Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 65. Land Grab
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The Gangseo Branch Chief was in a foul mood.
"The cruise ship's gone dark."
"This might really be what the Director said."
She didn't like that talk about her own employee came up during the regular branch chiefs' meeting,
"It's definitely different with a 'Manual' involved."
"You got that right."
nor did she appreciate the other branch chiefs treating him more like a weapon than a person.
It wasn't that she had any special fondness for him. What bothered her was their attitude.
In the Management Bureau, built to save people, they weren't treating him like one.
And that showed immediately in her actions.
She put some strength into her arm.
*Craack!*
The metal desk split in half.
"..."
"..."
The others stared at her blankly.
"My apologies. I'm just in a bad mood."
Her calm words instantly silenced the room.
"You're in the wrong here."
A deep voice rebuked them.
The room quieted, and the voice continued.
"I expect you all to act with the dignity befitting branch chiefs. Especially you, Gangbuk Branch Chief."
"...Yes, sir."
The man replied in a sullen tone, and the Gangseo Branch Chief shot an irritated glance toward the voice before turning her eyes back to the center.
"As the branch chiefs say, all those blessed by... no, chosen by the Management Bureau's will have finally gathered."
"..."
The branch chiefs fell silent.
"Some are already fighting far away, while others, freshly awakened, are drawing incidents to them."
The Gangseo Branch Chief thought of one man.
A tired-looking guy with an ordinary face.
It wasn't bad luck dragging incidents to him. He was simply facing challenges worthy of his name and reputation.
*Click,*
The screen lit up, showing the silhouette of a man whose face wasn't visible.
"Anyway, with a 'Manual' here too, we've assembled the Management Bureau's elites."
"For her to personally select a 'Manual'—I'm curious what that ability's like. Doesn't happen often."
"Quiet."
The man quelled their murmurs.
"Regardless, we'll give it everything we've got. Just like always, and from here on out too."
"..."
"Gangseo Branch Chief."
"Yes."
"Support him as much as you can. That's the best welfare and aid the Management Bureau can provide."
"Understood."
"Each branch chief, take good care of those under you. We're lucky to have them."
"""Yes, sir!"""
As their voices aligned, the screen went dark again.
The Gangseo Branch Chief stood.
Her slender eyes opened wide, scanning the surroundings.
"Let's head back."
"Yes, ma'am."
The man in sunglasses followed behind her.
What kind of support should she provide when she got back?
She had no idea what would count as proper help for the poor kid who'd run into a sea monster while on vacation.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she headed to her office.
*
Each wave shrank the sandy beach.
The scene resembled a high tide, but a louder roar drew the eyes back.
*Splash!*
The rock Jang Chaeyeon had dropped rained down on its head, producing a sound that would have killed any normal creature outright.
The problem was that the thing taking the hit wasn't a normal creature.
A house-sized wave came crashing in.
"Stick to my side!"
I plastered myself to Jang Chaeyeon's side like always, and as she thrust out her arm, a powerful shockwave burst forth, punching a hole through the wave.
*Boom!* With that sound, a hole opened in the wave's center, letting it pass harmlessly by us.
Water soaked my already drenched clothes again. And...
"The beach is shrinking more!"
"You're telling me!"
We shouted over the roar of the pouring water.
The fight itself hadn't been possible from the start.
It just kept sending massive waves at regular intervals, and all we could do was defend helplessly.
Every defense shrank our sandy foothold even further.
How many defenses had we endured?
I checked on Jang Chaeyeon.
She was panting heavily.
She'd been pushing her abilities beyond the limit since yesterday, so fatigue had to be setting in.
I looked back at the monster on the horizon.
Even smaller than what I'd seen underwater, bullets didn't faze it, and aside from looking, I had no other abilities to land a solid hit.
It felt like fighting a mountain.
The ground under our feet was already ankle-deep in water.
I quickly pulled back.
Why was the water rising so fast?
Did it even make sense to use Critical on a creature like this?
I scanned the exposed monster.
[Name: Offspring]
[Age: Created 300 years ago]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This creature, born not long ago, is extremely excited for its first hunt.]
[Weakness: Size differences can make fights impossible. Consider this place's features and what empowers it.]
This was bad.
I recalled the weakness that had come to mind when I looked at the sky.
When the sea is no longer the sea.
What did that mean?
I pulled out the butane gas from my pocket, then put it back.
Dry the sea with fire?
That wouldn't be easy.
I looked out at the water.
Poison it, then?
But would that even work?
I thought back to the weakness.
Features. The moment the sea stops being the sea, it loses power.
No, what moment makes the sea not the sea? Like a game of land grab—
I glanced at the water lapping at my feet again.
In that instant, a flash of insight hit me.
"Chaeyeon!"
"I'm listening!"
"You know how to play land grab?"
Without even answering, Jang Chaeyeon yelled back.
"Explain it simply!"
"Cover it with dirt!"
"...How far!"
"To the horizon!"
I surveyed the sea.
Too small to call an ocean—more like a lake, if anything.
By my eyes, it was an outpost, temporary. In other words, another world.
And other worlds were never vast.
I pulled the Manual from my pocket.
*Rustle!*
It unfurled at breakneck speed.
[Employee Manual]
[Y - Otherworld]
1. If you enter an otherworld, first confirm its size.
2. Otherworlds vary, but they're generally smaller than the Earth you know. They could be Earth-sized, of course. Good luck in advance if so.
3. The smaller the otherworld phenomenon, the higher your survival odds; the larger, the higher your death odds.
4. Common sense doesn't apply in otherworlds. Try everything.
5. Good luck.
The moment the sea is no longer the sea.
In other words, when the sea becomes land.
The most brute-force, but most efficient way.
[Critical: 1->2]
A translucent window appeared before me, and as I closed the Manual, an enormous amount of dirt began floating above our heads. Enough to fill a giant truck several times over.
"Got it."
Jang Chaeyeon raised both arms, scooping up dirt and dumping it into the sea.
"I'll finish it quick."
I followed suit, shoveling dirt by hand to fill it in.
Incredibly, like a game, the sea receded with every scoop, sand appearing in its place. As if proving this was the right way.
So this was what they meant by common sense not applying in otherworlds.
If it was to our benefit, we'd take it.
In that short time, we'd filled about a third of the sea.
Of course, the monster wasn't just watching.
*Whoosh...!*
Another wave rolled in.
Jang Chaeyeon stopped mid-scoop and raised her right arm.
Her face was pale.
"No need for that."
I lowered her right arm and raised my pistol instead.
She was the key to this strategy. If she collapsed from overwork, we'd both die here.
She'd blocked enough waves already.
"Chaeyeon, fill the dirt as fast as you can. Don't waste energy."
"Okay."
But she didn't say anything like, *What about you?*
With complete trust in me, she kept filling the dirt.
I stood in front of her, gripping the pistol right-handed.
My left arm was too pained to move properly.
[Critical: 2->1]
The world turned black-and-white and slowed.
I stared down the house-sized wave.
Soon, a red dot appeared in its center.
*Bang!*
I pulled the trigger like a god possessed me.
The bullet tore through the air, embedding in the wave,
*Splash!*
and it crumbled as if it were nothing.
*Roooar!!*
I heard its cry. Panicking? It could.
I dropped to my knees again, filling dirt alongside her. Pathetic compared to telekinesis, but something.
We filled over half the sea that way.
Blood trickled from Jang Chaeyeon's nose, but she ignored it, pushing on.
"Hah... hah..."
"Just a bit more...!"
"Yeah...!"
She staggered as she moved the dirt, and I followed her lead.
Another wave came.
Smaller than before, but still beyond human strength.
I raised my pistol too.
[Critical: 1->0]
A single tiny bullet pierced the wave.
The massive wave shattered helplessly again.
My hypothesis was right.
The monster was being pushed back, weakening as the sea shrank.
"Just a little more!"
I encouraged the ragged-breathing Jang Chaeyeon while filling more dirt.
Soon, most of the place was packed with dirt.
Finally, the monster retreated from the rising dirt until it hit a wall and stopped.
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon dropped to her knees, gasping, looked at me, then at the monster.
"...Can't... kill it... alone?"
"...Yeah."
I wiped the sweat from my brow and answered her.
No Critical left. I'd used them all on the waves, leaving me with just an ordinary pistol.
But so what? Critical wasn't my only weapon.
Our eyes met.
"...Piggyback me."
With a tired little smile, she held out both arms, and I nodded, offering my back.
"Let's go."
Carrying her, I sprinted across the sandy beach.
Sometimes my foot sank, my ankle twisted with sharp pain, but I ignored it, charging across what had once been sea.
*Rooooar!!!*
It bellowed loudly, like a last-ditch struggle,
but what could it do?
[Coordinate Rip -> 2 uses remaining]
The world turned graph paper-like, creases appearing on its body.
Jang Chaeyeon reached out and clenched her fist.
Its body bent.
*Roooar! Roar!!*
It screamed in agony.
[Coordinate Rip -> 1 use remaining]
Graph paper drew over the world one last time.
Jang Chaeyeon reached out, clenched her fist against its head,
*Boom!*
something burst, and its head vanished.
"...Hah... hah..."
"Haa... haa..."
Only our two breaths filled the silence.
The sea began to disappear.
Soon, Jang Chaeyeon and I stood in the engine room.
I gently set her down and collapsed to the floor without hesitation.
"...Exhausted..."
"Me too."
We couldn't move a step, just sitting there muttering about how tired we were until Yoo Daon and Song Arin, having come to their senses, fetched us from the engine room.
*
"Wow! It's so pretty!"
The next day, I couldn't help but smile as Yoo Daon gazed happily at the sea and exclaimed.
Yeah, this was—
"Jaeheon."
"Yeah?"
"Just... hypothetically. Really just curious..."
"What is it?"
Yoo Daon's eyes turned to me.
"Are you dating Chaeyeon?"
Her usual smiling face looked like a glass mask on the verge of shattering.