“Oh, I feel like my head is going to explode. Why are we suddenly in a mystery novel? That guy who’s practically on death’s door is so cocky, and why did the sword just get stuck in the ground and leave without saying anything?”
Elvira babbled in confusion.
And who could blame her? She couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on. As she said, Han Siwoo, whom everyone thought was dead and powerless in the sea, was acting like he knew everything. Meanwhile, the current situation with the Slayers was far from ideal.
“Right? Meanwhile, that sword just up and sank into the ground without a care. What are they thinking?”
Even more confusing was the fact that his main weapon, the ‘World,’ was still lodged in the place where he had been sitting before he left for battle. It was impossible to grasp any intentions.
Everyone was in a panic, but no one was more confused than Parang.
‘You knew? How? No, why?’
Having read the original story, she knew full well that Han Siwoo was supposed to be utterly clueless about the ocean.
He had never shown any interest in the sea throughout the original plot, nor had he ever stepped into it, just like any typical hunter story.
So, when Parang first heard that Han Siwoo the Hunter had gone missing in the ocean, she was convinced he was dead.
Because for an ignorant person, the sea was that kind of abyss.
But the way Han Siwoo was acting now didn’t seem like he was blowing smoke just to reassure those around him.
Parang’s brain circuits started firing rapidly.
The sea, Han Siwoo, the original story, the Slayers, the altered original…
‘Could it be he’s a reincarnator?’
That was a possibility to consider. The original she had read was up to the main story’s conclusion, and she hadn’t read the upcoming side story.
And if the conclusion of the side story was that the Slayers, including Han Siwoo, all perished in the ocean…
‘No way, hell no. Where the hell did that idea come from?’
It was the first time in a while that Parang cursed. No matter what, that just felt like crossing a line.
‘Haa… But…’
The situation she found herself in alongside Oceanos and the Slayers was indeed pushing the boundaries, if not crossing them.
Still, she wanted to deny that possibility.
After all, it was a story she loved, with characters she cared about. She didn’t want to imagine it concluding that way.
‘And there’s another logical flaw.’
Whether Han Siwoo was a time traveler, reincarnator, or any sort of entity, if he knew about the events that would happen in the ocean, it would be normal for him to start making preparations involving the sea.
And if that were true, Oceanos would have absolutely sensed this.
Since they had become very sensitive to anyone stepping into the ocean after losing Alice, if someone of Han Siwoo’s caliber was up to something, they would have caught on.
But looking at her comrades now, they didn’t seem to have noticed any contact at all.
If there had indeed been contact, they definitely would have let everyone know. At that time, they were truly a community of fate, living and dying together.
‘So the assumption that Han Siwoo is a reincarnator…’
For now, let’s set that aside. She didn’t want to think about it.
She spoke to Oceanos, who was still in confusion.
“Let’s just keep watching. We still have a long way to go before we reach the end of our memories.”
“…Yeah. That sounds good.”
“Continuing this conversation won’t lead us anywhere.”
And then the memory flowed again, eventually leading to a scene they all recognized.
As Han Siwoo the Hunter returned with Charlotte, a deafening explosion erupted from the pit beside them, signaling the start of an attack.
The Slayers shifted into combat mode and took out the pit without any casualties.
Afterward, just like in Alexandra’s memory, a swarm of monster fish, numbering in the millions, surged at Han Siwoo’s group—Titans, ghost ships, Krino, and more.
In a situation that was genuinely half water and half fish, the Slayers found themselves on the defensive against an organized legion and started losing people one by one.
It looked like defeat was imminent, but suddenly…
“UuuuuuuAAAHHHH!!!”
With a swoosh—
BOOM!!!
“Oh, I see. So you can take them out like that.”
Without any special strategy, they miraculously succeeded in overcoming millions of monster fish purely based on their combat prowess.
So the remaining members were Han Siwoo, Kang Yuri, Marian, Charlotte, a woman named ‘Albina’ dressed in a Catholic bishop’s robe, and a woman named ‘Yuki’ dressed as a Japanese priestess. Six in total.
“Huff… huff… phew…”
After defeating the last remaining monster fish, Han Siwoo gasped for breath.
“Huff… phew… Are you okay…?”
The woman in the priestess outfit approached him.
“Yeah. I’m all right. Just… a bit exhausted.”
“You’re not overexerting yourself. You weren’t fighting at the front.”
She supported Han Siwoo and checked his wounds. A look of sadness shadowed her face.
“You have a lot of injuries. I’ll heal you, so you should get some sleep.”
Seeing her sorrowful expression, something dark flickered across Han Siwoo’s face.
Having spent countless lifetimes observing human expressions, Parang couldn’t read the emotions on his face this time.
Sadness, remorse, guilt, longing…
No matter which emotion she tried to attach, it didn’t quite fit; it was an elusive expression.
Still, the overall atmosphere was relatively bright.
From their perspective, how could it not be?
Regardless of the struggle during battle, they had achieved victory, and those who had dropped out in the middle weren’t dead, but had escaped.
From their standpoint, they could now surface, join the companions who had already escaped and were receiving treatment, and calmly analyze what had happened.
Indeed, Charlotte and Albina exchanged high-fives, and Kang Yuri quietly lay next to Han Siwoo.
Considering the situation, it was a rather cruel scene.
In stark contrast to the more relaxed atmosphere among the Slayers, the mood on the Oceanos side was heavy.
“Are we about to see it? That eye?”
“Yeah. Twenty minutes before death.”
“Xiao, are you going to be okay?”
Previously, when she dove into Kang Yuri’s memories, Xiao had a hard time with the eye in question.
Naturally, as the caster of the dive skill, the burden she carried was overwhelmingly greater than that of others.
However, she showed a strong will to continue, and Silo was doing their utmost to support her, allowing her to show up here again.
Currently, Xiao was equipped with twelve mental support artifacts.
Moreover, each one was at least rank S. Her mental resilience was unmatched by anyone in the world.
What they referred to as ‘the power of equipment’ was precisely this.
On top of that, each of the Oceanos members, excluding Xiao, had their own mental support artifacts as well.
Though they had done their best to be prepared, there were still concerns, and the tense atmosphere was unavoidable.
Amidst the silence, at one moment.
[ Skill, ‘Waterproof Sanity’ is activated. ]
“It’s here.”
With the message that felt more ironic than ever appearing before them, it manifested.
It began as a round orb. A ball. Smooth and floating.
Ball, void, planet, universe, world.
Realizing something was coming, the Slayers immediately gripped their weapons and prepared for battle.
“Xiao, can you hold on?”
“I’m still fine.”
“Don’t push yourself. If anything unusual happens, stop immediately.”
“I know. I value my body too, so don’t worry about me.”
Now the form of the entity was becoming clearer.
It was a perfect sphere. Like a transparent glass orb, but without the clarity—only the ugliness remained.
Millions of monster fish corpses floated around like stars. In the most decaying and disgusting space of the universe, a star that spewed forth all the world’s ills.
It opened its eyes.
Parang heard the voices of her comrades.
“Ugh, it’s more bearable than I thought.”
“Maybe it’s the artifact, or since we’ve already experienced it once.”
“Xiao, how are you? You okay?”
“Yeah, still…”
“……….”
“…………….”
Parang felt relief.
Everyone was okay.
But why… can’t I…?
Her consciousness blurred. It felt harder than before. Why? Why?
[ Skill, ‘Waterproof Sanity’ is activated. ]
[ Overload detected in the status window. Prolonged exposure may cause issues. ]
Everything was dizzy. Nauseating. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to break down the door and scream. To cry, laugh, and act foolishly while thrashing around before suddenly falling silent, wanting to drown in the sea and burn.
She couldn’t define her emotions. It was grotesque.
The intensity was much stronger than before. Stronger. Stronger. Stronger.
Thoughts couldn’t progress normally. What to do, what was she trying to do.
‘…………….’
‘…………………….’
Parang’s mind started to fade.
“■■ ■.”
“HEEEELP!!”
Suddenly, the breath she had been holding rushed into her lungs.
“P-Parang?!”
“Why are you suddenly like this?!”
For her comrades, it was shocking when the usually quiet Parang burst out like this.
“Are you okay? Xiao, stop the memory now!!”
“J-just wait. I’m fine. Let’s continue.”
“Are you serious? Don’t push it!”
“I know it well. Just,”
Parang paused for a second.
“Just, I guess I’m a bit tired. Feeling a little queasy, but it’s bearable.”
“Phew… alright then. If you say so.”
“Did you see what happened earlier?”
As Parang focused her mind on diving, Charlotte had already teleported to the Hive, clutching a ring and lying on the ground with her eyes closed as if she were asleep.
“Ah, no. Go back and check. I’m sorry.”
“Got it.”
The memories rewound again, and the being opened its eyes once more.
Ironically, it felt more comfortable than before. Just feeling nauseous and having a bit of a headache.
“Why did it happen earlier….”
It seemed like some incredibly important moment had passed.
But for now, focusing on the sight before her was the priority. She concentrated on the memory.
“Grrrggh… grrrrrak.”
As it opened its eyes, Han Siwoo the Hunter and the Slayers immediately reacted.
Expressions filled with the agony of not being able to endure it.
Grabbing their heads, curling up, and on the contrary, stretching their bodies.
Boom!
The camera at Han Siwoo’s waist exploded, disintegrating into debris and sinking down.
Then suddenly,
BANG!!
The glass ring he was wearing on his finger shattered, and golden threads flowed into his body.
And again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!
The remaining five rings shattered, and the golden energy infused everyone, including Charlotte.
“What, what is happening? H-how did this happen?”
“It’s coming soon, so pay attention.”
Before Charlotte’s very eyes, dozens of messages appeared and vanished quickly.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Still holding her head, but her expression seemed to relax slightly as she brought up her status window.
[ Status Window: Charlotte Eira ]
[ Personal Skill: Write a Myth (S) ]
[ What you don’t know chases you. ]
[ What you know will help you. ]
[ Skills ]
[ Waterproof Sanity (S), Ultra-Precision Observation (S), Eye of the Universe (S)… ]
“Recent notifications.”
[ Calling recent notifications. ]
[ Your mind has been completely destroyed. ]
[ One-time artifact, ‘Happy Ending’ has been destroyed. ]
[ Your mind has been restored. ]
[ After complete mental destruction underwater, your mind has recovered. You have acquired the skill, Waterproof Sanity. ]
[ Skill, ‘Waterproof Sanity’ has been activated. ]
“Ugh…”
Parang roughly checked her status window as she organized the series of events in her head.
It seemed like the other Slayers had also restored their minds through this pathway.
‘So this is roughly how it played out…’
However, even she herself was dazed and couldn’t vividly see what followed.
She remembered Eira activating her teleportation device, transferring to the Hive, hiding deep within, and placing preservation magic on her body, and then the memory ended.
Amid the somewhat chaotic atmosphere, the dive concluded.
“Let’s rest a bit…”
At Parang’s words, everyone agreed and sprawled out in the water tank.
#
Deep beneath the sea.
At the ocean floor, in the deep sea, darkness.
There stood a figure alone.
In the distance, something was approaching.
[ Skill, ‘Waterproof Sanity’ is activated… ]
[ Error detected. The skill has been destroyed. It cannot be activated. ]
[ Run away. ]
[ Run away. ]
[ Run away. ]
[ Run away. ]
[ Run away. ]
Seeing this, she let out a faint chuckle.
“Run away….”
It was close enough that she could recognize it.
“How could I possibly do that? What a ridiculous thing to say.”
The approaching tentacles crawled slowly.
“Of course, it’s ridiculous.”
She closed her eyes. It felt good. But she couldn’t be comfortable.
Because of that one thing she couldn’t convey.
Though she opened her mouth, she knew it would never reach her.
So she murmured softly to herself.
“Open your eyes…”
“…”
“…”
“야, 야. 야!!”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Sigh, did you have that thought again?”
“Ah, um…”
Trailing off.
“Looks like it. I know it’s hard, but try to shake it off.”
“Sorry. It’s not working well.”
“Sigh… well, hang in there. I know it’s useless advice, but it’s not over yet.”
“…Thank you. But why did you suddenly call for me?”
“It’s nothing much. I was a bit bored, and your expression darkened, so I thought, ‘Ah, there they go again-‘ and struck up a conversation. You know, once you fall into a slump, it’s hard to climb back out.”
“Ah… thanks for being concerned.”
“And I suspected that by now, you’d seen everything. It’s time for us to do what we need to do.”
“Ah, a bit faster than expected. But there’s no major issue, right?”
“Yeah, not so far.”
“Good, I’m relieved. Thank you always.”
“No, well… I owe you too.”
“Sigh…”
“If it gets too hard, just take a break. I can handle it.”
“No. I’ll do it. I feel uneasy leaving anything to you. It’s better to deal with the struggle myself.”
“Well, if that’s what you want, then suit yourself.”
Silence. They exchanged glances for a moment before turning toward the dark cave’s exit.
“By the way, it’s not my place to say it, but your life has been quite the rollercoaster, really.”
“Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t have that? …Or maybe I can’t say that.”
Silence, lips sealed.
For sure, even she could see that her own life had its share of excessive ups and downs.
“Ugh. Better take a few of these.”
“I always feel this way, but why do they have to look like this? Couldn’t they have made them prettier?”
He looked back at the three following Capulus.
“If you don’t like it, then don’t take them.”
“No, I’m just going to take them. Thanks.”
He turned back and glanced at the cave’s exit once more.
‘Status Window.’
[ Status Window: Han Siwoo ]
[ Personal Skill: Promise to the Future (EX) ]
[ Your last chance has arrived. ]
[ Skills ]
[ Waterproof Sanity (S), Pathfinding (S), Buddy System (S)… ]
[ Status Effects ]
[ Regression ]
‘Of all things, it’s not a skill but a status effect.’
Doesn’t that feel a little too ominous?
Quietly, Han Siwoo swam out of the cave.
