The Diver I
Breaking news. Ha-yul was sulking.
"..."
The reason was simple. I had gone to the Uyuni Salt Flats, which was at the top of Ha-yul's bucket list (nine pages long on A4 paper), without her. She was, of course, furious, and when this kid expressed her anger, it was in the most childish way possible. She decided, I won't just stop talking to you. I've also decided not to hear you.
"Ha-yul."
She turned her head to the left.
"Ha-yul. I'm really sorry."
She turned her head to the right.
No matter how much I tried to make eye contact, she kept turning her head. It was as if her head-turning skills were on par with an Olympic synchronized swimmer's legs, our gazes always in perfect parallel.
'Ah.'
I had expected this. That was why when Ha-yul asked, "Oppa, where are you going?" before I left for Uyuni, I vaguely replied, "Uh? Oh. Just somewhere nice."
I had planned to be back in a week at most. Normally, Ha-yul, who treated others with disdain like Ch'oe Yŏng, wouldn't have cared about a week-long disappearance.[1] But as revealed in the last story, I was scammed by an airline.
What was meant to be a week away ended up being stretched to three months. The trip's content also changed. The original plan was to enjoy the Uyuni Salt Flats for two days, but the remaining 87 days turned into a hands-on field trip called, "How did Homo sapiens cross the Pacific Ocean to reach the Hawaiian Islands? Let's find out!"
There was no one to complain to. Like humans, anomalies had a particularly narrow understanding of concepts like "refunds," "fair compensation," and "well-written apologies." The victims were always innocent customers like me.
"Go to hell…"
"Oppa, so where have you been?"
After surviving a grueling ordeal to return to the Korean Peninsula, I was greeted only by Do-hwa's chokehold and Ha-yul's cold stare. An explanation was unavoidable.
Hence, the current situation. The world wasn't a dating sim where once you maxed out favorability, it stayed there. Upon realizing I had gone to Uyuni without her, Ha-yul set about readjusting her favorability.
"Ha-yul? Won't you talk to me?"
Ha-yul ignored me and declared, "Something smells funny. I keep smelling an old man's stench."
My sensitive, middle-aged heart was shocked to its core. I almost had a heart attack.
'Is this how a father feels when facing a rebellious child?!'
As a regressor, I never thought I'd experience such emotions, but here I was. Barely able to get the words out, I croaked, "…Let's go to the Uyuni Salt Flats together next time."
Ha-yul turned her head.
It was the first time in three days that our eyes met. The jaw of the maid puppet Ha-yul always carried suddenly relaxed.
"Next time? When?"
"After summer ends. This fall."
"Really?"
"Really. Let's also visit Machu Picchu and Tenochtitlan for an all-American special excursion."
"Oppa, I love you!" A fake love wrapped around my shoulders. I shivered with shame.
"…But you have to help with the preparations for the great monsoon without any complaints. Follow the guild leader's instructions. Got it?"
"Okay!"
My body was already having a fit at the thought of another trip, but there was no other option. To survive the annually recurring disaster event, Ha-yul's help was crucial. This event was called the 'monsoon.'
Yes.
If you live on the Korean Peninsula, the monsoon is a season of fear and horror at the subconscious level. The big summer event was approaching.
Some of you might have noticed that I rarely mention the 'weather' in my stories, and those who did have sharp eyes. In reality, the Earth was experiencing a weather-born apocalypse even before the birth of anomalies. The polar bears crying upon their drifting on ice floes from the Arctic every year were proof of this.
The Climate Apocalypse.
By definition, the hypothesis that the world might end due to climate change. It was a grave thing to consider, even without anomalies, but the anomalies took it a step further.
- The weather in Daegu is insane. How can it be 42 degrees in summer? Is this a desert or a city?
- Maybe it's always been a desert.
- What the?
Daegu had turned into a desert.
No exaggeration, it was literally desertifying.
It wasn't just Daegu. The Gaema Plateau in North Korea had become a paradise for polar bears migrating from Siberia. Tigers, revived as anomalies named 'Mountain Lords' in the Baekdu Mountain range, faced fierce competition. But the Korean Peninsula had it easy compared to its neighbors. In Japan, "earthquakes" visited every season. These weren't just any old quakes either, but massive ones like the Tokai earthquake that came accompanied with all kinds of related anomalies. It was also why I respected the magical girls of Japan.
Given the situation, the regions habitable by humanity were extremely limited. In a way, 'climate anomalies' were the greatest threat to Homo sapien survival. So, what was the climate specialty of Busan, the new capital and last utopia of the Korean Peninsula?
"The monsoon is coming."
"..."
"..."
Tension filled the air of the conference room. The few gathered in the heart of the National Road Management HQ were indeed the heart of Busan—if not the entire Korean Peninsula. Noh Do-hwa, head of the National Road Management; Yu Ji-won, Operations Control Director; Dang Seo-rin, Guild Alliance leader; Seo Gyu, SG Net operator; and Sim Ah-ryeon, Saintess of the Eastern Holy State were all present.
"This monsoon is going to be record-breaking," I warned. "If we're not thoroughly prepared, the entire Korean Peninsula could vanish during the season."
"Isn't it always 'record-breaking?' What's different this time?"
"I saw it first hand while crossing the Pacific. Super typhoons are forming in the western North Pacific."
Dang Seo-rin shuddered, hands trembling as her face darkened. The recent trip had traumatized both of us.
"Look at this."
I opened a PowerPoint presentation. Despite crossing the Pacific on a makeshift raft, I managed to take pictures with a spirit camera. The current monsoon status showed a 'typhoon' in the photo.
Noh Do-hwa grimaced at the sight. "What the hell is that?"
"It's a typhoon."
"Fuck. That's not just wind, it's a waterspout. You call that a typhoon?"
"Don't expect logic from anomalies."
Indeed, the typhoon that formed this summer was 1,200 kilometers in diameter and composed entirely of 'water.' Whoever called water the mother of life would rethink that if they saw this typhoon. Water can kill.
"Other regions can manage with their usual preparations, but Busan is different. If that typhoon hits us directly, the city will become the new Atlantis. We need a plan."
"Let's evacuate…"
A shocking proposal! The head of National Road Management suggested abandoning the capital. Noh Do-hwa seemed to have succumbed to the anomaly 'Capitals are meant to be abandoned' that no Korean Peninsula ruler could escape.
Shaking my head at her plan to emulate the Joseon dynasty's royal family, I said, "We can't run, Director."
"Then how do we survive it? How? We'd have been better off with a tsunami. If that thing lands, the coastline will move to Daegu. We should evacuate the citizens of Busan through the Inunaki Tunnel to Seoul."
"Director." I gave her a pitying look. "We can't avoid the monsoon typhoon. If Busan escapes unscathed, the typhoon will hit another city."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"This isn't a natural phenomenon, it's an anomaly. The Korean Peninsula can't escape the monsoon unscathed. The typhoon will exist until its havoc is wrecked, and the monsoon season will persist with it. Someone has to take on this 1,200 kilometer water bomb."
"..."
"Is there any city as well-prepared as Busan? Any place with its concentration of power? The most efficient path forward is for us to handle it. Otherwise, half the cities on the Peninsula will be wiped out."
"Shit…"
The horror of the anomaly made Noh Do-hwa shudder. As the top authority's mood worsened, so did the conference room's atmosphere. Only Sim Ah-ryeon, who barely knew what caution was, threw caution to the wind and raised her hand.
"Excuse me, guild leader?"
"Go ahead."
"Well, I doubt Pyongyang Holy City will be affected by the typhoon. So since the area in question is not my responsibility, can I leave now?"
"If a monsoon of this magnitude hits, SG Net will also go down."
"What? For how long?"
"At least two weeks, even if we're lucky. Heavy rain disrupts internet communications, and that's not taking into account the related anomaly that will follow."
"The Eastern Holy State will mobilize all its forces to help our brothers in Busan!" Sim Ah-ryeon clutched my hand with both of hers, more sincerely and earnestly than I had ever seen. Even more than when she said, "I really like the caffè mocha that the guild leader makes."
Noh Do-hwa let out a sigh as she scratched the back of her head.
"Director," I counseled, "sighing wastes good luck."
"Fuck off with your old-man advice. How do we deal with that monstrous water bomb? Didn't you come up with a plan before calling this meeting?"
"Of course. Everyone, please pay attention."
I confidently moved to the next slide on the PowerPoint.
Written in new-age fonts, it said:
[Monsoon Flood Damage Prevention Plan]
[STEP 1]
[Noh Do-hwa Renaming Project!]
Silence filled the conference room.
After a long pause, Noh Do-hwa reacted, asking, "…What? Renaming? What kind of renaming…?"
"Director Noh Do-hwa. It may be distressing to change the precious name given to you by your parents, but names are crucial when dealing with anomalies. For the sake of Busan's citizens, please consider renaming yourself this summer."
"No, seriously, what does my name have to do with Busan's safety?"
"From now on, your name is not Noh Do-hwa." I looked earnestly at the top authority of the Three Han. "Your name is 'Noah.'"
"...?"
"What are you waiting for, Noah? Start building the ark."
"You son of a―!"
Noah's Ark construction project, initiated!
The 'Noah's Ark' in the Bible boasted impressive specifications. My focus, however, lay with Noah as a person. I suspect that he was an ancient archmage.
First, Noah managed to fit all the world's plants and animals into a mere 135-meter-long boat. That included blue whales and various fish. This meant the ark had the world's largest aquarium. Clearly, the ark had a 'my inventory is infinite' spell. Moreover, this infinite space was made entirely of wood, as Noah lived in the Bronze Age.[2] The feat was impossible by modern engineering standards, but that was irrelevant. Science advances over time, but magic grows stronger the farther back you go. The ancient archmage Noah likely strengthened the wood to steel levels.
Unfortunately, the modern-day Noah (formerly Noh Do-hwa) on the Korean Peninsula had no magical talent, but there was an archmage who could act as Noah's wand.
"A――Aah―― A――"
Dang Seo-rin, an awakener with top-tier magical talent, sang atop Geumjeongsan, the highest point in Busan. The trees, moved by her outdoor concert, uprooted themselves and gathered along Geumjeongsan's ridge. Indeed, I haven't mentioned this all that often, but Seo-rin's Cursed Song Incantation excelled in support roles.
Wearing a helmet with "Safety First" written on it, I smiled with satisfaction. "The ark construction is going smoothly."
"..."
"Then Noah… no, Director Noah. Please, kneel down."
Ah-ryeon, Ha-yul, and I gathered at the Geumjeongsan worksite alongside Seo-rin. Another surprising guest also graced us with their presence. Playing the role of 'God' in this Noah's Ark play was none other than Mo Gwang-seo Jesus Christ.
"Ha-yul, are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Good. Director Noah, what are you doing? Kneel before Mo Gwang-seo Christ. You can bow too, if you like."
For once, Noh Do-hwa's lips trembled. She wore a name tag with 'Noah' on it. "Do we really have to do this, Undertaker?"
"Yes." My answer was firm. "We're using the most powerful myth on Earth, Genesis. We need the minimum decorum for 'Noah's Ark' to work effectively."
"..."
"Please, hurry?"
With an expression that seemed to curse the world, Noh Do-hwa knelt. Mo Gwang-seo looked down at her, his smile as benevolent as ever. Of course, Mo Gwang-seo had no free will. Every move and word was controlled by the Puppeteer, Ha-yul. Mo Gwang-seo (ft. Ha-yul) spoke.
"All living beings have spread corruption across the Earth, and their end has come before me. I will destroy all living beings along with the Earth."
"..."
"Noah. Therefore, build an ark."
Noh Do-hwa's lips quivered, her tongue trembled, and her teeth chattered as she mumbled, "Yes…"
God commanded, and Noah obeyed. A reenactment of Genesis! Though there was a small error with the actor playing God also being the son of God, anomalies didn't care about such details. Now, Noh Do-hwa was truly Noah. Every vessel she helped build would now serve as an ark.
"Hell, what a shitty world…"
Noah, the actor, had a foul mouth for humanity's savior, but that didn't matter.
"You damn regressor, are you getting back at me for being missing for three months?"
What an absurd accusation. I kept my personal and professional matters strictly separate. Was there anyone who was as impartial as me?
I looked out over the Busan coastline, my gaze earnest.
July. An SSS-level monsoon was heading north toward the Korean Peninsula.
Summer had arrived.
Footnotes:
[1] Ch'oe Yŏng was a Korean general turned national hero who was known to turn up his nose at human veneers and luxuries.
[2] The Bronze Age was the period that came before the Iron Age, when more versatile metallurgy and engineering spread through human civilization.
-x-X-x-
The Diver II
In the past during the Joseon Dynasty, there was a policy called the "Empty Island Policy." As the name suggests, it involved evacuating residents from islands to the mainland. Rather than allow regions rich with minerals and gas to be continuously raided by Zerglings (pirates), it was better to simply move the command center as a whole. This also showed how our ancestors cared for their people as if they were SCVs. As a Terran descendant, I too had to make such decisions and follow their example.
"Mr. Undertaker, we've evacuated all the residents from Jeju Island."
"Good work."
Under my orders, Yu Ji-won went around the southern islands, guiding the refugees to safety. Some resisted, but I ignored them. The difference between what the public perceived as a "monsoon" and the approaching "super monsoon" was as vast as the difference between a whistle and a typhoon. If we didn't evacuate now, they'd all be wiped out, as had been proven in many cycles before. The evacuation order wasn't just implemented in the real world.
- [Samcheon] WitchJudge: (Must Read) Instructions for Living During the Super Monsoon Season.
- [Baekhwa] EighthGrader: All roads connected to Sejong City will be closed until the end of the super monsoon in July and August! Those low on food, please apply for refugee status at Sejong City Hall!! >_
- Admin: (Notice) SG Net may not be fully functional during the super monsoon period.
Guild leaders who cooperated with us like Dang Seo-rin and Cheon Yo-hwa took the initiative to act as canaries in the coal mine through the virtual hyperspace. Even Seo Gyu, the SG Net operator, stepped forward. The rare appearance of the 'Admin' nickname sent alarm bells ringing for even some of the macho, bravado types.
- Anonymous: Has SG Net ever been down before?
└ Anonymous: No, but it sometimes connects to weird sites. I once typed in the same address and got linked to a site called 'Live Net' by force.
└ LiteraryGirl: Eeeek
└ Anonymous: That was just a suicide site anomaly, SG Net itself wasn't blocked. Nothing like this super monsoon has ever happened before.
- Anonymous: So Busan is the most dangerous place to be. Why not just run away?
└ Anonymous: That's why most ordinary people in our neighborhood have gone to Daejeon. At least they have well-run shelters and free meal services there.
└ Anonymous: They might get lost and die in the void while going up tho lol
└ [NRMC] Officer: The National Road Management operates emergency caravans twice a week. We welcome their use by the general public. Please use them.
- CookingQueen: All those in need, come to Daejeon. We will help you as soon as we are able.
The southern part of the Korean Peninsula was bustling with preparations for the flood. Despite all the warnings, however, some people remained complacent.
- Anonymous: Why the fuss lol?
- Anonymous: Typhoon? We have Japan's SSS-level breakwater, the Japanese archipelago. No worries.
Humankind as a race was enslaved to dopamine and thrill. We often ignored dangers, camping in valleys during floods and swimming in the sea during typhoons. It was human nature.
- Anonymous: Isn't it just the rainy season? Even if it rains, Awakeners won't die from getting wet, right?
Those leaving Busan, those staying, those building arks, those sneering in protest—upon all those under the same sky,
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the rain began to fall.
[I can see the wall of the typhoon with my own eyes.]
The Saintess's voice echoed in my mind. It wasn't just me; all the other Awakeners would have heard her as well. Except, they would have heard it as a message from their constellations.
[Jeju Island is now within the typhoon's path.]
"Good. Begin evacuating the Samcheon World guild members scattered along the southern coast."
[Understood.]
The Samcheon World guild members, all capable of flight magic, were acting as storm spotters. As they flew over the sea using a staff, they watched the typhoon approach. The Saintess shared the observers' vision through her Clairvoyance, allowing us to track the typhoon's path from multiple angles.
[This is…]
The Saintess, despite having witnessed countless anomalies and voids, was stunned speechless for a moment.
[Jeju Island is being torn apart. No, it's being swallowed. The island is being consumed whole.]
[It looks like a tsunami, like the ones you'd see in a movie, but much larger. A wave over 10 kilometers high is approaching from the horizon. How is this possible…?]
Even the Saintess, known for her calm demeanor, lost her composure upon seeing the typhoon. The storm was composed entirely of seawater, a massive vortex at least 10 km high and 1,200 km in diameter, capable of engulfing Mount Everest. The sight would strike fear into anyone.
"Saintess, we cannot let this move to another region. Guide it slowly toward the ark using the Samcheon guild members."
[But can the arks withstand something like that, even if we're the ones who built them?]
"They have to. If they can't, Japan will be submerged, or the entire Korean Peninsula will be submerged."
[Understood. I will start guiding it.]
The Saintess regained her composure and began executing my plan. The command center was situated on the first ark. Do-hwa, Seo-rin, Ji-won, Gyu, Ha-yul, and I all watched the map, with chess pieces representing the Samcheon scouts. Thanks to Yu Ji-won's [Minimap] ability, we tracked the typhoon's movements in real time.
"The typhoon will arrive soon."
"..."
"That typhoon is both an anomaly and a void. When it reaches Busan, we will enter the 'super monsoon void.'"
I began to repeat the information critical for our final briefing. "The rain from this typhoon isn't ordinary water but a deadly toxin called 'void poison.' Contact with it risks severe bodily transformations."
"..."
"Even though our ship is designed to act as an ark, it will inevitably flood. When that happens, stay calm and use buckets to bail out water continuously, whether it's for one hour or several. The act of bailing water itself is vital."
We had repurposed old cruise ships into arks. An ark's exterior was reinforced with wood, and its interior stocked with enough provisions to last 40 days. There were 12 arks in total, each capable of holding 5,000 people, making room for about 60,000 Busan residents. They had already boarded the arks docked along the Geumjeongsan Ridge.
"Rain will inevitably pour into the ship. Do not relocate carelessly. Each section must remain isolated. If you must communicate with another section—"
I held up a thread.
It connected like a spider web across the control room's ceiling, linking to other sections. Ha-yul had set up the doll strings.
"Use these strings. As we approach the typhoon, SG Net and Telepathy will fail. Transmit Morse code through the threads using aura."
At that moment, a raindrop hit the window, splashing against the tempered glass. The drop wriggled like a living creature, spreading out to form the character for rain, 雨. Every raindrop writhed, each eventually forming the same shape.
v
With each raindrop, the faint sound of frog croaking echoed. Oddly, there were no frogs on the ark. It was modeled after Noah's Ark from Genesis for survival, but we hadn't truly built it as a cradle for life.
v
雨
[Mr. Undertaker.]
v |
雨 v
雨
[The typhoon has made landfall in Busan. Now, oh, the storm waters are rapidly converging on the population center. No way, the typhoon… It's transforming from a giant spiral into a long, thin tube like a straw, oh. The water■, a tsunami on the horizon, it's all all converging on ■. Everyone, evac■―]
v |
雨 v |
雨 v
雨
The Saintess's usually crystal-clear Telepathy was interrupted, broken up by intermittent static. The croaking grew louder.
Croak.
Seo Gyu, who had been fidgeting nervously with his smartphone, froze. "Hyung, SG net is down— croak—" The space of the ark, held securely by the law of universal gravitation, and the ship we were standing on, felt like it was suspended in mid air. Seo Gyu just opened his mouth.
Rrrribbit.
Dang Seo-rin shouted something like "Undertaker!" alongside him, but their voices were entirely drowned out by the sound of the rain pouring outside and the croaking of frogs resonating with that rain.
Croak.
The rain fell.
The overwhelming sound of rain and frog croaks filled the room. I blinked, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe. My vision blurred. Everyone in the control room, including me, was submerged under water.
A stream of bubbles rose before me.
My eyes locked on Ha-yul's panicked, gasping form. It was her first time encountering this type of void, and her distress was clear to see. In just a blink, we were all submerged in water.
"...! ..., ...!"
Ha-yul flailed underwater. Others reacted much the same. No matter how much I'd emphasized the instructions, it was hard to remain calm when surrounded by water. The worst part was, Ha-yul and the others' fingers were slowly turning into 'frog hands'. Body mutations and existence contamination were typical symptoms of void poison exposure. Seeing their limbs transform into frogs' triggered temporary panic.
Blub-blub. Croak. Blub-blub. Croak.
Human panic accelerated the spread of void poison. Ha-yul's blurbling gasps sounded increasingly like the croaks of a frog. Frogs (蛙) shared the insect radical (虫) in their Chinese character, explained by the resemblance between a frog's posture and the radical's shape.
Croak. Blub-blub. Croak. Blub.
Frog hands, frog legs, green skin. My comrades were quickly turning into insects. This transformation took only about six seconds.
"Move the buckets!" I shouted, Infusing my voice with aura so that my roar echoed underwater. "Start bailing water, no matter how awkwardly! Bail! Ha-yul, move! I've told you many times!"
Finally, Ha-yul and the others regained their senses and grabbed buckets. It was hard to move underwater, but they had practiced together before boarding the ark.
"...!"
"...! ...!"
In seemingly comical desperation, they performed the 'bailing water' motion. As they did, the water level in the control room slowly began to recede. The water didn't physically move out, but it reduced as if genuinely being bailed.
"Phew, ha!"
As the water level dropped, everyone emerged, gasping for air. Their greenish skin returned to a human tone.
"Damn, almost died!"
"Haa… Haa…!"
"Is everyone okay?"
My comrades panted, drenched. Their hands still resembled frog limbs, with membranes between their fingers, but they were healing.
"It's too early to relax."
Everyone turned to look at me while I glanced out the window.
Outside was only rain. The ark was completely submerged, not in the life-giving sea but in the deathly void poison.
"We need to check if the other sections are safe," I decided.
"..."
"Ha-yul, come with me."
"Okay."
We kept bailing water until the room was dry, then Ha-yul and I stepped out.
Croak, croak, croak.
The long corridor of the ark echoed with frog croaks from all directions.
Footnotes:
[1] The shape of Chinese characters often represents the words they depict. The character for rain 雨 is a pictograph of rain itself, with the line above representing the sky under which drops of water fall through the atmosphere down to the earth.
-x-X-x-
The Diver III
"...Frog croaks."
Ha-yul trembled. She instinctively opened and closed her fingers repeatedly, the sensation of frog skin still clinging to her hands.
"Did we really turn into frogs?"
Despite her youthful appearance, Ha-yul was a seasoned veteran who had explored countless voids with me, but even for her, a six-second bodily transformation was enough to leave a deep scar in her psyche.
I squeezed Ha-yul's hand, and she gasped out, feeling the warmth of another's palm sink into her own. Instead of swimming freely underwater, we had evolved to hold each other's hands.
"Your body is cold. Use your aura to dry off," I suggested. "It may look like ordinary water, but each drop is filled with void poison."
"...Okay, oppa."
Ha-yul's hair glowed golden with aura. Her soaked, brown locks quickly began to dry, but there was something strange about the process. It wasn't just that the water evaporated; it was more like transparent bugs were being burned off.
Squirm, squirm, squirm.
The bugs, wriggling in the shape of the rain character, 雨, were roasted by the golden aura. They tried to crawl through Ha-yul's hair to escape, only to dry up and evaporate.
"Ugh..." Ha-yul shuddered. Though she rarely showed emotions, disgust shone clear in her eyes. "The water is like bugs. This water is crawling inside me too?"
"Don't scratch your arm. If you scratch hard, you'll bleed, and then the blood will look like bugs. If your blood starts forming the character 雨, it's over."
"You speak like you've seen this many times."
I had, of course. Both Ha-yul and I had witnessed the horrifying transformation into frogs or people bleeding to death due to hydrophobia at least five times.
The first time, we realized that if we didn't guide the great monsoon to Busan, Japan or the Korean Peninsula would sink.
The second time, we learned that without facilities and rituals like Noah's Ark, stopping at simply guiding the monsoon's path would result in everyone drowning.
The third time, we discovered that unless we bailed water, even with an ark, we would still be submerged.
"When we were submerged and turning into frogs, I felt strange," Ha-yul muttered. Though her hair was dry, her eyes still seemed to reflect the shadows of water. "I felt nostalgic. Happy. I couldn't breathe, but it felt like I was breathing through my skin, becoming one with the world."
"Don't think about it. It's entrancing."
I tightened my grip on her hand. Ha-yul snapped back to reality, meeting my gaze.
"Let's go. We need to help the others," I said.
"Okay."
"Look, the puppet strings are broken over there. Let's repair them as we go."
Nodding, Ha-yul ticked her jaw.
The water in the corridor reached our calves, hindering our movement. As we splashed through, water bugs scattered in all directions.
Ha-yul shook her head and began fixing the puppet strings. Golden aura spread through the threads, extending throughout the entire ark.
"How is it, Ha-yul? Are you receiving signals through the strings?"
"...No issues in isolation areas 15, 21, and 37."
Beep. Beep-beep. Beep, beep.
Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep.
Not long after Ha-yul sent out her aura, signals began pinging back from different directions. The sound of Morse code transmitted through the threads was like the heartbeat of the ark.
Ha-yul looked up, reading that pulse. "...No response from isolation areas 13, 17, and 23. Oh, 25 just sent an OK signal."
"What about the others?"
"No response."
Despite thorough preparations, there were always casualties. I couldn't be everywhere at once.
We immediately moved to the affected areas. As soon as we opened the steel door of isolation area 13, a zombie-like figure lunged at us.
"Ugh—!"
Startled, Ha-yul instinctively scattered her puppet strings. The limbs of the attacker were instantly wrapped in webs and fell with a splash.
"Rgh— Raaagh."
The attacker's body was half-melted, green skin growing where blood should have sprouted. As the skin grew, it quivered and croaked like a frog.
"Grgh, croak."
The person had already lost all sense or reason. From their eyes, now made entirely of water, flowed unbroken, weeping streams.
"Oppa."
Ha-yul pointed inside the isolation area, pulling my attention away from where it was ensnared by the eerie sight.
"There," she declared.
The room was filled with water, even though I had just opened the door. It was as if an invisible glass wall held the water in place, and floating within were only blue, yellow, and black shirts and pants. The people it had once held had vanished, swallowed by the void, and all that was left were the clothes, swimming through their makeshift aquarium like tropical fish. The only sound was the croaking of frogs, resonating through the water.
With some reluctance, I admitted, "It's probably impossible to prevent the flooding of area 13."
Area 4 and 13 were notorious trouble spots.[1] The command center where Noh Do-hwa and other leaders were stationed was in area 4, the most dangerous zone. In a similar vein, though we'd placed veterans in area 13, it too couldn't be saved. Even if we left the room empty, the 13th room would be randomly selected, leading to another disaster.
'No matter what we do, either area 4 or 13 will be breached. We need to reduce the number of isolation areas to 12 or less in the next cycle.'
I swallowed my frustration. "Let's move to the next area."
"Okay... What about this person?"
"It's too late. With this level of transformation, not even Ah-ryeon's healing can save them. They're no longer human."
"Should I kill them?"
"Yes," I said. "Step aside."
"No."
Ha-yul shook her head and raised her hand, spreading her fingers wide. "I'll do it." Then, she clenched her fingers tightly.
Fwik!
The victim, wrapped in puppet strings, was torn into hundreds of pieces, reminiscent of the opening scene of the movie Cube. Unlike Cube, however, the pieces didn't fall but turned into clear liquid, hopping like frogs.
Splash. Croak. Splash. Croak.
The frog croaks quickly faded, and the water level in the corridor dropped from our calves to our Achilles' tendons.
Ha-yul silently squeezed her arms close.
Fortunately, the other isolation areas hadn't suffered as badly as area 13, and rescue operations proceeded smoothly. In area 25, there were 17 missing or drowned, 21 severely mutated, and 2 injured in the ensuing scuffles. Thanks to the quick action of those around them, the severely mutated individuals were returned to human form. The constant reinforcement of "strategies" and "precautions" through SG Net and the physical world paid off.
"..."
However, one of the severely mutated individuals was late in returning to human form. He was a paladin who had come to support the ark from the Eastern Holy State alongside Sim Ah-ryeon. Not just his fingers, but also his toes, thighs, and neck had transformed into a frog, and he remained stuck in that state for six minutes.
Humans are weak. Six minutes is a long time. The brain suffers permanent damage without proper circulation and breathing within five minutes. Void poison affects not just the physical body but also the mind, consciousness, and memories.
"Parasites."
The paladin mumbled.
"People often say humans are like parasites to nature. But doesn't nature also parasitize humans? Blood is like a parasite living within us. Everything is made of matter, and matter exists only to sustain other matter. What is freedom? If a parasite leaves its host, it dies, but the will to leave still exists, if only for a moment. Therefore, escaping the body is both death and freedom. The leap from matter is a miracle that happens only once. Whether it is achieved by one's own decision or compulsion by others—"
"Shut up!" a survivor snapped. "Someone shut that bastard up!"
They weren't the only one. People wrapped in blankets watched the paladin's possessed ramblings with anxious eyes.
The strange thing was, the paladin wasn't speaking loudly. His confession was quiet, no louder than an old man coughing in a corner. Yet, every survivor in area 25 listened intently to his monologue. Even the most insensitive person could feel the intense focus.
Just as sight has direction, so does hearing.
"Oh, God. No, the One beyond God," The paladin continued. "The One who must be escorted out and exist free from me. The body is a prison, and the mind is the escape. I now understand why escaping the body is called freedom. All matter is like parasites on other matter. Oh, One, I too will join you..."
"Kill him!"
Whack.
A survivor threw a can at him. Objectively, it was an attack against a patient who was merely mumbling to himself. But no one stopped the violence.
"That bastard is a monster! Kill him!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
"Kill him before we all get infected!"
Tuna cans, water bottles, and anything they could grab were thrown at the paladin.
Croak. Croak. Croak. Croak.
The sound of frogs blended with the survivors' shouts. Yet no one seemed to hear the frogs, each consumed by their own voice.
"Enough." I stepped forward, sending a tremor shooting across the deck.
The survivors froze.
"All of you are addicted to the void."
"..."
"I understand. The voices of your constellations that used to comfort you have been cut off. The SG Net you clung to is down. Still, you must get used to this solitude for now."
"..."
"There may be different levels of contamination in each section, so the command center will maintain isolation. Use the puppet strings for communication and messages. The command center staff will patrol and check your status at least twice a day."
I glanced at the paladin. He was still mumbling. "I will take this contaminated person to the infirmary. Remember, he came from Pyongyang to support Busan."
"..."
I didn't reprimand them further. It wasn't their fault.
Carrying the paladin with me, I left the isolation area, and Ha-yul followed a step behind.
Splash, splash.
As we walked through the corridor, I glanced out the window.
雨雨雨雨雨雨雨雨雨雨雨雨雨.
It looked like we were underwater. The ark was still completely submerged.
According to Genesis, the great flood lasted 40 days.
And this was only day one.
Footnotes:
[1] The Korean word for the number 4 has the same pronunciation as the word for "death." It is often associated with bad luck for this reason, similar to the Western aversion to the number 13.
-x-X-x-
The Diver IV
After Busan and its maiden voyager had been submerged for four days, the ark continued to fulfill its role as an artifact submarine from an ancient civilization, drifting aimlessly around the water column.
[It's quite an exotic sight, like an orbital elevator from a sci-fi movie.]
That was the Saintess's evaluation of the craft. From an outsider's perspective, the sight of the massive waterspout rising from the surface to the troposphere might seem romantic. However, the people aboard the ark had an altogether different take on the matter. They felt like residents of a shantytown, trapped in a watery hell where their rooms could flood at any given moment and their bodies were perpetually drenched. Finding any sense of "romance" in that environment was nearly impossible.
[Residents from other regions also come out here to gaze up at the water column for a day. It's even visible from Japan.]
"How are the damage reports?"
[The other arks haven't sustained major damage.]
Despite the noise in the Saintess's Telepathy, her message was clear enough. How was communication possible even within the super monsoon, you might ask? It was thanks to a method discovered by chance.
I was currently positioned between isolation areas 9 and 10 on the ark. Interestingly, this exact spot corresponded to Platform 9 ¾, a location famous for leading to the magical world from another universe.[1] Only from this spot was communication with the outside possible. Its existence was discovered when Dang Seo-rin, just for fun, put up a sign.
We never did figure out why this supposed magical power worked even within the super monsoon. You'd have to ask the anomalies.
"Is there any sign of the super monsoon moving to another region?"
[None so far. The scouts from the Samcheon World Guild are flying around the waterspout and monitoring it day and night, but no significant anomalies have been detected yet.]
[Except, of course, for the very sight of a massive waterspout continuously swirling up to such a height.]
"Understood."
I nodded to myself. It was as expected.
'At least we've prevented the destruction of East Asia.'
If I hadn't taken any action, the 'super monsoon' would have poured heavy rain on the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese archipelago, and the Chinese continent for at least 200 days—possibly even up to 300 days—until every city was submerged. It was a true super monsoon, or a 'rain anomaly', an endless summer. It was the majesty of a great ocean anomaly.
[Mr. Undertaker.]
The Saintess's voice turned cautious.
[Has this monsoon repeated every six years in other cycles as well?]
"No. It's a relatively recent anomaly. Previously, it mostly affected Southeast Asia and the Americas. Only recently has it shifted toward the Korean Peninsula."
[Why would that happen?]
I had my own hypothesis. As I've mentioned several times, this world maintains a delicate balance among a variety of Outer Gods. A perceptive and wise reader who was familiar with Three Kingdoms history might describe it as a "tripod-shaped" balance.
"Imagine a bathroom bathtub."
[Bathroom... bathtub?]
"Yes. The bathtub is filled with seven different colored liquids, each using a very unique dye, so they don't mix or interact with each other. But then, someone—me, the Undertaker—suddenly pulls the drain plug. What happens next?"
[The different colored liquids will all rush toward the drain, causing chaos.]
[The seven dyes represent the seven Outer Gods.]
"Correct."
The liquids nearest to the drain, red (Infinite Void) and yellow (Infinite Metagame), are sucked down first. Those Outer Gods are eradicated. Then, the remaining liquids, which had been peacefully occupying their respective territories, start converging toward the drain to claim the vacancies.
"The drain is the Korean Peninsula."
[...]
"More specifically, it's the area where Outer Gods like Infinite Void have been eradicated."
As cycles passed, more powerful anomalies seemed to be converging around me. Ultimately, it was a battle to see which came first: my blocking the drain or the bathtub emptying entirely.
"I call this the 'Bathtub Theory.'"
[Your naming sense can be quite hard to understand sometimes. Like 'Ubiquitous.']
What was wrong with Ubiquitous? I thought it sounded great.
[And calling it a 'bathroom bathtub' instead of just a 'bathtub' makes you sound quite old-fashioned, Mr. Undertaker.]
Why was having a bathtub in the bathroom a symbol of age?
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
Just then, an alarm blared throughout the ark.
- It's falling again!
- Hold on to something! Anything!
- Buckle up! Don't grab your bags! Buckle up first!
The veterans adept with aura shouted orders from each isolation area. I couldn't continue my conversation with the Saintess.
"Sorry. It seems the ocean currents caused by the typhoon are acting up again. If you notice anything strange outside, contact me immediately."
[Okay. Be careful, Mr. Undertaker.]
Kwoong!
As soon as the communication ended, the massive ark rocked violently. The hull tilted and then immediately plunged downward. It felt like the ark had been struck by a torpedo.
Kyaaah!
- Stay calm! Stay calm!
The ocean currents within the super typhoon were far from gentle. The void poison disguised as sea water surged, swirled, and pounded in continuous waves until the 12-ark fleet was swept away by these currents.
Some days, the water level soared to the height of Mount Everest, 8,000 meters above sea level. On other days, it dropped rapidly to 2,000 meters. The abnormal altitude changes exposed the survivors to health risks—headaches, fainting, bleeding, eardrum rupture, and altitude sickness were common side effects. In severe cases, people were thrown like billiard balls, crashing into bulkheads that shattered their spines.
Even now, the healers with Sim Ah-ryeon as their central force were tirelessly treating the injured in three shifts. Without Sim Ah-ryon, the casualty count would have been at least ten times higher.
Beep-beep-beep-beep...
The sirens from the puppet strings gradually subsided, and the ark's vibrations slowed. But there was no time to relax.
- Damn, the water's coming in again!
- Move the water buckets! Move the water buckets!
Whenever there was a 'fall' or 'rise' within the super monsoon, flooding inevitably followed. Just like on the first day, the isolation areas were completely submerged. However, by now, the survivors had grown accustomed to it. Unlike the first day, where there was significant damage, people now moved in unison to bail out the water.
- Is anyone undergoing a physical transformation?
- There, help that person to the infirmary!
- Move in pairs! Never roam the ship alone!
After four days, the survivors had become much more efficient. Even SCVs could join the fight if needed. Humans were adaptors, beings who overcame their environments. Despite rooms flooding in the blink of an eye and limbs turning into frogs, humans had the strength to accept such changes. My role as a regressor was to create strategies and systems to help this strong vitality endure.
My chin dipped in satisfaction.
'It seems like I can leave for a while without any major issues.'
I returned to the command center. As soon as I opened the steel door, a monkey wrench flew at me. I dodged it easily and saw Noah (formerly Noh Do-hwa) glaring at me with hatred in her eyes.
"Noah, throwing random objects can hurt people."
"Damn it..."
"What if it wasn't me coming in just now? Someone could have been seriously injured."
"I can tell it's you just by your footsteps," Noah muttered. "Your footsteps are irritating."
Her look of utter fatigue was warranted. Living inside a submarine-like environment was far from comfortable. Sirens blared at all times, injuries occurred frequently, and free roller coaster rides were a regular occurrence. Seo Gyu, who prided himself on being a tough guy, had strapped himself to a bed with belts and fainted. Even Dang Seo-rin looked exhausted. Only Yu Ji-won, who seemed to have learned Napoleon's sleeping methods, was holding up well.[2] Everyone else in the command center was complaining of extreme fatigue.
"Good news, everyone. I've checked around, and there were no deaths in this flooding incident."
"Oh, really. What great news, just great, " Noah sneered. "Now, if we only didn't have to endure another 36 days in this rotten hellhole, we might even pop open a bottle of wine. Why are we even doing this...?"
"I have a suggestion."
"And that is...?"
"If you're looking to slice something off at the neck, make it the wine bottle's head, not mine."[3]
Since this conversation had happened in a previous cycle, I preempted it. Noah's face twisted with even deeper hatred.
"There are two ways to deal with the super monsoon. One is to endure it. If we hold out for another 36 days, it will end." I shrugged, adding, "In the previous cycle, I used this method."
"Then why not use it again? Why the sudden change in strategy...?"
"In the previous cycle, it also took us 31 days to reach a point where no one died."
"..."
"We still had to hold on for another week either way."
We had installed puppet strings to facilitate communication between isolation areas, used water buckets to bail out water, and maintained communication with the Saintess between isolation areas 12 and 13. These were all measures learned from sacrifices in previous cycles.
"But now, we're only on day four. Unless you enjoy roller coasters so much that you want to keep experiencing the thrill, I think it's a good time to try another strategy."
Noah stared at me silently. Due to excessive stress, the blood vessels of her left eye had burst, turning the white there blood red. Normally, healers would have immediately treated the eye, but this was wartime. There was no spare medical staff to treat something as trivial as an eye infection.
"So, this second strategy hasn't been tested before and will be attempted for the first time in this cycle?" she asked finally.
"Precisely."
"And if it fails...?"
"It will be the mother of success."
"Damn you..." Noah glared at me with her left eye closed (which was quite difficult to do). "So, what's this strategy?"
First, I transformed Ha-yul into a turtle shell.
"..."
"Let me know if it's uncomfortable, Ha-yul."
"..."
"Oh, right. You can't speak without your maid doll."
Thud!
Ha-yul punched me in the back of the head. It didn't hurt at all. For the record, I was wearing swim trunks. Ha-yul was in a wetsuit. It wasn't because I wanted to flaunt my abs or give a fanservice swimsuit scene. I aimed to be the first human to swim at an altitude of 8,000 meters (underwater).
Noah grimaced. "Are you insane...?"
"Yes. There must be an anomaly core inside that super monsoon, an 'eye of the storm.'" I tightened the specially made belt. The turtle shell formed by Ha-yul fit snugly on my back. Despite her resistance, she was essential for this mission.
"How do you plan to find the core in this massive storm...?"
"I will connect Ha-yul's puppet strings between the arks to create a vast spider web."
The ark fleet consisted of 12 ships. I planned to link several kilometers of puppet strings between these ships, adjusting them to avoid any tangling. The makeshift radars formed by the 12 ships would move through the storm, automatically searching for the anomaly core.
"It's highly likely this method will fail, given it's the first attempt. If the Saintess confirms that we're dead, just endure for the remaining 36 days."
"Without you, we'll probably fall apart soon. What a shitty world..."
"Well then, I'm off." I opened the window. Seawater rushed in but was blocked by my aura shield. "Ha-yul, don't you love swimming on vacations?"
"...! ...!"
"Let's become the first humans to swim in the sky. Ready, set, dive."
"...!"
"Three, two, one..."
"...! ...!"
"Go."
With a burst of aura in my legs, I dove into the water, and the rapid currents swept over me. Ha-yul, apparently delighted, kept drumming on my back.
This wasn't in any way revenge for Ha-yul tormenting me over the Uyuni trip. Absolutely not.
Footnotes:
[1] Platform 9 ¾ is a location from the Harry Potter series, a hidden train platform where wizarding students would cross from the human world into the magical world to take the train to school.
[2] The French military commander and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was said to power nap in two- to three-hour increments at a time during the less-busy periods of his day.
[3] Undertaker is probably referring to the glass bottle challenge where people use a knife to slice off the top of a bottle.
-x-X-x-
The Diver V
"Rgh, brp, blrgh...?"
Ha-yul struggled, clinging desperately to my back. She was being a bit dramatic. Unlike me, Ha-yul had been given goggles and an oxygen tank. Even her prosthetic leg had been replaced with 'Noah Workshop's Special Flippers.' If this were a gacha game, it would have been an SR-ranked item.
That's right. We were diving into a substance more toxic than a reactor pool in a nuclear meltdown, but Ha-yul had no real reason to struggle.
"Ha-yul." My gentle voice reverberated softly through the water, carried by my aura. "Have you watched Evangelion? Remember the scene where the pilot dissolves into the orange liquid? If you don't stay alert, only your diving suit will be left, and your whole body will dissolve."
"...! ...!"
"Raise your aura and cover your entire body with it. Continuously remind yourself of who you are. If it's too hard, think of your anger toward your father."
Of course, I would protect Ha-yul if things got truly dangerous. But I couldn't keep her sheltered forever. I was a harsh instructor to my guild members and comrades.
"Think of your mother if you prefer."
"Hrgh...?"
"I know your maid doll, the one you've carried since Japan, is actually your mother."
"..."
"If you disappear here, that doll will never move again."
Bubbles rose behind me in a gentle stream that somehow felt particularly cold.
Just like in other cycles, Ha-yul quickly adapted to the training. Her fingertips turned pale and transparent, but the contamination didn't extend beyond her arms. There were no signs of her transforming into a frog.
"Good. You did well."
"..."
"Always think about the existence you carry. Compared to your life, the void's poison is nothing."
I felt a small nod against the back of my neck. Unlike the vast emptiness of the sea, humans each dug a dark well into their hearts. I trusted the depth of that well more than the sea's expansiveness.
Swoosh.
As Ha-yul regained her composure, a creature swam past us about ten meters ahead. It was a shark-shaped anomaly.
"Uoooooh."
Ha-yul was startled, and for good reason. Sharks didn't normally make such noises, nor were they as transparent as glass, nor did they grow to be 20 meters long.
In this inhospitable ecosystem of the void, a bus-sized Megalodon swam past, alongside 15 of its kind. These sharks, extinct on Earth, were still thriving here.
"Uoooooh..."
"Uoooooh..."
Ha-yul clutched my neck with both hands (a habit she picked up from drinking with the National Road Director) and watched in amazement as the prehistoric sharks swam by.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Ha-yul's fingers tapped my neck like piano keys. It was a Morse code message, not a strange quirk.
Translated to regular speech, it meant, "Amazing."
Squeeze.
Ha-yul spoke.
"Beautiful."
Bubbles rose from the sharks as they swam away into the depths, uninterested in us. The ripples from their tails reached us, then delicately popped.
"Ha-yul, connect the puppet strings to the bow statue. I'll handle the swimming."
"..."
"Make sure to secure plenty of strings. If they break, we'll have to come back and reattach them."
The pressure of Ha-yul's massage on my neck seemed to increase.
The task proceeded smoothly after that. We installed puppet strings from Ark No. 1 and stretched them out to connect to Ark No. 4, as if laying underwater cables.
Huff, huff, haa...!
We took breaks ranging from three hours to half a day every time we reached a new ark. Even Awakeners, with our superhuman recovery, couldn't withstand the constant pressures of the super monsoon void for long.
After clinging to me underwater for hours, Ha-yul was left panting. "Exhausted."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. But I need more rest."
Even during breaks, Ha-yul held tightly to my left hand. It was understandable. For safety reasons, we couldn't bring her maid doll on this mission. Ha-yul could only communicate with me through sign language or Morse code.
Left with such extremely limited communication in the equally dangerous environment of the super monsoon void, old traumas resurfaced for Ha-yul. She had been neglected by her father—the former mayor of Busan, Jung Sang-guk—and lived a life of sheltered imprisonment. I was the one who brought her from Japan after she attempted suicide.
"Oppa."
"..."
"Living is too hard."
Ha-yul nestled into my arms like a baby kangaroo. I patted her head gently. With each stroke, her wet hair dried softly under my aura.
Human hands could cover many things. For instance, Ha-yul calling me "Oppa" while subtly confusing "O" with "A," making the pronunciation ambiguous. We never mentioned this fact.[1]
"..."
"..."
We shared human warmth through this simple connection. For a while, we just stayed like that, exchanging the warmth of our bodies.
The awakeners in charge of Ark No. 4 were astonished by our visit.
"Good heavens. Did you swim through the water to get here?"
"Yes. We connected the puppet strings from bow to bow. I'm continuously infusing them with aura to prevent them from breaking, but the ship might experience some unusual turbulence due to the currents. Don't be alarmed."
"Yes, sir..."
"I knew the cafe owner was extraordinary, but..."
The awakeners were clearly unsettled by our daring actions. After receiving reports at Ark No. 4, I immediately set out for the next destination.
"Sure enough, tackling the super monsoon early—even if strenuous—leads to far better results."
I swam through the transparent deep sea as I thought to myself. Ha-yul, having adapted, was now paddling along with me.
"In the previous cycle, the other arks suffered significant damage. Their mental limits are reached in about ten days."
We continued connecting the arks with puppet strings, steadily but without rushing. Any knowledgeable person would recognize the tactic as similar to the 'Chain-Link Strategy' from the Battle of Red Cliffs in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but although Cao Cao met his downfall due to this tactic, there was no Zhuge Liang or southeastern wind to thwart us here.[2] The end awaiting the super monsoon anomaly would be overwhelming destruction.
Swoosh.
Of course, the super monsoon had something akin to the southeastern wind: ocean currents.
"Rgh, brgh, brrrr..."
Whenever strong currents surged within the water typhoon, Ha-yul and I were tossed around like driftwood, sometimes swept thousands of meters away from where we began. Navigating in such conditions was nearly impossible. I relied on my superhuman senses honed through many cycles and my perfect memory, sending out my aura like a radar to find our way.
Centerbound, we slowly pushed our way through, deeper and deeper into the center.
"Uoooooh."
"Uoooooh, ooooh..."
As we neared the eye of the storm, the number of underwater anomalies increased. Besides Megalodons, there were Leviathan melvillei, Dunkleosteus, and Cameroceras—prehistoric rulers of the sea, swimming in their anomalous forms.[3]
It was as if they were asserting that true life on Earth belonged not to humans but to these depths.
"Kiyaaaah!"
Some creatures took an interest in the later-evolved humans. Ferocious, ancient whales attacked us with maws gaping. I drew my cane sword and demonstrated Moses's miracle firsthand. Unholy creatures, not recorded in the Bible, witnessed divine power and perished. This was proof that hierarchical culture didn't work when faced with the brutality of nature.
"Oppa, you're the best."
While fending off ancient sharks and whales, we finally connected all 12 arks. The work was completed on the ninth day, just as the sun was setting.
The fiery sunset set the storm's rain ablaze with color. Unlike the ocean, which only received sunlight on its surface, the storm absorbed the sunset across the length of its towering body, dyeing the deep sea a vivid red. The puppet strings we had laid reflected the crimson sunset, twinkling like the Milky Way.
"..."
Throughout the return to Ark No. 1, Ha-yul couldn't take her eyes off the storm's sunset. Even in the void's hell, designed to slaughter countless humans, there was beauty.
Life was brutal.
"Welcome back..."
Upon our return to Ark No. 1, Noah greeted us. Her eye infection had worsened so that, now, both of her eyes were bloodshot. I found myself surprised that Sim Ah-ryeon hadn't healed her yet.
"You survived, huh?" she noted. "Did you really find and connect all 11 other arks with puppet strings...?"
"Yes. We'll need to find a smarter method next cycle, but fortunately, the other arks haven't been as heavily contaminated by void poison as ours."
"Hmm..." Noah ran a skeptical gaze over us—specifically, over Ha-yul, who was clinging to me like a sloth. "You two seem even closer now..."
"After nearly a week of swimming together, you either become best friends or worst enemies." I patted Ha-yul's head. She happily leaned into my shoulder like a cat. "Now we just need to maneuver the arks to trap the super monsoon. Did anything happen while we were gone?"
"Well..." I expected a sarcastic remark about my survival, but Noah's eyes avoided mine.
A sudden sense of unease washed over me, prompting me to lower my voice. "Director, what's the issue?"
"Well, Undertaker, you know we thoroughly verified everyone boarding our ark..."
"Yes, we're sacrificing ourselves for East Asia. Ark No. 1 especially, which is far more dangerous, was boarded only with verified personnel."
"And I double-checked the list myself twice, but... it seems we had a stowaway."
"A stowaway?"
I frowned. People already refused to board the ark even when incentivized. What person in their right mind would board illegally? Moreover—
"You're saying our Awakeners failed to identify an illegal passenger?"
"Strictly speaking, 'illegal' might not be the right word. Witnesses say the person just appeared out of nowhere, as if they emerged from the floor..."
My sense of unease intensified. "Where is this passenger now?"
"We locked them in isolation area 13. It was the only empty space. Well, 'locked' isn't quite right. They volunteered to go there. Would you like to meet them?"
I did.
Isolation area 13 had been submerged entirely on day one. The water hadn't drained, and the clothes of the deceased floated like tropical fish.
There, kneeling calmly in the middle of the water, sat Go Yuri.
"..."
"Oh." Go Yuri smiled brightly. "Hello, guild leader Undertaker, yes? Long time no see."
I began to tremble like a small white bear facing a Malayan sun bear.
Footnotes:
[1] While "oppa" is a term of endearment used by a younger sister for her older brother (and other similar relationships), "appa" is used by a daughter for her father.
[2] The Battle of Red Cliffs was a turning point in Chinese history which paved the way for the Three Kingdoms period. In a catastrophic tactical error on the part of the warlord Cao Cao, he ordered his ships to be tied together to reduce the impact of the wind-born waves on the vessels and the crew, allowing his enemy—commanded by Zhuge Liang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms retelling—to set the entire brigade on fire and eventually storm and annihilate the camp ashore.
[3] A sperm whale but with fangs, a half-shark-half-orca but with armor, and a mollusk but with ambush 100, respectively. Basically, all prehistoric apex predators that could kill a human in a heartbeat.
-x-X-x-
The Diver VI
My inner Munch screamed in agony.
'Go Yuri? Why? Why Go Yuri?'
For context, I hadn't seen the real "Go Yuri" in millennia—2,112 years to be precise. It had been so long that even the people of Silla had rebuilt their nation and seen it fall twice. The Egyptians had had enough time to look at the pyramids they themselves had built and wonder, "Who could have constructed such magnificent structures?"
Just remaining composed enough to school my facial muscles took superhuman patience.
"Guild leader, your lips are trembling."
"...I've heard a lot about you." I immediately switched to method acting. Go Yuri? Who was that? I was merely a small café owner running a business near the Inunaki Tunnel. And Yu Ji-won's spirit was protecting me.
"Go Yuri," I greeted finally, "I heard you usually operate out of Daejeon. What brings you to Busan, and so unexpectedly?"
"Ah, um..."
"Given how often we see each other on SG Net, I'd love to accommodate you, but this is not the right time nor place. If you can't provide a satisfactory explanation, we'll have to follow protocol."
Go Yuri's eyes fixed on me. Her left hand lifted, reaching for me.
"Oh, I see."
Then, she stopped.
Whatever "Oh, I see" meant, I didn't want to know, nor could I even if I did. Any knowledge I believed I had almost certainly found its roots in brainwashing by Go Yuri.
"I'm sorry, guild leader." When I remained silent, Go Yuri retracted her hand, then bowed her head as I desperately tried to maintain doublethink. Her smile was as delicate and troublesome as the shade of a wisteria vine. "Honestly, I didn't intend to intrude on your hospitality."
"Then why..."
"Believe it or not, I simply woke up and found myself here."
"..."
"At first, I was very confused. I had been busy helping the refugees from Busan, and then suddenly, I was here."
It was hard to dismiss her explanation offhand, and not just because of her trustworthy demeanor and words. Knowing the truth was in and of itself inherently impossible. Unlike the relatively friendly 'unconscious Go Yuri,' the 'real Go Yuri' sitting in front of me felt somewhat rougher. I couldn't pinpoint exactly how or why; it was just a sense honed from living too long as a regressor.
"So, you're saying you have no particular purpose for your visit? If that's the case, we'll arrange for you to stay here until the super monsoon is dealt with. You might find the accommodations suboptimal, but please understand our situation."
"No, that's not it." Go Yuri smiled and waved her hand. "Guild leader, you're so quick to have your say. Do you always rush to conclusions?"
"..."
"You're right. This isn't the best time or place, but I must admit to feeling a tad wronged."
"Wronged?"
"Yes. After all, I'm not the only one here who 'shouldn't be' in this time and place, am I?"
I swallowed hard. The super monsoon wasn't supposed to strike the Korean Peninsula. The "Bathtub Effect" shouldn't have occurred. I caused it. The ark shouldn't exist here. Using puppet strings to tie up a typhoon wasn't supposed to be part of our strategy. Everything about the current situation was something that shouldn't be. Was Go Yuri pointing that out?
"I can't say I know why I ended up here, but isn't that the same for the whole of the human race? They don't know why they were born, yet they still strive to find their purpose."
"That is a rather abstract discussion," I managed.
"I know what I need to do here. I realized it quite immediately upon my arrival."
Slowly, a water bug crawled up Go Yuri's long index finger. Its tail flicked, creating small bubbles that popped near Go Yuri's mouth. She looked at the bug on her finger as if it were a cute little bird. Despite sitting underwater, her voice was steady and her hair remained in place. Even as the ark shook with the typhoon's waves, her posture never wavered. Her aura control must have been refined to an extremely fine-tuned state. Or perhaps it wasn't just aura...
"Guild leader, you intend to hunt a dragon, right?"
A dragon. I immediately understood that she meant the super monsoon anomaly.
"When you hunt the dragon, take me with you," she said pleasantly. "I'll undoubtedly be of help."
"...What if I said I couldn't suddenly include an outsider to Busan in our well-prepared operation?"
"Oh dear. In that case, I might just become a Busan citizen."
"..."
"I've always been a fan of Lotte!"[1]
It was an offer I couldn't refuse.
The operation to hunt the super monsoon, codenamed 'Typhoon Hunt,' was carried out as follows:
National Road Management agents ran around explaining the plan.
"In an hour, the arks will start shaking violently!"
"Everyone, please go to your assigned seats and fasten your seat belts! Even Awakeners must not unbuckle their belts!"
Seats in the isolation areas of the arks had been prepared in advance for the turbulent currents. These seats were like upgraded airplane seats. Unfortunately, the "upgrade" wasn't a bump in quality from economy- to business-class. Instead, it was a bondage-style upgrade with waist belts, chest belts, and leg belts designed to secure people firmly in place.
"Awakeners, hold onto the strings!"
"Orders will be given through the strings in real time! When you receive an order, inject as much aura into the strings as you can without exhausting yourself!"
Ha-yul's puppet strings were distributed to each passenger strapped into the bondage seats. These strings extended from the bulkhead of Ark No. 1 to its bow statue and further connected to the bow statues of the other arks. The 12-ark fleet was linked together by these strings, resembling the nerve tendrils of the protoss' Khala from Starcraft. Any reader familiar with Starcraft might sense autumn approaching with this setup of arks and Khala.[2]
In the operation control room, Yu Ji-won reported, "Sir, all Awakeners are seated." On her Mini-Map, thousands of Awakeners were displayed, so small that most were represented by tiny, two-centimeter chess pieces. Even the Saintess's Clairvoyance was almost useless in the storm, leaving us reliant on Ji-won's Mini-Map for managing this large-scale operation.
"What about the positions of the arks?" I questioned.
"They're spread out far enough. Even if the currents get rough, the chance of collisions are very low."
"Good."
I looked around to Noah, Dang Seo-rin, Sim Ah-ryeon, Lee Ha-yul, Yu Ji-won, and our unexpected guest, Go Yuri. Everyone but the last illegal immigrant was exhausted. However, their eyes still shone with determination. For this 'Typhoon Hunt' to be a success, none of them could be absent.
"Then, let's begin."
"...Are you sure about this, Undertaker?" Dang Seo-rin looked at me with concern. "You said the super monsoon would disappear if we held out for another 30 days. Why not just wait?"
"If we wait, it will return next summer, and we'll be back on the ark."
"..."
"Don't worry, Dang Seo-rin. This might not be comforting, but I've already lost my limbs multiple times."
"That's not comforting at all." Dang Seo-rin shook her head with an exasperated look, a face I had grown to like. "Okay. Then... Shall I sing?"
"Please."
Dang Seo-rin gently plucked the puppet strings and parted her lips.
"Ah――"
Her song flowed out, a chant. The first and second verses always involved 'repetition' and 'playback,' laying the foundation for her archmagic. The following spell was unique.
"――Ah―Ah―Ah―"
The spell was 'Sense Amplification.' It heightened human senses to their extreme limits—think the comic book cliché of bullets moving slowly enough to see with the naked eyes. However, it came with a downside: a keen awareness of one's heartbeat, blood flow, and the activity of internal organs. This made it more of a debuff than a buff for most Awakeners. Hence, Dang Seo-rin only cast 'Sense Amplification' on me.
With a pulse, my senses expanded infinitely.
My five senses at their base had already been sharpened to superhuman levels. With Dang Seo-rin's support, I could now feel every wave crashing against the bulkhead as if it were crashing directly onto my heart.
"Good... Ji-won."
"Yes."
"Cut them off."
"Excuse me, sir?" someone cried.
Slash.
Without hesitation, Yu Ji-won drew her sword and cut the fingers off both hands. Of course, they weren't her own fingers; they were mine. All ten of my fingers, left and right, were neatly severed. Excruciating pain surged through me, but I mastered it skillfully.
'What if I screamed like General Guan Yu did?'[3]
The curiosity was intense, but the fear of losing my honor was greater. I decided to satisfy this curiosity in the next cycle.
Without a single groan, I spoke calmly. "Director Noah. Now."
Noah sighed deeply but approached me to start her work. She attached prosthetics to my severed fingers, each designed to resemble my own fingers. Thanks to Noah's awakened abilities, these "fingers" felt as if they had always been a part of me. I moved them freely, without any sense of loss.
And these fingers were connected to puppet strings.
They had been designed that way from the start, like Spider-Man's fingers. The puppet strings extended from each fingertip, connecting to Ark No. 1 and linking further to the entire 12-ark fleet navigating through the typhoon.
"I'll heal you now, guild leader!"
Sim Ah-ryeon quickly approached and cast a healing spell on me, adhering the prosthetic fingers perfectly to my flesh. The moment my nerves connected with the puppet strings, my "eyes" opened.
"...!"
How could I describe this feeling?
I saw the sea. I heard it. I felt it. My nerves extended through the puppet strings to every corner of the ark. The strings stretched beyond the ark, flowing through the currents and waves. I sensed the exact positions and movements of all 12 arks. I knew their directions and the roughness of the sea they navigated.
'Ah.'
If a rider trained from childhood could achieve unity with their horse, then my current state was 'man-ship unity.' I tested the strings by channeling aura through them, feeling the ark surge forward.
- What's happening?
- Maybe just some waves.
- Wave detected. Wave detected.
I heard the voices of those inside the ark, surprised by the sudden movement. I even sensed the aura of an Awakener urgently transmitting Morse code. Everything was under my control. The omnipotence seeped in as I effortlessly commanded the massive vessels with a flick of my fingers.
Go Yuri watched me silently, smiling. Her gaze, like licking ice cream with her eyes, was unnerving. In ordinary times, I would have been disturbed, but now I had to focus on controlling the arks.
I turned to the operation control room and declared, "I've succeeded in controlling the arks."
Cheers erupted around me. Noah, in particular, muttered, "Crazy bastard..." with a bewildered smile. I smiled back.
"Let's hunt this typhoon."
It was time to end the summer.
Footnotes:
[1] Lotte is one of Korea's largest food conglomerates.
[2] In the military sci-fi franchise Starcraft, Khala is a religion and communal, psionic link between a race called the protoss. It became a catalyst for war when a malevolent actor used it to assume control of the protoss in an attempt to break the cycle of the universe and escape the Void. During one of the decisive battles toward the end of the war, the link connecting the protoss fleets was temporarily severed, allowing their worldships to launch a successful surprise attack on the opposing army.
[3] In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, General Guan Yu was shot through the arm with an arrow, leading to an injury that continued to pain him whenever there was a heavy downpour. He is said to have gone through the painful surgery required to correct it while still playing games and drinking with his men.