Chapter 270
Rumble—!
White sea foam filled the ocean.
An undead whale, made of smooth bone, swam gracefully, flicking its tailfin elegantly.
Hot on its tail was a massive, colossal monster—Abyssal Horror—pursuing it at terrifying speed.
‘How can something that big swim this fast?!’
[Boy! Another one is coming from behind!]
As Simon rolled his eyes to glance back and instinctively ducked his head, Abyssal Horror’s breath attack just barely grazed above him. A blue flash tore through the sea like a blade splitting the ocean in two.
‘Ah.’
In that moment—
Simon realized something.
‘The breath attack feels slower now.’
Of course, the breath hadn’t actually slowed down. It was just that Simon, in a heightened state of awareness after surviving death multiple times, began to perceive everything with extreme clarity and focus.
The world, was flowing in slow motion.
‘It’s been a while.’
He felt good, his condition was sharp.
Simon controlled Deimos, making its head turn. The undead whale, which had been fleeing for dear life, suddenly shifted directions. Abyssal Horror seemed startled and momentarily slowed its pursuit.
‘Since it’s come to this anyway…’
Simon’s eyes turned cold.
‘Let’s go all in.’
As Deimos opened its wide jaws, a sphere of magical energy began churning violently inside, swirling with seawater.
‘Current Cannon!’
With a thunderous boom, Deimos’ current cannon launched and exploded against a part of Abyssal Horror’s face. Abyssal Horror twisted its body in agony and let out a wretched cry, then charged forward even more enraged.
Simon didn’t retreat. He had Deimos charge straight in, pouring refined Darkness into it.
The Darkness flowed along Deimos’ skeletal frame, concentrating into the bones of its pectoral fin—sharpening the tip into a blade-like edge.
‘Now!’
Right before they collided, Deimos suddenly dived and swooped under Abyssal Horror’s belly, thrusting its fin like a sword and stabbing into the monster’s abdomen.
In that position—
Slllaaaaash!
They tore forward in a straight line. A long gash opened across Abyssal Horror’s belly, and a stream of blood burst out.
—Grrrrrrrraaaaaagh!
As Abyssal Horror thrashed in pain, Simon and Deimos quickly pulled away.
Simon clicked his tongue, looking dissatisfied.
‘It’s so damn big, I can’t get a proper hit in!’
Deimos darted through the water, slicing through the currents. Abyssal Horror, refusing to lose its prey, gave chase with its massive body.
As it fled, Deimos fired off short current cannons behind it.
Each time it shot, the area around its mouth flashed and burst, black sprays of water launching back—yet Abyssal Horror took every hit head-on, charging through them unfazed.
Soon, Abyssal Horror opened its jaws wide.
‘Down!’
Deimos dove straight downward, and the enormous breath attack passed just above, blasting a hole into the sea. Simon’s mind reeled—getting hit by that, suit or not, meant certain death.
‘There’s only one option left now.’
Simon decided to leave evasive maneuvers entirely to Deimos.
He closed his eyes and placed his palm on Deimos’ head. Through the psychic link, he could feel the summoning magic circle connected to Deimos.
‘What Senior Diego tried so hard to bring out…’
Deimos wasn’t just about current cannons.
The real reason why Deimos was once called the “Ruler of the Sea”.
Simon activated a dormant formula embedded in one corner of the summoning circle.
Thump!
He could feel Deimos’ consciousness expanding. His brain burned with heat, every nerve in his body stood on edge.
Thump! Thump!
“Kh…!”
A low groan escaped Simon’s lips as a tremendous pressure flooded in through their connection. The world around him distorted like a chaotic canvas.
‘…Focus!’
Forget the breath attack coming from behind. It didn’t matter.
All that mattered now was pulling out everything Deimos had to offer.
Simon and Deimos—their Darkness began to bubble and boil in unison.
[Boy! If you push further, your mind will overload!]
No. He could go further.
No hesitation. No drawing lines at supposed limits.
He believed—truly believed—that he could do it.
‘I…!’
Electric shocks crackled through his mind.
His eyes absorbed the world.
His consciousness expanded endlessly, as if placing the entirety of creation beneath his feet.
Simon’s pupils gleamed in a brilliant, golden hue.
‘Am omnipotent.’
Boom.
A hole broke open, and sunlight streamed in.
KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!
The summoning circle roared, and Deimos let out a thunderous cry.
Visible thoughts, or mental images, or ultrasonic waves—or perhaps something beyond all of them—radiated outward across the entire sea.
Wriggle. Wriggle.
From the seabed.
From the water’s surface.
From underwater caves.
From beneath rocks.
Countless lifeforms began responding to the sound and rising upward. Fish and monsters alike, all converging toward the origin of that call.
“Wh-What the hell?!”
Students who were hunting in the outer seas flinched in panic and backed away. Schools of fish surged past them in huge numbers.
“Wh-Where are you going?!”
Maelyn, who had been hunting a Pulpa, was left stunned as the monster she was fighting suddenly turned and fled like it had been bewitched.
Other monsters followed suit.
The once-empty sea, silent in the presence of the colossal Abyssal Horror, was now overflowing with life, painted with vibrant colors and patterns.
Chatter, chatter, chatter!
Spectators watching the observer screens began to erupt in noise.
“D-Do you see this?! Are your eyes open wide, everyone!!”
The commentator, more excited than ever before, screamed hoarsely.
“What in the world is happening?! It’s like all the sea’s creatures and monsters made an appointment to start migrating together!”
As the commentator turned his head, the usually composed Professor Jane had risen from her seat, staring at the screen.
“Professor Jane! What on earth is—?!”
“Deimos.”
“…Sorry?”
“Deimos is an ‘Alpha’.”
“An Alpha? I—I’m not sure I understand! Is that a technical term? Please explain for the audience—!”
“It means a being with the authority to control marine life!”
Jane raised her voice.
The reason Deimos was once called the ‘Ruler of the Sea’ wasn’t because of its size or strength, it was because of the countless marine lifeforms that followed and guarded it.
‘But…’
The ability to control the sea—being an ‘Alpha’—was believed to be Deimos’ unique trait when it was alive. Everyone thought that this power had been lost when it was turned into an undead Underworld Whale.
‘So how… how did he reawaken that power?’
Kiiii!
Gurururuk!
Purururururur!
Marine life of all shapes and colors swam freely, gathering around Simon and Deimos.
It was like a massive, beautiful rainbow surging through the sea.
A dazzling display of grandeur.
Even Abyssal Horror, seemingly startled, couldn't approach. The swarm of marine life that had gathered into a cluster was larger than its own enormous body.
‘Good.’
Feeling the presence of tens of thousands of creatures, Simon activated Deimos’ summoning circle.
There was only one command.
[Follow me.]
Ruuuuuuumble—!
Immediately, all the marine life stirred up bubbles as they surged toward Deimos. Simon led them, swimming straight into Abyssal Horror in a ramming formation.
Fish bit into Abyssal Horror’s flesh, and monsters like Wulphes and Gamban sank in their sharp teeth. A swarm of Pulpa, poisonous squid-like monsters, unleashed clouds of venom.
Abyssal Horror thrashed in agony, feeling pain sharpen every inch of its massive body.
But Abyssal Horror wasn’t going down without a fight.
Tiny holes, like pores, opened all over its body, and white, worm-like parasites shot out to battle the fish and monsters.
Then Abyssal Horror itself rolled its eyes, spotted Simon and Deimos, and charged at them with its mouth wide open.
‘Downward!’
Simon dove, and above him, Abyssal Horror’s massive mouth descended, dragging with it hundreds of thousands of fish and monsters, creating a scene so grand it left one breathless.
“Khhuuh!”
As the depth increased, the pressure on his body became harder to bear. He endured it as best he could by activating Internal Darkness Divergence.
At the same time, Deimos, preparing its Current Cannon, made a sharp turn. Then, it rushed straight toward Abyssal Horror’s wide-open mouth.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three consecutive Current Cannons exploded inside Abyssal Horror’s mouth, erupting into clouds of thick black smoke.
Simon’s eyes flashed.
‘Cloud!’
He activated a summoning circle prepared behind him. A teal-colored mist flowed out, wrapping around Deimos.
In the dark ocean, the white skeletal frame of the whale gleamed like an emerald jewel.
It looked like a gemstone sculpture, lighting up the abyss.
‘Charge in!’
Simon and Deimos entered Abyssal Horror’s gaping mouth.
‘Forward!’
Simon held onto his fading consciousness and issued the charge command.
It was an irrational act, something no sane person would do, but he moved forward, nonetheless.
His vision was bathed in crimson. Only crimson.
Where there was an opening, he burrowed in. Where there were walls, he tore through them. Delving endlessly into darkness, Deimos bombarded the internal organs with Current Cannons.
Whatever got in the way, Simon crushed and ripped through it, until—far in the distance—he saw a sliver of light.
‘That way!’
Finally bursting through a corner of flesh by force, Simon and Deimos grasped the light.
Splash!
Water again.
Simon shook his head, as though shaking off all the gunk on his body, and looked back.
They had emerged from a tiny hole in Abyssal Horror’s spine.
And then—
Ruuuuuuuuumble!
Abyssal Horror’s massive body, drained of strength, collapsed and sank into the pitch-black ocean floor.
‘Huff! Haaah!’
Simon’s senses finally returned. He trembled uncontrollably. He couldn’t tell what the hell he’d just done, or whether what just happened was real or a dream.
He slowly looked down at his Tongue Pad.
Numbers didn’t lie.
‘I did it!’
A shivering jolt of euphoria ran through his body.
But Simon still wasn’t satisfied.
He ascended toward the surface with Deimos, and countless marine monsters and fish followed behind him.
The sea shimmered in rainbow hues.
* * *
A remote island in the open sea.
Splash!
Slosh, slosh.
On this tiny island filled with palm trees, Hector, wearing the Sea Dragon Scales, emerged from the ocean soaking wet and trudged onto land.
‘I’m tired as hell.’
Thank goodness he found an island midway. He let out a long sigh, peeled off the scales to dry them in the sun, and brought up his Tongue Pad to check the rankings.
‘With this, I’ve definitely reclaimed first place.’
He scrolled up the rankings from the bottom.
4th – Shatel: 7,980 Points
Hector clicked his tongue.
That bastard looked like he couldn’t do a thing in the water, yet he was always near the top.
3rd – Elisa: 8,100 Points
Elisa of the ghost ship.
This woman, who crafted ships using Spiritology, was built for the sea—couldn’t be helped.
2nd – Hector: 8,240 Points
But why was he second? Who was above him?
Hector scowled and checked the top ranking. And then—
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
He let out a roar of rage and hurled the Tongue Pad strapped to his arm onto the ground.
1st – Simon: 106,850 Points
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters