19
Chapter 19
(There is a scene where the lights go out in the middle. From there, you can immerse yourself more if you view it with a black screen.)
Meanwhile, around the time Parang popped her head out of the waters off Hong Kong. The World was taking the waves of upheaval head-on, without ever getting tired of it.
Tap- Tap-
Shin Yuna tapped on her Cellphone alone in her room with a slightly depressed expression.
It was because of the text messages she exchanged with Parang right after the broadcast ended.
Shin Yuna: Hunter, Hunter
Shin Yuna: (Unmanned Submersible Photo)
Shin Yuna: How is this? It is an Unmanned Submersible, and I was thinking of controlling it and sending it down to the sea. We can attach a Camera, it has a self-destruct function, and it can even be equipped with a Torpedo.
Yoo Parang: No. It is a shame because you seem to have worked hard to make it, but it is still too dangerous.
Shin Yuna: It is not like I am going down there myself, right? Even Galecus is fine as long as you only look at it through the Screen.
Yoo Parang: No.
Shin Yuna: Okay.
It was because her ambitious attempt to advance into the Deep Sea was thwarted.
Of course, Parang was not Yuna's mother, and some might point out, does she really need permission to do what she wants?
To put it bluntly, she did need permission. To be exact, Yuna herself had no intention of going down to the sea without Parang's OK.
No matter how curious she was and how fun it was to learn, if a pro who had rolled around on that Floor for years told her not to do it, it was right not to do it.
If she was saying it was not allowed even to send an Unmanned Submersible down and just look through the Screen, it meant there was really something dangerous just by looking through the Screen.
It was a judgment she could make because she had actually met a Monster Fish, been bewitched by it, and barely survived the process. If told not to do it, it was right not to.
That was why she was just tapping away on her Cellphone while lying in bed like this.
She was depressed because all the hard work she put into making it had gone completely down the drain.
She understood in her Head that giving up was the right thing to do, but understanding and feeling emotions were two different things.
Wondering what to watch... she pondered before entering the [Hunter Gallery].
[ Today's Yoo Parang broadcast highlight collection ] [78]
[ Fuck, I want to watch Yoo Parang's broadcast until the end too ] [51]
[ What is this Hunter bro real-time thing? ] [33]
[ Is Yoo Parang's next broadcast schedule up???? ] [45]
[ LOL You cowards, I am still diving. You guys can live on land forever for all I care ] [34]
The community was blazing with Yoo Parang again today.
The name [Hunter Gallery] became practically meaningless whenever Parang turned on her broadcast.
She slowly pulled down the Scroll and carefully read the popular posts.
[ Today's Yoo Parang broadcast highlight collection ]
[ Author: Anon ]
I compiled it together with part 1 and uploaded it yep
(GIF of Macula crawling on East China Sea Objet No. 1)
(GIF of Macula's mouth)
(GIF of Macula exploding to death, spewing flesh and blood)
...
(Screen capture GIF of stabbing Tubuca's eye)
- They look really fucking disgusting
└ Fr, they look like whatever the hell they want
- Seriously so gross, fuck
- Why are the fingers that show up briefly in the middle so pretty
└ This bastard only ever posts praising Yoo Parang
"Hmm...."
What was this? Last time, just looking at Galecus's egg was enough to make her turn off her Cellphone immediately, but now she felt nothing.
Did she get used to it from seeing it so often?
[ Fuck, I want to watch Yoo Parang's broadcast until the end too ]
[ Author: Anon ]
It was the same with Galecus last time, it is really fucking fun, but everyone leaves in the middle, so I have not seen a single scene of her finishing off the Monster Fish, fuck.
- You too?
- Drama channels on YouTube have already uploaded all of it
└ I know but it is too gross for me to watch
- I purposely watch it at 144p resolution
└ Then what about the sound?
└ That is why I should have known that sooner, fuck
└ LOL
└ What the fuck LOL
[ What is this Hunter bro real-time thing? ]
[ Author: Anon ]
(Photo of a black latex Suit scattered at the recycling center. The connection part is roughly torn, as if someone tried to force the Zipper up and failed.)
I came out to do the recycling, and some bastard left this behind. Fuck, what kind of bastard is this?
- Fuck, what is this LOL
- Isn't that the bastard from the popular post last time?
└ Who is that bastard
└ (Link)
└ Fuck LOL
- Is that for women?
└ nah, for men.
└ Oh... where is that?
└ Why are you asking where it is, you crazy bastard
└ What is with this bastard again, fuck LOL
[ Is Yoo Parang's next broadcast schedule up???? ]
[ Author: Anon ]
There is no such thing, just look at these gross pics
(GIF of Macula crawling on East China Sea Objet No. 1)
...
...
(Screen capture GIF of stabbing Tubuca's eye)
- Ah, gross pics, fuck
- ? But something is weird
- It is the exact same photo as the post above LOL
└ It really is LOL
└ It is a total mess LOL
- A bastard whose broadcast produces gross pics every time...
Yuna chuckled as she looked at the community. When you are feeling down, watching funny guys is the best.
Since I have skimmed the popular posts, I should just read a few recent general posts and turn it off.
And when she moved to the general posts tab, at the very top of the community. She saw the shocking title of the latest post.
[ Isn't this Yoo Parang's house? ]
[ Author: Anon ]
(A Photo that seems to have been taken from a mountain looking down at the village where Parang lives. The Photo is a bit blurry, perhaps because the Lens was excessively zoomed in. However, the unique pure white exterior of Parang's house is clear.)
I took it while hiking, but what is this?
There were no comments, and the view count was 3.
Looking at the upload time, it seemed Yuna had opened the page almost simultaneously with the post going up.
The back of Yuna's neck went cold, and goosebumps broke out.
What if this person had bad intentions? What if this Photo spread and people harboring bad intentions towards Yoo Parang sprang up like mushrooms after rain?
Objectively speaking, Parang had a very pretty face as well.
Yuna had already declared her all-in on Yoo Parang. She could never bear to see things turn out like that.
After hastily sending a message to Yoo Parang, she took out some drafting Paper and started drawing something frantically.
She also did not forget to contact her fellow Production Hunters.
Meanwhile.
[ This post has been deleted. ]
'What is this.'
A-Rank Hunter, Kim Seojin felt something strange.
It was because the post he uploaded to the community was deleted in less than two seconds.
It was the only fun he felt in his boring Hunter life where every day was the same.
The attention he received from the community accounted for the majority of his dopamine.
It sounds like a lie, but there are quite a few people like that in the world.
Anyway, he was currently full of questions.
'Wait, why is this not uploading.'
He was the one who drove all the way to Pohang to find Yoo Parang's house.
His intention was to first upload it to the community to enjoy the reactions, and second, to tip off a second-rate magazine to get some money.
Are the two out of order? Not at all. The attention he felt from the community was indeed his top priority.
For an A-Rank Hunter, the compensation fee from a magazine wouldn't even cover a day's wages.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few people like this in the World.
Anyway. Since someone like him was blocked from posting on the community, imagine how frustrated he must be.
He tried to upload the post as soon as he took the picture with his Cellphone on the mountain, but failed, likely due to bad reception.
He came home and tried uploading it on his computer, but it was deleted in two seconds.
He couldn't post something that would instantly get massive upvotes and hit the popular page if he just uploaded it.
An Admin who wouldn't even cut a Galecus egg wouldn't delete something like this, so he must have been hit by a blind shot from a Part-timer.
He wrote the exact same post and created it again on the community.
To be exact, he tried to create it.
[ You cannot write posts with a blocked account. ]
[ Reason for block: Please stop. ]
'What the?'
Blocked? Why would he get blocked when he had never even posted a single gross pic?
Thinking it might be an IP error, he connected to a different Wi-Fi this time, but,
[ You cannot write posts with a blocked account. ]
[ Reason for block: Please stop. ]
'No, seriously, what is this.'
Did the server admin spill tteokbokki on the server computer while eating again?
Alright, let's see who wins. Fueled by stubbornness, he quickly finished writing the post again and clicked the upload button.
At that moment, the computer Screen turned entirely blood-red, and large black letters appeared.
"Gasp!!"
He was uncharacteristically startled by the jumpscare that appeared right before his eyes.
'Wh-What is this, fuck.'
Wh-What is it. Is it an error?
No, it's too creepy to be an error.
'Ah, shit. This gives me goosebumps. My luck today is absolute dogshit.'
He decided to think of it as a simple machine malfunction. It seemed easier on his mind that way.
It's late tonight, so I'll call someone tomorrow. I should just turn it off and sleep.
However.
Click, click.
'Wh-What is this. Why won't it turn off.'
The computer, filled with a red Screen, showed no sign of turning off.
Only the red Screen.
And in an instant, all the lights in the house went out.
"Wh-What the fuck!"
A power outage? But why isn't the computer turning off?
The pitch-black house with all the lights off, the blood-red Screen, and the black letters.
It was a scene that would make even an A-Rank Hunter like him feel creeped out for no reason.
I should sleep outside today. Just as he made up his mind and was about to leave the room.
"Please stop."
"A-Aaaagh!!"
A voice suddenly rang out.
"Wh-What the!! What bastard is it, come out!!!"
Seojin roughly grabbed whatever he could get his hands on and looked around.
However, the voice showed no signs of stopping.
"Please stop."
"Please stop."
"Please stop."
It sounded like a choir of people of all ages and genders gathered together. However, unlike a choir, the voices were disharmonious, seemingly forced and haphazardly mixed.
"Fuck!! Come out!! I am an A-Rank Hunter. What kind of prank is this!!"
Listening closely, the sound seemed to be coming from the computer. Was he infected by a hacking tool?
Hacking a computer made by Cylo Corporation was virtually impossible. After all, even the highly capable Shin Yuna couldn't breach their basic security.
So he was certain it wasn't the work of a hacker, but Seojin decided to just think of it that way.
Because it was much less scary to think he messed with a mischievous hacker.
Having regained a bit of confidence, he shouted.
"You Rat bastard, only knowing how to mess around with machines. You are dead when I catch you."
He just blabbered whatever came to mind.
Regardless.
"Please stop."
This time, the sound came from the living room.
Striding, yet with trembling steps, he kicked the door open, only to find the TV glowing alone in the pitch-black living room.
The exact same voice from the computer was flowing out of the TV.
Seojin's legs and arms began to tremble violently.
And not just the TV, but other appliances joined in one by one.
The washing machine, water purifier, rice cooker, Robot vacuum, air purifier, and Bluetooth Speaker.
Every appliance in the house capable of making a sound started speaking from all directions.
All of them were Cylo Corporation products.
"Please stop."
Buzz!!! Buzz!!!!! Buzz!!!!!!
The Cellphone, which was definitely on silent mode, vibrated like crazy.
Trembling, he looked at the Cellphone Screen and saw 999 missed text messages.
Please stop.
Please stop.
Please stop.
Please stop.
Please stop.
At this point, he couldn't stand it because he was too terrified.
The moment the most comfortable place becomes stained with terror. A Human feels extreme fear.
Still in his pajamas, he sprinted to the front door.
"A-Aaaagh!!!"
Before he knew it, the same voice came through the Cellphone from an unanswered call.
"Please stop."
He frantically struggled to open the door lock.
An electronic door lock that usually opened with a light push from the inside.
However, even the door lock, his last hope for escaping outside, spoke to him.
"Please stop."
The door wouldn't open. He tried banging on it, throwing his body against it, begging for forgiveness, and screaming in a desperate frenzy.
For a whopping 30 minutes.
For 30 minutes, no one helped Seojin.
"Please stop."
"Aaaaaaaagh!!! Fuck!!!! Why are you doing this to meeeeee!!!!!!!!"
He finally slumped down in front of the front door, tearing at his Head.
Then, sudden silence. Nothing could be heard, and nothing could be seen.
And ending with the whispering voice of the door lock.
"Please stop."
The lights in the house turned on, and all the appliances returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
As if nothing had ever happened.
"Gasp... gasp... f...uck...."
Kim Seojin quit the community that very day and paid absolutely no attention to Hunter Yoo Parang.
He also threw out all the appliances in his house and tried to buy ones not made by Cylo Corporation, but failed.
Because he couldn't find any household appliances that weren't made by Cylo Corporation.