Chapter 266. The mermaid likes to steam (5)
That he is addicted to something.
It got me into it so much I couldn’t stop.
Getting out of there is much harder than you think.
At first, I started out of curiosity, but later I couldn’t quit even though I wanted to, so I regretted smoking and ruining my health.
I smoked every day instead of cigarettes to try to quit smoking, but it was more expensive than cigarettes that I became addicted to.
Shall we draw to the right today?
Will it hit the jackpot tomorrow?
Stocks and bitcoins that make you cry out even while eating.
Even a game where you can see Summoner’s Rift in your dreams if you let go of it for 3 days.
All of them could be said to be good examples of how addiction affects people.
This truth was no exception even in the mermaid kingdom deep under the sea.
“Oh, my whole body aches.”
A grandmother mermaid grumbled over and over again.
He patted his lower back with his forearm muscle twitching.
Every time, there was a loud booming sound like a big drum.
But the granny mermaid’s face did not show a satisfied expression.
It was because my back joint was so sore.
‘ha. I did too many dolphin kicks when I was in my prime!
Regrets came like a tide.
Back in the days when his skin was tight and his muscles were tighter, he was able to compete in body-butting even with blue whales.
Back then, he thought his strength would last forever.
He said he only knew that his strong body would last for a thousand years.
But after a while, it wasn’t.
thirty forty fifty.
After passing the 60th birthday like that, my whole body couldn’t be sore.
Because of his tremendous strength in his youth.
Because the joints are overworked by that muscle strength.
As I got older, I had to face the joint pains of hell.
“So the jjimjil was really good. Isn’t that an inspiration?”
“Hohoholhonghong, it’s me, it’s been a while since I’ve been to an old woman’s jjimjilbang, so it was better because I didn’t suffer from back pain.”
“Inspiration?”
“huh?”
“Are you tired of living?”
“…Big! hmm!”
Sensing a life crisis (?), the mermaid grandfather hurriedly turned his head.
The wrinkles of worry deepened on the mermaid grandmother’s face.
‘Ehh. Inspiration and me too. Is there any other way to do that?’
So close.
At least I was happy when I was warming up in the jjimjilbang.
I was able to forget the dreaded joint pain.
But now I can’t enjoy it.
That fact was very sad.
‘It’s all because of that shallow, mean-spirited land man!’
The man who created and operated a jjimjilbang.
Did you say Lloyd Frontera?
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t be so mean.
‘I can’t keep running a jjimjilbang for free. Of course you will have to pay a fee. But why is the fee for the use of labor?’
I’d rather understand if I was given pearls or precious shells.
He had to do the work that the human named Lloyd told him to do.
Only then can you enjoy the steam.
So it was.
‘Eh! Don’t steam it!’
…I shouted in anger.
He tore up the roll of seaweed on which the terms and conditions for the jjimjilbang membership were written, and returned to the jjimjilbang, swallowing his anger.
But now how many days have passed?
The decision at that time was regretted.
‘I thought it would be enough if I didn’t steam it.’
that I could just forget
It’s a pity that I’ll forget it in a few days.
As if it was always like that, I will be able to live well without a steam bath.
I was pretty confident and confident.
However, after a few days of the jjimjil disappearing, it wasn’t at all.
Far from forgetting, I kept thinking more and more.
Far from disappearing, the regret only grew.
Eventually, I kept feeling like I couldn’t live without the steam!
‘I can’t do it like this.’
The grandmother mermaid jumped out of her seat and got up.
“Inspiration. It can’t be. Stay here for a minute, Boss.”
“Eh? Where are you going?”
“Korean Sauna.”
I didn’t even know what I was going to do when I went.
It’s just that I’m stuck in a corner like this.
With tingling joints or tapping.
I kept thinking that this was not the case.
‘Well, I’m not saying that the land man will use the steam as he does.’
Just thought I’d check it out.
Maybe there are other mermaids struggling with regret like you.
Could there be a mermaid who couldn’t stand the regret and swims near the jjimjilbang?
‘I’m just really peeking around.’
Of course, Grandma Mermaid was convinced.
Even if I went to the jjimjilbang, no one would be there.
Could there be any mermaids hanging around there?
There would be no mermaid as foolish as himself in this kingdom.
I thought so….
‘…What is this?’
The grandmother mermaid was in a daze.
Near the jjimjilbang I came to just in case.
It wasn’t quiet there at all.
No, rather crowded!
It was literally half water and half mermaid!
even….
“Oh, my sister-in-law? Are you here now?”
Other mermaids who were passing nearby were delighted to see this.
Fins rustled as they approached and slapped him on the shoulder.
They were siblings of the same age who often hung out together.
“Why are you guys here?”
“Why are you here? I’m here to warm up.”
“When did you come?”
“Us? from yesterday.”
“….”
“sister?”
“These ungrateful and disrespectful things.”
“Oh my sister, she got mad again. come here come here I’ll push you on the back So don’t pout your lips. Then wrinkles around your pretty mouth. huh?”
The younger mermaids of the same age shuddered and pushed the grandmother mermaid on the back.
The grandmother mermaid grumbled but reluctantly went to the jjimjilbang.
There was already a faint smile on her lips.
So, at the entrance of the jjimjilbang, I completed the membership registration at the speed of light.
Lloyd, who was guarding the counter, also showed a rewarding smile on his lips, like a bag full of cod roe eggs.
‘Whoop whoop. Everything goes according to plan.’
A truly successful operation.
He cast a pleased gaze.
Membership applications were piled up like a mountain.
The inside of the jjimjilbang was no joke either.
It was full.
There was no place without mermaids.
Even in the ocher sauna.
Sea forest bath and tropical beach sand sauna.
Even the extreme bungee jumping and jjimjilbang.
The mermaids couldn’t fill up, so there was a fierce competition for seats.
It was almost the same scene as before the announcement of the end of the free event to celebrate the opening.
No, there was one small difference.
“Hey Xaviel.”
“yes.”
“Go around and check each jjimjilbang.”
“What kind of check is it?”
“Glow Coral.”
Lloyd’s eyes shone sharply.
“There are quite a few mermaids who entered six hours ago. The luminous coral light on your wrist should have faded by now. Go and check whether you want to charge more or whether you want to stop steaming and leave today.”
“All right. But-”
“But?”
“Is Lloyd-sama going to use me as a clerk now?”
“huh.”
“….”
“Look at that. again and again Flounders open their eyes. huh? wait a minute wait Can you see here I’m writing a clerk recruitment notice? Steaming is completely free of charge during the working period. Under these conditions, the mermaids to work will be lined up right? Of course, we’ll go through some interviews and then select only the most sincere mermaids, but don’t worry too much because we’ll be hiring soon.”
“Huh, I see.”
Xaviel let out a deep sigh and moved.
I walked around the steam room.
Wherever he went, the cheers of the mermaids grew.
Each of these mermaids had a shining bracelet on their wrist.
It was a bracelet containing pieces of deep-sea luminescent coral.
A piece of coral whose amount has been adjusted to give off light for exactly 6 hours.
When the light went out, the mermaid had to make a choice.
Whether to extend the steaming for 6 hours to fill the daily limit of 12 hours.
Or are you going to quit today’s steaming bath?
As they left the jjimjilbang, they had to leave the time spent in the jjimjilbang on their membership records.
It was to calculate the jjimjilbi, that is, the mandatory working hours.
“Thank you for using the underwater cave jjimjilbang today!”
“yes. Hey, then, as written in the terms and conditions, do you have to work within 48 hours?”
“Nothing. That’s it.”
A mysterious mermaid returning home after taking a steam bath for the first time.
Lloyd smiled heartily at her.
“The places where those who applied for jjimjil today will work tomorrow will be announced on the bulletin board at the entrance to the jjimjilbang tomorrow morning. You can refer to the contents and participate in labor.”
“Is there anything else to prepare when you come?”
“All you need is a strong body.”
“durable…Just the body?”
“yep. Are you curious about anything more?”
“…Oh no, I get it.”
Lloyd laughed even more generously.
The mysterious mermaid felt an ominous feeling.
and the next day.
Excavation of the prison site has begun.
♣
“Uh hmm hmm! Thank you all for coming together to pay for the jjimjilbang. As I said before, I am Lloyd Frontera, the owner of the jjimjilbang. But today, I will be in charge of the excavation site here.”
It’s an excavation site.
Among the 120 or so mermaids who had gathered at the scene early in the morning, someone raised their hand.
“hey? What do you mean by excavation?”
“It is literally an excavation. Because from now on we will be digging for something at the bottom of the sea.”
“Do you want to shovel?”
“Yes shoveling.”
Lloyd nodded.
I picked up a shovel of shells that I had prepared in advance and piled up.
It looked more like a snow shovel used for clearing snow than a normal shovel used on land.
“This is the song you will be using today. With this, you can scoop out all the pearls from the seabed in the area I designate.”
“A designated area?”
“yes. Right there.”
It was the moment Lloyd pointed to one side of the ocean floor.
tsusssss!
Following his gestures, a blue glowing straight line began to be drawn on the sea floor.
Straight lines run, connect, and meet.
It formed a huge square measuring 1 kilometer in length and width.
It was thanks to Lloyd activating the construction guidelines option in real time in front of everyone.
The mermaids’ eyes widened.
Could that land man be a wizard?
Everyone groaned and looked at each other.
Lloyd’s voice permeated everyone’s ears.
“Everyone can see the line I drew on the floor. Just dig up the pearls on the floor inside the square area over there and scrape them off. Oh, and don’t break the shovel while working. You must also check your working time record card. Do not forget it. If you don’t check it, no matter how hard you work, all your hours will be wasted.”
gulp.
At Lloyd’s last words, the mermaids made faces full of tension.
Everyone was determined.
Be sure to check your working hours on your record card.
Thus, the excavation work to find the treasure house of truth began.
“Let’s begin!”
“Ooh!”
120 mermaids moved with shell shovels.
The monsters in the sea. Owners of physical mermaids.
Their undersea shoveling was truly transcendent.
Dolphins swam swiftly across the seabed with incomparable speed.
In that state, I swung the shovel down.
Kwakjajak!
The shovel dug deep into the seabed.
As an ox plows the field.
As it was, it scraped deep into the seabed.
“Goooooooo!”
Kwa-kwa-kwa-!
When the five mermaids first scratched the seabed, a huge furrow 50cm deep and 3m wide was dug in an instant.
Then the next five mermaids immediately followed.
“Oohhh!”
Kwah Kwa Kwa Kwa-!
The furrows that had already been dug were dug once more.
The furrow got deeper in an instant.
Then the next five mermaids rushed into the furrow again.
In this way, pearls on the seabed were dug up at an astonishing speed.
Seeing that, Lloyd unknowingly clenched his fists.
‘Crazy. This is crazy.’
The shoveling speed was beyond imagination.
I knew that mermaids have excellent strength and stamina.
When I actually ordered it to work, it was just an underwater bull, or 120 bulldozers, and it was at the level of plowing the ground.
Of course, Lloyd wasn’t just watching.
‘survey!’
[Scanning begins.]
Tsutsutsutsutsu!
The seabed that mermaids dig up.
I used my surveying skill towards that place.
The underground scanning option was also activated.
Thanks to this, ranges of up to 5 meters below the seafloor are beginning to be seen.
‘good. I can see deeper than before.’
Thanks to the mermaids clearing the thick pearls from the bottom of the sea.
The bottom of the sea, which had been hidden under the pearl, was seen more deeply.
Of course, that did not mean that the prison site was immediately found.
“ruler! harder! If you sweat with labor today! Tomorrow, you can sweat in a jjimjilbang!”
“Ooh!”
At Lloyd’s encouragement, the mermaids gained more strength.
That’s how Lloyd dug the designated area and dug again.
As a result, fatigue built up in the muscles.
Naturally, I had this thought.
‘Oh, I’m tired. Then, before going home, shall we go to a jjimjilbang to warm up a bit?’
Most of the mermaids who participated in the excavation work (?) turned to the jjimjilbang.
Then, Lloyd, who was in charge of the scene, greeted them as the president of the jjimjilbang.
“Ouch. Welcome guests!”
“….”
Something seems to be going wrong, but let’s relax first.
The mermaids relieved their fatigue from a day’s work in a jjimjilbang.
and then?
I had to work again the next day to pay for the jjimjilbang.
What if you work hard and sweat at the excavation site?
My muscles became languid and I thought of taking a steam bath.
On my way home from work, I stopped at a jjimjilbang to warm up.
I had to work again with the cost of the sauna.
because I’m working
I thought about steaming.
Relaxed.
worked again
Only then did all the mermaids realize.
‘What should I do? This vicious circle…I can’t escape!’
If you use a steam bath, you have to work in return.
When I work, I get tired and think of a steam bath.
If I steamed like that, I had to work again.
It was.
It was just a crazy vicious cycle.
It was a drug I couldn’t quit!
Just like that, while countless mermaids are caught and fluttering in the trawler net of labor and steaming.
The excavation site led by Lloyd went smoothly.
The number of mermaids, entangled in the bondage of labor and steaming, increased day by day.
The scope of the excavation has widened day by day.
The scope of Lloyd’s survey search was also expanded.
It’s already been 2 months.
‘…oh?’
Finally, Lloyd’s survey sensed something.
