EP.23 Have You Been Following Me All This Time? (1)

 

The space was filled with various experimental tools scattered around. The scene, packed with machines of unknown purpose, felt like the underground lab of a secret organization.

 

From suspiciously large machines, three times the size of a person, to tiny flasks that seemed barely capable of holding anything.

 

The sight of various advanced tools filling the vast space was overwhelming, even slightly eerie.

 

The fact that the entire space was submerged in water added another layer of bizarre atmosphere.

 

And in the center of the underwater lab.

 

In a circular space deliberately left empty amidst the clutter of experimental tools, Xiao and Parang stood facing each other.

 

“Let’s begin.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Xiao picked up the skull in question and activated his skill.

 

It wasn’t a ‘Dive,’ just a simple identification check.

 

“Hmm….”

 

Parang watched Xiao intently. In front of her eyes, the status of the skull’s owner would appear.

 

Xiao, rolling his eyes as if reading something floating in the air, began to speak.

 

“Matilda Müller. An S-rank hunter. Judging by the name, she’s German, and her personal skill is ‘Berserk’.”

 

Xiao recited the basic information.

 

A personal skill was akin to a hunter’s identity. Awakening it meant being recognized as an ‘Awakened.’

 

Of course, the strength varied greatly depending on the grade of the personal skill. Once awakened, it couldn’t be changed.

 

Unfair? Unfortunately, this world was like an OP novel. The suffering of others due to inequality was of no concern.

 

Parang’s ‘Daughter of the Kraken’ was an S-rank personal skill.

 

A hunter’s fighting style was mostly determined by their personal skill.

 

Naturally, hunters were remembered by their fighting style, so the personal skill itself often became synonymous with the hunter.

 

For instance, Xiao could be referred to as the ‘Ghost Captain’ instead of Xiao.

 

And Berserk, Matilda Müller, was someone Parang already knew.

 

She was a character from the original story.

 

Matilda Müller appeared as a villain. With a fairly ordinary ability and a moderately pretty appearance, though not quite a heroine, she picked a fight with Hunter Han Siwoo, saying, ‘An A-rank like you…!’ only to be defeated and exit the stage.

 

That incident marked the beginning of the protagonist gaining the title ‘An A-rank hunter who overwhelmingly defeated an S-rank hunter!’ and drawing the world’s attention.

 

Parang had come across the news article online before.

 

Well, she had just skimmed the headline and moved on. By that time, she had long lost interest in the original story.

 

It was something like, [S-rank Hunter’s Humiliating Defeat… Exclusive Interview with Rising Supernova Han Siwoo].

 

From that point on, there was no news about Matilda.

 

It wasn’t uncommon for hunters to suddenly disappear. The higher the rank, the more enemies they had.

 

She must have been ambushed while weakened from losing to Hunter Han Siwoo.

 

However, the conversation Parang had with Xiao next was enough to shake her to the core.

 

“Matilda Müller… I don’t know her. She must have been on the lower end of the S-rank.”

 

“She’s the one, you know. The one who challenged Hunter Han Siwoo when he was still an A-rank and got humiliated.”

 

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? That person was Chinese.”

 

“What?”

 

“The S-rank who picked a fight with Hunter Han Siwoo when he was an A-rank. It was Li Shunfei.”

 

“No way.”

 

“I’m telling you, it was.”

 

“Are you sure you’re not the one who’s mistaken, Xiao?”

 

“Why did the topic suddenly shift to this?”

 

“It’s important. Look up some related articles.”

 

Parang also pulled out her phone and started searching frantically.

 

“Here it is.”

 

Xiao was a bit faster.

 

Parang took her phone and read the article carefully.

 

[S-rank Hunter’s Humiliating Defeat… Exclusive Interview with Rising Supernova Han Siwoo]

 

[The recent duel between two hunters at the Seoul branch of the Hunter Association has become a hot topic…

 

…Following his defeat in the duel with Hunter Han Siwoo, the Chinese hunter Li Shunfei…]

 

Sure enough, Matilda’s name wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the article.

 

‘The original story has twisted.’

 

Since when? And more importantly, why?

 

Parang had deliberately avoided getting involved with the protagonist’s party. She hadn’t taken even a minor fortuitous encounter and hadn’t spoken to any of the main characters.

 

As the only one in this world capable of altering the original story’s flow, Parang had never interfered with it.

 

So why? How?

 

“I think we need to do it. ‘Dive.’”

 

“Huh? A Dive? Is that really necessary?”

 

Xiao speculated that Matilda had died at sea and drifted into the Hive on a current. There were indeed several massive currents leading into the Hive from the South China Sea, though they didn’t exist on Earth as we know it.

 

He had never felt the need to ride those currents into the Hive himself.

 

“Please, just this once. It’s really important.”

 

“Well… if you insist that much, I guess I can’t refuse.”

 

Xiao carefully held the skull with both hands, and Parang placed her hand on the back of Xiao’s hand.

 

Then they dove into the skull’s memories. With a splash, their vision shifted.

 

Parang momentarily set aside her thoughts about the original story. The information they were about to uncover couldn’t be taken lightly.

 

She had a feeling that this could be the beginning of something significant.

 

When she opened her eyes, they were in a dark space.

 

It was Matilda’s perspective.

 

“It’s too dark to see anything,” Parang said. Since she and Xiao were sharing a dream of sorts, they could communicate.

 

“Yeah. Where is this?”

 

“When is this?”

 

“Three hours before her death.”

 

“Rewind a bit more.”

 

But even when they rewound, nothing changed. For three hours, there was no movement, just darkness. Then, the terrifying wail of a Gorgon was heard, followed by a crunch, and the memory ended.

 

“Hmm. We might need to move forward in time.”

 

“I’ll try ten hours before her death.”

 

Again, just darkness.

 

“Let’s go all the way back. As far as we can.”

 

“The maximum we can go back from the time of death is 24 hours.”

 

Their vision shifted again, this time to a lit building.

 

“Let’s fast-forward from here,” Xiao suggested.

 

Time began to flow faster.

 

Matilda, dressed in black special forces gear, was sitting in what appeared to be an office, listening to something with others in similar attire.

 

Words like target, infiltration, ambush, and assassination flew by.

 

Judging by the attire of the person giving the presentation, they were from the World Government.

 

It was likely a mission to eliminate those who were obstructing the World Government’s plans.

 

But why was Matilda involved in this?

 

“Seriously, the World Government is so shady. Sometimes they’re worse than Silo,” Xiao remarked, but Parang barely registered his words. She was in a state of extreme concentration.

 

After the briefing ended, Matilda exited the building.

 

She got into a van parked outside.

 

“Skip the travel part.”

 

The scenery changed rapidly, and Matilda got out of the van.

 

Eight other strike team members got out with her. A total of nine special forces operatives began moving quietly under the cover of darkness.

 

In reality, Parang’s body displayed a look of shock.

 

She felt such an intense emotion that it manifested outwardly.

 

No wonder. Parang stammered in a voice filled with astonishment.

 

“This is… my village.”

 

She hoped they would just pass by, but the strike team moved deep into the village without hesitation.

 

The elders were light sleepers. The strike team moved to their target without being detected by anyone.

 

The last thing Matilda saw was Parang’s house.

 

A shiver ran down Parang’s spine in reality.

 

One night, while she was sleeping, strike team members from the world government had come for her.

 

With the keyword ‘eliminate.’

 

But how did she survive?

 

No matter how skilled Parang was, it would be difficult to survive an ambush from that many people outside of water.

 

“Wait, slow it down from here.”

 

“I was about to do that. This is your house, right?”

 

Simultaneously, Matilda’s memories began to flow at their original speed.

 

– Zzzzt. –

 

“This is Head. Beta Team. Report your status.”

 

A transmission echoed from her chest.

 

In response, someone who appeared to be a superior next to Matilda replied.

 

“Beta Team has arrived at the operation area. We will enter with Alpha and Gamma…”

 

And then the response was cut off. Dozens of others appeared out of nowhere and ambushed them, pressing knives to their throats in an instant.

 

“What the hell, who are you… ugh!”

 

The superior’s words were cut off.

 

“Be quiet.”

 

A knife was immediately thrust into his throat.

 

Judging by the situation, the ‘superior’ was stronger than Matilda. So, at least a mid-to-high-ranking S-class hunter.

 

For someone to kill such a person in one strike, there were two possibilities.

 

They were either incredibly strong or had top-notch equipment.

 

Either way, they were extremely dangerous.

 

And there were dozens of them.

 

‘Since when…?’

 

Parang felt a shiver run down her spine. These people had infiltrated her home while she was away diving.

 

She was weak outside of water, and she knew this well.

 

That’s why she paid extra attention to her home’s security.

 

She had spent quite a bit on security systems. Not as much as Xiao, but still substantial.

 

If there had been an intruder, she would have known.

 

How did she miss it? Then it hit her.

 

‘The first broadcast day…!’

 

That day, she had been so exhausted that she stumbled into her house and fell asleep immediately.

 

And her absence from home was being broadcast live.

 

‘Even so, the alarms should have gone off.’

 

Moreover, that day was only a few days ago. The state of Matilda’s body indicated she had been dead for at least three weeks.

 

It didn’t make sense.

 

But it was an impossible event that had indeed happened.

 

If they had wanted to, they could have killed Parang in her sleep.

 

Fortunately, it seemed their intention was to protect Parang. Despite having ample opportunities, they hadn’t killed her, and crucially, they were dealing with the World Government operatives who had been sent to assassinate her.

 

While Parang was lost in thought, Xiao seemed to have found something and spoke to her.

 

“These guys are from Silo.”

 

“What?”

 

“Look here. It’s the Silo Corporation logo.”

 

Xiao paused the scene.

 

“Look closely. The guy right in front of you, on his left shoulder.”

 

Parang looked carefully, and indeed, there was a small Silo logo.

 

“It really is.”

 

That explained how they avoided detection. The security systems in Parang’s house were Silo products.

 

There was no other choice but to use Silo products. The security, home appliances, and electronics sectors had long been dominated by Silo.

 

One by one, the nine World Government hunters, each with a dagger in their necks, were thrown into the sea one by one with a splash.

 

And surprisingly, Matilda was still alive.

 

[An overwhelming presence is nearby.]

 

[Skill, ‘Berserk,’ is activating.]

 

[Life force is dramatically increasing.]

 

The skill activated only after she entered Parang’s house and had a knife to her throat.

 

Berserk was a personal skill that granted life force when near someone stronger than oneself.

 

The greater the difference in strength, the more lenient the condition of ‘nearby’ became. If the other was only slightly stronger, they had to be close. If the other was overwhelmingly stronger, they could be far away.

 

This skill was useful not only in combat but also in detection.

 

The mere fact that she could confirm ‘a strong presence nearby’ made her a valuable asset to the strike team.

 

She was a sort of canary.

 

From here on, Parang didn’t know, but Matilda was indeed assigned to the operation for this purpose.

 

The World Government didn’t skimp on resources. For a mission to kill a single B-rank hunter, they sent eight S-rank hunters and a canary to detect any unforeseen threats.

 

They were thorough. Even if it meant using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, they ensured the nut was cracked.

 

In response, Silo sent three times as many operatives and launched a surprise attack. They used the information they had on Matilda to equip their acceleration and assassination hunters with top-tier weapons to avoid detection.

 

Of course, Parang wasn’t aware of these behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

 

But then, what did the window that appeared before Matilda mean?

 

There shouldn’t have been any ‘overwhelming presence’ nearby as the window suggested.

 

Yet, it was true that Matilda was receiving a life force buff strong enough to keep her alive even with a dagger in her neck, thrown into the water.

 

Parang and Xiao had a rough idea of the reason.

 

――———!!

 

The night sea was far more dangerous than the day sea.

 

This was because the layer of strange fish rose.

 

And when the layer of strange fish rose, it meant they came closer to the surface.

 

Something caught Matilda’s vision as she sank helplessly.

 

Current depth: 250 meters.

 

A 12-meter sea turtle.

 

It was a strange fish.

 

Parang knew what it was. A 12-meter sea turtle was too small, likely pushed here by competition for food or habitat, taking advantage of the night.

 

The creature was a sign of the rising layer of strange fish, indicating the presence of something overwhelmingly strong nearby.

 

‘Isn’t this way too shallow?’

 

Even at a conservative estimate, it should have been at least 50 meters deeper. Parang made a mental note to investigate if there had been any anomalies in this area later.

 

Regardless, the fact remained that the strange fish had come up this far. Speculating on possibilities for events that had already occurred was pointless; they needed to focus on the current situation.

 

The sea turtle, which seemed too small to be a strange fish, was still labeled as an ‘overwhelming presence’ by Matilda’s status window.

 

Eventually, she was swallowed whole by the sea turtle.

 

And then, darkness.

 

It was the scene Parang and Xiao had seen right after the ‘Dive.’

 

Sea turtles were known for their long-distance, high-speed swimming.

 

It likely wandered around the sea looking for a habitat, eventually moving with the currents.

 

The sea turtle couldn’t have passed through the path Parang had taken, so it must have traveled through the currents leading to the Hong Kong Hive, ending up in that space under the gas range.

 

This also explained why the ‘earring’ was found there. Light accessories like earrings could easily travel with the currents.

 

Xiao silently increased the playback speed.

 

The same dark scenery.

 

Matilda remained alive inside the sea turtle for about twenty hours before being eaten by a Gorgon, which led to her death.

 

This explained the time discrepancy.

 

Having been digested alive by the strange fish for twenty hours, Parang had judged that the body had been dead for three weeks based on the extreme damage.

 

When the ‘Dive’ ended, both were speechless.

 

They needed to organize the myriad questions swirling in their minds.