NOVEL WEB 27. Do You Know the Sound of the Sea's Cry? (2)
“Why such expressions?”
“Guild Master!”
Though frustrating, I felt relieved.
Choi Kwon-young burst into laughter and gazed at the sea spirit. Even facing the whale with its tremendous pressure that made one’s body tingle, Choi Kwon-young didn’t stop smiling.
“Was the Guild Master the support personnel the guild mentioned?”
“You look quite displeased.”
“…You’re mistaken.”
I belatedly composed my expression.
Choi Kwon-young pretended to be pitiful, muttering about being an unwelcome guest. Though grateful for being saved, the person I least wanted to come had arrived.
‘I never thought he’d come personally.’
While there aren’t many hunters capable of underwater activity, this wasn’t a matter that required the Guild Master’s direct involvement.
Looking again, I saw Choi Kwon-young’s eyes shining with interest. I’d bet my wrist that this guy jumped at the chance, talking about how fun it would be. What happened to not being able to come because he shouldn’t be noticed…
“How are you managing guild affairs…”
“That’s why we have a capable Deputy Guild Master.”
“The Deputy Guild Master would faint if he heard this.”
Hearing my words, Choi Kwon-young shrugged.
I could vividly imagine Hwang Jae-hee processing documents with a haggard look.
To think that Hwang Jae-hee, once renowned in the field, has become a thing of the past. I silently mourned for him, buried in a flood of paperwork.
“Don’t move from there.”
About a dozen or so daggers appeared around Choi Kwon-young, then flew simultaneously to embed themselves in the whale’s body. With a flick of his finger, the daggers exploded with a loud bang.
We watched his battle in awe. The tense feeling that had gripped our hearts vanished without a trace, replaced by pure admiration.
The wind from the explosion made Choi Kwon-young’s uniform coat flutter.
I was reminded of an interview where, when asked why he wore a uniform, he replied that it was simply the outfit that suited him best. True to his words, the navy blue uniform that fit him perfectly created a perfect synergy with Choi Kwon-young’s strong features.
Goooo-
The sea spirit groaned. Its massive body staggered from the impact of the explosion.
Choi Kwon-young didn’t miss this opening. As he stomped his foot, chains shot out from the ground and embedded themselves in the cave walls. Choi Kwon-young leaped up, balancing on the chains with acrobatic skill.
“You know, that spirit is crying.”
“What?”
“Can’t you hear it, unni? It’s crying with such a sad sound.”
Cha Taeyang pointed at the sea spirit. A shadow had fallen over her usually cheerful face. All I could hear was the noise of the battlefield.
Is she hearing something I can’t?
Though Choi Kwon-young had only been here for a short while, scars had already appeared all over the sea spirit’s body.
As if intending to end the battle, Choi Kwon-young aimed at the sea spirit with an ominous aura. A faint flute sound began to linger in my ears.
“Shall we use the skill that Hunter Yun Gaho gifted me?”
His voice sounded quite pleased as he said this.
At that moment, Atera, standing behind me, tightly gripped my sleeve. Startled, I turned around to see her trembling and crying.
She must be very frightened. I bent down to meet her eyes.
“Atera, it’s okay now. Were you very scared? Please wait just a little longer.”
“…No.”
“What?”
Suddenly, Atera dashed out into the middle of the battlefield.
Although Choi Kwon-young was doing well, the battle was still ongoing. She could get seriously hurt if something went wrong. Cha Taeyang ran out before me, grabbing Atera’s arm.
Atera resisted violently, not even caring that her bangs were pushed back.
“You can’t!”
“What can’t be done?”
“You can’t kill Astrona!”
Atera shouted with the loudest voice I’d ever heard from her. With his ghostly hearing, Choi Kwon-young heard our conversation and lowered his gun.
The highly agitated spirit, undeterred by this, began drawing power from the magic stones again.
Choi Kwon-young, wearing a crooked smile, looked at Atera and said:
“If you take this hit, you won’t survive. Is it still not allowed?”
Atera shook off Cha Taeyang’s hand and stepped forward. Her jewel-like eyes turned blue in the light of the magic stones.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…’
Atera, with her hands clasped as if in prayer, looked up at the spirit. Everyone fell silent at her seemingly resolute posture.
– My child sleeping beneath the vast waters. Our child resting under the shadow of coral.
A small singing voice echoed in my head. It was the same method the spirit had used to speak.
The sea spirit stopped moving.
– Shall I bring you the beautiful day when light shines through, shall I scoop up the stars of this night with both hands full.
– I will weave the sunlight on water and fill it all. Dream beneath the cradle through the long night.
The sea spirit unconsciously continued the next verse.
Searching for the owner of the singing voice, the sea spirit frantically scanned the cave with its large eyes.
Upon discovering Atera singing below with her small frame, the sea spirit’s eyelids fluttered in disbelief.
The magic stones that had been fiercely resonating with the spirit’s anger withdrew their power. Instead, they emitted a gentle wave that enveloped the entire cave.
The sea spirit’s body gradually shrank, and finally transformed from a whale into a human form. This time, it looked like an ordinary person.
A man with blue hair that curled like seaweed embraced Atera.
[Remaining time: 00:00:00]
[Subquest ‘The Sea Spirit’s Wrath (A)’ has been completed.]
Seeing the system message, I slumped down as the tension left my body.
Belatedly, I recalled the clear condition.
Atera’s survival.
It wasn’t about defeating the sea spirit. It was the type of quest that would automatically complete when the time limit was reached.
Seeing Atera and the spirit embracing affectionately, Choi Kwon-young shook his head. He pulled me up from the floor and clicked his tongue.
“I guess I really was an unwelcome guest.”
“It’s thanks to you buying us time.”
“Weren’t you uncomfortable with my arrival?”
“Being uncomfortable and being grateful are two different things.”
Choi Kwon-young grinned unpleasantly at my words.
“It turned out well, right?”
I heard Cha Taeyang whispering to the goblin.
The sea spirit, Astrona, held Atera’s cheeks with his large hands and stared intently at her face. Atera also looked back at him silently with tear-filled eyes.
Though I didn’t know the backstory, the scene between these two people, or rather, two NPCs, was so poignant that I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt. Instead, I asked Choi Kwon-young:
“Why did you come personally?”
“I simply assigned the most suitable personnel for the quest.”
“I don’t think the Deputy Guild Master would agree.”
“The final approval is mine, so it’s fine.”
My head started to ache involuntarily.
Despite only encountering him a few times since joining Hwangya, just seeing that smiling face gave me a headache. I wondered how much worse it must be for Hwang Jae-hee.
If it hadn’t been for him knowing the location of the coastal cave, we could have been in big trouble, but the thought of continuing to work with him made my vision go dark.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…No.”
Unlike before, the spirit spoke with a physical voice.
As the sea spirit tried to check if Atera was really unharmed, she pushed him away and hid behind Cha Taeyang. The spirit’s eyebrows drooped, looking disappointed.
“Child, tell me your name, at least your name.”
“It’s Atera! Her name is Atera!”
Cha Taeyang provided Atera’s name in place of the reticent Atera. Only then did the sea spirit look at us. He didn’t hide his displeasure.
Having heard Atera’s name, he once again looked at her with soft eyes.
“Athena. Your father gave you a good name.”
“Not Athena, but Atera! It’s Atera!”
“Land child, my ears are not clogged, so there’s no need for unnecessary worry.”
As Cha Taeyang continued to protest, the sea spirit added that it was how sea people addressed family members.
His grumbling about how land people are hopeless reminded me of a certain goblin, making me laugh involuntarily.
“Um, my name was given by Paran…”
“Hmm, that’s right. He is your father, isn’t he?”
Atera shook her head, sniffling. The sea spirit, flustered, picked her up.
“Athena, why are you like this? Hmm? Stop crying and tell me.”
“I’m not the child Astrona thinks I am.”
“I cherish all children born and raised in the sea. So of course I cherish you too. It doesn’t matter what kind of child you are.”
“I’m a land person. Because of us, the sea people…”
The sea spirit tilted his head as if he had heard something incomprehensible. He stroked Atera’s back while humming the song Atera had sung earlier.
“What do you mean you’re not a sea person? I thought I would never meet the children again. Do you know what you mean to me, who remained alone guarding the cradle?”
“…I’ve never been to Badadkkot.”
“I’ll take you there. So stop crying, okay?”
“W-why is Astrona so kind to me? I, I…”
“Your other half is a land person?”
As Atera buried her face in his shoulder, unable to continue speaking, the sea spirit spoke for her. Atera remained silent.
“A hybrid of land and sea…”
Choi Kwon-young muttered. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Atera as if calculating something.
Only now did I realize that her jewel-like eyes shining in five colors closely resembled the scales of the sea people. I had guessed she knew something about merfolk, or sea people, but to think Atera herself was of that lineage.
“Athena, that doesn’t matter to me at all.”
“Why, why not?”
“You are Paran’s daughter, and a sea child who came to find me. What could be more important than that?”
Atera slowly raised her face. The sea spirit smiled brightly as he wiped away her tears.
Atera whispered quietly that she wasn’t Paran’s daughter, but he pretended not to hear.
“You’re so small. How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“What? You’re only a year younger than me?”
Cha Taeyang jumped in surprise.
This was something I couldn’t help but be surprised at too. Given her small and skinny build, I had thought she was around thirteen or fourteen at most.
The spirit narrowed his eyes and glared at us.
“Did those fellows starve you? Tell me quickly.”
“No! The Players helped me! They even brought me here!”
Before any misunderstanding could occur, Atera waved her hands, defending us.
However, the spirit’s suspicion wasn’t easily dispelled. A deep distrust of Players was evident. Atera opened her mouth to convince him.
“Since I was young, I was confined in a small room.”
Terrible thirst and loneliness even more painful than that. And the man who made her forget it all.
“From today, your name is Atera.”
Remembering a certain man, Atera began to reveal her past.