Chapter 632: Underwater Barrier, Heart-Star Vault (1)

Ibert had said that Lennok might be able to visit the Heart-Star Vault on the day of the gathering.

However, Lennok knew all too well that if he had to enter the Heart-Star Vault, the day of the gathering would not be his chance.

If Ex Machina decided to summon him to the Heart-Star Vault because he had repaired Teremer’s Demise at the Selection Ceremony.

Lennok would have to move one step ahead to acquire that Magic Gun.

It was even more so after learning through Elava that the very existence of the Heart-Star Vault was connected to the Ascension Gate.

The exclusive equipment of the Magic Gunner. The moment Lennok recognized the existence of the Old World Magic Gun, his course of action was set.

Upon hearing Lennok’s resolute answer, Mouser sighed and stepped back.

“Alright, what more could I say to dissuade you after you’ve come all this way? Everything you’ve obtained is by your own hand. Just be mindful of the time when you go.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Lennok smiled faintly, then stepped onto the Night Raven’s slanted tail feathers and climbed onto its back.

[Exterior Transformation: Internal Alloy]

[Inversion: Exterior Mimicry]

WHIRRRRR!!!

The bird’s long neck and beak folded inward, retracting into its body.

The backrest seat lowered slightly, transforming the seat Lennok was on into a steel cockpit.

At the same time, the oppressive cockpit walls transformed into transparent windows, fully revealing the outside scenery.

[Form Change: Underwater Maneuver]

[Armadelta Alloy Exterior Conversion]

[Measuring real-time water pressure… Activating readings]

CLANG!!

With Davi’s clear voice, the Night Raven streamlined and closed, transforming into the sharp shape of a dolphin.

From standing on the seawater, it instantly floated to the surface, beginning to cut through the waves in reverse.

WHOOSH!!!

The weather grew increasingly rough. A fierce wind raged in the distance, and the raindrops grew thicker.

The Night Raven’s form rapidly receded beyond the intensifying storm, where even the sound of waves was barely audible.

FLASH!!

Lightning struck from between the dark clouds, painting Mouser’s vision pure white, and in the instant that light struck the middle of the sea.

Lennok’s form had already completely vanished from the surface.

GROOAANN!!!

The Night Raven, now a dolphin-shaped submersible, descended rapidly into the dark depths of the sea.

The foam that clung to the cockpit walls instantly vanished, and only dense darkness enveloped Lennok’s shoulders.

CREAK…!!

A chilling sound of the cockpit walls faintly and gradually deforming could be heard.

As it descended further, the water pressure became extremely severe, putting pressure on the submersible’s outer hull.

If the submersible were to break down here, he would be crushed hundreds of meters beneath the deep sea, without oxygen.

But Lennok focused not on being overwhelmed by the surroundings, but on checking the status of the dimly glowing instrument panel inside the cockpit.

“Remaining oxygen and auxiliary power confirmed. Sonar and infrared sensors ready for operation. Night vision activated. Stealth function?”

[The pressure is much stronger than I thought, it’s not easy to adjust.]

Davi immediately replied, wriggling out from Lennok’s embrace and groaning.

[It’ll take some time to synchronize with the external environment.]

“The weather outside is excessively bad, worse than expected. It’ll probably be even harder to synchronize because of the strange environment above the sea.”

The submersible Lennok had created was the Night Raven, modified with added Armadelta Alloy by Davi.

Even though it used Armadelta Alloy optimized for deep-sea exploration, this kind of modification was necessary to utilize Davi’s computing power.

Davi, too, had become accustomed to controlling the Night Raven, so Lennok thought she would be able to operate the submersible and adjust for variables, but practical application was not easy.

‘I really should have tested it in a similar environment at least once….’

Not only did the seawater feel much heavier than expected, but the currents were also more violent than anticipated.

They were essentially falling endlessly into the deep sea, knowing nothing about the terrain and features of this area.

[Master!!]

Davi shouted urgently and simultaneously sharply veered the submersible.

SWISHHH!!

A massive eye, as large as the submersible itself, brushed past beyond the cockpit wall where Lennok’s cheek rested.

“…!!!!”

The moment Lennok frowned, confronted by that terrifying eye, Davi spoke.

[It’s a deep-sea fish.]

“That’s… a fish?”

Considering the size of the eye Lennok had just faced, its actual body was a gargantuan mass, almost tens of meters in size.

Wouldn’t it be more accurate to call it a magical beast or monster, rather than a fish?

[It evolved by feeding on mana, allowing it to maintain its massive size and withstand the water pressure.]

“….”

[If you search the Machine City’s database, which meets evaluation standards of Class 2 or higher, there are papers on related topics.]

“So, monsters like that have existed in the deep-sea zone for a long time…”

[Breaching 2500 meters below sea level. Mana condensation density increased by 7.5 times. Water pressure is expected to increase sharply in response to surrounding variables.]

CREAK!!

Another chilling sound of the cockpit seemingly twisting.

Even with the Armadelta Alloy submersible, optimized for deep-sea exploration, it could not be completely free from the effects of water pressure.

[Detailed adjustments complete. Sensing and night vision functions activated.]

At that moment, the darkness surrounding the cockpit cleared, and the surrounding terrain and the deep sea began to become visible.

Lennok quickly shifted his gaze, then fell silent as he confirmed the scenery beyond the cockpit.

Dozens of colossal fish, comparable to the deep-sea fish he had just encountered, were gathered in a school, all staring in their direction.

“….”

The chilling sight of dozens of deep-sea fish, mouths agape with unfocused eyes, silently staring at them.

The moment one massive deep-sea fish, resembling a sharp blue marlin, twitched its fins.

Davi firmly pressed down the control stick that had risen on the instrument panel.

WHOOSH!!

The blue marlin-like form pierced through the spot like an arrow just as the submersible tilted.

Lennok’s expression hardened as he realized its speed was close to subsonic, confirmed via mana detection.

“Unbelievable. By its movements alone, it’s almost a Class 5 magical beast…!!”

As if on cue, dozens of deep-sea fish began to madly rush towards the submersible.

GROOOANNN!!!

There were no screams or cries, but every time the deep-sea fish thrashed, foam erupted, spreading an unsettling vibration.

The submersible, shaped like a sleek torpedo, rapidly changed direction and slid through the dark deep sea, avoiding the gaping mouths of the colossal fish.

It plunged vertically down a sheer cliff that appeared out of the mist, but dozens of deep-sea fish relentlessly pursued it.

Lennok’s face, tilted upside down within the cockpit, was subtly contorted in a frown.

“We can’t hold out much longer… I’ll have to prepare.”

The submersible was built to withstand water pressure, not for a chase like this.

They were escaping by relying on Davi’s computing power and control skills amidst magical beasts using condensed deep-sea mana, but it wouldn’t last long.

Realizing this, Lennok swiftly weighed possible methods and probabilities in his mind, just as he was about to activate his Mystic Eye.

[External environment synchronization complete. Stealth function activated.]

SHWOOOOM…!!

As an unknown barrier unfolded around the submersible, the ocean currents abruptly changed.

GRUMBLE…?!!

At the same time, the deep-sea fish that had been swimming fiercely moments ago, unable to find the submersible right in front of them, looked around in confusion.

They vented their frustration by thrashing their fins at the innocent rock cliff, and as a result, the cliff began to collapse and crumble.

The submersible, utterly unresponsive to the commotion, stopped as if dead the moment its stealth function activated.

Finally, when the other deep-sea fish began to lose interest and disappear one by one, Davi spoke again with a relieved tone.

[Whew, detailed adjustments are complete. Now you should be able to use the stealth function normally even while moving.]

“…Good.”

Only then did Lennok rise from the cockpit, grabbing the inverted control stick above his head.

He righted the inverted submersible and moved it further down into the deep sea.

As the surrounding scenery came into view, various strange sights that he hadn’t seen before captivated his eyes.

Hundreds of meters of towering kelp forests swayed, and giant toad-like catfish darted their tongues inside caves.

Dozens of house-sized hermit crabs swarmed and crawled between the rocks, and iridescent jellyfish twitched their tentacles right in front of him.

“….”

He had always thought that the uncharted landscapes of a world where magic and mystery thrived would differ from common sense.

But every creature and landscape he encountered far exceeded Lennok’s expectations.

‘…Now I understand why the world beyond was called the Outer Sea.’

A dark sea where monsters and miracles, similar to what Lennok was now witnessing but on a scale that transcended all expectation, ran wild.

The person who named it must have, in high probability, once encountered a similar landscape just as Lennok had now.

While Lennok was lost in such thoughts, other presences besides deep-sea creatures and natural landscapes began to appear in the submersible’s view, one by one.

THWOOM…!!

SCREEECH!!

“…Machinery?”

Colossal excavators, hundreds of meters long, scraped at the deep-sea bedrock and transported it along endless, elongated iron rails.

House-sized derricks, slides, and all kinds of equipment made of solid rebar appeared.

The unique thing was that even deep under the sea, they all boasted enormous sizes, effortlessly exceeding hundreds of meters, making them stand out.

Davi, having apparently searched the database and found information, naturally explained.

[They say these are deep-sea mining machines installed to extract deep-sea minerals and resources.]

“Mining machines, huh…”

[It seems there are quite a few rare resources that only form in such environments due to the strong water pressure.]

The forms of the machines extracting minerals and resources from the cold, dark depths of the sea seemed more like monsters than equipment.

WHOOSH!!

A gigantic crane swept past above the submersible, scattering minerals, and purple light sparkled brilliantly outside the cockpit window.

PATTER!!

A rain of purple gems falling in the dark sea.

As Lennok silently turned his gaze to the sight, Davi added, as if fascinated.

[That’s Grajai-a Ore. It emits a beautiful, gem-like light before processing, and after processing, its strength increases, making it used in various equipment.]

“The assassin from the Sidesquad I killed last time. His short knife was made of Grajai-a alloy.”

Lennok slowly nodded and muttered.

“They were extracting vast quantities of valuable resources from deep beneath the sea… Now I understand how the Machine City could maintain its scale despite being so isolated.”

Not all oceans and deep seas on the continent yield such valuable resources or minerals.

It’s more accurate to say that the city of Machina settled in a blessed sea area, growing by acquiring various minerals, resources, and metals in this manner.

Lennok then continued to descend deeper into the sea, avoiding dozens of gigantic mining machines.

GRINDDD…!!

The sound from the cockpit walls grew distinctly louder as the water pressure continuously intensified.

The visibility, which had been secured by infrared sensing and night vision, distorted, and the currents became even more ominous.

“The water pressure…”

Davi, sensing the seriousness, spoke quickly.

[It seems the Armadelta Alloy in the submersible isn’t holding up as long as we thought.]

“No, that’s not it. My very senses are twisting.”

Lennok said, narrowing his eyes.

“The water pressure is so strong that the space beneath the sea is distorting.”

[…Huh?]

“It means it’s a realm of distorted magic, where space itself is twisted and torn apart by the sheer power of nature… Otherwise, physical approaches wouldn’t even be possible.”

At that moment, the mist that had sporadically flowed through the currents completely cleared, revealing a completely new landscape before the submersible.

WHOOOSH!!!

A massive barrier, as if formed by thousands of giant gears stacked upon each other.

It completely blocked the sea from end to end within the submersible’s view, constantly writhing and adjusting the barrier’s size and width.

The bizarre form of the barrier convulsed and twitched as if alive.

Lennok gazed at it, quietly muttering.

“Machina’s deepest Underwater Barrier. Finally, I’ve found it.”

The deepest core, hidden most secretly within the Machine City, buried so that no one could easily approach it.

The absolute center of the Machine City, which never revealed its appearance to the outside, even as it reconfigured the location and direction of all districts every quarter.

The Underwater Barrier had revealed itself before Lennok’s eyes.

Afterward, Lennok steered the submersible to slowly circle the Underwater Barrier, examining its exterior.

ROAR!!!

Scores of impossibly massive gears rotated in the colossal Underwater Barrier.

Upon closer inspection, the Underwater Barrier was a colossal sphere, buried deep beneath the sea and constantly rotating.

However, due to the barrier’s absurd size, it merely appeared as a steel cliff even in these deep waters.

[The 3D projection scan confirms it’s indeed a sphere with curvature… but it’s strange.]

Davi, hanging from the submersible’s control stick and maneuvering it, tilted her head.

[According to the data, the Underwater Barrier should be one of the barriers connected to Machina’s terrain. But why is it isolated alone in the deep sea?]

“It’s probably not isolated.”

Lennok replied, taking a pill from his pocket and chewing it.

“It only appears that way due to spatial distortion.”

[Do you mean those barriers are actually connected to the Machine City’s internal facilities?]

“It’s beyond that level. I think each of those gears….”

Lennok, lost in thought for a moment, then spoke.

“It’s highly likely they are core components of the mechanical barriers that divide the city districts.”

Thousands of abnormally gigantic gears converged, forming a massive circular sphere, rotating frantically.

But in this empty sea, filled only with mining machines and bizarre deep-sea fish, what were they working so busily to operate?

To simply protect the space inside the barrier from external threats, it was excessively conspicuous and bustling.

“The quarterly district relocation within Machina. I wonder if its core function relies on the existence of the Underwater Barrier.”

[So the synchronization process looks isolated due to the spatial distortion beneath the sea, is that it?]

Davi perked her ears, as if understanding.

[Then, I’ll approach a bit closer to check.]

CLATTERING!!

They approached the constantly rotating gear barrier in the dark sea.

“It’ll be difficult to view the barrier’s internal structure…”

Even with his Mystic Eye, only the faint outline of the barrier’s interior was visible. What was hidden inside remained unclear.

He could only surmise that as it continuously rotated along the Underwater Barrier, its interior also subtly vibrated.

[The water pressure, strong enough to distort space, and the altered natural mana are obstructing visibility. Won’t penetration be difficult?]

However, if he approached too close to the barrier, he would be swept into the cracks between the gears and become a mere splatter of blood.

Perhaps it was more remarkable that his Mystic Eye could project the barrier’s interior, albeit faintly, from such a distance.

But Lennok’s expression, despite knowing this fact, remained unrelaxed.

“Even after coming this far, I can’t precisely pinpoint Penteract’s location. Without confirming that, there’s no real meaning to having come down here.”

From the moment he came down to the coast with Mouser, Lennok had clearly sensed Penteract’s presence.

Without using the Penteract attached to the Old World Magic Gun, Teremer’s Demise, as a guide, it would have been impossible to find the Underwater Barrier in this unfathomable deep sea.

The problem was that even after reaching the very front of the Underwater Barrier, it was difficult to pinpoint Penteract’s exact location.

“…No choice.”

If he didn’t thoroughly investigate the Underwater Barrier here today, such an opportunity might never come again.

He had to achieve a definite result here, even if it meant overexerting himself.

Thinking this, Lennok quickly chewed and swallowed several elixirs and stimulants from his pocket.

THUMP, THUMP!!

Each time an empty vial and ampoule fell behind the submersible’s seat, the mana flowing from Lennok’s body intensified explosively.

WOOOOOSH!!!

The interior space of the submersible, which had been deforming, began to repair itself solely from the overflowing mana, without any manual operation.

Davi, who had been frantically analyzing the exterior of the Underwater Barrier, only then looked at Lennok and tilted her head.

[Master?]

“Davi, stop operating the submersible. I’ll need you to handle the calculations from now on.”

[If we give up the stealth function and use mana, the self-security system embedded near the Underwater Barrier will awaken.]

Although they had exploited the lax security due to Ex Machina’s City Audit, a security system embedded within the barrier itself would, of course, exist.

Until now, they had avoided detection thanks to Lennok’s presence suppression and Davi’s stealth operation of the submersible, but using mana would undoubtedly leave a trace.

“I can’t just play the role of a craftsman in this city forever.”

Lennok’s eyes glinted coldly.

“I’m taking that into account and opening the Underwater Barrier right here. Prepare yourself.”

Working as a craftsman in the workshop, meeting various people, and using his intuition in new ways hadn’t felt bad to Lennok.

However, the reason Lennok had built his standing and reputation as a craftsman was to access the core secrets of the Machine City.

And those actions had ultimately led him here. Since it had led to a result, he was ready to move, risking anything at any time.

The secret of the Ascension Gate. Kaiser’s research journal. The existence of the Underwater Barrier, Heart-Star Vault.

If he had already obtained all the clues he could lay his hands on, shouldn’t Lennok himself clear away the remaining fog?

WOOOOOSH…!!!

As he calmly formed hand seals with both hands, he closed his eyes and began to drastically amplify his mana.

But the focus was not on Lennok, who was forming the hand seals, but on Davi, who was hanging from the submersible’s control stick.

A colorless wave, erupting from the Cybernetic Spirit, instantly enveloped the submersible and spread beyond into the sea.

FLASHHH!!

Contemplating beyond the wave of power that overlaid reality, he cast forth the core of his will.

His self-altering ability amplified his inner Mind Imprint, allowing it to overflow into reality.

Domain Deployment: Spirit Resonance

Cybernetic Hierarchy Mind Imprint Manifestation

[Dream-Thought Electric Will Mirror]

In the dark sea, thousands of white, snow-like cubes fluttered down, beginning to fall onto the exterior of the Underwater Barrier.