Chapter 1434: Side Story 43
Chapter 1434 - Side Story 43
Ok-Chun was terrified.
This man had once looked at her with shining eyes while wiping away his drool just because he wanted to eat the seafood ramyeon that she made.
–Wow! So this is what Grania’s seafood ramyeon is like!
And after he had a bite…
–Kghhk. Miss Haenyeo, you make some amazing ramyeon!
To her shock, this well-mannered and courteous young man appeared before her in her time of need and completely overwhelmed First Sword Won-Hoo.
Instead of being overcome by surprise, Ok-Chun felt fear. This man did not kill First Sword Won-Hoo with a single swing of his sword, but tortured him and made him feel as much pain as possible before throwing the Immortal into the sea, where he took his last breath. Ok-Chun could not forget the way the light in Won-Hoo’s eyes grew dim and empty and the way his body sagged as the life went out of him. She unknowingly took a step back from fear.
At that moment, Minhyuk, who had been staring at Won-Hoo sink into the depths of the sea, turned around and slowly approached Ok-Chun. The terrified Ok-Chun had been staring at him in a daze, but when she saw him approach her, she felt as if the strength in her legs had almost disappeared. “Ah. It must have been too much for you. I sympathized too much with Miss Haenyeo’s sorrow and wanted to return the pain and sorrow that the haenyeos had suffered from him.”
He even took into account what Ok-Chun was feeling. Although Ok-Chun was afraid, something was refreshing about the way he overwhelmed his enemy. When she focused on Minhyuk again through her fear, Ok-Chun saw the kind, courteous, and polite young man from before.
‘Is this really that devilish man from earlier?’
“I was too careless. I forgot that you haven’t seen anything like this before, Miss Haenyeo.”
He was apologizing for not considering her mental state.
Ok-Chun finally learned what kind of person this man was. He was the type of person who was weak in front of the weak and strong in front of the strong. Sometimes he would act alongside the good, and other times, he would be more fearsome than evil.
For some strange reason, Ok-Chun felt that she could put her trust in this person. She knew that he would not hurt her. After realizing this, Ok-Chun finally collapsed and cried her heart out. The overwhelming sadness that she felt when she saw the bodies of her dead sisters finally burst out.
Minhyuk stood by her side and accompanied her silently in her grief.
***
Back in Olympus, Zeus had come to a similar understanding as Hera. He did not necessarily feel that there was a need to reflect on himself before, but when he looked at the way Ares and Hephaestus turned out, he thought that Philos should never grow up like them. He did not want to see a girl like her grow up twisted.
Zeus had heard from Hera that Philos wanted to give something back to Minhyuk. He found Philos’s thoughtfulness and heart in repaying Minhyuk to be beautiful. Besides, Zeus already had a favorable impression of Minhyuk. This was all thanks to the young man who helped him treat his hair loss problem.
Philos had been thrilled when she ate the omegitteok that was sent to her. From what she saw in its detailed explanation, the omegitteok was said to be an ingredient bestowed upon by one of the Three Sacred Beasts. Philos wanted information about the Three Sacred Beasts and the ingredients that they possessed.
When Zeus learned about that, he told the Gods of Olympus and the gods of Gaia this…
[Bring all the information you can gather about the Three Sacred Beasts. I will give you half a day.]
Meanwhile, he turned to Philos and said…
[This dad of yours is very proud of you.]
Why did Zeus work so hard to get information about the Three Sacred Beasts? It was because he heard that Philos wanted to use the ingredients that they possessed to give as a gift to Minhyuk. It was a way to show how much she enjoyed the omegitteok that her brother had given to her before.
The omnipotent and supreme god, Zeus, was truly powerful. With just one word from him, all of the gods and even the human archaeologists moved to search for the information that he wanted. So, not only did he try to find information about the Sacred Beasts, but he also did his best to find a way to go to the Grania Continent.
As the omnipotent god of Gaia Continent, it did not take too long for Zeus to find a way to enter Grania Continent.
[You have entered the Grania Continent.]
As such, he stepped into the Grania Continent, accompanied by Philos. Their entrance to the continent was through a rather unconventional method, so they did not enter through Aras Village, the village where everyone had to pass through when entering Grania.
Zeus turned to Philos and said…
[Philos, this dad of yours has already found information about the Three Sacred Beasts.]
[Among the Three Sacred Beasts, there is one hailed as the Land God.]
He was the king who ruled the earth and the lands.
[I found out where that guy is located. But from what we have gathered, that guy is ferocious and wild. We have to be very careful.]
Zeus smiled wryly. There was an unknown force in the Grania Continent that had been pushing him away and forcing him to go back to the Gaia Continent. Before he could be sent back, Zeus hurriedly held out the parchment that listed the location where the Land God was to Philos.
“Uncle Zeus, do you know what kind of ingredient the Land God has?”
The ingredient that it possessed had a very unusual name. It was something that neither he nor any other being in the Gaia Continent had heard of.
Zeus, who tried to recall the name of the ingredient, was suddenly engulfed by a blinding light. Before he disappeared, Zeus said…
[I think it’s an ingredient called Saw-edged Perch.]
***
Ok-Chun, who buried the other haenyeos, turned to look at Minhyuk and said, “Is there anything you want to know about?”
She was very quick-witted. She had already noticed that Minhyuk did not just fight Won-Hoo to return the favor and kindness that she had shown him.
“I want to know where Leviathan is.”
“Your reason?”
“There’s something that I want to get from her. There’s also something that I want to protect.”
Cho-Rong had warned Minhyuk to be careful of the Immortals. He had also learned a lot about them from her. Just by looking at Won-Hoo’s personality and character, he could already tell what kind of group they were and what kind of ideology they were promoting.
Ok-Chun did not doubt Minhyuk and his reasons. She said, “Leviathan is hiding in one of the caves in the depths of the sea. That man named Won-Hoo had demanded I call out all of the underwater sea creatures to lure her out. There are two ways to meet Leviathan. You either break the barrier that she has created or make her come out on her own.”
“It seems like the Immortals had chosen the latter?”
If they slaughtered the underwater sea creatures, then Leviathan would be forced to show herself to protect them.
“I have heard a story before,” Ok-Chun said, recalling the stories that she heard from her haenyeo sisters. “When you gather two or more of the Sacred Beasts who protect the land, the sea, and the mountains, you will be able to obtain a weapon of great power.”
“A weapon?”
“Yes. From what I heard, the power that the weapon can exert depends on the weapon user’s disposition. If the weapon user is evil, they will be granted the power to unleash strong and ferocious beasts. If the weapon user is good, then they will be granted the power to make the land more prosperous.”
“How much power does it have?”
“According to the stories, there is no one in the entire Grania Continent who can go against the power of the weapon if more than two Sacred Beasts come together.”
Minhyuk’s expression grew solemn. ‘Are they doing this for that?’
Ok-Chun looked determined when she said, “We cannot let the Immortals take Leviathan away. I will tell you where she is. So, please. Please save her.”
Ring!
[Hidden Quest: Saving Leviathan.]
Rank: SSS
Requirements: The one who received Ok-Chun’s request.
Rewards: Leviathan’s Whole Belt Fish.
Penalty for Failure: Ok-Chun’s favorability will drop.
Description: Ok-Chun reveals Leviathan’s habitat to you. You must rescue Leviathan safely from her habitat, which is currently surrounded by her barrier.
“The Immortals must already be there. They probably are trying to break Leviathan’s barrier. If they could easily break through her barrier, then they wouldn’t have come to find me.”
“Is there an easy way to break through her barrier?”
“I’m not too sure about that.” Ok-Chun smiled bitterly.
After learning the location from Ok-Chun, Minhyuk was about to leave.
“Wait,” Ok-Chun called out, handing over something to Minhyuk before he left. “This is our haenyeos’ treasure.”
The thing that Ok-Chun handed over to Minhyuk was none other than a giant abalone that was the size of a soccer ball.
‘I have never seen an abalone this big before.’
It was not just big; it also had powers that could rival elixirs and potions!
“I wish you well.”
Ok-Chun looked back at the haenyeos’ grave with tears in her eyes.
“If Leviathan comes back to these seas, then we can gather more people and settle down as haenyeos again.”
Minhyuk could tell that Ok-Chun was a powerful and determined woman. He smiled at her before leaving for the sea.
***
Immortal Go-Won was trying to break through the barrier made from the remains of the dead underwater sea creatures.
The barrier was not just sturdy; it was incredibly tough. They had to dig as if they were mining ores.
“I can’t believe he’s taken an entire day.”
Won-Hoo, who led the Immortals here, said that he was bored. After declaring his boredom, he immediately left, saying that he would find the haenyeos and find out more information.
“Why isn’t he back yet?” Go-Won asked.
One of the Immortals said, “He must be enjoying himself out there.”
They did not worry about First Sword Won-Hoo at all. The nine Immortals just continued to dig through the remains of the dead underwater sea creatures. Their hard work finally paid off. They were finally reaching the end of the thick and hard barrier.
“Where can you find someone who’s as good and as benevolent as the Immortals?”
Leviathan might be the king of the seas and a spiritual beast, but at the end of the day, she was a dolphin. Dolphins were very gentle and friendly to people. Was it because they were friendly and gentle that they were called the Sea’s Benevolents?
It was not just that. Even Leviathan’s barrier was infused with the power of benevolence and good. Usually, if a person were good, such a barrier could be easily destroyed in their hands.
But whenever the Immortals hit the barrier, this notification would ring in their ears…
[You are the root of all evil.]
[The dead underwater sea creatures gather together to protect Leviathan from evil.]
The dead underwater sea creatures were, to put it simply, just a wall made of stones and fossils.
“Who are you to decide if we are the root of all evil or not?”
Crack, crack, crack!
The moment they broke through the end of the barrier, Go-Won took out a flute and played a tune.
Leviathan’s power was mostly related to the sea creatures. She usually relied on borrowing the powers of the creatures living in the depths of the sea. The way she communicated with them was through ultrasound.
This flute in Go-Won’s hands could block that very same ultrasound.
Crack!
The sight of countless dolphins blocking their path greeted them when the barrier finally broke down. The dolphins looked like they were whining and crying. But despite trembling in fear, the thousands of dolphins still firmly blocked their path.
“Kihyeeeeeeek!”
“Kihyiiiiiiiiik!”
Go-Won sneered at the trembling dolphins, who were trying to protect their king.
“Ooooh. This brings tears to my eyes.”
Just when the Immortals were about to move and kill the dolphins…
[Step back.]
…a gentle yet powerful voice rang in the seas.
***
Leviathan knew that the Immortals were coming for her. She already knew that there was no way out, so she did not want the dolphins, whose mission was to protect her, to sacrifice themselves just for the inevitable to come. At her command, the dolphins backed off and paved a way for her.
Leviathan, who was much larger than the other dolphins, finally appeared in front of the Immortals. Leviathan stared at the Immortals for a moment. Then, a frown appeared on her face.
[Someone else has reached the barrier.]
The notification, which sounded strangely like an emergency alarm, echoed loudly throughout the cave.
“Who is it?”
“Hmmm? Maybe it’s Won-Hoo?”
The Immortals were confused. The barrier that they had broken through was already starting to close again.
[I don’t know who’s the new arrival, but it will take them more than half a day before they can reach this place.]
Only those who met the conditions set by Leviathan herself would be able to reach this place easily. What were these conditions exactly? The conditions included: humans saving other humans, not doing evil, and not trampling on other lifeforms for no reason. Alas, it was likely that there was no one like that on this continent.
Leviathan did not know if the person who came was a friend or a foe.
[I’ll come with you willingly. Please spare the other dolphins.]
She did not want them to die for nothing. Just when she was about to walk away from the dolphins…
“I think that’s going to be quite difficult.” Go-Won clicked his tongue. “Such insignificant and barbaric animals dared to block the path of us, Immortals. They will have to pay the price for that with their deaths.”
He glanced around him, a smirk tugging at his lips. Then, he drew his sword and cut down the dolphin in front of him. The dolphin was split in half, its blood spreading around them like red paint in water. It was the signal of the start of a massacre.
“Kihyeeeeeeee!”
“Kihyeeeeeeeeeck!”
“Kihiiiiiiiiick!”
The dolphins cried out in fear.
[They did not do anything wrong! Leave the dolphins be!]
Go-Won frowned. “Didn’t I tell you? Insignificant and barbaric beasts dared to block the path of the Immortals. That’s their mistake. They have to pay the price for it.”
At that moment, Go-Won heard another emergency alarm-like notification echoing in the cave.
[The dead underwater sea creatures have started to pave the way.]
[The dead underwater sea creatures have told him about the situation.]
[He has not only met but also gone beyond the conditions that Leviathan has set.]
[He has received the praise of the king of the seas.]
Go-Won and the other Immortals’ heads snapped toward one section of the barrier. There, the long and thick wall of remains of the dead underwater sea creatures split apart.
[He has made countless contributions and has saved the lives of hundreds of millions of people so far.]
[He is someone whom the Absolute Saintess has hailed as the holiest and noblest good.]
Ring!
[The dead underwater sea creatures lead him to where Leviathan is.]
Go-Won’s pupils shook. The dead underwater sea creatures that he regarded as nothing but a mere wall of rocks and fossils have gathered together and formed the figure of a gigantic shark. They picked up and led the unknown man to where the Immortals were and brought him in front of the stunned Immortals.
“Who the hell are you?”
“...What?”
“Is he a foreigner?”
Go-Won addressed the man calmly. He said, “Unknown and mysterious foreigner, do not try to intervene. You will die in our hands if you do.”
However, Minhyuk, the foreigner, raised his sword and swung it without any hesitation.
“Why do you want to intervene in our affairs?!”
Minhyuk grinned before throwing their words back at them, “Because an insignificant Immortal or something dared to block my path.”
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”