Ocean Subjugation
Ocean Subjugation
The wind struck my face.
It felt thicker and stickier than the wind I was used to.
Even without being able to smell the sea, the sensation was different.
Rubbing my nose awkwardly, I scanned the information coming in through Observation.
The deck I stood on. The mana and properties of various superhumans. Beyond that, mostly ocean and monsters.
"Whoa..."
A sound of admiration came from up ahead.
The ship's bow. Senior Daera, clinging to the railing and peering down, had her mouth hanging open.
I trotted over to her.
[Senior Daera, what if you fall leaning over like that?]
"Junior disciple, junior disciple, look at the ice breaking over there."
Senior Daera turned to me and pointed below with exaggerated excitement.
At the tip of her finger lay the sea.
Large chunks of ice drifted on the murky seawater like thin sheets.
- Kung...
The thick bow of the ship rammed into the ice.
The ship lurched slightly, then pressed on, grinding and splitting the ice as it advanced.
"Whoa... it just plows right through without stopping. The ship's probably enchanted with magic, right?"
Senior Daera kept letting out gasps of wonder, utterly fascinated.
'Was this kind of ship called an icebreaker?'
A ship built to navigate by breaking ice. I had a memory of seeing one in a documentary in my previous world.
'Though the performance would be worlds apart.'
I used telekinesis to fish a shard of broken ice from the sea and hold it in my hand.
It was cold.
At the same time, unlike how it seemed to crumble as easily as tofu, it was quite solid.
At the very least, it wasn't something that would shatter just from being pressed down hard with a lump of iron.
"Hoo... the wind here is so cold and clammy."
Just then, a voice came from behind. I crushed the ice in my hand and turned around.
The owner of the voice was Lee Ha-sol.
Thickly bundled in cold-weather gear, Lee Ha-sol hugged herself, her shoulders trembling slightly.
The light green hair peeking out from under her hat was stiff, and the bridge of her nose was a little red.
"Even during expeditions, I've never been anywhere this cold... I think it's even colder because we're out at sea."
[The mana here is exceptionally fierce, and the aftereffects of the dungeon outbreak still linger]
The sea bordering the Changhae territory was notorious for its particularly harsh environment.
Though it hadn't reached the level of the Demon Realm, the fact that the Demon Realm had to be invoked as a comparison spoke for itself.
'As rumored, even magic is partially penetrating.'
The cold was seeping into the spell formula, drastically shortening its lifespan.
Roughly estimating, it looked like it would break down in three or four days. It was a spell formula that should have lasted over a year outside.
[I told you, you could've waited on land...]
Feeling sorry for her, I tapped the cold-weather gear Lee Ha-sol was wearing.
The mana that spread from my fingertips enveloped the spell formula and reconstituted it anew.
Since it was a modification formula imbued with my mana, its functionality would improve dramatically, and it should last well over a year even if she fell into the sea.
Indeed, Lee Ha-sol's complexion rapidly improved.
"Who said you could send someone off alone somewhere?"
The problem was that she glared at me with that now-improved complexion.
And Senior Daera, who had been sightseeing the sea, also turned her head and glared at me.
"What could possibly happen if we sent Ha-yul off alone?"
"He might suddenly dive into the sea and go missing."
"Ugh, don't say things like that."
Shivering for a different reason than before, Lee Ha-sol wrapped her arms around me.
A voluminousness that even the thick cold-weather gear couldn't fully conceal enveloped my face.
[Hing]
[Soft]
The narrowed gaze and the words exchanged held not a single shred of trust.
Trust once lost is hard to recover.
Moreover, since similar things were bound to happen repeatedly in the future, the recovery of trust was a distant prospect...
"Uh, ahem. Well... I came to guide you, as the operation is about to begin."
Just then, someone approached, clearing their throat with a cough.
A woman with blue hair and eyes similar to Baek A-rin.
It was Baek Yu-rim, the Changpaju leading this ocean subjugation.
- Ububub... Pah.
Having wriggled out of Lee Ha-sol's embrace, I bowed my head to Baek Yu-rim.
[Yes, I can enter combat immediately. And thank you for accommodating my unreasonable request]
The ocean subjugation conducted by the Changhae Family.
Unfortunately, since it was just about to begin, there was no time, so I had gone to find her and cautiously made the request, and fortunately, she accepted.
"Please don't mention it. No matter how thorough the preparations are, isn't this an industry where you never know what might happen? We are the ones who should be grateful that someone like the young master is accompanying us."
Baek Yu-rim laughed readily, waved her hand dismissively, and pointed to the rear.
The icebreaker had stopped in the middle of the sea. On the deck, members of the Changhae clan were gradually warming up.
Every single one of them possessed vast energy and exuded a magnificent presence.
I nodded to myself as I observed them.
'The Ten-Thousand Mirrors Unit and the Changpa Unit.'
The representative armed forces of Azure Sea.
Wasn't their name derived from the Boundless Blue Waves?
Each unit consisted of elites specialized in Azure Sea's Cold Energy and Water Energy respectively.
'And with the Changpaju, who has long since surpassed the mage rank, present, there shouldn't be any particularly dangerous incidents.'
Particular, sudden, variables.
How wonderful it would be if everything just went exactly as planned.
I put on a subtle expression and stirred my mana.
* * *
The damp sea scent struck my nasal cavity.
Baek Yu-rim, who had taken a small breath, tapped the floor with her staff.
"Teams 1 through 8 will each enter at their designated positions and commence subjugation. Teams 9 through 12 will follow behind, maintaining the front line and providing rear support. The remaining personnel will assist the entry teams from the deck."
"Yes, ma'am!"
At Baek Yu-rim's command, the unit members moved swiftly.
"Hey man, what about a meal bet this time too?"
"You pig bastard? You're still hungry after stuffing your face like that back then? When I saw the bill, I seriously thought my eyes were gonna pop out."
"Huh? If you win, I'm the one paying, so what's the problem. Unless... you're scared?"
"You're dead."
"Show me with your actions, not just your words."
Grinning, the man kicked off the deck and dove into the sea, and the man with a crumpled expression followed behind.
The sight of them diving into this desolate sea without hesitation sent an eerie chill down my spine.
- ...Kwaaaang─!
Before long, the sea a short distance from the icebreaker exploded.
A pillar of water shot up with the blast. Within it, countless ice shards and an aquatic monster with a large hole punctured through its head were visible.
The sea was not the domain of humans.
Strictly speaking, it was the same before the Great Cataclysm.
No matter how meticulously humans used the sea, they couldn't breathe and live in it.
But with the addition of magic or unique abilities, the story changed.
Azure Sea was an attribute ability that manipulated Ice and Water.
Having even put the name 'sea' in their title, wouldn't it be laughable if they couldn't operate underwater?
- Kwang! Kwang! Kuwoong!
Consecutively, the water surface exploded and surged.
The relatively calmed surface was dyed with blood of various colors, and monster corpses floated up.
Baek Yu-rim, having read the fierce aftershocks of mana, stroked her staff.
'Will this sector take about an hour?'
Since the primary duty of the Changpa Unit was subjugating monsters near the coast, she could make a rough estimate.
If they proceeded at this pace, they could finish this sector in an hour.
Then they would move to the next sector...
- Kwaaaa─ang!
At an unusually violent blast, Baek Yu-rim flinched.
She knew what the blast was.
A single arrow. Its distinctive feature was that it was cloaked in visualized wind energy.
She looked at the point of impact.
A hole was blown cleanly through the sea. Within the hole that seawater was rushing back to fill, chunks of flesh pulverized in one strike were visible.
'The output really is as strong as I heard.'
After confirming Lee Ha-sol nocking a Wind Arrow onto the string again, Baek Yu-rim's expression turned dazed.
She had heard the rumors beforehand, but the output was exceptionally superior to any wind-attribute ability user she had ever seen.
A single arrow loosed with casual ease was piercing through a monster and tearing it to shreds.
"Ugh, I can't even use it properly because we're at sea."
[Senior, you absolutely cannot shoot Heavenly Thunder into the sea.]
Baek Yu-rim turned her head back toward the whisper she had just heard.
There was Daera, grumbling on one side of the deck, and Lee Ha-yul, soothing her nearby.
Daera Celeste. Her unique ability just had to be the lightning attribute.
This meant no one knew where it would ricochet if she threw it into the sea.
Since Daera herself still wasn't used to underwater combat, she was waiting on the deck just in case something unexpected happened.
'Hmm...'
Lee Ha-sol and Daera.
After glancing at the two, Baek Yu-rim wore a subtle expression.
Elemental-type unique abilities sporting abnormally strong output right from the moment of manifestation.
Output differences naturally exist, but these unique abilities were so outstanding even among the strong that they were practically a heaven beyond heaven.
Calamity Flame, Azure Sea, Taesan.
That was the characteristic of bloodline-inherited unique abilities passed down from the progenitors.
In other words, they couldn't be certain it was a bloodline inheritance until a descendant was born from the progenitor.
The reason they had already invited those two as honored guests from their side was because they had such a likelihood in mind.
'...is what I heard in passing from the Chief Administrator.'
Personally, she wasn't sure.
Being a wizard was a profession that required thinking, sure, but that didn't make her politically savvy.
[Hmm... do you guys want to go too?]
Meanwhile, Lee Ha-yul wasn't just playing around either.
Tilting his head in thought, Lee Ha-yul drew a line in the air with his finger.
Following the gesture, the air above the sea split open, and spirits the size of houses slid out one after another.
Sticking his head out over the railing, Lee Ha-yul waved his hand back and forth.
[Don't go outside the designated area. And don't attack people. Just have fun hunting monsters.]
- Kuuung...!
The spirits who poked their heads above the water's surface let out a cry and then plunged into the sea with a splash.
- ...kuung...
Baek Yu-rim's shoulders trembled from the mana wave disturbances felt deep within the sea.
"...The deep-sea section is being cleared up quickly."
"Aren't the diving teams still clearing the surface?"
"Yes..."
At the adjutant's report, who possessed a detection ability, Baek Yu-rim clamped her mouth shut.
'...Should we finish up within twenty minutes and move on to the next area...'
It seemed this Ocean Subjugation would be over quickly.
* * *
- Kkung! Kkungkkung?
"Uh, huh? Wait, you can't go that way...!"
[Huh?]
I tilted my head as I was releasing the bored water spirits one by one.
Before I knew it, a bunch of bluish things had gathered around me.
They were lower and mid-level water spirits.
However, they weren't ones who had formed a contract with me.
- Kkung! Kkungkkung!
"Hey... you really can't be there..."
A seal-shaped spirit was rubbing its body against me. Behind it, a member of the Changpa Unit, who I assumed was its contractor, looked like they were about to cry.
'Ah.'
Having grasped the situation, I smiled awkwardly.
[Ahaha...]
[This one's cute.]
The seal spirit cooed happily when I gently rubbed its head.
Its actions were beyond adorable.
Still, if I kept playing along, its contractor looked like they might collapse, so I should send it back.
[There, there... you're a good little one, right?]
[I'll play with you a little later, so listen to your contractor for now, okay?]
Voice spread from the Confession Necklace.
A voice as warm and cozy as sunlight. Those who received this voice widened their eyes.
- Kuuung...!
Thankfully, it seemed the spirits had heard it too.
The spirits, who'd been blatantly ignoring their contractor's pleas, returned to their spot like good children.
The spirit casters' jaws dropped at the sight.
They seemed amazed that spirits without even a contract were obediently following instructions.
'Is it about time to wrap up?'
A few hours had passed since we began the Ocean Subjugation.
From what I heard, they'd already cleared all the zones included in this operation.
...The stares of the Changpa Unit members felt a little intense.
All I'd done this whole time was let the spirits out to play, so it felt weird to be treated as having made a contribution.
Anyway. For that reason, the plan was supposedly to clear a few more spots, then turn the ship around and head back to the mainland.
'......'
I had Observation spread wide open. The sea was truly vast and deep, after all.
Thanks to that, information flowed into my head.
'Come back.'
I reverse-summoned the water spirits playing in the sea and the wind spirits flying around playing in the sky.
I let out a deep sigh and stroked Jeonghwa.
"Junior Disciple?"
Senior Daera, who had been sitting beside me, tilted her head. Seeing the mana wavering over my shoulder, her expression hardened and she stood up.
"What's wrong?"
[I think we need to prepare for battle.]
- ...Guuuuuung...
What do you mean?
Senior Daera's returned question was swallowed by the vibration rising from below.
At the heavy sound that made eardrums ring, the water's surface heaved violently.
Only then did the expressions of Baek Yu-rim and those who had come up to the deck to rest before heading to the next section harden.
The face of the detection ability user went white.
"A presence this massive only now...! Massive mana reaction! Bearing is─"
- Guuuuung...!
The much closer sound swallowed the voice. The water's surface went from rippling to bucking wildly.
"What the fuck is that..."
"...No way..."
Senior Daera, who had been standing beside me and scanning the surroundings intently, gaped wide.
Lee Ha-sol, who had been pulling the bowstring taut, also went deathly pale.
The gazes of others also stared in the same direction.
A pillar of flesh rose up, parting the rippling sea. That pillar was densely studded with round suction cups.
'An octopus leg.'
The first words that came to mind.
But the differences were clear.
A single leg was much longer and thicker than an icebreaker, and about half the suction cups had ghastly eyeballs embedded in them, rolling around gruesomely.
'Something really is showing up.'
I tightened my grip on Jeonghwa, fully charged with mana.
Massive octopus legs rose up above the sea. Their color was a mix of pitch-black blue and an ominous violet.
It was an observable Innate Talent.
It was familiar.
I had memories of seeing it somewhere.
It was a memory from the original work.
The entity's name was Amrak's Aupreut.
A monster that, like Aerus, corresponded to a 3rd-Rank Alpha and had caused disasters.
'That thing came from this world?'
The Army of Bitter Cold.
It was a legion-commander-level entity that stood at the vanguard, sweeping the coastline intensively.
'But the Tower Master of Bitter Cold hasn't appeared yet. If I take it down now...'
It'll be easier.
Amidst those with pallid faces, I consoled myself that it was a blessing in disguise and raised Jeonghwa high.
- Kururung!
Heavenly Thunder flashed inside the Crystal Orb.
For the record, the 8th Iteration turned that octopus into grilled skewers.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[｢Beast of the Black Sea｣ Quest generated]
...
[Savior Correction System: Evil Annihilation Progress]
[The system expresses intense rejection toward Bitter Cold!]
[Main Quest ｢Tower of Bitter Cold｣ linkage confirmed]
[Quest ｢Army of Bitter Cold｣ linkage confirmed]
[Quest ｢Beast of the Black Sea｣ confirmed]
[Assisting the Savior!]
...