Chapter 436
Chapter 436
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 436
Chapter Title: Chapter 20. Offroad (10)
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Rumble—
The dangers of exploring the Deep Blue Line can be divided into three main categories.
First, the toxic unrefined mana contained in the sea itself.
Drink it, and your stomach flips; prolonged exposure causes swelling and cracking from the skin onward, harmful in every way. Left alone, it can kill, so they use a neutralizing agent made mainly from public mana stone powder.
Second, sudden turbulent currents caused by the entanglement of ocean currents and unrefined mana flows.
The ambush typhoon we encountered on the way here was one such natural phenomenon. Unrefined mana has a faint green glow, visible underwater as large green streaks. If they suddenly twist, drop everything and get out of there. Too late? Well. If even a galleon gets torn apart by the currents, a person swept into them won't fare well.
Finally, third.
Marine life.
Gurgle—!
[Ugh! Uuugh! Bugugh—!]
The thing clinging to my back right now!
I could feel tentacles squeezing with enough force to crush my shoulders and ribs, suction cups that felt like they'd rip off chunks of flesh, and sharp teeth in the center burrowing toward my spine.
'What the hell kind of neighborhood is this place!'
Thirty minutes ago, I dodged sharks spewing mana blades a foot long from every tooth. Ten minutes ago, I endured a barrage of cannonball-like squid tentacles. And now, an octopus the same color as the deep sea darkness is sucking my blood.
Rumble—
[Hide, stay calm. If you just rip it off, it might peel your back skin clean off.]
[Bugugh! Grrrumble! Grugh—!]
[Slowly. Bite the respirator, calm your mind. The short-range communicator only works with the respirator in.]
Eggwil stopped my hand reaching back, then burst the pouch on the breathing gear, pouring neutralizer into my mouth.
As I forced down the bitter public mana stone powder flooding my mouth, Eggwil, laden with diving gear, cautiously reached toward my back and,
Poke poke, squish!
....gently stroked the damn octopus's pitch-black head.
[....Hey?]
[Gruk. Companion Octopus. Lives attached to a host's back. If you force it off, it rips out the back skin and spine whole, so once it's on, you're stuck with it for life—hence the name. Rip it off here, and your wetsuit gets holes. We'd have to climb back up the three-hour descent path.]
[If you don't rip it off, I'm the one who's gonna die.]
[You won't die. Companion Octopus only sips a little blood. In return, it protects the host. Drives off predators with paralyzing ink. Sharp senses; if it senses danger, it stabs the host to warn them. Knows the code of the sea—pays back generously for the blood toll. Companion of deep-sea divers. That's why Companion Octopus.]
[....Alright? The poison okay?]
[Gruk. Already injected antidote through the teeth in your back. Host, immune.]
[Ooh.]
Calming down a bit, aside from some stiffness and stinging in my lower back, there was nothing wrong. Seeing Eggwil with one clinging to his own back too, it almost seemed kinda cute.
[Sprinkle it with fresh water up top, and it falls off on its own. The detached ones are a delicacy. Auction 'em, and you get at least 5,000 silver easy.]
[What a fine fellow!]
In this way, the deep sea of the Deep Blue Line was a place teeming with all sorts of rare creatures. Eggwil said that just as the Blue Line Mountains once nurtured spirit beasts and mana beasts with their sacred mana, the Deep Blue Line—the sea infused with mana from an exploded dragon vein—had birthed the myriad sea beasts we saw now.
'Truly lives up to the name "Upside-Down Mountains." In looks and inhabitants alike.'
[Gruk. Still easier than climbing mountains. Just sink, that's all.]
From where the seafloor slope steepened, a suffocating pressure began squeezing my whole body.
While staring at the shriveled head of the parasitic octopus, I saw the other salvagers—everyone except me and Eggwil—preparing to ascend.
[Already leaving?]
[Kruk. We siblings inherited aquatic blood, but can't compare to a troll or aurora knight's body. Below here, diving gear alone can't withstand the pressure. Without the body holding up, lungs shrink unnoticed, pass out from respiratory failure.]
[Remember the iron rings we hammered into the ravine on the way down? We'll hook the line to them on the way up, so if it feels risky, yank it. Captain'll fire the engine and haul you up!]
Handing over emergency consumables, salvage hooks, and spare neutralizers, the three siblings and the elf headed for the surface.
Eggwil and I, left alone in the deep sea with shriveled octopuses on our backs, watched their shrinking figures and spoke up.
[Normally, I'd turn back here too. Don't like being alone.]
[And this time?]
[....Captain wants to go deeper. Says his instincts are spot-on this time, we'll definitely find the airship. I want to go deeper too. The deeper, the thicker the dragon vein mana. Mages are born right on death's doorstep, they say.]
[Hm.]
[I'll ask what Hide wants. Something like a dragon vein fragment would be down there, so if you want, we can go. Or turn back here. Hitting this much in just a week of diving is unprecedented in salvager history. Fatigue's building, so joining next voyage for another shot's smart too. Untapped zones usually get probed in three spaced-out runs.]
[....]
[Ignore the captain. Every trip, he whines 'This time for sure!' to go deeper. But diving always prioritizes the salvager's call.]
Eggwil's voice over the communicator gave me pause for thought.
'Condition-wise, I'd rather head back.'
I'd nearly died every ten minutes, but really, it was a week on a knife's edge. Nights on the ship didn't fully shake the mental and physical fatigue, accumulated weariness dulling my body and edge. Deeper would be worse; counting on luck so far was iffy.
Risky too, and the captain said we'd already salvaged nearly five million silver worth in plain sight. Above all, after a week in one spot, no itch to leave.
[....Conditions say wrap this job here, hunt the dragon vein stone next time.]
[Gruk. Yank the line then?]
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[No.]
But deeper in, something else stirred.
That odd 'sense' reclassified after the first dive from 'familiar' to 'unfathomable phenomenon.'
For some reason, the same 'feels like something's just there' in ruins. Unfamiliar familiarity. Paths imprinting like I'd been there before, first time or not.
Entering the near-black water zone, the same hunch that loaded me with treasures during relic hunts sharpened from the deep sea below.
'Assuming my relic-finding isn't just observation.'
'Assuming, like Kaibuen said, some unknown messed with my head—brainwashing or whatever—to pick relics spot-on.'
'Assuming someone shoved something in my skull without me knowing, highest odds it's that damn voice whispering in my ear my whole life!'
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Then, purely assuming.
Down there, something prepared for me by the voice that called me Hydra and drove me to a wanderer's life.
Reason and that inexplicable ease pointed up.
Instinct, senses, pull pointed deeper into the sea.
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'World Tree.'
'I'll forget everything, right?'
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'Then I'll leave the rest to you.'
'Yeah. Something like this should do.'
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And a dream-voice suddenly surfaced, ending the conflict.
[Deeper.]
[Gruk. Choose carefully. Darker down there. Means harder to spot or dodge by sight.]
[It's fine. I kinda.... know the way. Don't even need to see.]
[....Then down to the escape line's reach.]
Eggwil agreed at last, grabbing the chain dropped by the ascending crew and heading down.
The deep-sea turbulents that should rage were still, sea beasts that swallow ships whole nowhere in sight.
....Twinkle.
An illusion, but Hide thought he glimpsed blue light below.
****
Whoosh!
"So, you two stayed, and the rest came up?"
"Yeah. Said they'd think it over? Eggwil held back before 'cause we couldn't keep up. Hide's half-knight, body's fine though? Met deep-dive basics."
"Eggwil snagged an octopus already? Kid's quiet, but he wants to be a mage bad as Tarim panting at trees. If Hide agrees, he'll dive right off, probably."
"....They dove. To the deep sea."
Grim Rock fought to tamp his excitement hearing the report from the crew just back aboard.
Not his first deep-sea probe. Left the ship to Tarimus and dove with Eggwil plenty.
'Always failed. Currents raging up like mad, sea beasts charging like we killed their parents.'
Deep sea. The Deep Blue Line's heart repelled intruders like it shunned human touch.
'....But this time's different. Has to be!'
Static—
[Quieter than thought—static! Damn dark—static!]
[Static—Luck's with us. Gruu.... static!]
Short-range comms for diving crew. And pricey long-range station gear to monitor from deck.
If not sea-ghost tricks, Eggwil and Hide were in the deep sea. Even calmer than upper waters!
'Deep sea cycles calm? Or conditions? What month day? Deep volcano? Sea beast turf war? Companion octopus type? Dive spot? What else?'
Wanted to jot rising thoughts, but pen and paper were in his cabin. Afraid to miss even seconds of the deep-sea duo's info, stuck glued to the comm, neither sitting nor standing.
Whoosh—
"Captain. Sit or stand, pick one? Makes me uncomfortable watching."
"Shut it! You, you.... you wouldn't get it! A man named Grim Rock crawls into this mad sea on his own two feet, pokes the vast Deep Blue Line for over a decade, and now—now!—that toil's about to pay off!"
"Psh, deep sea narrower than upper trench, but just starting to peek inside proper, no? Expecting those two to snag something day one is thief's greed—"
Smack!
"Bad-mouth it, and say it underwater! Jinxing!"
"Was I wrong? If empty-handed return, you'll drown sorrows in booze again—"
Smack smack!
"Traitor! Before I cut your youngest tongue or crack your skull, drag him off!!"
"Damn it, walking myself! Don't get greedy, just haul us up on time!"
"Worry about your bonus buy when we snag the ancient airship! No more bad omens!"
Only after the beastkin eldest dragged the sulking one off did the deck quiet.
Whoosh—
Over Tarimus sipping mana-stone tea,
Tap tap tap tap tap—
Layered the captain's jiggling leg.
[Static—something in sight—static!]
Then voices from the deep-sea probe team, anxious, expectant.
"....Rock."
"Tarim, dirt talk after voyage; leave it now."
"No. Something approaching the ship, that's why."
Good-eyed Tarimus's warning halted the deck-shaking legs.
"I see nothing? If dangerous sea life, you wouldn't sit. What?"
"....A person."
Puff!
"What? Another ship?! Fuck, pirates! In this vast sea, off-coast, running into one of the few ships around?!"
Hardened seamen knew fishing boats turned pirate with a flag swap daily.
As excited Grim Rock reached for the alarm bell, Tarimus restrained him.
"....No. Not a ship."
"What? Person, you said?"
"Yeah. Person. If I'm not seeing things."
"Then, castaway? Miracle man survived losing his ship in this sea?"
"Hmm...."
The elf frowned, no quick answer to Grim Rock's question.
Soon, the captain knew why Tarimus hemmed and hawed.
A person. Like them, on the sea. Difference: they on ship, that one on the sea itself.
"Wh-what the...."
"Told you. Person. Not ship, not castaway."
One man, one woman.
Tousled long hair, ragged cloak, gait oddly off-balance. Huge metal slab on his back not fully hiding his build, walking on the sea.
The woman struck siren-bewitching beauty, eyes dazzling. Trailing half-step behind like attendant, Grim Rock pinched his cheeks, doubting a dream.
"....Never thought I'd see a mage on this sea again."
To Grim Rock's knowledge, only water mages could. Far beyond the one who'd sailed his ship once—mastery wielding sea mana against the sea.
"Tarim. Ready to shoot if needed."
"Captain."
"If it goes south, I'll charge; buy time, have the lads man the sea-beast cannons."
"....Captain."
Splash. Splash. Splash. Splash.
Tension rising, the man neared enough for Grim Rock's eyes to make out. Grim Rock sprawled at the rail, peering through gunports at the sea-walker,
Clatter!
"Damn, insane...."
Shock dropped his rifle.
Now he knew Tarimus's confused look earlier.
Eyes sunk colder than deepest sea.
Face webbed in deep scars, scabs of old blood crusting, hard to look at open-eyed.
Yet Grim Rock spotted a familiar face amid the twisted scars.
His rookie salvager, here on deck till morning.
Talent piercing heavens as salvager, good-luck charm he trusted blindly.
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'What, anxiety? Psycho?'
'Sigh. Yeah. Gotta find something or he goes mad, like.'
'What?'
'Dunno.'
'Huh?'
'Something to find, must find, but even he don't know what.'
'....Real nutjob.'
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Last night, the cheerful guy spilling travel's purpose like a sigh.
Sea-man with Hide's exact face.
"Knew he had something."
Locking eyes with the man, Grim Rock quietly picked up his dropped gun, chambered it.
Over a decade sailing the world's roughest sea, Grim Rock met hordes, knew eyes like that.
Eyes. Same shape, holding something utterly different.
"....Hide was plain soup."
Pathfinder-proclaimed search whiz chasing 'something' lifelong.
"Found in a week what he hunted ages for."
Some pathfinder, search genius. Dimwit.
Instinct aimed Grim Rock's barrel at the man's forehead.
Finger tensed on trigger.
And.
....Static!
[Found.... static—Found it! Think we found.... probably! Static!]
[....Ugh! Airship! Airsh.... high! Still shaped.... static!]
Hide and Eggwil's voices slicing the dreadful silence. Jubilation awaited a lifetime since sea-bound.
And,
"....Saved you the hunt."
The man's low, rasped voice.
Eyes sinking to deep sea fixed on the comm.
Bang—
Gunshot rang. Into Hide's static-laced cheer, different shots mingled.
[Cap.... static! Captain! Grim.... static! You hearing?! Found it! How many times I said I'm the pathfinder.... static!]
Grim Rock realized the man's metal load was a massive gun.
His imbalance from left arm of solidified shards.
Sunset shards scattering brilliant from the shard-arm, his final sight.
Over jubilation, shattered sunset sprayed.
Resolute, ruthless.
Poignant.
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