The sonar of the submarine rhythmically probed the endless darkness.
(How long has it been)
In this place where even light could not reach, the concept of time also gradually became vague.
“How far have we sunk?”
An elderly scholar asked in the direction of the cockpit.
He came from Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and his name was Hatto Mukairo. He was one of the most authoritative elders in the field of biology in the world. He accidentally discovered a wonderful microorganism near the Philippine Sea during a lecture abroad. He brought it back and cultivated it for research.
“It was a wonderful accidental encounter. I was walking along the beach looking for the perfect seashell - the world’s first beach treasure - for my lovely granddaughter, with some coconut oil for my daughter-in-law who had recently married my son. I saw it! A green glow, completely out of place with the surrounding scenery. I approached it, and it was like an aurora falling into the sea, reflecting in my pupils. A sense of incongruity. I could clearly feel my DNA, everything in my body, something like the origin.”
Afterwards, Mukairo gave this magical microorganism a fantastical name - Magic -,
Using a fictitious name in the scientific field made it very unpopular, but this name also represented Mukairo’s mood at that time.
Under the influence of the active characteristics of the microorganism - Magic -, the most influential aspect for society was medical.
Active cells, accelerated division, new drug - News - was born. It increased the average human lifespan by a hundred years, and people could live up to 180 years without accidents.
Witnessing the social changes of two centuries, dreams became reality. It also reduced the degree of aging on human appearance, and this effect made it possible to expand in various fields such as beauty, food, etc., and gradually integrate into all aspects of society.
In addition, Mukairo’s son Hatto Mukijiro, who had a deep knowledge of mechanical engineering and had been at odds with his father since he was a child because of his professional ideals, was also proud of his father’s discovery.
He caught up with his father and popularized artificial limbs for humans. They appeared in various forms,
Mechanical arms that can carry electronic devices or replace finger tools, and even active in the military. There are also rumors that there are arms that have been modified with firearms and mini missiles circulating among underground organizations.
Ordinary prosthetics are made of lightweight materials because the human body cannot bear them, but the emergence of prosthetic hands that can carry various tools is also thanks to the characteristics of - Magic -, and thanks to Hatto Mukairo who discovered this organism.
Gradually, people who were influenced by it called Mukairo a savior. His status had already surpassed politics and was parallel to religion.
The slogan (Magic above science)
Ten years have passed since the discovery of - Magic -, and Mukairo is no longer the stubborn but kind person who would show off his granddaughter at lectures.
After gaining everything from status and fame, what awaited him was not comfort or emptiness, but ambition.
A bigger ambition occupied him. Everything was on that beach, that little sense of incongruity that came from his heart at that time.
The desire for origin made Mukairo go mad. He worked hard to explore another possibility of - Magic -,
He was convinced that this small microorganism would change himself, as well as various aspects of physics.
Why is he so obsessed with such a microorganism? Because it has changed humans and society?
No
Maybe it is the origin of life, or maybe it is life itself. This possibility exists.
People will pursue stronger and more sublime life forms. People will also think about what life is and explore its philosophical implications.
Although that mysterious green light had no self-consciousness, it did hint at and attract Mukairo.
He could no longer feel anything in the artificial - Magic - he had transformed over the years,
Mukairo realized this. He had to get the original sample again, just like he did then.
So he went to the Philippines again. As if guided by something, he only spent half a year to encounter the green glow again near the Philippine Trench,
He followed all the way and finally arrived at the lowest trench in the world - Mariana Trench -.
The voices of his family who did not support him could no longer reach this great man,
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
He immediately called on the world’s top team to explore Mariana Trench, but failed repeatedly. Every person who went there could not get in touch,
What kind of dangerous environment and what kind of creatures are resting in this trench are no longer clear,
Unknowns, frightening those involved in the plan. Two years passed without results.
Anxiety urged Mukairo. He decided to go down to the sea himself, with only twelve people who had courage, and boarded the last crystallization fortress - Perfect Seashell -.
“We have sunk 66970 meters, avoid any sudden situations and keep the torpedoes ready at all times. No life forms detected so far.”
A female came out of the cockpit and answered Mukairo. It had been two days since they started sinking,
After breaking through the 11,000 meters that the predecessors had reached, they arrived at the low end of Mariana at about 35609 meters. Just when they were about to return without success, the submarine’s drain was blocked by an unknown cause.
The submarine commander took three sturdy soldiers with him, wearing nuclear-powered pressure-resistant power armor - Sea King -, and skillfully climbed around the submarine,
While cleaning the drain, they saw something that made the four veteran soldiers pale,
The object in front of them was not seaweed or gravel,
Corpses, bloated corpses with bubbles, and a lot of severed limbs completely stuck in the submarine’s drain.
“Jack. Burns!”
The commander recognized him as one of his soldiers at a glance. The disgusting fact reminded him of the reason why he had to go down personally,
The disappearance of the reconnaissance team, the cable that was cut off halfway, was thought to be just a normal shark-toothed marine creature’s act, but the death of a soldier was unlikely,
Because of - Sea King - this powerful power armor that can move freely at this 30,000-meter trench bottom, as far as human beings have discovered marine life, it is like a king and a ghost, and it is invincible. Each submarine has at least one.
But what caused this horrible situation? Along with the water flow, what the searchlight of Perfect Seashell - illuminated was a cemetery. The previous missing team members were all floating here.
Suddenly, a series of ethereal whimpers echoed, like the pleasant and cheerful sounds of dolphins, but in this boundless darkness they only seemed very strange,
Then there was another sound that was dull and long, reminiscent of the whistle of a steamship. The two different sounds were like communicating back and forth, endlessly, more and more frequently, louder and louder.
(Not good! Very bad! There are alien species beyond human cognition here! We will die!)
A series of events affected the atmosphere of the four soldiers. Finally, one of them could not bear his own fear and tried to climb towards the hatch,
As if smelling this delicious fear, the deep sea stirred up. Dust instantly covered the submarine and everything.
Boom–boom—boom----, (Someone is walking on top of the submarine, how is that possible!?)
The capable commander noticed the strange noises around him that were close at hand, and immediately looked up to confirm, but his eyesight that should have looked up was stopped by his teammate next to him, and then down, a dark curtain.
What his teammate saw was his commander’s head suddenly falling off. In an instant, he couldn’t even notice his own death. The gap cut off the head of a soldier wearing pressure-resistant power armor.
The remaining three soldiers caught a glimpse of a … silver knight with a curved weapon in their last sight.
The communication of the three soldiers and the submarine commander was interrupted, but the people in the submarine had no time to pay attention to the outside,
The behemoth that appeared on the big screen in their sight stunned everyone present. It was like a legend that wandered among the people. The Norwegian sea monster - Kraken -, the mythical giant monster of the North Sea, appeared here.
“Foreigners…kill…”
The knight muttered to himself, a green glow appeared beside him. He didn’t need to do it himself. He was just interested in these four moving iron blocks that came out of this coffin-like ship. But it didn’t matter. Kraken would solve everything.
Then the knight disappeared into the deep sea.
Kraken who received the order had been routinely clearing these unwelcome guests for some time. None of them could withstand his blow. It also became a routine. Besides, they could not be used as food.
Kraken didn’t care about this. Even though he was casual, he was not something anyone else could bear.
But - Perfect Seashell - is not any other submarine. Mukairo’s suicidal decision to go down to sea personally was not only due to anxiety, but also confidence.
The submarine successfully resisted this blow. Taking advantage of the impact, the remaining people escaped from Kraken,
And what was originally at the bottom of Mariana Trench turned out to be just a platform closed by protruding rocks between plates. In these days Kraken’s beating showed a crack leading to a deeper layer,
The drainage problem has not been solved. What awaits them is only sinking all the way down. Of course, even if there is no problem, Hatto Mukairo who led this
plan would not give up. Kraken and - Magic - had a necessary connection. Everything was irreversible.
“What will happen to us? Just wait for death in the dark after the food runs out…”
A female researcher curled up in the corner said weakly. She didn’t wait for anyone to answer her question, she just kept asking herself, already on the verge of collapse.
“Don’t be so pessimistic, babe. Brave adventurers escape from Kraken and go to the center of the earth to explore a new world. We are experiencing a mythical plot that only appears in novels. Don’t you think it’s romantic? Maybe we can explore Atlantis next.”
A cheerful male scholar tried to soothe everyone’s mood.
“What’s that? Too many elements, not rigorous at all.”
“Really? Hahaha.”
Another one who joined him, only had a counterproductive effect on those who were about to collapse.
“Atlantis? What’s next! Cthulhu?”
“Cthulhu lives in R’lyeh…” the male scholar whispered.
“We can’t escape from them! We’ll be crushed like ants! What romance, you actually peed your pants in front of that giant octopus, didn’t you? Huh?!”
The collapsed female researcher screamed hysterically with a cry, rushed into the bedroom and slammed the iron door shut.
The quiet space, no one made any more noise, and there was nothing worth discussing. Only waiting for death was an option.
“Bang!------------!”
Until a gunshot echoed from the bedroom.
People who are mentally collapsed and overloaded will make what kind of choices,
This sound also broke everyone’s mental limit point. Everyone rushed to the bedroom, worried about the girl, guilty and self-blaming for not being able to do anything.
And their own despair that has not been relieved.
These people did not include Mukairo. He was the only one sitting in front of the big screen in the cockpit
“Bang!!----”
What was reflected was still only darkness. Mukairo was thinking about their conversation just now.
“Bang!!----”
But it was just a word that caught his attention. Cthulhu, god, if that Kraken was a product of - Magic -
“Bang!!----”
Getting everything from - Magic - meant that he could redefine the concept of life and create a new standard! This is - God - GOD. This mad leap of thought, obviously he had gone mad to dream in broad daylight
“Bang!!----”
But it was not actually. - Magic - did choose Hatto Mukairo and invisibly
