– That’s seriously freakishly weird.
– Is that even a fish?
– Isn’t that something that came out of the gate?
The chat responses are explosive. Compared to the monster fish they’ve seen so far, this one is definitely in a league of its own for bizarre appearances.
At least other monster fish looked somewhat like living creatures, but this one is ambiguously lifelike, making you wonder if it’s even alive.
You sense something that only living beings have, but honestly, it feels lifeless. It clearly “sees” with its eyes, yet…
That strange discomfort Parang felt the first time meeting this monster fish comes from here.
Parang, who’s encountered all sorts of bizarre monster fish, felt uneasy, so what about the regular viewers?
– What the heck is that?
– Is it a monster fish?
– There’s no Umoo or whatever around it.
It’s only natural for curiosity to explode.
And Parang wanted to give them a clear answer to their questions as much as possible.
She didn’t want to give a vague response like, “This is a strange monster fish… So, it was only recently discovered, so I don’t know much about it.”
Being a person too, she naturally had a desire to look cool in front of so many people. She wanted to redeem herself after just showing some shoddy behavior moments ago.
But she couldn’t pretend to know what she didn’t actually know. Just as Parang was about to speak sadly—
Vroom!
Her phone vibrated.
“Ah, excuse me for a moment. I’m getting a call.”
No viewers made comments like, “Is it your boyfriend?”
Such viewers had already been filtered out during the first broadcast with Galecus’s egg.
Parang took out her phone and opened SiloTalk.
In the first-person perspective of her stream, her phone’s screen should be visible but instead appeared as just a black screen to the viewers.
Thanks to Silo’s filtering of the broadcast screen.
Moreover, Silo was very dedicated to protecting Parang’s personal information. Automatically deleting things like ‘departure’ from her ear or preventing viewers from watching in specific angles during third-person perspectives.
That was a good thing for Parang.
Anyway, when she checked, it was a message from Vertea.
– Capulus: In Latin, it means “handle”.
So this isn’t a mutated terrestrial fish. Structurally impossible. And since no monster stones came out when killed, it’s also not a gate monster. The possible hypothesis is…
The research Vertea based on the material sent last time was contained in that message.
“A handle…?”
Vertea’s naming sense had a curious touch to it.
“How on earth is this a handle?” but upon more thoughts, “Actually, it does look like a handle.”
Anyway, just at the right timing, the appropriate information was delivered. Parang also realized that the person who donated 1213 won earlier was Vertea.
Perhaps she had already wrapped up the details on Capulus, but was so preoccupied with other things that it completely slipped her mind until the current broadcast.
Though she didn’t quite reach the conclusion that Vertea was the one causing the earlier annoyance.
Regardless, Parang was able to speak fluently, with Vertea’s knowledge behind her. Words flowed out like a clear mountain stream.
“This is called Capulus. It’s recently discovered, so not much is known, but I’ll explain as much as I can.”
– We can see you staring at your phone, teacher.
Parang quickly shoved her phone away.
“I was just checking the time.”
– Why do you have to scroll down to check the time? (seriously no clue)
– My phone’s clock needs scrolling to be visible, no hate please.
– Is this for real?
– Is it even real?
Parang tried hard to ignore the burning chat and continued with her explanation.
“The reason we can’t definitively classify this as a monster fish is that we haven’t confirmed whether it’s a living creature. There are creatures in the deep sea that measure several dozen meters, and researching them is extremely difficult. Especially when they have such… um, unidentifiable forms.”
– ‘oo’ has sponsored 10,000 won! –
[Well, discovering something like that and quickly figuring it out would be way weirder.]
– True that.
– If it were me, I would be too scared to study it and just run away.
– For real lol. And then hide under my bed and never come out again.
– I would definitely never dive again lol.
Viewers chimed in with their own takes.
Some cute responses popped up, and Parang couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“You’re kind.”
The chat exploded again.
– Oh shit, wait a minute.
– Ttuyah… Ttuyawhih… Ttuyahwa…
After a bit, Parang could finally continue with a proper explanation.
“Capulus looks bizarre, but for now, it’s presumed to have no special abilities. My mental barrier skill isn’t activated in its presence.”
It was the same when she first saw it.
“And regarding its status as a living creature, opinions are still divided. Proponents saying it’s alive can argue… like this.”
Thump.
Parang moved to the right side of Capulus and poked at it, making its eyeball spin around to lock eyes with her.
– You kidding me.
– Press the blinkers!!!
– Teacher, are you becoming a real villain now…
“Ah.”
This time, she didn’t aim for it but accidentally stepped into abuse.
“I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t intentional.”
Parang is known for apologizing, even when it’s accidental.
– So everything until now was intentional?
– Fact) That’s a fact.
– Shit, it’s even creepier to realize it was all intentional.
“Uh, well…”
After thinking, she felt like she didn’t need to apologize on this occasion.
“I couldn’t let you guys dive, you know. It was unavoidable.”
The chat lit up again, but Parang continued her explanation unfazed.
“Anyway, observing how it reacts to stimuli is part of the argument for its being a living creature. Just with its eyeball, if poked, it even bleeds.”
Unknown entities living in the deep sea. Plus, being bizarre in appearance and recently discovered, even experts aren’t quite sure about them yet.
The viewers found themselves increasingly eager to explore this monster fish.
The thrill of uncovering the unknown isn’t limited by age or gender.
Though there were no experts, the principle of collective intelligence couldn’t be overlooked, prompting various innovative opinions.
– What if only the eyeball is alive and the T-shaped part is a shell? Like a clam.
– Why not try giving it some food?
– If it’s alive or not, couldn’t we just drop some jelly in there?
And then Parang caught an interesting suggestion in the chat.
What if they put in a Sakis?
Both Parang and Vertea felt a spark of inspiration.
This way, they could determine whether it’s a living creature or not without even bringing out the Kraken.
“Putting in a Sakis is a great idea. I’ll mention it to someone I know.”
– Please say ‘good job’ just once.
“Good job.”
At that moment, the viewer who made that comment vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
Maybe they got busy with something, Parang thought.
Well, anyway. That “someone” obviously refers to Vertea. There’s no one in the world who can match her expertise in monster fish research.
In the first place, there are extremely few people studying monster fish.
– Just try it. Sounds like a good idea.
As expected, Vertea, who seemed to be watching the broadcast, quickly texted back.
“She says to try it. Then I’ll do it.”
Parang picked up an Umoo nearby and placed it around Capulus, probing it here and there.
The Umoo sandwiched between Parang and Capulus created a comically flat appearance.
“Um, for now, it doesn’t even seem to want to enter its body. That means it perceives it as inanimate.”
Parang brought the Umoo closer to Capulus’s eye this time.
This time, the reaction was somewhat different.
As Parang put the Umoo close to Capulus’s eye and wiggled it around, the Umoo suddenly bit down on it.
The viewers were horrified at the sight taking place in the eye.
– Oh crap.
– Ugh.
Yet, contrary to expectations, Capulus’s eye remained untouched. It just kept its clean spherical shape.
– ?
– Huh?
– What?
So, they thought it was a living creature and tried to bite it, but it turned out it wasn’t. It felt like it had bitten and spat it out.
Neither the body nor the eyes were organic substances.
Therefore, Capulus was inorganic, meaning it was concluded to be non-living.
“Thanks for the good idea.”
After going through a round of vague inquiries, this was the first time a refreshing conclusion had come to light, and Parang felt pleased.
However, that didn’t last long as an undeniable donation rolled in.
– ‘oo’ has sponsored 1,000 won! –
[But what on earth is the Hunter who’s knowledgeable enough about monster fish to give advice?]
“Ah, that…”
Parang hesitated briefly. This could potentially reveal Oceanos’s identity.
– That’s true, what gives?
– Is it someone similar to the host?
– Is there even someone similar to the host?
– Well, maybe there could be.
– I can’t even imagine.
Apart from that, the chat was reaching peak curiosity.
– ‘oo’ has sponsored 1,000 won! –
[Because it seems Capulus isn’t even registered academically, what’s up with that?]
Here, the “academic” refers to the Hunter Academy. Really, most monster information is registered in this database. It’s a matter of public safety.
Even many monster fish have been documented. Though the depth of that research is considerably lower than terrestrial monsters.
“Um…”
After a short contemplation, Parang concluded.
“She’s just someone I know. It feels a bit awkward to say she’s not related to broadcasting.”
No matter how curious the viewers might be, some things are off-limits. She said this briefly and succinctly.
The viewers surprisingly seemed to accept it readily. They didn’t really push for more information.
Most simply took it as “Oh, I see,” and the rest of the few also responded with a “Oh, I see.”
After all, it wouldn’t make sense to reveal a regular person’s identity in front of Parang, who has nothing to do with the broadcast.
And so, in this calm atmosphere, after surveying around a bit more in the audience, Parang’s broadcast came to a smooth end.
“Then, we’ll wrap up for today and plan to explore two more carts tomorrow afternoon. Everyone, take care.”
– Today’s broadcast was rich.
– So, three days is four days or three days?
– Ugh, no way.
Pfft—
“Ahh…”
Parang’s vision turned dark. Naturally, the broadcast that was synchronized shut off.
In the end, no signals from the Slayers were detected in carts four and five.
Parang didn’t hold much expectation anyway. You can’t be full after just a first meal.
When she took off the device from her eyes, Sakis, which had been in Umoo form, began to appear as it originally was.
“Ugh…”
Parang quickly panicked and bolted out of the train at max speed.
“Kraken.”
―――――!!
Tentacles that entered through the train window slaughtered the monster fish mercilessly.
While complete annihilation was impossible, at least it helped regulate their numbers to some extent.
Parang returned home.
Meanwhile, Vertea.
“Broadcast… huh.”
She pondered while fingering the screen of the turned-off computer.
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