18
Chapter 18
"Now there's only one left. It's right here."
- I wonder what kind of guy is waiting at the end
A few more hours passed, and Parang arrived at the location of the final Objet.
Looking at the viewer count, it was 30,000. It was only 10,000 when she was in Lassus's stomach.
Rumors must have spread on the internet that the thrilling Lassus ASMR was over.
"It's really not something gross this time."
The Chat Window was instantly plastered with various emoticons. Were they mad?
"Are you mad?"
- Yes
- A
- A
- byss
- byss
- A
- Yes
- We're pissed
"I see."
Not that Parang cared anyway.
"This time, we're going to enter the 'Hive'."
- Hive?
- What's that
- I can smell something ominous just from the name
- The one I know?
"The concept is roughly the same. It literally refers to a structure or terrain that acts as a colony for Monster Fish."
- 'Gorani' donated 1,500 won! -
[ Is it different from an Objet? ]
"A Hive is also a type of Objet. It's just big enough that hundreds or thousands of Monster Fish can live inside it. You can think of it as feeling like an above-ground Dungeon."
- Just how big is it
- Wait, hundreds of Monster Fish?
- Huh???
- If it's like a Dungeon, is there a boss too?
"There is. Though we aren't catching the boss today."
Usually, there is a species that reigns as the apex Predator within the Hive ecosystem. Some live in groups like Aurita, while many others just crush everything with their sheer weight like the Sperm Whale.
"For reference, there's one in the East Sea too. It's actually quite large."
- ????
- The East Sea that I know??
- Wait, it's actually large?
"Scary, right? I really don't think you should ever try diving."
- You're saying that without even changing your expression
- How can you even see her expression from this angle
- I just feel like it wouldn't have changed
- That's true
"Later, I'll try entering the Hive in the East Sea too."
That was the area Parang was originally in charge of, after all. She had to clean it out periodically.
Usually, she'd call the Kraken, but oh well. Except for the boss, it was entirely possible without the Kraken. Taking Xiao or Elvira along would be fine too.
"Hmm."
Enough distracting thoughts. Now she really had to work. Parang had already decided what to eat when she went to Hong Kong. She wanted to finish this quickly and rest.
Parang turned the Camera to shine on the Hive.
"This is the Hive in the East China Sea. Undersea Hunters call it the 'Kitchen' for convenience."
The Viewers were greatly surprised by three things.
First was the shape of the structure called the Hive.
A structure that would make anyone say, 'Ah, so that's a Hive,' just at a glance was sitting right there in the water.
A giant conch shell. The curled up shape of the shell, the elongated entrance, and even the horns sprouting like ribs along its long Tail.
If you just attached a string to it, it would look exactly like a magic conch. It had such a textbook appearance.
Second was the size of the Hive.
The sight of Deep Sea Fish entering and exiting through the elongated, oval entrance made it look like spaceships traveling in and out of a massive warp gate seen in an SF Movie.
In other words, it was so large that the tens-of-meters-long Monster Fish they had seen looked like nothing more than spaceships in front of a giant Gate.
Third was the interior, visible in glimpses through the entrance.
- Wait, why is it actually a Kitchen??
- I guess I'm not the only one seeing that
- That's actually legendary
Inside, a fragment of an object that could only definitely be seen as a 'pot' was slightly sticking out.
However, the size of its handle was the same as the Monster Fish passing by it.
It was a truly supernatural and bizarre sight where it was impossible to comprehend what was what.
"It's the Hive. Based on what the Undersea Hunters have figured out, they say about 500 Monster Fish live inside."
The Undersea Hunters she mentioned referred to Oceanus. Ordinary Undersea Hunters wouldn't even be able to make it this far, let alone research population numbers.
The current depth was 3.5 kilometers underwater. Because it was near the Hive, there were an incredible number of Monster Fish around as well.
Well, a Monster Fish tens of meters long probably wouldn't lunge to eat a single Human that wasn't even 2 meters tall.
Even without lunging directly, and even without the intention of eating prey, there were overflowing numbers of Monster Fish that could kill a person like squashing an ant.
"Then I'll head inside, quickly take care of the target, and come out."
And with that, Parang increased her swimming speed to enter the demonic realm.
Speeding between the Monster Fish slowly making their way toward the entrance, Parang looked almost like the protagonist's Vehicle pulling ahead of the pack alone in a racing game.
Thanks to this, the Viewers could properly experience the feeling of swimming among all kinds of Monster Fish.
From the Anglerfish we commonly think of when mentioning Deep Sea Fish, to familiar faces like Lassus and Bellua, Sea Snakes wriggling forward in unison, Blue Marlins, Sharks, and more.
Naturally, from Monster Fish they were seeing for the first time in their lives, to things that made them question if they were even fish, and even somethings that made them doubt if they were alive in the first place—all were heading into and coming out of the Hive.
Leisurely passing all of them, Parang finally entered the Hive.
Surprisingly, the scenery inside was incredibly bright. To put it into perspective, it felt like a Restaurant with its lights off during the day. She didn't know what the actual principle was, but bright light was shining through square structures attached all over the walls that seemed to represent... Windows. Though she wasn't sure if 'represent' was the right word.
On the Floor were chessboard-patterned tiles evenly mixing black and white, and on the walls were pure white metal tiles.
It truly looked exactly like a Kitchen. There were only two things different from a Kitchen on the surface.
First, a Kitchen on the surface isn't this massive. This felt like it was made for a person about 700 meters tall to use.
Second, a Kitchen on the surface doesn't have Monster Fish settled all over the place. A crab clicking its claws in the sink, a Starfish stuck to a ladle, an Eel poking its head out from inside the dishwasher.
Bizarre chunks of flesh floating here and there, dark green Mucus stuck to the Floor staring upwards, a Clam crawling into the trash can with thin, black legs.
And Skeletons swarming around, clinging to Monster Fish and biting off their flesh. Xiao had sent those. A kind of Auto-Hunt.
Anyway. With these alien elements added to a familiar, everyday space, it couldn't have been more bizarre and grotesque.
- Something like this is in the East Sea?
- Damn, it is
- The visuals are fucking insane
"The one in the East Sea is about five times bigger than this."
- 'yep' donated 10,000 won! -
[ So you're saying if I swim downwards from where I usually swim, I'd see a scene like this? ]
"That's right. These things are right under your feet when you swim."
At those words, the Chat Window fell silent for a moment.
The Deep Sea, which they had vaguely thought of as a story from another world, suddenly felt terrifying now that they realized it truly existed right beneath their feet.
- I'm quitting diving starting today
Parang's mood drastically improved.
"I don't want to stay here for long either. Let's quickly take care of the target and leave."
Her voice tone was slightly higher. It meant she was excited.
- But what's the target?
"It's that one."
Fortunately, the targeted Objet was located closest to the entrance inside the 'Kitchen'.
What she pointed at was a crab inside a pot, situated right near the entrance.
It wasn't the kind of Blue Crab with an elongated carapace that we often see in marinated crab dishes.
A Fiddler Crab with one abnormally large claw. An ordinary Fiddler Crab has a claw and body of similar size. After Monsterization, the claw grows to the point where it looks like the body is just attached to the claw. Actually, the brain and other core organs relocate to the claw. The body is reduced to purely functioning as legs.
"It's called Tubuca. Unlike Serpent Type Monster Fish that use body length as the standard for size, its size is measured by the length of its claw. That one looks to be about 100 meters."
Originally, a Tubuca's claw doesn't exceed 50 meters no matter how big it gets. It was a natural result of settling down inside that Objet, though.
Several Monster Fish Corpses were scattered around the Fiddler Crab inside the pot. From ordinary fish to Clams, unidentified objects, and even formless things that made you wonder, 'Is it even possible to eat that?'
Tubuca had jammed its claw into a plump-looking Monster Fish Corpse among the scattered remains.
It was eating a meal. A Tubuca's mouth is attached to its claw.
Parang smoothly sliced through the water and approached the Tubuca.
It might be different for other Monster Fish, but there were many easy ways to take care of a Tubuca.
She had inwardly worried about what to do if a situation arose where she had to use the Kraken. It was a relief.
Anyway, Parang quietly approached the Tubuca. She didn't like sneak attacks, but catching a Tubuca this way was the fastest and most certain method.
Parang reached a distance where she could touch the claw that was over a hundred meters long just by reaching out her arm. At this point, it just looked like a wall.
From Tubuca's field of vision, it was impossible to spot a 1.6-meter Human hiding right behind its claw.
Parang swam quietly but swiftly, slipping right into the gap between the Carapace forming Tubuca's body and the Carapace making up its claw.
No matter how massive a Monster Fish was, it wouldn't fail to notice something entering its body.
---------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tubuca instantly began thrashing around, tearing up its surroundings in a wild frenzy.
However, Tubuca was a creature that poured all its combat power, mobility, and even cognitive abilities into its claw. If Parang had entered its body instead, it could have just smashed its body to crush her. But the claw? Its entire body except for the claw had degenerated, so what could it use to smash it?
Tubuca urgently banged its claw against the walls of the pot and the Floor, but Parang, who was already deep inside grasping the soft flesh, had no intention of letting go.
She just ruthlessly tore through the soft inner flesh of the claw, making riiip- riiiiip- sounds.
Naturally, the Pain was beyond imagination. To compare it to a Human, it would be like a 1.6-centimeter bug entering your ear with a 2-centimeter Harpoon and churning up the inside of your Head.
It was impossible not to lose its mind.
And the Viewers were losing their minds right along with it.
After all, they were essentially watching a first-person video of becoming a bug and exploring the inside of a Human's Head.
The only visibility in the dark space was the light of a Flashlight, illuminating an abundance of flesh and Blood Vessels.
Watching the Screen captured by the Camera from Parang's perspective as she rapidly advanced—cutting, slicing, and piercing—while unidentifiable organs twitched and wriggled, suddenly popping up, and occasionally seeing blood splash out or an Eyeball suddenly squish into view, felt even more maddening than what Tubuca was going through.
Even Hunters who lived seeing blood and flesh all the time would be startled by such things popping up, so how would ordinary people fare?
How would they fare? They felt like dying, of course.
- You said it wasn't gross, you said it wasn't gross, you said it wasn't gross
- Was that a lung or a Heart that just passed by?
- It's a lung
- Isn't it a Heart?
- Didn't both of them just pass by?
Just like that, Parang shredded everything up to Tubuca's brain and eyes. At this point, it was undoubtedly dead.
The subjugation of the 3 special Objets was complete. Parang leisurely came out of the 'Kitchen'.
And then she swam again at an incredible speed.
Parang glared ahead with colder and sharper eyes than ever before.
She absolutely had to eat xiaolongbao when she arrived in Hong Kong. That was the only thought filling her Head.
Her stomach felt like it was about to grumble. She hadn't eaten anything since Pohang, after all.
Well, even so, it would be a bit embarrassing if that was broadcasted.
"I'll end it here. You all worked hard."
- We sure did work hard thanks to you, fuck
- At least you know we worked hard...
- LOL I closed my eyes and only listened LOL fuck I should've covered my ears too
The Chat Window immediately went to shit.
But Parang couldn't care less. People who ran away because it was too gross wouldn't try diving again anyway.
As soon as she ended the broadcast, a loud grumble echoed from her stomach. Parang swam faster than ever.
A short while later, at a Pier in Hong Kong.
Bubbles gurgled on the surface of the water, and Parang's Head popped out with a plop.