64
Chapter 64
Parang dove deeper and deeper toward the Hive.
The further down she went, the brighter, clearer, and more distinct the faint light became.
Going down about a kilometer, the surroundings were so bright it was hard to believe it was the Deep Sea.
"It's a huge relief that it's located in such a remote part of the ocean. If it were in coastal waters near the mainland, it would have caused unimaginable damage."
Saying that, Parang tapped away on her Cellphone, tweaking the Camera settings.
She adjusted the brightness option, turning it down to the lowest setting.
In an instant, the Screen darkened, and the blindingly bright light dimmed once again.
"This should be a bit easier on the eyes. Your eyesight is precious, after all."
- Coming from the girl who knows that...
- Gasp
- RIP to that guy
"Whoever just typed that in the chat, if you think it's you, do 'that'."
After a brief Silence, a single message popped up in the chat.
- The ocean sure is a dangerous place.
- LOL
- LMAO
"Keep doing that until we reach the Hive."
As she said that, Parang pulled something out of her Cartridge.
It was a pair of Sunglasses.
Even for Parang, it was a bit much to endure the raw light intensity of the Drake Hive with her bare eyes.
It would be fine if she was just dropping by for a moment, but it was a different story for a day-long exploration.
She flicked the Sunglasses open and put them on, instantly changing her entire vibe.
A black Bodysuit glowing with blue neon, equipped with various devices on the limbs and shoulders.
With the Sunglasses added to the mix, she looked as if she had just been transported from some cyberpunk World.
The fact that Parang already gave off a mysterious aura only amplified the effect.
Then, she headed further down, deeper still.
The depth soon surpassed two kilometers, and the Viewers could finally catch a rough glimpse of the Drake Hive.
And there was no need to explain how that sight had neatly shattered the Viewers' common sense once again.
"This is the Drake Hive. We call it the 'graveyard'."
True to her words, the Drake Hive looked exactly like a graveyard.
Some unimaginable green substance was spread out in a wide square as if claiming to be grass, surrounded by a perimeter wall.
It was not the familiar South Korea style grave, but rather a cemetery like one would see in a United States Movie.
However, the inside was a complete mess, thoroughly ravaged as if someone had intentionally dug it up or gone on a rampage.
There was not a single properly placed Tombstone or properly buried coffin.
The Tombstones were haphazardly twisted, uprooted, and scattered all over the place.
Some were stuck upside down, and in one corner, there was a whole pile made of stacked Tombstones.
And what about the state of the coffins. It was even worse; the ones dug up and exposed on the surface were the lucky ones, as some had risen completely above ground and opened, while the worst cases were stuck vertically or diagonally into the dirt.
And then there were the patterns spread evenly across every coffin, every Tombstone, and the entire ground.
As if someone had cast a spell, bizarre patterns in vibrant colors were engraved onto everything, shining brightly.
These wavy and sometimes straight patterns, which looked like letters, pictures, or the traces of something crawling, were drawn all over the ruined cemetery and glowing.
As she got closer, she started noticing the Monster Fish.
An Eel peeking its head out from between the pile of Tombstones looking for prey, an unidentified fish swimming in and out of a coffin, and a swarm of Water Snakes appearing and disappearing in the grass.
Usually, a cemetery is a spooky place, but it is also a sacred space to honor the souls of the dead.
With such a cemetery twisted so maliciously right before their eyes, some Viewers expressed their discomfort at the sight.
That was just how gruesome its state was.
- No way, wtf, this is pretty?
- It is a bit much.
Even so, it was true that the colorful and brilliant lights were dazzlingly beautiful. A very small number of Viewers could understand the beauty Parang had mentioned.
- Who cares, it is not a real cemetery anyway.
- It just looks pretty to me.
Regardless of their reactions, Parang continued to descend and soon stood in front of the cemetery.
From here on out, she had to find Marianne's Corpse.
Fortunately, the Drake Hive was on the smaller side among Hives. There was no need to search for three days like in the East Sea, as it could be explored in just one day.
Of course, even if it was small, a Hive was still a Hive. That was assuming she spent the entire day on it.
The area of the Drake Hive was about a third of the Train Hive. Roughly thirteen square kilometers. About four and a half times the size of Yeouido.
It was hard to grasp from above, but standing in front of it like this, it definitely felt massive.
The height of each of the lying Stone Coffins was almost equivalent to a building.
However, the Viewers were focusing on something else rather than the overwhelming size of the Hive.
- So what is that? How is it glowing like that?
They were looking at the bizarre patterns engraved all over the Drake Hive.
Because Parang had descended to the ground, they were finally able to see the unidentified patterns up close.
And after observing the patterns closely and in detail, the conclusion the Viewers reached was...
- What the hell is this.
- How is this even working?
They had no idea.
The Viewers' expectations that it would just be glowing moss or Coral were completely wrong.
That made sense, because these patterns were absolutely not something naturally formed.
The patterns were burning.
The surfaces of the ground, Stone Coffins, and Tombstones were cracked like a drought-stricken land, and from inside, sparks were flying up with a sizzle as if real flames were burning.
The confused Viewers bombarded Parang with all sorts of questions, but unfortunately, she could not answer.
Naturally. Because Parang didn't know either.
It was a mystery how objects in the Hive, known to be indestructible, had cracked.
It was also a mystery what was burning inside them.
Even whether there was actually something burning, or if it was actually burning at all, was a mystery.
Oceanus had a Biologist, but no Geologist.
So it was just a state of accepting it as it is.
So Parang honestly said she didn't know.
The chat speed was increasing rapidly.
However, uncharacteristically, Parang was not focusing on the chat.
It was because she was looking at something else.
#
If something is emitting light in the Deep Sea, look away.
Because if you keep looking, something bad will definitely happen to you.
This is a phrase applicable in almost all situations, and it was also something Parang had told the Viewers multiple times during her broadcasts.
Not all Monster Fish that inflict Mental Attacks emit light, but it is safe to say that all Monster Fish that emit light inflict Mental Attacks.
That is why they say to run unconditionally if you see a light in the Deep Sea.
"Just don't go into the Deep Sea. You know what I mean, right?"
This line always added at the end is a template.
One might think that since the Drake Hive glows on its own, it would be a Heaven for Monster Fish with Mental Attacks.
Just like how Undead or Ghost Monsters appear in a Dungeon full of dark energy, and Golems appear in places with many Rocks.
However, that is not the case. On the contrary, there are almost no Monster Fish that use Mental Attacks in the Drake Hive.
First of all, the Trait of a place called a Hive itself is like that. It is a tough environment for Monster Fish that use Mental Attacks to survive in.
This was something Parang had also explained once on her broadcast.
And the Drake Hive has an even stronger tendency for this.
Why?
It was undoubtedly due to the environment of the Hive.
As explained countless times, most Mental Attacks from Monster Fish are carried out through light.
And Mental Attacks that rely on light can only be effective if the target is in a situation where they can actually focus on that light.
It is easier to understand if you recall the case of Galecus and Yuna.
But just imagine. Think about what would happen if Galecus were glowing inside the Drake Hive.
That would cause a fatal flaw in Galecus's attack.
How so?
Because you wouldn't be able to see its light.
Buried by the intense and colorful lights of the surroundings, the light from Galecus, as well as other glowing Monster Fish, would become completely invisible.
To the point where you wouldn't even be able to tell if it was glowing or not.
Therefore, Monster Fish that use light for Mental Attacks had all been eaten ages ago, and the ones dominating the ecosystem of the Drake Hive were simply the Monster Fish that relied purely on physical size.
Or, Monster Fish that unleash an immense level of Mental Attacks through means other than light.
'Hmm.......'
Parang quietly stared at an Eel Monster Fish wriggling in a bizarrely awkward manner far in the distance.
The Viewers didn't seem to notice, but Parang, who had lived alongside Monster Fish for years, could tell right away.
That Monster Fish was currently possessed. Judging by the symptoms, it seemed to have fallen victim to a Crino.
It was the exact same Monster Fish Parang had drawn and shown when she interrogated that Government bitch, Hwang Dahye, the other day.
If there was a Crino here, it would be difficult to carry on with the broadcast until the end. Since it was probably situated in the center, she figured she needed to just explore the edges and wrap up the stream.
Parang locked the Screen to a first-person perspective.
It was a measure to protect the Viewers.
- Uhh, why first-person
- Nooo
Naturally, the Chat Window went wild. After all, they never had a good experience whenever Parang locked the Screen.
However, Parang didn't even care. She figured the day would come when they realized her gracefulness.
If they didn't realize it, well, that would be a shame in its own way.
"I will secure your line of sight, at least."
Parang swam a little higher, moving above the grass.
For reference, the height of this grass was five meters. If you walked on the Floor, you could vividly feel like you were taking a stroll in a forest. The Monster Fish popping their heads out from between the grass every now and then were just a bonus.
Anyway, the exploration began.
Parang slowly passed through the Archway and entered the Drake Hive.