Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Suspicious Cruise Ship
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“……This is weird.”
After finishing their exploration that evening, Lee Seo-ah chatted with Ian over the buffet.
“It’s too ordinary. Not even a whiff of any anomalies…… and no routes where people could just vanish.”
“Yeah.”
The cruise ship’s buffet was far superior to most hotels. Korean dishes, Japanese, Western, Chinese—you name it. A huge variety of foods were beautifully laid out. Ian, who preferred Korean food, was digging into braised short ribs and fried rice, while Seo-ah, who favored Japanese, had piled her plate high with sushi and was wolfing it down.
“What if it’s not the cruise ship? Maybe something’s wrong with the ocean itself. Like sirens or something. They lure people in, and they jump overboard.”
“Then there wouldn’t be a gap in their memories. And it wouldn’t be a missing persons case if they jumped.”
“Well, yeah……”
Ian’s logical rebuttal drew a deep sigh from Lee Seo-ah. She picked the wasabi out of her sushi with her chopsticks, then dunked the rice alone in soy sauce and bit into it.
Ian took a sip of water, staring at her with a dubious look.
“……You eat that in a really unique way.”
“Everyone from Busan does it this way.”
“Apologize to the people of Busan.”
“Shut up.”
Seo-ah swallowed her sushi bite and wagged her chopsticks.
“Anyway, looks like we won’t find anything special today. Probably not until dawn, or maybe even morning.”
Ian nodded at her words.
According to the soul she’d summoned, the first day had passed completely normally, without a hint of anything odd. But the moment they fell asleep that evening, their consciousness had blanked out, and two days later, they were dead. The entire middle chunk of memory was gone.
No clue how that was possible, but right now, there was nothing they could do about it. They’d scoured the whole ship and even used magic, but nothing had turned up.
‘Should I release some Outer Sea creatures into the ocean?’
Outer Sea.
Normally, it referred to any ocean not enclosed by land, but the Outer Sea Ian knew was a vast ocean somewhere in the domain of the Outer Gods.
A bizarre ecosystem dominated and controlled by Outer Gods. A blood-scented sea where creatures devoured each other, starving hordes banding together to survive.
It was still an ocean, after all, so there was no reason Outer Sea beasts couldn’t swim in Earth’s waters. Hell, they might even navigate better than on land.
All the creatures he’d summoned so far had only operated on land. So he was personally curious what they’d do in water.
Of course, he had no intention of testing it out with magic right here just to satisfy his curiosity.
Releasing them without certainty could wipe out every marine life in the area. And if that didn’t fill them up, they might attack the cruise ship or civilian fishing boats.
They generally obeyed orders well, but there was no guarantee in their ravenous state. Better to handle it properly than risk disaster out of idle curiosity.
‘If something’s in the ocean, or a sea monster shows up, then I’ll step in.’
As Ian drummed his fingers on the table, Seo-ah patted her bloated belly.
“Ugh, so full…… It’s been forever since I had a proper meal like this.”
“How long?”
“Dunno. Usually just grab something from a convenience store. You?”
“I’ve started cooking lately. To keep up my stamina with a proper diet.”
“Busybody.”
Ian chuckled at her remark and sipped his cocktail.
“So, what now? First day, might as well take it easy.”
“Same here. Movie theater and casino? Wanna check those out?”
“Sure. Then we split up for today and meet back tomorrow morning.”
“Got it.”
Ian stood as she replied.
That was when she pulled a small vial from her pocket.
A glass bottle filled with fine white powder. She tapped it with her finger, nodded, and held it out to Ian.
“……What’s this?”
Seo-ah gave a faint smile at his question.
“Bone dust. I ground up a soul fragment and put it inside. Blocks one mental attack.”
“Oh……”
“Just my hunch, but whatever anomaly’s involved here seems mind-related. Take it, just in case.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Ian smiled softly, pocketed the vial in his coat’s inner pocket, and left the restaurant for his room.
[Bzzz!]
The Deep Sea Chronicles, lounging on the table, greeted him happily.
He stroked its cover, stepped out to the terrace, and lit a cigarette. He exhaled smoke toward the dark night sea. Nothing up top, so no need to worry about the smoke.
“……”
The sky was clear. Moonlight slid across the water’s surface, shattering into light that mingled with the ship’s glow, blooming everywhere. The gray smoke dissolved into the air before it could touch the moonlight.
‘The ocean, huh……’
Ian leaned on the railing, gazing quietly at the black sea.
Naturally, he couldn’t see beneath. No sign of marine life.
In a world where urban legends took flesh, something had to be alive down there. Maybe a UFO base like in conspiracy theories, or megalodons and dinosaurs still flapping their fins.
Whatever it was, he had no desire to meet it.
Fine from afar, but if one of those massive bodies rammed the ship, it’d split like the Titanic. No thanks to a monster movie opening scene.
“Whew……”
He stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, came back inside, and packed his tools.
Exploration was done, but no plans to just lie down and rest. Anything could pop up anytime, so he’d patrol various areas.
‘Seo-ah said theater and casino, so I’ll hit somewhere else.’
He stuffed alchemy items and the Deep Sea Chronicles into his bag, dressed casually, and headed out.
Closest spots: the deck with the hot spring spa, and the exhibition hall with paintings and miniatures. Ian decided on the spa first.
No intention of getting in the water, so no changing. He took the elevator straight to the top deck.
“……”
The cruise ship’s outdoor pool, filled with warm water.
Scantily clad people dotted around, some lounging on deck chairs with wine, chatting.
Ian walked past carefully, avoiding the water.
Just like during the day, evening brought no special sensations.
But something invisible could still be there.
Ian slipped into a dim corner of the deck, drew a magic circle on the wall, and attached a chunk of ghoul flesh to it.
“Find them. The one who punishes, is here.”
A spell to track anomalies within a 20-meter radius. As he chanted, the circle glowed, and the flesh melted away. Sign of successful activation.
“……Nothing.”
No detections. Ian clicked his tongue and shook off the blood on his hand.
No real expectations, so no disappointment. He closed his bag and headed to the exhibition hall.
Unlike the spa, hardly anyone was in the exhibition hall. Just an elderly couple with white hair and beards now and then—the small space didn’t draw crowds.
Less worry about eyes on him, which was good. Ian browsed the paintings, tapping his cigarette case in his pocket.
[Life]
[My Messy Room]
[Pregnant Woman and Child]
He checked out the varied modern art pieces and miniatures.
Still nothing unusual. No creepy paintings or statues.
Makes sense—art-related anomalies would haunt museums or galleries, not cruises. Mismatched spots weaken them, so no suicide-seeker would show up here casually.
‘Nothing.’
No finds in the exhibition hall either. Ian exchanged a few words with the elderly couple who approached him politely, then wandered other areas.
Movie theater, attractions, lounges, halls—everywhere, same as daytime. All ordinary.
Too quiet and everyday for a site of disappearances. That very normalcy felt eerie.
On a whim, Ian checked the casino where Seo-ah might be.
And there she was, playing poker.
“Raise. Fold if you’re chicken.”
“Gah……! Where’d this pro come from……!”
Seo-ah had a guardian spirit’s eye peeking from the ceiling, peeking at everyone’s cards as she played.
Blatant cheating, but sadly, no one sharp enough to catch her. Ian watched from afar, shook his head, and returned to his room.
Long patrol, zero gains.
Maybe no anomaly involved at all. Absurd, but possible the captain and some crew were trafficking humans. In a world teeming with anomalies, a few lunatics weren’t surprising. Just low odds.
But…… would the Management Bureau or Cartel leave even that unresolved?
“……”
Guess tomorrow would tell. Ian sighed, unpacked, smoked another cigarette, and showered.
[……Bzz.]
[Bzzz!!]
The two grimoires bickering on the table reacted differently to Ian emerging. Hand of Recreation flopped weakly; Deep Sea Chronicles wiggled excitedly side to side. Ian dressed with a dubious look at them.
‘Do these things have eyes?’
Reasonable suspicion as he dried his hair and neatly arranged alchemy items on the table.
Must-haves on him: Primate Slayer Knife, Sound-Eating Flame, Dying Eyeball, Knowledge-Eating Paper. All compact-sized, easy to carry.
‘Lucky I picked a small knife.’
Ian pulled out the tiny paring knife, gripped it a few times, sheathed it, and stowed it back.
Piercing Mirror was powerful but too wide-ranging for enclosed spaces—awkward here. He’d use it if needed, but overkill now. Plus, single-use waste.
‘Tomorrow’s all-day at sea. Hope I snag something before we hit land.’
Even non-anomaly clues would do.
Ian thought that, exhaled deeply, and sat in the chair.
‘Trigger might be sleeping or midnight passing, so stay up till dawn and crash when tired.’
Better plan ahead than dwell on the unsolvable. He set his plan, packed, and devoured the grimoires till past midnight.
Midnight came and went, plus two more hours.
No changes on the ship. Bone dust intact, no body or mind issues.
Passing midnight seemed fine. Ian memorized the last spell section, closed the book, and lay in bed.
Short sleep wouldn’t hurt; long was refreshing but unnecessary.
Alarm for 6 AM, gun and grimoires nearby for quick response, eyes closed.
Soon, he drifted off.
*
[EX. CHAPTER 1 - Suspicious Cruise Ship]
[Summary: You boarded a cruise ship plagued by disappearances to investigate oddities. But you found nothing strange. Even so, your seasoned instincts kept suspicion alive until the moment you slept. Will the second day on the ship reveal true traces and evidence of the incident?]
[ENTER. CHAPTER 2 - Onboard Murder Case]
[You awoke in the morning. As usual, the alarm roused you. You washed up normally and headed to the restaurant for breakfast. But for some reason, the ship is abuzz. What’s going on?]
[Status Window]
[Name: Shin Ian]
[Occupation: Detective]
[Evidence Found: 0/5]
[Inventory]
[Assistant List] - No assistants appointed yet.
[Suspect List] - [Captain Chae Woo-jong], [Gambler Lee Seo-ah], [Photographer Kim A-jin], [Chef Kang Jin-su], [Detective Bae Do-hyun], [Young Painter Kim Tae-jin]…….
“What the fuck is this?”
Ian spat curses at the scene before him upon waking to the alarm.