Naruto: The Blind Swordsman - Chapter 196: Paintings, Sea and Emotions

Haewon, a violinist, is a nonchalant person who neither blocks the ones who come into his life nor holds onto those who leave. One day, his only friend, Taeshin, commits su*cide, and after failing to speak to Taeshin, who called him several times shortly before his death, Haewon is haunted by his death, even though he doesn’t have much of an attachment to human relationships. Then, he inevitably runs into Woojin, the man Taeshin had a crush on, and Haewon indifferently crumples up the business card Woojin hands him.One day, Haewon, forced into an unwanted relationship, becomes entangled in an assault case, but thanks to the business card given to him, he receives help from Woojin, who’s a prosecutor. Haewon feels uncomfortably guilty and tries to keep him at arm’s length, but Woojin is comfortable enough to take a few extra steps.

Yan Wushi had walked a path full of blood and corpses.

He did not believe in the good nature of humanity. Even more so, he did not believe that there could be someone with great kindness and sense of justice, who would be so considerate of others without asking anything in return.

One day, Shen Qiao, who was the sect leader of Mount Xuandu, the number one Daoist sect under the heavens, was challenged to a duel but somehow fell off the cliff.

Yan Wushi happened to pass by down there.

Seeing Shen Qiao who was seriously injured to the point of dying, he suddenly came up with a perfect idea…

After thousands of autumns, who could stay eternal?

- Description from Novelupdates

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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In 2040, The Earth was bathed in powerful radiation when a star went supernova, this radiation granted 50% of humans superhuman abilities but also created a nightmare for them as animals, insects, and carnivorous plants were mutated and became overpowered with intelligence, human started teetering on the brink of survival, a boy with no powers and no father, with a mother in a coma, seems destined for obscurity, but one night changed his life, with a new found hope to cure his mum from the everlasting sleep—Gene Elixir— he went on on a journey that would reshape his destiny...~Voracious Sovereign... Gene Devourer...Pray you won't be devoured by this power you wield which hunger is insatiable~~You call yourself an opportunist... But... you aren't free. A hungry man is not a free man...~