< End of Cleaning >
Dungeons usually appeared in places where people lived. But sometimes there were cases where they missed the land and appeared underwater.
Discovering undersea dungeons was obviously near impossible. The dungeons naturally burst open, and the monsters were lost at sea like that, or they crawled up to shore.
And among those monsters, there were underwater types. Monsters that originally inhabited the water, the sea. Among those, it was incredibly difficult to hunt the boss monsters, unless they got free of the wide sea.
It was because they continued to appear and disappear whenever they wanted, unlike inside a dungeon, where they burst out and attacked when the conditions were met.
“It’s really big.”
A giant monster the size of a hotel was crawling up the night coast. Everything that the legs with numerous suction cups touched, were crushed and broken. A reddish black monster that looked like an octopus mixed with a squid.
The symbol of Hong Kong’s collapse, 2nd rank sea creature type Kraken.
It was an S-Rank dungeon boss that was first discovered at the end of last year, but whose eradication was given up on, as it stayed only underwater. The Kraken would stay quiet, wandering between Hong Kong’s islands, for about 1 year from now, too. But when one seashore’s people had all evacuated due to a dungeon break. When just one building had all its lights bright on all floors as it was used as temporary dorm for the Hunters who were there to handle the dungeon break.
Under the dark water, the fiend that was curled up, started to move.
‘The Kraken that had started to move like that went back and forth between the sea and land for over half a year, razing Hong Kong’s shores.’
Since it appeared suddenly and ran away to the sea if it was at a disadvantage, it took a very long time to succeed in hunting it. On top of that, maybe it had grown in the sea, because it had become an SS-Rank fiend.
Hong Kong, which was perilous even without that, had completely collapsed under the continuous half-year-long threat of the Kraken.
“Yerim, get ready.”
I borrowed the headset that Noah had and contacted Yerim. It would be nice if these kinds of things could be used inside a dungeon, too. Communication equipment that could be used inside a dungeon wasn’t made yet.
[Yes, ahjussi!]
“The merchandise that is far from being respectful is even thinking of sending down directions, but will you accept them, Sung Hyunjae-ssi?”
[The treatment of merchandise on a display stand and of my item is different, of course.]
“I am not yours.”
Take off the possessive case.
In the meantime, the hotel that had been swallowed in the water showed up again. The lights were all off and most of the glass was broken. Still, the building itself was still fine. It was built durably, huh.
“I have already told you, but dragging the Kraken completely to land is the foundation of the attack.”
If it went into the water, there was no method for taking action. Not only would would its defense and recuperation all increase, it wasn’t easy to go up against a monster in a wide sea, even for Hunters used to underwater combat.
We could melt it down in one go with the attack skill doubling buff, but even so, it was safer to drag it completely to shore and bind it down. Since it would become difficult in the rare likelihood where it runs away.
“Then, please start.”
In order to accurately match the timing, I connected Yerim’s and Sung Hyunjae’s sensations with the Teacher skill. Yerim, who had been near the hotel, shot the abundant water up. Then, Sung Hyunjae followed the surging water and let out electric shocks.
Sparkling light filled every water droplet. The group of light like small light bulbs started to sink down, following the drenched buildings.
The electric current that originally should have scattered out, circled inside the water droplets. They were orbs of light that were wrapped in pure ice on the outside and had seawater inside.
“They’re like Christmas ornaments.”
I took out a blue shawl from my inventory and wiped the wet Chirpie as I looked down at the beautifully lit up hotel. Guided by those lights, the Kraken started to move.
The Kraken was led by one point of light in the darkness.
Hong Kong’s seashore was full of countless lights, so the fiend was quiet for a long time. In order to drag that kind of guy over for certain, A-Rank magic stones had been scattered in the water in front of the hotel, and all the building lights besides the hotel’s had been turned off.
‘Thankfully the lure was successful. And with this, the guys who came to buy a person would become victims of the Kraken.’
Once we disposed of the Kraken, it would end cleanly. We would dispose of the human traffickers, and save Hong Kong’s future, and pick up items. It was one shot, three kills.
The lights that also had a lot of mana were ideal enticing gems to the Kraken. The fiend’s long legs stretched out toward the hotel building. As if meeting a lover after a hundred years, it wrapped around it and pulled it into an embrace.
Googeugeu.
The walls that couldn’t overcome the pressure crumpled as long cracks appeared. The skin of the mollusk slipping around under the dreamlike group of lights glistened. It was a bizarre sight of an odd combination. Christmas and a giant sea creature didn’t suit each other.
“Do you have something you want as a birthday present?”
Because of Christmas, I suddenly thought of it. Yoohyun, who was slightly frowning as he looked down at the Kraken, moved his gaze to me.
“…I haven’t thought about it.”
“If you have anything you think of, tell me.”
Since it just passed by for several years.
“When is your birthday, Noah-ssi?”
Noah, who was pricking his ears up and listening to us talk, turned his head, startled. The light gray eyes stared at me before replying a little shyly.
-It is April 5th.
“It is the same month as Yerim. It is Arbor Day for our country. A day you plant trees.”
[My birthday is August 30th. It’s coming up soon.]
…Why was this ahjussi cutting in? We were talking about the kids’ birthdays, you know. Please act your age. What did you want me to do about it coming up soon?
“During the time you say nonsense, please quickly take care of the things you are supposed to take care of. You will have to dodge soon. What should I do about the chains?”
I asked, freeing the Seeker’s Chains from my neck. While I had it in my hands, I checked the item window.
[Refined Seeker’s Chains ? Contractor’s Rank+1(At most myth rank)
Chains forged from the crescent moon’s deepest moonlight. It looks like metal, but the essence is light.]
‘…If it’s crescent moon.’
It was the immoral person who made contact with Sung Hyunjae. Of course, it didn’t mean it was the same person. Since the mermaid queen also was active as Water Droplet, when in the capacity as an immoral person.
‘But no matter how I look at it, this crescent moon seems to be that crescent moon.’
Since they called him Chain. Besides that, to think that it was a weapon that was one level higher than the contractor’s rank. There were things like this? Sung Hyunjae was S-Rank, so that meant it was essentially SS-Rank. It really was a scam. God, that person’s limitation balance seems broken. Please check the bug.
[If you throw it, it’ll come back on its own.]
“Do you happen to know Crescent Moon?”
[Crescent moon? You shouldn’t be talking about the moon in the sky – I don’t know.]
As expected, was it before they made contact? Did I have to put hypnosis on him or something and ask if he recalled anything about the future? Exactly what did he go around doing before the regression?
When I threw the chains down, they quickly went far away like swimming snakes. They really were great. He really did have it all.
After clicking my tongue, I turned my gaze toward the fiend wrapped around the hotel again.
According to their attributes, it was disadvantageous for Yerim and Sung Hyunjae to go up against the Kraken. It was because the defense power of that slick skin was incredibly high when it was wet. At the same time, its cold resistance was also high, it was close to a nonconductor like rubber, and physical attacks didn’t work well on it since it was mushy.
So during the raid before the regression, there was a lot of hardships making dried fish.
‘Originally, I was thinking of using a poison skill.’
The aftermath of S-Rank poison that also had a doubling effect added on, would be severe. To match up against that size, a considerable amount would have to be sprayed, so I was more reluctant to use it outside of a dungeon.
Thanks to that, I had wondered a little if I had to give up on the easy method and go back, but Yoohyun had come all the way here.
“Noah-ssi, I will leave Chirpie to you.”
-Yes, please entrust it with me.
-Chirp!
I passed Chirpie over onto Noah’s hand, his front foot. Maybe it didn’t like being grasped in a foot covered in scales, because Chirpie cried a little uneasily. So why did you come all the way here?
“The elemental?”
“Here.”
The fire lizard quickly rushed over to the top of Yoohyun’s hand. The size was the same as before, but small horns had formed on its head.
Irin. The fire elemental that had finally accepted a name after acting picky for a long time, especially emitted more red light inside the night’s darkness.
“This guy is the first elemental in our world.”
Ismual wasn’t affiliated to our world. So it couldn’t come outside.
“Normally, it’s a purer flame than any other fire attribute skill, but there’s also the special point of being the first, so even if other elementals are born from now on, there won’t be any guys who will match up to Rin[1].”
In the knowledge that I had stolen, the first elemental was all of the elementals’ start and king. Of course, a world where mana existed from the start and elementals were born from deep and strong natural forces, and our neighborhood wouldn’t be the same. It was certain at least that it would become a special power for Yoohyun.
“So forget your skills for a moment and try accepting Rin. Anyways, the things called skills will only be wrong.”
I used the Teacher skill on Yoohyun. Then I showed him Yerim, who was still regulating the water. Her, who was leading ice and water together even without a water attribute skill.
It would’ve been great if I had been able to share the sensations to Yoohyun too during the usage of the Ruler of Water skill item. It had seemed like I would really faint right away if I did, so I had to give it up. Would a similar chance not appear again? It was regretful.
“Then shall we go?”
Kwareureung-!
As if to reply, the hotel collapsed down completely. That debris stuck to the Kracken’s legs and body.
-Kiiik!
The disconcerted Kraken twisted its body, but the wet chunks of rock that were stuck on regardless were slowly frozen on under Yerim’s hands. If it tried to forcefully take them off, the skin would probably receive injuries.
I let Yerim and Sung Hyunjae know to dodge away and just in case, shared the sensations from Yoohyun. Since it wouldn’t do for them to be swept up.
“Green Willow Leaves.”
The green leaves scattered and Yoohyun jumped down from Noah’s back, with one arm wrapped around my waist. There was the sound of the building’s wreckage being trampled on. The beads of light burst under the shaking of the thick tentacles.
Continuing on from sharing the attack skill doubling, I used Eunhye. With the damage nullification rank as SS-Rank.
“Irin.”
An elemental’s true strength was exhibited when the contractor called its name.
The small flame that was in the form of a lizard spread out like a large flower at the tip of Yoohyun’s hand. Red and vivid like blood, the petals floated up into the air one by one.
It was an unrealistically bright red fire.
“The control isn’t working well.”
Yoohyun mumbled softly, as he stepped on and jumped past the willow leaves. The flames that were flying around on their own and couldn’t be controlled fell on top of a car that had barely missed the Kraken’s path. When the small flame that was about the size of a thumb, exactly the size of a petal, touched it, the large foreign-made car burned down in an instant. The car body that was burnt black, sunk down and soon collapsed shapelessly.
…It was a little excessive. That was just basically a spark that flew off.
“Hey, be careful. Noah-ssi should also stay back as much as possible!”
In the meantime, the flames that were only gathered at the tips of his hand made a long shape. A sword. No, longer than that. It was a shape close to a scimitar.
Yoohyun turning flames into a weapon was after his skill rank went up and he gained Blood Flames. It was because it was hard to make normal flames maintain a fixed shape.
When I turned my head a bit, both of my brother’s eyes were dyed red. He was also smiling lightly.
The flame that had been hard to control outside of pouring outside and simply burning, was bowing its head under his hands. It seemed like that was incredibly pleasing.
-Kiii.
The Kracken that had been focused on the remaining group of lights, looked up toward us. The giant eyeballs that were covered in a thin and transparent membrane flicked here and there as if taken aback. Maybe it had realized the power held in the flames, because it showed that it was frightened, but it couldn’t run away because of its weighed down body.
After being like that, it shot out its two longest tentacles.
The legs thick enough to be three or four telephone poles combined together cut through the air extremely threateningly. Yoohyun lightly wielded the fire scimitar toward the tentacles that were like giant spears.
Seugeuk.
Very softly. The flame merely landed lightly on a part of the tentacles, but.
-Kiehhk!
The Kracken’s two legs disappeared as if melting away. How should I say it – it seemed like a piece of ice that was tossed into the sun.
Then, the flame that had changed into a spear was thrown. The red spear drove into the round body and,
-Kyareureu.
The small lizard that had appeared at the end of the spear rumbled as it blinked its black eyes. Right afterwards, flames spread out like a wave. After swallowing the giant sea creature, swallowing up even the smell of burning, the fire lizard landed flutteringly on the darkish remaining stain.
Irin, who had swallowed everything down to the magic stone, flicked its tongue as if satisfied.
‘…There probably wasn’t a need to use the doubling skill.’
Still, it was a boss monster that wasn’t far from growing into SS-Rank, so wasn’t it disposed of too easily?
The elemental went toward Yoohyun, who had landed on the ground. Outwardly, you were small and cute, but you were a scary guy, huh.
“Why don’t you let go of this now?”
When I hit the arm that was wrapped around my waist, Yoohyun tilted his head a little.
“I thought about it. While we’re at it, what do you think of handling the disappearance like this?”
There was no sentence subject, but I could understand. So he hadn’t given up yet, huh.
“I didn’t get hurt.”
“But the chance is good.”
“What good? There’s Yerim and Noah-ssi and even Sung Hyunjae, to just say that I was swept up in the Kraken’s attack.”
“All three of them could be hushed up.”
“Would that work? Especially the last person would probably let it in one ear and out the other.”
“If it’s now, I can make him listen. Or just eliminate him. That’s right, that idea really would be better. Don’t you also think the Seseong Guild Leader is dangerous, hyung?”
I looked up at the younger brother who was looking for my agreement. The two eyes were still red. Irin was sitting on Yoohyun’s shoulder, not in his eyes. And the lizard’s eyes were black.
A hunch that something had gone wrong hit me.
[1] not a typo – it says Rin, not Irin (pronounced ee-rin). You can call someone by the last syllable of their given name (since they are normally 2 syllables) as a cute sorta childish nickname, and it’s only if their name ends in a consonant. To explain, you add -이 (ee) to given names that end w a consonant (but NOT when you say the full name, nor in the vocative, and also not to names that end w a vowel), so when u shorten names that end w a consonant, it becomes [last syllable][ee]. For example, you would say ‘Yoojin-ee did…’ because ‘Yoojin’ ends in a consonant, but you would say ‘Hyuna did…’ because ‘Hyuna’ ends in a vowel. And for shortening names, ‘Yoojin-ee’ would become ‘Jin-ee’. I think ppl shorten them bc (and this part is just my conjecture so take it with a grain of salt) then it becomes 2 syllables, which is easier to say than 3 syllables and also matches the 2 syllables for names that end in vowels; vowel names already end in 2 syllables so there’s no need to shorten them, and also you can’t, bc then it would be 1 short syllable and that would be weird. I’m not sure how to explain what -이 is exactly bc it doesn’t really do/mean anything, but the official def in the standard dictionary is ‘a suffix that levels out speech tone/inflection’ so you can think of it as a linguistic quirk.