Volume 4 Chapter 9 The Seafloor of Shadow Waves
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I proposed to Lifia, Tifi, and Kéa, and they all said yes.
Like that, I finally had a family.
Gotta work hard to be the pillar of the household.
I don’t even need to work; I’ve got plenty of money.
After all, I’m the kind of guy who can live in a love hotel.
But I can’t face my kids if I’m just lazy every day.
Thinking that, I kept on exploring dungeons.
Partly because dungeon diving is just fun.
There’s a thrilling rush in carving out new territory with my own strength.
Every time I defeat an unknown monster or make a new discovery, my blood boils with excitement.
Plus, there’s the promise of improving the love hotel with every level up.
Already boasting skills that are too convenient, but if there’s potential for more, why not chase it?
If it can be more comfortable, more effective, then it’s only human to want to try.
With those thoughts, the next day we started exploring the 5th Floor of the dungeon, ‘The Seafloor of Shadow Waves,’ in earnest.
We’re past the snowy mountain, so we’re back in our regular clothes.
I’m in a black jacket.
The blonde, blue-eyed half-elf girl, Lifia, is in a mini-skirted maid outfit.
The red-haired knight, Kéa, is in a bikini armor.
In those outfits, we challenge the new floor.
This floor is like a fantastical underwater world.
Of course, there’s no actual water.
Fine sand spreads underfoot, with coral and reefs scattered around as obstacles.
And above is a shimmering light like the surface of water.
Occasionally, you can see the shadows of fish swimming by.
”It’s like we’re underwater. It’s not hard to breathe, though,”
Kéa says, looking around.
”Yeah. I feel a bit lighter,”
Lifia whispers quietly.
Sure enough, the feeling of walking is slightly different.
Part of it’s the soft ground, but that’s not all.
There’s a sense that gravity is a bit weaker, and my body feels lighter.
Plus, it’s like my body is heavier, as if pushing through water.
The air resistance feels like it’s increased by tensfold.
It’s like being in water, like everything’s underwater.
Done right, you gotta get used to this place.
And, the monsters hiding here are probably pretty tough.
Only a few brave adventurers even reach this far.
The Adventurers Guild barely knows anything about it.
All they really know is some fishy monsters live here.
”Mmm, they’re coming for us!”
Kéa’s warning voice went up.
A school of fish swimming far away is now coming our way.
Looks like harmless small fish at first, but no way──they’re dungeon monsters.
They twist and ripple like a shadow of a giant beast, changing shape as they attack.
Each small fish by itself probably isn’t a big deal.
But the problem is the number of them.
Handling all of that, it’s not just me──Kéa’s gonna struggle, too.
How many do you think there are?
Hundreds, maybe thousands.
”Lifia, hit them with a wide-area attack!”
”Yes! Mooluumve, Cyclone!”
A fierce wind blows out from Lifia’s arm.
A wild whirl of wind disturbs the water, crashing into the school of fish.
The turbulent water tears through the small fish school.
The fish school shrinks badly in number.
But they fill in the holes created and keep coming toward us.
”One more time! Air Torment!”
Lifia chants once again, unleashing compressed wind bullets one after another.
A fierce shock of air slices through the water, chopping even more of the small fish.
They’re still many, but they’re getting way closer now.
”Kéa, let’s finish the rest!”
”Got it!”
I grip my sword tight, Kéa unsheathes her dual blades and gets ready.
Lifia also fires precise single magic shots, taking down the approaching fish individually.
I quick-swing my sword and cut down a few fish at once.
The water dulls the slashing power, but with my leveled-up body ability, I can still cut through easily.
Kéa swings her twin blades, crossing them to slash through the fish, one after another.
Her blades sparkle as she dances, moving so fast you can’t even see it, taking them down.
Lifia keeps magic firing, sharp wind blades slicing through the water.
The wind magic slaughters multiple fish at once.
But these little fish aren’t just getting hunted down one-sidedly.
They move like a living creature as a group, dodging our attacks while they charge at us.
”Damn… they’re persistent!”
Kéa growls as she swings her dual blades, brushing away the attacking fish.
But there are just too many of them.
No matter how many we take down, new ones keep coming.
”Lifia! Circle around and support us!”
”Got it, coming in close!”
We spot an opening and quickly move to Lifia’s side.
The swarm of fish is undulating through the water, tightening their encirclement.
”Mooluumve… Tempest!”
Lifia chants loudly.
In that moment, a fierce storm whirls around us.
Ignoring the water pressure, the whirlwind slices through the water, expanding outwards.
The school of fish is engulfed by the storm’s blades.
Countless individuals are tossed and turned by the wind, losing strength and getting swept up.
The swarm that was pressing in like a wave is now scattered like leaves in a storm.
”…impressive”
Kéa lets out a sound of awe.
After the storm swept through, the fish population was greatly reduced.
As expected of a level 6 Spirit Magic.
But still, it’s not enough to take them all out.
There are still countless numbers left, but it seems they’ve lost their will to fight.
The scattered individuals are regrouping but also moving away.
”Should we chase them down?”
Kéa asks, sword at the ready, but I shake my head.
”Nah, it’s no use. In the water, they’re faster than us.”
No matter how much we run, we can’t catch up to their swimming speed in this environment.
”Huh?”
Kéa seems to notice something.
”What’s wrong?”
”I think I saw a flash of a red fish in the group that’s escaping.”
A red fish?
All the little fish I saw were normal colors, with black backs and silver bellies.
Is it a special individual, or some unrelated monster?
No idea.
Either way, it’s way off in the distance now.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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