Splash!

A man has been thrown overboard beneath the ship. Huge waves splash in all directions and the chains wrapped around the man’s ankles rattle as they sink into the water one by one.

(CLATTERING) Clank!

The seemingly endless chain finally reaches its end and tightens. The iron ball attached to the end of the chain didn’t budge, even as two burly men strained and groaned to move it.

Only when a third man joined them did they manage to push the iron ball over the edge of the ship.

After dropping a second iron ball into the pitch-black river, the men quickly retreated.

“All right, let’s get out of here! Or we’ll be cursed too!”

The captain yelled from the deck.

Even though there was no one to stop them, the sailors hastily turned the bow of the ship.

‘Damn, so they really want me to die here.’

Well, I’m a condemned man, so it’s only natural.

Thrown into the river, Ethan stared at the shackles that bound his ankles tightly and the iron ball that wouldn’t budge, his mouth bubbling with foam.

His body, weakened by long torture, couldn’t hold its breath for a moment.

Blood spilled from his severed forearm, trailing in curving lines along the flowing river, and the sight of it gradually pulled Ethan’s mind farther and farther away.

Gurgle.

Bubbles rose, tangled in the blood that floated to the surface. In contrast, his body, caught in the chains, was pulled downward.

Thud.
As the iron ball sank to the bottom, it kicked up clouds of murky mud.

Even as his vision was quickly obscured, the man’s extraordinary body instinctively sought a way out.

With his left eye completely swollen shut, he strained to focus with his right, twitching as he narrowed his gaze.

A faint glimmer of light appeared in the darkness – too faint to be called daylight. It could easily be something that used light to lure prey.

But in his current state, unable to rise to the surface, he had no choice.

As extraordinary as his physical abilities were, there were limits.

His superior physical strength, which compensated for his lack of magic, was both a blessing and a curse in moments like this.

One arm was severed, the other hand crushed, and with heavy iron balls chained to his ankles, there was no way he could rise to the surface.

Swimming was out of the question – he could barely kick in the water.

Especially when he was already choking.

Ethan quickly came to a grim conclusion and took a step forward.

With each step, the iron balls chained to his ankles dragged behind him.

One on each ankle – a clear sign of their intention to execute him properly.

Each time the metal balls, each as thick as his thighs, scraped along the riverbed, clouds of mud swirled around him.

Even in the murky darkness, Ethan somehow managed to keep his sense of direction as he forced his legs to move.

A bubble.

He grimaced.

His body, never having dived this deep before, couldn’t regulate its breathing, and as a result, the air in his lungs was rapidly depleting.

There had rarely been a need to fight in the water, let alone with such a handicap.

So there had never been any reason to learn to dive.

He’d always found it more useful to spend that time cutting someone’s throat instead.

‘If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have at least learned to scuba dive’, Ethan regretted, though it was far too late now.

***

As she untangled the seaweed from his hair, wavy platinum blonde strands were revealed.

Thick eyebrows, eyelids that refused to open.

She ran her hand over the marks and scars carved all over the man’s body.

Tick, tick, tick.

Her nails kept catching on the grooves etched into his stained, dark skin.

No matter how much she examined him, he was full of flaws.

The fact that he couldn’t even open his eyes after swallowing a little water, the fact that he couldn’t heal his own wounds – all of that.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t have any abilities at all, but when it came to his recovery rate, it was hardly worth mentioning.

If turned her attention from the powerless man to the signs of her own healing.

His right arm, which had been bleeding profusely, was now shortened and healed, and the slashes that had marred his swollen face and body had been treated.

Tick.

Once again, her nail caught the uneven skin.

Scars – that was what he had called them.

Marks that remained because his healing powers were too weak.

She could remove them if she wanted to, but something like that should probably be done with his permission.

It wasn’t right to change someone’s body without their consent.

He must have had both arms originally, right?

Although, considering how much humanity had changed, there was a small chance that he might not have.

Anyway, if he needed a new one, she could always attach one for him.

If thought about it lightly.

Flinch.

The man on the ground stirred.

If, still crouched beside him, stared at him intently.

His shimmering eyelashes trembled slightly, then slowly began to lift.

“Hello?”

The man suddenly raised his arm.

But since he had only recently lost it, his shortened arm, unable to measure distance properly, only struck the empty air.

As his fist sliced through the air right in front of her face, If blinked slowly.

Eyes that shimmered with the color of the forest.

Among the almost colorless tones, those eyes stood out, unusually vivid.

‘So that’s what they looked like inside’, she thought. she was curious.

Ordinary eyes — something no longer found on her side.

“…What are you?”

As the man stood up, holding his head, If also rose to her feet.

“I don’t quite understand what you’re asking. Could you be a bit clearer? Do you want to know my name? Or are you asking what kind of person I am?”

The man’s eyes darted quickly around.

Chirp, chirp — the sound of birds, yet there was no sign of any birds nearby.

The air was cool despite the lack of wind, crisp as if they were in the middle of a lush forest.

But strangely, there was no smell of grass or earth that should have accompanied it.

There was something suspicious about this place.

And in this suspicious place stood a n*ked woman.

Her hair, long enough to sweep the ground, shimmered like crushed gems.

Eyes the same color as her extraordinary hair, and skin as pale as porcelain, like a doll – no matter how he looked at her, she didn’t seem human.

He wasn’t sure if she would give a proper answer, but for now it seemed that his only option was to get information from this woman.

“Wait, wait. My wounds – they’re gone?”

Not just his severed arm, but his entire body, ravaged by years of torture, was completely healed.

“The bleeding was severe. I treated you.”

He swallowed a sigh and opened his mouth again.

“Let me ask again. Where is this place? And why am I here?”

“If we do it chronologically, I’ll answer the second question first. You fell into the water and were retrieved by ‘WM-91168’. You were unconscious at that point – you’ve been out for about 1 hour, 19 minutes and 32 seconds.

This wasn’t just about getting a proper answer – it was beyond that.

The man rubbed his forehead and waved his hand in frustration.

“Double-U… whatever… I was pulled out by what exactly?”

“Hm, I see. So you need clarification on that as well?”

If casually lifted her index finger and quickly drew a line through the air.

Scratch, scratch.

“…!”

The man backed away quickly.

If tilted her head curiously.

At her command, silver nanomachines crawled out from all directions, gathering and merging into a massive form.

Countless insect-sized machines merged seamlessly into the form of a human – smooth and unbroken, as if it had always been a single entity.

A single blue eye embedded in the center of its round head glowed as the robot stood firmly in place, awaiting orders.

“This is insane…”

As if lightly tapping WM-91168’s body, which was larger than she was, the man’s gaze shifted sharply back to her.

“Does that help you understand?”

“Huh? Understand what with this thing?! What the hell is this piece of metal?”

“Hmm. Still not enough? Well… it’s an android, or a robot with artificial intelligence. Simply put, a puppet made of metal. And this particular unit is specialized for underwater exploration.”

“Haa?”

At his stunned reaction, If widened her eyes and tilted her head.

“Still not clear? Humans really aren’t that smart these days, are they?”

“Hah, what would a mercenary like me know about being smart…  Wait, wait – did you just say humans these days?”

“Yup.”

“So, what, are you saying that you are a different kind of human?”

“If I had to explain it, I guess you could call me an ancient human. After all… civilization has already collapsed once.”

“What the hell…”

His mind was a mess. The man ran his hand roughly through his hair with his only remaining left arm.

“So… can I ask my first question?”

She asked casually, unperturbed by the man’s struggle.

When the man sighed and waved his hand, If nodded and finally began to speak.

“I wasn’t sure what to do after I pulled you out, but I was curious about what humans are like these days. So I decided to save you. This is where I live.”

“Where you live? Wait, wait, wait. You said you were an ancient human, right? Then at least tens of thousands of years must have passed… How are you still alive?”

” I’ve been sleeping. In a cryogenic sleep chamber. I haven’t been awake very long.”

“What? Sleeping? Cryogenic?”

“Do I need to explain that too?”

She asked with a sullen look.

It was understandable the first time, but at this rate, she might have to add endless explanations to everything she said.

‘Humans are really slow these days.’

“It freezes the body at extremely low temperatures. So you don’t have to breathe, your body doesn’t decompose, and it’s like time itself stops.”

“Then… are you saying that ancient humans lived here together?”

The absurdity of it made him let out a hollow laugh.

If shook her head at his question.

“No, just me. When I woke up, everyone else was dead. The machines broke down because too much time had passed.”

Her tone was calm, almost indifferent for someone talking about death.

“So you’re saying you and I are the only people here?”

“Well, six, if you don’t count the man who just got eaten upstairs.

Oh, wait – make that five.”

“Upstairs…?”

He furrowed his brow and looked up at the sky, where clouds floated lazily.

No, that wasn’t right.

Clouds floating despite the still air.

A blue sky that didn’t match the current temperature.

“The sky… it’s fake.”

“It’s a 3D screen.”

“….”

Honestly, it would have been better if he had just died and gone to the afterlife.

This place was truly bizarre.

Staying here any longer felt like it would drive him insane.

Ethan pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead.