〈Episode 20. The Disaster of Deluge (4)〉
The Queen of the fish-dragons cut through the current as she approached.
The sheer grandeur created by her streamlined body sent the waters of the Han River surging. Startled incarnations immediately backed away from the river.
Kuuooooo!
"Uaaaah, shit!"
"What the hell is that?!"
Just meeting her gaze was enough to feel overwhelming authority. I was facing the ruler of an entire species. It made me realize anew just how incredible Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung really were.
"Bow."
Even at my command, the Queen merely shook the water from her whiskers, pretending not to hear. As expected—having the same skill didn't mean it would have the same effect. Come to think of it, it had been similar when I borrowed Lycaon's Path of the Wind.
With no other choice, I moved closer and climbed up her scales.
Kurrrrr.
The Queen's massive body bucked violently, as if rejecting my touch. This was my limit. Honestly, just synchronizing with the Queen felt like my frontal lobe was slowly burning away.
Leaving the stunned incarnations behind, I spoke.
"Let's go."
And then the Queen began to thrash.
As if playing a prank on me, she started swimming up and down between the depths and the surface, completely unconcerned with my breathing.
"Puh—hak!"
Dangling like a soaked mouse, I gasped for air again and again.
"Damn it…!"
Grooooo.
As if amused, the surrounding fish-dragons cried out toward me.
[Constellation, 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband,' snickers while watching you.]
The control was a mess, but still, the Queen was slowly moving in the direction I wanted.
Southwest of Yongsan District.
There lay one of the few islands in the Han River area—Nodeul Island.
And if my memory was correct, that island was also the place with the highest probability of the Disaster of Deluge hatching.
"The fifth disaster hatched on an artificial island in the Han River."
Ways of Survival never clearly specified the year in which the story took place. Because of that, I never knew exactly which year it was set in. I vaguely assumed it was close to my own time, but since it was a novel that had been serialized for ten years, the technological timeline didn't always line up.
That was why Ways of Survival barely mentioned modern devices and sometimes didn't even use fixed place names.
This was one of those cases.
"An artificial island in the Han River"… just where was that supposed to be?
Even so, I was able to identify Nodeul Island thanks to the descriptions in the novel and the size of the meteorite.
Chwaaaash!
My thoughts were cut short as the Queen stopped abruptly.
I rolled once and was thrown straight onto Nodeul Island.
Queen Mirvad glanced at me once before disappearing back into the Han River.
Cold-hearted brat.
[Exclusive Skill, 'Bookmark,' has been deactivated.]
"Bleeeergh."
After vomiting up all the river water I'd swallowed, the world spun. When I raised my head, the scenery of Nodeul Island spread out before me.
I'd never been to Nodeul Island even before the disaster, so the feeling was strange.
The sparsely spread trees looked like they belonged to a world that hadn't yet met its end.
Taking advantage of the fish-dragons' disappearance, incarnations on the opposite bank began preparing to cross the river. A sharp sensation pricked my skin, and before I knew it, I could see several incarnations flying through the air.
Holding my breath, I hid behind a tree and watched them.
"Where is he? He definitely came this way."
I hadn't expected so many of them to have learned Aerial Maneuver already.
They weren't even regressors—why were they adapting so fast?
Five or six men landed lightly on Nodeul Island and scanned their surroundings.
"Hey, guys. Let's look together and split the reward. That guy looked strong—honestly, none of us could take him alone."
"That's what I think too. You saw the stars over his head earlier, right? He looked like a monster."
"Judging by how he controlled monsters, he's at least got a hero-grade attribute."
"…Still, you think he's as strong as the Tyrant of the West?"
For people who came to kill someone, the conversation was surprisingly casual.
Comparing me to Yoo Joonghyuk—how flattering.
I was thinking of staying hidden until the time limit ran out, but then someone emerged from the forest on the island.
"Hey, old men. Leave the island while I'm still asking nicely."
A bold voice.
A girl wearing a black hooded zip-up over her school uniform skirt walked toward the men, holding a long blade.
"What the hell are you?"
"That brat's got some nerve—"
Slash.
"Fuuuck, my arm!"
Slice.
"Aaaaaagh!"
As the sword traced lines through the air, men whose arms had been severed screamed. One incarnation, relatively young, shouted,
"It's her—Chungmugong!"
"What? Why the hell is she here?!"
"Run! Everyone, run!"
Watching the incarnations flee in panic using Aerial Maneuver, I thought once again that talent was truly talent for a reason.
To grow that strong in such a short time… unbelievable.
No matter how close a friend's descendant might be, it seemed that the Great Admiral Yi would not choose just anyone as his incarnation.
The girl's sharp longsword pointed straight at me.
"Hey, mister. Why don't you come out already? You've got a big fat 'Target' marker floating over your head—what's the point of hiding?"
Come to think of it, the arrow was still hovering above my head.
With a sigh, I stepped out of the forest, raising both hands.
"So, are you going to kill me too?"
"I want to, but my master would probably be sad, so I'll let you live."
The girl with the long blade—Lee Jihye—grinned as she sheathed her sword.
We'd only been apart ten days, but she'd already grown more brazen.
Lee Jihye glanced over my injured arm and continued.
"So? Been doing well? You don't look like you have."
"If you know, don't ask. I thought you went back to Taepung Girls' High—what are you doing here?"
"My master came to get me a few days ago. No idea how he tracked me down."
Yoo Joonghyuk?
Well, Lee Jihye was a core member of his party. I'd expected him to find her eventually, but still…
Using [Cold-Blooded Observation], I roughly estimated her stats.
Around 160 or higher.
Her stamina and strength seemed slightly lower, but even so, she was already nearing the stat cap of the Fifth Scenario.
On top of that, [Ghost Slayer] and [Swordsmanship Training] had clearly advanced another step.
For some reason, everyone from Ways of Survival seemed to grow faster when they were out of my sight.
Did they all have their own Hyperbolic Time Chambers or something?
"What about your group, mister? Did you meet Heewon unni?"
"They're waiting in Yongsan District. I haven't seen Heewon yet."
"That's a shame. I wanted to see her at least once."
Now that I thought about it, Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye did have similar roles.
Carefully scanning our surroundings, I asked,
"Is Yoo Joonghyuk here too?"
"Huh? Didn't you come knowing that already?"
At that moment, a commotion erupted near the edge of Nodeul Island.
Incarnations battling sea serpents had drawn close to the island before we knew it.
Some arrived on paddle boats, others swam. A few came by cruise ships, while others landed using special skills.
It was a bizarre sight—almost like a group tour.
"Find him! He's here!"
And judging by the looks of it, I was today's tourist attraction.
Lee Jihye frowned at the approaching incarnations.
"…Why did you bring those riffraff here?"
"Why else? I brought them to fight the Disaster."
Those with resolve would form factions and prepare on their own—but not everyone was like that. Unaffiliated incarnations would scatter across Seoul, hiding and waiting for someone else to clear the Main Scenario for them.
The resulting loss of combat power would be catastrophic.
The final Disaster couldn't be cleared with half-hearted resolve.
Everyone had to fight together—
"Why bother doing that? You don't even need to kill it."
"What?"
"We don't have to defeat the Disaster. That's what my master said."
At my confused look, Lee Jihye continued.
"He said that as long as he's here, the final Disaster isn't dangerous at all. He just told me to keep useless people off the island—ah, damn it, they're rushing in."
She drew her sword again and dashed forward.
So that was why she was controlling access to the island.
But she wasn't the only one doing it.
Near the shoreline, a massive man was waving his hand at the incoming boats.
"Everyone, you cannot enter this area. This is a dangerous zone!"
"What? Who the hell are you?"
"I am Second Lieutenant of Unit 6502—"
"How dare some lousy lieutenant run his mouth at us!"
The man's blade flew toward him—only to be casually caught in the lieutenant's hand.
"…Resisting public authority is dangerous, sir."
"L-let go!"
The lieutenant wore something like a powered suit reminiscent of a giant bear, with scruffy stubble covering his face.
"I will escort you to a safe location."
With one hand, the lieutenant effortlessly lifted the man and hurled him across the Han River.
KWAHHHH!
The man shot through the air and slammed into the opposite shore with a thunderous crash.
The lieutenant asked calmly,
"Does anyone else require guidance?"
"Crazy! He's a monster!"
As the incarnations backed away, the lieutenant wore a weary expression, like someone who had accumulated a mountain of experience.
Utter exhaustion.
A gaze I hadn't seen in a long time.
「It's hard…」
「I'm going to die…」
「Dokja-ssi, where are you…」
"Lee Hyunsung."
At my call, Lee Hyunsung turned toward me.
His face looked like someone who had just found an oasis in the middle of a desert.
"Dokja… Dokja-ssi?"
He started walking toward me.
Instinctively, I took a step back.
"D-Dokja-ssi! It's me! Lee Hyunsung!"
Just as I was about to speak, another group of incarnations burst in noisily.
"The target's over there! Chase him!"
Lee Hyunsung's face crumpled like paper.
"I told you… this is a dangerous area!"
Then, as if on reflex, he turned his back and slammed his fist into the ground.
[Character 'Lee Hyunsung' uses Stigma 'Shatter Mount Taesan Lv. 5'!]
The entirety of Nodeul Island seemed to lurch, and then the edge of the island exploded with a deafening roar. For a moment, I stood there dumbfounded, watching incarnations fly through the air.
Yoo Joonghyuk, you bastard—just how hard do you have to work a person to make them like this…?
Beaming, I called out to the approaching Lee Hyunsung.
"Where is Yoo Joonghyuk?"
A faint look of disappointment crossed Lee Hyunsung's face.
"Ah, he's… in the center of the island. I, um…"
"I'll be right back. We'll talk then."
Ignoring the longing in Lee Hyunsung's eyes, I sprinted toward the island's center. There were countless things I wanted to ask him, but now wasn't the time to savor a reunion. There was something I needed to confirm immediately.
How long had I pushed through the forest?
A colossal meteorite embedded in the middle of the park came into view.
Far larger than any meteorite I had seen before.
The crimson aura clinging to its surface unmistakably embodied annihilation.
And standing before that meteorite—
A woman.
"Ah, you are…?"
The moment Lee Seolhwa's expression changed, the person I was looking for stepped out from behind the meteorite.
"Yoo Joonghyuk."
Yoo Joonghyuk stood there, expressionless, radiating his inherent presence.
"What exactly are you doing right now?"
"You have foresight. You should already know."
Seeing him answer so calmly left me momentarily speechless.
A [Yellow Meteorite] embedded halfway into the massive [Disaster Meteorite].
I immediately understood why he had rushed here.
"Don't tell me… you fed the Guide Meteorite to the Disaster?"
"Guides only become a hindrance later anyway. It's better to kill them while we still can."
Of course. My bad premonitions were always right.
This bastard was trying to force the Disaster to hatch early.
No wonder—he really was Lee Seolhwa's lover.
"No, seriously, why? Fine, the Guides are one thing—but what are you planning by awakening the Disaster early? Have you finally lost your mind?"
A trace of disappointment flickered in Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes.
"Seems even you don't fully understand this time."
"What?"
"This Disaster… was my companion in a previous life."
Yeah, no kidding. As if I didn't know that.
With his usual arrogant expression, Yoo Joonghyuk declared,
"Which is why this Disaster is safe."
…Safe?
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
Ah… Joonghyuk. Right.
I knew it. I was wondering why you were doing too well this round.
['Disaster of Floods' is preparing to hatch.]
I'd forgotten for a moment, after being helped so many times.
That this guppy bastard in front of me would still have to die hundreds more times before he could even barely take one step toward the ending.