Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 816

‘What’s going on over there?’

Yoo Seong-pil had a rather unique job.

There are many unique jobs in the world, but his was special even among them.

Most people who met him would exclaim, ‘Oh?’ the moment they heard his job.

His job was so rare that such a reaction was only natural.

First of all, Yoo Seong-pil’s job was classified as a diver.

A diver.

Ordinary people are already interested just by hearing the word ‘diver.’ But Yoo Seong-pil’s job went a step further.

He was an aquarium diver.

Aquariums, by the nature of their facilities, needed divers. They couldn’t drain the water every time there was a problem in the tank or when it needed cleaning.

Once a giant tank was filled with water, it was almost never completely drained until the aquarium closed. The best they could do was to replace a certain amount of water daily to manage the water quality.

Therefore, tasks such as inspecting internal purification devices or removing dead fish were all the responsibility of the divers.

And Yoo Seong-pil’s job was rare even among those aquarium divers. Because he was a diver who performed shows.

He would wait in the large tank, and when the audience filled the area, he would go in and perform. He would hold fish food in his hand and release it in front of the acrylic to gather the fish, or show the dolphins snatching fish from his hand right in front of the audience.

It wasn’t easy for him, even as a veteran diver. It was never easy to go into the water every hour to match the crowds of visitors.

Since the opening, people had been flocking in like crazy, and thanks to that, he had been incredibly busy. But there was a sense of satisfaction in doing what he had always wanted to do.

And the pay was pretty good too.

This time was no different. He was waiting in the water, and when the guide pointed this way, he would start the show.

But…

‘What are they doing?’

No matter how long he waited, there was no sign of the show starting?

Yoo Seong-pil looked outside with a puzzled expression.

‘Is there some kind of problem?’

Those looking in from the outside could see clearly into the water, but the view from the inside was not as clear. The view through the acrylic, water, and goggles could not be sharp.

Moreover, the strange thing was that the acrylic wall was not perfectly transparent on both sides. It was clear when looking from the outside in, but slightly opaque when looking from the inside out.

In these poor conditions, it was not easy to figure out what was happening outside. He could barely make out that one person was standing in front and that security guards were surrounding him.

‘What crazy person is causing trouble again?’

It was the sorrow of the service industry.

Before doing this job, Yoo Seong-pil didn’t know there were so many crazy people in the world. The world was full of dynamic psychos.

People should be amazed when they see a fish for the first time at the aquarium, but some people would go inside the restricted area to touch it, putting their hands into the fish tank.

Not only that, but there were also people who secretly brought plastic bags to steal small fish. They didn’t want to pay for expensive ornamental fish, so they tried to steal them and put them in their own tanks.

But these were the better cases.

‘Compared to that crazy person, I mean.’

Near the entrance, there were also shellfish on display, not just fish. That exhibition hall was open to create a natural-friendly environment.

Then, some crazy person stole the abalone that was attached there.

They probably didn’t intend to raise abalone, so they must have been planning to eat it.

It’s a world where abalone is overflowing even at the supermarket, but is it even reasonable to take that abalone and try to eat it?

That wasn’t all.

There were also guys who blatantly tried to sexually harass the guides, kids who spat in the fish tanks, and mentally ill people who kicked the tanks that they were told not to touch and cursed when stopped.

The saying that service industry salaries are paid in exchange for dealing with difficult customers was spot on.

‘That crazy bastard.’

And although he didn’t know the exact situation, the guy he could see now was clearly not a normal troublemaker. Usually, security guards wouldn’t rush in like that.

One person per person.

Even if there was a problem, it was a rule that multiple security guards shouldn’t rush in because it could look threatening to other visitors.

Unless a visitor used violence or possessed a weapon, which was a truly urgent situation, one-on-one was the rule. But just from what he could see, there were already three people sticking to him.

‘That guy must be something else.’

Since the opening… well, it hasn’t even been a few days since the opening, but anyway, since the opening, it was the first time three security guards had stuck to one person. That fact alone showed how high the troublemaker’s level was.

Yoo Seong-pil expressed his condolences to those poor security guards. How much they must be…

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Yoo Seong-pil’s eyes widened.

The person visible among the security guards was not a security guard.

‘Mr. Park, the manager?’

It was Park, the manager of the facility management department.

‘Why is that man there?’

Dealing with troublemakers wasn’t the manager’s job, so why was Park there?

Moreover, looking closely, it seemed that Park was dealing with the troublemaker, and the others were slightly stepping back and observing.

‘What the heck is going on?’

He couldn’t tell what was happening from here. Frustrated, Yoo Seong-pil moved up and down. He wanted to go out of the water and see what was going on, but he was stuck, not knowing what to do, fearing he might miss the timing for the show.

‘I need to find out exactly what happened later.’

With that resolution, Yoo Seong-pil checked if the bait he had on his waist was okay. A troublemaker was a troublemaker, but the show had to be perfect.

And then it happened.

It’s shaking.

Yoo Seong-pil quickly turned his head.

‘What is it?’

Did he just hear a heavy impact sound?

And did his body just tremble?

No, that’s not it.

To be precise, it wasn’t his body that trembled. It was the water that trembled.

‘Did an earthquake happen?’

If there was an earthquake outside, the water would shake too.

When he looked up, the fish were also swimming around violently. Seeing the tiger shark thrashing its tail fiercely in the distance, Yoo Seong-pil’s spine tingled.

He knew they didn’t bite people, but he could never get used to that sight. Maybe it was a matter of instinct.

‘The movement is strange.’

To others, it might look like a peaceful scene inside the tank, but to Yoo Seong-pil, the strangeness was obvious. The fish species that usually maintained a certain distance from each other were mixed together, and their direction was also different from usual.

Wondering what was going on, he turned his head, and…

Yoo Seong-pil saw it.

A huge crack had formed on the acrylic in front of him.

At first, he thought he had seen it wrong. When he realized that wasn’t the case, he first raised his hand and wiped his goggles.

Yet, the crack didn’t disappear.

Only then did Yoo Seong-pil realize what was happening, and he violently spat out the hose he had in his mouth.

“Ughhhh!”

He couldn’t speak properly because of the water filling his mouth. For a moment, Yoo Seong-pil panicked and quickly reached out to grab the hose that had been flung away and put it back in his mouth.

Then, he began to ascend as fast as he could. When diving, rapid ascent was absolutely forbidden, but now was not the time to consider such things.

“Puhah!”

Yoo Seong-pil, who had come out of the water, screamed with all his might.

“The tank is cracked! Call someone quickly! Hurry!”

Everyone turned pale at his intense voice.

“Wh-what?”

“What happened!”

“Th-that… is it okay?”

The hall was thrown into chaos after the sharp scream.

Screams, chaos, and calmness.

Various emotions coexisted in this place. Even though they saw the same thing, the emotions people expressed were different.

It was inevitable.

When a fire breaks out in front of them, most people’s reactions will be similar. Even if a large dog rushes at them, most people will show similar reactions.

Because they know.

Because they can anticipate it.

But the situation they were facing now was something they had never experienced or heard of in their lives.

A crack in a giant tank?

Can anyone imagine what would happen next?

Whether the tank would burst as the crack spread, or whether the crack would hold.

Whether it was a big deal or not.

They couldn’t tell.

That’s why the reactions were different. Those who thought the tank would burst soon screamed and trembled in fear, while those who thought the crack wouldn’t spread tried to remain calm, swallowing hard.

The children were amazed, and the security guards turned pale.

And…

“Oh, no…”

Manager Park was in a panic.

It was cracked.

The acrylic wall was cracked.

The wall, which he was already worried about whether it could withstand the pressure even in perfect condition, was cracked. That meant the cracked wall had to withstand the pressure of thousands of tons of water pushing against it.

‘Oh, no.’

It can’t hold.

It absolutely can’t hold. That’s why Park had been so insistent with the president about closing it down. The situation he absolutely wanted to avoid was right in front of him now.

No.

Maybe it could miraculously hold.

But what if it burst?

‘Everyone will die.’

Thousands of tons of water would pour out at once.

Holding your breath or whatever?

That’s a joke.

A person caught in the pressure of the water gushing out would die without being able to do anything. Think about why people caught in a rapid current die.

This was a major accident that was beyond human control.

“Ah…” Ah…

While Manager Park was in a panic and didn’t know what to do, he heard a quiet voice in his ear.

“What are you doing?”

“…Yes?”

“Evacuate them.”

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been confronting him just a moment ago, spoke calmly and walked towards the tank.

Kang Jin-ho heading towards the tank was concerning, but there was no time to deal with him now.

“Ev-evacuate! Sound the emergency alarm! Quickly!”

“Yes?”

“Sound the alarm, you bastard! Sound all the fire alarms and everything to evacuate the people inside quickly! Hurry!”

That was the trigger.

The four letters ’emergency’ were imprinted in the minds of people who had not properly grasped the situation. And those four letters of ’emergency’ turned into the two letters of ‘death.’

People began to scream and run out. People tangled with each other at the narrow entrance, shouting and screaming.

And…

“Th-there! Look over there!”

The disaster had just begun.

Crack, crack, crack.

With a sound like tearing off a tightly attached tape, the tank cracked more and more.

The moment they heard the sound of ‘thud, thud,’ the cracks seemed to advance by about one meter.

And then…

Kwaaaaaaang!

With a roar like something collapsing, the acrylic wall could no longer hold and burst.

The beginning of a major disaster.