CHAPTER 206: LEATHER AND LAUGHTER

Beside the water stood a tall rocky formation that looked like a broken pillar, as if it had once supported the great ceiling of this underground world before collapsing partway through.

As they drew closer, Shiao Yi noticed a small herd of deer drinking from the lake.

They looked almost like ordinary deer from the surface except their bodies were larger and their antlers were oddly shaped.

Perhaps they were in the process of becoming magical beasts. Still, seeing them here, even with fawns among them, gave off a sense of wild untamed life that hadn’t been lost even in this world.

It had been a long time since either of them had eaten.

Hunger gnawed at Shiao Yi’s stomach.

They also needed clothing and something to cover themselves with.

He lifted two of his throwing knives into the air with telekinesis and silently aimed at one of the adult deer.

The knives flew forward soundlessly and struck true, one piercing the throat, the other sinking deep into the heart.

The deer collapsed without even a cry and the rest of the herd scattered in panic, their hooves thundering across the plain.

Shiao Yi approached the fallen deer.

With practiced efficiency, he skinned it and cut the meat cleanly from the bone.

The organs were gathered and burned, while the blood was washed away in the cool lake water.

He collected dry grass and branches to build a fire.

Once the flames caught, he placed thick cuts of meat on sharpened sticks and began to roast them slowly over the heat.

The remaining meat, he rinsed in the water and tore into long thin strips to dry later.

Using telekinesis, Shiao Yi lifted the long strips of meat into the air.

Dominic then used a mix of wind and fire magic, drying and heating them at once until they turned into perfect jerky in no time.

Yeah... magic really was convenient.

They washed the deer hide in the lake, then Shiao Yi stretched it flat with telekinesis while Dominic treated and softened it with magic until it became usable leather.

Yeah... it’s totally a cheat.

After finishing the roasted meat, they took the dried deer hide that had been hanging from branches in the wind and fashioned crude clothing out of it.

Calling it "clothing" might have been too generous, it was basically a strip of leather that was just tied around the waist covering only their private part.

When they finally looked at each other’s ridiculous outfits, both of them burst out laughing again.

"Ha! We look like cavemen!" Shiao Yi said between laughs.

His eyes are gleaming with mischief. "Still... it suits you. You look wild and fierce, though it really pisses me off how good you make it look. You’re like one of those character in the book, like Tarzan."

"And also— you look way too good like that. Damn it, that’s unfair. You’re supposed to look silly, not like... that."

Dominic laughed so hard he almost doubled over. "Shiao Yi, you look even cuter like this. I can’t figure out why, but somehow you seem looked younger and more... innocent."

"Shut up," Shiao Yi snapped while puffing his cheeks out in irritation.

That only made Dominic laugh harder, his tears began to forming in the corners of his eyes.

The tension between them stayed high, laughter, adrenaline, exhaustion and something else they refused to name.

Their half-naked bodies that was wrapped only in crude waistcloths, looked almost indecent and sensual even, but neither of them dared to acknowledge it.

This was not the time or place for indulgence.

They both knew what they needed to do.

They had to get out of here and fast.

Dominic had no idea how much time had passed since they had fallen into the demon world.

Down here, deep beneath the earth, there was no sun or moon, only a faint unchanging light that illuminated everything in a dim haze.

There was no way to tell day from night.

What looked like a sky above was actually an enormous solid layer of rock stretching endlessly across the horizon.

Yet, despite being sealed beneath the ground, there was still air — humid and heavy.

The clouds formed here too, drifting slowly through the underground expanse.

Somehow, the atmosphere circulated, creating wind.

It was strange, almost unnatural.

He noticed one of those thick clusters of clouds moving toward them.

A storm was coming.

They were standing beside a lake in a wide, open area.

It would be risky to stay out in the rain, but Dominic didn’t want to go back into the forest either.

Last time they had entered those woods, the trees’ tendrils had torn their clothes to shreds.

That was when Shiao Yi pointed toward a tall, jagged rock wall rising ahead of them, its top half broken and leaning like a fractured column.

"Dominic, can you blast a hole in that cliff with magic?" Shiao Yi asked.

It was a good idea.

Wild beasts might attack them on open ground, but if they made a shelter halfway up the sheer rock wall, they would be safe.

Shiao Yi moved close while wrapping his arms around Dominic’s waist and holding him tightly. Then, with a gentle pull, they both floated into the air. He was lifted effortlessly by Shiao Yi’s telekinesis.

He was using his ability to counteract gravity.

It really was a convenient skill.

They rose until they reached the middle section of the rock face, where Shiao Yi stopped them midair.

Dominic focused his energy and unleashed a blast of magic.

Boom!

The explosion echoed loudly, shattering the stone and carving out a large hole.

Without hesitation, Shiao Yi guided them straight into the newly made cavern.

It wasn’t very tall, but it was wide and deep enough for the two of them to take shelter from the storm.

They cleared the debris on the floor, Dominic with wind magic, Shiao Yi with telekinesis, until the surface was smooth enough to sit or lie down on.