EP.3 The Era of Deep Diving

 

 

 

Parang was a reincarnator. After seeing the ending of her favorite novel and reading the author’s postscript, she went to bed and woke up to find herself in the world of the novel. It was a very classic reincarnation scenario.

 

However, as we all know, just because one reincarnates in a classic manner doesn’t mean their life will be straightforward.

 

At the age of 15, when she regained her past life’s memories, she took some time to carefully recall the original story she had read.

 

And she thought to herself,

 

‘As long as I don’t get involved with the protagonist!’

 

The hunter novel she had read was very standard. Every plot, every event followed clichés to the letter, the epitome of a classic storyline. The endings of episodes were predictable from the moment they began.

 

Yet, it was popular because the author was exceptionally skilled at writing action scenes.

 

While it wasn’t a ‘masterpiece that turned the genre novel world upside down’, it was perfect for killing time.

 

And as is typical with classic hunter novels, the enemies the protagonist and their party faced became increasingly unimaginable.

 

Throughout, they never ventured underwater (Parang’s only complaint about the novel).

 

So, what would happen if Parang clumsily joined the protagonist’s party? Instant death. Early elimination guaranteed.

 

Rather than diving into that madness, choosing a life in the sea, her lifelong dream, was the obvious choice for Parang.

 

And luckily for Parang, the Earth remained relatively peaceful until the ending. The so-called “fields” only transformed places like the Sahara Desert, parts of northern Africa, and southern South America.

 

Thanks to the protagonist forming a harem with hunters from around the world, most countries were well-defended.

 

Thus, as long as Parang stayed hidden somewhere in South Korea, she wouldn’t get swept up in the original events and die.

 

Moreover, Parang was reincarnated as an orphan, making it even easier to live as she pleased. Nothing could stop her.

 

Whether the status window knew this or not, it gave her an S-rank skill selection privilege, as if encouraging her to do something…

 

“Who cares about gender if I can stay underwater for 24 hours?”

 

Oh dear. What a pity.

 

And time flew by, and lo and behold, it was June 11th!

 

The day the original novel reached its ending.

 

– Crack! Hiss- Fizz… –

 

Parang opened a can of beer, placed it on the side table next to the sofa, and turned on her phone to watch TTube. The top recommended video was a LIVE broadcast.

 

[Silo Exclusive Coverage – Slayers Ascension Ceremony LIVE]

 

Unbelievable. The original story ended with the protagonist, Hunter Han Siwoo, and his entire harem ascending to become gods.

 

Parang felt a strange sensation as she watched.

 

The feelings she had towards the protagonist and his party were akin to those one might have towards Queen Elizabeth—utter indifference.

 

In the beginning, she had anxiously scoured internet communities, worried that the original plot might deviate. But after a year, she stopped caring altogether.

 

Still, she decided to watch the ending live, just to see it with her own eyes. There were things she needed to confirm.

 

For some reason, they stood in the middle of an endless ocean, with no land in sight. The only thing around was a broadcast helicopter dispatched by Silo. Parang knew why.

 

As described in the novel, a pillar of light burst from the sky above them, and halos of light emanated from the bodies of the Slayers, lifting them into the sky.

 

As they ascended, the protagonist’s body began to crack and split. The broadcast quality and cinematography were top-notch, likely due to extensive preparation by Silo.

 

Soon, the heroines’ bodies also began to crack and split. This was the process of shedding their human forms and acquiring divine bodies.

 

Artifacts, skill scrolls, and various belongings of the 15 members of the protagonist’s party fell into the ocean with splashes.

 

This was why they chose to ascend in the middle of the ocean, to prevent the artifacts, each crafted by the protagonist and at the level of divine quality, from spreading into the world.

 

Finally, as the last heroine ascended above the clouds and the sky closed, it was over. The end.

 

Parang sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead, and turned off her phone.

 

Her mind was a whirl of thoughts.

 

At times like this, she turned to her hobbies. Surprisingly, besides fishing, diving, and sleeping underwater, Parang had another hobby: drawing.

 

In her previous life, she had been an artist. She wasn’t a diver simply due to circumstances.

 

Parang sprang up from the sofa and moved to her studio.

 

– Whirr- Slide. –

 

The door to the studio opposite her bedroom opened with a futuristic mechanical sound.

 

In line with her tastes, Parang’s home had a futuristic interior with a white base and blue neon accents.

 

The interior and exterior of her house, with its futuristic design and blue neon accents, made for a stunning view when photographed by the sea.

 

“Hmm…”

 

As she entered her studio, numerous paintings she had created were displayed in a row. Naturally, the subjects were water, the sea, fish, and monster fish.

 

From simple fish to entirely blue paintings, and even monsters that seemed impossible to exist on Earth, her artworks varied widely.

 

Parang sat in front of an easel in the middle of the room and picked up her brush. She intended to finish the painting she had been working on.

 

The subject was a Galecus, a monster fish that evolved from the ribbonfish due to the influence of an underwater gate.

 

The original ribbonfish was known for swimming vertically, making it nearly impossible to discern its direction in the water. Following it could easily lead one into the inescapable depths of the ocean.

 

Galecus hunted by wrapping its body in dazzling, colorful lights to attract small fish or monster fish, dragging them down to its lair. Its beauty made it one of Parang’s favorite subjects to paint.

 

For a while, the only sound in the gallery was the soft swishing of her brush. After some time, Parang put down her brush with a decisive thud.

 

It was already 4 AM. She had spent six hours painting.

 

She felt sleepy, not because her body wasn’t superhuman, but because she had taken a nap underwater earlier.

 

This was almost a daily occurrence for Parang, whose lifestyle was completely out of sync.

 

If possible, she would prefer to sleep underwater at night, but the night sea was far more dangerous than the daytime sea. While she could enter it, sleeping there was a different matter.

 

With a futuristic mechanical sound, the door to her bedroom opposite the gallery opened.

 

As expected, there was no bed. Instead, a bed-shaped tank with a blanket and pillow inside was embedded in the floor.

 

What about the cleanliness of sleeping in the same water every day?

 

Surprisingly, one of Parang’s skills included the ability to “purify the space within a 5-meter radius while underwater.”

 

About half a year ago, she had used this skill once to build her record in a ground dungeon for her B-rank hunter promotion exam.

 

She had entered an undead dungeon while inside a portable tank with her party members, a stunt so outrageous that it had set the internet ablaze.

 

Even now, searching for “Gyeongju Dead Man’s Cave” would bring up “Gyeongju Dead Man’s Cave Fish Tank Girl” as the top related search term.

 

Aside from the tank bed, notable features in her bedroom included a dark blue mood light and 24-hour playback of night sea ASMR.

 

She was truly obsessed with the sea.

 

Anyway, Parang had a good night’s sleep and woke up the next day at noon. She repeated her daily routine: catching some fish to grill and eat, and taking a blissful nap underwater.

 

She expected it would take some time for the aftermath to hit.

 

And a week later,

 

T-tube.

 

[3 Essential Diving Tips for Beginners]

 

[Underwater Hunter Vlog: Let’s Dive 300m Lightly~]

 

[World’s First?! Location of Slayers’ Ascension Revealed!!]

 

[Ad: New Frigia Diving Academy 1-Month Free Course Review]

 

[Vlog｜Scuba Diving｜East Sea｜Pohang｜Diving Beginner Day 1]

 

News.

 

[The World is Now in a ‘Diving Craze’… Why Are Hunters Heading to the Sea?]

 

[Silo Announces ‘Underwater Business Prospects’… Is It Really Promising?]

 

[Burn Fat and Lower Blood Sugar… Underwater Sports Activate ‘Beige Fat’]

 

[Exclusive Interview: Meet One of the Only Twenty Underwater Hunters in the Country]

 

Community.

 

[Can an A-Rank Body Enhancement Hunter Dive?] [3]

 

[Found Treasure in the Sea Near My House LOL] [25]

 

[Scuba Diving Day 1 Review] [6]

 

[Are You Crazy Enough to Go There?] [9]

 

[Used Diving Suit on Marketplace, You Scammer] [10]

 

Parang opened the community and read a few posts with eye-catching titles.

 

[Can an A-Rank Body Enhancement Hunter Dive?]

 

[Author: ㅇㅇ]

 

Just curious. I’m an A-rank body enhancement hunter, and seeing everyone else treasure hunting in the sea is making me jealous. Tried it in the bathtub today, and I can hold my breath for 30 minutes.

 

─ Holding your breath for 30 minutes underwater, are you even human?

 

─ It depends on the region. It’s tough in the East Sea but totally doable in the West Sea.

 

ㄴ I’m from Ulsan.

 

[Are You Crazy Enough to Go There?]

 

[Author: ㅇㅇ]

 

(A gif of a stone being dropped into the deep blue sea, endlessly falling until it becomes blurry and eventually disappears.)

 

You want to go treasure hunting in a place like this? No matter how good the artifacts are, are you sane? I’d rather live on solid, reliable ground.

 

─ㅇㅇ: I really want to go in there. You can make what you earn in a month on land by finding just one artifact underwater.

 

ㄴ: Screw that, I’d rather work for a month than go in there.

 

─ Chicken?

 

ㄴ: Yeah, I’m chicken. How do you even get in there?

 

─ The picture looks intense, but most people dive in the West Sea, so you don’t see scenes like that often. The maximum depth is around 50 meters, which most body-enhancement hunters can handle without gear.

 

ㄴ: Really? How deep do you have to go to see something like in the gif?

 

ㄴ: Assuming the water is super clear, about 100 meters?

 

─ Do you even have the ability to dive that deep?

 

─ I was going to try diving, but the picture scared me off. It’s terrifying.

 

[Used Marketplace Diving Suit Scammer]

 

[Author: ㅇㅇ]

 

(A picture of a latex suit used for a specific type of play, with zippers all over for easy use.)

 

You piece of crap, I asked for a diving suit, and you give me this ridiculous latex thing? Are you so desperate for attention? I’m coming to find you, you bastard.

 

─ LOL LOL LOL LOL

 

─ What an idiot LOL LOL LOL

 

─ How could you fall for that LOL LOL LOL

 

─ Why did the seller even have that?

 

─ Perfect intelligence for the Hunter Gallery LOL LOL LOL

 

─ Is it for women?

 

ㄴ: Yeah, damn it.

 

ㄴ: Oh, 100,000 won.

 

ㄴ: What do you mean 100,000 won, you crazy idiot?

 

ㄴ: Who is this guy LOL LOL LOL

 

The world had entered the era of deep diving.

 

Of course, it wasn’t as if people around the world suddenly went mad and dove into the sea to find artifacts buried who-knows-where.

 

In reality, 99% of the people who saw the ascension scene on the news thought, “What a waste… those precious artifacts…” and left it at that.

 

However, history has shown that it only takes 1% of crazies to change the world.

 

The beginning was an internet broadcaster and hunter living in Incheon.

 

He was a B-rank body-enhancement hunter who saw the news and came up with content like “Find the Artifact Buried in the Deep Sea! First Live Dive in Korea.”

 

He hadn’t seriously intended to find an artifact; he just wanted to stir up some attention. After searching, he found that the waters off the coast of Incheon, where he lived, were shallow and didn’t seem dangerous.

 

So, with the intention of causing a bit of a stir, he started his broadcast…

 

“Huh, huh? What’s this?”

 

He found a B-rank artifact, not one dropped by the Slayers, but something that seemed to have been submerged when an old merchant ship sank long ago.

 

This discovery made headlines and spread like wildfire, prompting people worldwide to dive with the hope of finding something similar.

 

“There is something!! It’s real!!”

 

“Holy, is that real?”

 

“Eso que estoy mirando ahora es una caja, ¿verdad?”

 

And indeed, some of them found treasures that had been sleeping underwater, ushering in the era of great diving.

 

Even if they weren’t legendary artifacts, the ocean was a source of wealth.

 

People realized this.

 

The seabed was no longer an empty void with no value.

 

It had become a space of unparalleled opportunity, a center of untold riches and unknown treasures.

 

A true blue ocean.

 

Parang’s concerns grew alongside this.

 

She knew.

 

The deep sea didn’t just hold treasures.

 

It was teeming with unimaginable horrors that should never be encountered by ordinary humans.

 

– Bubbling –

 

In the depths of the ocean, she quietly closed her eyes.