Until he could feel the breath on his fingertips.
He tried to feel even the faintest breath by focusing all his nerves and senses on his fingertips, but it was no use. Haewoon was not breathing, which was unavoidable.
Sihyun's hand trembled more than before.
He was not breathing. Like a dead person.
Haewoon's appearance was no different from the dead people Sihyun had seen countless times during the return of Gula. The only difference might have been a slightly more peaceful expression.
"Kang Haewoon."
"......"
"Answer me."
He thought he had maintained his composure, but his voice trembled badly. Kang Haewoon. He called out to the boy once more, but there was no answer. It was a heartfelt call, but despite the poignant effort, no response came back. Normally, the boy would have teased him for calling so tenderly, asking if he had developed feelings, but today he was too quiet.
Could this be?
Sihyun was plunged into confusion in front of his friend's body.
Just a few hours ago, they were laughing and talking together. What could have possibly happened in that short time to make him appear so cold, was beyond understanding. As if enchanted, Sihyun unconsciously extended his hand and poured out mana.
Blood rushed to his fingertips, and healing skills were cast in succession. Using all the heal skills he had, the gruesomely torn abdomen began to regenerate and close up. It seemed the wound was healed, but not Haewoon. He still did not open his eyes.
Unable to accept his death, Sihyun continued to pour out skills. Mana was rapidly draining, but Haewoon did not awaken. It was then that Sihyun's eyes shook violently.
"Sihyun?"
A high voice called out to Sihyun. Turning towards the sound, he saw a woman looking down at him from one of several entrances to this place, located about the height of the 3rd floor of an apartment.
It was Emma.
Had she gone through a similar experience?
Sihyun stared blankly at Emma, who had arrived here all by herself. Emma's confused expression tightened as she saw Sihyun's face, then frowned upon checking on Haewoon lying on the ground.
"I'll be right there."
The woman spoke firmly before jumping down. Despite the considerable height, she landed smoothly and immediately rushed towards Sihyun and Haewoon.
"Are you hurt?"
"...He's, he's not breathing."
It was the first time Sihyun had seen Emma since they had parted ways at the crossroads, but he was too distressed to ask her how she
was or what had happened. Sihyun dumbly answered and slightly lifted Haewoon's clothes to show his abdomen.
"There was a big hole here. I've healed it now, but at that time, even the organs were destroyed, and it seems like some time has passed...."
His mind was in turmoil. Mixing information and emotions, he couldn't finish his sentence properly, so Emma just nodded as if she roughly understood and gently pushed Sihyun aside to check on Haewoon's condition.
As Emma checked the pulse and breathing, her expression darkened. She muttered in English that if it was this bad, even taking him to Lesa would be difficult.
Lesa.
The S-grade healer located in the United States. Known as the most skilled among currently awakened healers with the Healer class. Emma's comment that it would be difficult even for Lesa implied that she couldn't heal Haewoon either.
But, could this even be healed?
It was about bringing back the dead.
Waking up someone who was not breathing could only be called resurrection.
"...Is he dead?"
Sihyun asked Emma even though he knew. Facing Sihyun, whose pupils were dilated and face had turned pale, Emma bit her lip and looked away. That alone was enough for Sihyun to consider he had received Emma's answer.
"...Can't we at least try to treat him? It might be because my mana is insufficient."
He knew it was a nonsensical thing to say. He was aware of his folly, and that he was being a nuisance. But he couldn't just leave Haewoon like this, so he insisted, and Emma sighed and used a skill.
Flash!
A bright light erupted as a result of the skill use. It must have been a skill that required a lot of mana, as it was so intense, but Haewoon still did not move. Flash, then another flash. The light flickered several times, but nothing changed. After using five heal skills, Emma clenched her fist and looked down at the pale Haewoon.
Unlike the two, who had become quite serious, Haewoon alone had the most peaceful face here.
"...We've done enough."
Emma said as she lightly stroked Haewoon's face. Sihyun protested that the wound had healed, that he might still wake up, but he closed his mouth at Emma's firm call of his name.
He knew.
That any further action would just be a waste of unnecessary mana. To put it coldly, the mana used to heal Haewoon should be used to protect the living.
Yet.
"...I didn't want to give up."
As Sihyun, who had embraced Haewoon, spoke in a much smaller voice, Emma's hand patted his shoulder. The touch seemed to convey understanding, and emotions welled up. A mix of self-blame, guilt, anger, and sorrow complicated his feelings.
"Emma?"
"Sihyun!"
"Mr. Sihyun!"
As if on cue, James, Jihye, and Uiheon appeared from three of the holes in the wall. This meant that the Korean team had all reunited at this place.
Given that everyone had arrived here, this place might have been the center of the pyramid. People who appeared from different levels of the structure checked Haewoon's quiet and Sihyun's pale faces alternately, then jumped down from the wall without any hesitation.
Sihyun, with a shocked expression, was unable to say anything to Jihye, who had approached him. Unable to make excuses, he turned away like a criminal and stared at the ground, and Jihye, who had come close, checked on Haewoon and lost her words.
Uiheon also closed his eyes upon seeing Haewoon not breathing. James conversed with Emma in English to grasp the situation and paid his respects to Haewoon.
Sihyun did not like this atmosphere.
Everyone was mourning and paying respects, assuming Haewoon was dead, which made him uncomfortably hug Haewoon a bit tighter. That's when it happened.
"What! Everyone's here!"
With awkward Korean, Sherri and Tom appeared from a hole five floors high. It was unclear when they had climbed so high, but given they were more elevated than the others, they seemed to have encountered several rough situations, as Sherri and Tom were covered in wounds.
While Emma gasped and rushed down to apply heal skills to them, Sihyun explained the situation to Uiheon and Jihye with his jaw dropping.
As he explained that Haewoon was already in this state when they arrived, his hand clenched. When the gazes of the two seemed to blame him, Jihye approached and grabbed Haewoon's hand, wrapping her other arm around Sihyun.
"It's okay."
"......"
"Why are you making that face? The last one to be with Haewoon and then get separated was me....
"
Jihye's voice trembled unusually. Sihyun sensed a hint of self-blame in her voice and clenched his mouth. No matter what he said, it seemed it wouldn't help the atmosphere.
The Korean team was in an awkward silence when the American team, having finished their healing, also approached Haewoon's side. After being scattered throughout the pyramid for a few hours, eight people managed to gather in one place, but no one could feel happy. Sherri, who initially approached with a bright face, also checked Haewoon and patted Uiheon's shoulder.
"So the one who lost the signal is...."
Sherri stopped there, catching James's gaze and closed her mouth.
Was everyone else, not just Sihyun, constantly checking the bio-signals through a device? Everyone looked at their arms in silence. Their eyes, filled with self-blame, regret, lingering attachments, and worries, alternated between looking at Haewoon and the device, unable to speak.
That's when it happened.
Creak.
A sound as if something was moving followed by.
Boom!
A heavy roar echoed. In the silence that enveloped the space, the sudden noise startled everyone, causing them to look up.
"What's that noise?"
"Over there..., the door...."
Jihye was the first to notice the anomaly. Checking the door she came through, she pointed her fingertips towards where the hole had been. All the entrances to this space were blocked by something like stone. The loud noise from before seemed to be the sound of the entrances being sealed.
"What's this...."
While Uiheon couldn't hide his panic, Sherri, with her senses on high alert, suddenly turned around. It was towards the side with the statue.
"Over here!"
As Sherri opened her mouth to shout, everyone stared at the place with the statue.
Rustle rustle.
The giant statue seated in a chair began to vibrate as if shaking, then dust and stones started to fall relentlessly.
Is it collapsing?
Uncertain of what would happen, since all predictions had failed in this pyramid, Sihyun's eyes narrowed. Holding Haewoon tightly, he swallowed nervously as the statue lifted its head.
That moment.
Wham!
Suddenly, a tremendous wind burst forth from the statue, scattering stone fragments in all directions. Reacting quickly, Emma spread a protective barrier, causing the fragments to bounce off the solid shield. Sihyun, who had reflexively closed his eyes, slowly lifted his eyelids.
"Over there...."
Jihye spoke first, pointing at the statue. When the wind stopped and the view cleared, they saw the statue, with its legs crossed, staring at Sihyun and his companions.
No, it could no longer be referred to as a statue.
Whether it had shaken off all the stone with the strong wind, the creature's body had no stone attached. As if it had been petrified and then freed, the creature tilted its head slightly, looking at Sihyun and his group, then lifted the corners of its mouth.
Following it, the creature's eyes curved into a smile, causing everyone to hold their breath. A chill ran down their backs.
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