Book 18 Chapter 10
130화
“From now on, the [banquet] shall begin.”
What exactly is the banquet hall that the Nagas speak of? It is a place for slaughter.
“A selection ceremony to offer the finest sacrifice to the ancient ruler of the sea, Shu’Yulcula!”
Then, what is the slaughter for? It is a slaughter to weed out high-quality sacrifices (祭物)!
“Only the best sacrifice, who survives here, shall be granted the glory of becoming one (合一) with Him!”
In this vast space formed in the underwater realm, humans captured as prisoners must escape.
“May you joyfully accept our will and devotion, great monarch of the deep sea who will return on the day the celestial bodies are realigned!”
What must they escape from?
If it were only the monsters that dominate the deep sea, one might even call it a stroke of luck.
“Survive, humans! Shurrrut! The one who survives until the end, I will let them leave this place!”
The Naga’s best hunters are poised for ‘human hunting’! What cruelty is this!
“Shurrrrub, you ignorant humans.”
“We Nagas keep our promises. We will let you leave this place, Shurrrut.”
“But we never said we’d let you leave the sea. You’ll merely be offered as sacrifice. Shurrut, Shurrut!”
As the Grand Chief’s speech concluded, the Nagas of the Eight Sea Clans, who had been looking down at the banquet hall from the seats of honor, exchanged cunning smiles!
How does one survive?
It’s a battle royale!
Acquire equipment scattered throughout the underwater space, escape from Naga hunters and underwater monsters, and kill other humans to survive!
“Y-you’re kidding! My son is right here, so you’re telling me to kill my own son to get out of here?”
“Shurrrurut! You can just have another son, can’t you?”
“Y-you demons…!”
Before the <Ones Who Came> arrived on this land as light, the evil gods of the outer cosmos reportedly conducted similar games throughout the world.
How can humans killing each other possibly be a game?
The sight of humans losing their humanity! The spectacle of them losing the essence of creation! To those heinous beings, it is an infinitely joyful sight!
“O-oh, Mom…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, everything will be okay. Now, stop your tears.”
There is no way out of this deep-sea nightmare!
Parents, helpless in their inability to do anything, can only comfort their children with lies!
The Naga hunter in charge of this sector struck the floor with the butt of his trident, erupting in a roar.
“Shurrrrub! The game begins in 600 seconds, you lowly humans. Why aren’t you running away?”
A loud boom echoed somewhere in the banquet hall.
Once, then again, and yet again.
Had the fight among the survivors already begun?
“There are quite a few proactive ones in this battle royale. Shurrrut, if you want to survive too—!”
“—Kiiya-hahahahahat!”
Was that frail laughter the insane echo of a survivor?
No, it was not.
What was carried through the deep-sea currents was unmistakably the smell of blood.
It was not human blood, but the blood of their fellow Nagas, blessed by the sea!
“This is the best! Amazing! The saying ‘dreams come true’ was real!”
The Naga hunter turned his head in the direction of the voice… and instantly, his sensory nerves were severed from his central nervous system.
It was an ice blade!
Without any warning, a high-speed projectile of ice instantly sliced off the neck of this elite Naga hunter.
“W-what in the…?”
“What? What happened…?”
The survivors sensed a new threat and clung to each other, trembling in fear.
But there was nowhere to run!
However, in the next moment!
What emerged from beyond the ice projectile, slowly melting from the deep-sea temperature, was not a bizarrely mixed form of water snake and human!
“…A b-boy?”
“…W-what strange attire.”
“…W-who is it?”
It was a single boy!
The being who slaughtered the elite Naga hunter in 0.5 seconds was a human boy, neatly dressed in a traditional Korean formal suit, a hanbok, from the north!
When everyone’s attention was focused on him, the boy casually tilted his gat, which cast a shadow over his delicate eyes, and smiled with a satisfied look! A madman!
“[The Strongest Mage], grand entrance.”