I leaned against the railing and looked down below.
"It's a scarier sea than I thought."
Logadu had explained to me, his face pale, why we shouldn't row.
Beneath this pitch-black sea, various sea monsters supposedly dwelled.
Normally docile, these creatures became aggressive and went hunting whenever they detected any energy other than that of the Mugu.
They were so sensitive that while a person briefly entering and exiting the water was fine, swimming inside would immediately draw them out.
"So that's why you waited for rescue even with quite a few sailors. Those things are the masters of this Black Sea. Once you're marked as a target, there's no escaping death."
Logadu finished speaking and squeezed his eyes shut.
He had seen one once, by chance, while standing on the shore.
An impossibly massive monster swimming in the middle of the black sea.
The mere thought of something like that attacking this galley was terrifying.
"When will the rescue come?"
"Maybe it'll never come?"
A woman around Momo's age, carrying her piggyback, walked over.
Logadu's daughter, Rimuna.
Rimuna shook her head.
"Actually, it's been a while since we stopped rowing and just drifted. We've strayed quite a bit from the routes the regular workboats use. They'll try to search for us if we don't come back, but whether they'll find us or not, no one knows."
"You said if you talk about trees, they'll become trees! You need to watch your mouth!"
"Wouldn't it be good if they became trees?"
"Huh?! I guess that makes sense too."
Logadu let out a groan and pulled two long sticks from his pocket.
"These are signal flares to mark our location. I had five, but I've already fired three."
"And still no rescue."
"Right. According to the work logs, they should have seen at least one of these signals. But strangely, there are no workboats around."
Logadu looked dejected, and Rimuna let out a deep sigh.
"Dad. Just do what these people say. If you use up those two flares, there won't be any other way. This is a short-term workboat, so we don't have any food either."
"No. They'll come."
Jinhyuk, who had been listening, spoke up.
"What if we can kill everything that comes?"
Perhaps it was an unexpected statement.
Rimuna and Logadu both turned their heads.
"We're pretty good at naval combat, you see. We've even caught a really huge sea monster before."
"It was a giant eel! It was super oily and delicious!"
"Momo helped prepare it!"
"Oh, is that so? Good boy?"
It seemed Rimuna had already fallen for Momo's charm.
She was vigorously squishing Momo's chubby cheeks.
"We can split up. A few people can row, and a few can guard the ship."
"A few people... That won't be easy. You've seen the size of this galley, haven't you? Three or four people rowing won't make it move."
"Don't worry about that."
I gave a thumbs-up.
Strength is something we have in abundance.
"The problem is..."
Rimuna narrowed her eyes.
"What if they swim up from below the sea? There's no way to tell if they're coming in this blackness."
"Don't worry about that!"
Kancho scurried off somewhere.
Soon, he came back dragging something.
Nia, who had been sleeping on the deck.
"When it gets dark all around, Nia's detection ability skyrockets! We'll know the moment they come!"
Where did he learn the word 'skyrocket'?
As I was forming a question mark, Kancho pulled a fishing line from his bag.
He must have stolen it from Grandpa Toto.
But what is he planning to do with Nia and a fishing line... gulp!
I swallowed dryly.
I thought he might have some brilliant idea.
But it was a much more straightforward method.
Kancho was tying the fishing line securely around Nia's sleeping belly.
He was planning to put the sleeping Nia in.
Into that pitch-black ink.
Camelia shook her head with a look that said it was hopeless.
"That thing is definitely going to hell."
"Kancho, what are you doing?!"
Momo jumped off from Rimuna's neck, shouting.
She was going to deliver justice to the Satanic Kancho... No, she wasn't.
She seemed to find it amusing.
She plopped down next to him and started tying the fishing line together.
"So the chubby one is going down too."
After thinking for a moment, I walked over to the Kancho-Momo duo.
Rimuna looked at me with a startled face.
Her eyes were asking me: Surely you're not going to join that parade too?
"Kancho, Momo."
"Yodel Ranger Deputy Commander Kancho!"
"Why did you call me!"
After taking a few deep breaths, I spoke with a solemn face.
"Tie it to me!"
Nia wasn't the only one with the 'In the Darkness' unique trait.
I had also acquired it during the last battle at the Tower of Babel.
Kancho jumped up from his spot and saluted with a face of utmost solemnity and reverence.
"I will never forget the noble sacrifice of the Supreme Commander!"
I don't plan on sacrificing myself, though?!
"I'm done tying!"
While I was distracted, Momo connected the fishing line to my body.
Her hands are fast.
"Momo, tie it in multiple layers. So I don't drift away."
One line isn't safe.
"Got it!"
Momo gave a chubby thumbs-up and, with incredible speed, created several butterfly knots.
It definitely felt more secure than before.
"Don't worry, Supreme Commander! I'll hold on tight and won't let go!"
Kancho held up a bamboo fishing rod.
It looked so flimsy that it wouldn't be surprising if it snapped at any moment.
Absolutely not.
"Logadu-nim. Is there a place to tie this? Preferably something that hangs down long, like an anchor."
I'm not just going into the sea to scout.
My friends will protect me, but it's better to keep the sea monsters as far from the ship as possible.
So I plan to do a proper job as bait.
To make the creatures called the masters of the Black Sea take their eyes off the galley's oars.
"There's a suitable spot. Follow me."
I followed Logadu.
I'll go up and change into my swimsuit.
'Being bait to clear the tower is a good experience.'
My master, Seira, had advised me to accumulate as many diverse experiences as possible.
I gave a thumbs-up to Seira, who was just walking onto the deck.
Her eyes were shaking violently, probably because of the butterfly knots tied all over my body.
I didn't bother asking if this was included in the experiences she told me to accumulate.
Some things are better left unsaid.
That's just how it is.
Anyway, let's go.
* * *
The island surrounded by the black sea, Famiran.
An old man standing in the island's tallest building spoke.
"The workboat?"
"There's no need to worry. It hasn't returned for two days now."
We tampered with the power source below deck and changed the schedules of the other workboats.
There will be no safe rescue.
The old man nodded and stroked his white beard.
"I hope they understand. That all of this is for the island."
"Is there anything to understand or not? They won't know the truth until the moment they die anyway. They'll just think they were unlucky."
"Marundo."
"Yes, Head of the House."
"My foolish son."
"Yes...?"
The old man furrowed his brow.
"They were sacrificed for the island. At the very least, showing respect is the duty of a human. With that kind of mindset, it's no wonder your Mugu always turns out like that."
"I-I'm sorry."
Marundo bowed his head and gritted his teeth.
He was the one who ordered all of this, and now he's spouting such sentimental nonsense.
It's hypocrisy so chilling it makes your skin crawl.
The old man got up and walked to the railing.
Then he scattered the wine glass he was holding towards the sea.
"Rest in peace. Thanks to your sacrifice, the masters of the Black Sea will be quiet for a while."
The island of Mugu, Famiran.
For Famiran, the Black Sea is both a deadly danger and an indispensable source of life.
So they have no choice but to obey.
The great providence of nature, the absolute rules set by the Black Sea.
* * *
The very rear end of the galley.
Jinhyuk, standing at the edge, looked around.
"Hmm!"
The personnel arrangement was perfect.
Darke and Renya were on oars, Elia and Camelia were on deck defense, and Kancho and Seira were tasked with striking the monsters that would appear from now on.
Nia, the sin of Sloth and Gluttony, was currently hanging from Kancho's bamboo fishing rod as the last line of defense.
If, by any chance, the monsters ignored me and swarmed the galley, she was to enter the water.
And what about the chubby Momo?!
*Beep! Beeeep! Beep beep!*
"No! You're supposed to row when the beep sound fades!"
General Mo was in charge of directing the two rowers whose breathing was impossibly out of sync.
At the loud scolding, Darke let out a deep sigh.
"The sounds are all different: beep, beeeep, beep beep, and beep beep beep. How are we supposed to match them? Why don't we just do 'one, two'?"
"What?!"
Momo's eyes shook dangerously.
"Darke, why are you so smart! Hey, you stupid Yodel! This isn't good!"
Momo, who was wrongly blaming the Yodel whistle, made Kancho shake his head.
"It's hopeless. That thing. Useless."
With General Mo as the rowing master, and Darke and Renya as rowers.
It's a combination that, in a different sense, inspires zero confidence.
Down below deck... will they be okay?
Logadu, the foreman of the galley, put his hand on my shoulder.
He seemed quite worried about me going into that dark place.
Let me reassure him quickly.
"It's fine. No matter what comes, I won't get hurt..."
"Is that rowing team going to be okay?"
Ah, that's what he was worried about.
"Hmm."
I rubbed my chin and gave a slightly uncertain thumbs-up.
"They'll be fine. Probably?"
"I-I'm trusting you."
"Shall we depart, then?"
"Let's."
At Logadu's signal, the galley's sails were unfurled.
The galley caught the wind and began to glide slowly across the sea.
After securely fitting my snorkeling goggles, I jumped into the sea.
The bait game begins.
'Ugh.'
The moment I splashed in, my face scrunched up.
There was no such thing as the refreshing feeling of the sea.
All that existed was a sticky texture clinging to every part of my body.
Even with my status effect immunity, I was worried my body might be rotting.
Of course, maybe it was because I had entered a sea where nothing was visible.
Strangely, I felt a bit calmer.
[The unique trait 'In the Darkness' is activated! All senses become clear!]
My nose scrunched up again.
The already unpleasant texture became even more distinct.
And then, some time passed.
The gliding galley began to pick up speed.
Darke and Renya must have started rowing.
My body was dragged along, dangling accordingly.
The speed is just right... huh?
*Kwaaaaaaah!!*
For some reason.
Just when I thought it should stop accelerating, the speed kept increasing without end.
And perhaps because of this effect.
In the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen.
*Gulp!*
Something began to move.
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T/N:
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