Chapter 33: Ex Machina (2)
Despite being underwater, movement was surprisingly free.
It wasn’t quite like flying through the sky, but the resistance from the water wasn’t as burdensome as expected.
That was thanks to the aerodynamic design of the battle suit.
[The design was inspired by the scales of fish that cut through the water.]
‘Did you design this yourself?’
[No. The design came from the underwater exploration ships and battle suits of Planet Eos.]
Come to think of it, the Eosians must have also used battle suits.
The core within Genocide was something even the Eosians handled with extreme secrecy, so it wouldn’t have been common...
[Indeed. Even on Planet Eos, there weren’t many battle suits advanced enough for someone like Master to wear. Moreover, this battle suit has been further enhanced with monster materials and magitech.]
At level 4, I gained the skill 'Magitech Engineering'.
It allowed me to significantly upgrade not only Genocide, but also Bippo’s capabilities and the output of the chain sword.
Nova also benefited from this.
Despite being an AI from a highly advanced civilization, Nova had been unable to detect or utilize mana.
But after adding a spell circuit, even Nova was able to harness mana.
This was something even the Eosians would have never imagined.
[Still, this might not be the best time to marvel at the battle suit’s capabilities. Isn’t it a bit reckless to ignore big data and act solely on your instincts, Master?]
‘Don’t worry. Even if I’m wrong, we can always retreat. Besides, we’ve got insurance, don’t we?’
Why did I stop the expedition fleet’s ships near the Siren Island?
If I’m wrong, I can just undo the hack and get the ships moving again.
We’ll be slightly delayed, but the expedition will proceed as planned.
[You seem to have forgotten that we’re dealing with an 8th-level named monster. Remember what happened with the Bone Dragon last time? It easily kept up with the speed of the battle suit.]
‘I got it. I’ll be as careful as possible.’
This action was based more on instinct than data analysis.
Nova’s concerns were understandable.
After all, the lives of many people, including the Mir Merchant Guild’s father and daughter, were at stake, but I couldn’t back down.
I’ve always had an unusually accurate intuition.
When I had a strong feeling about something, whether good or bad, it almost always came true.
At one point, I even seriously considered becoming a shaman.
This time was no different.
That’s why, despite Nova’s warnings, I pressed on, even in uncertain circumstances.
As I was deep in thought, Nova said something unexpected.
[It might be a manifestation of precognitive abilities.]
‘Precognition? Are you saying I’m truly possessed?’
[Not in a supernatural sense. You’re aware that phantom from other world possess psychic abilities, right? In worlds without hunters, there are individuals with such abilities. They can exhibit strange powers without the use of skill books. It’s possible that Master has unknowingly awakened a similar ability.]
Could my unusually sharp intuition actually be a psychic power?
I’d never considered that before. Of course, this was still just a hypothesis from Nova.
[If your intuition is correct again this time, we might need to take it more seriously.]
‘Alright, then. We’ll think about it when the time comes.’
I refocused on the situation at hand.
Since the advent of the hunter era, the sea was no longer the exclusive domain of humans.
Fishing was nearly impossible, and even operating a trading ship required hunters to risk their lives.
But that was only from a human perspective. The sea itself had remained largely unchanged since ancient times.
Whether monsters were present or not, the blue sea was as beautiful as ever.
As I descended deeper into the East Sea, fish of various shapes and sizes swam freely around me.
If this had been shallower water, I might have even seen some coral reefs.
Even in this dire situation, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
“Awesome!”
There had once been concerns that the appearance of monsters would lead to the collapse of marine ecosystems.
It was feared that large, fast monsters would devour smaller species, breaking the food chain.
But that turned out to be an unfounded worry.
As if it had always been this way, the marine monsters and the existing fish adapted and balanced out harmoniously.
In fact, it was said that the ecosystem was healthier now than when humans were overfishing.
The same was true on land, where dense forests were thriving in the Red Zones, attracting a much greater diversity of animals.
[In the end, all life except for humans has flourished. Some scientists even theorize that monsters are like antibiotics created by Earth.]
‘I’ve heard that before. They say Earth took drastic measures to eliminate the virus called humanity.’
The appearance of monsters following the Great Cataclysm remains an unsolved mystery.
Could it be that Earth really created them to punish humanity?
As I pondered this and admired the vast East Sea, the inevitable happened.
[A buzzsaw shark is approaching from your 7 o’clock. It will collide with you in approximately 8 seconds.]
The buzzsaw shark, a sea monster that appeared along with the Great Cataclysm.
Its entire body was covered in spikes that spun like a chainsaw, shredding any prey it caught.
Although its estimated level was only 4, it was extremely rare for hunters to successfully hunt it due to its underwater habitat.
Looking in the direction Nova indicated, I saw it rapidly speeding toward me, even underwater.
It was moving so fast that the water parted as it cut through.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The buzzsaw shark was about 2 meters long, not particularly large for a monster, but it was incredibly intimidating.
It felt like being charged at by a chainsaw-wielding maniac.
“Well, I won’t lose in a chainsaw fight,”
I drew my chain sword and activated it.
Even underwater, the chain blade began spinning rapidly.
Whirr!
The chain sword had been significantly enhanced with magitech.
Its rotation speed and destructive power had greatly increased compared to when it was powered by a simple electronic circuit.
I swung the chain sword, aiming to strike the buzzsaw shark that was darting toward me like a guided missile.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!
The chain sword and the buzzsaw shark collided head-on.
The rotating blade and the shark’s spikes seemed to be locked in a struggle, pushing and pulling against each other.
If this were on land, sparks would have flown everywhere.
The battle didn’t last long. The difference in power was clear.
The chain sword shredded through the buzzsaw shark’s spikes, slicing it cleanly from its snout to its tail.
Zzzzzzt!
The bisected body of the buzzsaw shark spurted out red blood, which quickly dissipated into the vast ocean. Attracted by the scent, small fish began to gather, nibbling on the remains of the buzzsaw shark. These were the very fish that would have normally been prey for the buzzsaw shark—regular fish, not even monsters.
In no time, the buzzshark's corpse was picked clean, leaving only bones, which slowly sank to the ocean floor.
"This is the circle of life."
Hyun Suho toggled the power of his chainsword on and off to check its operation.
"The power is too strong. Can it be reduced a bit?"
[We can deliberately limit the rotation speed, but it might be better not to use the spinning blade at all if you want to fight according to your intention.]
‘Got it, it’s probably better not to use the blade at all.’
Using plasma underwater posed various limitations. Using bullets was out of the question.
After moving a bit further, they finally arrived at the domain of the Sirens.
"Hmm... seems like they've come out to greet us?"
[No one on Earth or anywhere else in the universe would call that a 'greeting.' That's a combat stance.]
As expected, a large number of Sirens had gathered around the island, standing guard.
From a distance, Hyun Suho could see the imposing figures of Sirens holding giant tridents.
These were likely sentinels, standing ready to repel intruders.
[What will you do? You can still turn back if you want.]
‘...Let’s proceed according to plan.’
Although he hesitated briefly upon seeing the Sirens up close, it was too late to turn back after coming this far.
Besides, Nova had suggested that his intuition might be a form of precognition, hadn’t he?
He put away his sword and moved forward.
The Sirens, having detected the intruder's presence from afar, started to approach.
Twelve Sirens with red scales—all of them female.
But their appearance was quite different from what Hyun Suho had expected.
Sirens were said to have an upper body resembling a human, but they were ultimately monsters.
With dull gray skin, scales sprouting from their faces, vertically slit eyes, mouths large enough to swallow a human whole, and sharp teeth like serrated blades, they were terrifying to behold, enough to make anyone scream if not under their spell.
The materials provided by the Wonsan City had described them this way too.
However, the Sirens he saw up close were nothing like that.
They had fair skin, well-defined facial features, and smooth flowing hair.
If it weren’t for their fish-like lower bodies, they could easily be mistaken for humans.
Moreover, all twelve of them were as beautiful as any top-tier celebrity.
Rather than Sirens, they looked more like...
"Mermaids? A Mermaid?"
Their appearance was more akin to the mermaids from fairy tales rather than the mythical monsters.
Well, considering the origins, Sirens and Mermaids are essentially the same.
‘This is the crucial part.’
As the Sirens approached with deadly intent in their eyes, Hyun Suho raised both hands and said:
"I have no intention of fighting. I want to talk with you!"
The Mermaids halted at his words.
Could they hear him clearly underwater?
What if they communicated through gestures instead of sounds?
Should he switch to a different language if they didn't understand Korean?
He had many questions, but in the absence of information, he had no choice but to proceed.
Thankfully, although the Mermaids stopped approaching at his words, they didn’t respond either.
[If this goes wrong, we’ll need to escape immediately.]
‘I understand.’
Just as he was about to break the silence, unable to bear the tension any longer, another Siren emerged from behind.
She was also female, but her tail wasn’t red.
"A golden tail?"
A magnificent golden tail shimmered brightly.
This was the 8th-level Named Monster, declared untouchable by the South Korean government.
And she was right before his eyes...
‘Something feels off.’
If this was indeed the 8th-level Golden Tail, he should have felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
But the golden-tailed Siren before him, though stronger than the others, didn’t seem to be on par with the Bone Dragon.
‘Is it a different entity with the same tail color?’
While Hyun Suho pondered this, the Siren opened her mouth.
"Silence! We will never trust you humans again!"
She spoke fluent Korean.
Judging by her lip movements, it wasn’t a translation spell either.
‘As I thought, they understand our language.’
Some monsters in the Red Zone were intelligent enough to understand human language.
In some countries, people even communicated and traded with such monsters.
Usually, the higher their level, the more intelligent they were, so Hyun Suho had suspected that Sirens might understand human speech.
Knowing they could communicate was a significant first step.
“It seems there’s some misunderstanding. I just want to talk.”
Even if it was an 8th-level Golden Tail, a large-scale hunt involving the marine specialist hunter Akula would be no easy task.
Regardless of the outcome, both sides would suffer significant losses.
If the Sirens had intelligence, they would surely be aware of this. Unfortunately, their distrust and anger towards humans had reached a boiling point.
"What new lies are you trying to deceive us with this time? I don’t want to hear it! Everyone, kill him!"
At the command of the golden-tailed Siren, the red-tailed Sirens, who had been standing at attention, quickly surrounded Hyun Suho.
[I knew it would come to this.]
‘Hold on, not yet.’
Though he said that, he was already prepared to bolt if things went south.
“I’m not here to fight, I—”
“Attack!”
Ignoring his words, the golden-tailed Siren issued her order, and the twelve Sirens, who had been waiting, simultaneously charged at Hyun Suho.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
The Sirens propelled themselves forward with powerful strokes of their tails.
The speed and intensity were far greater than that of the buzzsaw shark he had encountered earlier.
[They’re all around level 5 to 6, Master!]
It reminded Hyun Suho of the first time he met the father-daughter duo from the Mir Merchant Guild.
I remember how nervous I was when I faced three Level 5 Gung-gi at the same time.
Now, I'm up against twelve Sirens that are even stronger than those Gung-gi.
Moreover, since we're underwater, the Sirens' actual combat strength is at least one level higher.
Despite knowing all of this, Hyun Suho moved without hesitation.
'Here I go!'
[I'll provide support.]
Combat underwater has many similarities to aerial combat.
Unlike ground battles where you only need to watch your front, back, and sides, here, you also have to be cautious of attacks from above and below.
So, I just need to fight with a strategy similar to when I fought the Wyverns before.
The most important thing is speed.
From the perspective of something fast, something slow might as well be standing still.
[Activating turbo engine.]
Vroooom!
As he used the Genocide Core for output, his speed suddenly increased.
The Sirens, who were approaching, seemed surprised by the sudden acceleration.
However, the Sirens are also professionals in underwater combat.
As Hyun Suho's body came within range, they thrust their tridents like springs.
Swoosh!
"Eek!"
He dodged the thrusting spear and spiraled around the shaft, charging forward.
A fast yet smooth movement that was only possible with immense power output.
The Siren, startled by the maneuver, hurriedly retracted her trident, but...
Thud!
She couldn't avoid the punch to her abdomen.
“Ugh!”
On the outside, she looks slender and delicate like a lady, but in the sea, she reigns as a tyrant.
Even though she was hit in the solar plexus, there was no way she'd be knocked out by just one punch, especially since it wasn't even a sword strike.
Knowing this, Hyun Suho swung his fist again.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
A golden tail, enraged by the sight of her comrade being hit, rushed, or rather, swam toward him.
“%@#^@$!”
She shouted in the Siren's language, not Korean.
Though I don't know what she said, it was probably some very nasty curse.
“Give me a break!”
The golden tail also looked slender and delicate, but she was incredibly strong.
If I hadn't reached Level 4 and learned magical engineering, I wouldn't have stood a chance against her.
That is, assuming I didn't use plasma.
But fortunately, at this moment, Hyun Suho was slightly stronger.
He dodged all twelve Sirens' attacks while continuously inflicting damage on the golden tail.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
“@%@#^%$!”
Annoyed by Hyun Suho’s elusive movements, the golden tail frantically swung her trident, shouting something else.
But there was no way he’d get caught so easily.
Hyun Suho continued to neutralize the other red tails while targeting the golden tail.
Eventually...
“Ugh!”
With a recognizable groan, the golden tail retreated.
The red tails that were fighting alongside her were also completely exhausted.
Luckily, no one was seriously injured or killed.
If I intended to kill them, I would have used my sword long ago.
Taking advantage of the brief lull in the battle, Hyun Suho attempted to communicate again.
"I told you, I just want to talk. I even destroyed the humans' ship to come here and speak with you."
If communication doesn't work here, we're in big trouble.
From the few words exchanged earlier, I was convinced that my guess was right, so I became even more anxious.
Hyun Suho waited as calmly as possible for the golden tail to speak...
"Waaah!"
Suddenly, she started crying.
"Huh?"
It was only natural to be taken aback.
She seemed like a delicate yet strong Siren warrior, after all.
The red tails around her also seemed surprised, but they quickly rushed to comfort her, indicating that this was a common occurrence.
Then...
"I’m going to tell my sister about this!"
Leaving those words behind, she swam away.
The red tails looked back and forth between the golden tail and Hyun Suho before finally following her.
Suddenly, I was left in a situation where I felt like a dog chasing a chicken.
[What will you do now?]
“...I’m not sure.”
It was a truly perplexing situation.
