Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: IRIS OUT
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Ian headed to the lower decks of the cruise ship to find Lee Seo-ah. Midway, an evil spirit he ran into picked up on his intent and volunteered as a guide, making it quick to locate her.
“Ah, Ian.”
Lee Seo-ah was in the casino on the first floor. The blood smeared around her nose suggested she had pushed herself through nonstop fighting.
Fortunately, no enemies were nearby at the moment, so nothing much impeded their conversation.
“You okay?”
Ian asked as he approached Lee Seo-ah. She sat in a nearby chair, exhaled a long breath, and nodded her head.
“No major injuries. Got a little cut... but something like this is nothing.”
She said that, then squinted at the tear on Ian's cheek.
“You're hurt.”
“I'll get it treated outside. Nothing I can do here.”
“It's gonna scar... If you hate stitches, try the ointment from the Cartel. Pricey, but it works great.”
“I will.”
Ian answered offhandedly and roughly wiped the blood from his cheek. The hardened scab crumbled away like powder, and pushing aside the stinging pain, he gripped the grimoire tightly.
“If you're good, let's move. Parasites are all cleared out, so just stay cautious of the pirates.”
“Yeah? That's good news. Don't worry about the pirates. They were summoned by my magic in the end, so if I let loose the evil spirits, they'll clash on their own and wear each other down.”
“Excellent.”
Ian and Lee Seo-ah looted the casino vault together, slipped outside, and made their way up to the cruise ship's deck.
An open expanse. Through the thick sea fog clung pirate ships right up against the cruise liner, and below them, something squirming faintly caught the eye.
No silhouette in sight. Yet instinctively, he knew something was there. And that it wasn't particularly friendly to humans.
“Probably a sentinel.”
Lee Seo-ah said.
“An anchor letting an Outer God influence the surface. It's a pretty strong anomaly, so even the Management Bureau usually only sends department heads to deal with it.”
“...An anchor.”
Ian leaned out over the railing and flicked the grimoire.
“You know this space has been overtaken by an anomaly, right? It's reality and not reality at the same time. It's been eroded by the anomaly and warped into something game-like.”
“Explain in detail.”
She did.
After hearing everything about what happened between Ian and the captain, along with their conversation, she let out a low groan and wrapped a bandage around her arm.
“Looks like a path opened up. The thing crawled in through the game as a channel.”
“Hm.”
“The reason killing the captain didn't end it is probably because that massive 'anchor' is blocking the path.”
Tug.
She tied off the bandage, turned to Ian, and sprinkled bone dust on the deck. Ghosts crawled out and shoved back the pirates who had just climbed onto the deck.
“Time will probably force the path closed eventually, making that thing vanish too. Then we can return to reality.”
“Any idea how long?”
“Nope. If we're lucky, a few days. If not, think in terms of years at minimum.”
“Gotta kill it then.”
Ian answered immediately.
Just the thought of being stuck here for days made his skin crawl—not to mention possibly years?
No way in hell. He didn't want to spend one more second in this reeking place.
No matter how nice the suite was, it was trash compared to his studio's simple bed. And the stench of corpses everywhere? Plus worrying about the safety of the quarantined passengers? What reason was there to hole up here killing time?
None. If there were no way to kill the damn thing, he'd have no choice, but luckily Ian had a spell specialized for dealing with anomalies.
“I'm casting magic. Step back.”
Shhh.
The Deep Sea Chronicles in his hand flipped open on its own, revealing the list of summoned beasts. Lee Seo-ah backed away as instructed, tilting her head with an intrigued look.
“The second grimoire you mentioned in the Mystery Gallery?”
Ian nodded instead of answering and pulled blood from his bag, drawing a magic circle on the deck. Lee Seo-ah assisted.
He tossed chunks of anomaly flesh onto the blood-drawn circle. Poured more blood over it, then Ian thrust out his empty hand and locked in the summoned beast.
Couldn't summon anything weak. Needed at least Watcher-level or higher to match that thing in the sea. Sea creatures from the outer sea might be stronger in water than on land, but no need to gamble without testing it first.
He needed certainty. So he carefully selected one.
Its name: [Producer].
A creature one step above the Watchers, possessing human-like intelligence. The grimoire noted it could communicate and didn't require much food.
Still, didn't expect something stronger than a Watcher to be satisfied with little food. Might not seem like much from the outer sea's perspective, but it could be hard to supply here.
He summoned it anyway because it was the only one at that level capable of communication, the note on low food needs, and its close ties to the Master of the Outer Sea.
The Producer turned the Master of the Outer Sea's words into plankton or minnows and scattered them across the outer sea.
‘If the Master of the Outer Sea truly cherishes me and has mentioned me before, it won't turn hostile just because it's hungry.’
Ian peered into the grimoire with that thought, and it vibrated faintly as if chuckling.
That gave him the utmost confidence. No more hesitation—he closed his eyes and chanted the incantation.
“Messenger who conveys the words of the Great One. Overseer of every top and bottom in the ecosystem. As Her proxy, I command you: appear here and overcome my foe.”
Shaaaaaa...!
As the chant ended, thick blood mist spread over the magic circle. Lee Seo-ah grimaced at the overpowering blood stench, while Ian gripped the grimoire hard and stared at the massive form summoned atop the circle.
A black body the size of a decent bus slowly turned its head toward Ian.
A mostly round form. Its skin covered in sharp black bristles, red pupils irregularly embedded and glaring murderously. Ian's face reflected clearly in the vertical slits, and black seawater pooled in the Producer's gaping mouth like drool.
[......Ah.]
Soon, the mouth at the center of its body cracked wide, and a voice flowed out.
[Pleased to meet you, Proxy.]
“......”
[We offer our deepest pity and blessings to you, the companion chosen by our Mother and born on the fragile planet called Earth.]
The Producer's voice wasn't pleasant no matter how you sliced it. But it was clear, intelligent, brimming with undeniable intellect.
“......Whoa, insane......”
Lee Seo-ah swallowed hard and let a curse slip unwittingly. The Producer swiveled all its eyes toward her, then back to Ian, blinking its lids.
[The Master of the Outer Sea commanded us to obey your every demand. However, suppressing my instincts is only possible today, on this first summoning. From the next, without proper tribute, even I won't be able to resist devouring you, Proxy.]
“......So you're saying that this summoning, even if you're hungry, you'll carry out my orders and then return?”
[Precisely.]
The Producer dipped its head slightly—or so it seemed.
[The Master of the Outer Sea eagerly awaits the day you join Her side. The swiftest path is to let us devour you. A method permitted solely to you. She desires to keep you by Her side for life rather than leave you in such harsh conditions.]
“......”
[Yet She respects your will, suppressing Her own desires and ordering us creatures, myself included, to heed you. Truly an act of boundless mercy, is it not?]
Ian stayed silent, pondering how to respond.
Luckily, it didn't wait for his reply. It dribbled a bit of the black seawater from its mouth and turned its head.
[The creature I must kill seems to be the one below in these waters. Correct?]
“Yeah. Outer God's anchor.”
[Nyarlathotep. An inferior breed. Thinks it's one of the cosmic gods despite originating from mere tales. Truly deserves death.]
The Producer lumbered toward the deck railing with its massive body. Black seawater carpeted the path in its wake.
[Pity it's not the main body, but unavoidable. I'll have to settle for this.]
“Can you win?”
[That is the wrong question.]
Eyes blooming on the Producer's back fixed precisely on Ian.
[Command me. You possess the authority.]
“......Ha.”
At its words, Ian let out a small laugh and slung the grimoire over his shoulder. Then he said lightly.
“Kill it and eat it.”
[As you command. Proxy of Her will, our new first progenitor.]
The Producer's eyes all curved like smiles. It smashed through the railing and plunged into the sea.
Kwaaang!
A cannon-like boom erupted with a massive splash. Ian braced against the spray and barely peeked over the shattered railing.
And gaped in shock.
“Whoa.”
The once transparent, churning sea—all that expanse now stained black, with bloodshot eyes densely embedded across the surface.
As if the sea itself had sprouted eyeballs. Amid his inner awe at this feature unseen in other outer sea creatures.
[Oooooooo!!!]
A massive roar boomed as something's upper body surged above the waves.