𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕔𝕜 ₒᵣᵥ (Discontinued)

Chapter 10: Dokkaebi's Deal

I felt water entering my lungs.

Then I was sucked in somewhere. Thankfully, my body wasn't torn apart by the water currents because I fell with perfect timing. However, I couldn't lose consciousness here. I cracked open my heavy eyes only to see Dokja-ssi a few metres away from me, looking as helpless as a ragdoll being dragged around in the current.

I gritted my teeth, gripping my spear as hard as I could. I had to stay awake. If I fell unconscious in a place like this... who knows what will happen?

Just needed to hold my breath. 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds... The darkness enclosed me, threatening to trap me forever in its endless depths.

Suddenly, I could feel the welcomed sensation of air again. I raised my head, taking a large mouthful of the life-sustaining oxygen. Although it smelt a little humid and warm, it was enough to let me live for a few more days. I sighed as I bobbed up and down the surface of the water. It's a good thing I passed my swimming classes, I would've drowned.

"U-Uwek." A weak male's voice rang out from afar.

"D-dokja-ssi?!" I shouted into the darkness, hoping for a reply.

A flashlight turned on several metres away from me and I shielded my eyes from the sudden brightness. As the surrounding scenery entered my eyes, I could see the huge walls of the Ichthyosaur's stomach. It was more disgusting than I thought. I grimaced as I swam towards the light source.

"Dammit." I could see Dokja-ssi's figure holding his phone, muttering a string of curses.

"Dokja-ssi! Are you okay?" I climbed onto the concrete block where Dokja-ssi was sitting.

"Ah... I'm fine. But Byeol, why did you jump in after me? Something like this is almost like instant death." Dokja-ssi's face seemed puzzled and confused. Maybe he thought he had to die alone? Well, not on my watch!

"Hehe~" I giggled as I checked my message backlog. "How do I say this... you just strike me like a person I would protect. Besides, even if that Yoo Joonghyuk bastard doesn't become your companion, I will." I casually said as I swiped through the system's messages.

Dokja-ssi remained silent at my words as he checked his own messages.

[You have failed to clear the scenario.]

[Paid settlement will begin.]

[100 coins have been reduced for the channel usage fee.]

[The constellation: <Stardrifter> believes in your abilities and cheers you on.]

[20,000 coins have been sponsored.]

HOLY COW. HOW RICH WAS STARDRIFTER???

Ahem. It's time to invest in my stats~

[2400 coins have been used. 20,400 coins remain.]

[Constitution Lv. 10], [Strength Lv. 10], [Agility Lv. 10], [Magic Power Lv. 10]

Gah dayum! I feel so, so much stronger now, hehe. I'll thank Stardrifter later. I picked up my spear and began polishing the weapon with my sleeve. Don't want my trustworthy weapon to become rusty because of mistreatment...

The walls of the stomach growled and small waves rose inside. The Ichthyosaur seemed to be on the move.

"So...! Fancy being stuck in the stomach of some kind of dinosaur, huh?" I jokingly said, hoping to bring some cheer to the unfavourable situation. "Dokja-ssi, I'm all ears. What do we do now?"

"Let me think for a while."

"Ah!" I nearly forgot..." I quickly unzipped my backpack to check the contents inside. Thankfully, I had a waterproof backpack, so the snacks, bars of chocolate, my pencil case, pens and notepads Stardrifter had gifted me remained relatively dry, though slightly damp.