30
Chapter 30
- Kuaaagh
- Fuck, anywhere but there
- Nooo!!!
When the request to show something scary came in, the Viewers had inwardly expected it.
They figured she would go under those seats.
The moment the inside of the Train was broadcast on the Screen, they had already seen it.
The countless white lights twinkling under the seats.
If you had a Head, you could easily guess what they were.
Eyes.
Either an unidentified Monster Fish with eyes packed closely together was lurking under the chairs, or a swarm of two-eyed Monster Fish were gathered there.
Either way, it was a sight they absolutely did not want to see through the Screen.
You might ask, why not just stop watching the broadcast then?
They couldn't do that. Because it was fun.
Plus, there was a bit of stubbornness involved.
"Argh! Fuck, what is that?!"
"I seriously can't watch this anymore!"
Parang didn't know this, but a so-called viewing challenge was spreading among her Viewers.
The rules were simple. Keep watching the broadcast while Parang introduced the Monster Fish, and finish by watching the final scene where she executed the Monster Fish.
This was due to the unique atmosphere of Parang's broadcast, where most people would turn it off and leave midway, only to come back later.
They were trying to earn titles like the Death Squad who stayed until the end, or the last survivor.
Of course, there was no real reward. No one around them would even acknowledge it.
But there are quite a few people in the world who take such things seriously.
The Hunters, in particular, had a strong tendency for this.
If they were veteran pro Hunters who had been through it all, they should be able to easily watch Parang's broadcast, which wasn't even a battle they were experiencing firsthand.
Even though things rarely went their way.
Anyway. Parang, full of thoughts of tormenting the Viewers, went under the seats of the Train and stood on the Floor.
It was a historic moment, the first time her feet touched the Floor in her broadcast's history.
'Ah, right.'
Parang took out her Cellphone and tapped on it.
It was a new one she had recently received from Cylo.
It was a model that worked up to a depth of 15km underwater.
'It's been crazy developing this for a while.'
She recalled the face of the female Cylo Employee who had smiled calmly.
Current depth: 4km. There was no way this would stop working while exploring the Train.
To begin with, there were very few places that exceeded 15km. Only spots like the Atlantic Ocean Hive, the Caribbean Trench, or the Mariana Trench.
It was an over-technological item that made one wonder if a Human could even make it.
What Parang did by manipulating it was...
- ?
- Uh, what
- Why isn't third-person working
She had turned off the third-person view conversion mode.
Because horror is best experienced in a first-person Screen.
The Viewers despaired.
The hope that it would be somewhat less scary in third-person was completely extinguished.
By the time Parang went under the chairs, they had already switched to the third-person Screen and fully zoomed out, feeling relieved.
Unable to accept the sudden change in the situation, some began to beg Parang.
- Please give us a break just this once plsss
- I already brought the blotting paper LOL
- No, if you're that scared, turn off the broadcast
- We can't do that
- That's a no-go
- We can't do that
"You can't do that. Keep watching. Don't leave."
Since her playful side had already been triggered, a slight giggling sound slipped out.
And for a while, a rush of large donations from suspicious Viewers appearing from nowhere continued.
Most of them were textless, so-called cool donations, or donations full of meaningless onomatopoeia.
Due to the nature of Parang's broadcast where the TTS was turned off, it didn't cause much discomfort. They knew that when they donated in the first place.
- Anonymous donated 70,000 won! -
[ . ]
However, even though tens of thousands of won in donations exploded continuously, the Chat Window didn't say a single word about it.
To be exact, they were frozen stiff.
―――
It wasn't because an unidentified Monster Fish had appeared before their eyes.
Rather, it was the exact opposite.
The thousands of eyes that had clearly been emitting a vicious glow from the outside vanished the moment Parang went under the seats.
What unfolded was complete, empty darkness.
Inherently, a Human has a fear of the unknown.
Therefore, what you cannot see is scarier than what you can.
The Viewers stared at the broadcast Screen, shivering with blotting paper clutched tightly in one hand.
Even then, they couldn't bring themselves to give up on Parang's voice, so they couldn't take off their headsets.
And the Viewers who bravely kept their headsets on were soon rewarded.
"From now on, I will speak a little quietly."
Parang whispered.
She didn't just speak, she whispered.
A sweet and soft voice that could melt one's ears.
"The Monster Fish in front of us is a Hydra. It's the true identity of the numerous eyes you saw earlier. As you might guess from the name, the thing down here is a single entity."
Of course, the content of her words wasn't soft at all.
"A Hydra is a creature that came out of a Gate, just like a Bellua or a Goblin. When it dies, it turns into a Magic Stone."
- Ah fuck
- Ah please
- ? What is it, why are you doing this
- She said it came out of a Gate
- Ah right fuck
- No what are you guys talking about
A few messages popped up suddenly in the Chat Window. It might seem a bit random, but Parang and some of the Viewers seemed to understand.
Their common denominator was being a Hunter.
They were veteran Hunters who had survived by rubbing shoulders with Monsters anywhere on land, sea, or air.
They knew all too well what this situation and her explanation meant.
It was also mentioned in the Original Work, but the ecosystem of this World was strictly divided into two.
Those that came out of a Gate, and those that did not.
Creatures like an Orc, Troll, or Wyvern that crossed over to Earth from inside a Gate would never touch a dog or a cat.
Likewise, lions and tigers do not hunt a Goblin or an Imp.
It wasn't for some grandiose reason like a massive wall created by the logic of the World. Rather, it was something quite anti-climactic.
Simply put, it was because they couldn't be eaten.
Since a Goblin reverts to a Magic Stone and Teeth upon death, a lion could never fill its stomach even if it hunted a Goblin its entire life.
Likewise, since a dog simply becomes a dead dog when it dies, it doesn't yield a Magic Stone, which is a Troll's main food source.
Therefore, there's no need for them to waste energy fighting each other. Even territorial disputes are minimal since their diets are completely different.
However, there was a common denominator between these seemingly separate groups.
As you might have guessed, it was a Human. Among them, a Hunter.
When a Human dies, they drop a Magic Stone.
Doesn't that sound like the perfect setup for a murder?
Do you think that would fly when the Hunter Association is keeping a fierce watch with glaring eyes?
Even Cylo and the World Government are in agreement on this matter.
Messing around with a Human Magic Stone literally means being hunted down by the entire World.
Well, anyway. And as you also might have guessed, a Monster's favorite Magic Stone, regardless of species, belongs to a Human.
To summarize, Monsters that came out of a Gate are incredibly good at smelling a Human.
And Parang had just entered the dark crevice where such a Monster was lurking.
Furthermore, that Monster had been emitting a vicious presence just moments ago, but hid its traces the moment Parang approached.
This behavior meant one of two things.
It either ran away, or it was preparing for a surprise attack.
And Parang's words were enough to throw all the Viewers into a panic.
"A surprise attack will come soon. Enjoy the chase with the Hydra."
- Enjoy the chase
- No what do you mean by that no
Click.
Parang turned on her Flashlight.
What she saw ahead was a white substance with a tofu-like texture.
"It's the body of the Hydra."
Even though they were watching the broadcast on a large Monitor, the Viewers' field of vision was now confined to the small circle illuminated by the Flashlight.
Now the Viewers could only see what Parang saw, and only what Parang wanted to show them.
Complete control over their vision.
Before long, the Viewers could deeply feel just how terrifying that was.
Riiip-
What they had thought was a torso until just now opened its eyes.
The Viewers were making eye contact with the Hydra.
"The Hydra's Eyeball has fluidity. It can freely move anywhere inside its body and reveal itself outside."
A whispering voice.
And from the side, again, riiip,
Riiip, riiip, riiip.
Every time the sound of flesh being forcefully torn rang out, one more eye staring at them appeared.
Riiip. Riiip. Riiip. Riiip. Riiip. Riiip.
Riiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiipriiip.
It was too dark to see, but they could tell that the number of Eyeballs staring at them was continuously increasing.
Parang waved the Flashlight beam around to illuminate the surroundings.
Eyeballs were everywhere. Some were crushed against each other as if their Blood Vessels had burst, leaving them bloodshot red.
On the Floor, and on the ceiling too.
[ Skill, 'Waterproof Sanity', is being activated. ]
This is how a Hydra drives its prey into a panic before safely eating them.
"The Hydra has good night vision."
With Parang's whisper ending, dozens of Eyeballs were plucked from the wall and started a Dash toward her.
#
- fuckontheleftontheleftontheleftfuck
Parang swiftly changed directions, swish swish swish swish, swimming quickly through the Hydra.
A living, undulating white maze. It was a gross sight that was terrifying enough to appear in nightmares, but there was something else that added true horror to it.
Riiiiip-
―――――!!
- ahfuckimscared
- fuckfucksoundssoundssoundssounds
An eye grew on the part they had thought was a wall until just now.
A radius of 80cm. It was an Eyeball as big as Parang.
Then, it stretched out long, swoosh, and charged at Parang.
Since Parang was intentionally controlling her speed, the Eyeball came so close it was literally within arm's reach.
Then, its center split wide open, revealing Teeth haphazardly embedded in a circular throat, and five wriggling tongues shot out from inside, swoosh.
All this happened within two seconds.
From the Viewers' perspective, a monstrosity that was gross even while standing still was suddenly popping in and out of the Screen. Naturally, without any warning.
It was pure agony.
- masteriwillneverdiveagainiwasfoolishpleasestop
They shed Tears and repented, but Parang remained silent.
Today as well, the promising futures of prospective divers were ruthlessly crushed.
Her current number of Viewers had dwindled to half of what it was when she entered the Train.
'I should cut it down by exactly half here.'
Her broadcasting mindset was already twisted.
Thus, a chase sequence that was only fun for Parang continued.
To the left, to the right. Left again, three eyes suddenly popping out from the middle path ahead. She quickly took a left turn, ending up at a dead end.
Turning around, she made eye contact with the Hydra. She swiftly spun downwards, slipping away with acrobatic movements, only for an Eyeball to pop out from the right this time.
This went on for about an hour.
Finally, all the 'Death Squad' members had fallen, leaving the Viewers at a quarter of the initial count.
"Well, I'll stop here for now."
A sign signaling the end,
- Wow
- the fact is the real Death Squad is going strong
- yeah bro survived again today LOL
- cheers
Then, the so-called 'Death Squad' who had remained until now started toasting each other.
And to the 'Death Squad' who had endured a time indistinguishable from torture, a fitting reward (at least, they thought it was a reward) was given.
- alright~ everyone take a seat!
- the Popcorn is completely dead LOL
That was none other than Yoo Parang's 'execution scene'.
Only the Viewers who had endured the harshest visual torture could finally watch the 'Deep Sea Fish hunting specialty broadcast'.
Watching the sickening Monster that had constantly tormented them visually and auditorily get butchered by Parang's hands.
That reward, which wasn't really a reward, was more thrilling than expected.
Before they knew it, the lights turned on, illuminating the surroundings, and the third-person Screen became available again.
As many expected, the Hydra looked as if its entire body was made of intestines.
Somewhere between white and bright red, an unpleasant pinkish hue filled the surroundings, undulating.
"The color has turned red. It means it's excited. Its skin is so thin that you can see the increased blood flow right through it."
Parang suddenly stopped in her tracks.
An Eyeball popped out and rushed towards her.
It opened its mouth, sticking out its wriggling tongues.
Bloop- swoosh!
Parang didn't miss the timing and created a Water Drop Bomb, shoving it inside.
The Eyeball, perhaps thinking food had entered, stopped moving and snapped its mouth shut.
However,
Boom!
The bomb exploded from the inside, causing blood and flesh to scatter like a Firecracker.
――――!!!!
Sensing that something was wrong, the Hydra let out a scream.
Then, dozens of Eyeballs surrounded Parang from the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom.
But she simply gripped her Harpoon leisurely.
And in a split second.
Swoosh-
A blue light seemed to gleam in her eyes,
Bababababam!
The Harpoon thrust dozens of times at a speed that couldn't even be seen.
Pshashashashashak!
Likewise, the Eyeballs burst at an invisible speed.
Naturally, the surrounding space turned completely red with the blood spewed by the Hydra.
[ Skill, 'Clear Mirror, Still Water', is activating. ]
Of course, it didn't touch Parang.
Parang quickly swam out of that space.
As soon as she reached a moderately wide area,
"Huuup!"
The Harpoon she gripped tightly opened a Waterway.
Anchoring.
And then, Bang!!
The spear thrown at a terrifying speed pierced straight through the Hydra.
――――!!!
A Hole as big as a door. It must have pierced right through the Hydra, as it was so deep its end couldn't be seen.
――――......
Death. With a shuaaaa- sound, the Hydra disappeared.
And thud.
A Magic Stone the size of a watermelon dropped to the Floor.
- wait is that a Magic Stone?
- wtf kind of Magic Stone is that huge
- how much is that crazy
- my mouth is literally watering
The Hunters, who knew how much this was worth, reacted immediately.
The size of a Magic Stone is proportional to the size of the Monster, so they had roughly expected it, but.
They hadn't expected something the size of a watermelon to just drop.
A Wyvern's Magic Stone is the size of a baseball, and a Dragon's is the size of a soccer ball.
'It's only natural they'd be surprised.'
Since a Monster the size of a Hydra doesn't exist on land.
'Is it not in this carriage?'
Parang did a final check of the Equipment on her chest.
At a glance, it might have seemed like she was randomly wandering around shooting a Monster Fish hunting mad movie, but Parang had actually been meticulously calculating her path in real-time, sweeping the entire inside of the Train.
And this was the last spot. If it wasn't here, it wasn't in the first carriage.
"Then, let's move on to the next...."
Carriage. Parang's words were cut off.
However, in the rapidly scrolling Chat Window.
- wow the size is insane im going diving right now
Normally, she would have let it slide, but she saw one chat she couldn't ignore.
"What did you say."
Parang's expression contorted quite a bit.