A piercing scream echoed across the beautiful beach. Blood spread along the cross-section of the woman’s melted lower body. Like ink in water, crimson blood seeped into the emerald sea. Tourists, who had been relaxing, rushed over at the commotion and screamed when they spotted the corpse with a melted lower half. Song Ha-Eun and Riarc, who had been playing nearby, also came over. “What’s all this ruckus, kid?” Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head as he examined the corpse. Just moments ago, she had been thrashing around in the water. Now she was dead with her eyes rolled back and tongue hanging out. The reason she had been screaming earlier... What if she hadn’t been struggling because she was drowning, but because something in the sea was biting her legs off? “Let’s get out of the water, Ha-Eun.” Kwon Oh-Jin dragged the corpse toward the beach. People gathered around and stared at him in horror. Facing their wary stares, Kwon Oh-Jin calmly said, “She was already dead when I found her.” “No! He went in to rescue her after I shouted that someone was drowning!” The woman who had called for help earlier stepped in to defend Kwon Oh-Jin. Logically speaking, it didn’t make sense for someone to commit murder in such a public place. “It looks like a monster did it,” Kwon Oh-Jin said. No other explanation existed other than something lurking in the water. Only a monster could melt a person’s lower half. “I’ll call for the Colgrande Family’s administrator!” “Wasn’t the Saintess of Rome just here?” “How could something happen?” The tourists continued to panic. Kwon Oh-Jin dipped his hand slightly into the sea and focused. Blue lightning spread from his fingertips and rippled across the water. He frowned as he scanned the water. Watching from beside him, Song Ha-Eun glanced down at the water where bits of organs still floated. “Did it run away?” “No, I can’t even find it in the first place.” Perhaps it was because they were in a Star Zone, the mana in the water interfered with his tracking abilities. It’s the water, so no scent would be left behind either. Kwon Oh-Jin stared at the sea with a troubled expression. The emerald water looked calm as if nothing had happened. “I’ll go check it out.” Riarc volunteered to be the bait and waded into the sea. “If you sense anything, come right back out!” Song Ha-Eun said. “Hmph. Just what do you take me for, lizard woman?” He splashed deeper in, flashing a smile at the worried Song Ha-Eun. For a long time, he searched around where Kwon Oh-Jin first found the body. “Looks like it escaped.” Riarc emerged from the water and clicked his tongue with a frown. He had even suppressed his mana to lure it out, but the monster hiding in the sea didn’t show itself easily. “Maybe it didn’t react because you’re not human? Should I try going in?” Song Ha-Eun swung her arm and prepared to step into the water, but Kwon Oh-Jin placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “I don’t think there’s a need for us to step in.” “Look over there,” he said. Several vans, identical to the one they had arrived in, pulled up to the beach. Isabella, who had been resting inside the van, returned because of the commotion. “What’s going on, Mr. Oh-Jin?” Kwon Oh-Jin calmly explained what had just happened. “So you’re saying something, presumably a monster, attacked a tourist?” “I see. Our family will handle the investigation, so please go rest.” “You sure you don’t need help?” he asked. “It’s alright. This is a matter for our family to take care of,” Isabella firmly said with cold eyes. The Colgrande Family was responsible for managing San Fruttuoso. There was no need to interfere when they hadn’t even asked for help. “If you head back to the villa, there's a hot spring made from the water here. You’ll be able to continue healing your internal injuries from soaking in there.” With that, Isabella turned toward the Colgrande Family staff who had just gotten out of the van. “Close off the beach immediately and evacuate the people. Reconfirm the witness testimonies and search for any signs of a monster in the water,” she effortlessly commanded. The playful Isabella, who acted like a gentle lamb around Kwon Oh-Jin, had disappeared. Replaced by a queen, she commanded the scene with charisma. No wonder she leads both the Leech faction and the Colgrande Family. Kwon Oh-Jin was in awe as he watched her quickly handle the situation with efficient orders, quick judgment, and a natural charisma that made people want to follow her. He could also quickly assess situations and give out orders, but he couldn’t lead with such a sharp presence like hers. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Isabella. He would gain immense power if he could bring her over to his side and under his control. Guess I should head back for now. They had no reason to stick around and get in her way. “Ugh... it doesn’t feel great leaving things ,” Song Ha-Eun muttered and scratched her head as she glanced back at the beach. “It’s better than staying here and getting in the way.” “True. They’re the ones in charge. They probably know better.” Song Ha-Eun shrugged and nodded. Kwon Oh-Jin, Song Ha-Eun, Riarc, and Vega all walked back to the villa along the road they had driven down earlier. “It’s so empty,” Song Ha-Eun said. “Everyone is probably out investigating the incident.” Kwon Oh-Jin stepped into the eerily quiet villa. Just then, a middle-aged man appeared from within the silent house. “W-Where’s Lady Isabella?” It was Isabella’s uncle, Guilford. “She’s overseeing the scene,” Kwon Oh-Jin answered. “I see.” Guilford nodded nervously. He had heard about the beach incident, but was still holed up in the villa despite being the administrator with the greatest authority on the island. “The Colgrande Family will handle this, so please stay out of it,” he curtly said. Then, he spun around and disappeared into his room. Song Ha-Eun frowned as she stared at the lavishly decorated door, far more ornate than the others. “Is that jerk really part of the same Colgrande Family?” “Well, technically speaking, he’s not blood-related.” “He’s the island’s top administrator, right?” “Yeah. That’s what I heard.” Clearly disliking Guilford, Song Ha-Eun snorted with a scowl. “Hmph. No wonder something happened.” “Who knows...” Kwon Oh-Jin trailed off as he looked at the firmly shut door. It was hard to believe someone so incompetent belonged to the same family as Isabella. But if someone like him has been in charge this whole time and nothing has ever happened until now... A major incident suddenly occurred on the very day Kwon Oh-Jin’s group arrived. It felt like he had turned into some kind of disaster magnet like Konan or Shindaichi. Well, Isabella should find something if she’s handling the investigation. For now, it seemed best to leave the case to her and focus on healing his injuries. “I’ll head to the hot springs,” Kwon Oh-Jin said. “Hehe, should I come in with you?” Song Ha-Eun smiled mischievously and gently hugged his arm. “I’ll scrub you nice and clean.” Her words oozed with a certain intent. Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and flicked her forehead lightly. “Let me treat my injuries first.” “Ugh, fine. I’ll be in the room, so come out for dinner.” “Oh, I’ll eat dinner in the hot spring. Can you bring it to me there?” “Huh? You’re eating there?” “I think I need to speed up the healing as much as I can.” “Hmm, okay. I’ll bring it to you.” Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and made his way to the hot spring filled with seawater from San Fruttuoso. As he submerged himself, a warm energy embraced him. It’s definitely not as effective as the sea itself, though. Nonetheless, the mana of the stars was definitely still there. Kwon Oh-Jin closed his eyes and continued soaking in the spacious hot spring over thirty meters long. As he did, the image of the woman’s corpse with her lower half melted and organs spilling out came to mind. I have no idea what’s going on here, but... He needed to be in top physical condition again to deal with it. The warmth seeped into his damaged mana circuits, soothing them like a hot compress. Three days passed at the Colgrande Family’s villa. Isabella remained out in the field and continued the investigation without returning. Kwon Oh-Jin spent most of his time in the hot spring, focusing on recovering his internal injuries. It was far less effective than immersing himself directly in the sea, so he remained in the hot spring much longer. With that quantity over quality mindset, he ate and slept in the hot spring. It took him three entire days of soaking to recover. Song Ha-Eun approached him in a swimsuit and gently stroked his shriveled skin with a worried look. “At this rate, your skin is gonna end up all wrinkled and pruney, you know.” “Still, if I want to heal as fast as possible, this is the best way to do it.” “Didn’t they say there hasn’t been a single update in three days?” “Which is exactly the problem.” It’d be one thing if they had at least found something, but the Colgrande Family and Isabella working at full capacity still came up empty-handed. That only meant this incident wasn’t something to be taken lightly. “Maybe it was just some underwater monster that drifted in from far away, and it bit someone and took off?” Song Ha-Eun said. “If that were the case, it would've been caught in the Colgrande Family’s barrier.” He recalled the warning buoys floating in the sea when he had swum far out. Not only did those buoys have signs that read, “Do not enter further,” but they also acted as a barrier. “Hmm... who knows. Anyway, are your internal injuries all healed up?” “Yeah. I think I’m pretty much all good now.” Kwon Oh-Jin nodded as he lightly touched the Stigma on his left chest. Most of his injuries had healed thanks to soaking in the hot spring for three days straight. “Then...” Read complete versıon only at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 With catlike eyes glinting mischievously, Song Ha-Eun quickly pulled his arm toward her. Her soft skin pressed against him, separated only by her thin swimsuit. “Wanna come to my room for a bit?” she asked. She gently licked the nape of his neck and traced her fingers lightly across his chest. “Or... should we just do it right here?” she said. Her whisper sounded like honey, a melting temptation, as her hand slowly drifted down his chest. Dawn had just passed, and the sun began to rise. The sunlight reflected against her damp hair and body, making her shimmer. She looked so stunning that it took his breath away, making him swallow nervously. What kind of man could resist such temptation? He slowly reached out toward her when the deafening sound of a crashing wave echoed. They were inside a villa on top of a cliff. No matter how fierce a storm was, waves from down below couldn’t possibly reach all the way up here. “What the hell?” he said. The two got up and looked around. Had clouds rolled in? The sun that had been shining just moments ago suddenly disappeared, casting everything into shadows. Just five minutes ago, the sky had been perfectly blue without a single cloud in sight. “O-Oh-Jin, w-what is that?” Song Ha-Eun asked in a trembling voice. He turned to where she was pointing with her jaw dropped. Something impossibly massive, that far exceeded any biological scale imaginable, was rising from the depths of the sea.