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Chapter 230

After a long struggle with the Coast Guard, the actions taken by the pirate ship were simple. Like something emerging from the ocean floor, it turned its bow toward the horizon and began to sink slowly.

“Haha, look at those guys running away! You lot, keep living like that—this city isn’t going to crumble!”

Seeing that some of the crowd cheered at the sight, Yeonwoo couldn’t help but smile bitterly. If they keep doing this forever, then sure, it’ll eventually crumble. Not even for a lifetime would it take that long.

Though it may seem like a complete victory for the Coast Guard, it’s important to remember that the opponent is the Undead. Unlike the pirate crew that can be resurrected with time, the crew of the Coast Guard is finite.

I apologize for speaking like it’s a resource, but as they continue to weather this barrage, it’s only a matter of time before the Coast Guard becomes a hospital ward, and at that moment, the downfall of this city will be inevitable.

However, it would be thoughtless to say, “No, this is the enemy’s strategy,” right in front of the evident victory; hence Yeonwoo kept his mouth shut.

The crowd was half celebrating their victory and half worried about what’s to come. After months of struggle, it’s no wonder such thoughts sprang to mind.

“Hmm.”

Is there no device to track the location of the pirate ship? The Undead pirates aside, the necromancer is clearly human. They must need rest, so there should be a base somewhere. It would be great if they could track the pirate ship.

“Oh, everyone. Here you are!”

As if hearing Yeonwoo’s thoughts, a friendly voice called out. It was Amir, serving as a priest of Sebek and purifying the Undead that fell into the sea while cooperating with the Coast Guard.

It was the result of his request to come to Gangneung early to help the Coast Guard. Since most divine arts relate to souls, he couldn’t refuse.

“Amir! Are you off to work?”

“Haha, that’s right. I can’t participate in the battle directly. Even with a radar, it’s hard to find the Undead in the sea, so I’m helping from there.”

“…Oh ho?”

What’s this? Suddenly, a sound waves detector appears right in front of me. Thank you! Looks like being good really pays off!

*

“Bubble bubble.”

“Gurgle.”

Air bubbles pop through the mask. Yeonwoo and Seong-ryong exchanged signals underwater, nodding at each other as they glided through the sea.

– Is it true that humans can’t speak underwater? What a fragile species…

Just as they were thinking that, a huge crocodile swam in between them. On its back was Amir, decked out in scuba diving gear like Yeonwoo and Seong-ryong, looking quite tense as if it were his first time diving.

[Hey, you’re too big. You’re blocking us.]

– Me? Blocking? No, you’re just too slow. Hurry up and catch up!

Yeonwoo found himself dumbfounded at Sebek’s haughty demeanor. Really, why does a Nile crocodile like him get to swim in the sea?

Isn’t it ridiculous in the first place for an aquatic creature to speak down to humans?

– Who decided that I’m a Nile crocodile? I’m the crocodile god! A great crocodile born in the sea of chaos; I should be on par with these mortals!

With such confidence, Yeonwoo thought, ‘Wow, that’s a grand way of saying “I’m awesome.”’ While staring at Sebek with a pitiful gaze, he decided it was time to pay more attention to their surroundings.

[Hmm, I can’t see anything.]

[Exactly. Even with a flashlight, it’s too dark to see anything.]

Yeonwoo waved the flashlight around, but the surroundings were filled with pitch-black water, making it nearly impossible to discern anything.

They had dived down deep enough, but it shouldn’t have been so deep that nothing was visible.

During this discussion, Sebek began to glow with multicolored light. Whoa, a glimmering crocodile! Why is he trying to stand out so much?

– It’s likely a trick of the monsters. Once one of them splashed ink, they all joined in to create chaos. Such foolish beings.

[It’s not helping us in any way. Amir, the location of the Undead is being tracked, right?]

[Yes, yes! Of course! They’re leisurely moving about 2 km ahead!]

In response to Yeonwoo’s question, Amir answered nervously. Just to clarify, the reason Yeonwoo was gripping him like a mouse was not because he was scared, but because he feared the monsters lurking in the sea.

Under the sea~, Yeonwoo hummed an old cartoon song that might trigger memories of mermaids. Disney might even catch that!

Basically, because Sebek was with them, it was rare for monsters to approach them, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. Especially the dim-witted low-tier monsters were clueless.

Since he couldn’t retrieve White if he dropped it, Yeonwoo employed the doppelganger shaped like a spear to turn the swarming piranhas into sashimi.

‘Call me Ishmael….’

Objectively speaking, isn’t he looking super cool right now? With ease, Yeonwoo pulled the spear out and thought about it. No one was listening. Absolutely the best.

*

The children who couldn’t keep up with Yeonwoo’s undersea adventure were sulking. While pondering how to cheer them up, Nea returned to the hotel and treated the kids to a basket of ice cream.

It was clear their faces were already melting like the ice cream, but their attempts to pretend they were not happy were downright adorable.

Soon, the children took their desired ice creams and started to lick them quietly. Just how endearing are tongues that cute? What are kids, anyway?

With a warm smile on her face, Nea caught sight of Riley from a spot where the kids couldn’t see, motioning for her to come over.

“Why the sudden call?”

“Nea, don’t you want to see what your husband is up to?”

“Are you saying I can see what Yeonwoo is doing? …Not that he’s my husband!”

“Everyone thinks you two are a couple, but you’re the only ones denying it.”

“What did you just say?”

“I’m looking for a comic that talks about that. Do you have any knowledge of it?”

“Oh, if it’s that…”

Nea started to chatter excitedly about content she had seen in the library’s comic corner, even sharing bits she hasn’t asked about, while Riley sighed in relief. He could win in a duel, but there was no way to outtalk her.

Researchers call her a master of gaslighting, but the only entity that could rival her is the golden dragon standing before him…

“So, are we going to watch? You’re worried about him anyway, right? I’ve set it up, and Yeonwoo knows, so you don’t need to worry about it later.”

Upon hearing those words, Nea’s face brightened as she nodded knowingly.

‘Though you said not to show it to anyone, Nea, you are hardly someone else.’

If you’re going to complain, you should have spoken properly. Strategies are fundamentally about understanding the dynamics within a group and pleasing the leader. As much as Yeonwoo would drop dead for Nea’s words, raising her favorability is always a good plan.

*

[The ship has stopped!]

At Amir’s voice, the group, who had been progressing slowly, halted. Seong-ryong manipulated the device on his wrist to mark it on the map.

About 20-30 km off the beach. It’s quite a distance, whether considered far or near. Yet they still couldn’t catch them, due to the lack of specialists like Amir.

[Alright, let’s surface and change our oxygen tanks first.]

[Hmm, good idea. I don’t know what made us stop down there, but we should make our supplies while we can.]

– Alright, I’ll head up first, so hold on tight, Amir.

The three of them and one crocodile began to ascend toward the surface at once. No matter how excellent the two awakened ones were, swimming around 30 km with bare bodies was impossible.

Pretending to proceed with post-mortem processing as usual, they discreetly boarded the boat and followed closely behind, while the Coast Guard’s vessel trailed far behind.

The signal must have just gone through the equipment, so they would be coming soon.

As they leisurely approached the surface, the sound of a motor engine rang out. It was the Coast Guard’s speedboat. A man standing at the bow shouted.

“Did you find it!?”

Yeonwoo nodded instead of answering. Though it was somewhat far, the man was a renowned awakener. There’s no way he wouldn’t have seen it. The man’s face brightened, and the party boarded the approaching speedboat.

Yeonwoo and Seong-ryong were the first to climb up the ladder to the deck, throwing their masks off joyfully, while Amir, who followed behind, also removed his mask and enjoyed the breeze.

Then, quietly following behind, Sebek climbed the ladder with his croc form. The crew struggled to contain their laughter as they tried to quickly turn their heads away.

It’s considered unsightly to walk on two legs as an alligator… they should at least take on a beastfolk form… The captain, trying to ignore that situation, asked them.

“What will you do now?”

“…Hmm, shall we dive again?”

“What about Amir?”

“With Sebek around, there’s no need for worry… or so I’d like to say, but in case of an emergency when we need to get out quickly, Amir might suffer from barotrauma. We can manage with mana, but you’re not accustomed to it.”

“Hmm, you’re right. So shall we go with that? Is that alright?”

When Seong-ryong asked the captain back, the captain nodded after a moment of thought.

Though it was questionable whether it was okay to assign such a task to an academy student, realizing that apart from the captain, the only ones capable were the two on board, he must have decided there was no reason to doubt them, especially since they were the contracted companions of the dragon.

In a hunter society that values skill over age, it was a wise decision. It would have annoyed Yeonwoo more if they had held back just because he was ‘young.’

“So what’s down there? Is there a reason the pirate ship stopped?”

“According to the radar, there’s an underwater cave. They must have set up their base there.”

“Hmm, that’s tricky. We can’t say much since it’s outside our territorial waters.”

“Hahaha…”

The captain chuckled awkwardly, realizing that most nations couldn’t even properly maintain the 12 nautical miles they considered their territorial waters, thus acknowledging their capabilities from a safe distance.

“Then shall we grab a bite to eat while we’re at it? We caught quite a lot on the way here.”

“Oh….”

Good instincts. Yeonwoo, Seong-ryong, and Sebek gave a thumbs-up. Just don’t use your front legs like hands…

(To be continued in the next installment)

 

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