Chapter. 20. Off-road (10)
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Rumble –
The risks of Deep Blue Line exploration are largely divided into three types.
First, the toxic unrefined mana contained in the sea itself.
Drinking it can upset your stomach, and if exposed for a long time, it is harmful to the body in many ways, including swelling and cracking of the skin. Since it can die if left alone, neutralizing agent whose main ingredient is gongmanseok powder is used.
Second, an unexpected turbulent current that occurs when the ocean currents and the flow of unrefined mana become entangled.
The ambush typhoon that I encountered when I came here is such a natural phenomenon. Unrefined mana has a faint green color, so it can be seen in the sea as a large green band. If it suddenly starts to twist, you must leave the area for 10 days. What if I’m late? well. It wouldn’t be good for people to be swept away by ocean currents that would tear apart sailboats.
Finally, third.
Marine life.
Boom!
[Ugh! Ugh! Bugheuuuu!]
It’s stuck to my back right now!
I could feel the tentacles tightening as if they were going to crush my shoulders and ribs, the suckers that felt like the flesh would fall off, and the sharp teeth digging into my spine in the center.
‘What on earth is this town?’
30 minutes ago, I was dodging a shark that spewed out mana the length of a span from every tooth, 10 minutes ago I was bombarded with bullets from a squid that resembled a cannonball, and now I am getting my blood sucked by an octopus that is the exact same color as the darkness of the deep sea.
Rumbling-
[Hyde, calm down. If you just take it off, it can rip the entire skin off your back.]
[Bugh! Gurgling! Ugh!]
[Slowly. Take a breath and calm your mind. [The short-range communicator requires a respirator to work.]
Eggwill stopped my hand reaching behind my back, opened the pocket of the respirator, and poured neutralizing agent into my mouth.
While I was swallowing the spicy gongmanseok powder that came into my mouth, Eggwill, who was wearing diving gear, carefully reached behind my back and gave me a
chuckle!
….I gently stroked the damn octopus’ dark head.
[….Hey?]
[Gwok. Companion octopus. It lives by attaching itself to the host’s back. It got its name because if you try to forcefully rip it off, it will rip out its entire back and spine, so if you get caught, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life. If you take it off here, there will be a hole in the wetsuit. I have to go back the way I came down for three hours.]
[If I don’t take it off, I’ll die, right?]
[I won’t die. Companion octopus sucks only a little blood. Instead, it protects the host. If a predator approaches, they chase it away with poisonous ink. It has good senses, so when it senses danger, it stabs its back to alert its host. A creature that knows the morals of paying for blood generously. A deep-sea diver’s companion. So the companion octopus.]
[….Really? Is the poison okay?]
[Gwok. The antidote has already been released through the teeth embedded in its back. Host immunity.]
[Oh.]
After calming down a bit, I found that there was nothing wrong except for a little stiffness and stinging around my back. Not long after, I saw Eggwill with one hanging on his back, and I thought it was cute in its own way.
[If you go up and spray salt-free water on it, it will fall off on its own. The fallen guy is a delicacy. If you put it up for auction, it would easily fetch 5,000 shillings.]
[What a nice guy!]
In this way, the deep sea of the Deep Blue Line was a place where all kinds of rare creatures lived together. Eggwill said that just as the Blue Line Mountain Range in the past raised all kinds of spirit beasts and demonic beasts with magical mana, the Deep Blue Line’s sea, permeated with the mana of the exploded dragon vein, raised countless sea beasts like the ones you see now.
[The name Upside-Down Mountains really fits the bill. Even things that appear and living things.]
[Gwok. Still, it’s easier than climbing a mountain. All you have to do is sink.]
From the area where the slope of the trench became steeper, I began to feel a sense of frustration as if my whole body was being squeezed.
While I was looking at the shrunken head of the parasitic octopus, I saw all the salvage workers except Eggwill and me preparing to climb up.
[Going already?]
[Cruk. Although my brother and sister have the blood of aquatic species, they cannot compare to the bodies of trolls or aurunites. From down there, the performance of the diving equipment alone cannot withstand the water pressure. If my body doesn’t support me to a certain extent, my lungs will shrink without me knowing and I’ll have difficulty breathing and I’ll pass out.]
[Remember the iron ring that was driven into the valley on the way down? I’ll attach a rope to it as you go up, so if you think it’s dangerous, pull it. The captain will turn on the engine and pull you up!]
The three siblings and the elf handed over the emergency consumables, the salvage hook and extra neutralizer, and headed toward the surface.
Eggwill and I, left alone in the deep sea with a shriveled octopus hanging from our backs, looked at their backs getting smaller and smaller and opened our mouths.
[Originally, I also turn around around this time. Because I don’t like being alone.]
[This time?]
[….The captain wants to go deeper. I have a really good feeling this time and I believe I will definitely be able to find the airship. I also want to go further. The deeper you go, the darker the dragon vein mana becomes. They say wizards are originally created just before they die.]
[Hmm.]
[I will ask Hyde what he wants to do. If it’s something like a piece of dragon vein, it should go down there, so you can go down if you want. Otherwise, you can return from here. Achieving this level of success within a week of diving is unprecedented in the history of salvage crews. Since you are tired, it is a good idea to take part in the next voyage and try again. Originally, unexplored areas are usually explored in three parts over time.]
[….]
[Ignore what the captain says. Normally, on every voyage, it whines to go deeper, saying, ‘There’s no doubt about it this time!’ However, when it comes to diving, the salvageer’s judgment is the top priority.]
I was lost in thought as I heard Eggwill’s voice coming through the communicator.
‘Looking at my physical condition, I just want to go back if possible.’
The horse almost died every 10 minutes, so it was practically a week like walking on a knife edge. Just spending the night on the boat did not completely relieve my mental and physical fatigue, and the accumulated fatigue led to a decline in physical condition and made my body dull. It’s going to be worse down there than up there, so it’s hard to expect the luck you’ve had so far.
It was dangerous, and I heard from the captain that the salvage that had been lifted up as far as he could see was already worth close to 5 million shillings. Above all, even though I stayed in one place for a week, I did not feel any urge to leave.
[….Just looking at the conditions, I think we should end this fishing operation here and look for the dragon vein rock later.]
[Gwok. Then are you pulling the rope?]
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[No.]
But the deeper I went, the more I felt something different.
After my first dive, a strange ‘feeling’ that I reclassified from a ‘familiar sensation’ to an ‘incomprehensible phenomenon’.
For some reason, when I entered the ruins, it made me feel like ‘there must be something there’. Unfamiliar familiarity. Even though it is your first time here, the road catches your eye as if you have been there before.
As I enter the section where the sea water approaches black, every time I participate in a ruin exploration, I can clearly feel the sense of déjà vu that gave me so many precious relics deep in the sea.
‘It’s a hypothetical, but let’s say my ability to find relics is due to a cause other than simple observation.’
‘It’s an assumption, but as they say, in Kaibu, someone unknown arranged brainwashing or something to help me pick out the relics.’
‘It’s a hypothetical, but if someone has put something in my head without my knowledge, it is most likely that damn voice that has been whispering in my ear my whole life!’
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If so, that’s just an assumption.
It means that there is something arranged for me by the voice that called me Hyde and forced me into the life of a wanderer.
Rational judgment and inexplicable comfort point upward.
Emotional and instinctive attraction points deeper into the sea.
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‘World Tree.’
‘I’m going to forget everything, right?’
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‘Then I guess I’ll have to ask for the other one.’
‘yes. I think this is enough.’
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And the voice from the dream that suddenly appeared put an end to the conflict.
[Let’s go down further.]
[Gwok. Choose carefully. It’s darker down there than here. This means that it is difficult to find it with your eyes or avoid it by seeing it with your eyes.]
[It’s okay. Because I think I know roughly where to go. Even if you don’t have to see it.]
[…Then let’s just go down as far as the escape rope can reach.]
Eggwill eventually agreed and started heading down, holding on to the chains hung by the sailors who had gone up first.
The turbulent currents of the deep sea, which were supposed to run wild, were calm, and the seawater that swallowed the boat whole was somehow nowhere to be found.
….sparkle.
Although it was an illusion, Hyde thought he saw a blue light down there.
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Hello!
“So, you guys came up leaving only the two of us left?”
“yes. You said you wanted to think about something? Eggwill, we couldn’t keep up so he led us further. Even though Hyde is half a knight, he’s still in good shape, right? “The basic conditions for deep sea diving have been achieved.”
“I heard Eggwill caught an octopus before you knew it? That’s because he didn’t say anything. Just as that Tarim guy over there gasps at the sight of a tree, he wants to be a wizard. “As long as Hyde agrees, I’ll probably go down quickly.”
“…I mean, it went down. “To the deep sea.”
Grimlock tried to control his excitement as he listened to the reports from the sailors who had just returned to the ship.
It’s not like I’ve never explored the deep sea. I left Tarimus on the ship and dived into the deep sea with Eggwill a few times.
‘I failed every time. The ocean current flows upward like crazy and the seawater rushes at them as if they have met their parents’ enemies.’
deep sea. The center of the Deep Blue Line vehemently rejected the intruder’s visit, as if it were rejecting human touch.
‘…But this time is different. ‘It’s different this time!’
Crackling-
[Quiet than expected- Crackling! It’s so dark – crackling!]
[Chizzing – it’s luck. Guu… crackling!]
A short-range communication device used by sailors while underwater. and long-distance communicators for expensive stations to check the status of crew members on board the ship.
If that noisy voice is not a prank by a sea ghost, Eggwill and Hyde have already entered the deep sea. And, according to them, it is so safe that it feels calmer than the sea above!
‘Is there a cycle in which the deep sea becomes quiet? Or are there any conditions? What month and day is today? Deep sea volcanic eruption? Territorial battle in deep sea water? Types of companion octopuses? Dive spot? ‘What else is there?’
He wanted to write down the things that came to mind right away, but his pen and paper were in the captain’s cabin. I was stuck glued to the communication device, unable to sit down or get up out of fear of missing the information about the two people who had entered the deep sea in the few seconds they were away.
Horororok-
“Captain. Why don’t you sit or stand, either? “Is it because everything I see makes me uncomfortable?”
“shut up! You are a dude, you are…. You don’t understand! “The reason why a man named Grimlock crawled into this crazy sea on his own is because the hard work he’s put into this vast Deep Blue Line for ten years is just now about to see the light of day!”
“Ah, even though the deep sea is narrower than the trench above, aren’t we finally starting to see its insides properly? If you expect those two to find anything on the first day, it will be the thief Simbo-”
Bah!
“If you’re going to do something stupid, go under the sea and do it! “It’s unclean!”
“Did you say something wrong? If you come back empty-handed like this, I know the captain will be disappointed again and just start drinking-”
Bwaaak!
“Tuadaaaal! “Take me before I cut out your youngest’s tongue or break his bones!!”
“I’m going with my damn feet!” “Don’t be greedy and just pull it up on time!”
“You’re thinking about what you’ll do with the dividends you receive once you find the ancient airship! “Don’t think about unnecessary things!”
In the end, the deck became quiet only after the eldest of the beastmen dragged away the one who was guarding him.
Rororok –
The sound of Tarimus drinking tea with an empty magic stone overlapping with it
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The sound of the captain dropping his leg overlaps.
[Crackling – what should I see – crackling!]
Again, it is a time full of nervousness and anticipation as the voices of the exploration team beneath the deep sea mix together.
“….rock.”
“If it’s about the Tarim dirt, I’ll get it for you after the voyage, so just leave it alone for now.”
“no. “I called because something was approaching the ship.”
It was Tarimus’s sharp-eyed warning that stopped the captain’s legs from falling as if they were going to break the deck.
“Can’t you see me? If you were a dangerous sea creature, you wouldn’t be sitting like this. What?”
“…It’s a person.”
Poof!
“what? Another ship?! You’re a fucking pirate! “How could I have ever come across one of the few ships in this wide sea, not even on the coast!”
Since everyone is a casual sailor, it was common for fishing boats to become pirate ships just by changing their flags.
The moment an excited Grimlock reached for the emergency bell, Tarimus stopped him and said,
“….no. “Not a boat.”
“what? “You said you were a person?”
“okay. person. “Unless I saw something wrong.”
“Then are you really a drifter? “There is a miracle man who survived after losing his ship in this sea?”
“Umm….”
The elf couldn’t easily answer Grimlock’s question and just frowned.
It wasn’t long before the captain realized why Tarimus had given such a vague answer.
It’s a person. People like them on the sea. The difference is that this side is on a boat and that side is on the sea.
“What is that….”
“I told you. person. “Not a ship, not a castaway.”
One man and one woman.
Long matted hair, a tattered cape, and a gait that seems to be out of balance. A man walking on the sea with a huge piece of metal on his back that doesn’t even cover his fairly large body.
The woman was so eye-poppingly beautiful that you immediately thought you were possessed by a siren. Grimlock had to pinch his cheek several times to see if he was dreaming as he followed the man half a step behind, as if accompanying him.
“…I never thought I’d see a wizard again on this sea.”
As far as Grimlock knows, the only water wizards who can do that are. He is also skilled enough to overcome the magical power of the sea and use magic, which is far superior to that of the wizard who boarded his ship in the past.
“Tarim. “If necessary, prepare to shoot.”
“Captain.”
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll rush in, so while I’m wasting time, I tell the kids to grab a seawater cannon.”
“….Captain.”
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
While the tension was rising, the man approached the ship so that even Grimlock could see it with his own eyes. Grimlock lay down on the boat and looked through the crenellated eyes to see the passers-by on the sea
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“This is crazy…”
I ended up dropping the gun in shock.
Now I can see why Tarimus, whom I checked earlier, looked so confused.
Snow that sinks colder than the deepest sea.
There were deep scars on his face like a spider web, and the blood that had flowed down the scars had hardened, making it difficult to open his eyes and look at them.
Nevertheless, Grimlock was able to find a familiar face among his distorted scars.
His newest member of the crew, who had been on this deck until this morning.
There is no doubt that his talent as a salvageer is sky-high.
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‘What do you have anxiety about? Was he mentally ill?’
‘Ugh. There is such a thing. It’s like you’re going to go crazy if you don’t find something.’
‘What are you looking for?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘huh?’
‘I’m looking for something, but I don’t know what it is.’
‘….This is really crazy bastard.’
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A cheerful guy who sighed and confessed the purpose of his trip last night.
A man on the sea appears with the same face as Hyde.
“I thought he was someone with something.”
Grimlock made eye contact with the man, quietly picked up the dropped gun, and loaded it.
Grimlock, who sailed the world’s roughest seas for over 10 years, met many people and had a rough idea of what kind of guys with eyes like that were.
eye. Those eyes that look the same but contain something completely different.
“…Hyde guy. “It was pure maengtang.”
A guy who is so expert at finding things that he is called a Pathfinder has been looking for ‘something’ all his life.
“I can’t believe I’ve been looking for something for so long even though we only met a week ago.”
What is Pathfinder and what is a genius in exploration? A poor child.
As if by instinct, Grimlock’s gun was pointed at the man’s forehead.
My finger on the trigger was strong.
and.
….Crack!
[find! Chijik – I found it! I think I found it… maybe! Crackling!]
[….Ugh! Not fair! Nostril…. high! Still in shape… crackling!]
Hyde and Eggwill’s voices cut through the terrible silence. The cheer I had been waiting for my whole life since I came out to sea.
And
“….it saves you the trouble of finding it.”
A low, cracked man’s voice.
The moment my eyes, sunken like the deep sea, turn to the communicator.
Taaang –
A gunshot rang out. Different gunshots were mixed into Hyde’s noisy cheers.
[Sun… crackle! Captain! Picture… crackle! Are you listening?! I found it! How many times did I say I was a Pathfinder… crackling!]
Grimlock realized that the piece of iron the man was carrying was a huge firearm.
It is also said that his unbalanced appearance is due to a tangible fragment of his left arm.
The brilliant sight of the setting sun falling on an arm made of countless fragments was also his last moment.
Fragments of the sunset were scattered over the cheers.
Firmly and ruthlessly.
Sadly.
****
