The Isolated Island (17)
I held Min Hajun’s hand and frowned seriously.
What the— is he really not poisoned?
The toxic energy I’d just felt in his body was nothing compared to my own earlier. The moment I activated my skill, the thick venom in him nearly choked me.
“Hajun, are you sure you’re okay?”
At this level, it was a miracle he was even standing.
“Yes, I feel the same as usual.”
He answered so casually that he almost seemed innocent. There wasn’t the slightest hint of him suppressing pain or trying to endure it. Just to be sure, I pressed my hand to his forehead. Normal temperature.
This is a problem.
Even if he showed no symptoms now, I couldn’t just leave it alone. If the toxin was anything like before, it could quietly eat away at him without him realizing.
But purifying it all would take a lot of mana. I’d thought purifying myself would be enough, but this had turned into a bigger deal than expected.
I calculated how much mana I had left. Fortunately, I still had enough for now—but the longer we stayed here, the more strained my reserves would become.
The only way to replenish mana here would be to find the Gate core… and that was risky.
“Is something wrong?”
When I stayed silent, lost in thought, Hajun blinked at me curiously. I hesitated, unsure how much to tell him, then steeled myself.
“It’s nothing. I’m just going to use a skill—don’t be alarmed.”
How could I tell him the truth? That I was worried about running out of mana later, even though his body was already falling apart? If I said that, he’d insist on taking the risk himself, tell me to save my energy, and stubbornly refuse my help.
It was a brief hesitation, but deep down I already knew what I’d choose. In an emergency, Hajun would be the one who could actually make a difference. And if it ever came down to one of us surviving… it should be him.
Besides, I’d always been good at fighting with little mana. More would be nice, sure, but I could manage without. It wasn’t like I’d had much to begin with.
Decision made, I drew in a deep breath and activated my skill. Otherwise, the oppressive toxin would choke me again.
“Purify.”
It felt like being plunged into oil. I moved my mana delicately, cleaning the black sludge like skimming grease from the surface of the sea, untangling and dissolving the clots. When I finally pushed the remnants from his veins, sweat beaded on my forehead.
If only purification worked instantly, like a strengthening buff. Cleansing my own body was almost instinctive now, but working on someone else’s was still exhausting.
I carefully scanned Hajun’s body one last time, then opened my eyes. He was looking down quietly, waiting for me. I had no idea how long it had taken.
“Ahem. So, how do you feel? Any changes?”
My throat was hoarse from concentrating too long. He finally looked up.
His blue eyes gleamed faintly—so vivid it was almost unnerving.
“Yes. Much better.”
So there had been something to fix, despite what he said earlier.
“From now on, if you feel off at all, tell me.”
“I did tell you honestly. I really didn’t feel any different.”
“…Are you always this oblivious?”
How dull do you have to be not to notice that kind of poisoning? I was honestly impressed.
“Well, I suppose you could say that,” Hajun said after a moment’s thought, nodding slightly.
“Still. Say something next time, even if it’s small.”
“Alright.”
I couldn’t check on him constantly. He needed to look after himself too.
How he’d survived this long in such a brutal world was a mystery.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I grabbed his wrist again. Normally, everyone should manage their own body—but this was a special situation.
Just this once, I’ll keep close watch.
Hajun’s eyes widened slightly at the sudden contact, but I ignored it.
“I’ll hold on to you while we move. It’s probably that slime’s doing.”
I planned to keep purifying him as we went.
There was something suspicious about it all, but for now, this was the best option. Maybe his constitution was just especially vulnerable. It couldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“…Alright.”
But instead of letting me hold his wrist, his hand slipped out of my grasp.
Huh?
My brow lifted before I could stop it. But before I could ask, his large hand reached back—this time, his fingers laced through mine.
Interlocked.
“It’ll be easier for both of us this way,” he said plainly. His tone and expression were so matter-of-fact it was almost disarming.
“If we hold on like this, we won’t get separated no matter what happens.”
When I just looked at our joined hands, he even offered that explanation, as if he felt the need to justify it.
It was such an intimate gesture that I hesitated, but I let it be. He really did seem sincere—and honestly, this was easier than dragging him by the wrist.
And it wasn’t like we hadn’t been through worse together already. I was the one who grabbed him first, after all.
“Fine.”
So we walked—hand in hand—through the monster’s guts.
The contaminated zone stretched on much longer than expected. In fact, it grew worse the farther we went.
Swollen sacs bulged from the walls, oozing black fluid.
And as we walked, I noticed something odd—the burst sacs followed a pattern.
“Hajun, you see that too, right?”
“Yeah. I was wondering why they form in a straight line like that.”
The more sacs there were, the clearer the line became. The ruptures connected neatly, like something—or someone—had deliberately burst them.
Then Hajun suddenly yanked our joined hands.
Thud.
A split second later, something fell exactly where I’d been standing.
“Smart little bastards.”
On the ground, one of the monsters we’d seen earlier was writhing upside down, its limbs flailing. The mouth on its belly kept opening and closing.
Thup. Thuk. Thup.
More thudding came from around us—definitely more than one.
“Their hunting method’s nasty,” I muttered.
The same kind of creatures were crawling down the walls, bursting sacs as they descended. So that was their strategy—lure prey in, paralyze them with venom, then swarm in to devour.
I summoned a dagger with my free hand.
Ugh, left hand.
I flexed my grip, testing the feel of it. Clumsy. I wasn’t used to it.
Before regression, I’d fought ambidextrously—but memory and muscle were different things.
Still, I couldn’t let go of Hajun now; the sludge was pooling all over the floor.
“It’s fine, Yuha,” he said, sensing my hesitation.
“Don’t use wide-range attacks…”
“Right. That’s why I thought of something else.”
Hajun tapped his foot lightly on the ground. From that point, blue mana rippled outward.
“As long as it doesn’t harm the surroundings, right?”
The scuttling sounds stopped.
The blue light spread into a thin icy film, freezing every crawling leg in place. The creatures jerked helplessly, trapped like insects caught on flypaper.
“If I just freeze them all—”
I stepped forward in surprise, hearing a brittle crack beneath my feet.
“I made sure the ice doesn’t touch the floor,” Hajun said calmly.
The thin layer had shattered where I’d stepped—but just above the fleshy ground. I froze, this time in awe.
“It does have one flaw, though,” he added.
He smiled faintly and drove his blade straight through the belly-mouth of a lunging monster.
“What flaw?”
“Maintaining the area takes focus, so this is my max output. It’s thin, so some still slip through.”
He flicked his fingers.
“It’s enough to hold them briefly, though.”
Spikes erupted across the icy film like a field of crystalline thorns. The trapped monsters convulsed, then went limp.
Good thing I spent the mana to heal him.
His combat efficiency was off the charts.
Hajun ended the battle in an instant, then dispelled the ice with a simple wave.
“Hmm… I guess this wouldn’t work on bigger ones. But maybe I can improve it.”
I only nodded.
He’d clearly been refining his control, even planning for unusual situations.
Could Iyul… manage something like that?
Watching Hajun’s precise control made a wave of unease wash over me. No—believe. Even if he fails, please let it be after we regroup…
The thought of Iyul alone with three civilians against that monster twisted my stomach.
“I’ll check if any of them are still alive,” I said, letting go of Hajun’s hand and stepping toward the bodies. Normally I’d leave them, but since the path was straight, a survivor could ambush us from behind. Better to be sure.
But before I could take even one step, his hand caught mine again.
“Don’t let go.”
