The Abyssal Sea

“I’ve come as summoned, Admiral Brudwar.”

At Ian’s words, delivered with a salute, Admiral Brudwar rose from behind his desk and gestured toward the sofa.

“Have a seat over here first.”

“Of course.”

Ian sat on the sofa right away, and Admiral Brudwar also sat across from him. With the two facing each other, the Admiral absentmindedly stroked his beard, suggesting he was hesitating to speak.

‘Why did he summon me? If he called me directly, it must be to assign a mission.’

There had been no assignments for the past few months, so being called now likely meant a difficult task was about to be given. With that suspicion, Ian decided to wait quietly until the Admiral began speaking. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, the Admiral spoke.

“Ian Mustaq, as a member of the 1st Fleet, I intend to assign you a mission.”

“It’s been quite a while since I received a mission. What kind is it?”

“Have you heard of the Abyssal Sea?”

“If I recall correctly, it’s located at the southernmost edge of the map, isn’t it?”

It was, quite literally, like the Antarctic of the planet—a remote sea in the far south. The mention of it strongly implied it was to be the mission site. That meant a deployment to an extremely distant location. Honestly, he had only heard of it before, and it was known to be very isolated from civilization.

‘Is this someone’s doing? A ploy to get me as far from the mainland as possible?’

After all this time with no missions, now sending him away like this must be part of an effort to remove him from the capital—a way to eliminate an obstacle in the struggle for succession.

Perhaps the same was happening to the other princes as well. Maybe the succession conflict had officially begun.

“Since you already know about it, that’s convenient. I’ll skip the detailed explanation. You’ll need to head there.”

“What’s there that requires my presence?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

Ian was taken aback. If he was being given a mission, shouldn’t there be a reason and a clear objective? Brudwar seemed to realize this himself, his face growing somewhat uncomfortable as he explained.

“A confidential report reached us recently. It stated that there may be something resembling a sea monster in those waters.”

“A sea monster? But those are already…”

“Yes, they’re supposed to be extinct. But it’s possible they weren’t wiped out completely. Maybe some survived, hiding in the deep sea.”

“That could be true. So this mission is to investigate that?”

“Exactly.”

“What if we encounter one? What are the orders then?”

“You’ll record everything and act at your own discretion. If you can capture it, do so. If not, just bring back your report.”

“So, it’s not a termination mission.”

“Of course not. We’re talking about a possibly extinct sea monster. We can’t just kill it.”

“But what if it attacks us? If it poses a threat to the ship?”

“That’s unlikely, but if it happens, then there’s no choice. We can’t endanger the battleship.”

Admiral Brudwar didn’t seem to think it would come to that. Honestly, Ian was only asking out of caution. Still, it was remarkable that such a creature had been discovered. It was most likely spotted by fishing vessels operating in that area.

“Understood. But surely we aren’t the only ones involved, are we? I imagine other nations will dispatch warships too.”

“Indeed, the report didn’t come only to us. Several nations have reported sightings by their own fishing fleets.”

“So, there’s definitely something resembling a sea monster out there. Competition will be fierce.”

“That’s why your task is to gather information, nothing more. Avoid conflicts with other nations, even if they attempt capture.”

“I’ll do so.”

The instruction to avoid conflict was really a way of saying to lie low while the kingdom was still recovering from war. Ian understood and resolved to steer clear of trouble. Regardless, the implication was clear—he was being sent far from the capital.

‘This is troubling.’

If the king were to die while Ian was away, the situation could conclude without him having any chance to intervene. But he couldn’t refuse a mission either. All he could do was hope that his father would still be alive by the time he returned.

Screech, screech~

As Ian entered the naval base and stepped out of the car, he spotted the colossal battleship Mythos docked at port. He’d visited the ship before, but this would be his first long deployment in a while, and he couldn’t help but feel glad.

‘I hadn’t planned to leave like this, though.’

Before coming here, he had already said his goodbyes to his mother and younger sister. Since this mission could last several months or more, it had been a lengthy farewell. Still, he had made all the necessary preparations.

If something were to happen at the palace, his allies would ensure his mother and sister escaped safely. He had even arranged a secret safehouse for them. It was unlikely to be needed, but he had prepared just in case.

“Doesn’t feel bad.”

“Right? I feel good knowing I’m going on a mission with you again, Captain.”

Next to him was his aide, Lieutenant Mardin Luso, who had accompanied him from his estate. He too seemed pleased to finally be on a mission again. After all, they had been training endlessly for some time, and anyone would long to get back out to sea. Maybe he just liked being out of the house again.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Captain.”

They boarded the ship. As they ascended, crew members on the deck saluted them. Ian returned the salutes. A battleship could be likened to a small city, and with a crew close to a thousand, it was essential to manage them well.

‘Their lives are my responsibility too.’

“Fuel, rations, shells, and all supplies are fully stocked.”

“Wasn’t there a supply island on the way to the Abyssal Sea?”

“Yes, we’ll top off our fuel there before heading to the Abyssal Sea.”

As they walked down the iron corridor toward the bridge, Ian received a detailed update from his aide. This mission was essentially a solo expedition. That meant they would have to handle everything on their own.

‘We’ll need to be especially wary of submarines.’

The Doicheun Empire might be secretly targeting them. Of course, judging by the currently captured submarine’s analysis, it still doesn’t seem capable of continuing operations solo in the open ocean. Still, there’s always the possibility it was secretly transferred aboard a freighter to launch a surprise attack.

‘Of course, as long as I’m here, it’ll never be sunk.’

Given his psychic powers, Ian was confident he could deflect any torpedo. With that thought, he climbed the steps and finally arrived at the bridge. As the door opened and he entered, a voice rang out inside to announce his arrival.

“Captain on the bridge!”

Snap! Everyone stood and saluted. Ian nodded in acknowledgment and returned the salute, then turned to the executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Derian Zeco, who was standing by.

“Are we ready to depart?”

“Yes, all steam turbines are operational and preheated. We can depart immediately.”

“This will be quite a long voyage.”

“Yes, sir. Everything’s ready, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Good. Then let’s head out.”

At Ian’s command, the bridge became busy. Since the ship was docked, tugboats had to be contacted to pull it out from the berth. Still tethered by mooring lines, the battleship Mythos began to exit the naval base of the 1st Fleet with the help of the tugs.

As soon as they reached open water and the cables were detached and reeled in, the ship picked up speed and began moving on its own. At the same time—BWOOOOM—its deep foghorn bellowed, echoing across the sea as if to announce its departure.

Thick black smoke poured out from the funnels as the ship pressed forward. The Mythos, fading into the distance, was briefly reported in the newspapers but soon disappeared from public attention.

People simply assumed, “They’ve been sent on a mission somewhere, I suppose.”

World Era 1909, October 16th.

It had been a long journey, stretching over a month and ten-odd days. In fact, they had traveled farther than even to the New Continent. They had refueled mid-journey, and that brief opportunity to set foot on land helped boost the crew’s morale.

Woooosh—

“So this is why they call it the Abyssal Sea.”

Fierce winds were blowing across the ocean, stirring up massive waves. Naturally, the battleship rocking violently under such conditions had no choice but to sway with each impact.

Looking at this sea, Ian thought that traveling in a small ship here would be tantamount to suicide.

It begged the question: how did the fishing boats that reported sightings of sea monsters even manage to navigate through these waves? But if timed right, there were lulls when the sea was calm. During those moments, even small vessels could pass through this area.

‘We must’ve arrived at the worst possible time.’

Thinking that way made him feel a little indignant. Watching the battleship lurch so dramatically made him worry it might actually capsize and sink. He stayed on alert, ready to use his telekinesis at any moment. No one else knew how much he was constantly focused on keeping things safe.

“This place really lives up to the name ‘Abyss,’ doesn’t it? With waves like this, it feels like we’ll be dragged to the seafloor. Hahaha.”

“You can still laugh in this situation, Executive Officer?”

“It’s rough, but our battleship can handle it. I trust the ship, so I can afford to laugh.”

Ian could only shake his head at that. Still, the ship was forging ahead. Even now, the bridge swayed with every wave. Initially, he had wondered why they sent only a battleship on such a mission, but given how rough the sea was, it made sense—it would take a cruiser or battleship to safely pass through.

‘A destroyer would’ve sunk immediately.’

“Ah, do you see that? Over there, the waves are calm.”

“So we’re finally past the worst of the rough water?”

“Yes, once we pass that, the sea should calm down.”

“I wonder how they ever discovered the sea beyond this place in the old days.”

“Well, adventurers have to be a little crazy, right? They risk their lives with every decision.”

“I wholeheartedly agree.”

An adventurer had to be mad. Only then could they see their journey through to success. Ian felt a quiet sense of respect for the adventurers who had first passed through here. Back then, they would have only had sailing ships driven by the wind.

After pushing past the waves, they entered an eerily calm sea. It was so still it made the earlier storm seem like a lie. Not even a single breeze blew—it was eerily silent. As he looked out at the sight, Ian spoke to the executive officer.

“I’m sure we’re not the only ship in these waters.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll have the crew start scanning the surroundings.”

From now on, their task was to scout and observe. The goal was to locate and document the sea monster. Ian had video cameras and photographic equipment brought out from storage to prepare for any sightings. If anything appeared, they would record it on the spot.

‘And we might end up recording the actions of foreign ships, too.’

This sea could easily become a battleground for foreign fleets. That meant not only staying vigilant but also preparing for whatever might come next. With video evidence, no one would be able to deny what happened.

A few hours passed after they entered the calm sea. The sun eventually set, and darkness began to spread. Unsurprisingly, they hadn’t encountered any foreign vessels yet—this sea was vast. As full darkness fell, the three moons began to cast their light over the Abyssal Sea while the Mythos cruised slowly at standard speed.

Meanwhile, Ian had gone to the mess hall for a meal. Since everything on board was preserved food, it wasn’t exactly delicious. He dipped his bread into what seemed to be a soup made from canned corn. It was passable, at best. Even as the captain, his food wasn’t anything special, so the rest of the crew must’ve been eating the same.

‘At least I get slightly softer bread as captain, I suppose.’

Tearing the bread and dipping it in soup, he thought again about how hard it was to eat anything truly fresh aboard a ship. If any fishing boats were nearby, maybe he could buy some fresh fish from them—that idea crossed his mind.

Just then, someone came running into the mess hall. Something must have happened. As expected, the person approached Ian and spoke urgently.

“Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching our position.”

“Hm. Let’s head to the bridge.”

Ian set his bread down and rose at once. He had hoped he’d at least finish his meal before anything happened.