Stepping out of the aquarium, back to Xiao’s place.
The floor closed with a creaking sound, and Parang and Xiao silently stared at it.
A table raised from the floor, and Xiao brought over a basket filled with Lotus biscuits and placed it on the table.
But Parang wasn’t in the mood to touch it.
One of the massive factions dividing the world had sent an assault team to kill her, while another had mobilized dozens to stop it.
The fact that these two organizations fought each other was somewhat understandable.
They’d always been itching to take a bite out of each other.
If not for the issue of maintaining world order, the world would have already plunged into World War III.
No one would want to feast on a world shattered by war, hence the covert power struggles.
The problem was that Parang was at the center of it all.
Her mind was more chaotic than ever.
Of course, she had a conscience. She had done something, so when the world government or the top brass of the Hunter Association contacted her, she remained calm.
But what if their intent was not simple recruitment or sponsorship, but outright assassination?
Parang had already received an invitation from the world government.
It was best to give up hopes of seeing anything good there.
But what if she didn’t go?
She wouldn’t see anything good either. She was in a catch-22 situation.
Before her reincarnation, she had been an ordinary citizen, and even after her reincarnation, she had fought only sea monsters.
The sensation of someone maliciously targeting her life was something she had never felt before.
It was quite unpleasant for Parang.
To be honest, it was a bit scary.
She was fine since she had gained “Embarkation,” but what about the other people from Oceanos? What about Shin Yuna, the Hunter? The orphanage? The village elders?
The world government had mobilized nine S-Class Hunters to kill her. Now that their elaborate plan had failed, it was almost certain they would reach out to Parang’s close ones. It wouldn’t be a matter of high probability; it was safe to say 100%.
In fact, it would be strange if they hadn’t already done something.
Wait a minute.
Parang’s thoughts momentarily halted.
“Why are my close ones still unharmed?”
No one connected to her, including the people at Oceanos, seemed to be in danger yet.
She had exchanged texts with the orphanage director and Shin Yuna up until this morning, and the village elders were all in good health.
If the world government had truly set their mind on eliminating Parang, then those people shouldn’t exist anymore. It would have been normal for at least some gruesome experience like, “I was attacked last time but barely survived,” to have come out.
So there’s only one answer.
Someone must have been secretly protecting them from the world government.
Most likely, it was Silo.
The only ones capable of blocking the world government’s organized attack were Silo and the Hunter Association.
Perhaps they were even cooperating. No matter how capable Silo was, they couldn’t completely fend off the world government’s attacks.
It was absurd to think the world government was going easy on her or overlooking her.
If they were willing to send an assault team, their resolve was solid. If they had truly made up their minds, they wouldn’t resort to any soft measures.
Parang had no idea what was happening around her.
Who knew “Embarkation” could be this reassuring? Without it, she probably wouldn’t have even dared to go outside.
Xiao timidly approached Parang and spoke up.
“I’d say you can stay a few more days… but.”
“Yeah. I know.”
There was no way this level of security could defend against the world government’s serious punch.
In fact, it could lead to dragging Xiao into this mess.
Parang started fiddling with the reassuring “Embarkation” in her ear.
‘If things go south…’
There was a method to charge into the world government with this.
She could wipe them all out!
Without allowing anyone to even open their mouths, she could create a massacre.
She thought she could barge into the world government headquarters in Seoul, kill everyone inside, and escape.
Underwater, Parang was that kind of being. The moment she gained “Embarkation,” she was already the strongest.
But would those giving the order to assassinate her really just sit back?
Unless Parang sneaked up on them and quietly sliced them to bits, they’d probably warp to another city at the first sight of her showing up with “Embarkation.”
Simultaneously, it would become impossible for Parang to find them.
How could she know if they moved to the branch in France or Argentina?
She couldn’t just go around the globe and disrupt governments.
‘In the end, it’s Silo again.’
The Silo Corporation. They were as shady as the world government, but they had helped Parang, so it was something.
As for the Hunter Association… well, she honestly didn’t know. They wouldn’t have called her for ordinary reasons either. But with “Embarkation,” she should be able to take care of herself if worst comes to worst.
Having cleared her thoughts, Parang packed her things and got ready to leave.
Silo, which mustered a covert dispatch team to help her. She knew they had a branch in Hong Kong too. She planned to knock on their door.
Since they reached out first, she had a reason to charge in.
Just as she was about to exit, Xiao softly said something.
“I’ll help you as much as I can from my end.”
It was mostly just words, but still, she appreciated it.
“Thanks.”
With that, Parang left Xiao’s place.
Taking a deep breath, she moved forward with determination.
There was no particular righteousness or duty, though.
At that moment.
Vwoooosh—
A text message arrived for Parang.
Restricted sender number.
cylo.co.kr/maps/@rtfk…
The link showed an address on the Silo Map.
If her predictions based on the circumstantial evidence so far were correct, it must be Silo reaching out to her.
Should she go or not?
Just a moment ago, she had been ready to crash in and cause a massacre, but charging in here was different from a call from over there.
‘Still, it’s probably right to go.’
Parang made her decision.
After all, Silo was the organization that had protected her, and contacting them was the right thing to understand the current situation at least a little.
The likelihood was slim, but it also provided an alternative if something “unfortunate” happened.
Parang headed toward the location marked on the map… but paused for a moment.
‘Hmm, I should at least check my gear before heading out.’
She needed to make sure everything was in working order.
So for now, Parang moved to the dock.
#
Splash—Splash—
The sound of waves lapping irregularly could be heard at the dock.
There, Parang stood.
Since she would be getting wet soon, she set her clothes and towel a bit further away.
“Embarkation!!”
She shouted loudly in her head.
Splash—!!!
A hemispherical space with a radius of 10 meters around Parang filled with water like a bomb exploded.
‘Alright, as expected.’
The surroundings were completely devastated. The barrels scattered around bounced away and sank into the sea, while containers that couldn’t get far enough were crushed.
‘Definitely not usable in daily life.’
In reality, there weren’t many situations where it could be used.
It seemed better positioned as an emergency exit or a hidden trump card.
If she was in a situation where she had to escape with her life, it was a must, but she couldn’t go around wiping out every 10-meter space in her daily life.
As a model citizen, Yu Parang couldn’t even imagine such a nuisance.
Moreover, such triggered artifacts couldn’t adjust their power like skills could. It worked the same way as how a person couldn’t decide whether to fire a gun gently or strongly.
Of course, a crafting Hunter like Han Siwoo could make artifacts that allowed power adjustment. In fact, he had made a few in the story.
But “Embarkation” was an old creation. Sigh. Too bad.
Sucking her teeth, Parang deactivated the artifact.
Then, she strolled over to where she had left her clothes, dried herself with a towel, and put on her outfit.
Now it was truly time to depart. It was time to face Silo, those shady fellows.
#
“Wow….”
The building truly was huge.
Parang tilted her neck nearly at a right angle to look up at the imposing structure in front of her.
She still couldn’t see the top.
It was a skyscraper that looked as if it could pierce the clouds.
Despite fighting monsters larger than this building every day, looking up at such a high-rise felt different.
To be honest, there was a bit of intimidation. Being outside of the water probably contributed to her feeling a bit shriveled.
After taking a deep breath, Parang stepped inside the building.
The people around glanced over. Her bright blue hair was not common.
Since it was Hong Kong, it seemed no one recognized her, but even if they didn’t recognize her as a broadcaster, it was hard to miss a beauty with such a unique appearance.
Moreover, Parang was dressed in her old fitted suit.
It wasn’t easy to avoid their gazes.
Anyway, without intending to, the superstar Yu Parang entered the Silo headquarters, capturing everyone’s attention.
“Are you Yu Parang, the Hunter?”
“Yes, I am.”
As soon as she entered the building, an employee dressed in a similarly tailored suit naturally guided Parang somewhere.
Ready to activate “Embarkation” at any moment, she followed without any resistance.
“You’ll go to the top floor.”
Parang stopped in front of an elevator that was in a somewhat ambiguous location, like it was hiding in a corner.
They wouldn’t try anything funny with the elevator just to catch her, right?
Parang firmly pressed the button for the top floor.
Vwoooosh—
And with a smooth sound, the elevator began ascending.
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