Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 90

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Awakener Special School, Rank 0
Episode 90
“The route has been confirmed as stable. We should be able to reach the Lighthouse as planned.”
At the entrance to the Jeju Island Abyss stood a Lighthouse, which made finding the passage far easier than it would be in an ordinary Abyss.
Now that the ship had begun to move, hope swelled—multiplied many times over.
The sailor reporting to the Captain bore unmistakable relief etched across his face.
The Captain, still gripping the helm, felt much the same.
Meanwhile, as they navigated from the Captain’s Quarters—
“This is strange indeed. For such an enormous vessel to suddenly start moving…”
Ga-young and Ji-u emerged onto the Upper Deck.
Tae Ga-young leaned far over the railing to peer below, but—just as before—saw nothing unusual.
—Of course not. It was Ji-u moving the ship.
More precisely, it was Ji-u’s Telekinesis.
‘I’ll admit, I was nervous moving something this massive for the first time, but…’
Somehow, he’d managed it.
Even if the speed was glacially slow.
Keeping a small distance from Tae Ga-young as she inspected the deck, Ji-u gently peeled away the tissue he’d held to his nose.
…The nosebleed had stopped, at least.
‘My entire body feels like it’s cramping.’
The fallout of draining every last scrap of Core, real or otherwise.
Like paralytic toxin crackling through every blood vessel in his body.
And then there was the ‘monster’ the Captain had mentioned—that weighed on him too.
‘At least the Lighthouse isn’t far. That much is fortunate.’
The kindly beacon marking the passage was visible in the distance, faint but unmistakable.
Another fifteen minutes or so, and they’d be there.
‘I can manage that. I can hold on.’
He just had to keep his composure until then—subtle enough that no one caught on.
One moment of carelessness, and his trembling hands and feet would give him away.
Tae Ga-young was no fool.
Moving this ship was only half the battle; maintaining the charade all the way through was equally critical.
In the meantime, Ji-u and Ga-young remained on the Upper Deck to watch for any Infected Beings that might attack the ship.
“Doesn’t this feel a bit like the two of us chartered this luxurious Cruise Ship all to ourselves?”
Tae Ga-young asked, salt spray misting her face.
…Ji-u sensed no particular suspicion from her. Thank goodness.
Really, though.
A newly recruited member of the Special Unit moving a Cruise Ship weighing tens of thousands of tons? One wouldn’t readily imagine such a thing.
Ji-u, now growing accustomed to the sensation of his body being wrung dry, replied plainly:
“True enough. The scenery is rather bleak, though.”
“Is it? I find this pitch-black sea rather beautiful—the kind of sight you only see here. Not so bad when you think of it that way.”
Tae Ga-young gazed out across the endless expanse of the Black Sea, murmuring softly:
“Black waters stretching endless, sky and sea made one…”
Ji-u’s eyes flicked sideways.
He stared intently at Tae Ga-young’s profile for a moment, then opened his mouth carefully.
“Captain, I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now.”
“Mm.”
“That way of speaking… why do you do it?”
“Hmm?”
Tae Ga-young’s gaze held a questioning look—’Suddenly?’—in it.
It wasn’t really sudden, though.
He simply hadn’t had the chance to ask; he’d found it strange from their first meeting.
He’d grown more accustomed to it by now, yet her manner of speech still bore little resemblance to that of a typical high school student.
“So you’re finally asking me directly.”
Gripping the railing with both hands, Tae Ga-young stretched slowly, as though limbering up.
“Do you read novels at all, Ji-u?”
“…I used to, fairly often.”
“And martial arts novels, perhaps?”
“Never read anything like that.”
“Fantasy? Or historical epics?”
“Well…”
Ji-u’s expression grew ambiguous.
Tae Ga-young let out a short laugh and turned her gaze back to the sea.
“How can I explain? There are incredibly strong characters who defeat villains, and so on. Basically, the kind of stories that set your blood on fire. Among them, there’s a character I admired—that character speaks like this.”
“So you’re imitating that character, Captain?”
“Something like that.”
…An answer he hadn’t expected.
Yet there was no hint of jest or evasion about her. She was being sincere, no doubt.
“That character isn’t real, but I’ve always deeply admired them.”
“…”
“They protect everything precious with their own hands, achieve justice with style, earn the trust and admiration of all around them. That’s why they’re fictional, of course—in reality, such a perfect person barely exists.”
“But you’re like that, Captain.”
“…What?”
Tae Ga-young’s eyes widened.
Ji-u spoke matter-of-factly:
“That character—I think they’re quite similar to you, Captain.”
Though they hadn’t known each other long, this was how Ji-u saw Tae Ga-young: someone who cherished and protected her people, who moved toward her duty despite the risks.
Most people who knew her admired her and followed her lead.
And yet—
Tae Ga-young shook her head.
“That can’t be right. If it were, I wouldn’t need to mimic that character’s way of speaking.”
The salt wind—from where, it was unclear—sent her short red hair streaming.
“I wanted to become like that character. It’s foolish, I know, but… as I mimicked their speech, I found it somehow gave me confidence. My actions changed too.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And that’s how I ended up hearing ‘you’re similar’ from you.”
Tae Ga-young tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled gently.
“Why not give it a try yourself, Ji-u?”
“Try what?”
“The way of speaking.”
“I’ll have to pass.”
“…”
“…Captain?”
“…”
Tae Ga-young’s face had gone rigid, utterly devoid of warmth.
Was she angry because he wouldn’t mimic her speech?
But her gaze wasn’t fixed on Ji-u—it was locked on something else entirely.
Feeling the strangeness, Ji-u slowly followed her line of sight.
And in that moment, he saw it.
“…!!”
On the far side of the Lighthouse.
In that very spot the Cruise Ship had just passed, something black and vast writhed.
“What is…”
Tae Ga-young’s eyes narrowed as her hand moved instinctively to her sword.
At first, he thought it was simply an enormous rock.
But it wasn’t.
Splash—
Something broke the surface.
Black water bulged upward like a massive droplet forming.
Whoooosh—!
The next instant, a torrent roared as the waters split apart.
And there, in the dark waters, it finally revealed itself:
“…A tentacle?”
Ji-u muttered in a daze.
If he wasn’t seeing things, it was definitely a tentacle.
A colossal tentacle studded with dark purple Magic Stones instead of suckers.
— The monster… it’s coming back…!!
The Captain’s cry suddenly echoed through his mind.
The appendage moved slowly, as though probing the air for body heat, feeling its way through the void.
Then it tilted toward the Cruise Ship.
“…!!”
His entire body froze.
Then the creature’s main body emerged.
Even just the portion above water dwarfed the Cruise Ship by several times over.
Its wet hide was darker than the Black Sea itself, the surface cracked like ancient leather.
And beneath all that, its eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
The moment their gazes met, Tae Ga-young drew her blade.
“An Infected Being, then.”
Tae Ga-young’s voice blended with the sea wind.
“That thing is an Infected Being?”
“Yes—a Kraken, I’d wager.”
A Kraken.
A sea monster that belonged to legend alone.
Ji-u knew the name from books and films, though he’d never truly believed it existed.
Until now.
Tae Ga-young’s face had hardened as she drew her sword.
‘So that’s the one…’
If this Kraken had attacked the Cruise Ship when it fell into the Abyss, the missing crew made sense—every last one, vanished without a trace.
The creature must have seized them and swallowed them whole. Not a drop of blood left behind.
…If the Captain had witnessed that spectacle, his terror was wholly justified.
‘It’s certainly dangerous.’
Tae Ga-young tightened her grip on her blade.
The Cruise Ship wasn’t operating by normal means. The Captain couldn’t simply increase speed or change course on a whim.
Which left only one option: entangle the creature, buy time.
‘If that’s the case…’
She glanced down quickly.
Beneath the Cruise Ship, tethered by rope, was the Yellow Rubber Boat.
The one Ji-u and Ga-young had arrived in.
“Ji-u, to the Captain’s Quarters.”
“…What?”
Ga-young turned to her, as if asking what she meant.
Tae Ga-young gripped the railing as though ready to dive over at any second.
“While I engage that thing, you stay here and escort those two to the Lighthouse. Can you do that?”
“I’m coming with you.”
Ji-u naturally moved to follow.
No matter how capable Tae Ga-young was, defeating such a monster alone would be nearly impossible.
Which left two options.
Fight together, or flee and evade.
Safety clearly lay in the latter.
But…
‘At this speed, the ship won’t reach the Lighthouse for at least another ten minutes.’
The Infected Being wasn’t moving now, but it could catch up in moments if it chose to.
So fighting was the only real option.
Whether they could defeat it, or merely buy time—
They had roughly ten minutes to hold it off until the ship reached the Lighthouse safely.
Which left Ji-u with only one answer.
“Two is better than one.”
Ji-u followed as naturally as if it were obvious.
But Tae Ga-young firmly shook her head.
“That’s not happening.”
“Why not? You know I can fight now, Captain.”
Tae Ga-young fixed Ji-u with an unblinking stare.
“…Is it because I was hospitalized during the exam? That’s really fine now.”
“I know.”
“Then let me come with you—”
“Still no.”
Tae Ga-young’s refusal was absolute.
“You can’t move from here.”
“…!!”
Ji-u’s body went rigid.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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