“That black salamander bastard, not coming in person, so he’s just poking around a bit?”
They’re really showing off that maritime clan vibe.
What, trying to turn this into an aquarium?
This is a place where people live, you guys.
From the gate come fish, and from the sky near the gate falls a whale.
“What’s going on? This? Explain a bit? And you, keep your mouth open for a second?”
The whale is pretty big, like a cat doubled in size.
It’s black in color too.
Whale-like, alright.
On top of the whale, after the Nightmare Queen touches it, and regarding the ongoing otherworld fry release project that’s still pouring out, naturally, it’s cat deployment.
I do think cats like fish, but I’ve always thought that feeds developed by the latest researchers would be better.
Because it’s the blood, sweat, and tears of PhDs and masters.
But CatMan really prefers real fish.
It’s not that feed tastes bad, but it’s boring to chew and no chewing satisfaction or something?
Ah, XXXX feed. The best.
No matter how much CatMan likes fish, I’ll only use XXXX feed.
I sponsored you.
But CatMan, clearly reluctant, smacks a flopping fish with his front paw.
“Why are you on guard? Eat some.”
[If you think about the North Sea cultures that still don’t eat octopus and Jewish dietary laws, it’s not that strange?]
“Q…….”
I almost clapped.
“You, who said you could raise your intelligence as you please?”
[Isn’t it enjoyable when the person you’re talking to becomes more cultured?]
“50,000 times 30 is?”
[Meooow]
That bastard.
“Why doesn’t your mathematical culture ever increase?”
[That’s just different sensibilities.]
“From now on, bow once a day toward KAIST while saying we’re sorry for being liberal arts majors with me.”
[Where is it human to seek reason from a cat?]
“So, you’re not eating?”
[This doesn’t seem like a problem that can be solved by eating……?]
Well, that’s true.
First off, there’s too much for the cat to eat alone. And besides.
CatMan selects one fish and places it on his front paw.
[And this one, isn’t it poisonous if eaten?]
<Magpie Puffer>
“Oh no, really?”
Yes.
It wouldn’t end with salting it for fermented fish and supplying it to the jeotgal market in Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si.
Almost murdered.
There are plenty of colorful seafood, but if pufferfish is mixed in, it’s a different story.
How did he spot and separate the pufferfish so quickly to use as marine resources?
“This, they sent it hoping I’d eat and die, right? Like an assassination attempt with poison.”
[That could be.]
We’ve been through all sorts of things, so it’s quite possible.
Then, flames rise from the Nightmare Queen’s side.
Hwarrrrrrk.
“Oh hey. Hey, what are you doing?”
“It seems better to burn this corpse quickly. There’s a chance it could attack this place with gigantification or something.”
“Ah, yeah?”
If all these fish grew big at once, it’d be a major accident.
But, wait!
“Hey hey hey hey, stop!?”
“Yes?”
I hurriedly stopped the Nightmare Queen.
“The whale corpse’s belly is full of flammable substances like methane gas, so it could explode. Don’t light it, but burn everything else.”
“Hmm, if you allow gigantification?”
“You said using gigantification often is burdensome?”
The Nightmare Queen’s main body is Barbie doll, figure-sized, and only when consuming magic to maintain gigantification does she become similar in size to me.
Since it’s a technique that uses a lot of magic, she says there’s a limit to using it casually.
“But there’s no limit to wanting to look pretty.”
<Level increases>
Level 834.
What, raising it to master flight techniques and break meteors or something.
These fish have no levels anyway.
They seem to be individuals excluded from level hunting that happened in that world, but if so?
It’d be fine to just release them organically.
“Exclude the whale and burn the rest first. And if possible, without burning the flooring… No, just burn it.”
I was going to move the fish to a metal bowl and tell her to be careful not to burn the flooring, but let it go.
It’s pretty much my house now, isn’t it?
If one more gold ingot comes from the Box of Desire, this house is mine, and I’ve demanded payment in gold ingots to those buying the burn treatment medicine.
Even if not, with the foreign currency buried by Grandpa Changhwan, he’s ready to sell the studio, so no problem.
The verbal agreement is already done.
“Then I’ll use it. A flame as hot as my feelings toward you………….”
“Huh? Wai—!”
“Yes?”
Among the fish, I spot one with regular stripes like a prison uniform, and with the newly acquired skill Focus, I only see that one.
[Rock Bream]
“Whoa, rock bream?”
I don’t know fish well, but I know dotdom and doldom.
Dotdom was a baseball player who played in Daejeon before, and doldom is from internet posts about eating spicy soup with it.
“Separate these and soak in water…………. Dissolve in that sea weed water and raise them, wouldn’t they grow into sashimi? Wait.”
All of them.
I separate the flopping rock bream and a few edible fish, put tap water in a pot lid, and soak them.
“Oh wow, lots of tasty ones.”
“What about the rest?”
“Burn them.”
At the same time, a torch-like flame shoots from the Nightmare Queen’s hand.
[.]
“Oh man, smells savory.”
It’s autumn, and maybe autumn there too, the fish flesh is plump, the grilled fish smell is killer.
[Instead of just burning…… maybe a bite each?]
“Hmm…….”
Tempting.
But turning them into charcoal now is best, right?
Or, if I level up spatial movement just one more, I can reach our family land (the mountain forest my mom said she’d pass down after grandma passed) and the abandoned grandma’s house turned shed.
Grandma’s house had several rooms since mom included, 6 siblings raised cows and dogs, and there’s doghouse space in the barn.
If I can use this as a second base now, bury the fish and farm them, maybe grow a fish tree.
“Burn the whale too after degassing it, hm?”
And then a horrifying sight unfolded.
Pop!
“What the fuck?!”
The whale’s belly bursts open, and something surges out.
Tentacle or innards, beyond that, it’s shocking something pops out from inside a creature that size.
Alien visuals.
Otherworld whale parasite?
Something that burst out from the whale’s belly targets the pile of flopping fish.
And starts dragging and eating the fish pile.
<Absorb> <Grow by eating>
The skill name pops up, but what kind of dialogue is that?
Wait?
Did they stuff something into the dead whale corpse and use it as a transport ship?
Overlord?
Since I’ve been caught off guard many times before, I immediately freeze the surging tentacle with ice magic.
But at the same time, several more tentacles rise from the whale’s body.
And start sucking in the fish still coming from the gate.
“Hey, CatMan. Attack that.”
[Kyaoooong.]
Looks gross and suspicious?
High chance of getting screwed.
With memories of leaving weird situations and getting screwed, whether the whale explodes or not, I was going to stomp it, but had CatMan attack the tentacles.
CatMan flies in like lightning and blows away one tentacle.
But the remaining six tentacles extending from the whale’s body stick to the whale corpse as if connected.
Then, as the whale corpse dissolves and gets sucked in, the tentacles thicken.
Can’t leave this. It seems like it’s trying to grow again.
“Oh hey?!”
“Oh my?”
I stepped on the whale corpse where my foot touched, but it was slipperier than stepping on soap, so I slipped.
Pushing the Nightmare Queen with my back and falling together.
“Ah, sorry. That.”
Trying to stand up by stepping, I brushed something.
Thigh area, of all places.
“Uh.”
“Not on purpose!?”
<Level increases.>
“Seems like that was the intention?”
No, I’m going crazy.
Anyway, whether I touched or not, I stood up by stepping.
CatMan is attacking the tentacles rising from the whale corpse, but the thickened tentacles form an external barrier, repelling CatMan’s front paws.
[?]
“What?”
CatMan was fighting well, then suddenly can’t use front paws.
Had <Maritime Creature Specialty LV80> floating above his head, dominating?
[Got berserked too hard…….]
CatMan grabs his right front paw (dominant hand, main attack route) and licks it, collapsing.
“Ah, that……………..”
The spot bitten by the baby dragon.
This is largely my fault for not stopping the baby dragon’s dog freakout……………
“Bite it, you.”
[Ah, right.]
Like hell.
Where are you bullshitting?
[No, it’s not right, am I a dog?]
“Cat!”
[Ah, yeah cat.]
“Ah, why? Can’t bite? Well, dogs bite better. Then just go to the Fairy Princess instead, call Yong-gae. As expected, cats have hands, but dogs are much…..”
[How dare compare to a dog!]
“If you prove cats bite better?”
[That..
……
·Yeah?]
What kind of “where’d my peanuts go” expression.
“Wait, rest this turn.”
No choice, I kicked the whale corpse and thickening tentacles with my foot.
Boom and at the same time peng, it really explodes in mid-air.
But the multi-legged being spins like a spaceship in the air and lands on the floor with six legs.
[That’s, that’s what I wanted.]
Only RiceCookerMan, idly keeping fish warm, exclaims.
One leg stretches long in the air to touch the gate, continuously taking in incoming fish, floating [Grow by eating!].
And starts enlarging its body.
“Wow, really fucking gross.”
Of course, no intention to leave it alone………….
[The effect of the gigantification resistance potion remains. Protects from attacks in complete defenseless state like gigantification.]
“Ah, come on. Really.”
Enduring with all sorts of magic.
Eventually, a giant octopus about the size of a very fat person settles in.
<Octopus King LV1557>
King of the cephalopods in the maritime clan.
A being filled with magic by submitting to demons, can make unpredictable attacks with octagonal cannon from eight legs.
All of it.
Still, sending one with a level after a long time?
High level and with resistance, it’ll be a strong enemy.
But my level is now 834.
In pure strength, I might be higher.
Carrying both weapon and shield.
“They hid it in the whale belly to avoid the level floating above the head. That’s it.”
[You are the giant of the dungeon. And that’s the Nightmare Queen.]
“What, telepathy works?”
[Giant, have you ever caught our kin called octopus king?]
Still attempts conversation?
“Uh, seen that baby octopus?”
That one RiceCookerMan dried crisp and CatMan ate.
I didn’t catch it.
Back then, lower level than me, only gave a tiny bit of exp.
I planned to prolong conversation to lull guard anyway.
Needed intel on the enemy.
That was when.
[Resist charm.]
“……What?”
I turn around wondering, and behind my back, the Nightmare Queen attacking the Octopus King looks troubled.
“It’s a female. Uh. Please. This one’s level. Huh?!”
The Nightmare Queen behind me bows with hands clasped, then gets ambushed by the Octopus King.
[Finally you bitch. Even if I’m weaker than you, you at least……….]
“Hmm, pretty good? Oh my. No, this is a bit. Weird.”
The Nightmare Queen got hit instantly by the Octopus King’s leg attack but seems relaxed.
[Shut up, you succubus bitch.]
“I’ll let the giant grow since it’s a chance for him to kill. Eup?!”
The Octopus King has six legs intact (minus the original missing one and one bitten by CatMan), starts choking the Nightmare Queen’s arms, legs, and neck with them.
That’s fine………………
But I witness the remaining one aiming right below her abdomen.
Right below the abdomen.
No, what is this octopus monster doing?
[Cannot resist charm.]
The moment I see that scene, a message floats above my head, and unknowingly I reach out to the Nightmare Queen.
Was that my taste!? No!?
“Uh? Hey.”
[Uwaaaaaaaaagh?!]
Then CatMan shoots like lightning and bites the Octopus King’s head.
At the same time, one of the legs aiming for the Nightmare Queen shrinks, and I shrink too, regaining my senses.
No, not fully shrunk.
Anyway, senses back.
If not, almost got vitality sucked by the Nightmare Queen.
[Called me a cat?]
[Th-this impossible tiny creature.]
[I’m a tiger.]
[Kraaaaaagh.]
And even activates lightning from mouth, frying it. Really delicious smell from the Octopus King’s body.
House is pretty much mine now.
The only proper hit I’ve landed so far was telephone punch on the invading white dragon clone in my room, I drive it straight into the Octopus King’s head.
Kwaaaang!
Thought the force would disperse because of the cushion-like head, but no.
[Kuaaaaaaaa…….]
The Octopus King’s head caves in, that crushed head eventually tears off.
Leaving pearly eggs inside, the pierced head flips back, legs go limp.
“…….
Good?”
[Level increases.]
[Achieved 1000 levels.]
[Achieved 1500 levels.]
Wow, how far is it going up?
Then levels literally start exploding.
“You cruel bastard.”
Yongin was able to obtain some information from the circumstances of sacrificing the Octopus King and from her body.
After the giant killed the Octopus King, he throws the corpse into fire, then paints strange things with a brush.
After some incomprehensible ritual-like action of painting something, hangs it in well-sunlit air and leaves until the corpse dries and twists.
Afterward, places the dried Octopus King corpse in front of tools of unknown purpose and starts cutting it into small pieces.
There the sync with the Octopus King ended.
Seems like a cruel and barbaric custom similar to human sacrifice.
The extinct humans here ate seafood too.
But no one ate octopus.
“How can it be so barbaric and horrific………….”
Even if an enemy, desecrating and displaying the corpse means a cruel and atrocious person.