Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Deep Sea Dungeon Conquest (2)
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A figure appeared before me: an armored shark.
Its intimidating presence was overwhelming.
True to its name, it had fins as hard as armor, massive jagged jaws, and a body that must have been at least ten meters long.
Its dark form, patchy like a rusted sunken ship, with only its blue eyes glowing fiercely—it sent chills down my spine.
‘But I can’t back down here.’
I had to tame this armored shark if I wanted to survive the deep sea dungeon.
It was a notorious beast that even the ferocious deep sea monsters feared.
Someone might think: wouldn’t just one Deep Sea King Whale be enough to conquer the deep sea dungeon easily?
The answer is no.
The Deep Sea King Whale was useful for smashing pirate ships, but things were different in a dungeon.
It couldn’t even pass through the dungeon entrance.
In the game to begin with, the beasts you could summon in the deep sea dungeon were heavily restricted.
But the armored shark was a beast commonly found even in the deep sea dungeon.
I couldn’t stay with it long enough for [Beast Form], but [Beast Summon] and [Submission] should work just fine.
I held my breath quietly and watched the armored shark.
Its armor was covered in large scars. That meant it had been through a lot of battles.
The armored shark looked around, searching for the source of the bloody scent. Each time, its blue eyes flashed.
‘Sharks don’t have great eyesight.’
It had been drawn here by the smell of blood, but finding me now that my wounds were healed wouldn’t be easy.
I hid my body among the swaying black seaweed and watched it silently. This seaweed, which looked like kelp, was poisonous if you got tangled in it, so most sea creatures and monsters avoided it. Of course, with my [Merciful Monster] totem equipped, the poison effect was completely nullified, so I had no issues.
Even after watching for quite a while, the armored shark was still searching every nook and cranny. Naturally. It was as famous for being a man-eater as anything, loving human flesh above all.
But I couldn’t end up as shark bait after coming this far.
To use [Submission], I had to wait for it to let its guard down.
‘I’ll strike when it gives up and turns back.’
They say the only thing that could kill an armored shark was ‘hunger’—it never skipped a day of hunting.
So it wouldn’t patrol this area forever.
A little more waiting, and it would move on to find other prey.
That’s the moment I’d go for.
Fortunately, the gill potion’s effect lasted about a day.
And I was very, very good at waiting.
I gripped the seaweed tightly so the current wouldn’t sweep me away.
Just in case, I activated [Owl’s Eye] to sharpen my vision even in the dark depths.
‘Alright, let’s see how long you last.’
* * *
The armored shark was far more tenacious than I’d expected.
I glanced down at the clock flower I’d brought to track time.
The clock flower had six petals, with one dropping every four hours. Two had already fallen. Even accounting for time spent diving and preparing, I’d spent at least five hours just watching the shark.
Looks like the one stalking me now was an exceptionally stubborn specimen.
‘Should I try a different approach?’
Just as I was rethinking my plan, a black shadow slid overhead.
‘……!’
It was finally giving up and turning back.
Now’s the time.
“Goddess of forest and earth, Rinshakashi, even though I am in the midst of the ocean, is not the ‘vessel’ that holds the sea also part of your earth…….”
As I prayed, I could’ve sworn I heard a giggling in my ear. Like the voices of fairies.
“So please, grant me your blessing once more…….”
Bubbles sparkled briefly before my eyes. Without hesitation, I reached out, activating [Breath of the Forest]. Sure, this was the ocean, but let’s gloss over that minor detail. Seaweed was a plant rooted in the ‘earth,’ after all.
-Swoosh!
-Swish! Swish!
Fortunately—truly fortunately—the black seaweed shot up at an astonishing speed, waving in the current. Controlling the direction against the water flow wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible. The thriving cluster of black seaweed took the shape of a giant hand.
The rest was simple. I grabbed the armored shark with the black seaweed hand. Or tried to. If the current hadn’t disrupted the cluster, it would’ve worked. But the shark was quicker than expected. It seemed startled but slipped right through the seaweed fingers.
‘It’s fine. Once more.’
-Swish! Swish!
-Swish! Swoosh!
The seaweed hand was a bit slower than I’d hoped due to the water’s resistance. So I had to anticipate the shark’s moves and act one step ahead. I focused my mind. Reading the body language of animals, beasts, or monsters was as natural as breathing for a druid like me.
‘Now!’
The moment the armored shark twisted its body, I caught it with seaweed growing from the opposite side. It thrashed, but that was the wrong move. Some strands snapped off as it wanted, but the already tangled mass held its body firmly.
‘Got it!’
That was half the battle won.
Confirming the seaweed had it bound tight, I fiddled with the chunky ring on my index finger.
This ring with its bright yellow gem looked luxurious at a glance. Of course—it was a “Stun Ring,” invented for noblewomen’s self-defense. Basically a ring-shaped electric shock device. The center “gem” was actually processed magic stone, packed with enough lightning magic to knock out a person.
It supposedly took a whole ship and twenty able-bodied men to hunt one armored shark. It was no pushover.
‘But this will do just fine.’
My goal wasn’t to kill it, after all. Killing it would only make things harder for me. That’s why I chose the Stun Ring.
I stroked my ringed fist as I eyed the seaweed-bound shark. One hit, maybe two, and done.
The proper way to tame was to bond deeply with the target, building trust slowly. But when time was short?
“…….”
What was key to submission?
Druids would debate: affection, trust, faith, blah blah……
I can say with certainty there was a far more powerful and simple method.
‘A good beating.’
Hoping the shark would accept the situation a bit more comfortably, I approached with a light smile. For some reason, it started thrashing wildly as I got closer. Hey, easy now, easy.
-Sharks, kings of the sea, have their weaknesses too.
I could almost hear the narration from one of my favorite documentaries echoing in my ear.
-Namely, their gills, eyes, and ‘nose.’
The armored shark’s nose was impressively pointed.
-In particular, a shark’s nose is such a sensitive organ that it can detect bioelectricity, so even a slight electric shock will……
I pulled my fist back. Underwater, I’d need double my usual strength for impact. Ready?
-Bam!!!
-Zzzzt!!!! Zzzzt!!
The ring’s lightning magic surged through the shark’s nose, its nostrils flashing briefly.
-……inflict massive damage.
The imaginary narration ended, and the shark shuddered violently for a moment. I placed my hand on its head, now stripped of resistance, and activated [Submission]. The result?
-Twinkle!
Success.
A star-shaped mark, proof of [Submission], appeared above its head. Made from my magic, it didn’t fade but spun lazily there.
At the same time, I connected to the shark’s soul. With the mental link established, a flood of its confused emotions poured in. I soothed it as best I could, then quickly retracted the black seaweed. I followed up with [Nature’s Healing] to restore it.
‘It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.’
I’d already smashed its nose to bits, but I meant it. As I tried to pet it reassuringly, it flinched away. Ah, come on……
Right now, its eyes were filled only with fear.
Of course, I petted its head anyway.
The rows of razor-sharp teeth visible in its gaping maw were unnerving, but since it had submitted to me, there was no worry.
I waited until its confusion settled and it regained its senses. It needed to calm down for the skills to work properly.
‘The gill potion still has plenty of time left, so I can test things out before heading up.’
After that, I spent time checking the mental connection’s strength, how far its obedience went, and so on. As long as it wasn’t self-destructive, it followed every command.
Simple attacks, defense, cover, escort—all perfect.
What I liked most was how it guarded me. True to its name, its armor-like skin easily blocked all sorts of attacks. Basic physical ones didn’t even scratch it. Unless it was serious magic, I’d be safe under its protection.
‘Good work.’
Once I confirmed the maximum range for the unbroken mental link, training was over. As a reward, I pulled a hind leg from the hook camel I’d stored in my subspace ring. Fresh hook camel meat—a rare treat for a sea beast. Sure enough, it snatched it up eagerly.
‘It’s not your favorite human flesh, but make do…….’
Alright, time to head back to land?