"Jump!" Jang-book screamed, his voice enough of a trigger to make their legs shoot up on their own.
They leaped into the air, hovering for what felt to Min-ho like an eternity. Then, a slab of stone shot out from the slope behind them.
It curved under them, so that when they fell on it, they slid across it and were rocketed toward the others.
Catching them by surprise, Min-ho and Ji-su crashed into their comrades, so that they lay on the ground groaning.
As he lay, Min-ho found himself laughing uncontrollably like a madman, even though his body was screaming at him.
"Ji-su!" Dok-su screamed, pulling his brother into an embrace.
The others sat up. Jang-book pulled Min-ho up as he laughed, which made him wince from pain.
"You did it, you bastard!" Jang-book slapped him on the shoulder.
"Ow," Min-ho cried out in pain, his laugh dying down.
"Sorry," Jang-book said.
"You're okay," Sae-wee said, rushing him in an embrace.
Min-ho paused, and so did Jang-book and Im-hee.
He hovered his hand over her back, unsure of what to do.
After several seconds, Sae-wee realized herself.
"Sorry," she said, pulling away with a sniffle.
She looked distraught and shaken.
"Thank you," Dok-su said, pulling Min-ho's attention.
Dok-su's eyes were watery as he left his brother's side and got on his knees. He then bowed his head and said, "Thank you for saving my brother."
He too sniffled, being equally as shaken as Sae-wee.
"Thank you, Min-ho," Ji-su said, trying to trace where they were based on their voices.
Min-ho sat still. He wasn't expecting this from… anyone, which in turn had left him unprepared and unknowing of what to say.
He cleared his throat.
"It's fine," he said, and said nothing more.
"You're hurt," Im-hee said, attempting to heal Min-ho, but he shook his hand, halting her.
He winced, then groaned as he tried to rise. When he put some weight into his right leg, a sudden pain exploded forth, causing him to return to the ground.
"Ah," he cried out.
Acting on impulse, everyone's eyes fell on his leg. He had sustained the most injury there. The flesh on his leg just above his ankles had been badly eaten away, so blood flowed in buckets.
Min-ho didn't feel it much at first, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through him. But now, it seemed… unbearable.
"I have to heal you," she said. Despite trying to be strong, her voice came as a whisper, barely audible.
He shook his head as he swallowed.
"You're in more pain than I am," he said, then gulped hard as he stared at the wound. "Nothing a little bandage can't fix."
RIP!
Sae-wee tore out a piece of her sleeve, then began to wrap it around Min-ho's wound.
Min-ho found himself staring at Sae-wee for a moment. Her eyes were still wet and red, and she was still shaken. Her aura gave off the impression that she had almost lost someone dear to her heart.
'That can't be possible,' Min-ho thought, suddenly faltering his gaze.
"You have to let me… heal you. You won't be able to fight with that wound," Im-hee insisted.
"He doesn't have to," Jang-book said, pulling everyone's gaze—Min-ho's especially. "We'll avoid any Spectors till we get to the Safe Zone. If it can't be helped, I'll make sure to fill up any gaps he leaves behind."
The team went quiet for a while, as though reflecting on what Min-ho was feeling.
It was strange, to say the least. Min-ho could physically feel the change in their team dynamic. Somehow, they had gone from strangers anxious of when the other would attack and anticipating it, to genuine comrades that, as it looked… trusted one another.
Min-ho took in a deep breath.
"Done," Sae-wee said, her gaze to the floor.
"Thank you," Min-ho said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
He attempted to get up, but found doing so easier as Sae-wee helped him to his feet—this time, pulling his arm across her shoulder.
"Thank you, Jang-book," Min-ho said, offering a faint smile.
Then he turned to the others.
"Like he said, we won't be fighting anything for now. Not until we've recuperated." He exhaled. "And if push came to shove, I can still fight, so you guys don't have to worry about me."
They went quiet. Im-hee stared at Min-ho, unsure if she should feel admiration for him, or anger for not letting her heal him. Either way, she knew Min-ho was quite an extraordinary person.
Jang-book, on the other hand, knew exactly what he felt toward Min-ho. He felt he could really trust him.
Meanwhile, Dok-su said nothing. He was still by his brother's side, inspecting him for any wounds.
"We have to keep moving." Min-ho peered at the death trap they had just escaped.
The pool of acid now seemed like an ocean, as it had consumed everything in sight and was swaying and crashing at the walls.
Min-ho had wondered for a moment the reason for those sudden quakes, but did not think too much about it.
"It will be night soon," he added. "And we have to find a way out of here before then."
He turned with Sae-wee's help to the path ahead. It was still quite the walk, but hopefully one free of any danger.
The others wanted to suggest he rest, but knew what getting caught in the open at night would mean, so they didn't protest.
Dok-su helped his brother to his feet and held his hand.
Jang-book wanted to carry Im-hee into his arms, but she refused. Instead, she held his arm for support.
Min-ho glanced at the others, and as he found them ready, he turned back to the path ahead.
"Let's go," he said, and they made their way forward.
Their walk had stretched for half an hour. In that timeframe, no one had spoken a word. They had just remained in deep thought.
Up ahead, the path that sloped upward had come to a stop, giving way to a cavern of sorts below.
As the roof of the cavern filled with glowing crystals came into view, something happened.
The damp and dry smell of the tunnels gave way to a clearer, purer cool air that swayed into their noses.
Suddenly, hopes ran high.
Everyone exchanged glances with gleams in their eyes.
It was obvious what this meant—an exit was nearby. And since there were no branching pathways in the tunnel they were in, the exit would be in the cavern ahead.
They sped up their pace, eager to see if there was truly a way out.
The group walked up to the top of the slope with their hearts full. Once they stood at the top of the slope, their eyes widened.
Suddenly, they became weak and unimaginable dread filled their hearts.
Looking below, Min-ho couldn't believe what he was seeing. He felt his soul shatter into a million pieces.
Below, in the large cavern, were over a hundred spider Spectors creeping from one side of the cave to another. Beneath them were hundreds of eggs waiting to be born.
At the far end of the cavern was a large tunnel that gave way to a light source that looked like it came from the sun—but in front of the presumable exit, was a spider Spector five meters tall and wide, resting on a heap of debris.