87
Chapter 87
Swoosh-!!
Leaving the Cave, Han Siwoo swam up, and further up, at a formidable speed.
He was twice as fast as when he fought beneath Hawaii. It was almost on par with Parang.
Since he was ascending from the very Floor of the Mariana Hive to its top, the distance was roughly 30 kilometers.
The highest point of the Mariana Hive sat 5 kilometers below the surface, which meant Han Siwoo was currently residing in a Cave 35 kilometers deep below sea level.
For reference, Monster Fishes lived around there, too. As mentioned time and again, the environment was vastly different from the original Earth.
Escaping the Mariana Hive in a flash, Han Siwoo performed a Dash in one direction like a gale.
Behind him, Capulus was surprisingly maintaining a speed similar to Han Siwoo's.
'Just how in the world is that thing moving underwater.......'
He thought to himself.
'Well, I guess it isn't too surprising.'
Although they were distant relatives on the level of second cousins twice removed, it was still somewhat connected to that Kraken.
'No, now that I think about it, maybe they're a bit closer than that.......'
Staring blankly ahead, he tried to define the relationship between Capulus and the Kraken.
"Hey, in front of you, look out!!!"
An urgent woman's voice rang out from Capulus behind him.
Whoosh!!
Snapping back to reality, Han Siwoo realized he was swimming straight into a massive Stone Pillar. He twisted his body with acrobatic flair, barely dodging the Stone Pillar.
"Ah, thanks, Melville."
"Nothing's going to go right if you keep zoning out like that. What were you spacing out about this time?"
"Nothing much. I was just thinking about the relationship between this handle and the Kraken."
"You really waste your time thinking about the most useless things......."
"So, what's their relationship? Have you ever thought about it?"
"Well, I don't know....... Since it came from me, maybe you can think of it as 'a hair shed by a Rat...... that lived in a place the Kraken visited.'"
"Hoo......."
Han Siwoo let out a small exclamation of awe. Considering the context, it was a perfectly fitting analogy.
Except for one tiny detail.
"Do Rats nowadays scavenge for Kraken flesh?"
"How many times do I have to say it? I had to survive, so I had no other choice. If you've never been caught by a one-kilometer-long Sea Monster and dragged into the Deep Sea, keep your mouth shut."
"Well. I did almost get absorbed by the Kraken's daughter while having my Status Window destroyed."
"You always have to have the last word, don't you......."
After continuing to bicker and chat for a while, Han Siwoo finally arrived at his destination.
A massive Cliff stood before him.
It was so immense that its edges couldn't be seen from the top, bottom, left, or right; it was simply a flat vertical wall.
Han Siwoo stopped in front of the colossal wall and briefly looked up.
He spotted a small groove etched right into the middle of the massive Cliff.
When he approached it, he found that the groove was about the size of a fist. If there was anything unusual about it, it was that it formed a perfect hemisphere.
"Is this the right place?"
"Yeah. That's it. If my intuition is right, it should be in there."
'Intuition, huh.'
If her intuition told her so, then it was simply a fact.
That was what Han Siwoo had felt so far.
"Got it. If it's your intuition, then well, it must be in here."
He carefully stroked the hemispherical groove.
"So, we've arrived, but what do I do now?"
"Ah, hold on a sec."
One of the three floating Capulus approached Han Siwoo.
"Smash this."
"......This?"
"Stop talking and just do it."
"Even so, aren't you treating it too roughly?"
"Hah, do you show respect to the hair that falls off your body?"
"Hmm......."
Having nothing to say in return, Han Siwoo simply followed her words.
A moment later, one of the Capulus shattered with a Slam- sound, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful, round blue Jewel inside.
The crumbled pieces of the Capulus smoothly slipped down and sank into the Deep Sea.
"You just need to insert it into that hollow Hole there."
"Hmm......."
"What now."
"Nothing, I'm just surprised it's a more classic method than I thought. Inserting a Jewel into a Hole in the wall."
"I didn't make it. If you want to complain, go complain to that eyeball."
"I went to complain, but it wouldn't talk to me."
"Ugh...... I swear, that mouth of yours......."
Han Siwoo chuckled and inserted the blue Jewel into the groove.
Then, Whir-
Centered around that groove, an unimaginably massive pattern revealed itself, glowing blue.
Next came a Clatter, Clank, Slam-
The wall with the circular pattern opened up in the shape of an Aperture, revealing the space behind it.
What was revealed was a tremendously huge Cave. It was as if the entire inside of the Cliff was completely hollow.
It was a massive space that could easily fit not just Monster Fishes, but two whole Hives.
"Hmm, it's so dark I can't really see."
"Huh, it's dark? You saw perfectly fine in front of you inside the Pit."
"That's because I'm a Regressor, and I also had my old combat senses."
"Hah, anyone hearing you would think you've experienced Regression dozens of times."
"Ugh......."
For the first time, Han Siwoo kept his mouth shut tight, and he entered the Cave with a slightly frustrated expression.
[ The Skill, 'Waterproof Sanity', is activating. ]
A message popped up even amidst the darkness where he couldn't distinguish anything.
"Ah, I guess this is the right place."
"Go down to the Floor and take a slow look around. Once you confirm it, come right out."
"I just need to confirm it? Nothing else?"
"Never mind anything else. You just need to confirm it."
Hunter Han Siwoo nodded and quietly swam downward.
How far down had he gone? Finally reaching the Floor, he slowly began to look around.
"Even so, isn't this place too huge? It'll take forever to look through everything."
"I'd bet ten Capulus that you'll be terrified and scrambling out of the Cave in less than ten minutes."
"What nonsense are you......."
'No, it does make sense.'
Considering what they were currently looking for, it wasn't exactly nonsense.
'Should I have kept my mouth shut.......'
The thing he was highly likely to see soon.
They say the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown, but sometimes, there are things that are simply terrifying even when you know about them.
Not necessarily scarier because you know, just intrinsically terrifying.
And then, thump.
He felt something right where he was about to carefully place his foot.
[Run away.]
[Run away.]
[Run away.]
Seeing the Status Window blaring wildly, he started to feel a bit anxious. It reminded him of his memories from that day.
"Did you bump into it?"
Alice called out to him.
Han Siwoo quietly touched the thing in front of him.
[ R U N A W A Y ]
The letters were now thick and red.
He spoke with bated breath.
"I think this is it."
"Good. Don't look closely at it under any circumstances, try not to touch it if possible, and follow the Tentacle upwards towards where it gets thicker."
"......Yeah."
Han Siwoo silently followed the Tentacle up, and further up, with the most careful movements of his entire life.
The once thin Tentacle grew thicker and thicker as he went, its diameter eventually exceeding twenty meters.
[ Runrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrun ]
'Fuck, shut up already.......'
He was already getting the chills, but with the Status Window acting up, his fear was doubled.
Trembling uncontrollably as he followed the Tentacle, Han Siwoo finally reached a certain point.
The area where all the Tentacles connected into one. The center. Or more simply put, the core.
Once glowing blue, but now completely dark, having lost all of its light.
'The Kraken's...... core.'
The moment he repeated that name in his mind, overwhelming emotions washed over Han Siwoo.
Awe, dread, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear.
"Incomprehensible impossible to comprehend shouldn't attempt to comprehend but comprehend fail to comprehend. Even comprehending myself who comprehends is incomprehensible open your eyes open your eyes open your eyes open your eyes......."
"Damn it. I knew this would happen......!!"
As soon as Hunter Han Siwoo showed abnormal symptoms upon setting eyes on the lightless core of the Kraken, Capulus slammed down hard on him from above, knocking him out.
Then, carrying him, it headed out of the Cave.
"Even so, is it right for him to just pass out without even being able to run away......."
Despite clutching her own Heart that was pounding uncontrollably, Alice grumbled at Han Siwoo.
Kraken's death, confirmed.
#
"Ugh, my Head......."
"Wh-what the. Are you okay?"
"Ah, yeah....... It must be the aftereffects of that memory from earlier. I think I'll be fine if I rest a little. More importantly, how is Xiao?"
"She fell asleep. She didn't take a huge shock, so she should be fine after resting for a bit."
"That's a relief, phew......."
Parang lay quietly inside the Water Tank, organizing the memories she had seen earlier.
The Ring Han Siwoo had gifted, the sword planted in the ground, the Ascension Ritual too, and that damn Capulus, for fuck's sake.......
Her Head throbbed at the thought of having to piece all of those things together.
'And, that eye.'
She had felt it when she first saw it in Kang Yuri's memory, but that eye definitely has a connection to the Kraken.
She felt it even more clearly and strongly this time.
That eye, absolutely, without a doubt, has met the Kraken. Though she didn't know what the two did when they met.
There was no Evidence. The lack of Evidence was Evidence in itself.
Because it was Evidence of some instinctive cognition that just welled up from within Parang.
'Ugh, my Head hurts.'
It was a good thing there was one more piece of reference material.
'I wonder if she's seen it all by now.'
Bertea, who was the first to finish recovering, had gone to examine the memories contained within the 'Evidence' obtained from Alexandra.
Just what did Alexandra hear that allowed her to peacefully accept death in such a desperate situation?
Who in the world was the entity that spoke to her?
Since Bertea had a good Head on her shoulders, she might figure everything out the moment she saw the memory and start briefing them! Although that was just Parang's one-sided wish.
'It's about time......for her to come.......'
Slam!!
"Gah!! You startled me!!"
The one who kicked the door open with a sound almost like a bomb going off was Bertea.
With a highly excited expression, she gripped the 'Evidence' in her hand and strode over to Parang.
"Uh, t-that thing, if you handle it roughly, it might break or......"
Parang's words couldn't continue.
"I think you need to see this."
It was because Bertea pressed the Evidence against Parang's forehead without warning, speaking in a stiff voice.
Elvira, who was watching Parang's condition from the side, was also startled and tried to stop Bertea, but unfortunately failed.
"H-hey, wait a sec, w-what's with the sudden......!!"
Without a moment to protest, Parang's consciousness was sucked into the 'Evidence'.