Storm Warrior - Chapter 338



Only Noblemtl

#338, Underwater Dungeon

The East Sea, about 60 nautical miles (about 111 km) away from Yangyang, Gangwon-do.

In the middle of a clear and calm sky-sea, a gray wall of clouds spread out like an umbrella and a fierce dragonfly stand in contrast to the vast surroundings.

Kwaaaa …

A cyclone with the power to suck up seawater.

No, in reality, there are six whirlpools surrounding a gigantic air current that is pulling up a column of water, seemingly ready to swallow everything.

This absurd body of water where opposing forces coexist is the entrance to the ‘Underwater Dungeon’.

In fact, the real dungeon entrance was under the sea, so you literally had to jump into that whirlpool and ride the surging current to get out.

“Dude, what the f*ck… How the hell do you jump in there?”

Gu Chang-soo’s trembling impressions could be heard from behind.

I was carrying him and flying over because he had a role to play.

“There are so many people who want to jump in. You said you were a ‘sudden player’ too?”

“Yes. But in reality, I also told you that I have a fear of the deep sea. Of course, I can’t swim at all. But there really are so many crazy people in the world. Whoa… Man, it’s no joke when you see it from right above. My hands are shaking just looking at it.”

The crazy people who said there were many, many were talking about the people who filled the decks of five ships.

Outside the vortex’s sphere of influence,

On the calm sea, five medium-sized ships with fairly wide decks were floating here and there.

Each one looks roughly the same size as a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer, so they are probably ships of around 5,000 tons.

“By the way, there are a lot of ships. I think there were always three ships in the game… .”

… That’s what I heard.

Perhaps because the real-life superhuman population is much larger than the number implemented in the game?

Well anyway.

So to speak, those ships are a meeting place, or a base camp – a for-profit business for companies that provide food, beverages, sundries, and locker rental services.

Because not all superhumans have fins and gills (of course, some semi-aquatic people do), they needed a place to stand where they could do maintenance in addition to the transport ships that regularly traveled to and from land.

Of course, these were things that were in the game as well.

“Did you put your mask up? It’s coming down.”

“Oh, yes.”

At least in this country, Koo Chang-soo is somewhat of a celebrity.

If you limit the scope to players, their faces would have already been sold to the entire world.

I didn’t necessarily go for polymorphism, but just wore sunglasses, a mask, and a cap like Gu Chang-soo.

widely!

We went down to the ship with the fewest people on deck, but everyone’s eyes were immediately focused on us.

Even in the magical world, it’s probably because the distance is so long that it’s difficult to fly across.

“We look so suspicious.”

“… … .”

As Gu Chang-soo said, the two men’s appearance, with their faces completely covered, may have also had an influence.

‘… As expected, there is a guard.’

In the distance, a man dressed in a guard uniform speaks into the radio and then walks toward us, his neck twisting from side to side.

But I pretended not to know and looked around calmly.

Goo Chang-soo also did not forget his share.

-2 o’clock. There’s a party.

Sure enough, a party of four came into view, their mouths wide open and frozen.

Of course, I’m referring to players who are confused when they see a red name floating above their head.

Even though the security guard was clearly coming to check our identities, another uniformed man with a service smile suddenly approached us.

“Hello. Welcome to SY Shipping’s onboard rest area.”

Since you’ve already set foot here, you’re being asked to pay.

Even if the security guard is going to drag you away, wouldn’t it be great if you could finish paying before then?

“Two. No need for a locker.”

I handed the watch to the man and asked Goo Chang-soo.

“Are they finished?”

-Yes. What you see now is this.

Beep!

“Both of you… So, 1.1 million won has been paid. I hope you have a safe and lucky day.”

After sending the employee off with a nod, he continued speaking.

『… Not bad. Of course, we also have to consider the next transport ship that arrives and the guys that will be coming out of the water soon.』

Since we’re not here to hunt players, we don’t need to worry about how many there are.

There was no intention of stopping the spread of the story that Tarantor, the protagonist of the Tower of Desire raid quest, had appeared on the Sudden Entrance Service Ship.

I’ll soon disappear under that sea, and I won’t even come out through here.

The reason I told Goo Chang-soo to keep that in mind in advance was because even if I leave this place, he will have to stay here.

-Well, even if we’re apart, if Sungjun-nim takes care of me, I’ll be fine. When it’s urgent, if I show my face, the non-players will take my side.

『You say you’re controlling accident prevention, but there’s no way someone would start a fight out of the blue. Still, there are some players who see you as a traitor, so be careful. They probably think that you were the reason 330414 was targeted.』

-I know. I’ll be very alert. Anyway, that’s good. There will come a day when Seongjun worries about me. Hehe, I’m the type that gets absorbed a little bit, right?

I didn’t respond because I happened to be within range of the guard’s line of sight.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Let me check your ID.”

The guard ignored the gentle greeting and waved one hand in an overbearing manner.

He placed his other hand on the pistol at his waist.

Although it is a pistol, it is of course a hippocampus gun.

“Wow, I… I feel a little weird. Are you saying that covering your face is a crime? What’s wrong with your current attitude-”

I handed over my wallet and tried to stop Gu Chang-soo from leaving in a fit of anger.

“Here it is.”

You shouldn’t curse him.

A superhuman living as a civil servant.

Aren’t they worthy of respect for that alone?

A certain degree of overbearing may be a survival strategy to maintain one’s sharp sense of self.

Anyone who saw it now was the one who looked suspicious.

“… … .”

The security guard glares at Gu Chang-soo while receiving the wallet.

As I pushed myself between the two men’s staring contest, the guard spoke to me directly.

“Take off that mask and sunglasses too.”

I whispered softly.

“First, please check your ID. But… I hope you don’t let anyone around you know that you checked it.”

The guard made a face as if to ask what on earth he was talking about, then looked down at his open wallet and opened his eyes wide.

“… … !”

“I have some circumstances that prevent me from showing my face here, so I ask for your understanding.”

In an era where you don’t need a separate physical wallet, isn’t identity verification possible through mobile devices?

In fact, there was only one card in the wallet proving his status as a hero of the Republic of Korea.

Of course, my name is also engraved in three characters in relief.

Although they still hadn’t confirmed my face, the guard had no doubts about my identity.

… Well, there wouldn’t be a crazy person who would impersonate a minor hero.

“Poem, I’m sorry.”

The guard bowed his head, then said to himself, saluted, and walked away quickly.

-Well, couldn’t you somehow get past it with magic? What if you go tell your teammates that a hero has appeared on deck?

As the guy said, he might not have to reveal his real identity.

Not only that, but I also have the ability to make Goo Chang-soo look like a completely different person the moment he takes off his mask.

“If they know it’s related to me, they’ll cooperate with you more actively later. I’ll just get out and that’ll be it.”

The problem that was identified during the conversation with Koo Chang-soo was that people’s attention was not focused on the actions of the security guard who retreated without even taking off his mask.

Rather, it just made me more curious.

Of course, as I just said, the solution was simple.

“Wow… Such a profound meaning! I’m touched. Everything from one to ten is for me-”

“There’s no need to waste time.”

“yes?”

“Then thank you for your hard work.”

“Hey, wait a minute!”

“why.”

“How long will it take for you to come out again?”

“Well… I won’t be passing through here, right? The next time we meet will be on the day written on the invitation, when everyone is gathered together.”

Those invited to gather there included, in addition to the players, Goo Chang-soo and his colleagues, as well as everyone who knew the name Marduk.

Because it was a task that required their assistance.

Of course, they were not sent an invitation with the seahorse tattoo, but rather the schedule was given to them in advance.

It had been about half a day since I had broken up with Gayoung, so there were still two more days left until that day, but I couldn’t say for sure how much time I would have to spend in Suden.

Because I can’t imagine how long it would take Katrinan to open her ears and heart.

“Yes, I know that. I’m just asking roughly when we can communicate again. Ah, how long will I have to go through this on my own? It’s like preparing yourself mentally.”

“…Communication?”

-This is it. Telepathy.

『Ah… I can still go in there. Of course, only when I want to hear it.』

-Dungeons… both inside and outside? It didn’t work in the tower, right?

What Koo Chang-soo was slightly mistaken about was that the connection between the contractor and the owner was not limited by space.

The Tower of Desire is a special place where Marduk’s power was directly at work.

Well, in that context, I guess underwater dungeons would be similar.

Because it didn’t seem like it was intentional that Katrinan couldn’t get out of there.

Anyway, it was now a meaningless premise.

At least the power of Marduk that extends over this land has awakened the power to destroy.

“Okay. Now. You can do it on the top.”

-Uh… … , it feels surprising and reassuring, but also a little suffocating, no, my breathing… feels relieved.”

『Yes. Now, no matter what dimension, no matter what space fragment you fall into, you will never leave my sight. Until you die. Be happy to your heart’s content.』

“… … .”

Sigh.

“It’s a crisis situation where there’s no solution at first glance… I won’t let you go through it alone.”

Gu Chang-soo, who had been unable to laugh or cry, opened his arms wide with a moved expression on his face at my additional words.

“Is it okay for us to hug each other?”

“Go.”

Whoosh!

I just launched myself into the air and threw my back outside the ship.

He was equipped with a magical scuba set so that his clothes would not get wet at all and he could breathe just like on the surface.

I knew that the fierce whirlpool couldn’t harm me in the slightest, but honestly, I would hesitate to jump in just to see it with my own eyes.

The moment I fell down, the picture that passed my eyes seemed familiar.

The logo consisting of a combination of ‘S’ and ‘Y’ engraved on the side of the hull.

It seems that Yongho showed it to me when he was just signing the contract for the office, saying that he had created it himself using an illustration tool.

‘… … SY Shipping was a subsidiary of Sungyong Group.’

with a plop!

Motivation, family, players… .

I told my story to people I met through a bridge, but I couldn’t do that to Yongho.

We never even met.

I know he’s really upset, but it’s intentional.

My family can console themselves that even if something goes wrong, they were directly involved in the shackles and could not avoid it, and my comrades can hate Marduk even more because they are on the same chessboard and will fall, but Yongho is completely unrelated.

You should stay away from me.

For now, I have to be satisfied with just ’emerging’ safely and living well.

When everything is finished… .

Wouldn’t the moment when I can comfortably face Yongho again be proof that I have returned to my daily life?

Quagagagaga!

As I was thinking those thoughts and being sucked into the center of the whirlpool, at one moment my body was rapidly lowered with a crazy rotation.

Soon he vomited on the floor where no current could be felt.

Although it is a deep sea where the depth cannot be gauged, there is a light source there that allows you to identify your surroundings.

A mysterious ripple as if the abyss is sucking in purple.

This is the real entrance to Suden.

There were several dolls not far from each other, either jumping into the water at similar times from other ships or, conversely, escaping from the abyss.

I grabbed them with my psychic powers and pushed them upwards as far as I could.

─!

──!

Their surprised expressions and struggling gestures were clearly visible.

But as he exhaled violently, he quickly gave up his resistance and rose upward on his own.

Even if you were a superhuman, you would have drowned if you couldn’t catch the rising current before you ran out of breath.

A barrier was placed around the dungeon entrance.

It’s a welcoming circle that allows people to leave from inside, but makes it difficult for anyone to easily find the entrance.

From this point on, if anyone tried to find the entrance by any means possible, they could have an accident, but after I came down, it was Goo Chang-soo’s job to withdraw all those who were looking for the entrance.