The Depths Beckon
The white cruise ship sliced through the waves, surging forward with graceful power.
It was a vessel provided by the Indonesian government. Even when the hull slammed against the waves, the impact barely registered.
“This feels more like a vacation than a raid,” I muttered with a wry smile.
“Master! This is amazing! I’ve only ever seen this on TV!”
Lee Jiyoung, sprawled across a premium sunbed, was dramatically soaking up the Indian Ocean sunlight while squealing with excitement.
“Excuse me. Could I have another glass, please?”
Ping Lei flashed a greasy smile as he chatted up the crew.
“Man, once I start making real money, I’m definitely bringing my family here,” Kim Youngsoo said, sipping the complimentary wine with a blissful expression.
“……”
Only Karla remained untouched by the carefree atmosphere. She stared out at the sea with sunken, somber eyes.
Yeah. It’s a relief there’s at least one sane person here.
“Karla! Come over here and tan with me~!”
“Ah, I’m fine…”
“Come on! You train every single day and barely see the sun. You need some vitamin D!”
“B-but…”
Lee Jiyoung grabbed Karla by the arm and dragged her inside the cruise ship.
Sorry, Karla. I really am.
I apologized to her inwardly and turned my gaze toward the vast, endless ocean.
“Everyone else is in high spirits. Everyone but you, it seems.”
A sweet, melodic voice brushed against my ear.
I reflexively turned my head.
“Cough.”
A cough slipped out before I could stop it.
Instead of her usual attire, Nyx was wearing a sleek black rash guard this time.
No, wait… this is a bit…
“Partner, are you feeling seasick?”
Nyx approached with a look of genuine concern.
Please don’t do that, Goddess.
“I was just startled for a second. I’m fine.”
I quickly composed myself and pretended nothing was wrong.
If she realized I’d been thrown off by her appearance, there was no telling how much she’d tease me.
“But aren’t you just as excited as the rest of them, Goddess?”
“Is it not truly magnificent? The majestic sea that embraces all the filth of the world.”
“Setting aside the beauty… your style has changed quite a bit.”
“It is the handiwork of your disciple.”
Ah. That explains it.
Thanks. Or rather… what a pointless thing to do.
“I have a slightly different opinion.”
“Oh? I am curious what impression the sea has left upon you.”
“I think the night suits the role of embracing the world’s filth far better than the sea.”
Nyx blinked at my words.
A moment later—
“Th-that is not referring to the sea at all!”
The expression of covering flaws and embracing everything fits the night much more naturally, doesn’t it?
It had been a thoughtless comment, but Nyx reacted with surprising intensity.
“I simply said I have a different opinion.”
“You truly are…”
Nyx shot me a sidelong glare.
I’d only pointed out a flaw in the Goddess’s metaphor, yet I’d somehow earned her wrath.
“I’m going to get some air.”
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t just sit around and play.”
I lightly waved my phone.
“You intend to climb the Tower even in a place like this?”
“It’ll take time to reach our destination. I can’t afford to waste it.”
Before a gate raid, I’d given the team time to relax and manage their condition. But I couldn’t afford to let my own guard down.
“I still have to win that bet with Baal.”
“Even without that, you always seem to keep yourself busy.”
“This is more than enough rest.”
The Babel Tower app couldn’t be accessed in cramped spaces like vehicles. But on a spacious cruise ship, things were different.
Anticipating this, I’d already obtained a temporary license from the Indonesian government.
“How long until we reach Buru Island?”
“Ah, Mr. Yu. About two hours remaining.”
Guess I’ll clear twenty-five floors while I’m at it.
I’ll rack up some experience by crushing Iron Slugs and players.
When I emerged after clearing the floors in perfect time, an Indonesian government agent was waiting for me.
“Mr. Yu. We’ll be arriving at the destination shortly.”
“Understood.”
I stood up from my seat.
“Vacation’s over. Everyone, get ready.”
“Already? We’re still a ways from the island, aren’t we?”
“We can’t dock the ship near the gate. We’ll be taking smaller boats, so prepare yourselves.”
“Fiiine.”
Lee Jiyoung rose with clear reluctance.
In contrast, Karla stood up immediately, as if she’d been waiting. A faint trace of exhaustion lingered on her face.
Karla showing emotion? That was a rare sight. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Gazing into your eyes, as clear and beautiful as the transparent sea, my heart feels…”
SMACK!
“Ugh. Who the— Ah. Team Leader.”
“Get ready if you don’t want to die.”
To think he’d be making moves while I was gone.
I seriously considered throwing Ping Lei into the gate as monster bait.
The gate had formed in the northern region of Buru Island. There was a small harbor nearby, but it was only large enough for fishing boats. The cruise ship had no chance of docking.
We transferred to a smaller boat and made our way to shore. Not long after landing, we stood before the gate.
“Whoa, so these are the Koreans?”
An Indonesian player greeted us with exaggerated gestures.
He was radiating quite a bit of magical power. Not quite on the level of Hong Yunsu or Shin Junseok, but definitely a skilled fighter.
“Are you an Indonesian Ranker?”
“It’s an honor to be recognized by a Korean. The name’s Lator.”
The brown-skinned man introduced himself in a cheerful, rhythmic voice, as if he were dancing to a beat.
Hmm. I don’t recall the name. That probably means he either died early during the Age of Ruin or defected to a Constellation.
“Thanks for the warm welcome.”
I brushed off the newly heard name and replied casually, matching his tone.
“Take good care of the gate. I pray you all return alive.”
“But why is a Ranker like you here?”
“To stop it if it breaks.”
“There’s still some time before it reaches the critical point. You’re standing by quite early.”
“This is my homeland. If an accident happens, I want to clean it up as quickly as possible.”
So that was the reason.
No need to wait until the Age of Ruin to find out.
The gate break on Buru Island would escalate into a catastrophe known as the “Tragedy of the Spice Islands.” This guy must have died trying to prevent it.
Looks like I’m saving one more life.
“Consider yourself lucky this time.”
“Huh?”
I gave the Indonesian player a smile, then stepped in front of the gate.
“As you all know, almost nothing is known about this gate. This time, trust your own judgment.”
A closed-type gate.
Once you entered, you couldn’t leave until it was cleared.
That was why, despite the gate having been open for a long time, there was zero internal information available.
Well, I already had a rough idea.
Buru Island - Lair of the Deep Ones
📍 Condition: Bronze Rank or Below (100 people)
⏳ Time Until Gate Break: 85:42:19
Look at that entry condition.
Calling it “100 people” was generous. In a closed-type gate, the moment even one person entered, the gate would turn red and automatically seal itself after twenty seconds.
That condition was essentially a trap.
“Don’t be late.”
I glanced at the team, then stepped into the gate first.
You have entered the Lair of the Deep Ones.
Category: Closed-Type Gate
You cannot exit until all monsters within the gate have been defeated.
Death inside the gate equals death in reality.
I was starting to get tired of seeing that warning message.
Stepping past the gate, I was greeted by a wide expanse of ocean and beach.
The sea was pitch black, as if ink had been poured into it. Large and small bubbles rose and burst across the surface with a constant gurgling sound.
The rest of the team followed me in.
“Prepare for combat.”
“They’re called Deep Ones. Are those really mermaids?”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
If they were mermaids or fishmen, that would actually be preferable.
I kept the rest of my thoughts to myself and opened the Ars Goetia.
Ars Goetia - Internal Skill: Barbatos's Iron Mace
The moment the black iron mace struck the sea near the beach—
A barrier constructed in the language of another world blocked Barbatos’s iron mace.
A rippling blue barrier. It shattered under the force of the mace, but it had consumed a considerable amount of energy.
BOOM!
The mace, its power halved, slammed into the sea. Green-skinned monsters were hurled into the air.
“Deep Ones?”
“So that’s what they meant by Deep Ones.”
“Th-they’re not mermaids?!”
The average height was four meters. They had bulging fish-like eyes, skin resembling amphibians, and fins running down their backs.
Though they possessed arms and legs, they looked nothing like humans. These grotesque, inhuman monsters had finally revealed themselves.
“Contractor, this stench…!?”
“They appear to be a race that worships an Outer God.”
“How filthy!”
Nyx burst with anger.
The term “another world” here referred to outer space.
These fish-like monsters were followers of Dagon, one of the vicious Constellations belonging to the Void.
“Didn’t you say the fallen children built the Tower?”
“That’s right.”
“Then it seems those children have joined hands with the outer cosmos as well.”
A rare fury seeped into Nyx’s voice.
Well, technically she was mistaken about the facts, but there was no need for me to correct her.
The ones who built the Babel Tower were indeed the Old Gods.
The problem was that even the Old Gods—who had lost their light, power, and even their names—could not construct the Tower on their own.
They had filled the gap by borrowing power from the current generation of Constellations or stealing the strength of dormant conceptual gods like Nyx.
The power of the outer cosmos that had seeped in during the Tower’s construction.
Gates like the Lair of the Deep Ones were essentially accidents born during that process.
But why would I bother clearing up her misunderstanding?
“Kik, kikikikik.”
“Kikik.”
The Deep Ones let out mocking, breathy laughs as they crawled onto the beach.
Even though dozens had been swept away by Barbatos’s iron mace, far more Deep Ones were emerging from beyond the shoreline.
“The barrier’s performance is solid, at least.”
Tsk. I clicked my tongue.
“A race that should not exist in this world. This monarch shall pass judgment upon you.”
Nyx took the lead.
The Polar Night surging from beneath her feet pierced straight through the necks of the charging Deep Ones.
“Kikik, kikikik.”
Even with its neck impaled, the Deep One glared with furious eyes.
These monsters kept moving their arms and legs even after receiving fatal wounds.
That was how all beings who worshipped Outer Gods were.
“What a truly vulgar sight.”
Even while frowning at the grotesque display, Nyx showed not a hint of fear.
CRACK!
With a horrifying sound, the Deep One’s body twisted in the opposite direction.
“Nyx! It’s dangerous to rush ahead like that!”
Vibration Barrier x 3
Nyx’s Polar Night alone couldn’t hold back the swarm of Deep Ones.
While Lee Jiyoung took down the ones at the front, she used her barriers to cover the glaring openings.
“You guys smell terrible.”
“I shall carve the greatness of the Middle Kingdom into those filthy bodies of yours.”
Karla and Ping Lei stepped forward on either side of the vibration barriers.
Having seen how the Deep Ones endured Nyx’s attacks, they prioritized severing the monsters’ arms and legs.
Their coordination was flawless, honed through clearing multiple gates together.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
Solar Explosion
The spell is in an overcharged state.
No more mana can be infused.
I poured every last drop of mana I could into the spell.
I hurled the miniature sun floating above my palm toward the beach.
Once the distance between us and the team exceeded a hundred meters, I clenched my fist.
KWAAAAAAAAANG—!!!
The moment the condensed thermal energy was released, an overwhelmingly bright light engulfed both the beach and the sea, blinding everyone for a split second.
A moment later—
“M-Master! What the hell did you just do?!”
Lee Jiyoung’s scream rang painfully in my ears.