Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Deep Sea Dungeon Conquest (7)
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-Pfoooosh!!!!!
A thick, bloody stench bursts forth.
“Master!”
My ears ring as if deafened, my vision blurs. My hand goes limp, and I drop the clock flower.
The world flips upside down. No, that was just an illusion. I'm simply collapsing. Fortunately, being underwater, the impact on my body isn't too severe.
“El, cover us.”
Through my hazy vision, I see Lloyd draw his sword and call out to El.
And beyond them...
'Damn...'
The armored shark leading the way, Sharp—its body is flipped over. Blood spreads around it like mist.
That's right.
Sharp, at the front, had been ambushed.
'And instant death, no less...'
There was no time to notice. If there had been, I would've severed the mental link with Sharp. If the subject of [Submission] dies while the mental connection remains, the shaman suffers severe backlash too. That was one of the major drawbacks of [Submission] or [Familiar].
Roschnak supports my fallen body, scanning the surroundings... or so I'd like to say, but my mouth won't move. Of course not. It's a miracle I haven't passed out entirely. Since I hadn't spent as much time with Sharp as with Isla, the mental link wasn't as deep, which is why my mind is still holding on. Lucky me. Stories of witches dying alongside their familiars aren't uncommon.
-Drip...
Blood trickles from my mouth. Even if I got lucky, the damage is still severe. I barely manage to place my hand on my chest and activate [Wound Healing]. My mind fades in and out midway, forcing me to recast the incantation several times, taking far longer than usual.
'My body's not the problem...'
It's my mind. An intense headache and dizziness assault me, leaving me barely coherent. It's only natural after indirectly experiencing 'death,' even if secondhand...
“Ugh... Urp—blegh!”
I dry-heave and vomit blood. The world spins. It's like waking up the morning after chugging bomb shots all night.
'Ah, I'm craving some bone hangover soup...'
Come to think of it, it's been ages since I last had bone hangover soup... Ah, whatever. Gonna hurl. I can't steady myself and keep dry-heaving.
By the way, the [Archenemy of Evil] title's immunity to fear, confusion, and shock statuses apparently doesn't cover this. Gotta be careful. If this had happened while linked to Isla instead of Sharp, I'd be dead or at best a vegetable.
Still, thanks to my skills and totems, I can feel my physical condition improving rapidly.
'But it's not enough.'
I press against the floor and cast [Forest's Blessing] on the sea moss growing there. It's a meager amount, but as the sea moss begins emitting purifying energy, my mind clears a bit.
I gather my thoughts.
'This is dangerous.'
I already knew that, but this place seems more hazardous than I anticipated.
For starters, there's a monster capable of instantly killing an armored shark.
No, can a monster that can instantly kill an armored shark even exist?
'Something like the Abyss's deep-sea horrors, a kraken at best...'
But a kraken is precisely an Abyss deep-sea monster.
Exiled by God Donar, they can only exist in the Abyss beyond the eastern ocean.
There's no way such creatures would be in Ekaitz Republic waters...
“...”
No way... right?
I rack my memory. The carvings on the door were filled with unidentified things...
'Come to think of it, I think I saw something tentacle-like?'
That's right. Krakens are octopus-like deep-sea monsters with dozens of tentacles. As far as I know, each tentacle rivals one of God Donar's spears...
'Those "teeth" I thought I saw weren't teeth—they were tentacle tips?'
If so, a kraken might already be entrenched in this deep-sea dungeon.
'I don't want to believe it...'
Worst case, I might have "released" the kraken outside the dungeon.
'Then we're truly screwed.'
Even in my foggy mind, that much was crystal clear.
* * *
When I came to, I was being carried on Lloyd's back. El and Roschnak trailed behind, sniffling—probably thinking I was done for and crying over it.
“Urgh.”
You think I'm dying here? I still have to get back to my original world. I try to lift my heavy body. Or rather, I try to.
“You need more rest.”
I stop at Lloyd's words. He's right. My mind has recovered from the shock enough to feel decent, but full recovery will take a bit more time.
“...Are we heading back?”
“No need to worry. We haven't gone far.”
“I see.”
“We just took time figuring out the safe zone.”
“Safe zone?”
“Yeah. It doesn't stray beyond a certain distance.”
That's a relief. As long as we stay out of its territory, no ambushes, and the unknown monster won't escape the dungeon.
“Did you identify what attacked us?”
“Couldn't see it clearly. But it's definitely tentacled.”
“Haa...”
I let out a deep sigh. Tentacled, huh? So it is a kraken.
“You seem to have an idea?”
“Not certain, but...”
“No harm in hearing it.”
“...Have you seen a kraken?”
Lloyd falls silent for a moment. Makes sense—he's nobility. No reason he'd have seen one... Some nobles don't even believe in deep-sea monsters or the like.
“I have.”
“...”
His unexpected answer leaves me speechless.
“Part of one.”
“...Part?”
“A preserved leg.”
“A leg...”
“That makes 'it' plausible, then.”
It?
Before I can ask, Lloyd continues.
“I saw the wounds on the armored shark. Briefly.”
“...”
“Piercing wounds. Its guts were ripped out entirely.”
“Kraken suckers, probably.”
“Likely.”
Krakens pierce with tentacles and rip out internal organs with suckers on the way out. One piercing wound equals instant death. Pure luck means a fatal injury at best. Most monsters threaten humans, but krakens earn the moniker "incarnation of death" on another level.
What a headache.
“At least...”
“...?”
Is there a silver lining? I tilt my head at Lloyd's words.
“It's not an adult.”
“A juvenile?”
“Judging by the piercing wound size... high chance.”
Truly 'at least' a relief.
Adult krakens can be ship-sized, even island-scale... If this one's not full-grown, that's something.
'Even if not adult, it's probably house-sized at minimum.'
Still, hope glimmers.
We stop at a suitable spot for a break. I'd love to light a fire, cook up a feast, but this is a deep-sea dungeon—no dice. We eat some jerky and dried fruit, down pre-packed potions. Then I check the party's condition. Luckily, El and Roschnak are unscathed. Lloyd has wounds, but nothing lethal—[Wound Healing] handles them.
The problem is me.
I'm using [Nature's Healing] to speed recovery, but as said, mental damage is untreatable. Sleep and rest would fix it naturally, but deep-sleeping in this dungeon is suicide.
The deep-sea environment doesn't help. In a forest, I'd draw on its essence for faster healing. But this is the deep sea—God Donar's domain, hard for Linshaka to watch over.
I spread out the sea moss I gathered earlier and cast [Forest's Breath] and [Forest's Healing]. To draw even a tiny bit of essence for recovery. I lie on the lush-grown sea moss like a sleeping bag and catch my breath. I swear I smell blood.
“...”
No, not imagination. Sharp's head rolls slowly through the darkness.
'Damn...'
With Sharp—my de facto weapon—gone, I'm down to bare hands.
'Use my head. I half-expected something like this.'
Armored sharks are mighty beasts, but not immortal. They can devour sea goblins like noodle soup and block sea serpents, but krakens are too much.
Sharp did what it could before going. Without it, one of us would've been skewered.
I tuck my gratitude for it away and stand. No changing the past—better to focus on conquering this dungeon from here on. Far more productive than regretting or mourning.
After a short rest, we regroup. While checking weapons and mana, I gather sea moss. From Sharp's rolling head, I extract sharp teeth to craft new arrows. Sharp, I'll avenge you properly.
“Theodore.”
“Yes.”
“How's your condition?”
“Fine.”
“We have the option to retreat.”
I shake my head at Lloyd's words. Turning back now would be stupid. Who knows if we can return.
“If we retreat, Katarina will try recruiting Abyss mercenaries. But they won't return to Ekaitz until autumn. We can't wait that long.”
“...”
“No one knows a kraken's growth rate. It could mature by tomorrow. Then we'd regret retreating forever.”
“...Understood.”
“I'm fine, so don't worry.”
“...”
Lloyd glances at me, then turns and walks off.
No expression change—can't read his thoughts... I grumble while stowing arrows in my quiver.