Clash in the Depths and the Nameless God's Quest

Upon entering the next room in the underwater dungeon, a black-glowing merman with a fish-like face and limbs clutching a spear stood before them.

"How dare you deny this world! I will punish you!" The merman charged at the party to attack.

"Watch out! It's a black-toothed merman! If its powerful fangs bite you, the poison spreads and you'll die instantly!" Crunky warned them of the details, and Namgung Seojun stepped forward, deflecting the merman's fang attack while shouting.

"Fight as individuals! Pinara! Block aggressively from the front!"

As Seojun fell back to prepare his attack, Pinara advanced with her shield raised, using her shield techniques to keep the merman at bay.

"Insolent fool!" The merman swung its spear with tremendous force. Pinara, who blocked the attack, was pushed back slightly, but in that gap, Isu-yeon hurled her dagger.

Clang! Clang! The merman blocked Isu-yeon's thrown dagger, but fortunately, Pinara regained her footing in that time and blocked the merman's path again with her shield.

"Wraaagh!" The merman let out a mighty roar and opened its mouth wide. Its fish-like face gaped enormously, aiming to crush Pinara's shield with its jaws.

"Hah!" Pinara hurriedly infused mana into her shield, and thanks to its unique shield effect, a mana barrier formed.

Clang! Even against the black merman's powerful attack, the shield held. However, Pinara's mana plummeted sharply.

"Seojun! I can't block the next one!"

"Got it!" Fortunately, Seojun's follow-up attack came right after.

A flash of light struck the merman's body with devastating force.

"Aaaargh!!" One of the merman's arms shattered as it screamed in agony. And in that opening, Isu-yeon's dagger grazed the area around its eye.

"Damn it! I can't lose like this!" The merman opened its mouth wide again and unleashed a barrage of shark-like fang attacks.

"Dodge!" At the command, Pinara retracted her shield and moved nimbly.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Pinara barely evaded the merman's continuous strikes, but in doing so, the guards' defense completely unraveled.

The black merman then charged at Isu-yeon, who looked the weakest.

"Die!" The black merman tried to break through Isu-yeon's guard with a combo of fang bites and spear thrusts, but!

Whoosh! A sudden arrow flew in, forcing it to swing its spear to block.

"Nice one, Crunky!" Crunky had fired a perfect shot from his small crossbow, distracting the merman's focus. Isu-yeon didn't miss the timing.

Thud! A unique skill dagger backstab landed perfectly on the merman's back. But as the merman fell, it struck Isu-yeon's leg squarely with its spear shaft.

Crack!

"Ow!" Isu-yeon's leg broke, and Seojun rushed over immediately, dragging the fallen woman out. Fortunately, the merman was also damaged and showed no further reaction.

Namgung Seojun, now distant from the merman, issued commands.

"Crunky, heal her with a potion! Pinara, keep the merman blocked!"

Crunky hurriedly pulled out a potion and treated Isu-yeon's broken leg bone, while Pinara warily guarded the fallen merman, waiting for the healing to finish.

But healing wasn't exclusive to their side.

The fallen merman cast an advanced recovery spell on itself. Moments later, it rose fully healed from its injuries.

"Fuck." Pinara cursed involuntarily upon seeing it.

Namgung Seojun had already sensed through his Super Sense that the black merman wouldn't go down easily. But he hadn't expected it to use recovery magic—and such a high-tier one at that.

Isu-yeon's healing finished, but lingering pain made it hard for her to walk properly.

"Isu-yeon, keep recovering. Pinara, listen up. We have to kill it all at once. All at once!"

Pinara nodded in understanding.

The black-toothed merman's eyes burned with venom. Unbeknownst to the party, this Recovery spell was the ultimate healing incantation that restored all wounds, but using it once required months of prayer to its god to recharge. It was akin to burning one of its spare lives.

"I'll kill you properly." The merman gripped its spear and charged.

And Seojun shouted, "Spread out and harass it moderately!"

Namgung Seojun, Pinara, and Crunky maintained distance as they scattered. Sensing that killing the leader would mean victory, the merman rushed at Seojun.

Clang! Clang! Sword met spear. It was a scene of Seojun purely defending against the merman's onslaught.

Fortunately for Seojun, his agility was high, bolstered by Super Sense and Domain Insight. The black-toothed merman was a formidable foe, but he was confident he could hold out.

It turned into a 1v1 duel between Namgung Seojun and the merman. Fortunately, during that time, Isu-yeon recovered enough to at least dodge once or twice.

Pinara whispered to Isu-yeon, "Prepare your strongest attack skill."

Isu-yeon nodded. The two waited cautiously for the right moment.

"......What?" The black-toothed merman was the one bewildered. Seojun was holding out alone against its attacks. Even by raw levels, there was a gap of over 15. Yet Namgung Seojun dodged or blocked somehow, preventing a finish.

"Ha... ha..." But such one-sided defense always came down to stamina. Seojun was breathing heavily. As his stamina dropped, the situation would turn dangerous over time.

Watching the fight, Pinara pondered. She reviewed her skills repeatedly.

Her ultimate skill, Divine Descent, allowed immense attacks but had absurd aftereffects. In her current state, unable to withstand a god's descent, using it would drain not just stamina but her very life force. She hadn't used it even against silver golems or other giant monsters, but now she felt she had to.

"Hoo..." Pinara steeled herself to activate the skill. But fortunately, the battle's flow shifted slightly.

Clang! Clang! Claaang!! The tide turned. The black-toothed merman's attack speed slowed a bit.

Namgung Seojun sensed it intuitively and counterattacked, forcing the merman to defend for the first time. Though its wounds were healed by Recovery, the stamina lost in the process depleted faster than Seojun's.

"Its stamina's dropping! Attack!!" At the order, Isu-yeon threw her dagger immediately, and Pinara and Crunky charged in.

"Heavy Strike!" Crunky swung a skill attack from the right, which the merman parried with its spear.

But Pinara's attack from the left hit its back, sending it tumbling.

"It's over!" Namgung Seojun aimed his final Radiant Strike with his remaining mana at the fallen black-toothed merman's head to finish it.

But!

Whiiiir... Suddenly, the temple's white light enveloped the black-toothed merman. Seojun's Radiant Strike was blocked by the light.

The merman, wrapped in light, said, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"I failed my god's mission. Forgive me."

And the black-toothed merman vanished into the light.

"....."

Namgung Seojun and the others stood stunned, and moments later, the sacred voice of the Nameless God echoed to them.

"I am Namgung Seojun, apostle candidate of the Main God." As Seojun stated his class and name, the Nameless God spoke in disbelief.

He had already known through Super Sense. Discovering the dungeon alone granted a fine achievement, and choosing the right door would have yielded material rewards to match. This dungeon, crafted by the forgotten Nameless God, was meant for mermen. It held little meaning for other races.

But Seojun had deliberately chosen wrong to reach this place.

"It was to converse with you, oh god."

"Frankly, I don't know what kind of being you are. But I do know I can offer you some help."

"Yes, I can help you, oh god."

Namgung Seojun spoke confidently, trusting his Super Sense.

The god paused before continuing.

At the Nameless God's question about battling humans, Seojun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hesitated briefly but trusted his Super Sense and replied.

"I cannot fight blameless humans. But I can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fight those who have committed wrongs."

And to Namgung Seojun and his party members, it displayed a message.

And so Seojun received a quest from the Nameless God.

Meanwhile, on the ship at sea, Gisohee gazed endlessly at the ocean. With Namgung Seojun and the others who had entered the sea still not emerging after six hours, she began to worry. Six hours—if they hadn't found something and entered it, they would have drowned long ago.

Captain Kang Inho, standing worriedly beside her, added, "As an inviter and descendant of an apostle... I think it'll be fine, but just in case... we should prepare for an accident."

Gisohee, who didn't know Seojun as well as the captain but firmly believed he couldn't die, still felt a twinge of unease at his words.

Then, at that moment, a message appeared to the party members on the ship as well.

"Huh..."

"A god's quest?"

"What the hell is the leader doing down there in the sea?"

Everyone marveled, and as Gisohee's anxiety vanished, she shouted loudly.

"Once again, Seojun! The leader did it! He got a god's quest!"

"Wooo!!!" Everyone cheered, and Pharos laughed even louder at their reaction. Things had been quiet since departure, but Namgung Seojun had shown something extraordinary.

Moments later, boom! The submersible shot up to the surface like a cannonball. Crunky also burst to the surface as if flying.

"Grab them!" At Captain Kang Inho's command, the swimming crew jumped in, caught the submersible and Crunky, and hauled them aboard.

Opening the submersible's hatch, three exhausted figures emerged. The underwater team took a refreshing drink of water before recounting events to their shipbound comrades.

"We found a dungeon in the seabed."

"Met the Nameless God."

"And got a quest."

Seojun spoke casually, but each sentence was unbelievable.

"Hyungnim, from finding a dungeon in the ocean to meeting a god and getting a quest... you say it like it's nothing..."

At Lee Guho's words, the party wore stunned expressions, but Namgung Seojun replied positively.

"It's a quest straight from a god. Aren't you all looking forward to the rewards?"

Everyone had to nod. Especially Captain Kang Inho, who muttered to himself, "Truly an amazing person."

Pharos, watching quietly from the side, cautiously spoke up.

"But? This quest requires fighting humans to save a merman village? You okay with that?"

"I told the Nameless God the same: if humans are in the wrong, I'll help the mermen."

His words promised action by justice, regardless of race. Pharos laughed at the choice.

"Hahaha, then I can just watch quietly? You'll handle it, apostle candidate?"

Pharos's words carried a hint of distance, and Namgung Seojun nodded it was fine.

"Everyone else agrees to the quest, right?"

All consented. Then he told Captain Kang Inho.

"Next destination: the merman village in this quest."

"Got it. Fortunately, it's on the 32nd floor. I'll check the map and adjust course right away."

The party headed straight for the merman village on the 32nd floor for their next quest.