LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 30
– Kraaack!
– Shit, not there!
– Nooooo!!!
When the request to “show something scary” came in, the viewers were secretly anticipating it.
“Oh, this one is definitely going under that chair,” they thought.
And the moment the broadcast displayed the inside of the “train,” they had seen it.
Countless white lights sparkling beneath the seats.
If you have a head, you can easily guess what it is.
Eyes.
A creature with eyes all over it was lurking under the chair, or a two-eyed monster was scuttling about.
Whichever it was, it was something they absolutely did not want to see beyond the screen.
But couldn’t they just not watch the broadcast then?
That’s a no-go. It’s too entertaining.
Plus, there was a bit of stubbornness involved.
“Ah! Shit, what is that!!”
“I really can’t watch this!”
Parang didn’t know it, but a so-called “Viewer’s Challenge” was spreading among her audience.
The rules were simple. Keep watching the broadcast while Parang introduces the monster, and finish by watching her execute the monster at the end.
Most people tended to turn it off halfway and come back in, thanks to the unique atmosphere of Parang’s broadcast.
They were trying to earn titles like “The Last Stand” or “The Ultimate Survivor.”
Of course, there was no real reward. No one around acknowledged it.
But there were plenty of people who were seriously into that kind of thing.
Especially the Hunters had a strong tendency for it.
If you’re a “battle-hardened pro Hunter,” you should be able to handle watching Parang’s stream without experiencing actual combat firsthand.
Though it usually doesn’t go as expected.
Anyway. Full of thoughts to torment her viewers, Parang descended underneath the “train” seats and stood on the floor.
It was a historical moment—the first time her feet had touched the ground in her broadcasting history.
“Ah, right.”
Parang took out her phone and tapped on it.
This one was newly received from Silo.
It’s a model that works up to 15km below the seabed.
“They were in a frenzy developing this ages ago.”
She recalled the expression of Silo’s female employee smiling calmly.
Currently at 4km depth. While exploring the “train,” it was not going to stop working, at least.
There aren’t many places that exceed 15km depth. Only the Atlantic Hive, Caribbean Trench, or Mariana Trench.
An over-technological item that makes you wonder if humans could even create this.
What Parang did with it was—
– ?
– What’s this?
– Why can’t I switch to third person?
She turned off the third-person perspective mode.
After all, fear is best experienced in first-person view.
The viewers despaired.
Because the hope that it would be a little less terrifying in third person just went out the window.
As Parang was about to enter the chair, it was already switched to third person, zoomed in, and she was feeling relieved.
Unable to accept the sudden change, people started pleading with Parang.
– Please, just let us see it once!
– I already brought the oil paper, lol!
– If you’re that scared, just turn off the broadcast!
– That’s a no-go.
– That’s absolutely not happening.
– No way.
“That’s not going to happen. I’m still watching. Don’t leave.”
With the mischief already activated, her voice mixed with a slight giggle.
And then, a rush of suspicious high-priced donations from viewers appeared out of nowhere.
Most of them were donations filled with sounds or texts that made no sense, known as “coolstone.”
Thanks to the TTS being disabled, it didn’t cause much discomfort. After all, they all knew that and donated anyway.
– ‘ㅇㅇ’ donated 70,000 won! –
[ . ]
However, even as tens of thousands worth of donations continuously poured in, the chat window didn’t say a word about it.
To put it simply, they were stiff.
―――
An unidentified monster did not appear before them.
Rather the opposite.
Those thousands of eyes, which clearly glowed ominously when viewed from outside, immediately vanished the moment Parang came under the chair.
What unfolded was complete and utter darkness.
Fundamentally, humans have a fear of the unknown.
So, what isn’t seen is scarier than what is.
The viewers clutched their oil paper tightly in one hand, trembling as they stared at the broadcast screen.
In the meantime, Parang’s voice couldn’t bring herself to take off her headset.
And those viewers who bravely kept their headsets on would soon be rewarded.
“I’ll talk a little quietly from now on.”
Parang whispered.
Not “said,” but “whispered.”
Her sweet, smooth voice melted their ears.
“The creature in front of you is a Hydra. What you saw earlier were the countless eyes. As you can guess from the name, what’s underneath it is one individual.”
Of course, that content wasn’t exactly soft either.
“Hydras are creatures that come out of the Gate like Bellua or Goblins. When they die, they revert to magic stones.”
– Ah, shit.
– Please, no.
– ? What’s going on?
– You said it came out of the Gate?
– Oh right, damn it.
– What the hell are you guys talking about?
A few abrupt messages popped up in the chat. Though a bit random, the atmosphere among Parang and some viewers was understanding.
Their common ground was “Hunter.”
Veteran Hunters who had experienced battles in land, sea, and air.
They understood all too well what the current situation and her explanation meant.
As mentioned in the original work, the ecosystem of this world is thoroughly divided into two.
Those that come from the Gate and those that do not.
Creatures like Orcs, Trolls, or Wyverns that have crossed over from the Gate never touch dogs or cats.
Likewise, lions and tigers do not hunt Goblins or Imps.
It isn’t some grand reason like “a massive wall created by the laws of the world.” It’s rather a bit anticlimactic.
Simply put, “They can’t eat each other.”
Goblins revert to magic stones and teeth upon death, so lions, having caught Goblins their whole lives, would never be able to fill their bellies.
Dogs, too, simply become dead dogs upon death, so the magic stones that are Troll food don’t come out.
So, there’s no need for them to waste energy fighting. Violent disputes arising from overlapping territories remain minimal because their food sources are entirely different.
However, there is a common denominator that exists between the two, which seems thoroughly separated.
As you might have guessed, it’s humans. Among them, Hunters.
Humans drop magic stones upon death.
Isn’t that just perfect for a murder case?
Do you think that could occur with the Hunter Association keeping a close watch?
Furthermore, this issue aligns with the intentions of Silo and the world government.
If you mess with human magic stones, it’s literally going to become a global hunt against you.
Well, anyway. And you probably guessed this too, but monsters of any race undoubtedly love human magic stones the most.
To summarize, monsters that came out of the Gate are remarkable at sensing human scents.
And Parang had just ventured into the dark crevice where such a creature lurked.
Even worse, the creature, which had been ominously roaring until just a moment ago, hid the moment Parang approached.
This behavior indicates two things.
It either fled or was preparing an ambush.
And Parang’s words were enough to throw all the viewers into a panic.
“An ambush will soon occur. Enjoy the chase with the Hydra.”
– ‘Enjoy’?
– What the hell do you mean by that, no way!
Click.
Parang turned on her flashlight.
What lay ahead was something white with a texture reminiscent of tofu.
“It’s the Hydra’s body.”
Even though they were watching the broadcast on a huge monitor, their perspectives were now trapped in the tiny circle illuminated by the flashlight.
From now on, the viewers could only see what Parang was seeing, and only what she wanted to show them.
Perfect control of vision.
Soon enough, they would feel just how terrifying that was to the bone.
Ziiing—
What they thought had just been the body opened its eyes.
The viewers were now making eye contact with the Hydra.
“The Hydra’s eyes have fluidity. Inside its body, they can move freely and emerge to the outside.”
A whispering voice.
And then, from the side, more ziiing,
Ziiing, ziiing, ziiing.
With every sound like skin being forcibly torn, another eye gazed at them.
Ziiing. Ziiing. Ziiing. Ziiing. Ziiing. Ziiing.
Ziiingziiingziiingziiingziiingziiingziiingziiing.
Though they couldn’t see because of the dark, they understood that the number of eyes watching them continued to increase.
Parang swept her flashlight around the area.
It was all eyes. Some were squashed together, bursting blood vessels, looking red from congestion.
On the ground, on the ceiling.
[ Skill ‘Waterproof Sanity’ is active. ]
The Hydra uses this to panic its prey before safely devouring them.
“The Hydra has excellent night vision.”
With Parang’s whisper, dozens of eyes detached from the walls and surged toward her.
#
– Shit, left, left, left, damn it!
Parang swiftly maneuvered through the hydras, darting around with grace.
A living maze swaying in white. A ghastly sight that could haunt your dreams, but there was something else that truly added fear to that place.
Fizz—
———!!
– Ah shit, it startled me!
– The sound, the sound, the sound!
Eyes began growing on what they had thought was just a wall.
With a radius of 80cm, an eye as large as Parang herself.
Then, it shot out toward her lengthily.
Parang controlled her speed deliberately so that the eye could come within arm’s reach.
Then it split wide open, displaying teeth lodged chaotically, with five squirming tongues rising up from within.
All of this unfolded in just 2 seconds.
For viewers, it was grotesque when the monster suddenly popped up and disappeared without warning. Naturally, there was no prior warning.
It felt lethal.
– I swear, I won’t submerge ever again, I’ve been foolish, please just stop!
Tears streamed down as they repented, but Parang remained silent.
Today too, the dreamers of future subs drowned mercilessly.
Her current viewer count had shrunk to half of what it was when entering the train.
“Let’s just reduce it even further.”
Her broadcast concept has already twisted.
Thus, the joyful chase continued for only Parang.
Left, back right. Then left again, three eyes popped out from the middle road ahead. Quickly diving left, she hit a dead end.
As she turned, she made eye contact with a Hydra. Quickly whirling down, moving in an acrobatic escape, now eyes emerged from the right.
And all of this went on for about an hour.
Finally, the “Last Stand” fell, and her viewer count was reduced to a quarter.
“Okay, I’ll stop here for now.”
A sign indicating the end,
– Wow!
– The truth is, the Last Stand are indeed steadfast.
– Oh man, today too, you made it, lol!
– Let’s have a drink!
Then, the ones known as the “Last Stand,” who had managed to remain until now, began to toast to one another.
And the ‘Last Stand,’ who endured the torture like treatment were given the reward they deserve (which they think they deserved).
– Now, everyone take your seats!
– I flipped the popcorn, lol!
That reward was none other than Parang’s ‘Execution Scene.’
Only those viewers who endured cruel visual torture could finally watch the “Deep Sea Monster Hunting Special Broadcast.”
Watching the very monster that had consistently tormented them visually now crushed in Parang’s hands.
That so-called reward was more thrilling than expected.
Before long, the lights came on, and the surroundings became bright, and third-person view became available.
As many had expected, the Hydra looked like it was made entirely of guts.
Between the white and deep red, a nauseating pink hue filled the space as it squirmed.
“The color has turned reddish. It means it’s excited. Because its skin is so thin, the increase in blood flow is clearly visible.”
Parang stopped for a moment.
An eye popped out and charged towards her.
It opened its mouth, extended its tongue, and wiggled.
Rumbling—whoosh!
Parang didn’t miss the timing and created a water bomb to shove inside.
Did it think food came in? The eye immediately stopped, clamping its mouth shut.
But,
Boom!
The bomb exploded inside, exploding flesh and blood like fireworks.
———!!!!
Feeling something was off, the Hydra screamed.
Then it was immediately surrounded by dozens of eyes from all sides.
But she calmly gripped her spear.
And in that fleeting moment.
Swaying—
A blue light seeped into her eyes, and then,
Pabababababam!
In an unseen speed, dozens of thrusting spears pierced through.
Peowpeowpeowpeowpeow!
Simultaneously, an invisible burst of ruptured eyeballs.
Naturally, the surrounding area was drenched in the Hydra’s blood.
[ Skill ‘Clear Mirror’ is in effect. ]
Of course, it didn’t reach Parang.
She swiftly swam out of that space.
As soon as she reached a suitably spacious area,
“Whew!”
Her held harpoon opened a path.
Anchoring.
Suddenly, Paan!!
The thrown spear pierced the Hydra at a tremendous speed.
———!!!
A massive hole was formed. So deep it was impossible to see the end, it traversed through the Hydra.
———……
A fatal blow. With a Shua— sound, the Hydra vanished.
And tumbled down.
A watermelon-sized magic stone.
– Wait, is that a magic stone?
– What magic stone is that big, damn it.
– How much is that worth, crazy!
Hunters who knew how much that was immediately responded.
Considering the size of the magic stone corresponds to the size of the monster, they had a rough estimate.
But no one expected something the size of a watermelon would just pop out.
The magic stone of a Wyvern is the size of a baseball, while that of a Dragon is the size of a soccer ball.
‘Not surprising.’
After all, there’s no monster of that size on the ground.
‘Is there none in this section?’
Parang checked the equipment on her chest.
It might look like she was meandering around, filming a monster-hunting documentary, but in reality, she diligently calculated her route in real-time, scanning every corner of the train.
And this was the last place. If it’s not here, it’s not in the first car.
“Well then, onto the next car…”
Parang’s speech halted.
But in the rapidly rising chat,
– Wow, that size is insane, I’m diving right in.
Normally, she would have brushed it off, but she couldn’t ignore that one chat.
“What did you just say?”
Parang’s expression contorted a bit.