Chapter 184: A Bad Matchup
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184: A Bad Matchup
For a moment, I didn't know what to say and just stared blankly at Eunnamu.
I wasn't sure how she interpreted my gaze, but she looked back at me with a lingering, affectionate expression.
At the same time, I realized something else.
It’s because I mentioned being her ex-girlfriend.
Eunnamu seemed to think I shared memories from her worldline.
Just as I belatedly realized the absurd misunderstanding and hurried to correct it, I felt a cold stare on the back of my neck.
“…Ex-boyfriend?”
Si-ho’s quiet voice echoed.
I flinched at the sound of her voice and turned around.
CRASH! CRASH, RUUUUMBLE!
A sound like a torrential downpour roared from the other side of the building.
Startled, we quickly looked in that direction to see the sea surging forward, tearing down buildings as it came.
My thoughts froze for a second.
Because what I was seeing was a massive tidal wave.
“…The Deep Sea Monarch.”
Eunnamu, recognizing what it was, bit her lip hard.
Seeing her reaction, I knew for certain that this tidal wave was connected to the divine beings that had been chasing her.
I glanced back and forth between Eunnamu and the wave before speaking.
“Eunnamu, tell me what to do.”
It was clear that she was deeply involved in this situation in more ways than one.
Perhaps sensing my sincerity, Eunnamu looked at me, then reached out and took my hand.
“Are you really going to help me?”
The answer was already decided.
“Yeah. I still haven't repaid my debt to you.”
I was certain that if anything happened to Eunnamu, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
After all, I considered Eunnamu one of my own.
Thanks to her, I was able to resolve Hyeok-seo’s situation, save Eva, and prevent Si-ho from being kidnapped by Girasung.
She had protected my precious people so much; how could I just stand by and do nothing?
Hearing my words, Eunnamu seemed to hesitate for another moment before squeezing my hand tightly.
“Okay.”
At that instant, the scythe on her back spun around.
“Let’s get out of here first.”
If that was the plan, there was someone perfectly suited for the job.
I looked at Si-ho, and she nodded before immediately teleporting the four of us.
In an instant, we were high in the sky, watching as the tidal wave crashed through the buildings, sweeping away the dimensional entities from the Divine Realm.
Being in San Francisco, a port city on the West Coast of the United States, the sea was close, which likely allowed the wave to surge so deep into the city.
Meanwhile, Si-ho, quick on the uptake, began teleporting people who were being swept away by the wave, flinging them to safety.
Seeing her handle it with so much ease was a clear sign of how much she had grown.
“Hey.”
Just then, Heuksan frowned and looked out toward the distant sea.
At the very edge of the horizon, something enormous was raising its head.
With a mass of tentacle-like appendages on its mouth and wings on the sides of its head, the creature was bizarre beyond description.
Just looking at it stirred up an unsettling, alien feeling.
I realized this must be the creature Eunnamu had called the Deep Sea Monarch.
“…I’m a returnee from Outer World · 1.”
Looking at the Deep Sea Monarch, Eunnamu spoke with a pained groan.
Outer World · 1.
It was a dimensional classification I had never heard of before.
“And among the Divine Realm portals that Erebos opened, there’s one connected to the Outer World I came from. That monster is an Outer God from that place.”
I understood one thing clearly: that Deep Sea Monarch was no friend to Eunnamu.
“But the Deep Sea Monarch is just bait.”
Eunnamu said this as she looked up at the sky.
She was looking past the monster capable of causing a cataclysmic tidal wave, to something higher.
At that moment, the sky where her gaze rested seemed to distort slightly.
“The one lurking in the boundary.”
Eunnamu spoke, her eyes glowing with an opaque light.
“I have to summon that Outer God and kill it.”
A pitch-black aura echoed around Eunnamu’s body for a moment before vanishing.
She trembled as if the thought itself was horrifying.
“I waited for Erebos to open the Divine Realm’s portal for this very purpose.”
She gripped her scythe tightly, as if she had longed for this day for a very long time.
A cluster of eyes materialized on the scythe before scattering away like dust.
“I’m going to catch the Deep Sea Monarch for that.”
At that moment, a magic circle began to form in Eunnamu’s right eye.
The circle slowly took shape, soon becoming the image of a book.
I watched her for a moment, then casually cracked my knuckles.
“As long as I don’t kill it, right?”
Hearing that, Eunnamu turned to look at me, a beat too late.
Seeing my expression, she reacted with a slight delay.
“Uh, yeah. That’s right?”
I didn’t know if it was an Outer God or a dimensional entity from the Divine Realm.
I gave a grim smile.
“Just wait a bit.”
I’ll show it exactly who its worst possible matchup is.
*
5
The Deep Sea Monarch of an alien planet.
According to Eunnamu, the mere sight of it could deliver a mental attack powerful enough to knock a person unconscious.
But I’m sorry to say, that kind of mental shock was largely meaningless to us.
A mental attack is only effective if it can penetrate the aura enveloping one’s body.
However, there was one problem.
Spatial perception requires immense concentration, making it difficult for Si-ho to defend against such mental attacks.
One wrong move and her spatial sense could be disrupted, sending us flying off to some random location.
Should I have brought Ji-eun here?
Her ability would have provided mental protection.
But there was no use crying over spilled milk.
Crackle!
Sparks flew from my body as I let out a light breath.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Who do you think you are, talking so tough?”
As I said that, a voice from below made me clear my throat.
Because right now, Heuksan was giving me a piggyback ride.
She was looking at me as if I were pathetic, and I avoided her gaze with an awkward smile.
“But I can’t run on water.”
I had focused solely on improving my physical body and aura proficiency.
As such, I had no idea how to do things like run on air, like Ahyu and the others could.
I could leap an incredible distance in a single bound, sure.
But it wasn't enough to cross an entire ocean.
So, the solution we came up with was for Heuksan to carry me and run.
Since Si-ho couldn't move directly, I had no choice but to be carried by Heuksan, who could run on water.
“…I wanted to be the one to carry him.”
Meanwhile, for some reason, Eunnamu was watching us with an incredibly envious look in her eyes.
But she couldn't get close to the Deep Sea Monarch, so it couldn't be helped.
“It’s not like I’m your personal ride.”
Heuksan wore an expression full of dissatisfaction, so I offered an apologetic smile.
“Want me to carry you next time?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
She was grumbling, but the fact that she was carrying me anyway made me grateful.
“I’m counting on you.”
After I said that, Heuksan took a breath and got into position.
“We’re going in one go.”
“Okay.”
As soon as she heard my reply, Heuksan shot forward, her entire body crackling with red sparks.
In that instant, my vision blurred and shifted.
Even though I had wrapped myself in aura to prepare for the impact, the shockwave was enough to make me dizzy for a moment.
She’s gotten stronger.
Was it thanks to Baeksan’s training?
Sensing that Heuksan was even stronger than before, I lowered my body and leaned against her.
I felt like I was about to be sent flying otherwise.
“Hic!?”
Suddenly, Heuksan let out a sharp gasp.
“What? What happened? Are you hurt?”
I shouted in surprise, looking at her, but she just flinched her shoulders and said.
“I-It’s nothing, okay?”
It didn't seem like she was injured.
I had no idea why she was getting angry, but Heuksan had already reached the sea.
Splash!
The moment her feet touched the water, she began to sprint across its surface.
The way she controlled her aura, spreading a thin layer under her feet to run, was simply amazing.
But it seemed the Deep Sea Monarch had noticed our approach.
RUUUUMBLE!
Another wave began to rise.
Seeing the surging water, I raised one hand.
The Thunderbolt materialized in my grasp.
“I’ll break through.”
As I spoke, I loaded a Brain Thunder round.
The moment I aimed the muzzle at the wave, Heuksan kicked off the surface of the sea.
SPLASH!
As Heuksan leaped, my gun immediately spat a spark.
The crimson spark flew forward and instantly pierced through the wave.
Heuksan, still carrying me, shot straight through the gap in the shattered water.
But in the meantime, more waves were continuously rising.
I immediately loaded the next Brain Thunder and aimed at the next wave.
“Keep going.”
“I know.”
Heuksan replied as if it didn't even need to be said, and we began to sync our rhythm.
With our timing matched, we broke through wave after wave, moving forward.
The distance between us and the Deep Sea Monarch began to shrink, and as if it sensed this, the creature slowly started to rise.
In its hand, it held a spear worn down from being stuck in the seabed.
Gripping the spear, the creature’s tentacles quivered beneath its jaw as it immediately swung the weapon down at us.
Seeing it brandish the spear, which was covered in giant barnacles, I loaded the Thunderbolt once again.
Because that wasn't a weapon brought from another dimension, but a spear pulled from the bottom of the sea.
“I’ll break that. Throw me.”
Hearing her words, I immediately changed my posture.
Heuksan instantly wrapped her arms around my legs, preparing to throw me.
WHOOSH!
In that instant, my body was thrown, soaring into the sky.
Amidst the incredible speed, I dismissed the Thunderbolt and enveloped my entire body in aura.
The Deep Sea Monarch swung its spear—which was as large as a building—down at me, but I did nothing as I watched it come.
CRACKLE, KRA-KA-KA-KA-KA-KOW!
At that moment, a crimson bolt of lightning shot up from below me toward the sky.
The lightning pierced the spear and shattered it to pieces. Fragments of the destroyed weapon fell into the sea.
I passed through the broken spear with a crackle of sparks and, in no time, arrived right in front of the Deep Sea Monarch’s arm.
The moment I landed squarely on its arm, I felt a slimy texture through the soles of my boots.
A throbbing pain pulsed in my head.
It seemed to be affecting my mind.
“Wrap your aura around your head, too.”
Following Baeksan’s advice, I enveloped my head in aura, and the headache immediately vanished.
Realizing this, I started running up its arm.
Due to the Deep Sea Monarch’s absurd size, its arm seemed endless no matter how far I ran.
However, its size also seemed to be a hindrance, as its movements were incredibly sluggish.
It tried to catch me by raising and slamming its arm down, but it couldn't.
Just then, the tentacles under its jaw, proving they weren't just for show, began to swarm toward me.
Watching the tentacles rush in, I smiled grimly.
“That’s a mistake.”
As I said that, I immediately placed a hand on one of the tentacles.