Beneath the icy cold waters of the ocean, there was now only darkness in the human eye. In the distance, a ferocious great white shark was circling the debris of the boat, which was slowly sinking to the ocean floor, as if it was trying to find something. Liam suddenly opened his eyes, after the heat in his body had somewhat subsided due to the coldness of the sea, but the blood vessels on his skin were still visible, ready to burst at any moment. He looked around. The scene before him should have been pitch black, yet somehow, he could clearly perceive and see the underwater surroundings.
The sharks in the distance were chomping down on the hawthorn apples from a wooden barrel. Their jaws crushed the wooden frame as they devoured the apples as if they were the most delicious food in the world. Realizing that the situation was in his favor, even though he didn't know why the sharks preferred those deadly apples, Liam knew this was his chance. He quickly swam away from them. Thanks to the strong currents beneath the surface, he managed to distance himself from the sharks and surfaced. Taking a deep breath, he felt the air rush into his lungs, soothing the discomfort and the burning heat inside his body.
"Phew. I thought I was a goner," he muttered to himself.
Looking around the sea, he saw that the storm was still raging. Waves continued to form, ready to swallow anyone in their path. It seemed that his only goal now was to get as far away from the sharks as possible. After that, whether he lived or died might depend on the storm. With this thought in mind, he immediately took action. Even if there was only one chance to survive, he would seize it.
"Why has this weak body suddenly become so strong?" Liam was a bit surprised to find that he was swimming faster and hadn't yet felt any signs of exhaustion, despite the pain and burning sensation still ravaging his body. He didn't know that from the surrounding air, tiny red lights, invisible to the naked eye, were being drawn into his body.
The waves grew larger, crashing towards Liam at a dizzying speed, not giving him a moment's rest. He continued to be pushed down into the sea, feeling as if someone was trying to drown him, no matter how many times he surfaced. Suddenly, an eerie, spine-chilling sensation washed over him. He turned his head and saw a black shape speeding towards him from afar, baring its sharp teeth.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, causing salty water to flood his mouth. He didn't pay attention to that, immediately swimming with all his might to escape the shark. His muscles all over his body suddenly bulged, tensed, and began to grow. Red energy began to appear on his skin but quickly faded away. Under the high pressure of the water, it was nearly invisible. Although he was swimming very fast, his human body was not built for underwater speed like the sharks, and the shark quickly closed the distance between them.
Realizing that the shark would inevitably catch up with him, it was now only a matter of seconds before it would devour him. His mind raced to come up with a survival plan. Finally, he made a bold decision. He stopped and faced the shark as if inviting it to tear him apart.
"If it's going to catch up to me anyway, I might as well attack it head-on rather than be helplessly eaten," Liam thought as he stared at the approaching shark. He quickly drew a rusty short sword from his belt, ready for battle. Holding the sword in his hand, he wondered why he could now focus so intently and feel no fear at all. But he didn't know that it was the effect of that strange hawthorn apple. When the shark got close, it immediately opened its mouth, ready to tear him apart at any moment.
Liam widened his eyes, even though the saltwater stung them, he had to see the shark's eyes or gills. This was the only place he could strike. The shark lunged at him. Enduring the intense pain as if his insides were being torn out from the impact, he grabbed onto the shark's head. His fingers stiffened, trying to dig deep into its skin until some of his nails tore off. Then, with his right hand holding the rusty sword, he stabbed it hard into the shark's eye, slicing deep. The shark felt its left eye lose all vision, and the intense pain caused it to thrash wildly, throwing Liam away.
What seemed like a successful start for Liam was, in fact, not. He reached down to touch his abdomen, where the shark's teeth had left deep puncture wounds. Blood flowed from the wound, mixing with the seawater, creating a red trail. Death seemed almost certain. But Liam continued to stare at the shark, ignoring the injury. To him now, the shark was the only thing that existed in his mind. The intense focus caused by adrenaline had stopped his blood from flowing. Then, a red energy began to appear more clearly, spreading throughout his body. The open wounds, which had been oozing blood, showed signs of closing up, thanks to the outburst of that energy.
The shark, in pain, glared at its prey with its remaining eye. It seemed unable to comprehend that its prey could fight back like this. Now, it was furious and no longer saw Liam as a helpless fish. It swam around him, observing his every move as if looking for a weak point or waiting for a moment of carelessness.
Liam realized the situation had changed. The shark was no longer attacking him head-on. But this was actually a completely disadvantageous situation for him. He couldn't stay underwater much longer, even though he didn't understand why he had been able to hold his breath for so long since sinking into the sea.
"If it wants to wait for an opportunity to strike, I'll give it one," Liam thought to himself, his face slightly grimacing. He quickly swam to the surface, showing that he would continue to flee. The shark immediately swam rapidly towards him with its sharp teeth, unaware that everything Liam had done was intentional.
Liam's senses were now clearly heightened, and he could feel the powerful current created by the shark's approach without having to see it. Just as the shark charged at him with tremendous speed, only a few inches away, he suddenly ducked sharply. Following the motion of his dive, he thrust the rusty sword hard into the shark's chest. With the force of its swim, the shark sped off, dragging Liam along. The shark thrashed wildly to break free, but this time, Liam wouldn't let it escape. He drove his hand into its gills to get a grip, then repeatedly stabbed its chest, where its heart was located. He knew that he had to end the shark's life as quickly as possible, and the best spot was the heart.
Feeling the rushing seawater crashing against his body, creating a powerful force trying to push him away from the shark, it wasn't easy. But this was his last chance. Liam repeatedly raised the sword and plunged it into the shark. That bloody scene played out over and over as blood flowed from the shark, continuously streaming along its path, turning the water into a horrifying red. Finally, the shark came to a complete stop. Beneath the sea, there was now only the gruesome sight of a boy relentlessly stabbing the chest of a dead shark.
"Looks like it's dead,"
Liam, exhausted, slowly released his grip from the now-motionless shark, then looked around at the water, which was now entirely red. He was nearly out of strength, and the lack of oxygen was becoming increasingly apparent. With small red holes from the shark's teeth on his legs, he grimaced in pain as he struggled to kick himself free from the ocean floor, but just before he could reach the surface, a strong whirlpool suddenly pulled him away. Unable to endure it any longer, his mouth and nose began to exhale. Saltwater rushed into his lungs. With his eyes nearly closed, he looked up towards the surface, a hint of regret in his gaze.
"So, in the end… I still have to die."