Chapter 44

Unlike the four who didn't feel the cold, Seo-eun tried to keep her trembling lips shut. For Seo-eun, who had no clothes, Abdulraziz had gathered some, but most were short-sleeved. Even the long pants were jeans, making her feel cold from the bottom as well. The heart of the hen mutant they had caught was as large as five Gangsans combined. Seo-eun had hoped the Wugwang stone embedded in the heart would be impressively large, but it was barely the size of her fist. However, its weight was incomparably heavy. They passed it around, finding it too heavy to hold, and eventually the four of them took turns carrying it.

If they were in Narakga or Korea, they would have split into teams to search the surroundings, but since it was an unfamiliar place, they stayed together. They thought it would be better to head down to where there might be houses, so they walked endlessly downhill. Even after midnight, the mountain path showed no signs of ending. There should have been lights if there were any villages, but this place was as dark as an abyss. They had only killed about twenty mutants, estimated to be between 1st and 3rd level. Moreover, these mutants were larger than those in Narakga.

The four, perhaps due to their experience in Narakga, kept poking the dense bushes with their swords, finding it peculiar. Seo-eun was already struggling to keep up with them. They had been walking down non-stop for seven hours.

It was impressive that she had kept up with her ordinary stamina, but no one acknowledged it. Of course, Chahaya had asked if she was okay several times, but Seo-eun didn't want to sound weak, so she always replied that there was no need to worry. Eventually, Seo-eun, reaching her physical limits, started to fall behind.

"Let's move when it gets light."

Chahaya, who had been listening, said something welcome. The others, who were also getting tired, searched for a place to rest without a word.

There was no way there would be any huts in this uninhabited area. Handon-hee found a relatively flat forest path and cut down any protruding rocks or trees with one swing.

Yuchan and Gangsan split a tree and stacked the pieces, rubbing the branches between their palms. *Sak sak sak*, they tried to create friction heat as if they had seen it somewhere before.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Why? Handon-hee, do you have a lighter?"

"I quit smoking."

"Then don't say anything and come help me rub."

Yuchan added, rubbing the branches between his palms.

Those guys still have so much energy.

Seo-eun rolled her eyes at their antics. With Handon-hee having cut down all the trees, there was nowhere to lean. She had no choice but to sit on the ground. She wanted to lie down, but the ground was so cold it felt like her mouth would freeze.

*Whoosh*, it wasn't the hand drill that worked, but a flame appeared at the tip of Chahaya's sword.

"…Wow, damn. Chahaya, what was that just now?"

"What?"

"What's that fire?"

"It's a level of understanding that you foolish ones can't grasp."

Seo-eun crawled towards the burning logs.

"Guild leader, are you okay?"

Only then did Yuchan notice Seo-eun's tired face and ask worriedly.

"No."

Even crawling towards the fire was exhausting. Seo-eun lay down near the fire, which warmed her cold body.

"Hey, how did you start the fire?"

"Even if I tell you, you won't understand."

Since Chahaya, who could manipulate elements, had done it, Handon-hee was seething.

If you think about it, the Cosmos used by the combat-type Manseongs is essentially a form of condensed energy. They condensed their energy into their weapons, so their Cosmos could be seen as a form of energy. However, to start a fire like that, one needed to know how to manipulate elements.

Seo-eun had never seen it before but had expected it. When facing the salamander, he had spread an icy aura instead of a white sword aura.

If the Messenger's words were true, Chahaya could consume others' Cosmos. Perhaps his ability to manipulate elements was related to that. However, Seo-eun stopped thinking deeply about it.

As long as he was on their side, it didn't matter. Even if the Messenger was making idle talk, it didn't bother him. He was already shivering and had a throbbing headache.

"Let me hear it and I'll judge."

"It'll just hurt your mouth."

"How much will it cost?"

"Give and take."

Chahaya, once again, acted like a mature adult who had transcended ownership.

"Is this guy really dirty? Are you going to hog everything for yourself?"

"Even if I explain, Handon-hee's IQ won't understand it."

"A guy who can't even go to college is talking a lot?"

"Hey, Seo-eun, Handon-hee is making personal attacks."

Seo-eun wanted to throw the unburned firewood at them but didn't have the energy to tell them to shut up.

"Hey… Handon-hee, do you recognize cells?"

Lying down made it look strange, but he needed to calm Handon-hee's curiosity to get some sleep.

"Cells?"

"When you awaken, don't the cells feel like different stars?"

Handon-hee scowled. He always made that face during English listening tests.

"Stars? Are you talking about Earth?"

"…Kid, Earth is a planet."

"What's the difference? You're just a space nerd."

"I'm not really interested in space."

He didn't have the energy to get angry.

"Stars are like the sun, and planets are like Earth, right?"

Gangsan, who was playing with the fire, interjected.

"Handon-hee… Gangsan is better than you."

Handon-hee looked quite shocked, not expecting Gangsan to give the correct answer.

Talking about cells and space, fortunately, Handon-hee lost interest quickly. Yuchan, too, seemed uninterested, as he was just staring at the fire.

Seo-eun turned over to warm his back. Then he realized Chahaya was sitting behind him. The shadow on his face changed with the flickering flames, and it wasn't boring to watch. His back was warm, but he couldn't understand why he was still shivering.

"Chaseun, did you recognize cells?"

Chahaya, sitting cross-legged, leaned forward, resting his elbow on his thigh.

"Yes, I did… What about you?"

Awakened Manseongs each described their awakening and enlightenment. Some said their blocked meridians had opened, while others said the sealed energy in their bodies had been released. Thinking about it, few had mentioned cells. After all, just as study methods vary from person to person, the process of awakening as a Manseong should also differ.

"I had a similar experience."

Chahaya seemed pleased, as if he had met someone who spoke his native language in a foreign country.

"But why can't you use it now?"

He was just curious, not particularly pleased.

"Are you a living room soccer expert?"

Chahaya laughed briefly.

"What's that?"

"Someone who only knows the theory. Hey, you should have shot there. Ah, there you should have headed. A guy who just gives advice in front of the TV."

Since he knew what the Cosmos felt like but couldn't use it, they were quite similar.

"You've played as a player, so you're a coach."

A wave of chills accompanied the feeling of warmth.

"You changed your sport from soccer to another."

"Good kid. But I'm cold, so I need to sleep."

Seo-eun crossed his hands under his armpits. A blanket would have been perfect, or even some newspaper.

Chahaya approached, kneeling on the ground.

"You'll die if you sleep in the cold."

Damn, how do we get back to Narakga? The thought of Narakga before Korea made his head throb.

"Chaseun."

"…Don't talk."

At some point, the others had become quiet, and he was too exhausted to turn around.

"You're burning."

Without realizing it, he had crawled closer to the fire. Suddenly, Chahaya lifted him and sat him between his legs.

"Ah, stop joking. I have no energy."

Chahaya pulled his forehead down to rest on his shoulder. The stability of supporting his drooping body was impressive. The warmth of his back felt even warmer than the fire. Still, the position was awkward, and he tried to wriggle free.

"Rat, just sleep."

His weak attempts were quickly stopped by Chahaya.

"Are you going to ask for all my money?"

"Ten thousand won is enough."

Right now, he felt like giving him a hundred times that to share his body heat.

You're really generous.

Chahaya seemed to be taking the cold from him, hugging him from behind. It felt like a cozy nest.

Seo-eun had always wished someone would hold him like this when he was sick or had nightmares as a child. He could have slept soundly, but he had to flip the blanket until dawn without asking his parents for help. His father was scarier than any ghost or pain.

If I have kids, I'll really take good care of them. Chahaya, I think, would be just as good a parent as me.