Chapter 326

Chapter 326. Trap (3)

“What brings you here? I’ve already received the situation report.”

“We meet after so long, and that’s your greeting? A bit disappointing.”

“… I don’t think we were ever close enough for warm greetings.”

“I’ve always thought of you as a kind of savior to me. It seems we’re both kindred spirits, so let’s not be too hostile and be friendly.”

I had never done anything to be called a savior by Yun Jihye.

‘If anything, wouldn’t she consider me an enemy?’

After all, I had stopped her revenge. But pointing that out myself would just seem ridiculous.

Instead of nitpicking, I changed the subject.

“I asked why you came here.”

Why was she being so evasive with her words when it was a simple question?

When I furrowed my brow and demanded an answer, Yun Jihye shrugged and replied.

“Well, I heard the battle-crazed K was impatiently waiting, so I came to calm him down.”

The way Yun Jihye casually joked with me was unsettling.

She was not someone I had pleasant memories of. So, without even looking at her, I replied.

“Stop with the nonsense. Isn’t the position scouting done yet? The waiting time is getting too long.”

“Oh, do you think a naval battle is so easy?”

Yun Jihye retorted as she climbed up the railing beside me and sat down.

“Do you know how deep the sea is? Unlike land, we have to watch above, below, left, right, front, and back, you know? Unless you bring an aerial radar, don’t expect it to be found quickly.”

All the players with high Detection-type were deployed, so for now, we had to wait patiently.

“What if we search the wrong place and they show up somewhere else?”

“…”

“Wouldn’t it be regretful if others capture them? I heard you always wanted to deal the last blow to nemesis-rank ones yourself.”

As Yun Jihye continued, I frowned.

‘I had been waiting for half a day already.’

Just waiting around was making me restless.

I needed to find a way to locate these guys quickly.

With that single objective in mind and brainstorming, a thought suddenly struck me.

‘There’s no rule saying I have to find them first, right?’

Couldn’t I create a situation where they couldn’t help but emerge on their own?

I stared intently at the deep, dark ocean and murmured.

“Saltwater…”

I recalled a lesson from science class during school.

Electricity is transmitted much more actively in conductors like ions than just plain water.

Reaching that point, I started thinking about the components of salt.

‘I believe sodium chloride breaks down into chloride ions and sodium ions…’

In my mind, I had already concluded that this method was correct.

The issue was that the method I came up with was too drastic.

‘It might completely destroy the ecosystem.’

I hesitated for a moment but only for a short while.

I needed the status, and for that, I had to eliminate those creatures in the depths.

I couldn’t just sit back and watch as they dragged out the time.

‘If the method is too drastic, solve the problems that arise from it.’

I spoke to Yang Taeho, who was leaning against the railing next to me.

“Are you capable of setting rocks along the boundary, hyung?”

“Huh?”

Perhaps it was time to create an aquarium to minimize the impact.

A very, very large aquarium.

* * *

Since ancient times, humans have referred to phenomena beyond their power as miracles.

Take, for example, events like the miracles of Moses documented in religious texts.

The story where Moses stretched out his hand, the sea parted, and the Israelites walked on dry land.

Until now, no sea-tied miracle was more famous than that.

But from today, things would be different.

“As the preparations seem complete, we will proceed. Players, please avoid coming into contact with water and focus on protecting the ship. When the situation progresses, follow the pre-informed guidelines and respond accordingly.”

As a businesslike voice of K ended, Yun Jihye spoke up.

“Wait, wait! Are you seriously going to do this?”

But no one answered her question.

Before Yun Jihye finished speaking, K had already jumped into the sea.

It only took a few seconds for the water to splash and then settle down.

In the silence, Yun Jihye surveyed her surroundings with a peculiar expression.

The first thing that caught her eye was the barrier distorting the air slightly.

The first priority when a Hole occurs at sea is to seal off the area with a barrier.

‘Monsters must not spread everywhere.’

Monsters that had escaped before erecting the barrier were one matter, but preventing further breaches was crucial.

Until the situation was entirely resolved, they kept deploying barrier stones to maintain the blockade.

The same protocol was followed when something went wrong in the South China Sea.

And K had further divided that sealed region again.

He gathered rock-type players to create a massive rock dome inside the barrier.

‘Or rather, it’s not exactly a dome…?’

Usually, a dome bulges towards the sky, but this was upside-down.

The convex part touched the seabed like a bowl.

Massive rocky protrusions along the barrier’s edge subtly commanded presence.

Using people to isolate a portion of the sea was already astonishing.

Yet what K intended to do didn’t stop there.

And Yun Jihye couldn’t deny that what K was about to do was madness.

“What the heck does he think about on a daily basis…?”

She mumbled in disbelief, sensing another presence behind her.

“Our guildmaster is quite bold, ain’t he?”

Yang Taeho spoke with a grin.

Yun Jihye turned her incredulous gaze to Yang Taeho.

He was the one who gathered Temoria’s tankers and assisted in orchestrating this outrageous plan.

One couldn’t fathom what kind of mindset conjured up and courageously executed such a scheme.

“What is that guy, really? Does he truly think this is feasible? Isn’t he crazy?”

“Whoa there, why the harsh words? You seem rather close-minded, young lady.”

Even while her astonishment was at its peak, it seemed she’d soon lose her breath.

Without agreeing, Yun Jihye pointed to herself, questioning.

“Close-minded? Me?”

What actions and responses led to such a conclusion?

“I wasn’t criticizing you, just raising a point.”

From his stance, it might be madness, but to Hyunwoo, his perspective was different.

“I mean, from Hyunwoo’s viewpoint, wouldn’t things differ?”

Suddenly, I couldn’t think of a counterargument as logic appeared in Yang Taeho’s words.

Yeah, what he said had merit.

“Though it seems reckless to me.”

From K’s standpoint, he might see those who think this reckless as foolish.

This was a man who alone had taken down nemesis-rank beings and even hunted down a legion commander, something yet unattainable by any.

“And to even attempt such madness, one needs the ability.”

Adjusting might take some time.

The moment Yang Taeho added a word with a smile.

Gurgle, rumble!

Bizarre sounds, never to be heard in ordinary, mundane settings, appeared.

“It’s moving!”

“Hold tight!”

Suddenly, the sea surface began to ripple violently.

Bubbles defying gravity leapt upwards in a noisy commotion.

It was like spreading water on a flat sheet and hitting it relentlessly.

I recalled childhood memories of marveling at bouncing water droplets and playing without noticing my wet clothes.

A rising heat at my feet quickly replaced those reminiscences.

That day, Yun Jihye witnessed a miracle that completely overshadowed past memories.

“The sea…!”

It was boiling, sizzling.

What else could one call this if not a miracle?

Yun Jihye, at a loss for words, gazed vacantly at the sea.

‘Water is basically non-living.’

Much like air freely enters and exits barriers, unaffected, water does the same.

For this large-scale electrocution, K isolated a portion of the ocean.

To prevent ecological devastation if his actions affected outside the barrier.

Thanks to this, the event didn’t propagate across the entire sea.

However, hoping for surviving marine life in the segregated area would be futile.

The evidence was emerging in the chunks rising on the boiling sea.

Initially, it was all fish, but soon even larger figures, multiple times the fish, appeared.

These were the corpses of monsters. Some were trembling, yet alive.

“What are you standing around for?! Move quickly!”

Yang Taeho shouted, snapping players, including Yun Jihye, out of their daze.

Bronze and Silver rank players started retrieving the fish and monster corpses.

While Gold-ranked ones dealt with monsters not dead yet due to their resistance.

Thus continued an ambiguous situation for minutes.

Thud, awooo.

Deep rumbles were heard from the depths.

“Massive mana approaching!”

“One is presumably K!”

“Two mana sources suspected to be nemesis-rank!”

Players were shouting while using detection magic to ensure no monsters survived.

Suddenly, like a rising mountain, the sea surged skyward.

* * *

Typically, a rapid electric current flows across a conductor’s surface.

Had I struck the lightning from outside, the current would have diffused along the surface, gradually weakening.

‘Likely not harming those submerged monsters.’

Hence, instead of lightning outside, I plunged into the water.

Thanks to the magical underwater breathing tool received from the association’s president, breathing wasn’t difficult.

Yet the experience of slowly sinking deeper was quite unfamiliar.

Growing depths resulted in gloomier visibility and muffled noises from my ears.

Additionally, the temperature gradually cooled.

It was unlike the cold air encountered in winter.

It was a chill that seemed to drain my body heat, seeping into my bones.

Was it because, as a land animal, survival underwater wasn’t inherent?

Everything surrounding me was far from pleasant.

Even with heightened senses, I continued descending deeper.

Eventually, fish began scattering, noticing my presence.

Soon after, monsters appeared.

It seemed these creatures near the Hole, after players evacuated the water, sensed and reacted to me.

That indicated my proximity to the Hole.

Bubble, bubble.

As monsters charged toward me, bubbles obscured my view with each gulp.

However, skewering them with my spear wasn’t challenging.

Monsters mostly floundered like fish impaled on a harpoon.

I wrung their necks as I peered into the deeper abyss.

Where several Holes and the approaching monsters’ mana converged.

‘This should suffice.’

For a typical human, this unfathomable depth would be unimaginable unprotected.

Standing firm there, I awaited the steadily advancing monsters.

The anticipation was a tedious period devoid of terror or tension.

Thus my mind brimmed with unnecessary, trivial thoughts.

‘Might I be the first fool to trigger a massive electric shock underwater?’

A regular person wouldn’t handle the repercussions.

They’d struggle just to bring an electric shock device down here.

Though I’m contemplating this might indeed be reckless.

‘But nothing else guarantees reliability.’

Spotting dark monsters faintly through the water, I extracted mana from the core.

Immediately, blue lightning showered, enveloping the tranquil abyss.

Damned System