The Seahorse's Bargain
Villain's Grave. A dark night sea. Whoosh—a crimson volcanic island silently emerged near Villain's Grave. Since the Equator had originally been created from "nothingness," it had simply appeared rather than traveled in the conventional sense.
Pink Dolphin let out a high-pitched giggle. "Master, it seems they have no idea we've arrived. Shall I fire a few rounds from the Volcano Cannon right away?"
I shot him a glare. This guy… has his brain melted or something? I had clearly briefed him that we were here to capture seahorses and turn them into zombies, yet he was suggesting we bombard everything to rubble. Ever since he built the Volcano Cannon, he had been itching to use it.
"Get a grip. We're here for the seahorses." "Ah, right."
Even without hunting seahorses, blindly shelling the area was a terrible idea. We had come because there was a high chance the Golden Owner was here, not because we had tracked him with certainty. One wrong move and we could waste resources on the wrong targets.
"We'll stick to the original plan. Only a small team enters. Everyone else focuses on defending the Equator." I appointed No. 100 as the Equator's commander.
"Defending the Equator—mission received."
Park Seona and I boarded a small, quiet yacht equipped with a silencer. Vroom—we glided silently across the dark sea. As reefs began appearing in our field of vision, Park Seona asked, "Nanggun-nim, do you really think there are water ghosts here?"
"Probably. Is this your first time here too?" "Yes… Water ghosts sound dangerous…"
Villain's Grave was less about raw danger and more about sheer creepiness. No matter how strong the water ghosts were, they couldn't compare to deep-sea creatures that stretched dozens of meters long. Hmm… Correction. Since the ghosts were spiritual entities, whether or not someone possessed the right abilities mattered greatly. Without proper countermeasures, they could become extremely dangerous. Of course, both Park Seona and I were well prepared.
But why is she acting like that? She seems oddly afraid of ghosts. Honestly, I felt nothing. After working myself to death as a game planner, I simply saw them as monsters with slightly annoying attributes. Their jump scares were more irritating than frightening.
Tick-tick—tiddly-doo— The motor cut out automatically as we weaved between the reefs. Park Seona, who had gone below to check the equipment, emerged with a troubled expression. "Nanggun-nim, the motor won't start again. It's not broken—the ghosts must be nearby."
It was a poltergeist phenomenon. When ghostly energy thickened, the spirits could exert small amounts of physical force like this.
"Let's get off here. From this point on, we run." "Understood."
We moved between the dimly visible reefs in the murky world. Because the reefs were arranged inward toward Villain's Grave, navigation wasn't particularly difficult.
Splash—splash— Moments later, we finally saw them. Between the waves, things resembling human soles began to appear. They would surface up to the ankles with the water's movement before vanishing again, slowly approaching. I clicked my tongue at the sight.
"Must be tough, moving underwater and all, only to come walking on your hands." "Kyahaha, exactly!"
Park Seona burst into laughter, clapping enthusiastically at my joke. I stared at her. She was clapping with the backs of her hands.
"Hmm… Park Seona." "Yeees?" "If this is a prank, I recommend stopping. Three seconds from now, you're dead." "Kyahaha! What a funny jo—!"
Thwack— I fashioned a reef into a club and struck the head of whatever was pretending to be Park Seona. I didn't forget to coat it with White Stone. The creature that had resembled her rolled across the ground before tumbling into the sea. Splash—
I hadn't even needed to count to three. Its laughter had been far too different from the real Park Seona's. I smiled faintly. "Good. They're close now."
If they could swap one of us out for something else, it meant the seahorses were nearby. I had allowed them to lure me in without resistance until now precisely to draw them closer.
First, I should find the real Park Seona. I summoned Bangsil-i. All the zombies had consumed various Fruits of Good and Evil and evolved at least once. Bangsil-i had obtained the class Destroyer Tank.
"Jju-in, there's something around here!" Bangsil-i growled the moment she appeared. I replied casually, "Ghostly energy. Clear it all out."
Bangsil-i took a deep breath and began barking. It was her class skill, Indomitable Roar. Woof-woof-woof—woof-woof-woof— The sound of a dog echoing through the late night pushed the ghostly energy, along with the darkness, out toward the distant sea.
Soon, on the opposite reef, I spotted Park Seona moving alongside an identical copy of herself. "Good work." I stored Bangsil-i away and spread Swallow's Wings, flying toward the reef where Park Seona stood.
Park Seona stared at us with wide eyes, alternating her gaze between the two of us. "Huh…? A ghost?" I answered while smashing the head of the creature beside her. Thud— "Correct."
"My goodness, I had no idea." "Wasn't that the plan? Pretend not to notice so the seahorses would come closer?" "Eh, no? I really didn't know."
Even so, Park Seona wouldn't have been caught by the ghosts. Her combat ability had long surpassed what mere water ghosts could handle.
"Anyway, let's see which one took the bait." I summoned Nareun-i. As the Commander class, her senses and insight had been greatly amplified. "There should be one living creature nearby. Bring it here." "Yes, Master."
After scanning the area, she dashed off in the direction we had come from. Before long, she returned dragging a seahorse by the head with her claws, the creature having been hiding between the waves. The being, roughly 1.5 meters in size, had a seahorse's body with six fish-like arms sprouting from it.
A juvenile? Seahorses were said to grow up to 2.5 meters. At this size, it couldn't be an adult. I addressed the seahorse politely. "Hello? Can you speak? If you can't, you'll have to die."
The seahorse's pupils trembled violently before it answered shortly. "Can. Speak." Its speech was a bit slow, but for a professional summoner of idiots like me, this was passing grade. We could work out communication later.
"Good. Then shall we begin the first experiment?" Most of the guests we had acquired from the Equator's resort had become body parts for worker zombies. However, users apparently had preferences, and crustaceans weren't very popular. As a result, I had a large stockpile of low-combat, useless-as-materials creatures like crab people stored away.
Everything finds a use eventually. I summoned a crab person. Gesturing so the seahorse could understand, I explained, "Look at this zombie here. Turn it into a ghost."
At my command, the seahorse looked bewildered. Nareun-i slowly drove her claws deeper into its head. If it didn't create a ghost, it would become one itself. "Eek! Eek!"
"Ah, right. How could I forget?" If the crab person was still alive, it couldn't become a ghost. I smashed its head with the club. Thwack— The crab-person zombie became a crab-person corpse. "There. Ready? Do it now." "Eek… Eeeek!"
No, what's wrong with this thing? I frowned. Even if it was a useless crab, it was still my zombie asset being consumed, yet the seahorse was thrashing around doing nothing. Just as I was about to tell it to die, another seahorse crawled frantically out from the opposite reef. "I—I will answer!"
This one was about 2 meters tall and looked closer to an adult. It was panting heavily, as if it had just arrived. "Well, go ahead. But you said you'd answer? You're not going to turn it into a ghost? Don't tell me you can't?"
The seahorse stood at a cautious distance. "Water ghosts… we cannot create them. We command the ones made in jars. We cannot create them ourselves."
Ah, so that's how it is. That was actually good news. If the seahorses couldn't create ghosts themselves, then once the seahorse zombies eventually died, there would be no more ghosts—just like how I could no longer produce more Double Monkeys or Black Goblins now that their supply had been cut off. But if it was an item, that changed everything. As long as I could keep the object safe, I could produce unlimited ghosts.
But can I even command the ghosts? Does that mean I still need to acquire seahorse zombies? Hmm… I could think about the details after obtaining the jar. For now, I decided to reward the informant. "Release it."
The smaller seahorse was freed and scrambled toward the larger one. From their behavior, they seemed to be family. "Now, next question. Has someone called the Golden Owner fled here? I'm looking for him."
At my question, the seahorse's eyes began shaking like mad. I didn't even need to hear the answer. The larger seahorse spoke in a trembling voice. "C-Could it be… you chased that thing here?"
Oh-ho… I had learned something interesting. Beyond the fact that the Golden Owner was here, the seahorses were clearly not on friendly terms with him. Their tone carried obvious wariness toward the Golden Owner.
Then a thought struck me. What if he's here to steal the jar too? It was entirely possible. Someone who had suffered losses in their forces had limited options. They would try to resupply at a familiar location. He had come to plunder his own homeland to replenish the troops he had lost to the ghosts.
He said he was a fugitive, yet every idea he has is impressive. If things continued this way, the situation had changed slightly. The enemy of my enemy was my ally. If the seahorses were in conflict with the Golden Owner, I had no reason not to help them. Furthermore, if I could bring the seahorses to my side, I wouldn't even need to steal the jar. After all, if creating ghosts and commanding them were separate skills, then the seahorses themselves were valuable resources. I could have both.
"I am the master of the Equator." "The master of the Equator?" "If the seahorses wish it, I will protect you under my shadow. I only need to capture the Golden Owner."
I naturally pointed toward the massive red island looming in the background of the strait. The seahorse stared blankly at the Equator. A crimson landmass several times larger than El Dorado, with towering active volcanoes glaring down ominously upon them.
After finishing its thoughts, the seahorse answered. "I will call them secretly. The elders will come." "Good. Do that."
A secret meeting with the seahorse elders had been arranged.