Codename Vestia

Chapter 3: Joonie

With a massive splash, Doyeong fell into the sea.

As soon as he hit the water, the realization hit him: if the plane hadn’t made a steep dive at the last moment, there was no way he would have survived.

Now, during descent training, he could casually joke with his teammates and do somersaults while jumping, but the impact of hitting the water bare-bodied without a parachute felt like getting punched by a fist as big as his own body.

Below, dark waters stretched endlessly, like a gaping mouth lying open.

Doyeong gathered his senses and kicked his legs towards the surface. The handcuffs he had discarded sank alone into the deep sea.

Swoosh.

He shot up above the water’s surface.

“Putain!”

The curse burst out as soon as he met the air.

“I almost died of fright!”

No matter how many times he had done descent training, jumping out of a malfunctioning plane without any gear was an experience that left a lasting chill in his chest.

Finally calming down a bit, Doyeong brushed his face with his hand and looked around. It was nothing but an endless, open sea. He hadn’t expected anything different, but he had indeed landed in the middle of the ocean.

He waved his arms around to scan the surroundings. In the distance, he could faintly see an island.

‘It’s too far to swim there bare-bodied.’

But he had no other choice than to try to make it there.

Fortunately, if there was one thing Doyeong was confident about, it was using his body. Among his skills, he was most confident in swimming. He had even managed to survive Hell Week (the training period) with just his swimming abilities.

Doyeong started swimming toward the island.

* * *

Doyeong emerged from the water, dragging himself onto the beach.

His overworked limbs felt like they were about to break, and his lungs felt like they would burst.

No matter how well-trained his body was, the island had been farther than it looked. He couldn’t even remember how many times he had run out of strength and hit his limit along the way. Still, the title of special forces soldier was not for nothing; he managed to swim all the way to the shore, a distance that would have been tough even for a decent vampire.

“Putain de merde….”

Doyeong muttered a curse as he collapsed, sprawled out on the beach. He lay there, gasping for breath, staring at the blazing sun above.

Hiss, whoosh.

Gentle waves washed under his body and then pulled back, repeating the motion. He wanted to fall asleep right there, but the throbbing pain in his body kept reminding him of reality.

Doyeong managed to lift his upper body and sit up. The transparent, sky-blue sea was gently lapping against the white sand.

The beach transitioned directly into a forest, and in the distance, towering rocky mountains overlapped, looking like they had been sliced apart. They resembled the spine of a giant curled up and sleeping.

The island seemed larger than he had expected.

‘No way it’s a deserted island, right?’

Doyeong thought with a vague sense of unease. Then, suddenly, he rummaged through his pocket…

He pulled out his wristband.

It was something Legion had taken from him.

He had seen that bear-like Spetsnaz take it, and he had secretly stolen it back.

Technically, calling it “stealing” was inaccurate since it was originally his. Either way, Doyeong had once learned pickpocketing skills from a legendary thief who joined MCTC, just in case it would be useful someday.

But the wristband was dead.

“Damn it.”

No matter how much he shook or hit it, it was completely non-responsive, like a useless piece of rock. It seemed that Legion had intentionally damaged it.

Doyeong looked up at the sky.

In this state, there was no way for MCTC to track his location. Besides, who would think to search for someone who had disappeared from Tripoli in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

He let out a sigh as he stared blankly at the shining sun.

“This is a real mess.”

Still, as the Korean saying goes, even if you get dragged into a tiger’s den, there’s a way to survive if you keep your wits about you. He decided to explore the island for now.

Doyeong strapped the dead wristband to his wrist so he wouldn’t lose it and stood up.

* * *

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had to. The sooner he accepted unpleasant realities, the quicker he could come up with the next plan.

‘It’s a deserted island.’

There were no signs of human presence at all.

For a regular person, it would have been hard to keep their composure from the moment they landed here, but fortunately, Doyeong was used to environments like this.

His father, who had also been in the special forces, used to take him on survival trips into the wild from a young age.

And just completing the MCTC’s basic training program, which made BUD/S (the U.S. Navy SEALs training course) look easy, was enough to keep him from panicking in an environment like this.

Plus, he had undergone regular training where he had to trek through jungles with only a knife and a small amount of food.

Of course, at the moment, he didn’t even have those minimal supplies.

Doyeong pushed aside leaves as large as a person and walked forward. For a moment, he forgot about his situation and couldn’t help but be awestruck by the sight before him.

“Wow….”

A waterfall was cascading down into a lake about 100 meters in diameter.

The enormous volume of water crashed down, sending up sprays around it, and thickly moss-covered rocks jutted out here and there.

The lake’s mysterious, emerald-like hue made it seem as if it had been melted down. Massive tree trunks lay submerged in the water, creating a majestic scene. The scent of water, earth, and grass filled the air.

Flap.

A nameless bird flew overhead. Doyeong looked up at the sky through the dense, dark foliage.

He lowered his gaze back to the ground. The lakeshore was filled with all sorts of natural sounds, yet it was still and tranquil. The phrase “untouched wilderness” truly applied to a place like this.

Even the Amazon, despite its vastness, had enough human influence that it sometimes felt like a theme park, unless one ventured deep into its heart.

“Dad would love this.”

Doyeong murmured idly as he approached the water’s edge. He knelt down and took off his T-shirt. It was stiff, having been soaked in seawater and then dried, and it was so sweat-soaked that it felt like salt might shake out of it.

He rinsed the T-shirt in the water, then bunched it up and gently dabbed the wounds on his face. The sting made him wince involuntarily.

“They really beat me senseless.”

Still, it was a relief that nothing was broken. In a situation where he didn’t know when rescue might come, any broken bone would have made survival far more precarious.

Doyeong stared at the waterfall cascading down for a moment. The force of the water hitting the lake created such a strong spray that a white mist seemed to hang around it.

Suddenly, Doyeong stood up and started unbuckling his pants. He took off his trousers and waded into the water. He moved towards the waterfall and, when he got close, submerged himself completely, head and all.

Time passed. One minute, two minutes…

Suddenly, feet appeared where Doyeong had been earlier.

Bare, white feet, without shoes, moved cautiously, as if bewildered, looking around. But no matter where they looked, there was no sign of Doyeong.

The person knew humans couldn’t stay underwater for that long.

The feet began walking toward the waterfall.

Whoosh.

The loud sound of water crashing down was almost deafening. The waterfall flowed over a ledge connected to where the feet had been walking, then plunged straight down into the lake below.

The feet waded through the shallow water and approached the waterfall. The transparent water swirled, wrapping around the ankles before releasing them.

The water masked scents, and the sound of the water masked any presence. Even the sharpest ears could detect no movement.

Then it happened. Doyeong emerged, cutting through the waterfall. At the same moment, he swiftly looped his T-shirt, tightly wound, around a neck and yanked.

“……!”

The woman instinctively grabbed the T-shirt choking her neck, barely managing to steady herself.

“Who are you?”

Doyeong shouted. His voice was almost drowned out by the roar of the waterfall, but the intense glare in his eyes and the way his mouth moved made it clear he was demanding an answer.

Suddenly, the woman twisted her body and grabbed Doyeong, pushing him backward at the same time.

It was an inhumanly strong force. Doyeong was helplessly pushed into a shallow, D-shaped space carved out behind the waterfall. His back slammed hard against the wall, enough to make his entire body reverberate.

Thud.

The sound echoed.

Yet, Doyeong didn’t feel the pain. The one pinning him against the wall and looking up at him was a woman. She was stunning, as if not of this world.

For a moment, Doyeong was dazed by her beauty.

It wasn’t just that her skin was smooth and pale; it had an unreal, luminous quality. Her long, black hair, wet and clinging messily to her body, and those bright red eyes staring directly at him…

It felt as if time had stopped for a moment.

But that strength was unmistakably that of a vampire.

Doyeong mustered all his strength and kicked the woman. She staggered, losing her grip on him, and as her feet slipped, she fell into the water.

The sound of the waterfall masked the noise of her splash. Without hesitation, Doyeong dove in after her. Amid the swirling bubbles, he saw her already swimming away, her limbs flailing as she moved farther and farther.

As soon as she reached the shore, the woman climbed out and started to run. Doyeong pursued her.

Being a vampire, her physical abilities were far superior to those of a human, and she seemed familiar with the terrain, moving at an incredible speed. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to close the gap.

Then, all of a sudden, she stopped and looked back. Doyeong was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t sense his presence either.

“……?”

She hesitated, glancing over the path she had just taken.

At that moment, Doyeong sprang out from the bushes beside her, throwing his body at her. The two of them tumbled and rolled together.

“Who are you?”

Doyeong shouted, pressing a knife against the woman’s neck.

“What are you doing here? What’s your purpose?”

He had realized long ago that someone had been watching him.

The woman had been following him for quite some time. He didn’t know exactly when it started, but at some point, he had sensed her quietly trailing him.

He pretended not to notice because, if she realized he was aware, she might have attacked immediately.

The woman was wearing a very worn-out T-shirt, one that said, “I ♡ NY.” It looked almost comical, but it was a clue that she came from outside, not from this place.

Then, the woman twisted her arm to plant it on the ground, using only the strength of her legs to flip her body over. It happened too quickly for Doyeong to react. His position was reversed, and his back hit the ground. His back screamed in pain, but he quickly twisted his body.

Boom!

The spot where Doyeong had been lying was struck by the woman’s foot, and the ground cracked, echoing loudly around them.

Doyeong swiftly got up and put some distance between them.

A vampire was still a vampire. No, it was more than that—Doyeong could sense it instinctively. This one was strong. Until now, she hadn’t been using her full strength because she knew he was human.

On the other hand, the woman looked surprised.

“Did he dodge?”

She muttered in a language Doyeong couldn’t understand.