Chapter 2
Exploring the deep sea was enjoyable.
After swimming upwards for quite a while, I finally encountered some deep-sea fish.
But they were all just floating motionlessly, without moving.
Now that I think about it, deep-sea fish are known to conserve energy by barely moving.
That’s the kind of place the deep sea is, with no light reaching it.
After swimming up even further, the colour of the ocean started to change.
Light began to filter in. In that area, there were some marine creatures that moved around, albeit slowly.
Although their appearances were still quite bizarre, probably due to the deep-sea nature of the place. Of course, they couldn’t compare to me.
Still, I was so happy to see them that I approached the deep-sea fish and waved my legs at them.
Wriggle-
But maybe they were just shy friends.
As soon as I approached, the deep-sea fish stiffened and began to sink.
Oh well, I guess it’s hard to befriend creatures of the deep sea.
If I had to compare, they were probably like hikikomori who shut themselves in their rooms.
If they were more outgoing fish, they’d be up playing in the waters where light shone brightly.
With that, I started swimming upwards once again.
The water’s colour gradually shifted from dark blue to blue, from blue to a transparent emerald-like shade.
Feeling the brightening light and the warming water, I ascended, and ascended some more.
But every fish I encountered reacted the same way to me by making a “gulp” sound and sinking down.
Not a single one of them returned my greeting.
Feeling a bit dejected, I kept swimming while wriggling along when I spotted a creature as massive as myself.
Oh. It looked just like a dragon straight out of a fantasy novel.
The name “Sea Dragon” would be fitting. It even resembled *Gyarados to some extent.
**T/n: Gyarados is a Water/Flying-type Pokémon and is a Water/ Dark when Mega Evolved.**
Thinking that I might be able to befriend it, I swam over to the Sea Dragon.
As expected, the Sea Dragon, unlike the other fish, did not freeze up at the sight of me.
Instead, it reacted violently, causing whirlpools to form in the sea.
Gwooooh-!
Its eyes glowed red as it thrashed around.
Was it so excited to see me?
The Sea Dragon convulsed like it was having a seizure, then opened its mouth and fired a water cannon at me.
Even though it was a water cannon, it didn’t actually shoot water. Was it like a Dragon Breath?
I took the Sea Dragon’s breath head-on, but I didn’t feel much of anything.
It didn’t seem like an attack.
When I reached out to place a hand on the Sea Dragon’s head as a friendly gesture, its reaction grew even more intense.
Ah… It’s leaving after all.
The Sea Dragon swam away, creating a massive trajectory, and disappeared from sight.
Maybe physical contact was too much for a first encounter.
It’s unfortunate, but I’ll hope to meet it again next time.
Anyway, after meeting the Sea Dragon and gaining some confidence, I finally headed towards the surface.
Even though it was just the sea, I felt excited thinking I might meet some people.
Since I drowned in Busan, I was probably somewhere in the East Sea.
I might even encounter Japanese fishing vessels that keep encroaching into our waters.
The closer I got to the surface, the stronger the light became.
The white light reflecting off the water swayed and shimmered in all directions.
If I stared at the sun with my naked eyes, I’d probably go blind, but under the water, I could look straight at it.
The closer I got to the shimmering light, the greater my anticipation grew.
It felt like I was reaching a new world, filling me with excitement.
But something stopped the excited octopus in its tracks.
Ugh. I got caught on something.
It felt unpleasantly tangled around my body, like a net.
Looking closely, there was a large ship floating on the surface.
It seemed like I had gotten caught in the net they had cast.
I barely moved my body to try and untangle myself, but then the ship swayed as if it was about to tip over.
The ship seemed weaker than I thought. To think it would rock so much just from a mere octopus struggling.
I decided I had no choice but to stay still.
Getting caught in a net and having my first encounter with humans—now that’s pretty unique, right?
Maybe, through this opportunity, I could become friends with the sailors.
With that faint hope in mind, I waited.
Gradually, the bindings that had entangled me began to loosen.
The sailors were cutting the net.
Perhaps they were kind-hearted people.
Maybe they just couldn’t bring themselves to capture me and decided to let me go.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. I’d have to climb up on my own.
With my now free body, I began wriggling upwards once more.
The shimmering sunlight was finally within my reach.
I extended one of my legs to grab onto the ship and began climbing aboard.
As my massive body rose out of the water,
the water that covered me cascaded down like a waterfall.
And when I finally came face to face with the humans—
“H-Hii, hiiiieeeek! Hihihihihiek!”
“Uweeoaaaaargh-”
…The humans began convulsing like madmen.
One of them shed bloody tears as he shut his eyes.
Another twisted his body grotesquely, his eyes rolling back in his head.
The captain’s head snapped back, and he began steering the ship erratically.
The ship, swaying left and right, soon struck a reef and started to sink.
Hmm. They didn’t seem like normal people.
Could it have been a drug smuggling ship?
But do people still use wooden ships like that these days?
Now that I think about it, their clothing seemed more like something out of medieval Europe.
Oh well, I’ll have to find new friends…
Feeling dejected, I dove back into the water and swam around, looking for other ships.
And then, I came across the second ship.
This one looked a bit different; its shape was distinct.
On the deck, there were not only sailors but also men and women dressed in strange outfits.
They looked like something you’d expect from medieval nobles.
Is this some kind of themed party on a ship? Following modern trends can be so difficult.
But if it’s the younger generation enjoying such bizarre cultures, maybe they’ll accept me without prejudice.
Gaining some confidence, I extended my leg onto the deck once again.
“Hikihikiek—hihihihihik—!”
“Kreeg… Kreekigigik…”
But they were just the same as the others.
Were they also drug addicts?
Feeling disappointed, I unconsciously applied force to the leg I had placed on the deck.
The ship rocked violently, almost tipping over, with its stern lifting high into the air.
Panicking, I quickly pulled my leg back, and the ship returned to its original position.
But it was too late.
Due to the recoil, the people on the deck began bouncing around like pinballs.
Oops. That’s my bad.
Feeling guilty, I started picking up the people with my legs to put them back on the ship.
But strangely, as soon as I grabbed them, their bodies burst and they died.
It reminded me of the pharmacist’s warning: never swim after taking drugs.
“Ugh! Eek! Glub glub…”
One woman’s eyes rolled back as she started sinking into the sea.
On reflex, I caught her with my leg, but she didn’t bleed like the others.
Had she not taken the drugs?
I tried to put her back on the ship, but it had already sunk.
With nothing but an endless sea around us, there was no island or passing ship to drop her off at.
Hmm. What should I do?
The woman hung limp, unconscious.
Thankfully, she was still breathing.
Since it was partly my fault, I should take responsibility and return her to safety.
But keeping her in my leg like this didn’t seem right.
If I swam underwater holding her like this, she’d definitely drown.
But traveling on the surface was hot and made it difficult to move quickly.
After thinking it over, I came up with a solution.
I decided to place the woman inside the hole in my body where all my tentacles—no, legs—gathered.
I hadn’t looked inside my own body, but for some reason, I felt like it would be okay.
It seemed like there was some sort of space in that hole.
It felt like a hole meant to store something.
It was completely sealed, so there was no worry of water getting in.
Having made up my mind, I swallowed the woman into the hole.
She slipped inside my lower mouth.
I could faintly sense that something had entered.
For some reason, I felt good having something inside my stomach, so I unconsciously tightened my abs.
(If you could even call them abs. Anyway, I tightened my torso.)
Oh no. I hope I didn’t kill her by increasing the pressure inside.
When I took her out again, she was still alive and well.
In fact, she looked like she was in better condition than before.
Relieved, I put her back into my lower mouth.
I carefully adjusted the pressure and swimming speed so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
I began drifting through the sea, searching for an island or ship where I could leave her.
***
“Uweeegh—”
Lancelot patted Rowin’s back as she vomited over the side of the ship.
Several other companions were also gripping the railing, their heads hanging over the water.
Sailing was a much harsher and more gruelling experience than they had imagined.
Especially since this voyage was an extremely long journey for those who had lived their entire lives on land.
Their mission was to explore the ocean between the Western and Eastern Continents.
“Aria, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I used to ride rough carriages a lot when I was young.”
“Is that so? It’s tough, but please hold on a little longer.”
“Taking care of our companions is the least we can do. Don’t worry about me, Lancelot.”
Lancelot and his companions were sailing to investigate the recent reports of strange phenomena.
The sudden rumours about the Triangle of Death resurfacing.
An old superstition about ships disappearing while navigating between continents.
“…No, it’s not just a rumour; it’s real.”
What was once dismissed as a mere legend had now become reality.
Ships were no longer returning, nor were they reaching the opposite continent.
The world’s intercontinental trade was paralyzed.
When the first few ships went missing, people thought it was just an accident.
But after several months, with all ships vanishing, neither continent could afford to stand by any longer.
Each country sent their navies to search the waters, but they too never returned.
The severity of the issue escalated, leading even the Hero Party, including Lancelot, to set out to sea.
“Ugh… I feel like I’m dying, Lancelot. Why did they suddenly send us out to sea…”
“It’s that serious of a situation. Just hang in there a little longer. Here, this will help with seasickness.”
Lancelot walked around, applying the seasickness remedy he had received from the sailors to his companions.
Most of them had spent their entire lives on the Western Continent and were weak to motion sickness.
Lancelot was thankful that neither he nor the saint, Aria, were affected by seasickness.
“By now, the hero from the Eastern Continent must be on a ship as well, right?”
“Most likely. It’s just as serious over there.”
“But they have an advantage. We might need their help again this time.”
“True. Their hero party has a former pirate—no, a navigator—among them.”
There was one hero for each of the Western and Eastern Continents.
The Eastern Continent’s hero party included a navigator who was formerly a pirate.
Whenever the two hero parties needed to meet, it was always the Eastern party that crossed the sea.
Additionally, any sea-related issues were usually handled by the Eastern hero party.
Lancelot’s party had been unable to assist with any maritime matters so far.
They couldn’t just sit back and let the Eastern Continent handle everything during such a major incident.
The issue was critical for the Western Continent as well, so Lancelot’s party set sail.
“Don’t worry, Lancelot. Nothing will happen. Historically, nothing major has ever occurred at sea, right?”
“…Yes, you’re right. Let’s hope it stays that way, Aria.”
The salty scent carried by the cool sea breeze.
The sparkling sunlight reflecting off the shimmering waves. The crystal-clear water that allowed them to see into the depths.
The scenery of the sea was beautiful, something they were experiencing for the first time.
But somehow, Lancelot felt an ominous presence in these waters.
Even as his companions were retching from seasickness and trying to enjoy the ocean scenery.
For some reason, an ominous feeling kept creeping over Lancelot.
“Lancelot, you should rest too. You haven’t taken a proper break for days.”
“Yeah. I’ll just stay on deck until dinner. You should rest as well, Aria.”
“I’m fine too. I just finished praying and my holy power is fully recharged.”
“Haha… Alright then. The weather’s nice, after all.”
Aria struck a pose, showing off her muscles with a bright smile.
Seeing her always being so considerate and helpful, Lancelot gave a helpless laugh, admitting defeat.
“But Lancelot, about last time… Ugh, ugh?! Kyaa-!”
As they were chatting,
a massive wave suddenly surged, causing the ship to rock violently.
“What’s going on all of a sudden? There’s no storm…!”
Lancelot quickly rushed over to the captain.
The captain was struggling to keep the ship’s wheel under control.
“What’s happening?!”
“Something massive—something huge—down in the sea is moving violently. We have to deal with it…!”
At that moment,
something enormous shot up from beneath the sea.
The huge amount of seawater it displaced poured down over the ship.
“A Dragon… A Sea Dragon…?”
Lancelot, barely holding onto the railing, was stunned.
It was a Sea Dragon, a legendary creature of the ocean, that could only be seen in myths.
The Sea Dragon seemed to be terrified by something.
“Is it because of that…? A Sea Dragon appearing like this…!”
That thought, however, led only to a terrible misconception and despair.
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