Chapter 113

“I was scared when Ria would blaze around, but now it’s way worse.”

The speed was about the same, but the wild twists and turns were insane.

When playing, I could at least rely on Ria a bit, but now, not at all. Given the circumstances, that made sense.

It was terrifying.

But that didn’t mean I was worried.

Because I knew that Ria’s every action was meant to protect me in the end.

…Nonetheless.

“Why aren’t we wearing vests?”

“Oh, right.”

Indeed. Currently, we weren’t riding here in protective gear like yesterday. Either Ria got too excited and forgot, or I fell into Ria’s bait and didn’t think to mention it.

“Hang on tight!”

Ria said that as if she had nothing else to say.

I gritted my teeth and tightened my other hand around Ria’s waist.

It did feel ridiculous to be aware of our bare bodies pressing against each other now — but still, in a situation like this, I had a bit of modesty to spare.

That was still a good thing.

The gun in the motorcycle was definitely useful.

My Saint Power doesn’t fully work on living organisms, which are closer to monsters than actual beasts. While I briefly thrashed about as my magic power faded, in the end, it lunged back towards us.

So, rather than wasting Saint Power, it’d be better to swallow a bullet and drop it right from the start.

“Eek!?”

Those bizarre, red-tentacled giant worms were hideous, and the longer time went on, the more varied the monsters became.

The problem was that most of that ‘variety’ was all about being ‘long and squirmy’.

In Lovecraftian cosmic horror, most monsters that come from space often resemble sea creatures. Probably due to the perception that they look ‘bizarre and unseen’ in everyday life. Lovecraft also had a fear of sea creatures.

Though people say the depths of the ocean are an unknown realm for humanity —

“How is a ragworm an unknown realm!?”

I shouted while watching a giant ragworm burst open after taking a bullet to the head, splattering some indescribable bodily fluid everywhere. I mean, I don’t even know if it was really a ragworm. It could be some creature I’ve never seen before. But it doesn’t exactly seem like it could exist on Earth either.

We weren’t the only ones flying above the sea. There were also my friends who had been flying with me for a while, and hunters from the Lian Facilities who were rushing towards us after assessing the situation.

“The main body!”

As we dodged left and right, soaring high into the sky towards the giant octopus leg, Lee Siyoon shouted.

“There’s a main body! Davi!”

Seeing Lee Siyoon shout that, I looked towards Davi.

Davi didn’t seem as scared as I was; she wrapped one arm around Siyoon’s waist while sticking the other hand out to prepare a spell.

It wasn’t as flashy or large as the magic circles used by famous and powerful wizards. Instead, it was much more concise and small, smaller than a palm-sized magic circle.

“So, do you have any plans!?”

As Ria shouted that, she immediately turned the motorcycle handle sharply to the side.

At the same time, Siyoon ducked in the opposite direction, and a loud crash was heard.

No way, does a sound like that really come from splashing water?

Trying hard not to close my eyes while being rained on by the downpour of sea water, I held my gun. Bang bang bang, I shot several rounds in quick succession, but barely a tiny trickle appeared, failing completely to penetrate.

The octopus leg went back up. Was it preparing for its next attack?

“I said we could reveal the main body!”

Siyoon shouted again.

“Then let’s do it!”

As Ria skillfully navigated the handle, she shouted towards Siyoon. A blade glinted a few times, and the giant ragworm, along with the octopus leg, fell apart in two.

“Davi can’t do it.”

Siyoon said.

“They said it needs really strong magic power.”

“Strong magic power.”

Ria and I both looked at Davi simultaneously. Davi had a somewhat stiff expression but was still forming the magic circle with her hand. The magic circle was filled with unreadable symbols.

“Okay, we’ll take the lead.”

Ria quickly grasped the situation.

While I wasn’t sure about the extent of Davi’s magic power, it likely meant she couldn’t match Glaria or Han Yu-ri. Or maybe they might all be necessary — the power of the two or even all three of them.

I don’t underestimate Lee Siyoon’s combat ability. But in the story, until he grows, he was generally below Ria in swordsmanship.

And sitting behind Siyoon, Davi had her eyes closed, focusing elsewhere.

Ria swiftly turned the handle, and I clung on behind her, striving not to scream. The seawater was more slippery than I expected, and above all, the distance between me and Ria kept separating.

…Not dropping the gun I held in the other hand? That could be called pure luck.

…………

As the monsters leaped as if they were flying above the sea, they became a lot more manageable after the number of people rose. With more targets to attack, the numbers clustered in one area decreased significantly.

Yet the main body of the monster — which we assumed was that tentacle — was still tracking us with greater persistence.

“Ah, seriously!”

For reference, when we got there, the conversation between Han Yu-ri and Glaria went something like this.

“Why do I have to fight while getting covered in bodily fluids from creatures I don’t even know about!? And not even with Siyoon but hanging off some naked girl!”

“Who wants to do this!? I’ll just drop it off!”

Well.

They were much more bickering than Ria and me.

Yet, when you think about it, it seemed like the two magicians complemented each other’s strengths and weaknesses while fighting, so they both seemed quite professional.

No, checking carefully, I’d say only Han Yu-ri can be considered professional.

“Yuri, Glaria!”

But when those two heard Lee Siyoon’s voice, their faces brightened.

“Siyoon!”

“You came to rescue us, Prince!”

Pfft.

Ria and I both snorted at the same time. Although Lee Siyoon’s face turned bright red, he quickly approached them, understanding the situation.

Alright, let’s save the teasing for later.

Ria spun around the two teams while fending off what was approaching us. I also shot down incoming threats from afar, and the Hunter team seemed to think we were planning something because they drew the enemies’ attention from a distance with even larger fights.

Glaria seemed to have caught onto what Davi wanted to say as she looked at the magic circle in Davi’s hand.

“That’s what you mean.”

Unlike the somewhat playful conversation we had just a moment ago, it looked like Glaria recognized the magic circle Davi showed her immediately. Han Yu-ri’s expression also turned somewhat ambiguous. I wasn’t sure if she understood the shape of the magic circle correctly, but as a renowned Hunter, she held enough skill.

Glaria gently placed her hand over Davi’s hand.

And —

“…!”

Both Han Yu-ri, who was in front of Glaria, and Lee Siyoon watching the scene looked shocked, as bright light burst forth from that magic circle.

It was different from the Saint Power I wielded. That vivid green light clearly indicated it wasn’t something natural.

The size of the magic circle in Davi’s hand expanded significantly. It looked similar to magnifying an image from a smartphone or computer.

And on that enlarged magic circle, even more unfamiliar symbols began to emerge —

“How can we fight fairly when we’re just in the water?”

Glaria said with a smile.

Hmm.

I thought since Davi said there was a way to reveal the main body, there would be something special that could expose the form of the monster.

But that wasn’t the case.

What Davi referred to as ‘revealing the main body’ was, quite literally, simply removing the water that was above it.

To create a massive whirlpool and uncover the true form of what lay beneath it.

“…”

Had Glaria been able to do this in the original work? No, well, since she was capable of summoning ice sturdy enough not to shatter a person instantly, it might not be out of the question—

“…………Huh.”

But my thoughts were interrupted mid-sentence by Ria’s exclamation.

What hid beneath the net, after all, was something truly suited for ‘cosmic horror’.

Fundamentally, it resembled a human. Except for the huge barnacles stuck on its skin.

And it wasn’t just the enormous octopus leg that dangled like hair at the back of its head.

Having whiskers wasn’t too surprising, but—

“Eek.”

Realizing its own body had been exposed, it slowly rose from its spot.

The tentacles, every single one of them, were alive.

Those sea creatures that had been flying toward us?

That was its ‘whiskers’.

As if they had come to live there, the spots it vacated were full of holes.