Chapter 46: Give the Abyss a Blow (2)

Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast – 46

EP.46 Give the Abyss a Blow (2)

Planning is essential when it comes to getting things done.

The more important the ‘task’ is, the more crucial the planning becomes.

And while there may be slight variations depending on the individual, saving the world can be considered a pretty important task.

“What do we do now?”

Here, six men and women, who have no choice but to save the world, sat in a circle.

It was fortunate that all six of them were determined to save the world.

Anyway, they were making plans.

The plans they needed to make could be broadly divided into two categories.

First. Tasks they had already intended to do. This only required setting a definite schedule. This included things like the statue subjugation and Parang’s visit to the Hunter Association.

Second. Tasks that needed new planning from now on. This included the next hive exploration, dives, and the investigation in Hawaii.

They decided to start with the simpler tasks that only required scheduling. First up was the issue of the statue subjugation.

“So, when are we going?”

Elvira asked nonchalantly. Parang felt a bit peculiar.

The first mention of this statue subjugation was during Oceanos’s sperm whale hunt that day.

Surprisingly, it had been less than two weeks since that day. The density of Parang’s recent days made it feel like a distant past.

And since the statue subjugation was something that would be particularly strenuous for Parang (though she had nothing to lose) and felt like a chore for the other members of Oceanos, the decision was quick.

“How about the day after my interview? Next Tuesday.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Decision made. Next Tuesday.

They were quick with these sorts of things, which was nice.

Next, they discussed the next hive exploration. A rather intriguing suggestion came up.

“Why don’t all six of us explore simultaneously? Six at a time.”

Everyone was astonished by the suggestion.

Why hadn’t they thought of this before?

Somehow, only Parang had been focused on finding the Slayers’ remains, but in retrospect, all of them could handle hive exploration easily.

If six of them searched, the search speed would be six times faster!

And the numbers matched perfectly.

Including Han Siwoo, there were sixteen Slayers.

There were sixteen locations to search, including Hawaii.

Excluding the Hong Kong Hive and the East Sea Hive, there were fourteen.

Excluding Hawaii, where Han Siwoo was located, and the Mariana Hive, which even Oceanos was hesitant to explore, there were twelve.

The numbers fit perfectly.

Why were they hesitant about the Mariana Hive?

Simply put, it was incredibly vast and incredibly deep.

How vast and deep? Russell had spent a week exploring the Mariana Hive and still hadn’t reached the bottom.

“How deep did you go that time?”

“About 20 kilometers?”

So, if they were to search the Mariana Hive, all six of them would have to go in together. It was nearly impossible to search it alone.

For these reasons, four locations were excluded, leaving twelve.

If six of them explored twice, it would be just right.

As always, the discussion proceeded swiftly.

Diego would explore the Caribbean Hive, Elvira the Arctic Ocean Hive, Vertea the North Sea Hive….

They agreed to explore the hives closest to their respective residences.

Since the Hong Kong Hive had already been explored, Xiao would explore the Bay of Bengal Hive.

Although it was far from her residence, the Bay of Bengal was still within the range of Xiao’s skeletons’ activities.

The remaining issue was Parang.

Since the East Sea and South China Sea hives had already been explored, there were no nearby hives left for Parang to explore.

To be precise, it wasn’t that there were no hives, but there were no hives where the Slayers were resting. Regardless, the outcome was the same.

So, what was her choice?

“I’ll go here.”

“What?!”

“Isn’t that a bit too random?”

“We need to check this place anyway. Besides, even if we ignore other places, this one is essential.”

It was the Drake Hive, located in the Drake Passage.

The Drake Passage is the sea between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica.

The distance from Parang’s residence in Pohang was 17,000 kilometers.

Almost half the circumference of the Earth.

Even though warp stations were spread worldwide, the location was so remote.

The nearest warp station was on the Falkland Islands.

Even after warping, there would still be about 1,000 kilometers to travel.

The reason Parang chose such a distant location as her next destination was because the Slayer resting there was a very important figure.

‘The Iron Maniac,’ Marian Lindberg.

The Slayers’ mechanic and a character officially recognized by the author as a lunatic.

Her unpredictable personality and inconsistent actions.

Her violent and crazy tendencies.

But whenever she stood before Hunter Han Siwoo, she became as meek as a puppy, not knowing what to do.

She met him end in the Drake Hive.

And she was the last of the Slayers to fall, excluding Han Siwoo.

Indeed.

Marian Lindberg was the last escapee.

Even if they didn’t see anyone else’s memories, they had to see hers.

And unfortunately for Oceanos, Alice Melville was no longer around.

There was no one to explore the Drake Passage, which is classified as part of the Southern Ocean.

So, Parang decided to go.

Moreover, the Drake Hive was known for its internal beauty, making it a good choice for broadcasting purposes.

Thus, Oceanos finalized their schedule.

After Parang’s visit to the Association & World Government tomorrow, followed by the interview and apology broadcast the next day.

The day after that, they would subjugate the statue, take a short break, and then all six would explore Hawaii.

After another short break, they would each begin their hive explorations.

Speaking of the apology broadcast.

In both her past and present lives, apology videos from streamers and YouTubers were constantly uploaded.

Parang often encountered them in her algorithm.

A black background with white bold Gothic font saying ‘I’m sorry.’

Titles like ‘I am deeply reflecting’ or ‘I will quit broadcasting (not really).’

Channel names she had never seen before.

It almost spread like a trend.

And now Parang had to do it.

If she was going to do it, she would do it properly.

She needed a suit and a green chroma key.

She was planning to ask Silo for help with that.

As for compensation… she already had something in mind.

With that, the meeting ended. They had a few cans of beer, shared stories, and went to sleep.

#

The next day. Sunday, August 4th.

“Ugh… Ahhh…”

Yu Parang, early fish, woke up.

The clock showed eight in the morning.

Considering her usual wake-up time, this was really, really early for her.

Rubbing her eyes groggily, she came out of her bedroom and glanced around the guest room, where Russell and Elvira were sprawled out, dead to the world.

Were they struggling with jet lag?

In reality, it was absurd to think so, given that the other three had already packed up neatly and gone home. Parang knew well that it was just because they were lazy and sluggish.

Well, they’d pack up and leave once they woke up. It wasn’t their first time.

Parang quickly had breakfast, packed three thick towels and a suit into a waterproof bag, and dove into the sea.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She planned to swim around the Korean Peninsula to Seoul.

If she left now, she would arrive at the Association with plenty of time to spare.

The reason for swimming around the Korean Peninsula from Pohang to Seoul was simple.

She enjoyed swimming, and the sea posed zero danger.

So Parang swam steadily, passing through Busan, the southernmost village, and Shinan, entering the Yellow Sea, crossing the long-gone 38th parallel, and splashing into the Han River via Jeongdongjin.

At 12:36 PM, Parang poked her head out from under the Hangang Railway Bridge.

Not her whole head, just her eyes.

The Han River was bustling with people on a Sunday afternoon.

Fortunately, it seemed no one had noticed her.

Under the Hangang Railway Bridge, she stealthily wiped off the water with a towel and put on a suit over her bodysuit.

Adding sunglasses, a mask, and a hat completed her suspiciously non-suspicious perfect disguise.

Naturally, she had hidden her ‘departure’ in a place where no one could see it.

A secretive spot that no one would ever guess.

She had hidden it in her hair.

…Then she climbed up the ladder to the Hangang Railway Bridge and successfully landed in Hangang Park.

After a short bus ride, she arrived in front of the Hunter Association at 1:20 PM.

With her appointment set for 2 PM, Parang quickly entered a nearby udon shop and finished her meal in twenty minutes before heading to the Hunter Association.

She remembered it was supposed to be the Branch Manager’s office.

Parang stared intently at the directory in front of the elevator, trying to find the Branch Manager’s office.

Branch Manager’s office… Branch Manager’s office…

‘Where is it?’

Why couldn’t she see it?

For such an important room, there should definitely be a sign.

She thought about asking someone, but seeing everyone in suits, carrying documents, and looking serious made her lose the courage to speak up.

Ah, a sad beast without water.

Parang spent about five minutes anxiously staring at the directory.

“Excuse me?”

“Ah, yes?!”

“You’ve been standing here for a while. Can I help you?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

‘Oh… she’s pretty.’

Parang thought she had gotten used to meeting beautiful people like Vertea, Xiao, Elvira, and recently Hunter Shin Yuna, but the woman in front of her was a new type of beauty.

Red eyes, long black hair, a kind yet ice-cold smile.

And a figure that even a suit couldn’t hide.

“I’m trying to get to the Branch Manager’s office. It’s not on the directory.”

This was the first meeting between B-rank Hunter Yu Parang and Hunter Association President Igarashi Natsuko.