The Mist Vol 2 Chapter 5

Vol 2 Chapter 5

[ I, Lord Superior, leave behind some power for my potential descendant who may one day visit this place where memories of my friend, the true master of shadows, remain. He, who was the master of this cave and all shadow practitioners, understood the weight of loyalty better than anyone and was one who silently protected his own justice. ...May his rest be eternally peaceful. ]

Strangely, the moment he read those words, Kapros felt his mood sink without realizing it. Perhaps it was because he had been continuously viewing the memories from Lord Superior's perspective...

Shortly after, the light letters that had finished their task began to gather and change their form in various ways. They finally spat out a magic book to Kapros and then beautifully shattered, falling like snow and disappearing. From within the gently falling light snow, Lucrecian, who was down below, shouted.

"Did you get the reward?"

However, Kapros had no time to answer. His heart was racing, all his attention focused on the magic book that had finally come into his hands for the first time. It was a magic book from the Lord Superior quest, no less. Whatever magic it contained, it was sure to be amazing.

'Now, shall I go down...'

It was then. Suddenly, his vision swayed. His heart, which he thought was racing from the excitement of obtaining the magic book, began to pump frantically faster and faster.

'Something's different...! What on earth...?'

"Come down quickly!"

Lucrecian shouted, but Kapros's body wouldn't listen properly. It felt as if he had been afflicted with some kind of status ailment. At that moment, Kapros recalled the stinging sensation near his shoulder when they had passed by the small insect monsters he had burned earlier. Lucrecian had said they were poisonous monsters; could he have been stung by something then?

But before he could think any further, his mind became hazy in an instant. He could no longer maintain the image of Fly. Kapros felt the magical power that had been keeping his body afloat disappear, and he fell.

'Already the second time today...'

To meet his first death by falling to his death right after finally obtaining the magic book. With the thought that it would be hard to find anything more absurd than this, his consciousness faded.

When he regained consciousness, Kapros heard familiar voices that could never be together, growling and fighting.

"His body is here, so he's not logged out, so why isn't he waking up! What did you do!"

Kran's shout, recognizable even with eyes closed.

"I told you, I was detoxifying him from the poison of the Poison Bee."

Lucrecian's nonchalant voice.

"Ridiculous. You're detoxifying by uncovering his shoulder and using your lips?"

And even Yu-wan's quiet voice.

"I do it with my lips."

"What..."

At Lucrecian's answer, Kran made a choked sound as if dumbfounded. Kapros listened to their conversation for a while and learned that this was outside the cave. It seemed that Lucrecian, who had been detoxifying Kapros after bringing him out despite his fall without dying, had met Yu-wan and Kran who were searching the area, resulting in the current situation.

"Are you a pervert or what? How can you detoxify with your lips! Talk sense, you shameless guy! It's so cheesy it gives me goosebumps!"

"...So you do know what 'cheesy' means."

"What?"

"...Hmm."

Before Kran could flare up and fight with Yu-wan, Kapros opened his eyes.

"Kap!"

As if he had never been angry, Kran immediately brightened up and rushed over. The dizziness that had been shaking his body had disappeared, and there was no pain. Judging by the lack of strength in his body, his health seemed to be at rock bottom, but the poison had certainly been neutralized. Turning his eyes to the side, he saw Lucrecian with his mask lowered, smiling with his sculpture-like face.

"You're awake, hyung?"

"...Hyung?!"

For a moment, Kran wore a very shocked expression, but Kapros paid no attention and sat up.

"...How did I not die?"

The cave ceiling was quite high. He had thought that falling from there would result in instant death or a similarly severe injury, so it was unexpected to be this fine.

"Because I caught you."

"...What?"

"You, hyung."

The tone was so plain that Kapros was momentarily at a loss for words.

"You caught me as I was falling?"

"That's what I said."

"Why?"

"Instead of thanking me for my kindness, being this handsome and pretty, that's the first thing you ask?"

As Lucrecian replied sulkily, saying he was disappointed, Kran tried to have a fit, but Kapros stopped him while running his hand through his hair. Honestly, he didn't think Lucrecian was the type to save him devotedly, risking all sorts of trouble, so he was curious about his intentions, but it wasn't wrong to say that a thank you should come first.

"...Thank you for saving me."

As Kapros bowed his head in gratitude, Lucrecian showed a suspicious smile.

"Is that all?"

What more should he do?

"If you're really grateful, there should be something coming."

As Lucrecian spoke suspiciously, Yu-wan stepped forward. Standing in a position that perfectly blocked Lucrecian, he sat down next to Kapros and touched his forehead.

"...I heard you were in such bad condition that you were on the verge of forced termination."

Hearing the worried voice, completely different from his cynical demeanor when talking to others, Kapros felt a tickle in his stomach for some reason.

Was it because Yu-wan, who was usually of few words, showed such a different side only to him? Unlike with Lucrecian, Kapros felt a genuine sense of gratitude and trust welling up. If someone treats him as special, it's only right that he should treat them equally well or even better in return.

"I'm fine now."

As Kapros answered, feeling a bit awkward, Yu-wan lowered his hand from his forehead and spoke in a lowered voice, almost whispering.

"Don't disappear alone from now on."

"Okay."

As the two were conversing, Kran's grumbling voice was heard from behind.

"Don't act cool. I was worried sick too, not just you acting like you're the only one who was concerned."

As Kran wedged himself between Yu-wan and Kapros, wrapping his arm around Kapros's shoulder, Yu-wan glared at him with cold blue eyes. Kran, not to be outdone, glared back with all his might. Seeing their behavior, Kapros suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha..."