A Thrilling Ride and a Kraken Hunt
The moment we stepped out of the gambling den, Enry's eyes had lost all their light. She stared blankly into space, clearly still seeing that spinning roulette wheel flickering before her. One moment of greed and a single mistake had brought disaster right to her doorstep, so a thousand thoughts must have been racing through her mind.
I grabbed the back of Enry's neck as she staggered weakly and hoisted her onto Neungneung-i's back. Then I tied a rope around Enry's body and Neungneung-i's neck. Just in case something dangerous happened, there wouldn't be any problems this way.
Even though Enry was still out of her mind over the money she'd just lost, she seemed to finally notice that something was off. She stared blankly at the rope tied tightly around her waist before lifting her head.
"Um... Master? What exactly is this?"
Instead of answering, I simply gave her a faint smile and sat down on top of Neungneung-i's head.
Enry. Do you know what the best method is when your head is spinning and all sorts of distracting thoughts are flooding in? It's to leave no room for those strange thoughts to even surface.
"Neungneung-i. When I give the signal, run all the way home at full speed."
"Woof!"
The clever Neungneung-i instantly understood my intention and nodded. Realizing her fate, Enry let out a horrified shriek.
"No! M-Master?! Wait! Full speed?! If you do that then—!"
"Yes. Your body will flutter about like a kite floating in the sky, Enry."
Doesn't that sound fun? You'll experience a thrilling terror unlike anything you've felt anywhere else.
"What's fun about being threatened with death?! It's just scary!"
"That's what makes it fun."
One wrong move and you might actually die. You'll be forced to walk the tightrope between life and death. How delightful and entertaining is that? It's something the current me wants to do but can't. I've become so overwhelmingly strong that the threat of death no longer exists for me.
Ah, how nice it would be if someone strong enough to threaten the real me would press a blade to my throat.
"Untie this right now! Hurry! Quickly!"
Enry, who had finally come back to her senses, raised her voice while desperately trying to undo the rope I'd tied so securely. There was no regret or remorse in her tone—only pure urgency.
See, Enry? The threat hasn't even begun yet, but the distracting thoughts in your head have already vanished. This alone proves I was right. I'll make sure you can't think about anything at all.
"Hwaryeong! Don't ignore me, hurry up and—"
"Neungneung-i. Let's go."
As I called out from atop the creature's head, Neungneung-i answered with a cheerful "Woof!" and took a step forward.
Heh heh. The fellow must have gotten restless waiting here for so long. The way it moves its legs is positively lively.
"Hgyaaaaaak?! Save me! Someone save meeee!"
"Do I really have to go catch a kraken?"
"Yes. Do you know how?"
"Of course I do! I may not look it, but I was a member of the very first kraken subjugation team in Thread!"
Pipi's confident stance as she puffed out her chest and declared she'd hunted octopuses until she was sick of it looked as reliable as the real-world Enry. When she said we needed to move to secure a boat first, we stepped outside and found Neungneung-i sprawled across the meadow with Enry collapsed beside it.
Her face was buried in the dirt as if she didn't even have the strength to move her limbs. There was no trace of the gambling addict left in her—only the desperate struggle of someone fighting for survival. As expected, the most effective treatment is always the most primal one.
"Lady Enry, are you okay?"
"Ughhhhh..."
Pipi crouched beside Enry and asked gently since we were all going to the sea together, but what came out of Enry's mouth was nothing more than incoherent babbling.
"Don't worry. I have my ways."
It didn't take much. Simply brushing her shoulder lightly with killing intent was enough. Enry shot upright at the brush of death that ran down her spine.
Having experienced this endlessly during her training days in Apis, Enry immediately guessed who the source of the killing intent was and glared at me with wide eyes.
"Hwaryeongggggg!"
"Haha. Let's get moving. Time is limited, after all."
I want to throw myself into Neungneung-i's perfectly groomed fur as soon as possible. I have no intention of indulging your whining.
Even as Enry grumbled about how cruel I was being, she still got up and came to my side.
"Do we have to ride Neungneung-i again?"
"No. That won't do."
The place we're heading to now is the sea. Neungneung-i would definitely become a huge burden. Besides, I don't want its soft fur soaked in saltwater. Unfortunately, Neungneung-i will have to rest here.
When I said that, Enry clenched both fists tightly. Was riding Neungneung-i really that much of an ordeal for her?
The process of obtaining a boat was much easier than I'd expected. I'd assumed we'd have to build one from scratch, but that wasn't the case. We went to what looked like a harbor, paid some money, and they handed over a perfectly prepared vessel.
Pipi must have ridden boats more than once or twice. The moment the ship appeared, she inspected its interior and began manipulating various ropes to unfurl the sails.
"Both of you, get on! To meet the kraken, we have to head out to the open sea!"
"You seem quite skilled."
"I told you, didn't I? I've hunted octopuses more than once or twice."
So this was a veteran player. Since I knew almost nothing about ships, it looked quite impressive to me.
Not long after we headed out to sea, Pipi furrowed her brow.
"The weather's nice, but there's no wind at all. I should've made a scroll if I knew this would happen."
"Do you need wind?"
"Yes."
"Which direction?"
"Huh? Um... That way."
I created a gentle breeze in the direction Pipi pointed. It wasn't difficult at all. This was one of the first things I'd learned from Baru, after all.
As the sail billowed forward in the wind, the ship's speed increased noticeably.
"Whoa! Hwaryeong-nim, how did you do that?"
"It's just one of my little tricks. Is this enough?"
"Yes, of course!"
Pipi nodded with a bright smile, then rummaged through her bag and handed fishing rods to both me and Enry.
"Thanks to you, Hwaryeong-nim, we're moving faster, but it'll still take some time to reach our destination. Why don't you do this while we wait?"
"Fishing, huh? Alright! I'll catch a huge fish!"
"I'll pass. I have absolutely no talent for fishing with a rod."
"You, Hwaryeong-nim?"
When I made a face at the fishing rod, the other two looked puzzled. They probably thought that since fishing was a physical activity, I'd be good at it. In a broad sense, they weren't wrong. My senses are sensitive enough to detect even the tiniest changes. So if a fish bit the end of the rod, I'd notice immediately and be able to reel it in.
However, there was a fundamental problem with my fishing.
"Fish don't approach my fishing rod."
To be precise, fish don't come near me at all, but it's more or less the same thing.
Back when I was wandering the martial world, I grew tired of the tasteless food there and tried all sorts of cooking. Fish dishes were naturally included. Whether it was sashimi or grilled with salt, I thought the basic flavor would be guaranteed.
So I made a fishing rod and tried my hand at fishing, but not a single fish would approach my line. That's right. My presence, which threatened so many animals, had triggered an instinctive alarm in the fish as well.
"Instead, I have my own unique fishing method."
There's no need to use a fishing rod to catch fish, is there? There are countless other ways. Among them, my preferred method is using arrows.
I took a bow out of my bag, tied a rope between the bow and an arrow, then nocked it on the string. The calm surface of the water was a deep blue, making it hard to see what lay beneath, but that wasn't a problem for me. Just because I have no eyes doesn't mean I can't see ahead.
The arrow left the string, pierced through the blue water, and struck something beneath the surface. When I pulled on the rope attached to the bow, a fish with the arrow straight through its body was hauled up. Even at a glance, it was clearly a big catch. There would be plenty to eat. Whether it would taste good was another matter.
"Do you need more fish?"
"...Uh. No."
"Really?"
Then there's no need to draw the bow anymore.
Enry, who had watched me hunt the fish, blinked a few times before declaring she'd catch an even bigger one and cast her line. But Enry, didn't you hear what I said earlier? No fish come near me at all. No matter how desperately you cast your line, as long as I'm here, catching any fish is impossible.
"Ugh. Why isn't even one biting? Is the bait too plain?"
"That's the highest-grade bait in all of Thread."
"Then why is it so quiet?! This is weird!"
While Enry complained about the fishing rod that showed no signs of activity no matter how long she waited, the boat continued steadily forward. When we finally reached the middle of the sea, Pipi pulled something out of her bag. It was the jewel that Enry and I had picked up in the labyrinth some time ago.
"What's that?"
"Krakens like objects containing magical power. This should make a perfect bait, right?"
After explaining, Pipi tossed the jewel into the sea. Not long after, a massive presence began rising toward us from the depths. Just as Pipi said, the kraken was coming.
"Whoaaaa?! What is that?! What's happening?!"
The effects were immediate. The sea grew rough, and the boat began rocking wildly.
"Hold onto anything you can! If you're not careful, you'll become a drowned ghost!"
"Pipi-nim! You should've told us that sooner!"
When I saw Enry throw her fishing rod aside and grab the same wooden post as Pipi, I pulled a sword from my bag.
Quite the flashy entrance. Fitting for the ruler of this vast ocean. As I marveled at it, a tentacle as large as the ship itself emerged from the side of the vessel. It burst through the water, trying to grab the boat, but it failed to achieve its goal. Before it could move, I had already sliced it apart.
The tip of the tentacle flew off, spraying water everywhere. Soon after, a massive vibration rose from beneath the surface. It would show itself soon.
"Pipi. I have one question."
"Yes?! What is it?!"
"Is that giant octopus delicious?"
I'm asking because the way I handle it will change depending on the answer.
"Hwaryeong! Is that really important right now?!"
"Yes! It's delicious! Extremely so!"
"Understood."
Then I'll have to catch whatever's under that water as cleanly as possible.