Chapter 49

“I’m going crazy…”

Going crazy? Why? Did something bad happen?

Haon rolled his eyes in confusion. Cha Yugeon seemed to either not know or not care about Ha-eun’s feelings, as he lifted the huge water dragon with telekinesis. There was no trace of the frustration he had shown earlier.

Cha Yugeon raised the water dragon high into the sky with telekinetic force, surrounding it with a massive flame. The dragon was soon engulfed by the raging fire, emitting agonizing screams.

The dragon burned to a crisp in the sky. It was truly an extraordinary spectacle. Haon could only gape in awe.

“Park Haon.”

“…Yes?”

“So, you remember everything now, right?”

“…”

Haon couldn’t bring himself to answer, quickly sealing his lips shut. In response, Cha Yugeon chuckled as if he knew everything. The more he laughed, the more Haon felt a pang of conscience. Of course, feeling embarrassed was also inevitable.

“…See you later.”

After Cha Yugeon spoke briefly in a calmer tone, he lowered Haon onto the water ground created by Baek Chan-kyung’s manipulation of the water surface.

Haon tried to calm his tumultuous emotions as much as the swaying sea.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay. Cha Yugeon might not be sure that I remember everything. He’s just guessing. If I deny it, he might stop.’

Boosting his spirits with positive thoughts, Haon gripped his revolver again and prepared for battle.

Just then, sirens were creeping up towards the rocks. Haon loaded his revolver and aimed at the sirens. It wasn’t easy to aim due to the swaying ground.

Bang! Bang!

[Screeechh!]

The first shot missed, but the second bullet pierced through the siren’s shoulder. The siren, who had been singing beautifully, screamed in pain. Without missing the chance while the siren was in agony, Haon immediately pulled the trigger again. This time, the bullet hit the siren’s head. The siren collapsed lifelessly onto the rock.

“Aaaah!”

Park Inhyung, who had relatively less combat experience, seemed to be struggling. However, she didn’t neglect her training, as evident when she screaming wildly while fighting the monsters with all her might.

She was dealing with the Succubus, a monster even Haon, with his extensive combat experience, found daunting due to its eerie appearance.

The battle continued for a while. All five of them were busy with their own task. Haon and Kim Jeongwon were still dealing with the sirens, while Cha Yugeon took care of the other monsters. Park Inhyung was fighting the Succubus, and Baek Chan-kyung was handling the monsters while maintaining their ground on the water surface.

They kept defeating monsters one after another, but there seemed to be no end in sight.

“When will this end?!”

Cha Yugeon shouted impatiently when Haon was starting to feel exhausted. Understandably, he was more drained than usual because it was difficult to confirm whether there were more monsters due to fighting in the middle of the ocean.

―According to the currently detected monster sensors, except for some mermaids and sirens that have escaped towards the East and West coasts, you’ve almost defeated them all. Nearby teams will handle the escaped mermaids and sirens.

“Almost…? That means there’s still something left… Ah.”

Haon, who was about to ask a question, trailed off as he remembered the contents of his radio transmission.

‘You are heading to Jeju Island. A Gate has been generated in front of Jeju Island, and various underwater monsters, including a giant kraken, are appearing.’

That’s right. Boss monsters usually appeared at the end of the game. In food too, the main dish usually came last. There was still the real ‘monster’ they had to deal with.

[Screeechhh!]

Haon’s face turned pale as he saw the giant kraken. He had faced a giant squid before, and even that creature was monstrously huge. Later he heard that it was only 10 meters in body size without its tentacles.

But this one was even bigger. It looked like it was at least twice the size. Compared to the water dragon that Cha Yugeon had faced earlier, it was overwhelming. The kraken itself already represented a giant octopus’ monster, so why was it described as ‘giant’ in front of it?

It was because it was truly enormous.

The Kraken lifted up two of its tentacles that were as big as a house, or maybe bigger. Then, with a heavy weight, it swiftly plunged below the surface, causing a tsunami-like wave. Even the helicopter sank into the sea in an instant.

“Pant, pant… I’m alive.”

Fortunately, Haon’s group managed to survive without anyone being swept away by the seawater, thanks to Baek Chan-kyung creating a water barrier and Cha Yugeon using telekinesis to hold all five of them.

Although they had weathered the storm, the overwhelming size of the kraken made even the two S-class espers like them hesitant to confront it head-on.

Haon pondered how to deal with the literal monster. It seemed impossible to lift such a massive creature like the kraken as they did with the dragon. And using Cha Yugeon’s telekinesis to break its joints, his usual tactic, wouldn’t work on an octopus-like monster that have no joint.

While Baek Chan-kyung could manipulate water, the kraken was a mutated variant of an octopus monster that could survive both in and out of water. Therefore, even if they removed the water, it wouldn’t make much of a difference, and attacking with water seemed futile.

“Annoying bastard. Like a drinking snack…”

Kim Jeongwon was truly obsessed with alcohol. To call a kraken a drinking snack in this situation was quite something. Then again, Hyeon Siyun had done the same when fighting a giant squid. ‘Shall I slice it and dip it in soy sauce?!’ he said.

“Wait a moment…”

Haon’s eyes sparkled with a sudden thought. Yes, there was a way to deal with it. Whether it was feasible or not was uncertain, but it was worth a try.

“Cha Yugeon, do you eat boiled octopus?”

“I do. But why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“Let’s blanch that thing.”

Cha Yugeon furrowed his brow, pondering the meaning of Haon’s words. After a moment, he muttered to himself.

“Ah… I can do it, but if we do that, it’ll be a massacre for other creatures in the sea.”

Cha Yugeon understood Haon’s intention and replied. He was right. Haon hadn’t overlooked that aspect either. That’s why they needed Baek Chan-kyung for this plan. Haon looked at Baek Chan-kyung with an earnest expression.

“It might be difficult… but could you divide the sea for us, Mr. Baek Chan-kyung?”

When they first met, Haon had almost been swept away by the water he controlled. But thanks to Baek Chan-kyung creating a protective barrier with water, Haon had survived. If it was possible to create a sphere without water, then perhaps the opposite was also possible.

“Could Mr. Baek Chan-kyung confine the kraken in a partitioned water area, and could Cha Yugeon boil the water inside it with fire?”

“…Is that really possible?”

When Kim Jeongwon heard Haon’s plan, he raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t an easily achievable plan when considered realistically. Of course, Haon acknowledged that as well. It wouldn’t be an easy task. There was also the possibility of Cha Yugeon and Baek Chan-kyung overexerting themselves and going berserk.

Realizing this, Haon’s eyebrows furrowed in doubt.

“I can do it.”

Cha Yugeon looked confident. While Haon was relieved that he could do it, he couldn’t understand why he was so confident. Haon blinked in confusion. Then, Cha Yugeon whispered in Haon’s ear.

“Thanks to someone, my esper abilities stabilized a lot last night.”

Blushing like a boiled octopus, Haon’s face turned beet red in an instant. Haon glared at Cha Yugeon in embarrassment. In return, Cha Yugeon shrugged his shoulders and chuckled leisurely.

Seeing his smile, it was clear that last night’s events had come to mind.

Haon fanned himself to cool down his burning face. While Cha Yugeon was casually laughing, feeling awkward, Haon’s embarrassment overshadowed any sense of annoyance.

“Park Haon, are you feeling unwell? Your face is red.”

“Shh. Just shut it and don’t say a word.”

Kim Jeongwon asked, oblivious, while staring at Haon’s face. Haon responded coldly, finding Kim Jeongwon’s ignorance irritating.

“…Then I’ll try it too.”

After being lost in thought for a moment, Baek Chan-kyung spoke up. Haon couldn’t help but worry that he might be pushing himself too hard. Regardless, since he was the one who came up with the plan, if by any chance Baek Chan-kyung went berserk and caused chaos, Haon would feel guilty. He cautiously asked for his consent.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just… can you do me a favor, please.”

“To me?”

Haon pointed to himself with his finger, asking what Baek Chan-kyung could possibly ask of him in this situation. He couldn’t understand what Baek Chan-kyung could possibly need from him. He wondered if there was anything he could do.

At that moment, Baek Chan-kyung looked at Haon with an unwavering gaze and opened his lips.

“Mr. Park Haon, please guide me.”