Chapter 9: The Rising Wave

At first, it was small.

So, I hid.

Shivering.

The sea’s predators, just by looking at them, you could tell.

They didn’t belong here.

It was obvious.

They were… strange.

Creatures from another world.

The rulers of the deep sea.

A “giant creature” devoured a “bizarre creature.”

[Graaaaahhhhh!!!]

Blood splattered everywhere, making it impossible to see.

The more it happened, the more I hid.

I was terrified.

These beings didn’t belong here, yet they were ruining the home they shouldn’t be in.

But I could do nothing.

Then…

Flash!

The creature’s eyes locked on me.

It was fast.

Something flew at me, and in an instant, the shell on my back was sliced off.

It hurt! It hurt!

I struggled.

I tried to escape.

But it was useless.

Just when I thought I might die like this…

[The constellation, ‘Ultimate Creature,’ is watching you.]

[‘Ultimate Creature’ wishes to sponsor you.]

[Do you accept the sponsorship?]

…Sponsorship?

Rather than that, could you deal with that creature over there?

[The constellation, ‘Ultimate Creature,’ wishes to sponsor you with S-rank skill: Devouring.]

[If you accept the sponsorship, you will be reborn as a perfect creature.]

[Do you accept the sponsorship?]

Sponsorship, what does that even mean?

But in this situation, I had no choice.

Help me!

Then…

Nothing seemed to change.

Except…

I was incredibly hungry.

The “giant creature” opened its mouth right in front of me.

Just as I thought I might die here…

By chance…

I bit into the “bizarre creature’s” flesh.

…It smelled delicious.

Crunch! Crunch!

Survival instincts were long forgotten.

I should run.

But my hunger was unbearable.

It tasted so good.

I wanted more.

Only my appetite exploded, boiling up within me.

At that moment, a hot energy surged through my body.

Tentacles grew, and my body began transforming to maximize my adaptability in the water.

My bones and muscles were restructured, making my body more powerful, and I could move several times faster underwater than I could before.

[S-rank skill: Devouring has been used.]

[Genetic information of the target has been extracted and applied to your body.]

[Genetic information: Neo-octopus tentacle structure acquired.]

[Ultra-fast physical regeneration.]

[Speed of movement underwater increased by 3,000%.]

[Muscle density increased by 500%.]

[42 tentacles grow from your body.]

But above all,

I gained an unusual ability.

A special power that surpassed the limits of my species.

[You are now capable of ‘Parasiting’.]

[The constellation, ‘Ultimate Creature,’ recommends you parasitize the sea serpent Leviathan’s camouflage.]

I instinctively understood how to use this ability.

I was both myself and Neo Octopus now.

And soon, I would become one with the enormous creature in front of me.

I could have run away easily.

But I let myself be eaten on purpose.

The goal was its stomach.

I knew there would be more delicious things there.

[The Ultimate Creature] had told me so.

This hunger never seemed to go away, no matter how much I ate.

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ watches you.]

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ says that you cannot survive in the North with your current state.]

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ recommends that you consume the land creature, Min Hayul, before heading north.]

“Min… Hayul?”

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ advises that after consuming Min Hayul, you should conquer the North to truly become a perfect creature.]

At first, I couldn’t speak.

But after eating humans from the coast a few times, I gained the ability to speak.

I no longer needed the sign that said “I am the Sea King.”

However, my voice was strange.

It sounded like a beast imitating a human voice, and the words came out awkwardly.

“Mi, Min Hayul… my… prey.”

Arms and legs started to grow from my body, and I gradually began to change into a human form.

The massive tentacles shrank into limbs, and the glowing scales on my body began to resemble human skin.

Though my appearance was gradually becoming more human, there was still something off about it.

My skin was sticky, as if soaked in water; my arms were too long and flexible, with webbed fingers, and gills still remained at the back of my neck.

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ suggests that you return to the sea and bring more monsters.]

Even though no prey had appeared at the coast yet, once I, as the ruler of the sea, went on a rampage, more marine monsters would flood the land.

At that point, the prey would inevitably show itself.

But before that, there was something I wanted to ask.

“Ultimate… creature… what… is the reason… for your support?”

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ raises a question mark above its head.]

“You… aren’t you… supporting me… to eat me…?”

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ falls silent for a moment.]

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ nods, acknowledging that your guess is correct.]

If I eat Min Hayul and become a perfect creature by heading north… then… will I… meet you?

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ affirms.]

“…Are you delicious?”

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ seems intrigued by your question.]

[The Constellation, ‘The Ultimate Creature,’ only laughs, offering no answer.]

It was a laugh that mocked my greed, but the Sea King paid no mind.

“Min Hayul… I will… eat you…”

And then.

Once I became a perfect creature, I would devour even the Ultimate Creature.

How delicious must the Constellation be?

The Sea King let out a strange laugh.

Hunter Association
Disaster Response Headquarters
It was an emergency.

“A large-scale monster wave has occurred along the coasts of Sokcho and Gangneung.”

“Reports are also coming in from the Samcheok coast!”

“What? Did an earthquake suddenly happen? ”

“Why are marine monsters invading our country all of a sudden?”

“We don’t know. We’ve been in contact with geologists and marine ecologists, but so far, we can’t pinpoint the exact cause.”

“It’s an unprecedented phenomenon globally…”

“Those damn so-called experts! I’ve never seen them actually earn their keep! But marine monsters… don’t they lose their strength when they come ashore? ”

“What kind of confidence do they have to invade our territory?”

“That’s…”

One of the staff members brought up a video on the monitor.

It was a monster resembling an eel, around 20 meters long and weighing 3 to 5 tons, emitting black electricity from its body. It was crawling onto land.

“It’s disgusting.”

“Holy shit, what is that?”

“As you can see, all the marine monsters now have limbs.”

“No, that’s not the problem. That’s…”

The association chairman shuddered.

They had human faces.

The grotesquely twisted mouths and emotionless eyes took up the head of these monsters.

It was as if they had maintained the characteristics of marine creatures while adapting to survive on land.

“Currently, the front lines are stagnant in the Gangwon Province area, right?”

“Yes, for reasons unknown, but it’s presumed that their goal is Seoul.”

“The waves are concentrated around Sokcho, Gangneung, and Samcheok, possibly because they are trying to follow the shortest route.”

“What about the top-tier hunters?”

“We still don’t know the whereabouts of the unregistered awakener Zz.”

“S-Class 4th, Han Jinseong, the owner of the space battleship, is currently on a mission abroad.”

“S-Class 3rd, the best domestic power, Min Hayul, remains in Seoul to prepare for any situation.”

“S-Class mobilization rate?”

“Since two World Bosses were just defeated, many S-Class hunters are on break.”

“The hunters who have responded so far are S-Class 5th, Cheonma; S-Class 20th, Park Sumudang; and S-Class 19th, Noryongmunju.”

“A defensive line is being established in the Gangwon area with them as the core.”

“With Cheonma, Noryongmunju, and Park Sumudang, we should be fine.”

“Tell the other hunters to be ready to deploy to the front lines once their tasks are complete.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The defense line in Gangwon Province would fall in an instant, and once that happened, Seoul would be next.

But why were sea monsters coming ashore?

“Damn it. How long has it been since the World Bosses appeared? Has the entire country been overrun?”

The sea was always safe as long as you stayed out of it.

There had never been a time when monsters surged from the ocean.

But now, that rule had been broken.

“Monsters that we predicted would struggle on land are adapting to it?!”

The monsters with human faces had grown arms and legs, and now they had the means to move on land.

It was hard to predict how efficient their mutated bodies would be on solid ground.

Obviously, charging into the water to fight them would be suicidal, so defense was the only option.

“We can’t rely on Zz’s appearance. He only showed up during the World Boss events, but this time it’s a Monster Wave.”

Zz’s involvement was unlikely.

The monsters from the northern Monster Waves were dealt with by S-Class 1st and 2nd, not Zz.

So, like the previous Lucifer raid, we couldn’t count on Zz for help.

“At least I can trust those three.”

The association president looked at the profiles of the three S-Class hunters with a look of confidence.

Then he suddenly realized something and spoke up.

“Ah, right. Send out the summons. Get the hunters who aren’t actively doing anything to head to Gangwon.”

“Unni, you have business in Gangwon, right? I’ll leave you my card, so don’t skip meals. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t just sleep all day, make sure to feed the cat too, okay?”

“…Yes.”

“And even if some guy offers to buy you snacks, don’t follow him around like a puppy…”

“…Right…”

That was just the other day, and now my phone was ringing.

A summons message had arrived.

Target: F-Class Hunter, Yoo Baekseol
Location: Samcheok, Gangwon Province
Content: Due to the recent Monster Wave on the Samcheok coast, many marine monsters have landed on land.

Your cooperation is urgently requested for the operation.

• Korean Hunter Association Disaster Response Headquarters, Yoo Bujang –

“…I think I’ve made a mistake becoming a hunter.”

Maybe it was because I had become an angel.

I wanted to ignore it and stay home, but my conscience wouldn’t let me.

I couldn’t lie or betray my conscience anymore.

The sun was shining brightly.

Before I knew it, I was in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.

The waves crashed against the breakwater with a loud roar.

As soon as I arrived, sirens started blaring.

“Get out of the way!”

“You have five minutes to evacuate!”

“Who’s this ‘Shaman’?”

“Samdosugun Tongjesa.”

“What? We’re screwed. That guy’s super strict.”

Among the busy people, I stood there, blankly staring, holding a cat, not fully understanding the situation.

Then someone patted me on the shoulder and passed by.

“Hey, newbie? Hurry up and get in line. You’re gonna get a scolding if you don’t!”

Everyone was running around shouting, creating an energetic atmosphere.

…I could feel my energy draining.

I looked up at the sea.

There, a turtle ship was majestically floating.

Huh? A turtle ship?

“Who’s that?”

As an angel, I could see souls.

While others weren’t looking, I secretly pulled out my halo.

There it was.
Good Deeds: 10,155P
Heavenly Pass to enter.
[Ah, ah, my dear colleagues. The Admiral is disappointed.]

The S-Class hunter in charge of the defense line in Samcheok, Gangwon Province.
S-Class 20th, Park Sumudang, Park Doosik.
The deity who had descended upon him today.
The Holy Hero, Yi Sun-shin.