“Is this… really a corpse?”
“From what I see, its preservation state is oddly good.”
This was a conversation between Parang and a researcher in a basement lab in Seoul.
The researcher, whose hair was half-balding, looked quite surprised at the corpse before him.
Parang also somewhat understood. It was preservation that could hardly be considered a corpse.
After observing the body for a while, the researcher said to Parang,
“I don’t doubt Hunter Yu Parang, but it’s possible you may be mistaken. No matter how you look at it, this appears to be in a state of suspended animation, or maybe just sleeping.”
“I understand. Just make sure to confirm it after you examine it.”
“Got it. The examination itself won’t take too long, probably around three hours…”
The researcher glanced at the corpse and corrected himself.
“Um, it might take about four hours, actually. Honestly, in my 40 years in this field, I’ve never seen a corpse like this.”
Since they would have to wait about four hours to summon Oceanos anyway, Parang nodded.
“Alright. Even if it takes longer, please confirm thoroughly.”
“Ah, understood. And…”
“Yes?”
The researcher lowered his voice, as if about to discuss something important.
“About that artifact.”
The combination of the researcher’s lab coat and serious tone was quite powerful, causing Parang’s voice to lower slightly as well.
It was because they were outside the water.
“Oh, right. You mean the ‘evidence’.”
Separately, Parang had already been notified by the Silo side about the completion of the artifact’s repairs. They had requested to view the memories contained inside right after the dive.
“While we said we ‘repaired’ the artifact, the process was quite unusual.”
“Wait, what part was unusual?”
“To be more specific, it feels less like it was ‘repaired’ and more like it was ‘released.’ So, basically, this artifact was initially…”
As the man continued talking, Parang’s expression turned more confused. Energy, waves, what? Choco pie?
Having no connection to such things in both past and present lives, it was understandable she felt dizzy.
Fortunately, the male researcher seemed to have some awareness, quickly stopping his explanation to apologize.
“Oh, I ended up going off on a technical tangent. My apologies. To put it simply, this ‘evidence’ artifact felt less like it was broken and more like it was sealed.”
Only then did Parang somewhat understand and asked,
“Sealed…?”
“Yes. Do you remember when I contacted you and said ‘four days left until repairs are complete’?”
“Oh, right.”
“Immediately after that call, something very powerful started to emerge from inside the artifact.”
“Just suddenly? Without any warning?”
“Yes. At first, I thought nothing of it. Artifacts often do that. But the more I worked, the more I felt something was distinctly different.”
“And that difference is the seal you mentioned.”
“Exactly. We repaired everything perfectly, except for that one flow, which at that point got stuck.”
“I see…”
“Yes. However, the more suspicious part is that we definitely didn’t break that seal ourselves.”
Parang was a bit surprised, too. They didn’t break it themselves? Then did it just rub a lamp or something?
“What do you mean…?”
“Literally. A seal that showed no signs of breaking just suddenly… popped open. As if it had chosen the right moment.”
“How is that possible?”
“We’re still not sure. But please be careful when you take a look.”
Parang’s expression turned serious.
Another mystery. Why is there so much they don’t know?
Since they started this, there hasn’t been anything that clicks together perfectly.
“Oh, there is just one thing.”
Realizing Natsuko was a crazy person.
The only definite truth is this absurdity. The path of the hero is long and perilous.
“Um, got it. As you probably know, it’s genuinely dangerous, so please don’t open it first or anything.”
“I’m well aware. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Parang left the lab with a complex expression.
#
In the basement of a Silo Material Building in Seoul,
Six men and women gathered around a massive tank.
Everyone looked at the beautiful female corpse contained within the tank.
Charlotte’s corpse was, to cut to the chase, indeed a corpse.
The words from the lab suggested it was under some kind of ‘preservation magic,’ meaning it was magically preventing decay or damage.
It was not an unreasonable claim. In fact, among the Slayers, there are quite a few who are skilled in such magic, including Charlotte.
Vertea was the first to speak up.
“Humans are fickle creatures; their responses dull rapidly after just a few repetitions of the same event.”
“Who the heck said that nonsense? I’d twist their mouth if I meet them.”
Elvira clicked her tongue, sounding a bit irritable.
“Prominent biologists said that. There are thousands of papers on it.”
“Well, those guys have never encountered monsters that shatter state windows from the memories of someone who died 4km under the sea.”
“Um, that’s a fair point.”
After that, they exchanged some trivial stories—updates on their lives, some sudden criticisms, dinner plans…
If someone were to point out that they seemed rather lighthearted given the world’s fate rested on them, they would have their own argument.
If they didn’t do this, they’d feel like they’d go crazy from nerves.
The images from the last dive were still vivid in their minds.
If you listened closely to their voices, you’d notice a slight tremble in them.
They were clearly afraid.
Their resolve to protect the world hadn’t cracked. They were still resolute in their determination to protect people.
Yet feeling tense, trembling, and scared was unavoidable.
They just had to muster their courage.
As the idle chatter gradually faded away, finally, no one spoke.
“…Let’s go.”
Parang broke the heavy silence.
Then, with a splash, all members of Oceanos dove into the water.
#
Charlotte Eira.
A prominent biologist, physicist, chemist, and monster researcher… and so on…
She is the typical genius scientist heroine character found in hunter stories.
However, her importance regarding the Slayer’s death incident is quite high, as Han Siwoo Hunter interpreted the scroll he acquired to design the ascension ceremony based on her work.
Furthermore, the state of her corpse is the best they’ve ever seen. There should be quite a bit of information to be gathered.
Additionally, the timing of Charlotte’s transfer is noteworthy.
During the battle of the Slayers, Charlotte and two others were transported to the Hive almost simultaneously.
That means the three of them were knocked out at the same time.
And according to Oceanos’s deductions, it’s highly likely that ‘the Eye’ appeared at that moment.
It suggests that they might be able to witness the most crucial moment of the battle.
And they also need to examine the problematic ring.
“…These are the main points we need to focus on during this dive.”
Xiao said, a bit shaky yet still in a solemn tone.
“It’s going to be tough to dive twice. We need to check it all in one go.”
There’s a high chance that ‘the Eye’ will appear in the memories, which could place a great burden on Xiao, the caster of this dive, just like last time.
So the strategy is to handle everything neatly in one go.
Since the safety of their comrades is at stake, no one complained about the lengthy explanation and listened seriously.
“Alright, let’s set out.”
“Understood.”
Then, with a splash, their consciousness was plunged into the memories.
#
Woosh-!!
“What, what is it, all of a sudden?! Why is it so bright?!”
Everyone, who had expected the dark ocean’s scenery, reacted in shock to the suddenly dazzling light.
Light, light, light. Brightness was everywhere.
This isn’t the light from an explosion, a weapon, or a skill.
Having lived their whole lives with explosions, weapons, and skills, they know that difference clearly.
So what is this light? Bright, yellow, white, and vibrant, almost divine light.
It’s to the point where they wonder if it’s even underwater.
‘Wait. Is this not the ocean?’
Something flickered in Parang’s mind! She quickly asked Xiao,
“Xiao, what memory is this?!”
“Well, it’s June 11th. At 19:42 GMT.”
19:42. In Korean time, it’s 21:42, which means 9:42 PM.
And June 11th.
Parang never forgot that date for a single moment.
On that day, her fate and the world’s fate turned upside down.
“…Ascension.”
That’s right.
On the evening of June 11th, the Slayers were ascending.
So the light they were seeing now is…
“My goodness…”
“They’re going to start showing us from here…?!”
It was hard to believe, but there it was.
Charlotte Eira’s corpse was showing Oceanos the memories starting from the moment of ascension.
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