Chapter 3: Flushed Away?

[Cosmic Integration Complete. The Hearth System has been activated!]

Before his sight went completely dark, and just before his body completely shut down, he suddenly felt the water rise. It was as if the deep, endless waters had either been drained or an unknown force was pushing him upwards.

Or was it more like…a reverse-flush?

Regardless of which it was, he saw the surface near him, and he instinctively raised his body and gasped as soon as he felt air.

“Hkkk—”

He broke the surface with a guttural choke. He coughed and wretched, allowing his body to take him to safety.

He dragged his body and coughed up more water when he completely escaped the water.

“Kkk—hah…. Ha!”

He looked at the surface below him, and he couldn’t even absorb much, partly because his entire body was extremely sore.

“S-Soil?” He uttered, eyebrows furrowed, and lifted his head to see the open sky and realized that a dense forest surrounded him.

Didn’t he jump into the sea?

Before he could absorb what was going on, he turned in a direction as he was looking around, and his blood turned completely cold.

In front of him was an unfamiliar beast with teeth as big as his palms. Its eyes were completely red, filled with bloodlust.

WHAT THE FUDGE?!

It was not a creature he had seen before. It was like a chimaera that made people’s stomachs tumble in disgust. In terms of appearance (or lack thereof), it was kind of like a lion, except its mane looked more like uncombed twigs and its face flattened as if squished at an angle.

On all fours, the monster was a bit smaller than he was standing up. However, he could tell it could eat him up easily.

Grrrr—

And it certainly did try to do so.

Finn lost his breath when it lunged towards him. “AH!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, almost falling backwards in shock.

However, a moment later, it went past him. Still shaking, Finn realized that—at least for now—it wasn’t attacking him.

It entered a brawl with another monster, one he did not notice was right behind him! It had a different appearance, but no less terrifying.

In terms of appearance (and he was amazed that he could analyze like this), this new monster was like a snake.

One difference was that its proportion was much shorter compared to the normal snake (it was more like a chubby caterpillar, but slimier). Another difference was that its mouth looked like three origami fortune tellers pasted side by side, allowing it to bite at wider angles.

Finn watched with wide eyes as the two beasts tried biting the other down, trying to reveal each other’s innards using their eerie fangs and sharp claws.

It was like watching an 8D horror movie, and Finn had no idea what to make of it.

How much water entered his brain? He was hallucinating so vividly now…

Before he could think more, his peripheral vision caught sight of other movements, realizing he was surrounded by these monsters!

Some were just drinking water from the lake he had just been in, while some entered fights with others for no reason at all.

He also realized that some monsters walked past him… as if they didn’t see him at all.

It did not mean they were any less terrifying. He was wet, shivering, and cold, and he was pretty sure it was partially because he wanted to pee in terror.

He was also dead tired.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

“Happy thoughts, Finn…” he told himself as he took a deep breath. In cases like these, his mind would head toward his favorite thing: Food.

“Happy thoughts…

“Remember that ramen you cooked last night? It was seafood ramen,” he said, talking to himself in that soft voice that had made him quite popular as a celebrity chef.

“Remember how you made that warm delicious broth. The stock you always used smelled lovely, and you could see the dried anchovies and konbu already there, adding flavor, adding excitement.

“Remember how you added the ginger, the onion, and how you let it all simmer in low heat, feeling them all combine and mix. Think of how you momentarily floated in the aroma that emerged from it.”

“You added the shrimp next, which were toasted dry til’ they clicked. They crackled like they were talking to you, and you couldn’t wait to eat it.”

He gulped, feeling a bit hungry. He continued his self-encouragement as he massaged his arm bit by bit.

“You added the clams into the broth…” he paused. “You let them open on their own. And then, you let the broth pick up everything it offered—the sea mist and the memory of salt on its shell.”

The sea, which was a world of the great unknown, was compressed into a single dish that ultimately ended up in his stomach.

This thought calmed him down. The sea might’ve almost drowned him, but he was also eating its children.

“Next, you added the noodles. They bounced a little, like pulling seaweed from the shore. They were cooked soft but with some fight. They hug the broth, but not swim in it, just as you like it.”

“Then… you eat it,” he said, gulping again. He was partially regretting thinking about this, but it was too late now. “The warmth hits you first, and it is this warmth that settles into your chest.”

“The first sip was salty and sweet, then the savory and umami taste followed. The noodles slide smoothly into your mouth, and with each bite, you taste a bit of the sea. The noodles were a bit chewy, while the seafood, seaweed, and other things added more tactile feeling into the experience.”

Like this, his tittering nerves felt flushed away.

When he felt even a small portion of his brain was finally working, he took another breath. He forced himself to temporarily ignore his surroundings, realizing—and accepting—that, for now, these beasts were not an immediate threat.

It was here that he noticed a floating logo of a glimmering holographic ball at the lower right of his vision. “What the heck…”

When he clicked on it, several logos popped up vertically, neatly lined up at the right view. Below, there was a text with a running countdown that immediately made him lose blood.

No amount of imaginary ramen could fix this one.

[Moving Phantom Barrier: Activated. Validity: 00:58:38]

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