Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

22. Within Charybdis

"Because of the sudden increase in activity in the sea, a strange creature has emerged from the ocean floor. In accordance with an ancient inscription..." Naomi trailed off as she pointed to something on the table. "That creature is under the influence of a curse that the kings have placed on her."

Hanbin, another NPC, stepped forward to carry on the instructions. "So far, the only thing we've confirmed is her location, the exact time she emerges from the ocean, and the strength of the whirlpools whenever she shows up," he said as he walked us through the entire set of information.

As I was reading through it, I raised my brows. It is extremely detailed, unlike how I expected it to be. In addition to the precise location, the diameter and even the radius are all specified in detail! I smirked as I assimilated everything into my mind, thinking that the entire experience would be enjoyable.

When the NPCs were finished explaining, they told us to remain on standby for a while. Everyone else was becoming irritated by the long wait, even though it was only ten minutes. The ship had already been prepared a while ago, and they are now in the process of finishing it. These impatient jerks...

Our team was the first to come on deck because the others were arguing about who should be the first to come up. I almost laughed when I saw their reactions, but I had to pretend that it was nothing just so we could look cool. They began booing and calling us names because of what we did, but we refused to pay them any heed. Well, it's pretty obvious that everyone was just playing around, after all.

"Hey, hey!" says someone.

I turned my gaze back to them. "Yes? Is there anything else you need from us?"

For some reason, they didn't say anything, and straight-up stared at me with their eyes instead. I don't think they were trying to communicate with me, so I turned my back on them. I walked up to the helm and tried to walk around. I held on to the railings as we took in the view of the surrounding landscape.

Ah, it's so pretty...

If it hadn't been for the impending danger, we would have had a great time sailing like that. Because the waves were still calm, the whole scene was a bit...serene, to say at the very least. It's as if the monster doesn't exist at all. It's amusing if you ask me! But I wish that were the case. Heh, it would have been an amazing experience, wouldn't it?

"Ah, what a shame..." I said with a sigh.

Blake looked at me, raising a brow. "What is?"

"This," I replied. I spread my arms as I turned around to present the whole beach. "Don't you think it's nice to go on a vacation like this?"

"Mm. It would have been nice."

I squinted my eyes at him when he suddenly got lost in his thoughts. "Hey, what are you thinking about right now?"

"I was wondering whether you would look good in a white or red swimsuit," he replied with a serious tone.

I smacked his arm. "f*****g pervert."

Blake chuckled as he ruffled my hair. "But on a more serious note, I think relaxing in a place like this would have been nice. Wanna come back after all this?"

"Yeah!" I beamed, excited upon hearing what he said. We're going to come back when this quest is over!

"Are your barriers ready, players?" Naomi asked when she finished counting the players that came here.

"I already coated the ship with one," Blake said, his face expressionless.

I looked at him as if he were crazy. When did he get the idea to do that? Even though we were together the entire time, we never heard him chant or use any hand signs! My mouth went agape as I stared at him in complete awe. He's at a level where he can create a barrier without saying the chants?! When Blake saw me staring, he simply ruffled my hair instead of explaining himself.

"Here it comes," Hanbin said calmly.

I noticed that the two NPCs had vanished when I felt some sort of trembling. We're on our own at this point, which is unfortunate. Of course, I was worried about our lives, but I think we'd be fine. Just in case the worst happens, I had already prepared my spells for it to happen. I'm beginning to feel restless, though...

"You have to calm down, Ivory..." Dylan told me in hushed tones as he tapped my shoulder.

I took a deep breath and waited for the creature to come out from the ocean floor. The waves were getting stronger by the minute, so we had to tie ourselves to whatever parts of the ship we could find to keep from being swept away. We didn't have to worry about the boat being destroyed because Blake's barrier could keep it protected. I completely trusted him, so I focused on surviving instead.

"Hey, were you using our elemental power to maintain the barrier?" I asked Blake when the ship began to drift away from the dock.

"Yes. Please bear with it for the time being," he responded in a calm manner.

A whirlpool began to form right below us just as I was about to say something. We would have died if it hadn't been for the binding spells that kept us from hitting our heads. I couldn't take it anymore! During the terrifying whirlpool ride, I was hanging on for dear life as the ship sailed around it, slowly being swallowed by the monster! It was difficult for me to keep my eyes closed while telling myself that everything would be fine.

"Everyone, hang on tight!" someone from another group shouted.

Bitch, we know! That is exactly what we are doing!

When I opened my eyes, we were already inside some sort of disgusting place, which was filled with water, sunken ships, corpses of humans and animals, and...an egg? There was a huge ball in the middle of the stomach that shone brightly. I felt drawn to it, but I couldn't just get off the ship and run towards it...

"Ivory! Is everything okay with you?!" I heard three voices call my name from different directions while I was busy looking around.

I smiled and nodded. "Is everyone okay? Who has injuries?!" I raised my voice loud enough for the others to hear me.

We gathered in one location after each team confirmed that there were no casualties. We had to form strategies to resolve this after counting heads. I already have a slew of scenarios in mind, but I'm a little hesitant to say anything. And then, I remembered that not everyone would understand me in the same way that my team members do, and I decided not to tell anyone about what I knew.

"Right now, we're probably inside the monster's stomach," the Sphinx representative said. "We have enough food to keep us going for at least a week on the ship. It will last for as long as no one attempts to destroy it. Please make sure everyone understands that if we don't get out of here within that time frame, we're screwed."

Despite being taken aback by how stern he was, I nodded my head in agreement. It appeared that the majority of us were intimidated, so we agreed quickly. Unless there's someone like him in the room, there is no way I will be given the opportunity to speak. I looked at Blake, but he didn't seem to care about them at the very least. I mean, he's actually the strongest amongst everyone in here, but he's been trying to tone his presence down.

"So far, all we know about this creature is that it has been cursed by the kings. This is only a hypothesis, but it is possible that we will have to break its curse in order to complete the quest."

Despite my desire to tell them that lifting the curse isn't the best solution to this problem, I kept my lips pursed. It appears to me that this man is not the type who would accept a no for an answer, nor would he allow anyone to tell him that he is incorrect. I don't want to get scolded or anything just because I wasn't following their rules. Blake and Dylan are already a pain in the ass, so I don't want to deal with more people.

"We'll figure it out..." Blake whispered to me when he noticed my restlessness.

I looked down to hide my smile. It's a good thing he never fails to provide me with reassurance. Now I'm confident that we'll be able to communicate with Charybdis. I'm convinced that she is somewhere within this place. But we would have to hide our separate investigation from them.

"Did anyone notice anything unusual when we arrived?" he asked as he looked at everyone.

I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the egg, but it didn't seem that anyone else did as well. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat as I hesitated to raise my hand. Oh, this is making me feel a bit uneasy! What if they get mad at me or something?! I don't really care, but I keep finding myself being overly cautious around everyone...

"Yes, Miss...?"

"Ivory."

The guy from Sphinx gave me a friendly smile, which I was surprised to see. "All right, Miss Ivory. Let's hear it."

I cleared my throat. "There's an egg in the middle. Like, a huge one."

"An egg? Why would there be an egg?"

"It might be the core."

"What if we destroy it?"

I looked at the guy from the Lunatics team, offended by what he just said. Gosh, I don't think he considered saying that sort of thing at all! It is possible that we will be wiped out if the core is destroyed. It's absurd that it was the first thing that came to mind for him.

"We should take a look at it first. We only have a limited amount of time. The monster will emerge into the surface in eight hours, which means that we must find something before that time arrives. It's impossible to predict whether or not we'll be able to survive by then."

Right. Charybdis is about to swallow water for the second time, which will almost certainly crush us to death. As I imagined what it would look like, I shook my head slightly in fear. Just thinking about it makes my stomach churn. I don't think I would want to see such a thing. Damn, that's too dangerous...

"Let's split up for the time being. The egg will be examined by Miss Ivory's team in conjunction with our team. You can divide the rest of the work. Please return in seven hours. Those who do not comply will meet their demise."

When he said it, I got goosebumps, so I looked down to make sure no one could see how surprised I was. Ah, I really want to find Charybdis's actual body as soon as possible. I'm still not sure how we're supposed to restrain her, but I have a strong feeling that we'll be able to pull it off eventually.

I created ice that served as a path for me to walk on. I am not sure if the others would be able to make use of it, but they are welcome to try. It is possible for them to forge their own path because this one is slick. When I noticed the others attempting to walk on it but failing, I turned around and looked at them. I couldn't stop laughing at the way they slipped, so I made skates for them. They thanked me and put it on.

"Hey, Miss Ivory," the Sphinx representative said when he called. "I'm Hiro, and I'm the leader of Sphinx."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Hiro."

He had a boyish grin on his face. "What should we do about the egg? I don't think we'll be able to take it."

"I think Freya will be able to see what's in it," I responded.

Unexpectedly, an arm was draped over my shoulder. Oh no, not again. I sighed as I looked at Blake's irritated expression. Although he was smiling, I could tell he was thinking something sinister. Dylan was also standing between Hiro and me, looking irritated. I could hear Freya sighing from behind us, and I knew I had to ask for assistance.

"Hey there, bro. What's the plan?"

Hiro c****d his head, clearly amused by what the two did. I scoffed as I removed Blake's arm around my shoulders. Freya accompanied me to the egg to begin investigating as soon as possible. The boys used magic or rafts to locate clues in the vicinity of the egg. The thought occurred to me that there might be something on the water, such as ancient tablets, mechanisms, or anything else that could assist us in figuring things out.

"Ivory!" Blake called, so I looked at him. "I'm going to look for clues under the water. You should keep an eye out for me if I don't return within an hour."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "An hour? Will you be able to get enough air? Is everything going to be okay for you? That's too-"

He kissed the top of my head, shutting me up. "Don't be worried about me any longer, hmm? I'm going to be fine. I'm known as Superman."

I made a frowning face. "No, you're not. You're Blake. There's no way you could possibly be Superman. Cut that out, and don't make me worry."

He chuckled and reached out to take my hand. He lightly tapped my wrist, which caused my brows to furrow. A red string appeared out of nowhere and tied our hands together. I tried to move my hand away from my face, but it just stretched. Oh, I see what he was trying to do. This is supposed to establish a connection between us so that I can monitor Blake's situation as he dives.

"If it turns pitch black, I'm probably in serious trouble. However, as long as the color is red, I'm fine. Don't worry, I'll be back in a while," Blake said as he ruffled my hair. Before diving into the water, he made a capsule into which he could fit.

When he was gone, I took a closer look at the egg, which gave me a nostalgic feeling for some reason. This is extremely strange. It's weird for me to feel such things for Scylla and Charybdis when this is my first time meeting them. Even if Yuki had a close relationship with them, it shouldn't be the same in my case. Her emotions and thoughts are completely different from mine. I'm not Yuki in any way. I am Ivory, and I am different from her.