Chapter 49 : The Serpent of the Tenth Floor

The chair test devised by Yuseong was remarkably simple.

Because of this, it didn’t take long for all 50 explorers to complete the test and gather on the beach of the 10th Floor.

Looking at the results, roughly half passed while the other half failed.

Among those who passed, some applied to be Pullers, while others said they would finish the remaining tests first and then apply for Stinger or Guard.

Park Mi Sun supervised the test and then personally descended to the 10th Floor.

She rarely worked directly on site.

However, as the person responsible for this project, she had an obligation to join the subjugation.

“Then, as I mentioned before, we will begin the selection for Stingers.”

Her declaration made the eyes of those gathered sparkle with anticipation.

Stingers are the unit that directly attacks Serpents, so most were eager to apply.

“The most essential virtues for a Stinger are mobility and strong offensive power.”

Their role is to dodge the Serpent’s annoying tentacles, circle its tough skin, and inflict wounds.

Both agility and attack strength are absolutely necessary.

“So this test will focus primarily on assessing those two qualities.”

It was slightly more complex than the Puller test, but still a straightforward method.

“As I told you earlier, the location where you’ll hunt Serpents is the 7th Island.”

Park Mi Sun raised her finger, pointing toward a distant island.

“There is a monster called the Metal Pig on that island. You need to catch one of those monsters and bring it to the summit in the middle of the 7th Island.”

The distance between this 7th Island and the Main Island is about 20 kilometers.

And the Metal Pigs on the 7th Island are not only few in number but also possess formidable defenses.

They are not very aggressive, but if you can’t kill one quickly, it will immediately escape into the water.

“By any means, we will select only the ten people who arrive there the fastest.”

As Park Mi Sun announced this, the explorers burst into a flurry of activity.

The 10th Floor is an archipelago scattered with numerous islands.

Interestingly, the seawater fills the floor entirely, and various aquatic monsters exist there.

Of course, besides Serpents, there are other dangerous monsters.

To reach the 7th Island, you have to find a stable way to cross the sea.

However, unlike the panicked explorers rushing about, some people remained calm.

“Hmph, compared to earlier, this test is nothing.”

A boy said, crossing his arms.

He looked to be around middle school age, and on his waist hung three One-Edged Swords tied together.

Amanda Park smiled faintly at the boy.

“Hoho, I guess failing earlier still bothers you.”

The boy’s name was Seong Jihoo, one of the urgently warned explorers by Kang Taegun.

At the same time, he was among the strongest explorers participating in this subjugation.

The only problem was that he hadn’t passed the Puller test.

His style relied on incredible mobility and the Quicksword, so his physical strength was somewhat lacking.

Seong Jihoo flushed and snapped, “Shut up, ma’am.”

“Oh my, how rude.”

He summoned magical power all over his body and suddenly dashed toward the sea as if escaping.

Amanda Park shook her head helplessly.

“He’s a kid, so his personality is impulsive too.”

As if trying to outdo him, the explorers watching Jihoo were shocked by what happened next.

His hair instantly turned white, and a shockwave burst from him, centered on his body.

Boom!

Like a gust of wind, Jihoo was already far out from the shoreline.

The onlookers doubted their own eyes.

“He’s running on the water…!”

Surprisingly, Jihoo was running across the sea surface.

This scene, as if torn from a martial arts novel, was now reality.

“I should hurry up too.”

Amanda Park said this and entered the forest.

The other explorers also began to move frantically.

Those lucky enough to have gifts related to water used those abilities, but most had to make Petmoks.

This kind of operation favors people working in groups.

Because some had experience passing through here, they skillfully crafted Petmoks.

Yet, even among all this, there were still those who remained calm besides Jihoo.

That was Yuseong.

“Didn’t we say we’d make a boat too?”

When Yuseong silently entered the forest, Jang Dojin asked.

Unlike the other explorers, Yuseong didn’t seem rushed.

Of course, as the leader of the subjugation, Yuseong had no reason to compete in such a race in the first place.

“Chopping trees one by one like that, when would you have time to build a boat and rest?”

Yuseong said this and plopped down on a high rock.

Below, he could see explorers struggling to make rafts on the shore.

The sea breeze was cool and refreshing.

“Oh, that kid’s not bad.”

There was a small child running barefoot across the water’s surface.

He seemed to have a decent gift.

“But running like that must be tiring.”

However, to cover a distance of 207 meters, especially running on water, would require enormous magical power.

“Why did you come up here?”

“Hey, don’t rush me. You go down there and make your own boat.”

“Ha ha, I’ll shut up.”

Jang Dojin made a gesture as if zipping his mouth shut.

Yuseong looked back at the horizon.

Thanks to him, the original schedule had changed slightly.

The Serpent Subjugation Party had been organized a little earlier.

Even if Yuseong hadn’t done so, the Serpents would eventually be hunted as time passed.

Because the level of the explorers kept rising.

But not yet.

Serpents appear suddenly every few weeks.

When they appear, they devour a large number of monsters or fearless explorers who intrude and then sleep again for several weeks.

Because of this, explorers take advantage of the Serpents’ slumber to pass the layers as quickly as possible.

Thus, many things about the 10th Floor remain undiscovered.

Currently, no one knows the 10th Floor better than Yuseong, who retains memories from his previous life.

“Ah, there it is.”

Yuseong knew a useful secret that no one else had discovered.

“What is it?”

“There.”

Jang Dojin followed Yuseong’s finger but saw nothing.

“All I see is seawater.”

“I said look at the seawater.”

A mysterious answer.

But staring blankly at the water surface, Jang Dojin suddenly exclaimed, “The sea current…?”

“Exactly.”

The shimmering seawater traced a proud flow.

It was around 1 p.m.

The light from the World Tree Roots embedded in the sky was brightest, and the sea surface also reflected that light brilliantly.

From a high point on the Main Island, looking out in a specific direction, something stood out vividly.

That was the flow of seawater—the sea current.

“That is the path leading to the 7th Island.”

Unlike the seas on the surface, the sea of the 10th Floor had a clear sea path.

The Abyss never leaves explorers to wander without hints.

To help explorers without proper boats move easily between islands, the sea here naturally forms moving routes.

“You can easily get there by following that.”

“But what about the boat?”

Yuseong sprang up and snatched the large saw from Jang Dojin.

He brought it to a tree nearby whose surface was unusually smooth.

“I’ll make it from this wood.”

He started sawing, and before long, the big tree fell with a loud crack.

Jang Dojin approached and examined it, surprised.

“It’s hollow inside?”

Even Yuseong was amazed at how quickly he had felled the tree, but the wood was hollow inside like a giant bamboo.

Just like bamboo, it was divided into sections, and Yuseong sawed off about three compartments.

He hollowed it out enough to fit a person, and soon, a large enough boat was completed.

“Done!”

This was an element frequently used later.

It was a simple boat but sturdy enough for a person to ride and sufficient to travel along the sea path to other islands.

“Oh, really, you don’t seem to have any gaps in your knowledge, hyung.”

“This much is nothing.”

Compared to the explorers struggling below, Yuseong had made the boat with ease.

However, Jang Dojin’s smiling face stiffened when Yuseong spoke again.

“Now, move it.”

“Huh?”

“We made the boat, so we have to float it.”

They were in the middle of the island.

The place to launch the boat was the beach down there.

“Ugh…”

Putting aside the simplicity of a log boat, moving it entirely was Jang Dojin’s job alone.

***

When Yuseong and Jang Dojin brought a boat large enough for two people, the explorers were amazed.

It looked smoother and better than the messy Petmoks woven from felled trees.

Some tried to find the tree Yuseong had cut, but it wasn’t easy.

Then, as Yuseong and Jang Dojin pushed the boat toward the sea and climbed aboard, staring blankly at the sky, the people laughed.

“Haha, did they come to ride a luxury liner or something?”

“There’s no waves; what do they plan to do?”

Yuseong’s attitude was so relaxed.

It was as if they were resting on a ferry in calm waters.

It didn’t take long for that smile to fade.

The boat carrying Yuseong and Jang Dojin slowly began to move.

If it were because of waves, it wouldn’t have moved in a straight line, precisely toward the 7th Island.

Moreover, its speed gradually increased.

Eventually, it moved so fast it felt like a motorboat.

After Yuseong and Jang Dojin boarded, explorers flocked around.

“What? Did they install an engine or something?”

“You can’t bring engines into the Abyss. It’s magic, magic.”

“If they used that gift, they’d have magical energy draining. There was nothing.”

No matter how much they racked their brains, no one could figure out the secret of the sea path.

It would take much more time to understand the mysterious currents flowing in the 10th Floor.

By now, Yuseong was far from the shore, with the explorers watching him with anxious expressions.

The breeze was refreshing.

“By the way, is Park Mi Sun not coming with us?”

Jang Dojin asked about Park Mi Sun.

She and the other support staff were still on the Main Island.

“Why worry about that? They’ll get there just fine without our concern.”

For a mere explorer to worry about the support staff was like a mouse worrying about a cat.

Even without Yuseong’s help, Park Mi Sun and the support team would soon reach the 7th Island.

Carrying all the components for assembling the Taegong Net Project.

“Let’s fish on the way. Take it out.”

“Ah, yes.”

Jang Dojin took a fishing rod from his backpack. Though calling it a fishing rod was generous—it was a crude item.

It consisted of a metal rod wrapped tightly with a long cable, with a fishing hook at the end.

There was also bait.

The bait hanging on Yuseong’s fishing line was none other than a Medusa Rat.

The blood of a Medusa Rat gave off a rotten stench, which underwater monsters found irresistible.

Yuseong briefly raised his head and felt the breeze.

“At this speed, we’re probably moving about 10 km/h.”

Thanks to the sea path, they were running as fast as if they were on land, yet there wasn’t a breath of wind.

On the surface, fishing at such a fast speed on a boat was unthinkable.

But this was the Abyss.

To the aquatic monsters of the 10th Floor, bait moving at this speed was more effective.

Yuseong cast the fishing line into the sea.

Seeing this, Jang Dojin asked worriedly,

“But what if we catch something too big and it flips our boat?”

“Don’t worry. There aren’t any huge monsters here because of the Serpents.”

The 10th Floor had no large or threatening monsters thanks to the Serpents.

While it was unfortunate they couldn’t catch any big tasty fish, there was no risk of their boat capsizing.

Sure enough, not long after, Yuseong felt a tug.

“Oh! That’s pretty big.”

He hadn’t expected a large catch, but judging by the sensation, it was a decent-sized one.

After a long time, tasting fresh seafood again, a rich miso flavor rose in Yuseong’s mouth.

No matter how monstrous, once baited, the fish couldn’t escape from Yuseong’s hands.

He gripped the cable and began pulling.

“Hey, hyung! Person ahead!”

Jang Dojin urgently tapped Yuseong on the shoulder.

Yuseong frowned and looked back.

Sure enough, a person stood on the sea surface.

It was Seong Jihoo, who had first run across the water earlier.

As Yuseong expected, Jihoo hadn’t reached the 7th Island yet and was resting midway.

He was standing in the middle of the sea, concentrating fully to avoid losing his balance and falling into the water.

Moreover, he was facing the opposite direction from Yuseong and Jang Dojin and seemed unaware that their boat was approaching.

“It’s okay; he’s not on our path.”

Yuseong said this and turned his gaze back to the fishing line.

Jihoo’s location was a bit off the sea path, so they would pass by.

“Alright!”

Yuseong gave a strong tug on the cable.

Shiiiik.

The cable vibrated on the sea surface, and a brief tug-of-war ensued.

But Yuseong’s strength and grip were more than enough to overpower any ordinary monster.

Splash!

A silver fish the size of an adult’s torso leapt from the water, splashing spray everywhere.

The hook attached to the bait was firmly caught in its mouth.

Before Yuseong’s face could glow with excitement, his body suddenly tilted.

“Whoa!”

It seemed he had applied too much force while reeling in the fish.

The boat tilted heavily, and Yuseong barely kept his balance.

The fish’s body dangled in the air, suspended by the cable.

And in perfect timing, they passed right by Seong Jihoo.

The fish soaring through the air was on a trajectory directly toward Jihoo’s back.

It was about to strike him.

Jang Dojin shouted a sharp warning.

“Wait, no!”

But the warning came too late.

Jihoo turned his head in surprise.

Because of that, instead of being hit in the back of the head, he was struck on the face.

Thwack!

Seong Jihoo’s face was hit by the fish, sending him flipping through the air.

As he tumbled, the silver scales shimmered, scattering a rainbow of water droplets.