Chapter 72: Interlude (1)

Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast – 72

EP.72 Interlude (1)

As evening approached, numerous discussions took place inside Elvira’s bunker.

With Xiao waking up and Vertea joining the conversation midway, the discussion became more thorough.

Of course, the eyeball dominated the conversation, but it wasn’t the only thing they saw in there, so other topics were actively discussed as well.

For example, Kang Yuri’s skill.

Waterproof Sanity.

Despite its devastating performance, the acquisition conditions were surprisingly simple.

[ Acquired by using a scroll ]

[ Acquired by completely losing one’s mind underwater and then defeating the target ]

[ Acquired by completely losing one’s mind underwater and then escaping from the target ]

[ Acquired by completely losing one’s mind underwater and then restoring one’s sanity ]

Naturally, simple doesn’t mean easy.

Regardless of which of the three paths, excluding the scroll, Kang Yuri’s mind must have been completely shattered at least once…

Various hypotheses were exchanged regarding this.

The most likely theory was that she was affected by the eyeball.

Since it wasn’t about defeating or escaping, the remaining option was restoring her sanity.

However,

“Then, does that mean there was someone there who could maintain their sanity after seeing that, and restore a shattered mind?”

There were indeed hunters in the Slayers specialized in healing or purification, but none capable of standing against a monster that could break the system window.

“Maybe Hunter Han Siwoo did it.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Regardless of his abilities, it doesn’t explain Marian’s condition.”

“That’s… also true.”

Then the remaining possibility is that Kang Yuri’s mind had already been shattered before that entity began its activity.

“Could there be a monster capable of that?”

“Who knows…”

The second possibility is that among the countless monsters, there was one capable of shattering Kang Yuri’s mind, and after many twists and turns, Kang Yuri, whose mind was shattered, managed to defeat that monster.

In this case, acquiring Waterproof Sanity would automatically restore her mind.

However, there’s a minor issue: Oceanos knows of no monster capable of completely shattering the mind of someone as strong as Kang Yuri.

It is indeed a minor issue.

Even now, about five new types of monsters appear daily.

Just because Oceanos doesn’t know of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, so attributing it to an undiscovered monster seems plausible.

Other discussions included Kang Yuri’s body, Marian’s potential for recovery, the next hive exploration schedule, and future plans.

#

And then, at night.

Parang lay on her bed and quietly closed her eyes.

“Preparation…”

Preparation to defeat that gigantic eyeball.

It was the most urgent need for Oceanos.

There aren’t as many ways for hunters to grow stronger in this world as one might think.

Due to their nature, the options available to Parang and her comrades are even fewer.

The novel Parang reincarnated into doesn’t have the typical “status” elements like HP Lv, Strength Lv, Agility Lv, Skill Lv, and so on.

The commonly mentioned calculations of physical stats don’t exist in this world.

Moreover, skill enhancement is also impossible.

Once you acquire Waterproof Sanity, that’s it. The skill doesn’t get stronger by leveling up to Lv2, Lv3, and so on.

As a result, the ways to become stronger are limited.

Hunters grow stronger by acquiring new skills or increasing the proficiency of existing ones.

For Oceanos, who has already reached the pinnacle, both paths are difficult to pursue.

Skills aren’t something you can acquire endlessly just because you want to.

Waterproof Sanity is a good example.

Once acquired, it comes with a powerful restriction that prevents you from even looking at other mental barrier skills.

In this world, there are tens or hundreds of thousands of skills that conflict with each other in such a way.

And for those who have reached the pinnacle in a specific field, like Oceanos, they have already fine-tuned their skills to the maximum possible limit to ensure they don’t collapse.

Such hunters are often referred to as “complete” by the public.

As for skill proficiency, well…

They’ve almost reached the peak.

For instance, the chain explosion of water droplets that Parang occasionally uses.

It’s a combination of no less than three hunter skills.

All members of Oceanos possess this level of skill utilization.

So, this path is also a pass.

The last remaining options are “equipment” and “items.”

These are the most popular methods for powering up, offering the highest potential and serving as the main route for growth.

While skill-related growth has a “maximum limit,” equipment does not.

The output of all equipment used by hunters is fundamentally determined by “how much magic stone is grounded into it.”

If the quality and size of the magic stones are good, the quality of the weapon will naturally increase dramatically.

In theory, if enough magic stones are grounded into it, one could create a weapon capable of splitting the Earth in a single strike.

This is often parodied in the hunter industry with a reference to Archimedes’ famous statement, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world,” to discuss the limitless potential of equipment.

The reason why the importance of equipment has become so exaggerated in this world is simple…

Why else? Because the protagonist, Hunter Han Siwoo, is a “crafting” hunter.

Well, in any case…

In short, at the point where Oceanos decided they needed to become stronger, the only viable method left for them was equipment.

If they excluded that…

“…No, let’s put that on hold.”

Parang shook her head.

She would consider it only in the very last, desperate moment, but it wasn’t something to discuss now.

“Anyway, equipment.”

There are three essential elements for making equipment: materials, magic stones, and the craftsman.

The higher the quality of the equipment they aimed to create, the exponentially harder it became to secure these three elements.

Fortunately, Oceanos had already solved the magic stone problem.

They had tens of thousands of tons of usable magic stones piled up in the ocean.

Securing materials was also relatively easy.

Just 3 kilometers down, there were top-grade materials fresh and ready, like dragon jaws swinging in all directions.

So, the remaining issue was the craftsman.

This was the most problematic part.

Was there a craftsman capable of creating equipment strong enough to defeat the “being” they saw in their memories?

Parang fell into deep contemplation.

#

“Achoo!!!”

Shin Yuna rubbed her nose in her workshop.

“Ugh, did I set the air conditioning too high…?”

It could also be because she was so engrossed in her work that her body had weakened.

But!

For Yuna, her body was something she could always sacrifice!

“Hehe… Hehehehe…!!”

She let out a dazed laugh and took three steps back.

In front of her was an unmanned submarine suspended in mid-air.

Its sleek, streamlined body. The enchanting brass color. The lavishly decorated, albeit functionless, valves and pipes.

A traditional cannon barrel that looked at least 2 meters long, along with gears that served no particular function.

Her meticulously crafted masterpiece, , was ready to set sail.

Although the launch was slightly delayed because she collapsed right after its completion and had to recuperate in bed, nevertheless!!

Finally being able to venture into the sea was indeed a cause for celebration!

With a broad grin, Yuna stepped back and grabbed the lever installed on the wall with both hands, pulling it down with all her might.

Then, with a loud rumble and clatter, the heavy steel began to move noisily, and the floor started to open.

The floor split in half, revealing the rippling water below.

It was the East Sea.

Yuna then swiftly turned the gas valve next to the lever and pressed the buttons.

With a series of metallic clicks and clanks,

Thunk-!

The submarine’s suspension was released, and it plummeted downward.

With a grand splash, the submarine sank beneath the surface.

Having confirmed this, Yuna hurriedly rushed to the old tank room.

She donned a full-body pressure diving suit and entered the water.

A desk-shaped control panel, now twice as large as before, greeted her.

As she banged on the control panel, a screen twice as large as before rose from the tank’s bottom.

Just as the submarine had grown larger, the control panel had grown larger, and so had the screen.

The flame ignited in Yuna’s heart at this moment was larger, hotter, and fiercer than ever before.

The screen finally lit up, and the control panel synchronized with the submarine.

In response to Yuna’s manipulation, the submarine slowly began to move forward.

What spread like wildfire within Yuna was determination.

Since the broadcast, she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep.

The calm before the storm.

“You’re all dead…!!!”

Yuna’s justified anger was about to sweep over the Hunter Association.