A Horror Novel’s Supporting Character Wants to Live as a Human

Chapter 235

Yesung had said he would cross the sea alone, but Tika and Shan were worried first.

Even if he safely crossed the sea by himself, could he really come back to get them?

But the two decided to trust Yesung.

Without Anutara now, Yesung was their top priority protector.

And Yesung was the only person who knew well about 'terrible things.'

As soon as Shan could move his body to some extent, he began making the vehicle Yesung had ordered.

Yesung called the vehicle a 'boat' and said he would cross the sea riding it.

But the 'boat' that Shan had worked on for days was.

"...It's small."

"...Small."Small and shabby.

Tika looked down at the boat with a serious face and poked it with her foot.

"Did you make it exactly as Yesung said?"

"I checked with Yesung every day. This is made exactly as Yesung said. No doubt about it."

"But it's this small? That's ridiculous. Yesung's head seems a bit strange too."

"No way."

But even Shan, who said that, had some doubts about Yesung's judgment.

How could he cross that huge sea with such a tiny boat?

Shouldn't they discuss it again when Yesung came?

While Shan was rationally thinking about making the boat again, Yesung was coming back having picked lots of fruit.

"What are you all doing? Want to eat some of this?"

"Yesung! Look at this! Shan made a boat as you requested."

"Wow. That was really fast. Thank you."

Yesung spoke kindly, handed the fruit basket to Tika, then began examining the boat.

When he said nothing, Tika became anxious and asked first.

"But isn't it too small? Can you cross the sea with this? I think something was misunderstood along the way. Should we make it again? We should, right?"

"What? No. I asked for it to be made like this. You made it exactly as I had in mind."

"How can you go with something like this? It doesn't even look like you can load luggage inside! Shan, say something..."

When Tika pestered him, Shan also joined in.

Shan was equally worried.

"Tika is right. It might be a long journey, and who knows what might happen on the sea? Wouldn't it be better to make it bigger?"

"That's right! Yesung, normally I'd insist you're right, but not this time! Can't we make it bigger? A tiny boat is too scary!"

When the two insisted it should be made bigger, Yesung listened while blinking, then said casually.

"A small boat could be dangerous. But you two seem to have forgotten something."

"Us? What?"

"Shouldn't we first consider whether I can control such a big boat by myself?"

"Ah."

Tika and Shan's gazes simultaneously fell on Yesung's arms.

With a slight exaggeration, his pale, stick-like arms couldn't possibly have the muscle to control a boat bigger than this.

Rather than struggling with a large boat and sinking,

A small boat might actually be better for Yesung.

"Still, at least let us make more space for luggage!"

"You want me to add more weight to an already small boat? I don't want to sink in the coastal waters."

"But!"

"Please carve plenty of sturdy oars. That's all I need. I'll take care of the food myself."

Yesung, who spoke gently but firmly, said he should prepare himself now that he'd checked the boat, and left.

Shan and Tika looked down at the boat with serious faces.

Really, was this choice right?

*

Indeed, there was no law saying people should die.

The boat he had asked Shan to carve was a kind of canoe.

Since it was carved by hollowing out a log, it was simple but had smooth, slender, and sleek lines.

With a width just enough for one person to sit inside,

And even a small space at the front of the boat to store spare oars and covering.

It was exactly the satisfying form he had imagined.

At first, when he realized he had to make a boat, his vision went dark.

To make a commonly known wooden boat, sturdy planks of a certain thickness and adhesive to join the planks were needed.

Moreover, he would need the skill to bend and hammer wood to create a streamlined shape.

That way, it would take at least several years to make a boat,

Which was more than enough time for Tika to become Idra's avatar and take a world tour.

He couldn't let that happen, so after racking his brain over and over, he came up with a canoe.

In modern times, they're made from various materials like plastic or metal,

But going back very far, reeds and tree bark were also among the materials used to make canoes.

Among those, he chose the method of hollowing out a log.

Since wood was abundant nearby, it was easy to procure materials, and it could be made quickly by just hollowing out and carving the inside.

Of course, it took some time to find a thick log, but it was much better than making a wooden boat.

"Heave."

Shan not only dragged the boat to the river mouth but personally put in the oars he had carved with his own hands.

Tika gave him the blanket she had brought from Shambhala even though he said it wasn't necessary.

It was what the two had used to cover themselves when sleeping at night.

"You two can keep using it."

"Yesung needs it more than us. It's still warm here! Shan fixed it a bit. If you do this end like this... you can wear it like a cape."

Tika proudly showed him how to use the blanket as a cape.

She remembered what he had said about having to go to a cold place.

No wonder Shan had been going to bed late at night. It was all because of this.

"Thank you. I don't think I'll be cold thanks to this."

"I put sour fruits and various things in front. Eat them when you're hungry! Yesung doesn't eat much, so I wasn't sure how much to put in."

"That should be enough."

While having a conversation with Tika, Shan, who had been doing a final inspection of the boat a little distance away, shouted.

"Yesung! Preparations are almost done. Are you going now?"

"Ah, I'll go."

When he went over there with Tika, Shan floated the boat on the river water.

With Shan's help, he climbed onto the bobbing boat, and Shan and Tika slowly pushed the boat together.

"Don't eat strange things on the way. And don't follow even if strange people call you."

"...Are you talking to me?"

"And even if you can't get good results, don't be disappointed and make sure to come back to Theem'dra."

"That's right! Still, only your nails have changed, so don't go too hastily. Got it?"

Her fingernails gripping the boat's edge had completely changed to resemble Idra's.

"I'll try my best."

"Come back healthy, don't overdo it!"

Now the water level had risen so the two couldn't push the boat anymore.

Before the two let go of the boat, he looked back at them and said.

"I will definitely come back. I'll definitely solve this. So trust me and..."

"Yes."

"Don't be afraid and wait for me."

The boat was carried away by the current.

The figures of Shan and Tika, submerged up to their waists, grew distant. The two were embracing each other with one arm while silently seeing him off.

Only when they could no longer see each other did he pick up a pair of oars.

Since Shan had carved the handles so well, there was no discomfort in gripping them.

The boat, and the oars, and the cape too.

At the moment of heading toward the unknown world, carrying the things Shan and Tika had prepared for him.

But unfortunately, the situation wasn't that optimistic.

If Tika's fingernails had completed their mutation, spreading to her hands and arms, upper and lower body was literally a matter of time.

There was no time to be immersed in the affectionate feelings the two had given him.

After rolling his shoulders once to loosen them, he gripped the oars.

Now he had to move the boat as fast as possible without rest.

He had to meet Aphoom-Zhah before Idra took control of Tika.

To do that.

He wouldn't sleep or eat for 24 hours straight.

He would just row.

Empty his mind and move while cleanly erasing even the sentiment of difficulty.

He was a machine. A rowing machine. Not a person.

Until he found land where Aphoom-Zhah could descend, he would absolutely never stop moving.

With that engraved in his mind, he began rowing vigorously.

The time spent rowing on the sea was terrible.

4 storms, 17 rainfalls, 19 near-capsizing crises.

Since he had never been out to sea, he didn't even know if he was properly riding the currents,

Days of moving silently under the sun with no shade during the day, and gauging direction by the positions of stars at night.

The fruit Tika had packed rotted and became mushy.

He had almost broken all the oars Shan had carved, so there weren't many spares left.

All he could do while watching the gradually depleting supplies was

Empty his head and row, using only the gradually cooling air as an indicator.

Otherwise, he felt he would quickly lose his mind.

He didn't want to regret whether he should have brought more oars while looking at the completely empty bottom of the boat,

And he didn't want to suffer from anxiety about whether Idra had already turned Tika into an avatar.

Even during this, the surrounding environment gradually changed.

First, the frequency of rainfall decreased.

When he dipped his blistered hands in the sea, it stung with cold.

Since he couldn't row because his whole body shrank from the cold, he had to wear the cape Tika had prepared.

And, above all.

He frequently saw pale floating debris drifting on the sea.

At first he didn't know what it was, but judging by how it felt hitting the oars, it seemed like small chunks of ice.

But since he still hadn't seen proper land, he couldn't just be happy.

Moreover, by the time he reached there, he was quite exhausted too.

No matter how much he didn't need to eat or sleep, after rowing for such a long time, his whole body was screaming.

His shoulder muscles hurt so much he wondered if they had ruptured, and his back and stomach felt like someone had chopped his muscles into pieces.

His palms were tattered with flesh hanging loose from repeatedly getting blisters that burst.

His feet, not covered by the cape, had long since frozen red and stiff.

With his mind that had stopped thinking for so long, he couldn't make wise judgments either.

Finally, on the sea where ice chunks were floating around, he let go of the oars and fell backward.

Cold air rose from the hard wooden floor, so he wrapped his body tightly in the cape.

The sky was a high, clear, pale blue. It looked even cleaner with not a single cloud visible.

He couldn't freeze to death like this.

What would he say to Tika and Shan if he went back? This was really ruined.

No, more than that, could he even return home in this state?

He had no oars and no energy. Even if he turned the bow around now, the oars would surely break and he'd get lost in the middle of the sea.

Even Yurik wouldn't be able to find him in the vast ocean.

An ending of rotting alive on the sea - this was interesting in its own way too.

He sat up and fumbled for the book he had left in a corner.

Since things had come to this, even if he drifted, he should finish what he had promised Shan and Tika.

He didn't know what karma would befall him for using Hastur's power, but a promise was a promise...

A shadow suddenly fell over his hand gripping the book cover.

What shadow was this? Had a cloud appeared?

He turned his head listlessly while lying down,

And the peak of a giant iceberg was shining white, blocking the sun.

"Wh, what."

Something this big came close without a sound?

The famous scene from Titanic flashed before his eyes like a kaleidoscope.

The romantic moment between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, the iceberg that collided with the ship, water gushing from all directions.

And the sinking ship.

Crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy!

"No!"

-Crash!

Along with his scream, the small, shabby boat collided with the iceberg and wooden fragments scattered in all directions.

He was also thrown into the air from the impact, And his body, barely clutching the book, was instantly dragged into the deep, dark water.