82
Chapter 82
"Is this...... really a corpse......?"
"Even to me, it's preserved so well that it's strange."
This was the conversation between Parang and the Cylo researcher, taking place in an underground laboratory in Seoul.
The researcher, whose head was half-bald, seemed quite surprised looking at the corpse in front of him.
Parang understood to some extent. The level of preservation was so extraordinary that it was hard to believe it was a corpse.
The researcher observed the corpse for a long while before speaking to Parang.
"It's not that I don't believe Hunter Yoo Parang, but there's always a chance you might be mistaken. No matter how I look at it, it seems like a state of suspended animation, or even just deep sleep."
"I understand. Just do a thorough examination and hand it over to us."
"Understood. The examination itself won't take too long. Maybe about three hours......."
The researcher glanced at the corpse and corrected himself.
"Hmm, it might actually take up to four or five hours. Honestly, in my forty years in this field, I've never seen a corpse like this."
They would have to wait four or five hours to summon Oceanus anyway. Parang nodded her head.
"Got it. I don't mind if it takes longer, so please make sure to check thoroughly."
"Ah, understood. And......."
"Yes?"
The researcher lowered his voice quietly, as if sharing something important.
"About that artifact."
The combination of a researcher's gown and a serious tone was quite compelling, making Parang's voice drop slightly in response.
It was because she was out of the water.
"Ah, yes. You mean the 'Evidence'."
Separately, Parang had already been contacted by Cylo regarding the completed repairs of the Evidence. They had requested her to view the memories contained inside right after her Dive since the repairs were finished.
"That artifact, we say we 'repaired' it, but the process was quite unusual."
"Wait, what exactly was......."
"Strictly speaking, it feels less like it was 'fixed.' and more like it was 'unlocked.' You see, basically, this artifact......."
As the man continued to spew words, Parang's expression grew blank. Something about energy, something about waves, what? Choco Pie?
She had never been involved with anything like this in her past or present life. It made sense that she felt dizzy.
Fortunately, the male researcher wasn't entirely clueless, as he immediately stopped talking and apologized.
"Ah, I unintentionally got sidetracked with academics. I apologize. To put it simply, rather than being broken...... it feels more like this artifact called the 'Evidence' was sealed."
Finally understanding a bit, Parang asked back.
"Sealed......?"
"Yes. Do you remember when I contacted you last time and told you, 'There are four days left until the repairs are completed'?"
"Ah, right."
"Right after I contacted you, something like a very powerful flow emerged from inside the artifact."
"Just like that? Without any warning?"
"Yes. At first, we didn't think much of it. Artifacts often do that sort of thing. But the further we progressed with the work, the more we felt that something was definitively different."
"And that's the seal you mentioned earlier."
"Exactly. Excluding that flow, we perfectly completed the repairs on every part, but we got stuck right at that point."
"I see......."
"Yes. But what's even more suspicious is that we were definitely not the ones who undid the seal."
Parang was also a bit surprised here. They didn't unlock it themselves? Then did someone rub a magic lamp or something?
"Wait, what exactly do you......."
"It's exactly as I said. Something resembling a seal, which showed no signs of budging, just suddenly snapped open on its own. As if the right time had come."
"How is that possible?"
"We still don't know either. Please, be careful when you look into it."
Parang put on a serious expression.
Another, another, another mystery. Why were there so many things she didn't know?
Since starting this job, not a single thing had clicked perfectly into place.
'Ah, there was exactly one thing.'
Finding out that Natsuko was a crazy bitch.
To think that the only definitive truth was something like this. The path of a Hero was long and arduous.
"Hmm, I understand for now. You probably already know this, but it's really dangerous, so absolutely do not try to open it first."
"I am well aware. I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you."
Parang left the laboratory with a complicated expression.
#
South Korea, Seoul, the basement of a building owned by Cylo.
Six men and women gathered around a giant water tank.
Everyone looked at the corpse of a beautiful woman contained within the water tank.
Charlotte's corpse, to get straight to the point, was indeed a corpse.
According to what the laboratory said, a type of 'Embalming Spell'—a spell that prevents decomposition or damage—had been cast on her.
It wasn't entirely an unfounded claim. After all, among the Slayers, there were quite a few who were skilled in spells, including Charlotte herself.
Bertea was the first to speak.
"Humans are cunning creatures, so even if they repeat the same thing just a few times, their reaction to it rapidly dulls."
"What kind of bullshit is that? If I meet them, I'll twist their mouth off."
Elvira clicked her tongue, speaking in a slightly irritated tone.
"Renowned Biologists said so. There are tens of thousands of papers on it too."
"Well, that's because they've never met a Monster that crushes a Status Window inside the memories of someone who died 4km deep on the ocean floor."
"Hmm, fair point."
After that, a few trivial remarks went back and forth. Catching up, sudden criticisms, dinner plans.......
If someone pointed out that they were being too lighthearted when the fate of the World was on the line, they would have something to say about it.
That if they didn't at least do this, they would go crazy from the tension.
Because the image of what they saw during the last Dive was still fresh in their minds.
If you listened closely to their voices, you would be able to detect a slight tremble.
They were undeniably afraid.
It wasn't that their sense of duty to save the World had been compromised. They were still firmly determined to protect people.
Still, being nervous, trembling, and scared couldn't be helped.
They were merely mustering their courage.
Eventually, the idle chatter died down, and at last, no one spoke a word.
"......Let's go."
Soon after, with a splash, all the members of Oceanus dove into the water.
#
Charlotte Eyra.
A renowned Biologist, Physicist, Chemist, and Monster Researcher...... blah blah blah.......
She was your typical genius Scientist heroine character found in Hunter novels.
However, her importance in the Slayers' death incident was exceptionally high, because it was none other than Eyra who translated the Scroll obtained by Hunter Han Siwoo and designed the Ascension Ritual.
Moreover, the condition of the Corpse was the best they had seen so far. There would surely be quite a bit of information they could glean from it.
Then, there was the timing of Charlotte's teleportation.
In the middle of the Slayers' battle, Charlotte and two others were teleported to the Hive almost simultaneously.
Meaning, three people were knocked out all at once.
And according to what Oceanus had deduced, it was highly likely that the 'eye' appeared at that exact moment.
It meant they might be able to witness the most critical moment of the battle.
They also needed to examine the Ring in question.
"......That wraps up the parts we need to focus on during this Dive."
Xiao spoke in a voice that trembled slightly, yet remained resolute.
"It'll be hard to Dive twice. We need to see it properly the first time."
There was a high probability that the 'eye' would appear in the memories, and if so, it could place a heavy burden on Xiao, the caster of the Dive, just like last time.
Therefore, the strategy was to wrap it up cleanly and precisely in one go if possible.
Since their comrade's safety was on the line, the others didn't complain about the lengthy explanation and listened with a serious attitude.
"Alright, let's go then."
"Got it."
Soon after, along with the sound of a Splash-!, their consciousness sank into the memories.
#
Whoosh-!!
"W-what the, suddenly?! Why is it so bright?!"
Everyone, who had been expecting the scenery of a dark sea, expressed their surprise at the incredibly bright light that suddenly appeared.
Light, light, light. Everywhere they looked, there was only light.
This wasn't the light that came from an explosion, a Weapon, or a Skill.
Since they were people who had lived their entire lives alongside explosions, Weapons, and Skills, they clearly knew the difference.
Then what was this light? A bright, yellow, white, and gracious light brimming with life.
It was to the point where they even doubted if they were really underwater.
'Wait. We aren't in the sea?'
A thought sparked! in Parang's mind, and she quickly asked Xiao.
"X-Xiao. What time is this memory from?!"
"Let's see...... June 11th. It's 19:42 Universal Time."
19:42. In South Korea's time, that was 21:42, meaning 9:42 in the evening.
And June 11th.
Parang had never forgotten this date, not even for a single moment.
Because on that day, her fate and the fate of the World had completely flipped 180 degrees.
"......Ascension."
That was right.
On the evening of June 11th, the Slayers were undergoing Ascension.
If so, then this light they were seeing right now was.......
"Oh my god......."
"It's showing us from this point onward......?"
It was hard to believe, but it was true.
Charlotte Eyra's Corpse was presenting Oceanus with memories starting from the time of the Ascension.