The Ocean (Part 2)
Every time I looked out at the ocean, the only thought that came to mind was how breathtakingly gorgeous it was.
If I were here on vacation, I would have basked in its splendor and enjoyed every single second.
Yet whether it was the forest or the sea, this place was teeming with hazards. A pristine sandy beach? Far from comforting, that very perfection was a warning sign in disguise. Thanks to that caution, I hadn't been dragged under by a colossal octopus tentacle.
No matter how enchanting something appeared on the surface, you could never let your guard down. There was no telling what would ambush you, when, or from where. I couldn't afford to relax my vigilance for a single second.
The beach is surprisingly vast.
The shoreline stretched out endlessly. No matter how far I walked, I couldn't seem to reach the end of it.
Even more baffling was the geography itself. By all rights, this should have been the territory across the river—a realm where space constantly twisted and shifted from moment to moment. Yet here on this shore, it was endless sand and nothing changed. When I doubled back just in case, everything remained exactly as it was. It was an eerie sensation.
Is the spatial distortion limited to the riverbank?
The fact that space warped across the river was strange enough, but this place remaining completely normal was equally bizarre. With everything defying logic, making sense of it was an exercise in futility. At least there was no immediate risk of getting lost.
Wandering around like this felt pointless. It would be better to head back.
"Hm?"
Just as I was giving up on scouting the beach and preparing to turn around, something suspicious caught my eye.
Amidst the flat, even sand was a lone concave depression. Deeply suspicious.
I wanted to dig it up to satisfy my curiosity, but hesitation held me back.
What if this is another trap?
I had been burned too many times to reach out carelessly. What if something burst out the moment I drew near? Worry gnawed at me, yet ignoring it felt just as unsettling. After all, information was at an absolute premium. Who was to say something far more dangerous wouldn't crawl out of there later? Gathering intel bit by bit was the key to raising my odds of survival. I made up my mind.
It's just a hollow. I'll take a quick peek.
I crept forward with measured steps. For all I knew, whatever made it might detect ground vibrations just like that octopus. Keeping a safe distance, I craned my neck forward.
It was precarious, but I managed to spot what lay inside the pit.
...Eggs?
They were eggs. Huge, oval-shaped eggs. Comparing them to chicken eggs was absurd; they rivaled ostrich eggs in scale. And it wasn't just one—several were clustered tightly together.
What kind of eggs are these?
Laying a clutch out in the open like this on the sand? What kind of beast dared nest in such a lethal place?
Lacking any relevant biological expertise, my only choice was to ask the Gallery.
[Attached Photo: An egg as massive as an ostrich egg]
I was walking along and found this pit with eggs in it. Anyone know what these are?
He said taking it wouldn't be a problem. The moment I read his reply, I studied the clutch with renewed interest.
Regular eggs were available on the auction block, but I had never bothered buying them. There was no real necessity, nor did they appeal to me. Yet something gathered directly from the wild looked inexplicably delicious.
I'll just take one.
A single egg of this scale could easily settle an entire meal.
I carefully scooped up one of the massive turtle eggs. Fortunately, no hidden pitfalls activated, nor did an enraged mother turtle burst from the sands. Heavy and cumbersome as it was, it posed no problem. I had my extradimensional subspace bag.
Should I take one more?
Just as greed began to tempt me—
Splash!
A violent surge of water erupted behind me. It wasn't the sound of rolling surf; it was the heavy crash of something breaching the surface. The instant I heard it, I whipped around.
"..."
"...A turtle?"
Emerging from the ocean was none other than a turtle. Unlike a land tortoise, its limbs were flat flippers built for slicing through waves. Whether it had witnessed my theft or not, the sea turtle steadily crawled ashore.
Does it not know?
Just to be safe, I edged backward. But as if finally registering my presence, the creature came to an abrupt halt.
It extended its long neck and locked its gaze squarely upon me. Truth be told, anyone taking in the scene could instantly deduce I was an egg thief.
It's fine. It's just a turtle.
Whatever their prowess in water, sea turtles were notoriously sluggish on land. If push came to shove, I could simply sprint away. Or so I believed.
"Owoooo."
The turtle let out a bizarre hum and retracted its flippers into its shell. With its head still poking out, it looked utterly comical, but...
Shuck! Shuck!
What followed was anything but a laughing matter.
Instead of paddle-like flippers, thick, stubby, pillar-like legs—the kind belonging to a land tortoise—thrust out from within the carapace.
It was practically a transforming mecha robot. A turtle pulling off a stunt like that ought to have left me horrified... but it didn't.
That's... actually cool.
It was so ridiculous that I couldn't help but marvel. Wasn't this what true 'evolution' was meant to look like? Compared to that grotesque shark giant, this felt remarkably practical.
Vrrrroooom!
Having converted from sea turtle to land juggernaut, the creature opened its maw as a glowing sphere of energy began to coalesce within.
I knew all too well what that sphere was. Hadn't I already undergone a trial run against the Earth Guardian?
KBOOOOOM!
A concentrated beam of pure energy blasted from the turtle's mouth. Because I was standing near the nest, it had aimed straight for my head. I barely managed to dodge by contorting my upper body.
KABOOM!!
The power behind the beam was terrifying. It was unquestionably stronger than the Earth Guardian's blast. The cliff face behind me now sported a gaping crater where the laser struck—a destructive display that left my jaw hanging open.
If that even clips the ground near me, I'm dead!
Shooting a literal cannon from its mouth, with an enormous blast radius to boot. But a turtle was still a turtle; its movements were bound to be sluggish and—
Th-th-th-th-thump!
Correction: it was alarmingly fast.
Closing the distance in an instant, the turtle charged and launched itself into a high leap. Let me repeat that: it jumped. Mid-air, it sucked all four limbs and its head completely into its shell. The end result was a massive boulder of a carapace hurtling straight at me.
Faced with a living projectile descending upon me, I frantically raised my shield.
CRRAAASH!!
"Guh!"
Terrifying speed, tremendous leaping power, and an indestructible shell. That devastating trifecta slammed into me, sending me tumbling backward despite blocking with my shield. Even braced in a firm defensive stance, the kinetic force was staggering.
"Ugh..."
Vrrrrooooom!
Before the dizziness rattled into my skull could clear, an ominous surge of energy snapped me back to attention. I threw my head up.
At some point, the turtle had poked its head back out and was charging another beam in its jaws. Now that I had been blasted far away from its clutch, it clearly intended to finish me off. Judging by the blast that had hollowed out the cliff, my shield wouldn't hold up for a fraction of a second.
Wh-what do I... Ah!
There was a way. Faster than ever, I plunged my hand into my extradimensional bag. My crossbow caught on my arm for a split second, but I yanked out what I needed without issue.
"L-Look at this!"
I bellowed, thrusting the ostrich-sized egg forward. My hands were fairly large, allowing me to grip it securely in one palm.
The turtle visibly recoiled, flinching in sheer shock the moment the egg came into view. The energy swirling in its maw dwindled, dispersing into thin air.
"..."
It swallowed the remaining energy entirely, but its glare turned murderous. It glared at me with an expression that screamed it wanted to rip me limb from limb. Seeing a normally placid turtle wear such a terrifying face made me feel like an utter villain.
Well... I am the bad guy here.
Not only had I tried to poach its egg, but now I was brazenly holding it hostage. Objectively speaking, there was no defending my actions. But a guy had to survive. Unlike this beast, I couldn't fire lasers from my mouth. When survival is on the line, you do whatever it takes.
Step. Step.
Keeping the egg in plain view, I crept backward step by cautious step. With every foot I yielded, the turtle tracked me, matching my retreat. If I didn't return the egg, it looked ready to chase me to the ends of the earth.
No choice then.
I would back up all the way to the river's lower reaches, return the egg, and run for dear life. Why not take the chance to kill it? Far too inefficient. The thing was built like a bear, and possessed an agility completely unbecoming of a turtle.
Besides, it's time to head back anyway.
If I didn't leave now, I wouldn't make it back in time for dinner. Once darkness fell, I would be at a severe disadvantage. Worst case, I might lose my way and never find the cave again. Returning in one piece without unnecessary injuries was the top priority.
SWOOOOOOSH!
Backing away, I eventually reached the entrance of the reversing river. The turtle hadn't taken its eyes off me for a second, its expression souring by the moment. Now, all I had to do was roll the egg over and call it a day. Though if it showed even a hint of aggression, I would chuck it instantly.
"...Hm?"
During this suffocating standoff, something bizarre unfolded behind the turtle. The distance from the river's mouth to the sandy hollow was considerable, but with my enhanced kinetic vision, I could see it clearly: a flock of unknown birds was descending upon the nest.
"Hey! Hey! Look back there! Look!"
"Oorngh?"
When I pointed behind it in alarm, the turtle actually looked back. In the meantime, the birds were trying to gulp down the eggs whole like pelicans, though the sheer size of the eggs was making it difficult.
"ROOOOOOAAAR!!!"
Naturally, the turtle erupted. Not just a minor flare-up, but a full-blown volcanic explosion. Just as it had rushed me, it charged back toward the pit at blinding speed. Startled by the sudden onslaught, the birds frantically flapped their wings and took flight.
Now's my chance!
Seizing the moment while the turtle sprinted back to its nest, I bolted without looking back. Circulating mana through my channels in case it tried to snipe me with another mana cannon, the surrounding trees blurred past, and even the surging river current seemed to flow in slow motion.
"Hehehe."
Once I reached a relatively safe distance, a chuckle escaped my lips unbidden.
An unexpected harvest, an unexpected ambush, and unexpected luck. The fruit of that wild sequence was nestled safely inside my subspace bag: an ostrich—no, a turtle egg. Between this and the eel, it looked like I was in for a gourmet feast tonight.
And I am never going near that ocean again.
I'm staying far away from that living hell.