EP.20 The Protagonist Hides the Artifact (1)

 

Hong Kong. The city that never sleeps, the flower of the South China Sea, the beacon of the world.

 

B-rank hunter Yu Parang arrived there.

 

As she stepped onto the dock, two hulking figures, each at least twice her size, approached her. Dressed in black suits and sunglasses, they looked like gangsters straight out of a Hong Kong noir film.

 

They walked up to Parang and politely handed her a large bag.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Parang accepted it without hesitation and opened it. Inside was a neat suit and three thick towels.

 

She dried herself off with the towels and then put on the suit over her bodysuit. The suit was tailored to fit her perfectly, accentuating her beautiful figure despite being formal wear.

 

“We will escort you.”

 

Parang followed the hulking men into a limousine.

 

Inside, there were some sweet snacks and a few drinks prepared.

 

– Crunch –

 

Parang picked up a Lotus biscuit and put it in her mouth. It was her favorite snack.

 

In the ultra-luxurious limousine, where even the sound of the wheels rolling was inaudible, the only sound was the crunching of the biscuit.

 

And just as the tray of snacks was almost empty,

 

“We have arrived.”

 

The driver informed Parang of their arrival.

 

As one of the hulking men got out and opened the door, she saw a skyscraper that seemed to reach the sky.

 

This was the residence of Xiao, the richest person in Hong Kong and a D-rank hunter, and a major player in Oceanos.

 

The reason for her wealth was simple: her skill.

 

With thousands upon thousands of skeletons catching monsters in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean at a rate of one every ten minutes, she never ran out of money.

 

However, the bones that surfaced all melted away. So, she spread nets at a depth of five meters, where the skeletons would place magic stones and by-products, which she then delivered in bulk to the association daily.

 

She even sold the surplus that didn’t go into the association’s warehouse on the black market, so she was swimming in money.

 

This entire building belonged to Xiao. All the security personnel were permanently employed, each one being either top-tier A-rank or low-tier S-rank.

 

For Xiao, who was practically powerless on land, such measures were essential.

 

In fact, all members of Oceanos were like that. They each found their own way to live while protecting themselves.

 

Russell had settled on an uninhabited island, and Parang could reach the sea and dive in within three seconds no matter where she was in her house.

 

As Parang approached the building, the hulking figure guarding the entrance opened the glass door and bowed.

 

“Thank you.”

 

When she entered the elevator, lasers scanned her from all directions.

 

[ㅡㅡㅡㅡ]

 

[ Yu Parang, confirmed. ]

 

Without pressing any buttons, the elevator smoothly ascended.

 

At the top floor, the elevator door opened with a ding, revealing an obviously luxurious space.

 

A large circular room with 360-degree floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The floor was covered in gleaming mahogany wood, giving a cozy yet upscale feel.

 

In one corner, there was a sunken bathtub that doubled as a swimming pool, and on the opposite side, a cozy-looking sofa and a real fireplace.

 

In the center of the room was a massive round dining table, where Xiao, dressed in a silk cheongsam, was seated.

 

Parang walked over and sat down at the table.

 

An extravagant feast was laid out on the table.

 

In Hong Kong, a gourmet’s paradise, this was the finest meal one could be served. Each dish was worth the price of a monster.

 

Being a port city, the main focus was on seafood. Steamed whole fish, sashimi, grilled octopus and squid, boiled, braised, and fried dishes. Lobsters, king crabs, and various other crustaceans added a golden-red glow to the table like flowers.

 

Around the main meat dishes, green, yellow, and red fruits and vegetables were arranged like blooming flower buds.

 

And the meats were equally impressive. Juicy steaks dripping with fat, shabu-shabu with mountains of meat, roasted chickens and ducks, plump birds cooked whole, fried pork, and deeply braised beef.

 

There were even xiaolongbao.

 

These dishes were prepared by Xiao for Parang, who had swum all the way to Hong Kong without eating.

 

“Lister while you eat.”

 

At that, Parang began to devour the food in front of her. In truth, she would have eaten even if she hadn’t been told to.

 

“So, according to what I’ve found out…”

 

As Parang ate voraciously, Xiao began to speak. Their conversation was more of Xiao talking and Parang nodding along.

 

“Are you listening?”

 

– Nod, nod. –

 

“Well, I guess you’ll handle it your way.”

 

As they conversed, Parang finished her meal.

 

Half of the food on the table had disappeared.

 

Parang’s stomach was now completely full.

 

It had been a while since she felt this full. Given her usual activities, it was clear that Parang’s calorie consumption was immense. This was why she didn’t gain weight despite eating so much; in fact, her body was in excellent shape.

 

Anyway, the meal was over.

 

By now, the sun had set, and the night view of Hong Kong stretched endlessly below them.

 

The myriad lights below made it feel like they were flying over a shimmering sea. This was Xiao’s favorite view.

 

She looked out the glass window and elegantly sipped a glass of wine.

 

“You must be tired. Stay the night.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Parang went to the guest room, far from Xiao’s bedroom, and slept soundly. She woke up feeling refreshed.

 

Upon waking, she found a text message on her phone.

 

Vertea: I don’t know about that. I’ve never seen it, and I don’t even know what the original creature is. If you find more…
Below that, there were various demands such as extracting eyeballs, slicing in half, and soaking in acidic liquid.

 

Parang: Okay.

 

Parang sent a reply. If they met again, they could conduct the experiments then.

 

Now it was time to work. Parang packed up early in the morning.

 

On the way out, she wanted to say goodbye to the landlord, Xiao, but found her sprawled out asleep in the bedroom.

 

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Parang left a thank-you message and dashed towards the sea, diving in.

 

She submerged at an incredible speed, eager to finish quickly and return.

 

While she generally enjoyed staying underwater, it was different when it became work.

 

Before long, the enormous conch from the previous encounter came into view. Just like last time, he intended to handle the task swiftly and leave, moving without hesitation.

 

The discomfort of the Hive space was beyond imagination. No one would want to stay here for long, that was for sure.

 

Navigating the massive kitchen, Parang searched for what Xiao had mentioned.

 

‘A red pot… a red pot. Is that it? No, that’s not it. Oh, made eye contact.’

 

If she released the Kraken here, all the creatures in this space would rush in, so she decided to hold off. It wasn’t impossible, just time-consuming and annoying.

 

Parang swiftly dealt with the 70-meter shrimp in the red steamer, skewering it from head to tail in an instant, then looked around.

 

She spotted something red on the stove across from her.

 

That must be it, she thought, swimming over. Sure enough, it was unmistakably a pot.

 

Standing beside the pot, Parang estimated its diameter to be around 100 meters.

 

Given that the target’s length ranged from 50 to 300 meters, Parang’s visual estimate was quite accurate.

 

Facing monsters of that size daily had honed her skills.

 

Parang cautiously peered inside the pot.

 

Surprisingly, there were no monsters. Well, that could happen. Parang dove into the pot.

 

The pot was over 120 meters deep. It was said that this pot could boil the Statue of Liberty.

 

There was a certain fear that only familiar objects could evoke.

 

This was why an odd sense of dread accompanied the encounter with such objects.

 

Even the seasoned Parang sometimes felt strange emotions in such situations.

 

Anyway, at the bottom of the pot, Parang searched every corner until she found a pile of bones in one spot.

 

Clearing the bones revealed a small hole in the floor. It was similar in width to the hole she had entered when capturing Makula.

 

Entering the hole, the passageway gradually narrowed. By the end, it was almost as narrow as Parang’s shoulder width, forcing her to squeeze through.

 

Fortunately, Parang had a slender build. If her chest had been any larger, she would have been stuck, unable to move.

 

Although Xiao had sent skeletons to measure the space accurately, squeezing into such a tight space was still nerve-wracking for Parang. She almost developed claustrophobia.

 

The space became so tight that even minimal movements to advance were difficult. She wondered if Xiao had measured wrong, if she would get stuck and die, or if she had eaten too much yesterday. She even regretted not eating more.

 

Then, with a pop, Parang emerged through a ceiling into another space.

 

Considering the structure, she had come down through the bottom of the pot on the gas stove, so this must be inside the gas stove.

 

Of course, it only looked like a gas stove. The interior didn’t resemble a real gas stove.

 

If she had to compare, it was like an underwater cave.

 

For some reason, the surrounding water was entirely red. Maybe there was an iron ore vein nearby. Parang, who didn’t care much for science, just accepted it.

 

But still, red water made her uneasy.

 

[Skill, ‘Clear Mirror Still Water’ is activated.]

 

She expanded the purification range to its maximum.

 

The water around her, which had been entirely red, cleared up, creating a boundary of about 5 meters. On one side was red water, and on the other, clear and transparent water, making it feel like she was inside a water bubble. It was a very peculiar feeling.

 

Looking around, Parang saw thin and thick pillars rising from the ceiling, extending down to the unseen depths below.

 

Although Parang had entered through the sink, she found herself in what was unmistakably a cave. From the ceiling where she stood, the floor was not visible, suggesting it was quite deep. Either that, or the water was extremely murky.

 

She needed to remember her location. Losing this narrow hole in the vast cave would be a disaster. Her mapping skill was only useful for finding known coordinates, and she didn’t know the coordinates of this hole.

 

Given how winding the passage had been, it was no wonder. But fortunately, there was a solution.

 

Parang pressed a button on her wrist, reminiscent of a friendly neighborhood web-slinger.

 

A blue, jelly-like substance puffed up and dropped with a plop.

 

It had a complicated name like QCX14-something, but Parang simply called it glowing jelly.

 

She smeared the glowing jelly around the hole she had emerged from.

 

Then, she descended about 500 meters and could still clearly see the blue ring.

 

The performance was very satisfying.

 

Parang smeared more glowing jelly on a nearby pillar.

 

Marking her path this way ensured she wouldn’t get lost.

 

She felt like Hansel and Gretel.

 

How long had she wandered the cave like this?

 

Finally, ‘it’ came into Parang’s view.