Chapter 86: Sea (1)
Jyp8eThe sea.yUdK
n1NThe father of all nature and the point of origin of all life.lT7hT
3HFuThanks to the existence of the sea, countless forms of life were able to emerge, and it could be said that it is the very origin of water itself.Q3s0
XH0Bh3Every living being dries up and dies without water, which is why the sea is so important.2hLFWS
U1AGOMRHowever, precisely because the sea is the “father” of nature, it is also strict.ebDUiYw
qokAnd not only strict, but impossible to fully comprehend.1vLRfA
1dQSomeone once said that even if humanity managed to understand the entire universe, it would still need even more time to understand the sea.3hR
kdq2OuFurthermore, depending on sea level, a place may or may not be habitable.3zgk
Z4kThe sea is deeply connected to life and, at the same time, is complex and dangerous.idy
pUndWhoooosh—dYvQna
kr5KJ1nSuddenly, I thought something.vtPED
HF1XfoThat it looked like the color of melted blue sapphire.5tLUfQw
qZLDA smooth beach without a trace of mud.rQjh0
24h3GThe waves gently wetting the sand.J4P
rxnJOeAt first glance, it was an ordinary and beautiful sea.5rXyh0
SizbThe salt-filled breeze and seagulls freely flying across the sky.jf9
bNm3It truly seemed peaceful.sSx
gLpB6But I absolutely must not let myself be deceived by that.3xXdyIH
RIGHWICWhoooooosh!!iO4
hG8pI turned my head and looked at the river connected to the ocean.XIVAbN0
jFTjQThe strange thing was that the color of the water was clearly divided, as if separating the river from the sea.cHCcf
Itzf7rLIt was also a beautiful sight.O4jxr4
hoK7But the reality was different.Da1
4cjf‘…Is the sea flowing into the river?’kghsIw
wXqNCThe sea is the final destination of rivers.brJk
hJL6rPractically all rivers flow into the ocean.0D6Wunr
uuCFjAt least that is how the “common sense” I know works.Otmd
e8MpVBI had never once heard of the opposite case.tiTA
HBhtjAnd right now, I was witnessing that common sense shatter with my own eyes.vHPSqh
dK9‘This makes no sense…’pJGUP
f5WWhen I encountered the ocean, strangely enough I did not feel that much despair.uuA
b2zhoAlong the way, I had discovered other tributaries and also areas that seemed suitable for exploration.ouV
BQcMSPRBut the moment I saw the seawater retreating and flowing into the river, I felt like my mind was shaking.51YA
xS4It was as if all common sense collapsed.J6U
EYIULXI even doubted whether this was truly the “environment” I knew.iAyn
OTg‘I need to confirm whether this really is the sea…’F8m9p
iFuyMy mind became so disturbed that I decided to personally confirm whether this was truly the ocean.9NcAhd
sAhkThe wind smelled salty, but maybe the smell was coming from somewhere else.LWS
0PvDYRHI felt like I would not calm down until I tasted the water myself.NDW
lStE“Puagh! Ptooey! Ptooh! Ptooey!”31uE3bd
aVMSalty as hell.ZhxKKB
Z6DZqQBAnd it also tasted like sand.xI9Ktt
BSnThat confirmed it really was the sea.fGxPY54
BwtTdDTThe occasional waves crashing in completely proved it.lgF6
MAXTTitle) Guess what I found while following the river?TUwP2
5lpGWCFWildGrillsc3970d
P5G(Photo of an immense ocean)jvCim
kJemQan(Photo of the sea violently flowing toward the river)Dk5O
rQSExskIt was the ocean! And the weirdest part is that the water flows from the sea into the river instead of the other way around!2bvb5fx
9thQFantasy worlds really are incredible! Why do all the fucked-up things always happen to me?!mysV1
EqP6To escape, do I have to swim across that ocean?! Somebody tell me!lrvgpn
ZT1j└HeavenlyDemon: What a beautiful ocean. Though are you alright? Even through the post I can feel your despair.NF2
W1o└Swordmaster: He’s clearly not alright. Please read the room a little…GZi6DF
4B4aWU└HeavenlyDemon: Did this lady do something wrong?dPxo
Sw27└Swordmaster: Yes. At moments like this you should simply stay quiet and encourage him…NrV
B1qVpPy└HeavenlyDemon: It’s painfully obvious you’ve never had a social life;;4EoxDAs
n7LLyGb└Lmao, if she really is an old lady then it’s serious, and if not, she just seems like a child.u0Li
goyIOU└No, but surprisingly there are many nobles like that. They get spoiled too much while growing up and end up unable to read the atmosphere.XE2k
upe└Especially the youngest children tend to be like that.0prD
FwWei└StarlightPrincess: I’ve never seen a sea flowing into a river before is that really the ocean?X7Vt2
5iH└WildGrills: Yeah. Just to make sure, I tasted some of the water. It was absurdly salty.hYOrKB
lVQ└StarlightPrincess: Uhm… stay strong. I honestly don’t know what to say either.Db2
Xwm8TZ└WildGrills: So there really isn’t any case where the sea flows into the river?rDa
lMI5dA└StarlightPrincess: Beyond whether such a case exists or not, something like that is impossible in a world created by the gods. What kind of place is the Forest of Four Seasons…?GFjy
d3PrG└WildGrills: What if the gods are just incompetent?BQcBqM0
SGMtc7└HeroDontThrowAway: Don’t blasphemeeee! The Goddess is a perfect and flawless being!M5xvo
Rsu9└WildGrills: Perfect my ass lmao. From the moment a forest like this exists, nothing makes sense anymore.kOhDPA
2ToNl└HeroDontThrowAway: Even so, you still shouldn’t insult her! There’s surely a reason!cxK
SZrdHu└WildGrills: The moment I hear that reason I’m going to unleash a legendary curse at her. Or maybe I’ll insult her anyway.rg4b
eYb└HeroDontThrowAway: Just stop insulting herrrr!!!uMqm
TQ7cHz└AllFather: A sea flowing into a river could you show me a little more of the video?fPpFe
h2DuD└WildGrills: (Video2 of the sea retreating into the river) Do you want me to show more?47O
JEiTf└AllFather: No. That is enough. Honestly, even I do not understand this. It completely violates the laws of nature.Gt2kf
WCoX└What if the lake and the sea switched functions?LmJ4pd
ivVUYi└But Grills. Wasn’t the river water salty?ffq8FV
e4gwEK└WildGrills Nope. Not at all. It tasted like normal water.IlQQza5
62RU6c└That makes it even weirder. Why isn’t it salty?zjjQ
wh6GYI└Seriously, this place doesn’t even allow people to approach it easily;;VGLuVt
jktTJThe gallery exploded into chaos.6Gpw
aFQwJIt was only natural.b6wpru
HJvBSmA phenomenon that completely defied the laws of the world had appeared.cycuvsg
sztqZbQNo matter that this was a universe mixed between fantasy and murim, it seemed that nature normally still followed similar rules.QCCob5
amRb7After all, a world where space randomly distorts and the sea flows in reverse would be a completely insane world.VO6RL
aRCuzpDefinitely not a place where people could live.U6BiDL
TuvIn the end, normal is always best.fhKseSm
WtATitle) Asking just in case.kCZs
UXKuGBWildGrillsezpe5F5
bvcmThere aren’t phenomena like spatial distortions or seas flowing backwards here, right? This place is the weird one, correct?LGi8
Sa0└Nope. If something like that were normal, this world would have collapsed long ago.CsoCKI
xlhOMTK└Though from time to time monsters capable of cutting space itself slash slash do appear, but those cases are exceptions.QO4kEhX
CSX└We also have something called common sense, Grills;;17uKjQ
VcWeq└WildGrills: What a relief.Ng4
gFgvEI asked just in case.PWgQXu
14bYEveryone said that it was completely abnormal.SeL
YE28OSometimes, when gigantic powers clash against each other, space can distort, but that only happens in extremely rare cases.vXtayT
bt91And on top of that, most of those phenomena are caused by “artificial” forces.W7uCv0
0PSfFor something like that to happen “naturally” is impossible.M0S
a97fRc‘Leaving that aside, this place is absurdly enormous.’z5q
GfkW1Beyond the horizon, all that could be seen was sea.eEi60fA
c3iLLajUnlike the wide-open horizon, my chest felt completely blocked.LmjFDRj
v6VIQlWhat the hell am I supposed to do now?2ja
yR4rDThe ocean was so immense that I could not even begin making plans.j0xr
GB5V‘For now, I’ll keep exploring. At the very least, I need to find some kind of clue.’sPPQXv
x7PvswThanks to the river flowing in the opposite direction, there was no risk of getting lost.TXyZeC
gGDBesides, the beach was so clean that walking was fairly comfortable.Mni20
IxRsb‘Though I still have to stay alert. There may be strange things living here too.’tyjng
BkqThat did not mean I was going to lower my guard.N0LEy
SB8VEAiThere were too many suspicious things.Ftq
RW2dpoThe first was the silence.565xXP
oZXOn the shore of the lake, animals were constantly fighting each other.1bTw8S
9300jKAnd the river was no different.C1xm
LHESwNot long ago, before arriving here, I even saw a spotted beast get sent flying through the air.tRfmGr
YFVCXjbBut this place.iuANcq
sGZr9Even for the ocean, it was too quiet.Rfs
51FQst‘And it’s also way too clean.’NUJR
pS7n0The second strange thing was precisely that.rMaJmW
PSyThe beach was spotless.9z1b8Dw
ychIJIThere was not a single animal footprint.qNC
4v2EAt the lake, there were at least small crabs and other creatures.ZmFDsg
LFLEIHere, there was absolutely nothing.RsyDA4n
P6CThat could only mean one thing.sq3S
8dsBDThat an extremely powerful beast lived here.1VGWRA
nnvuvEvery step I took filled me with anxiety.Yn48CL
MdCWhoooosh!!4mQ
kMPoGkX‘So there isn’t just one river.’IwK
lvPLEIt did not take long before I found another river.gNF63gr
V7Mk1JAnd once again, the sea was flowing into the river in reverse.vtMs
k0fI followed the course of the river with my eyes and could see a jungle far denser than the forest where I lived.x4cdB
atzkTrees packed tightly together.0Pbs
1znf1Everything covered in absolute green.ISF
FCW9bDZIt was practically a jungle.HYhmVcD
FYGptSoMaybe one day I would have to go there.8SMRp
QmBG‘Though it’s not just the jungle.’jCpMN0
Xm7s7hXThe snowy mountains, the desert, the swamp, the volcano.mFXD
w0hP0All those places I had seen on the other side of the river.tUQ5N
PyCCNyMaybe someday I would have to explore them to find a way to escape.GE7H
O2Z0But if I ever reached the point of going to places like that.5QE
ifjDKIt would probably mean that my hope of escaping had already become very weak.o1prA
BqONo matter how much stronger I become by adapting to this forest.SXt
lZ0Those places would be difficult to endure.xRneBf7
0NU‘It would practically be going there to die—’490I
QnFRumble rumble rumble!W1owv
rLnUxJust as I was distracted looking at the entrance to the jungle, the ground started shaking.qmn4ms
V47EAnd nothing good had ever happened whenever the ground shook.Erd
pMlpI immediately went on guard.a2yizc
Uodk1o‘Where? Where is it coming from…?’9W0nZk
C0sSplaaash!tt1
cT04aIpAs I frantically searched for the source of the tremor, something shot out from the sand.qXG
95jIt was completely red and far taller than me.aCmyRV
vOmfHiAnd on top of that.ayKNd
XTElnJkIt had suction cups all over it.FrtUG
8af64EIt looked exactly like an octopus tentacle.0qp4S1b
GQWTtgWhiiish!STDZ
KT8fZ“Uaaagh!”kChyk3I
dxszThe octopus tentacle that burst out of the sand wrapped around my leg and violently pulled me.GTGW
4Pb1Everything happened so fast that I almost dropped my sword and shield.a5D22F
LiB2OJust as it tried to drag me beneath the sand, I managed to cut the tentacle with my sword.EBXue6Y
2a6lT6OSlash!9n4P107
DtKtThe tentacle was cleanly severed.dWqel
IppIt seemed to be trembling in pain.xIK
MwvMI used that moment to immediately get back on my feet and assume a combat stance.v9Wiq
DG7MXwI would remove the tentacle still clinging to my leg afterward.dwzE9D5
hSkvwSplaaash! Splaaash!FLjZs
vXYUQW2Maybe it was furious about losing one of its tentacles.bOTeUqI
Dgb8pBecause multiple tentacles began emerging from the sand.4qV
no9Tentacles thrashing everywhere.KNlW
Gc2b0After thinking for a moment, I decided to force my way through head-on.1AuqV8R
nbC2The first priority was getting out of there.lSUS
6sZ5JWhoosh!llu
BfqOne of the tentacles lunged at me.qxIMo
FT1M6This time it was not trying to grab my leg.DEVbM
aMlcxRIt came directly at me from above, trying to pierce me.NB8F
NZyAnd the other tentacles did not stay still either.pQ9FL
2hzh51Downward strikes.EaFAT
d7w42Whip-like blows.qtlTghN
iQNEByJAttempts to grab my legs.sIhpmg
ZeRThe attacks came from every direction and nearly drove me insane, but I forced myself to stay calm.aPf9Gkt
EuV2A‘The closest ones first!’p1Ea4IN
PgBZoI dodged the attack falling from above and barely blocked the whip-like strike with my shield.g8HumWY
xJWsAnd finally, I cut the tentacle trying to seize my legs before it could catch me.FvLn
YGSG3bbSlash!xgnQ
a8VIwuGAn entire octopus tentacle went flying.Hz8C
4RAUJDMaybe they felt pain, because the other tentacles trembled.Pu1r
ZsmI used that opening to run.7JaHl
ANR1VOSIf I kept fighting like this, I would lose.f4cx
tbhSplaash!J0jaH
D3gThe moment I fled, the tentacles started chasing me.Jde
I2VThe severed ones stopped halfway due to the distance.DwFv
WmEUBut the others did not.9QCRJiQ
QGzyIn the end, I had no choice but to fight.Jya
yYM3cXzStill, it was far better than being attacked from every direction.oppl
tV5‘Dodge, block with the shield, and cut with the sword.’ZtQ
y6TThe attacks impossible to dodge, I blocked with the shield.NS6cR
1G1YPKAnd that also required speed.ryBa
z95Because blocking alone was not enough.pKA0jt
Yo6EIf I did not counterattack properly, I would end up trapped in an endless cycle.DRzrqPv
dxYMEvery strike mattered.xU53
RXpFxBut I had HeavenlyDemon’s sword.dFiR
h1YkAnd on top of that, I had aura.xEEMn5W
7bPweEspecially thanks to the aura, I could cut far beyond the sword’s original reach.30r
8e3Lha7Slash! Slash!4bgODsO
KxM— Kuuuuuuuh!!Tyd
Xhz0DVkAs I continued cutting tentacles one after another, I heard a strange scream coming from beneath the sand.PLh8
LDxqjAHIt was probably the main body shrieking in pain.whu
nDZX9elServes it right.4GlFwS
fGuYhLSplaaash! Splaash!x4XR1
2eZ7aIn the end, perhaps realizing it could not win, the creature decided to retreat.hXfR
2XVSeefThe tentacles disappeared beneath the sand once more.ds2xl
K2KBI breathed heavily for a few seconds before regaining control of my breathing.ShES
5M7mSdBecause of that surprise attack, I had nearly died in the dumbest way possible.JMNo
f059Good thing I had sensed something suspicious and stayed prepared.HvMn
AGre‘But was that really an octopus?’Jbo5
DJurUvWFrom the suction cups, it definitely looked like one.mbGOD
yRyBut an octopus living beneath the sand.u2JMCT
gyuyBJ‘No. Stop relying on common sense again.’UIyl3
9eSjBgxI shook my head.gBSxh
aWOyxEBIn the end, all of that was useless.QM70s
rhwhHow many times had this place already completely destroyed my common sense?J2D8U1
QBQ5jZGI could no longer rely on it.ccs
hKvEven an octopus living beneath the sand no longer seemed impossible to me.ZUKslW9
MGOwi‘If the land is like this, what the hell must be living in the ocean?’HaK1
EaibI turned my head toward the sea.iIEU
Q1SThe ocean.RGvaA
tW7HlThe origin of all life.wBAKiG
VzQ2vMUWhat kind of monsters lived in there?KFK
EkW852SJust imagining it already terrified me.8Xp9
IL0SFBut I still had something I needed to do.9o6
oyiDf‘There are octopuses here. I’ll have to go to the other side.’nu7kptk
5YTO5JrFinding a clue to escape.XUnIKga
oTDVSThat was still my main goal.KKYUV
cqB‘I’m getting out of here.’UkdO
VJicF56Definitely.wU9xU7d
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