Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Deep Sea Dungeon Conquest (4)
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Finally, the day had arrived to enter the deep sea dungeon.
We filled our bellies hearty and headed to the harbor. The ship prepared by the Catarina Merchant Group for entering the Abyss was waiting for us. To prepare for any contingencies, Catarina had readied a specialized Abyss-entry vessel instead of a regular ship. A wise choice.
"You must have gone to some trouble."
At my words, Catarina snorted.
"This is hardly worth calling trouble."
She meant not to underestimate her wealth. I smiled faintly as I looked at her.
"I'll bring back the results you want."
"You'd better."
Ugh, getting prickly just because she spent some money. Unable to bear her sharp gaze, I quickly boarded the ship. El, Roschnak, and Lloyd followed behind me onto the deck.
-Kiiing! Ngh!
The only one who couldn't board was Ayla, whining desperately. I whistled to calm her down and gave Catarina a meaningful glance.
"Please take good care of Ayla while we're gone."
It was amusing entrusting a dog—no, a wolf—to a cat beastkin like her. I hoped the two would get along.
Anyway, aside from our group of four, the ship carried only the captain and crew. Of course, being an Abyss-entry vessel, they were all seasoned veterans on par with mercenaries, so there wasn't much to worry about.
-Bwaaaaaang!!!!
With the blast of a massive horn, we set sail.
The weather was clear, and the waves remarkably calm. I hoped the deep sea dungeon conquest would be just as peaceful. No matter how serene the surface, you never know what lurks below.
The ship glided smoothly toward the horizon. We weren't taking the usual sea route but an abandoned path east of the island, now shunned due to the deep sea dungeon. We hadn't even reached the dungeon site yet, but sirens perched on nearby reefs were already watching us. No wonder ordinary ships avoided the area.
Of course, we had earplugs ready to block siren songs, so their voices had no effect on us.
-I'll leave the clock flowers here. I'll be back before they fully wilt.
I wrote the note on paper and handed it to the captain, who nodded. I bloomed two clock flowers, giving one to the captain and keeping the other.
Afterward, I distributed gill potions and giant pufferfish seeds to everyone. The seeds were strung on thin thread like bracelets to prevent loss. We swallowed the foul-tasting gill potions and waited for our gills to form.
"Sharp!"
In the meantime, I summoned the armored shark. He'd been shadowing us nearby since departure, so he surfaced quickly.
-Shwaaaa!
As the massive armored shark breached the surface, the sirens who had been singing gleefully scattered in panic. Ah, finally some quiet. I removed my earplugs and turned to the group.
"Alright, shall we go?"
Only Roschnak, the mermaid hybrid, nodded eagerly.
* * *
Thanks to the 'expensive' blessing from Donar Temple, we located the deep sea dungeon entrance without much trouble.
The entrance resembled a cave, overgrown with tangled black seaweed, making it nearly indistinguishable at first glance. Fortunately, thanks to Roschnak noticing the odd current direction, we entered before even one clock flower petal fell.
'Whoa, this is exhausting.'
The entrance was narrower than expected, and the ceiling bristled with fearsome stalactites like monster teeth. But the most terrifying part...
Was the 'darkness.'
It wasn't mere dimness. It was utter blackness, like your eyes had vanished entirely.
'Dawn star tree fruit.'
I remembered the spares from the mine subjugation still stored in my subspace ring.
-Thunk, thunk, thunk.
'Three. Roschnak's eyes are sharp, so that should suffice.'
Time stopped in the subspace ring, so the fruits still glowed brightly, unspoiled. I handed one each to El and Lloyd, brightening our surroundings.
'Ugh...'
Then I regretted it. Sometimes, it's better not to see.
'Gross.'
Dark, eel- or anglerfish-like creatures swam around us. Damn. I only ever ate them filleted as grilled eel or braised monkfish... I didn't want to see them alive and wriggling!
I ignored them as best I could and pressed forward. The cave seemed endless.
'This felt nothing like the game.'
Of course not. In the game, you'd just hit the entrance button and warp in seconds. Reality was a brutal slog, like loading hell dragging on for hours...
Just as my sense of time numbed, Lloyd halted and turned to me. Why? I mouthed. He pressed a finger to his lips—shh.
I peeked over his shoulder at the scene ahead. Pitch darkness, and...
-Shiiiieeeeeek!!!!
Occasional glints of scales.
I understood why Lloyd had stopped. And what filled the tunnel's end.
'Sea goblins!'
Ever seen fish schools swirling like massive vortices in an aquarium? It was like that, except aquariums have anchovies, and here it was sea goblins.
'Damn, no way forward like this...!'
Sea goblins were as annoying and vicious as mermaids. Even whales avoided their swarms—it said it all.
These were the culprits behind the merchant ship raids.
I spotted kelpies and giant jellyfish too, but they mostly acted alone and didn't attack ships, only people.
The dungeon's emergence must have let a new sea goblin pack settle in.
'And a huge number at that.'
Early dungeon stage meant no elite monsters yet, letting the goblins multiply unchecked.
Individuals were weak, but larger swarms meant higher danger.
'Better wipe them out quick, then.'
I exchanged glances with Lloyd. He nodded and drew his sword, gleaming coldly under Donar's blessing.
Kelpies and jellyfish wouldn't strike first, so only the goblins mattered. Numbers were the issue, but Lloyd's skill made a frontal assault ideal. Plus, we had Sharp the armored shark.
'Soldiers on Lloyd, El, and the shark. Shamans on me and Roschnak.'
We communicated via gestures and signs, then waited for an opening. Sharp for the first strike—to sow chaos and break their formation—followed by Lloyd and El.
-Shooooooom!!!
Sharp rocketed through the goblin swarm. Some shattered on impact, dying instantly. As the shark pierced their ranks, the goblins panicked visibly.
[email protected][email protected]#%$!!!
-#%#[email protected]!!!
-#^*@!#!!!!
Harsh, nails-on-chalkboard voices echoed around. Never imagining a predator invading their dungeon, they scrambled to reform. Or tried to.
-Thwackaaaa!!!!
Until Lloyd swung his sword.
I knew knights equaled tanks in combat power. But witnessing it firsthand was chilling. Having only seen mercenaries' brawn amid their ranks, Lloyd now showed me true 'power'—monstrous strength. Each swing unleashed lightning-like sword qi, shredding goblins effortlessly.
'My god...'
Dozens charged him, yet he swept them aside without hesitation.
'...No, focus.'
I scanned quickly. There had to be goblin shamans nearby.
Controlling Sharp while searching was dizzying. But...
"There!"
I had Roschnak.
True to her mermaid blood, she spotted a faint glimmer in the dark currents and pointed.
"Good, Roschnak. Just like we practiced."
She nodded and began chanting swiftly. The water vibrated faintly, sharpening into blades.
I nocked an arrow—not silverwood, but one crafted from sea serpent bone: lightweight, elastic, perfect for the deep sea. The serrated tip was designed to lodge deep. I drew fully and waited for her spell.
-Pop!!!
Her chant complete, a thin, high-speed vortex surged toward the goblin shaman. I loosed the arrow into its core. It spun wildly, drilling toward the goblin's heart.
-Spluuurt!!!!
Vortex and arrow pierced the heart dead-on. The tip bored like a drill, and the mini-whirlwind tore a massive hole through its torso. Purple goblin blood sprayed along the vortex, and the corpse sank.
"We did it...!"
"Shh."
I gripped Roschnak's shoulder to quiet her joy, staring past the corpse into a rock crevice.
"Don't let your guard down. There's one more."