Chapter 64: Let There Be Light (2)

Chapter 64: Let There Be Light (2)Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast – 64



Parang continued to dive towards the Hive, deeper and deeper.

The faint light grew brighter, clearer, and more distinct as she descended.

At about 1 km down, it was so bright that it was hard to believe it was the deep sea.

“It’s a blessing that it’s in such a remote sea. If it were near the coast, the damage would have been unimaginable.”

Saying this, Parang tapped on her phone, adjusting the camera settings.

She lowered the brightness option to the minimum.

The screen darkened instantly, and the once blinding light became faint again.

“This should make it easier for you to see. Your eyes are precious, after all.”

─She knows that Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

─Wow

─Good luck

“The person who just typed that, if you think it’s you, do ‘that.’”

After a moment of silence, a single chat message appeared.

─The sea is really dangerous.

─Hahahahahaha

─Lolololol

“Keep doing that until we reach the Hive.”

Saying this, Parang took something out of a cartridge.

It was a pair of sunglasses.

Even Parang found it a bit challenging to endure the brightness of the Drake Hive with her bare eyes.

A short visit wouldn’t be a problem, but for a full-day exploration, it was a different story.

As she unfolded and put on the sunglasses, the atmosphere changed dramatically.

She wore a black bodysuit with blue neon accents, and various devices were attached to her arms, legs, and shoulders.

With the sunglasses on, she looked like she had transitioned from some cyberpunk world.

Parang, who already exuded a mysterious aura, looked even more so.

Then she continued to dive deeper and deeper.

The depth soon surpassed 2 km, and the viewers could roughly see the shape of the Drake Hive.

There was no need to explain how it shattered their common sense once again.

“This is the Drake Hive. We call it the ‘Cemetery.’”

Just as she said, the Drake Hive looked like a cemetery.

It was covered with something green, which one could only imagine was claiming to be grass, laid out in a wide square, surrounded by a fence.

It wasn’t the familiar Korean-style graves but rather the appearance of a cemetery seen in American movies.

However, the inside was a complete mess, as if someone had deliberately ransacked it or caused a riot.

There wasn’t a single properly erected tombstone or a properly buried coffin.

The tombstones were twisted or uprooted and scattered haphazardly.

Some were even planted upside down, and in one corner, there was a pile made entirely of stacked tombstones.

The state of the coffins was even worse. Some were dug up and exposed on the surface, some were completely out of the ground and open, and some were stuck vertically or at an angle.

And there were patterns spread all over the coffins, tombstones, and the ground.

As if someone had cast a spell, bizarre, colorful patterns were etched into everything, glowing brightly.

They looked like letters, drawings, or traces of something crawling, winding and sometimes straight patterns that illuminated the chaotic cemetery.

As she got closer, she noticed the monster fishes.

Eels poking their heads out from between the piles of tombstones, looking for food, unidentified fish going in and out of the coffins, and water snakes appearing and disappearing in the grass.

A cemetery is usually a spooky place, but it is also a sacred space to honor the spirits of the dead.

Seeing such a cemetery twisted so maliciously before their eyes, some viewers expressed their discomfort.

This indicated just how dreadful the state of the cemetery was.

─No way, is this supposed to be beautiful?

─It’s kind of unsettling

Nevertheless, the colorful and brilliant light was indeed dazzlingly beautiful. A few viewers agreed with Parang’s statement about its beauty.

─So what, it’s not a real cemetery anyway

─I just think it’s pretty.

Parang continued to descend, eventually standing in front of the cemetery.

Now, she had to find Marian’s body here.

Fortunately, the Drake Hive was one of the smaller Hives. Unlike the East Sea, which required a three-day search, this one could be explored in a single day.

Of course, even though it was small, it was still a Hive. This meant she would need to spend the entire day exploring.

The Drake Hive’s area was about one-third the size of the Train Hive, approximately 13 square kilometers, roughly four and a half times the size of Yeouido.

From above, it didn’t seem that large, but standing in front of it, it certainly felt enormous.

Each sarcophagus was as tall as a building.

However, the viewers were more focused on something other than the overwhelming size of the Hive.

─So what is that? How is it glowing?

They were fixated on the bizarre patterns engraved all over the Drake Hive.

Now that Parang had descended to the ground, they could finally see the mysterious patterns up close.

Upon closer inspection, the viewers concluded,

─What the hell is this

─How is this even possible?

They had no idea.

The viewers, who had expected the patterns to be luminescent moss or coral, were completely off the mark.

And for good reason, as these patterns were not something that could naturally occur.

The patterns were burning.

The ground, sarcophagi, and tombstones were cracked like parched earth, and from within, sparks flew out with a crackling sound, as if real flames were burning inside.

The confused viewers bombarded Parang with questions, but unfortunately, she couldn’t answer them.

Of course, she couldn’t. Parang didn’t know either.

It was a mystery why the items in the Hive, known to be indestructible, were cracked.

It was also a mystery what was burning inside them.

In fact, it was even a mystery whether there was something burning or if it was actually burning at all.

Oceanos had biologists but no geologists.

So, they just accepted it as it was.

Parang honestly said she didn’t know either.

The chat messages started coming in faster and faster.

But Parang wasn’t paying attention to the chat, which was unusual for her.

She was looking at something else.

#

If something is glowing in the deep sea, look away.

If you keep looking, something bad will definitely happen.

This is a phrase that applies in almost all situations and is something Parang had told her viewers many times during her broadcasts.

Not all monster fishes that attack the mind emit light, but all creatures that emit light can be assumed to attack the mind.

So, if you see light in the deep sea, you should run away immediately.

“Just don’t go to the deep sea. You know what I mean?”

This phrase, which she always added at the end, was a template.

One might think, ‘Then, since the Drake Hive emits light on its own, is it a paradise for mind-attacking creatures?’

Just as undead or ghost monsters appear in dungeons rich in yin energy, and golems appear in rocky areas.

But that’s not the case. In fact, there are hardly any mind-attacking creatures in the Drake Hive.

This is due to the nature of the Hive itself. It’s an environment where mind-attacking creatures find it hard to survive.

Parang had explained this once during her broadcast.

The tendency is even more pronounced in the Drake Hive.

Why?

It’s due to the environment of the Hive, as explained countless times.

Most of the mind attacks by monster fishes are conducted through light.

And for a light-based mind attack to be effective, the target must be able to focus on the light.

Think of the cases of Galecus and Yuna for an easy understanding.

Now, imagine if Galecus were emitting light in the Drake Hive.

There would be a critical problem with Galecus’s attack.

Why?

Because the light wouldn’t be visible.

The powerful and dazzling surrounding light would completely overshadow the light from Galecus and other luminous creatures, making it impossible to distinguish whether they were emitting light or not.

So, creatures that attack through light would have been devoured long ago, and the ecosystem of the Drake Hive is dominated by creatures that rely purely on their physical prowess.

Or, creatures that can inflict tremendous mind attacks through means other than light.

‘Hmm…….’

Parang quietly observed a grotesquely wriggling eel-like creature in the distance.

The viewers didn’t seem to notice, but Parang, who had lived among monster fishes for years, noticed immediately.

That creature was currently under a spell. Judging by the symptoms, it had fallen victim to Crino.

It was the same creature Parang had drawn and shown while interrogating the government agent, Hwang Dahye.

If Crino was present, it would be difficult to continue the broadcast to the end. It was likely situated in the central area, so it seemed necessary to explore only the periphery and then end the broadcast.

Parang fixed the camera to a first-person view.

This was a measure to protect the viewers.

─Oh, why first-person view?

─No way

The chat was, of course, in an uproar. Whenever Parang fixed the screen, it never led to a pleasant experience.

But Parang didn’t care. One day, they would realize her benevolence.

If they didn’t, it would be their loss.

“I’ll make sure you have a clear view.”

Parang swam a bit higher, above the grass.

For reference, this grass was 5 meters tall. Walking on the ground felt like taking a stroll through a forest. The occasional monster fish poking its head through the grass was a bonus.

Anyway, the exploration began.

Parang slowly crossed the archway and entered the Drake Hive.