The water was silent. The minimal air and water vibrated, producing sound, but nothing managed to create any proper noise.
The gurgling bubbles, the sound of water shifting. The gentle ripple of currents brushing against his eardrums. The soft whisper of waves skimming the surface every time his limbs moved.
All of it quietly tapped against his muffled hearing. Ian slowly sank deeper into the water, his face twisting into a frown.
What a drowning human must do is always clear. He was no different, so Ian flailed his limbs, trying somehow to get out of the water.
But the sea surface did not draw any closer. It simply stayed where it was, flowing by in silence.
"……."
Then, suddenly, Ian realized that the sea surface above his head was not the surface at all, but the sky.
No, to be precise, the sea surface itself was the very edge of the world. Even if he somehow passed beyond it, no land or air would appear. Just as outer space emerges once you break through Earth's atmosphere, no matter how he breached the sea surface, only the vast cosmos would unveil itself.
'Ah.'
The moment he realized, Ian stopped swimming and slowly sank deeper into the water, following gravity. The blue sea gently wrapped around his entire body.
By nature, humans are not granted the ability to fly, nor to breathe underwater. Yet, even as he sank into the sea, Ian could inhale and exhale perfectly fine. He felt almost no water pressure at all.
There was no need to ponder why this phenomenon occurred.
Because this place, this sea, was welcoming him.
Glub, glub...!
Every time he exhaled, transparent bubbles soared toward the sky.
The bubbles held the colors of the rainbow. Sunlight that could not possibly exist slithered down, scattering light through the bubbles. Among them, a red hue touched softly upon Ian's face.
The seawater was neither cold nor hot. A comfortably lukewarm temperature. It maintained his body heat just right. He reached out a hand toward the colors touching his face and carefully turned his thoughts.
'...I confirmed the Deficiency devouring the theme park, but... Is this inside its stomach? Or an entrance leading to the Outer Sea?'
[The latter, Daddy.]
Wooong... .
The answer to his thoughts came from below, carried by the sound of water. Ian's head reflexively turned.
[My mouth is the entrance to the Outer Sea. Well, it's practically the boundary. That's how I was able to bring you here for a moment, Daddy, without Mommy's permission.]
In the deep sea where the bottom was invisible. From within the dark blue abyss, something gigantic slowly crawled upward. As if fleeing from it, creatures of familiar form swiftly swam away, scattering in all directions.
The Messenger, the Recycler, the Watcher, and so on.
The beings Ian had summoned at least once quickly swam away to hide on the far side of the sea. Regardless, the massive creature fixed its gaze upon Ian, hauling its ponderous body out of the deep sea. Small ripples, unfitting for its size, rode the current toward him and swallowed the rising bubbles.
[I live here, Daddy.]
The first thing that entered his vision was a glowing protrusion shaped like a luminescent lure. Resembling the esca of an anglerfish, it flashed brightly, casting light upon the world. And beneath it, a black-bodied sea serpent swam up with its mouth agape.
"……."
Its size was similar to the Precursor. No, considering its overall length, it was even longer than the Precursor. Inside its gaping maw, sharp, thorn-like teeth were densely packed, wriggling from side to side. It looked akin to a parasite.
Between the black scales covering its entire body were constellations. Thanks to that, its flesh resembled an elongated Milky Way.
It was a beautiful sight, but even more so, it was grotesque.
[Daddy?]
The Deficiency approached and tilted its head before Ian. That alone dyed Ian's vision black.
The Deficiency's true form, seen from the front, was more hideous than he had imagined. Parasitic worm-like teeth clustered together, gnawing at each other, and a split eyeball sat bulging at the end of a long tongue.
Compared to its eldest sibling, the Precursor, its appearance was incredibly, terribly horrific. It was fortunate it at least had fins; without them, it would have been no different from a giant parasitic earthworm.
[Daddy, what are you thinking?]
"Ah."
At the voice, Ian snapped back to his senses. After confirming his voice still worked properly, he carefully stroked the Deficiency's skin with the back of his hand.
"It's nothing. My daughter is just so beautiful, I was completely mesmerized."
[R-Really? Heeheehee! Jeez, Daddy, what will you do saying such doting father things? I can't contain myself!]
"Please contain yourself, I beg you."
At Ian's polite request, the Deficiency burst into a peal of laughter.
A sound like a massive earthquake echoed, and the world vibrated. Small ripples quaked, and the creatures observing Ian nearby scrambled to flee out of the Deficiency's sight.
"……."
At the Deficiency‘s tail, black silhouettes—the same ones seen at the theme park—swayed this way and that, connected by an umbilical cord. Like the luminescent lure on its head, those also seemed to be a kind of bait.
Ian tidied his throat with a slight cough, wondering if it might have been better if that silhouette had been its true form.
"Daughter, where is the theme park?"
[Theme park... Ah, you mean that prey. It's over there.]
The Deficiency pointed to the upper left with the protrusion on its forehead. Ian shifted his gaze in that direction.
"......Huh."
There, the swallowed theme park floated underwater, shattered into pieces. Massive debris sank into the deep sea, and a giant clown made of red mist writhed in agony, its face contorted.
That was probably the core that constituted the theme park.
Originally, he would have had to fight that creature even after destroying the theme park, but since the being called the theme park had been swallowed whole, there was no need to go that far. Left alone, it would drown on its own.
"It's over, then... ."
Ian let out a sigh of relief and completely relaxed his body. The sea gently embraced his limp form.
As if guarding him, the Deficiency coiled its body into a vortex shape and looked down at Ian. Inside its gaping maw, the eyeball at the tip of its tongue pierced precisely through him.
[Daddy, Daddy. I have something to say.]
"......? What is it?"
[How about just living here with me? Don't go back to Earth. Just stay here forever.]
"......What?"
At the completely unexpected words, Ian furrowed his brow.
At that moment, one of the Deficiency‘s teeth stretched out long and coiled weakly around Ian's body. The tooth, sharper than he thought, lightly grazed his cheek.
"Urgh."
A droplet of blood trickled out. Though it was a small wound, the ripple it caused was not small.
Kwooooh...!
The world howled. It vibrated. It moved. It flowed. Ascending and descending repeatedly, gravity reversed, and the scent of blood spread in all directions.
It was not the Deficiency's doing. The creatures inhabiting the boundary of the Outer Sea had all screamed out in unison, reacting to the blood of their Father.
"......!"
Plankton crawled up along Ian's skin. Black spots. They licked his skin, baring their teeth.
Near the blue sea surface, a single jellyfish accelerated rapidly. From the side, a butterfly made of water fluttered gently, creating ripples as it flew, then turned back. From above, a shark plunged vertically.
[Daddy.]
Kwoong!
The Deficiency swept all of them away. With a single stroke of its fins, they vanished from Ian's sight. The swirling currents underwater tore apart the Recyclers that had drawn near.
[Going outside will only bring you hardship. Look at today. You just ended up suffering for nothing, trying to help some bugs.]
"......"
[You wouldn't have to do that if you were with me. I'll protect you. I'll make sure no one can harm you. So let's live together deep in the deep sea. If you're hungry, I'll hunt. If you're lonely, I'll hold you. Do you prefer human form? Then I'll carve my body down somehow, make myself exactly to your liking. So, okay?]
The Deficiency stuck out its tongue. Lick. The black tongue lightly licked Ian's face.
[Let's get married.]
"......"
Unable to answer, Ian stared at the Deficiency with trembling eyes. After a brief moment, he gathered his wits, let out a long breath, and moved his lips slightly.
"......Your luminescent lure has the ability to bewitch living beings. My head went strange for a moment."
[Ah, caught me. It's an ability that ignores mental barriers, though... How did you break out?]
"Who knows. Maybe it's because my daughter's face was too beautiful?"
[Ah, what's that!]
The Deficiency giggled, withdrawing the luminescent lure it had been holding right above Ian's head.
The light dimmed. In his darkened vision, Ian stared at the even darker form of the Deficiency and opened his mouth.
"Deficiency."
[Yeah.]
"Send me back."
[Why?]
"If you don't, I'll call Mommy."
Flash!
The Deep Sea Book of Records was summoned into Ian's hand. The black-covered grimoire, the moment it confirmed the Deficiency, blazed madly, spewing red beams of light in all directions.
Simultaneously, space tore apart with a ripping sound, and someone's eyeball popped out.
[Youuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!]
The pupil of the eyeball split apart. From within, a bizarre girl's voice leaked out.
[If I catch you, you're really dead, ahhhhhhk!!]
[H-Hik!]
[He's my husband, ahhhhh! He's mine, ohhhhhhhhk!!!!!]
Following the tremor of the voice, the world was seized by terror.
"You saw?"
Thump.
Ian closed the grimoire. The torn space then returned to normal, and the voice echoed out before disappearing. The Deficiency gnashed its teeth together, glaring at Ian.
[Daddy, you really are so mean...!]
"I'll play with you later. Let's play together, Mommy and Daddy. Okay?"
[Play without Mommy! I hate Mommy! I hate Daddy too! ...Ah, no! I like Daddy! I love you!]
The Deficiency screamed and struck the empty air with its tail.
Clang!
Space shattered like glass. Seawater poured into the pierced space, and in an instant, Ian was swept away by the rapids.
"Urgh!"
[You have to call me again later! More than Noona! Much more than the others! As much as you love me!]
The Deficiency shouted. Before he knew it, Ian had completely entered the broken space.
Crash!
The pouring black seawater covered his vision.
Just before his sight went completely dark, Ian watched the Deficiency‘s back as it frantically fled from something, then squeezed his eyes shut.
And then.
"Huff, huff... Where... where is this again?"
"He, he’s back! It's Earth, Earth! Fuck, it's Earth!"
"......Haa. I'm alive."
Sound returned to the world. The chirping of birds, the sounds of insects, and people's voices boldly hammered against his muffled eardrums. Only then did Ian open his closed eyes and look ahead.
"Ah, it's the newbie! Miss Newbie! Are you okayy?"
"......! I-Ian...!"
Kim Yul and Yuna, who had discovered him soaking wet, closed the distance in a rush.
Ian turned his head toward the two, wiped the sticky slobber off his face, and twisted his lips into a bitter smile.
"......That landmine girl is exhausting... ."
Seawater dripped from Ian's entire body.
+
The real Deficiency is here!