Under Creature Chapter 13.2

“What? What about Dohyun hyung? He’s right over there.”

Jewoo, holding a drink in one hand, pointed to Seo Dohyun who was watching them from a distance. He chuckled and walked over to Yigeom.

“What, it looks like fun. Win it this time.”

“……”

Yigeom glared at him, promising to get him back later, and fiddled with the controls. And failed again. And again. And again. A streak of failures continued, making it seem pointless that Seo Dohyun had used his ability.

“Hey, forget it. I’m not doing this. This machine is weird. Like Sanha hyung said, I’ll buy it for you online, so let’s not do this.”

“What? Oppa, you’re giving up after failing just once? You have that five thousand won from earlier, right? Give it to me. I’ll try.”

“You won’t be able to do it either.”

Shaking his head, he handed over the five thousand won and stepped back.

Then he tapped the toe of Seo Dohyun’s shoe and demanded.

“You have so much money, why do you keep turning back time?”

“I know, right.”

At Seo Dohyun’s bland reply, he grumbled for no reason.

“Seo Dohyun, do you have ten thousand won by any chance?”

“I do.”

“Give it to me.”

He felt a pang of conscience since he had basically used the machine for free by having time turned back without paying, so he decided to sneak the money in later.

“Awesome, Gyeom hyung! Seo Doa won! And the rabbit, too!”

“Oppa! Look at this! I won it!”

“Hey, Seo Doa. There’s still one try left. Get that one next.”

Seo Doa, who seemed to have gotten the hang of it after failing once earlier, diligently pulled out prizes. Now everyone was crowded next to Doa, busy giving advice. And Yigeom also sidled up to help.

“Seo Doa, that one looks easy to get.”

“Ah, come on! I told you I can’t focus if you keep talking to me!”

Clunk-.

Just like that, Seo Doa won another doll, and the nosy advisors shut their mouths, silenced by her skill which spoke louder than a hundred words.

🦅࿐

“3294. Visitation.”

Jooseungtae, in handcuffs, walked through the open door and plopped down onto a chair. Then, he spoke sarcastically to the person sitting across from him.

“Long time no see.”

“……”

“How could you not visit even once? Is it because Yoon Yigeom is your only friend?”

He continued to provoke the silent person. Still, he did not flinch.

“Ah, do you know?”

“……”

“That Adam suspects your identity. You might have already been found out.”

“……”

Jooseungtae, who had been constantly provoking him, finally sighed when there was no response from the person sitting opposite him.

“Haa, why did you come? If you’re not going to talk, I’m leaving.”

Screech, Jooseungtae stood up, dragging the metal chair. Just as he was about to leave, the man finally spoke.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Saying they could finally communicate, Jooseungtae stopped in his tracks and sat back down, facing him once more.

“A favor? Is that why you came here?”

“Yes.”

“Wow…. To come after so long and the first thing you say is….”

Not even a hello…. Jooseungtae smiled bitterly.

“So. What’s the favor? Let’s hear it. Kang Taeha.”

🦅࿐

For this underwater CA Area, Seo Doa passed, saying the constant whoosh-whoosh sound of the water was scary when diving. Seo Dohyun also passed, saying he had other business nearby. Namgoong Sanha and Jin Geonwoo passed since they weren’t combat personnel.

In the end, it was decided that only Yigeom and Cha Jewoo would go.

Jewoo, saying he wanted to warm up before the CA, jumped into the sea as soon as they arrived, like a fish back in water.

And Yigeom was currently sitting on the sandy beach, listening to Namgoong Sanha’s explanation.

“Gyeom-ah, I made this. It lets you breathe underwater for about an hour. The remaining oxygen level is displayed here.”

It was a device that allowed breathing underwater, handmade by Namgoong Sanha.

Without any complex operation, just by holding it in his mouth, he could stay underwater for an hour.

“Are there any other precautions?”

“Precautions? Hmm…. Not really. Just take good care of Jewoo.”

“…Okay.”

So Cha Jewoo is the biggest precaution, is that it?

“Gyeom-ah, aren’t you coming in?”

Seo Dohyun asked with a gentle smile from beside him. For some reason, that smile felt unfamiliar.

“Uh, not really. What about you?”

“Me neither.”

After the conversation fizzled out, he watched Cha Jewoo, Seo Doa, and Jin Geonwoo splashing and playing in the sea. The weather was still a bit chilly, but they were playing excitedly as if they didn’t feel the cold.

“By the way, Gyeom-ah. Are you a good swimmer? Diving is essential for fighting underwater.”

Yigeom flinched at Namgoong Sanha’s question.

“……”

“Don’t tell me…, you can’t?”

This was bad. He had never done it before. He had gone to the beach with friends in the summer and knew basic swimming, but fighting a creature underwater was a completely different matter.

He wouldn’t be able to move as freely as on land…. Damn it, is this why the underwater CA Area creatures sell for so much?

Realizing this only now, Yigeom, pale with distress, asked Namgoong Sanha.

“Hyung, are you a good swimmer?”

“Gyeom-ah…, I was in the navy.”

“Ah…. Navy…, right.”

A moment of silence fell. Yigeom smiled awkwardly and asked Namgoong Sanha.

“That…. CA. Would you like to go instead of me? That would be better….”

“We specifically chose an underwater one for your ability training, what will we do if you don’t go? This won’t do, Gyeom-ah. Let’s practice right now.”

“What? Now? I didn’t even bring a change of clothes….”

“Get up, quickly.”

He was pulled to his feet by Namgoong Sanha’s hand, bewildered. This suddenly? As Yigeom stood there blankly, Seo Dohyun said teasingly from the side.

“I’ll go get your clothes. You guys have fun.”

“What fun….”

“Gyeom-ah, hurry up! The CA is tomorrow, come on!”

This is crazy, really.

Dohyun went back to the lodging they had booked near the beach to get his things, and Yigeom ended up awkwardly entering the sea.

“Huh? Gyeom hyung, I thought you said you weren’t coming in.”

“That was my intention.”

“Yigeom, should I lend you my tube?”

Jin Geonwoo kindly offered the tube he was using, but Namgoong Sanha refused.

“No, Gyeom is going to practice diving from now on. Jewoo, do you want to join? You’re going out to the CA Area tomorrow, it’ll be good to get used to the water.”

“What? Me? Hmm…. Okay!”

And so, Yigeom, along with the brightly nodding Cha Jewoo who knew nothing, began dive training under Namgoong Sanha’s coaching.

And Yigeom came to understand how the usually gentle Namgoong Sanha had survived in the military. He had heard by chance that Namgoong Sanha was a former drill instructor.

🦅࿐

Yigeom went into his private room and flopped onto the bed.

Is this what it feels like when every bone in your body aches?

After eating grilled clams for dinner, Cha Jewoo had also gone straight to his room and passed out.

‘You have real talent! Gyeom-ah, do you want to go scuba diving with me sometime later?’

The hell instructor Namgoong Sanha was taking an interest in him.

Could there be anything more terrifying? He got goosebumps and rolled around on the bed a few times before dozing off without realizing it.

Crash-. Craaash. Craaaaaash-!

“What? Are you scared? Don’t worry. You’ll be safe.”

It was a terrible dream.

“Is anyone there? Someone’s trapped under here!!”

Exploding buildings, piles of debris flying towards him, people trapped underneath, a rescue that never came no matter how much he screamed.

He knew it was a dream, but he couldn’t wake up, groaning in his sleep.

“Gasp-!”

I quickly sat bolt upright, taking a deep breath.

‘Ah… another weird dream.’

Yigeom staggered over to the mini-fridge and drank some water to clear his head.

He’d been having these dreams frequently lately. There was no particular trigger; it just seemed that the events of that day had been quite a shock to him.

‘I’m usually fine….’

Normally, he didn’t give that day a second thought and went about his daily life, but he would have these dreams every now and then.

And his sweat-drenched hands felt like someone else’s blood.

It was a nasty dream that made it hard to go back to sleep, and on nights like these, one person always came to mind.

‘Seo Dohyun….’

They had escaped the disaster site, and he had even confirmed Dohyun’s safety, but after a crappy dream like that, he always thought of the man who had been trapped in the rubble with him.

Yigeom took out his phone to check the time.

1 AM. He had taken a nap right after dinner, so the night was still young. On a whim, he searched for Seo Dohyun’s contact. Then, the thought occurred to him that Dohyun was just in the room next door, so maybe he could just go over.

‘If he’s sleeping… I can just come back.’

And just like that, without much thought, he left his room.

Ding-dong-ding-dong-.

He had barely been standing in front of Seo Dohyun’s room for a few moments after ringing the bell when the door opened as if he had been expected.

“What is it?”

“Oh… you’re not asleep?”

He had come over without any real reason, so he had nothing to say. He scratched his head awkwardly as he asked, and Dohyun opened the door wide to welcome him in.

Yigeom stepped in hesitantly, making an excuse.

“It’s not… that anything happened. I just woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“So?”

‘What do you mean, so?… I just came.’

When Yigeom glared sulkily at Seo Dohyun, he gave a faint smile.

“This is new. You, coming to find me for a reason like that.”

“What, you got a problem with it?”

“No, I’m just surprised.”

“You get surprised by the weirdest things.”

Yigeom plopped down and took up one of the beds.

When he had nightmares alone in his studio apartment, he could neither call nor visit, but now, being able to check on Seo Dohyun like this felt somewhat reassuring.

I’m being so dramatic over a single dream, he thought.

Then, he glanced at Seo Dohyun out of the corner of his eye and asked.

“But why are you still awake at this hour?”

“There was something I had to look into.”

“Look into?”

Seo Dohyun walked slowly toward the bed Yigeom was lying on, sat on the edge, and said.

“What do you think of Geonwoo hyung?”

“Geonwoo hyung? He’s great. Kind and dependable, isn’t he?”

“Hmm, yeah.”

And with that, the conversation ended.

‘What was that? So anticlimactic.’

Yigeom grumbled to himself, wondering why Dohyun had even asked if he was just going to end it like that, and turned over.

‘What do I think of Geonwoo hyung?’

He was affectionate and kind. He got along well with the kids who had strong personalities and took good care of them. That made it even more puzzling. Why did Seo Dohyun ask that question? Could it be that he didn’t like Geonwoo hyung?

Unlike the others who had quickly become friends with Jin Geonwoo, it did seem like Seo Dohyun still kept his distance from him.

Yigeom cautiously broached the subject.

“Why? What do you think of Geonwoo hyung?”

“…Gyeom-ah.”

“What is it.”

“Are you planning to sleep here?”

“……”

‘Was I getting too comfortable, like it was my own room?’

When he first became a Hunter, Yigeom would jump a mile if Seo Dohyun even came near him, but now, it didn’t faze him at all.

In fact, now he was the one seeking Dohyun out, just like tonight.

Now that he’d confirmed Seo Dohyun was okay, he slowly got up from the bed.

“I’m gonna go. You should get some sleep too.”

“Why? You can stay longer. Want to just sleep here?”

For a moment, he was tempted by the offer. There were two beds, and he debated it, but ultimately shook his head.

Then, he hesitated before speaking up.

“By the way, why did you do that back then?”

“Back then?”

“…At the detention center. You shielded me during the explosion.”

Seo Dohyun said it like it was nothing.

“Oh, that. It was no big deal.”

“What do you mean, no big deal? Don’t do that again. Last time was really….”

Recalling that day, Yigeom’s vision went dark and he felt his breath catch, trailing off. Seo Dohyun always acted as if he had a spare life. With no thought for others.

“Gyeom-ah, are you worried about me?”

“Why would I be worried about you…. No. Still, you should think about the people around you who would worry before you act.”

“So you are worried.”

“So what if I am, and what if I’m not!”

Being interrogated like that, Yigeom snapped and shouted. He felt heat rush to the tips of his ears. As if his guess was right, Seo Dohyun reached out and caressed Yigeom’s earlobe.

“Are you embarrassed? It’s red.”

“What are you…. Forget it.”

He felt like talking would only drain his energy, so he was about to leave, but Seo Dohyun grabbed him.

“Gyeom-ah.”

“What.”

“You asked why I shielded you back then?”

“……”

Seo Dohyun’s eyes narrowed into a smile.

“Well. I’m not too sure myself.”

“What the….”

“Maybe, it’s because I like you a lot.”

“What are you….”

Yigeom looked up at Seo Dohyun with a bewildered expression, and Seo Dohyun gazed steadily back at him.

The reason he shielded Yoon Yigeom when the explosion happened?

It was truly an instantaneous decision. He registered the explosion and immediately checked on Yoon Yigeom. Seeing his already pale face turn completely bloodless, his body moved on its own. That was all.

Seo Dohyun thought that Yoon Yigeom didn’t understand him. He remembered all those moments that others couldn’t, and because of that, Yigeom saw a side of him that others couldn’t see.

Perhaps that was why Yoon Yigeom sometimes looked at him with a disapproving gaze.

Because of that, he sometimes believed. Even if it was just a vague conviction.

That because Yoon Yigeom remembered all of it, all those moments, a day would come when he would understand him better than anyone else.

But if he were to toss all that aside and just think about it now.

The reason he saved Yoon Yigeom. It had been a long time since he had acted to save someone else without any calculation.

Perhaps it was that much.

“That’s probably how much I like you.”

🦅࿐

At Seo Dohyun’s words, which were like a confession, Yigeom couldn’t give any reply and returned to his own room.

‘…Was that a real confession?’

Yigeom was, in his own way, incredibly flustered.

He couldn’t understand what on earth Seo Dohyun was thinking when he said that.

‘He likes me?’

“……”

Funnily enough, that one phrase plunged Yigeom into deep thought.

‘He must have meant it as a friend, right?’

Of course, that had to be it. Seo Dohyun had a habit of saying things that confused people, and this was probably just another one of those instances. He must have said it without thinking.

Yigeom confirmed that the sun was up and groggily changed his clothes.

‘…Why am I even worrying about this, seriously.’

It would be nice if Seo Dohyun would just speak more clearly.

He always spoke ambiguously, confusing the listener. Eventually, Yigeom felt ridiculous for caring about such a trivial comment and decided to stop thinking about it.

🦅࿐

“Hyung, you’re here?”

“Yeah.”

Yigeom ambled over to the others waiting for him. He was tired, having slept poorly after waking up early from a nightmare.

As if they intended to see them all the way to the CA Area, the entire Latter team was gathered in front of the dock.

Yigeom and Cha Jewoo boarded the boat, followed by Namgoong Sanha and Seo Doa, who were going along for their safety. Only Seo Dohyun and Jin Geonwoo remained on land to see them off.

It was actually a relief for Yigeom, who hadn’t had a proper conversation with Seo Dohyun since yesterday’s incident.

They put on their life jackets, and after sitting on the rocking boat for some time as it moved forward, the motor stopped after they had traveled a fair distance.

“We’ve arrived.”

The person sent by the Association, the captain, opened the door to the cockpit and announced.

Yigeom checked the time. There was still about an hour left until the CA was scheduled to appear.

‘Did we leave too early?’

The captain seemed to realize this too and pulled out a fishing rod from somewhere. Jewoo strode up to him and asked.

“Oh? Are you going fishing?”

“There’s not much else to do, is there?”

“In that case, if you catch a big one, you’ll give me a taste, right? Ah, are you going to slice it into sashimi right here?”

“Yes… sure, why not. If I can catch one.”

Their curiosity piqued, Namgoong Sanha and Seo Doa also stood by the captain, cheering for him to catch a fish.

“There probably aren’t any fish there.”

At this one comment from Yigeom, who was lying down to catch up on lost sleep, everyone rushed over to him.

“Hyung? Then where are all the fish?”

“Awesome! If we’re with you, oppa, becoming a fishing god isn’t just a dream!!”

“Gyeom-ah, then where can we catch a lot!? I’ll move the rod over… no, let’s just cast a net!!”

Pulled up by their insistent hands, Yigeom had no choice but to get up and become a human fish-detecting radar.

‘I should have just kept my mouth shut.’

I opened my mouth and got myself into this mess.

And so, he became a fisherman and diligently caught fish.

“Wow, Gyeom hyung. Seriously, this is awesome. Awesome… this is really awesome.”

“I know, right. Oppa, you should have switched careers to a fisherman ages ago. You’ve been foolishly catching creatures all this time. You would’ve made a fortune catching fish!”

Lacking any other words of admiration, Cha Jewoo and Seo Doa, who were just repeating “awesome,” shouted in excitement, holding wriggling fish in both hands.

In reality, the money earned from catching a few hundred fish was equivalent to catching a single creature, but he didn’t bother to correct them.

The captain sliced up the fish they had all caught, and Namgoong Sanha boiled ramen on a gas burner to eat with the sashimi.

After filling his stomach, Yigeom sipped the ramen broth and agreed.

‘Something like this isn’t so bad once in a while.’

Even the captain, who had been looking dead-eyed since he was here on official Association business, brightened up at Yigeom’s novel ability. He seemed to be having such a good time that he even added.

“Shall we do a little more fishing after we catch the creature?”

The way he glanced at Yigeom was a clear, unspoken request for him to stay and fish together, but Yigeom pretended not to notice and refused.

‘It might be fine once in a while, but too often is a bit much….’

“I don’t know. I’m a bit tired.”

“Ah… I see. Then, maybe I could get your number later…? Would you like to go fishing with me sometime?”

“No, I’m busy with work.”

“Ah, I see.”

The captain’s shoulders slumped. Just listening to the conversation, it sounded like someone trying to get a number from a person they were interested in, but they were both men.

He had wondered how an Association employee could also pilot a boat, but it turned out he had worked in this field before his awakening and also really loved fishing.

For reference, the captain’s ability was healing, which was why Jin Geonwoo’s participation in the CA hadn’t been insisted upon. If something happened, they could just get treated by the captain.

Just like that, time flew by, and the moment of the CA approached.

“Gyeom-ah, Jewoo. If anything happens down there, just click this twice. It’ll send a signal to me.”

“I’ll be watching too, so don’t worry too much.”

Doa drew a long thread of her blood and cast it into the sea, like dropping an anchor into the water. Though everyone pretended to be calm, it was their first time fighting a creature at the bottom of the ocean, and they were secretly nervous.

Yigeom and Jewoo, wearing the simple respirators Namgoong Sanha had made and the protective suits provided by the Association, were fully prepared as they descended into the deep sea.

After descending for a while, the CA detector went off. This meant they were in the CA Area.

As they waited at a distance, a rumbling sound, woooong-as if an earthquake was happening deep in the sea-shook the ground. The settled sand swirled in all directions, obscuring their vision.

Worried they might be swept away by the current, Jewoo quickly generated seaweed and anchored it to a rock, holding on to it with Yigeom.

And then, a creature’s tentacle shot towards them at high speed.

Yigeom’s eyes widened in shock. He definitely saw it, but being underwater, he couldn’t move as he wanted, nor could he speak. He could probably dodge it himself, but that would put Jewoo in danger.

‘I can’t even shout for him to dodge…!’

Ultimately choosing to protect Jewoo, Yigeom saw the tentacle loom before him and squeezed his eyes shut.

THUD-THUD. THUD-!

He heard a magnificent sound, but feeling no pain, he quickly cleared his vision.

A long strand of Doa’s blood was protecting them from the tentacle.

Seo Doa’s ability maintained its original speed regardless of time or place.

As if she had room to spare even while battling the tentacle, she tugged at Yigeom and Jewoo, seemingly scolding them for just standing there.

‘That’s cheating.’

Amidst the chaos, Jewoo poked curiously at an eyeball that had popped out of Seo Doa’s blood vine.

Doa seemed fine, likely because she was protecting her eyes with the special lenses Sanha had given her. Instead, as if to say this was no time for games, her blood vine grabbed Jewoo’s ankle and shook it wildly.

Finally snapping out of it, Yigeom and Jewoo calmly assessed the creature’s movements.

A creature underwater. Even though they had received special training from Namgoong Sanha yesterday, it looked like it was going to be a tough fight.

🦅࿐

After sending Yigeom, Doa, Jewoo, and Sanha off on the boat, Jin Geonwoo was left alone with Seo Dohyun.

Jin Geonwoo had excused himself from the operation, saying he had something to attend to. Seo Dohyun, who had also said he had other business and would be skipping the CA, had been following him the whole time. Jin Geonwoo, who wasn’t as close to Seo Dohyun as the other members were, broke into a cold sweat and watched him nervously.

‘I need to report back soon….’

Seo Dohyun wasn’t leaving.

Eventually, deciding it was just a text message and not a phone call anyway, he resolved to act naturally and took out his phone.

“Who are you texting?”

“Ah, gah, you scared me…. Huh? What did you say?”

“I asked who you’re texting.”

Seo Dohyun approached Jin Geonwoo with a light smile. Then, he tapped the phone Geonwoo was holding with his index finger.

“J-Just a friend!”

“A friend?”

“…Yeah.”

Seo Dohyun, who was silently staring at the blank screen, tilted his head and looked at Jin Geonwoo. Then, as if he knew everything, he spoke with a mocking tone.

“Not the Vigilantes?”

“The, the Vigilantes… A friend from the Vigilantes!”

Jin Geonwoo tried to make a quick excuse, but it was completely useless.

“I guess friends report to each other now?”

“…Since when did you know?”

“Conversely, when do you think I might have known?”

“……”

Jin Geonwoo fidgeted before putting his phone away. Reporting was out of the question in this situation; explaining himself to Seo Dohyun was more important.

Because of this, he began to ramble on, explaining everything that had happened down to the last detail.

The first place Jin Geonwoo went after his awakening wasn’t Latter, but the Vigilantes.

He chose the Vigilantes as the place he should be, and there he met Kim Hyungkyu. At that time, the Vigilantes were busy trying to form a guild that would join forces with them. As it happened, Jin Geonwoo was a newly awakened hunter whose face wasn’t known, and A and Kim Hyungkyu took advantage of this.

Since he had the connection of encountering Latter in a CA Area during his first awakening, the order came down for him to infiltrate Latter, report on the situation, and persuade them to join hands with the Vigilantes.

He was also told that if he came to like Latter, he could just stay there.

And so, what Jin Geonwoo did while infiltrating Latter was nothing special. Even without him guiding the flow, Latter managed well on its own and ended up joining forces with the Vigilantes.

Occasionally, he would receive various questions from A, and reporting back was all he did.

Other hunters viewed Latter in a negative light, but experiencing it firsthand, he found Latter to be a warm and family-like environment.

However, despite that, the place he wanted to be was still the Vigilantes. He had thought it wouldn’t be bad to stay with Latter, but that conviction grew even stronger after the detention center incident.

As someone whose original dream was to be a police officer, he was drawn to the idea of maintaining order in the hunter world and catching criminals known as Blood Hunters, even if it was dangerous.

“So… I’ll leave on my own when the time comes. So, um… I’m really sorry for deceiving you all…”

“It’s not ‘like you deceived us,’ you did deceive us.”

“……”

Jin Geonwoo couldn’t even meet Seo Dohyun’s eyes, sweating profusely with guilt. He could feel the intensity of Seo Dohyun’s gaze without even having to look.

The people from the Vigilantes had advised him to be careful of Seo Dohyun when he was doing his spy-like work in Latter, but he hadn’t understood what they meant.

But now, he was certain he understood.

‘I didn’t realize because I was on the inside.’

How Seo Dohyun looks at people who aren’t part of Latter.

“Tell them today. The whole truth. And leave.”

“What? But so suddenly…! Even if I’m leaving, I want to explain everything and say a proper goodbye…”

“Jin Geonwoo-ssi.”

Seo Dohyun said with a cold expression.

“The kids like you a lot.”

“……”

“That’s why you should leave quickly.”

Jin Geonwoo couldn’t say a word. Whether intentional or not, it was true that he had deceived Latter.

Besides, if he stayed any longer, attachments would grow, and the feeling of betrayal when his identity as a Vigilante was revealed would be that much greater.

“But…”

Without giving him a chance to stop him, Seo Dohyun turned his back and disappeared.

🦅࿐

Woooong-.

The creature’s tentacles slammed the seafloor, scattering sand everywhere. Jewoo narrowed his eyes at the cloudy vision, while Yigeom closed his instead.

It was a creature shaped like a sea anemone. The strategy was to attack the weak spot inside its long, outstretched tentacles, but it wasn’t easy.

Seo Doa was doing her best to block the tentacles from above the water, but it wasn’t enough. It seemed far more efficient for Yigeom and Jewoo to block the tentacles while Doa attacked the weak spot.

Yigeom pushed Jewoo’s head down, and a tentacle grazed past him by a hair’s breadth.

Jewoo tried to stop the creature’s movements with plant vines, but it only worked for a fleeting moment.

‘This is tougher than I thought. Seo Dohyun really should have come….’

What would he even do if Seo Dohyun came? Yigeom gritted his teeth, dismissing the thought that had popped into his head.

He then sent a flurry of hand signals to Jewoo. The general meaning was that they would contain the creature’s movements and leave attacking the weak spot to Doa.

Thanks to Jewoo, who could understand him perfectly even from his crude gestures, the plan proceeded smoothly.

Jewoo summoned durable plant vines, and Yigeom, grabbing the ends, wrapped them tightly around the creature. Just as the creature’s movements paused for a brief moment, Doa’s thin blood tendril sharpened and plunged into the weak spot like a wedge.

Woooooong- Woooooong-.

Creatures on land usually let out ear-splitting screams like “Kieek-, Kkieeeek,” but marine creatures hummed, woooong-, emitting vibrations like sound waves.

The terrain was not advantageous for humans, and the fear of what might happen in a moment of carelessness was suffocating.

Unfortunately, Doa’s attack seemed to have been too shallow. The creature only faltered for a moment before moving even more violently, as if it had sensed a threat to its life.

In the calm, deep sea, it felt as if a storm was raging.

Jewoo, about to be swept away by the current, barely managed to hang on by grabbing the lifeline connected to the boat.

Yigeom, guessing that they would be the ones in danger if they delayed any longer, quickly signaled to try the same attack one more time.

Jewoo nodded and summoned the plants again.

Yigeom dodged the tentacles flying at him one by one and bound the creature. Doa also helped him, and when the creature’s movements stopped, she launched a straight-line attack.

Fearing another failure, Yigeom also drew his sword and swam toward the weak spot located innermost among the tentacles.

Stab-.

The sword plunged deep, and a massive sound wave, different from before, assaulted Yigeom and Jewoo.

Since Yigeom was positioned next to Doa’s blood tendril, he could be rescued immediately. But Jewoo, unable to withstand the pressure of the water rushing like a wave, was sent flying, left dangling from the lifeline.

Yigeom, showing his impatience, tried to save him, but the creature’s tentacle reached Jewoo first. A tentacle, swung around by the dying creature in a last-ditch effort, unluckily struck Jewoo in the abdomen.

Gasp-.

Jewoo let out a physiological gasp and, without realizing it, let go of the underwater respirator he was holding. Gulping down the water that rushed in, he held his breath as best he could and gripped the lifeline tightly to avoid being swept away by the current.

Seeing this, Yigeom rushed towards Jewoo and alerted Doa to the situation.

Upon receiving the distress signal, they started pulling up Jewoo’s lifeline from the boat. The rescue seemed to be going smoothly, but the creature’s tentacle struck Jewoo once again.

This time, it was head-on. Jewoo, predicting that taking that hit would capsize not only himself but also the boat he was connected to, quickly cut the line. And just as he was about to grab Yigeom’s outstretched hand, he was swept away by the current.

‘Breath…!’

Yigeom’s eyes grew as wide as saucers, and he instinctively kicked through the current and grabbed Jewoo’s arm. Taking a deep breath from his own respirator, he passed it to Jewoo. Then, he even untied the lifeline around his own waist, placed it in Jewoo’s hand, and signaled for him to go up first.

Jewoo, already exhausted from swallowing so much water, obediently allowed himself to be pulled up by the lifeline. Yigeom watched the slowly dying creature before heading to the surface.

Fwah!

“Oppa! Are you okay?”

“Gyeom-ah, grab the tube here!”

Seo Doa asked as she helped Jewoo onto the boat, while Namgoong Sanha threw a lifebuoy from the boat.

Yigeom, utterly exhausted, was about to grab the tube and climb up when something from below pulled on his ankle, and he plunged back into the water.

‘I thought I killed the creature!’

He quickly looked down and saw that the creature was indeed dead; his foot had simply gotten tangled in the mass of seaweed Jewoo had summoned during the fight. He tried to quickly free himself, but the seaweed was surprisingly sticky, and the more he struggled, the more it wrapped around his ankle.

‘My sword.’

In the rush of the situation, he hadn’t managed to retrieve it after killing the creature.

‘Who would have thought!’

He had planned to grab the sword along with the corpse later, but it had been a misjudgment.

His breath was running out, his throat felt tight, and just as his vision was starting to blur, he saw Namgoong Sanha in front of him.