Chapter 20: Training the Savior

I went down the mountain with a much lighter heart than before.

So light that I felt like hopping all the way down.

Unfortunately, my body couldn’t keep up with my mood.

My legs were still trembling, so I had no choice but to descend slowly with Han Jun supporting me.

“Jun, Jun. How did you do it? Huh?”

I eagerly pressed him for an answer.

I was already so proud of him for using his power.

Well done, Han Jun.

As expected of my promising savior.

Under my sparkling gaze, Han Jun opened his mouth, looking slightly burdened.

“I’m not sure. I just… did this.”

It happened while he was carrying me down from the peak, half-dead in his arms.

The sun had long set beyond the horizon, and darkness swallowed everything.

The gloomy mountain was so dark that he could barely see ahead.

Taking even one step was difficult.

In the pitch-black night, carrying me down a rugged path meant one wrong step could cause serious injury.

He said he was tense the whole time, afraid he might lose his footing.

As he came down the steep slope, thick branches blocked his view.

In his urgency, he pushed through without clearing them, and the leaves and twigs scratched my face.

Seeing that, he got angry and swung his hand at the annoying branches.

As if by magic, they fell apart like they’d been sliced by a sharp blade.

At first, he thought it was coincidence and kept walking.

But it happened several more times.

That’s when he realized something strange had awakened inside him.

“Oh wow, impressive. My proud little guy.”

Thanks to Han Jun already using his ability, I felt relieved and happy.

That was one less thing to worry about.

It even felt rewarding, like I’d almost completed my role of raising Savior Han Jun.

As I kept praising him and lightly smacking his hip, he raised an eyebrow at me.

“But hyung, isn’t it strange?”

“What is?”

“This power. Aren’t you scared?”

“Not really. In a world where monsters show up, isn’t it natural that superpowers would too?”

He nodded with a puzzled expression.

It didn’t seem like he fully understood, but he decided to let it slide.

“Still, let’s be careful in front of other people. They might think it’s weird.”

“Got it.”

There was no need to attract attention yet.

If Han Jun had awakened his power, others would eventually start appearing too.

Until the number of ability users increased, it was better to lie low.

If word spread about his power, people might try to use him.

Whether exploiting his kindness or tempting him materially.

For now, I needed to protect him until he could freely control his power and grow stronger.

“We can’t have too many people coveting our Jun.”

When I teasingly brushed his shoulder—

“Stop it.”

He reacted in disgust.

His cheeks turned red, so maybe my affection was too much for him.

What was with that reaction?

He’d slept with that thing pressed against my butt before.

But since I was in a great mood, I had no intention of stopping my annoying behavior.

Leaning fully against him, I rested my cheek on his shoulder and blinked up at him.

He didn’t even look at me.

“Move your face.”

“Why?”

“I’ll leave you behind.”

No matter how blunt and stiff he acted, I was already completely smitten.

Thinking of him as our great savior made his handsome face look even more handsome.

I was starting to worry I might actually fall in love.

“So, that’s it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is slicing things all you can do? What about flying, or making fire? Telekinesis or something?”

“I don’t have that.”

“Really? You’re sure you tried? Try it once.”

“As if that would work.”

“Why assume it won’t? Try first, then say that.”

I patted around his body, checking for other changes.

Aside from his already well-defined muscles flexing, I couldn’t find anything unusual.

Then his jaw tightened.

“…Stop. Unless you want to get eaten.”

That sounded strangely chilling.

Clicking my tongue in disappointment, I quickly stopped my inspection.

Was slicing really the only ability for now?

Surely we didn’t have to find portals and collect powers one by one.

Just approaching that strange energy before had nearly rotted my whole body.

Doing that multiple times would basically mean death.

“…Tsk, flying would make getting down easier.”

I deflated like flat soda.

Frowning, I fell deep into thought about how to awaken other abilities.

Without realizing it, I leaned my full weight on him, practically floating down the mountain.

Han Jun shook his head at my absent-minded state.

“At least you’re not shocked…”

His eyebrows drooped, as if disappointed that my praise and admiration had already ended.

After descending blindly, we ended up completely lost.

Luckily, there were road signs once we reached the road, so we followed them toward where our car was parked.

Even after walking all day, we didn’t see a single person.

But we did encounter monsters from time to time.

It felt like monsters had taken over Earth after humanity disappeared.

But now, no more monster worries.

Happiness begins.

“Go, Hanjun-mon!”

“Stop doing that.”

Whenever we ran into a moderately sized monster, I’d shout to draw its attention.

Han Jun would grind his teeth and reluctantly step forward.

With a single casual swipe of his hand, a monster’s body would split in two.

Once, he sliced one’s stomach open and all its intestines spilled out.

The sight was horrifying.

Seeing me gag repeatedly, he promised to just cleanly cut off heads next time.

Sometimes, though, they didn’t slice cleanly.

Monsters with tough hides or thick bodies didn’t split in one go.

There seemed to be a limit to what he could cut through at once.

Know your enemy, win every battle.

I made Han Jun fight multiple times to figure out the limits of his power.

I felt like a Pokémon trainer.

He thought I was just having fun, which stung a little.

“By the way, aren’t you tired?”

“From what?”

“Using your power.”

“Not really.”

“Nice. Very nice. We’re invincible for now. Keep going, Hanjun-mon!”

The energy consumption seemed low.

Until bigger monsters or more ability users appeared, we were practically unbeatable.

As I nodded in satisfaction, Han Jun let out a deep sigh.

“Ha… I can’t even hit you…”

He’d punched me a few times during sparring before, yet now he treated me like something too fragile to touch.

I didn’t bother correcting him.

After walking nearly ten kilometers and defeating five monsters, we finally found the car.

The first thing I did was wash off in the stream.

Wearing only my underwear, I stepped into the water.

It reached my waist further down.

The cool autumn water was freezing, turning my lips blue, but feeling sticky was worse.

“Ah! Ugh! So cold!!”

I shouted as I splashed water over myself, shivering to avoid freezing to death.

Watching from above, Han Jun took off his clothes and approached, showing off his impressive physique.

It seemed like his body had gotten even better.

His muscles looked bigger and more defined.

“You.”

“Yeah?”

“Your body looks better.”

He ran a hand over his chest and abdomen, tilting his head.

“I do feel kind of sore.”

As I scanned his body with curiosity, my gaze dropped lower than it should have.

A foolish mistake.

Startled, I quickly turned my head and ducked deeper into the water, my face heating up.

“Wash together.”

There’s nothing strange about two guys washing together.

So why was I so conscious of it?

He could at least have worn his underwear.

“Let me wash you.”

“I’m almost done.”

“You didn’t wash your back.”

“I don’t need to be that clean. My back can stay dirty.”

“Turn around.”

At his firm tone, I obediently turned.

Cold water splashed over my back, followed by the heat of his palm.

The slow motion of his hand brushing down my back felt strange and ticklish.

Like I was being teased.

“Y-you can stop.”

This was bad.

It had been so long since I felt someone else’s touch.

Blood kept rushing downward.

Thank goodness we were in water.

My shoulders hunched, and I slowly sank deeper.

“Aren’t you cold if you go in that deep?”

Unaware of my thoughts, Han Jun pressed closer from behind.

He wrapped his arms around me, sharing his body heat.

Even in the cold water, his body was hot.

It was warm and nice, but given my current state—

“…I’m getting out now.”

My voice trembled, whether from the cold or something else.

“Why? It’s warm.”

But it seemed he had no intention of letting me go.

As if practicing jiu-jitsu, he tightened his hold around my waist and buried his face at the back of my neck.