# 027. Long Live the King (11)
“Aaaaah! Help me! I’m not the king! I’m not! Huaaaaaang!”
“This is wrong! That’s not what I meant!”
As they cut through the darkness, various sounds could be heard. People were not far away, but they seemed completely unaware of others’ presence.
It was still dark, making it difficult to move carelessly. However, it wasn’t the same suffocating darkness as before.
Jaehee took a short breath and organized his thoughts.
There was a lantern in his inventory, but turning on a light here might attract Ouroboros’s attention.
First, he needed to find where Jeongwoo was…
“Shh. Be quiet. Don’t make a sound.”
Just as he was wondering how to find Jeongwoo, a low voice near his ear startled him. He slowly turned toward the source of the sound.
“It’s me. We’re going to get out of here now, so take my hand.”
It seemed Jeongwoo hadn’t been affected by Ouroboros’s test at all. Jaehee took the hand Jeongwoo offered. Jeongwoo moved slowly but without error. It was as if he could clearly see through this darkness alone. When Jaehee staggered as if about to bump into something, Jeongwoo wrapped his arm around Jaehee’s shoulder.
Suddenly, Jeongwoo’s body heat enveloped his entire body. For the first time, Jaehee was grateful for the darkness. At least his flushed face couldn’t be seen. He wasn’t sure how many times he’d been held by Jeongwoo like this now. No wonder Se-rin had misunderstood and thought he was dating Jeongwoo.
Apart from the embarrassment, being in Jeongwoo’s embrace made movement much easier. The size difference between them became apparent. Jaehee had thought himself to be of average build, but he fit too comfortably in Jeongwoo’s arms.
Cradled in Jeongwoo’s embrace, they arrived at some corner of the cave. A cool sensation emanated from the cave wall. Feeling uncomfortable at being so close to Jeongwoo, Jaehee tried to push him away slightly, but the more he did so, the more Jeongwoo pressed his body against him.
“———”
Jeongwoo said something. His words emitted a faint shimmering light as they flew over the black darkness. It was truly strange to ‘see’ words. Jaehee stared blankly at them, entranced. The words from Jeongwoo’s mouth clumped together and dispersed repeatedly according to some rule, moving as if dancing. It was all the more bizarre because in the pitch-black darkness, these were the only things visible.
They looked like luminous butterflies or fireflies. The lights gradually gathered and condensed in the center, then began to emit an even brighter light.
Jeongwoo raised his coat to wrap Jaehee. Almost simultaneously, the light exploded.
BOOM!
The sudden burst of sound and light was so intense that Jaehee couldn’t hear or see anything. The world was enveloped in white light and silence. Time seemed to stop. It felt as if only he and Jeongwoo remained in the world. Suddenly, an indescribable emotion washed over him. Even knowing it was inappropriate for the situation, Jaehee instinctively burrowed deeper into Jeongwoo’s embrace, overcome by loneliness and isolation.
Clutching Jeongwoo, he listened to his heartbeat. As he breathed in, Jeongwoo’s scent filled his lungs. Only after sensing Jeongwoo’s presence with all five senses did he feel the relief of his feet touching ground.
Slowly, his sight and hearing began to return.
He shook his head a few times to clear the ringing in his ears.
The cave was no longer dark. Though the source of light was unknown, the interior of the cave was as bright as if under the sun. Jaehee looked around for others, but could find no one besides himself and Jeongwoo.
“Huh? Where are the others…?”
“Perhaps, over there…?”
Following Jeongwoo’s hand, Jaehee turned his head and saw something attached to the ceiling. It was wrapped in a white membrane, making it difficult to see clearly, but something was definitely inside.
“They should be fine for now. First, we need to deal with that.”
This time Jeongwoo pointed straight ahead. Jaehee slowly raised his head. Before them was a giant white snake filling his entire field of vision.
“O-Ouroboros…!”
The white snake flicked its tongue and poked out its head, as if pleased that its name had been called.
Every time the snake moved, a strange “swish” sound echoed through the cave. After swaying its head a few times, the snake slowly extended its body forward.
Ouroboros showed no signs of haste or urgency. It observed Jaehee and Jeongwoo standing before it as if curious and interested. The snake’s head was the size of a human, and its body was massive enough to easily swallow several people.
Black eyes gleamed on its white head.
Jeongwoo drew his sword. It was a manifestation, not something taken from his inventory. Seeing this, Jaehee also drew his sword—the same one he had wielded with Jeongwoo in the tutorial.
[You dare to challenge me…?]
“Urgh…”
The sharp voice that resonated directly in his mind made Jaehee grimace involuntarily. Ouroboros’s voice was grotesque. Never having experienced such a discomforting sound before, he couldn’t compare it to anything.
[It’s been nearly two thousand years. Since I’ve seen someone draw a sword directly against me.]
Jaehee’s eyes met the snake’s. The reptilian slitted pupils suddenly contracted. Jaehee flinched and trembled, feeling as if his windpipe was being squeezed.
“Acting all high and mighty when you’re not even a real Ouroboros.”
[Hmm, you speak as if you know what a real Ouroboros is. Yes. I am still an incomplete Ouroboros. But that doesn’t mean you can handle me, mortal.]
Ouroboros spoke while looking at Jeongwoo and Jaehee as if watching a grandchild’s cute antics, far from being cautious.
“Isn’t it a bit premature to call others ‘mortal’ when you haven’t even properly shed your skin yet? We’re all equally mortal, you and I.”
The blade of Jeongwoo’s sword glowed red-hot. The snake blinked. Even Jaehee wasn’t sure exactly what was happening. Jeongwoo flew upward with his red-hot sword. As if he had wings, Jeongwoo kicked off from a rock and leaped higher and higher. Meanwhile, the sword in his hand grew increasingly red, until it finally resembled a massive flame.
In an instant, Jeongwoo approached where the snake was. The snake hastily pulled its head back. It made a bizarre sound and stretched its body long. It would be no exaggeration to say the entire cave was filled with the snake. The snake moved toward Jaehee at high speed.
The snake’s movement was so fast it created a gust of wind.
“Jaehee, dodge!”
Before Jeongwoo could finish speaking, Jaehee was already running sideways. It seemed the snake was aiming for him instead of Jeongwoo. Wasn’t there something about running in zigzags to escape a snake? But with such a size difference, that probably wouldn’t help. Jaehee ran toward the corner of the cave. Perhaps due to the explosion earlier, there were falling rocks and small cracks everywhere in the cave. Jaehee maneuvered through small gaps too narrow for the snake to enter.
[AAAAARGH]
Suddenly, a strange scream that pierced the eardrums echoed. Glancing back, Jaehee saw Jeongwoo plunging his burning sword into the snake’s body and tearing it lengthwise. What was strange was that the fire from Jeongwoo’s sword had spread, and the snake’s body was also burning red.
[You! How does a mortal possess the Demon King’s flame?]
“Jaehee, get out of here!”
Though curious about what the snake had called the “Demon King’s flame,” Jaehee ran toward the exit at Jeongwoo’s command. Fortunately, the exit wasn’t far.
There wasn’t much he could do here anyway. It irritated him that he was a Royal Road. The skills available to Royal Roads were almost useless in combat.
Not long after Jaehee escaped the cave, something came flying out as if thrown. Startled, he saw it was one of the translucent membrane-wrapped things that had been stuck to the ceiling. Upon careful examination, he found it was Instructor Jang In-ho. Jaehee used his knife to tear the membrane surrounding Jang In-ho. The instructor was covered in an unpleasant slime and was unconscious. Soon after, others were thrown out of the cave one by one. They fell to the ground with loud thuds, and Jaehee hurriedly tore away the membranes, worried they might be injured. Fortunately, no one seemed hurt. Just as Jaehee had frantically laid his companions on the ground, the cave exploded with a thunderous noise.
