The Isolated Island (16)
To be honest, since I’d been running fine on my own until now, it felt a little embarrassing to be carried down in someone’s arms.
It wasn’t really necessary, I thought…
Still, I reached out and looped my arms around his neck. It wasn’t like I needed to reject Min Hajun’s gesture of concern either.
And well—his arms felt familiar now.
Maybe Hajun felt the same, because the way he held and carried me was smooth and natural.
“Looks like we’ve made it out, but… just in case, let’s stay alert.”
He didn’t have to say it—I’d already planned to.
Even if no danger was immediately visible, something unexpected could happen anytime, anywhere. It wouldn’t be the first time.
I vowed not to be caught off guard again, and focused my senses on the ground beneath me. Better to tap every stone before crossing. Even when walking, I distributed my weight in two careful steps, ready to pull back at any moment.
Apparently, that tense vigilance showed more than I thought.
“Yuha.”
“Yes.”
“Yuha.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t even bother turning my head. If it was important, he’d say so.
But what Hajun offered wasn’t a warning or an urgent request.
“Can I have your hand?”
That made me stop and glance back. He was standing a few steps behind me, palm outstretched, expression calm.
Puzzled, I walked toward him.
“Come on.”
I hesitated a moment, then placed my hand in his large one. It wasn’t like Hajun would ever do me harm. And since he’d been so cooperative whenever I needed something, I figured I could at least return the favor—even if I didn’t know what this was about.
He gently took my hand and began rubbing it slowly. Pressing certain points, adjusting the pressure.
A massage?
It felt nice, but I didn’t get it.
Maybe he noticed my confusion, because he smiled and explained:
“You seemed tense.”
“You’re the one who said not to let my guard down.”
His light laughter eased the air between us. The motion of his hand was gentle.
“True enough. But too much tension can get in the way of flexible reactions.”
His fingers moved with precision, loosening the muscles as though he knew exactly where they knotted—from years of handling daggers, maybe.
“Besides, our situation isn’t all that bad.”
“This situation?”
If being trapped inside a monster’s body and separated from our group didn’t count as bad, I had to question what his life as a hunter had been like.
Though, compared to the pre-Regression apocalypse, I suppose this isn’t the worst.
“Sure. We’ve got two top-tier hunters right here.”
He winked, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Hajun wore an exaggeratedly confident smile—completely sure of himself.
Yeah. We’ve survived worse.
Even that insane pyramid hadn’t stopped us. With the top-ranked hunter and a regressor together, it was the enemy that should be worried.
At his words and his touch, the stiffness finally left my shoulders. Now that I noticed it, my neck was sore—I really had been too tense.
“Other hand?”
Without hesitation, I offered it. His technique worked better than I’d expected.
After a while of letting him ease the strain, I stepped back, stretching my limbs.
“Thanks. I feel much better.”
“Don’t mention it. It reminds me of the first day we met.”
“The first day?”
“Yeah. You suddenly appeared and reached out your hand to me.”
A faint smile curved his lips.
I remembered that scene very differently—massive dragon wings, lava-like flames everywhere. Spectacular, dangerous, chaotic.
Still, that was the day I’d first thought of Hajun as someone who listens well.
“You really surprised me. I half-expected you to treat me like a lunatic.”
“When someone drops from the sky and saves your life, it’s hard not to listen.”
He leaned forward slightly, smiling.
“Thanks to you, everything worked out. Sometimes I wish Wind would take a page out of your book.”
“A well-behaved Wind?”
He fell silent, as if picturing it. His expression told me we were thinking the same thing.
“Yeah, impossible, right?”
“Can’t imagine it at all.”
The image of a meek Iryul was so absurd that I laughed. His sharp features didn’t lend themselves to a gentle look anyway.
And really, if Iryul ever stopped talking back and just obeyed orders, he wouldn’t be Iryul anymore. Though, to be fair, after enough complaining, he always did what I asked.
Hajun was watching me laugh, his eyes oddly shadowed. His lips smiled, but his gaze… sank somewhere deeper.
I realized—too late—that bringing up Iryul after their earlier tension wasn’t the most considerate move.
Yet, to my surprise, he didn’t seem upset. He neither commented nor frowned.
Instead, he steered the conversation smoothly back.
“Then I’ll just have to make sure things keep going well.”
His tone was casual again, his face calm—as if that strange look from before had never existed.
With the tension eased, we moved faster. It felt lighter, easier—like trusting my companion allowed me to breathe again.
Even if I don’t monitor everything, he’ll catch what I miss.
Because of that, I lifted my eyes from the ground more often now.
“Hajun, wait a sec.”
That awareness helped—I spotted movement ahead before it could surprise us. Something scuttled along the edge of the light.
“There’s definitely something.”
Hajun stepped forward, conjuring his weapon. Whatever it was must have noticed us too, because it came into view.
A flat, pill-bug-shaped monster—not very threatening. Unlike the previous ones, it didn’t charge at us right away.
It was smaller, too. Maybe that’s why it chose to retreat into the shadows instead of attacking. Smart enough to recognize when it couldn’t win.
“Should we chase it?”
He glanced back at me. I shook my head.
“It went the same way we’re going. I doubt it’ll double back.”
If we crossed paths again, we’d handle it then. But judging from its quick retreat, that seemed unlikely.
Unless it comes back with friends…
A flicker of unease passed through my mind, but I set it aside. No point worrying until there was something to fight.
And with Hajun here, even if they did swarm us, we’d manage.
We proceeded cautiously. Still, after a good while, no ambush came.
“Looks like it really ran off.”
“Yeah. Pretty clever one.”
It seemed safe to relax. Hajun dismissed his weapon; I was just about to sheath my dagger when—
Wait.
Something felt off. I froze, the dagger still in my hand.
I lifted it again, moving my wrist.
The motion itself was fine… but when I tried a small spin, the kind I always did out of habit, the rhythm was wrong.
Slower than usual.
I twirled the dagger again. Definitely slower. Frowning, I rubbed my fingers. When had they turned so pale? They’d been warm just minutes ago, but now felt faintly numb.
It wasn’t obvious—but I could tell.
If I were just an ordinary hunter, I might’ve ignored it. A 0.1-second delay could easily be chalked up to nerves or cold.
But I had a purification skill, and scanning my own body barely cost any mana at all.
“Yuha?”
Hajun looked puzzled. I must have seemed odd, repeatedly clenching and unclenching my fists.
“Something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just a second.”
I closed my eyes and focused.
Purify.
A gentle warmth spread through me as the magic flowed.
…Got me.
And I didn’t even have to trace it to my hand—it was already coursing through my whole body. The first symptoms had just shown up in my fingers.
I quickly cleansed every trace and scanned the surroundings. That’s when I noticed it—round marks on the walls, like burst boils leaving behind scars.
A closer look revealed a translucent residue trickling down. Probably the cause.
“Hajun, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh—yeah.”
He’d come up behind me, studying the slime with curious eyes.
Alarmed, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He followed obediently.
“I think that stuff’s causing minor paralysis.”
“Ah, so that’s what…”
Understanding dawned on his face. He flexed his hands experimentally.
“I still feel fine.”
“Let me see your hand.”
He offered it without resistance. If he was that unaffected, maybe he hadn’t been exposed as much. A quick purification should do it.
But the moment I used the skill on him—
—I couldn’t hide my shock.
