West Sea Dragon King (2)
West Sea Dragon King (2)
Swaaaaa—
A beach where waves came crashing in.
Having arrived at the shore where the Gate was located, we decided to fill our stomachs first before officially starting the raid.
"Since we've come all the way to the sea, we definitely have to eat sashimi."
"That's not a bad idea."
Since we had skipped breakfast before leaving, it was about time for everyone to get hungry, so I agreed.
Following the guidance of Shin Su-ah, who searched for nearby famous restaurants using her smartphone, the place we arrived at was a shabby sashimi restaurant.
Hyeon's Sashimi Restaurant
As we opened the door under the worn-out sign and entered the shop, there was a grandmother sitting there watching TV.
The grandmother turned her head toward us and pointed at me with the tip of her fan.
"No pets allowed in my shop."
"Excuse me?"
"Poot...!"
"????"
To think I'd be treated like a pet here.
Does the word 'pet' even come out after seeing this size?
As I stood there dazed and dumbfounded, Shin Su-ah approached the grandmother, and after various explanations, we were finally able to enter the shop.
"I'm allowing it since he doesn't have fur, but if he even pees, I'm charging a cleaning fee."
"Yes, yes. I'll be careful."
Listening to the grandmother's warning, who treated me like a pet until the very end, I went inside and took a seat.
Then, after Shin Su-ah ordered the sashimi, we waited for the food to come out.
Since the shop was quiet, the food came out quickly, starting with sashimi and followed by various dishes that filled the table.
""Thank you for the meal.""
Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon each picked up a piece of sashimi.
Then, Shin Su-ah dipped hers in soy sauce with a bit of wasabi, while Baek Yeon dipped hers in chojang.
Me?
I just speared the sashimi with the tip of my claw and put it in my mouth.
Mmm... I don't really know what it tastes like.
"Baek Yeon-ssi, are you a chojang fan?"
"Yes? Isn't sashimi a food you eat for the taste of the chojang in the first place?"
"SILENCE!!!"
Kung! Shin Su-ah slammed the table loud enough to make a sound.
For a moment, the grandmother's fierce glare flickered past, but she didn't even care and poured out her knowledge about sashimi in a torrent.
"Sashimi is a food you eat for its delicate texture, the natural sweetness, and the umami flavor it holds. It is by no means a food that can be described with low-class expressions like a 'chojang delivery system.' It's a delicate, multi-layered flavor where you savor the subtle sweetness, the umami that comes out the more you chew, the different textures depending on the fish, the richness of the fat layer, and the sauces that enhance the flavor even further. Do you understand?"
"Ye-yes?"
"I asked if you understand."
"I-I understand."
Baek Yeon, overwhelmed by Shin Su-ah's spirit, nodded while breaking into a cold sweat, and I chewed on my sashimi with my head turned away to avoid provoking her.
"Nidhogg-nim. How is it?"
"Huh? I-it's delicious."
"Right?"
Actually, I had no idea, but I nodded and agreed for now.
Afterward, following Shin Su-ah's words, we filled our stomachs by eating sashimi in various ways, paid for the meal, and stepped out of the shop.
The expressions on Shin Su-ah and the grandmother's faces as they looked at each other with serious faces and nodded while paying before leaving the shop were truly a sight to behold.
Leaving the shop and traveling by car, we arrived at a harbor.
Several ships were docked at the harbor, and among them, a two-story cruise ship with the Association's mark engraved on it was the ship we were to board today.
"Welcome. We have been waiting for you."
Guided by the Association staff and the captain who were waiting in advance, we boarded the ship, and a short while later, the ship set sail toward the destination.
Since there was nothing to do until we reached the Gate, I was out on the deck idly soaking up the sunlight when a question came to mind.
"Come to think of it, are there no monsters in the sea?"
It was Baek Yeon, who was approaching from behind, who answered the question that naturally slipped out of my mouth.
"It's not that there are no Gates in the sea like the place we're going now, but Gates mainly appear in places where humans reside."
"Really? That's the first I've heard of it."
"If Gates were generated completely at random, we wouldn't be able to be this idle. Perhaps maritime routes would have been blocked by monsters overflowing from Gate Mutations."
"Then should I say the current way is a relief?"
"Well. Between the damage from Gates appearing mainly where humans live and the damage that would occur if maritime trade were blocked... neither can really be called good."
Certainly, neither could be called a good thing.
Ideally, Gates wouldn't appear at all, but that's impossible.
Putting the complicated talk aside, I waited to arrive while chatting with Baek Yeon, who sat next to me.
Since it wasn't that there were absolutely no Gates in the sea, I waited while being prepared to handle any monsters if they appeared, but we didn't encounter any monsters until we reached our destination.
Thus, we arrived at the open sea.
Since the Gate we were entering this time was located in the border area between Korea and China, strict security from both countries was deployed, but since it was a ship with the Association's mark, we were able to move directly above the Gate after a simple inspection.
According to Shin Su-ah's explanation, the Gate was under the sea.
Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon put their equipment into separate waterproof boxes and changed into scuba diving gear, and since it didn't matter to me even if it was the sea, I decided to go in with my bare body.
"Then, I wish you the best of luck."
Receiving the Association staff's farewell, we dove into the sea.
Entering the sea after a long time felt vast and refreshing, and I went deeper following the two who had the equipment boxes tied to their bodies.
Descending at a speed that would have been strange if a normal person didn't die, we finally arrived in front of the Gate.
Boogureureu—
[We will enter immediately.]
[Once we go inside, the water will disappear. You have to change quickly while Nidhogg-nim protects us.]
[Understood.]
As we entered the interior of the Gate shimmering with blue light, the water disappeared along with a brief tremor.
To be precise, the water didn't disappear, but we entered an area where there was no water.
A transparent hemispherical space made of something unknown; outside of it was still the dark deep sea.
"Puha!"
"Whew. It's been a while since I've been in an underwater Gate."
"Now, let's change quickly."
"Yes."
While I monitored the surroundings to see if anything was approaching, the two quickly took off their scuba diving gear and changed into their respective Gate exploration equipment.
Even if I'm not human, to take off their clothes so openly right in front of me.
Do they have no sense of shame?
However, for me to actually feel sexual desire while looking at them, the time I had lived as a dragon was too long, so it was impossible.
Only after the two had completely changed their clothes did I properly check the surroundings.
The interior of the vast transparent hemispherical space was wide enough that it wouldn't be strange to say a whole city had been placed there, with wooden buildings densely filling that wide space and a broad central road.
And a massive palace existing at the end of the road.
The appearance of the city, which must have been originally splendid, was worn out and collapsed here and there as if no one had used it for a long time.
"It's a city with a needlessly wide and eerie atmosphere."
"Still, you can see exactly where we need to go, right?"
"Should we go down the middle road?"
Since the only thing that could be called a road was right in front of us, and there was a palace at the end of that road, it was obvious where we had to go, just as Shin Su-ah said.
Nodding, Shin Su-ah deployed the Valkyrie armor and took the lead.
"Now, let's go!"
I walked down the road following her as she led the way.
And before even ten steps had passed, a monster appeared.
Kwang!!
The monster that appeared from underground while smashing a worn-out wooden building had the appearance of a giant crab.
Boogureureureu—
The crab, which popped out while spitting bubbles from its mouth, aimed for Shin Su-ah with the massive pincers on both its hands.
The crab claws, which looked like they would split a body in half the moment they caught it, were deflected after hitting the shield Shin Su-ah held.
It was an item she had acquired while going through Gates without me for the past two weeks.
I heard it was made from the scales and leather of a Drake, which is called a wingless dragon, but all I remember is that Drake meat was quite delicious.
Looking at it now, the performance seems quite decent.
Boogureureu!!
As if enraged that its attack was blocked, the giant crab, spitting bubbles even more intensely, aimed for Shin Su-ah with both arms simultaneously this time, but Baek Yeon had already approached faster, drove her spear into the joint area, and tore the arm off.
After that, it was no different from a butchering job.
While Shin Su-ah stood in front and blocked the attacks, Baek Yeon tore off all the crab's arms and even peeled off its shell as if she were preparing seafood.
"Sssip. It looks delicious."
"It will actually be quite tasty."
"Should I pack one for later?"
"Once the Gate raid is over, for now."
"By the way, this Gate. Do only these kinds of guys come out?"
"Well, of course?"
"Because it's the sea?"
"Because it's the sea."
There's going to be a lot to take with us when we leave.
When quite some time had passed since the three dove under the sea.
A high-speed boat with a Chinese mark stopped at a location slightly away from the Gate.
And through the back, which was out of sight of the Association including Korea, a large steel box slowly descended toward the sea.
The entrance of the box that descended near the Gate fell off with a Peong! sound, and soon after, the Fiends, including Lu Feng, popped out from inside.
They swam through the seawater as if it were nothing and approached the Gate, following the three who had entered the Gate first.
Lu Feng, who was unable to converse because they were underwater even though the water pressure didn't matter, checked that all the Fiends had entered the Gate and then gave them an order while looking at them.
"Track them down. And capture them alive. If they resist fiercely, it's okay to cut off an arm or a leg. Oh, the small dragon is a product to be presented to the higher-ups, so capture it with as few wounds as possible."
"""Yes!"""
Following Lu Feng's command, the Fiends rose all at once and began to track the three.
Walking leisurely while following behind the Fiends who went ahead, Lu Feng did not doubt that his plan would succeed.