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-Lv7-
Helen watched as Ryan pulled the whole group onto the rooftop. Everyone was shivering and drenched. Harsh, ragged breaths echoed in the silence, broken only by the sound of water dripping from soaked clothes.
Ryan wiped the water off his face and scanned the surroundings.
"Stay here. If I remember right, there's a boat down there!"
With that, he dove into the water without hesitation. Helen stared after him. The dark current swiftly swallowed Ryan, and then he vanished beneath the surface.
Splash!
A hand slapped onto the rooftop beside her. Helen flinched, turning to see Aiden gripping the edge, panting heavily. But… Sacium had disappeared again.
A ripple of unease rose in her chest. Even though she didn't want to see Sacium right now, even though her heart was still torn by Rose's words… she couldn't help but worry when he wasn't there.
Yet, she didn't call out for him. Instead, her gaze drifted back to the water—where Ryan had just vanished—hoping he would return.
Suddenly, the surface stirred. A shadow emerged, growing larger.
Helen squinted.
THWACK!
Something shot toward her and slammed straight into her face. She cried out in pain, knocked backward. A jolt of dizziness surged through her as the object struck her squarely on the bridge of her nose.
Ryan clambered onto the roof, his face stricken.
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
Helen winced, clutching her nose. "W-What did you just throw at me?!"
Ryan crouched, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry… I didn't expect it to fly like that."
Helen opened her eyes and realized what had hit her—a small wooden boat.
She blinked, staring at Ryan in disbelief. "You threw a whole boat at me?!"
Ryan coughed awkwardly. "I just pushed it up… didn't expect it to launch like that."
Helen sighed, trying to calm herself. She knew Ryan didn't mean it. Still… her nose ached.
Ryan stood up quickly, scanning the area. "Where's Sacium?"
Helen froze, hesitating. She didn't want to answer.
But then she shook her head softly. "...I don't know. He disappeared again."
Ryan was silent for a moment, then nodded, as if he'd already expected that. "Got it."
Without another word, he turned and called Aaron to search the surrounding houses for more boats and supplies. Helen remained seated, her heart strangely hollow.
When Ryan returned, he brought enough boats for everyone and a few oxygen masks. Helen watched him from afar, how he distributed the gear and calmly guided the group.
Her heart felt heavy.
Ryan was changing.
She could feel it. He was no longer the anxious boy who relied on Sacium. Now, he was leading them all.
Helen lowered her gaze. She'd never thought about it before… but at that moment, she felt farther away from Ryan than ever before.
---
Thirty minutes later.
Ryan guided the group onto the boats. He took the lead, weaker teams stayed in the middle.
He brought them to a slightly elevated house. Entering it, Ryan cut an electrical wire, gripping the insulated part before pulling it back to the wooden boat to ensure safety. Then, he stripped out the copper wire and wrapped it around his long knife. The current surged, turning the knife into a temporary magnet. Afterward, he removed the copper, then rubbed a small iron pin he had found back in Level 4 against the makeshift magnet.
Then, he placed the pin on the water's surface—it began to turn on its own.
Ryan had created a simple compass.
With this, he determined their direction and led the group westward.
They kept moving. The slow pace of the boat made everyone restless and uneasy. Helen gently nudged Ryan, who was standing at the front, scanning the path ahead.
Helen: Hey… how much farther? It's been an hour already…
Ryan: Almost there. We go exactly 150 meters west, and we'll find the door.
Helen: But I don't see any door.
And then—when they reached the exact distance—Helen blinked, and a door appeared on the water's surface. Sudden. Unreal. As if conjured from thin air.
But she was used to that by now… and still, a chill ran down her spine.
Helen stared at the door floating in the middle of the sea. It made no sense, and yet here it was. She swallowed hard. No matter how used she was to the absurdity of this world, the cold prickle of fear never faded.
And then—before she could react—
WHOOSH!
A black spear shot from the water, aiming directly at her. Helen's eyes widened. Her body froze. Her feet felt like they were nailed to the boat.
But then—
THUNK!
A figure threw themselves in front of her.
Helen couldn't even process what had happened. She only knew that when her senses returned, a body was collapsing into her arms.
Her teacher.
She had taken the hit.
Helen: Miss…?
Blood.
Blood gushed from her teacher's mouth, spilling onto Helen's arms. The woman's kind eyes were wide open—but lifeless. A faint smile flickered across her lips—
And then—
She fell limp.
Helen: No…!
Her scream tore through the air, snapping everyone out of their shock.
Ryan spun around, face pale, and rushed to her side.
He dropped to his knees beside Helen.
Ryan: No… this can't be happening…
His hands trembled as he touched the teacher's shoulder.
Ryan: Miss…? You're going to be okay, right?
She didn't answer. Her body was already growing cold.
Aaron stood frozen. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. He stared at her lifeless form, memories flashing in his mind—the soft voice that had comforted them, her shield when danger came, her gentle presence when all seemed lost…
Now she lay in a pool of blood, just because she chose to protect Helen.
Jesse: Miss… Miss Teacher…
Jesse whispered, voice cracking. She knelt beside Ryan, her hand shaking as it reached out to touch the hem of the teacher's bloodstained shirt.
Jesse: This can't be real… she was just talking to us…
Everyone stood in silence, hands clenched until their nails pierced their skin. Death was familiar in this world, yet no one ever truly accepted it when it came this suddenly.
---
Ryan remained kneeling, his hand gripping the teacher's lifeless wrist. Her blood soaked into his skin, burning like a cruel reminder of his failure to protect her.
That crushing sense of helplessness—like a noose tightening around his chest.
But amid the haze of sorrow… he noticed something.
Drip…
The water rippled.
Not from wind.
Not from the boats.
But from something rising.
Ryan's eyes shot open. His breath caught.
A faint green light flickered beneath the surface. It shimmered in the dark, pale and cold like the stare of some ancient beast lurking in the deep.
And then—
Splash!
Water exploded.
A massive black shape surged up, churning the sea into a vortex. Ryan barely had time to react when—
BAM!
Aaron was flung into the air. A slimy black hand caught him mid-flight and clenched tight.
Everything happened too fast. Jesse only had time to scream before Aaron was hurled back onto her boat.
CRASH!
His head slammed into Jesse's. She didn't even have time to cry out—she collapsed, unconscious.
Ryan gritted his teeth. He reached for his weapon, but before he could strike, a deep, guttural noise rumbled from beneath the waves.
Gurgle… gurgle…
Another one.
Ryan clenched his fists. There was no time left for mourning. No time for regret.
Now, they would either fight—
Or die.
His eyes blazed with resolve. No more deaths. No more sorrow.
He unsheathed his weapon, ready to face the nightmare rising from the depths.
And then—
Two shadowy figures surfaced.
Entity 720 — Tiny.
Entity 720 — Tiny:
Tiny's entire body is covered in a thick layer of pitch-black tar, which it can emit at will to blind or slow prey. Bioluminescent patches, believed to be of amphibian origin, flicker faintly on its skin. Though its body appears soft, it serves as a natural armor. Except for its eyes, its face is encased in a hardened shell. Reports indicate Tiny's eyes glow in the dark but go dim when exposed to air.
Aaron, having grabbed an oxygen mask in time, was now locked in a contest of brute strength, underwater, with the creature that had seized him.
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