Chapter 95. Starfish
The strange appearance of the shark ended as a mere incident.
The entire exploration team finished their preparations for diving and leapt into the sea.
【Pururu】—Do they all know how to swim?
【Bubble Bubble】—What’s the big deal about swimming? You just move around once you’re in the water.
【Pururu】—?
【Yumi】—Don’t think of Mr. Bubble or the exploration team as the same kind of creatures as us. To us ordinary humans, swimming is kind of a skill, but for them, it’s just a bit of an inconvenient movement, nothing more, nothing less.
【Pururu】—Oh, I see.
【Mysticism】—I wonder if they can even breathe underwater? 🤔
【Rise Nova】—Isn’t that a given?
【Pururu】—It’s not. Damn.
【Yumi】—I think the members of the exploration team can survive without even breathing. They’re all over S-rank, aren’t they?
【Pururu】—You sure like acting like you know everything.
Leading the group were Neo Hyeong-seok and an Iris, guiding the way.
Right behind Neo Hyeong-seok was the Necro Puppet Master, followed by the rest of the exploration team, all in a line.
Naturally, swimming through the water was a simple task for everyone…
“Uh? What the…?”
…or so I thought, but there was one exception.
Not long after diving, the Blood Jellyfish Princess was floundering, unable to descend any deeper into the sea.
─[Piii! Moving is so hard! It’s different from floating in the sky!]
【Mysticism】—😶
【Pururu】—No, out of all of them, you’re the one who really shouldn’t be bad at swimming.
【Yumi】—A jellyfish that can’t swim…?
I never expected the Princess to be unable to swim.
She swam just fine in the pond, after all.
Well, she’s probably not that bad.
She hasn’t had much time since her evolution, so she’s probably just not used to her current body yet.
Unlike Arachne, her entire body composition had changed.
Even though she’s struggling now, I had no doubt that with a little practice, she’d soon be gliding effortlessly through the water.
Of course, I had no intention of waiting for her to get used to it.
That would be a burden on the other monsters.
So I called Arachne through the Iris screen and asked for a favor.
“Hey Kino, can you hear me? Can you support the Princess and help her move?”
─[Got it, Father.]
Arachne spun a thread and snagged the Princess.
The Princess, wrapped tightly in the thick thread, was pulled along by Arachne’s hand.
─[Hehe, this is comfy.]
─[Good grief.]
From that point on, the exploration team’s dive went very smoothly.
They didn’t encounter any monsters.
Nor were there any natural disasters or strange phenomena.
***
The sea was deeper than I had imagined.
It had been two hours since the team dived in, but there was still no sign of the door Neo Hyeong-seok had mentioned.
Even so, the path remained smooth.
Every now and then, they caught glimpses of creatures that seemed to be monsters, but all of them took one look at the exploration team, got startled, and fled in terror.
They were so far away and fled so quickly that it was impossible to properly identify them.
By the way, the Jellyfish Princess had now gotten the hang of swimming.
As expected, she wasn’t a complete novice.
She had just been unfamiliar with her current body.
【Pururu】—When are we going to get there?
【Yumi】—Not today. I told you it might take days. It could even take weeks for a round trip if it takes longer.
【Bubble Bubble】—So, are we going to be stuck underwater for days or even weeks?
【Mysticism】—🤔
【Rise Nova】—Who knows? Neo Hyeong-seok didn’t give us a proper explanation.
With no threats to the exploration team for some time, the tension that had been holding my shoulders stiff began to slowly ease.
Had I worried too much about them?
After staring at the Iris screen for hours without blinking, focusing intensely, my lips were parched, and my throat felt dry.
I had kept my eyes glued to the screen out of concern for the team, even though my posture was comfortable.
“…I should drink something.”
【Pururu】—I’m drinking some plum tea.
I got up from my seat and approached Jafan, pulling out a cola.
[Jafaan! Enjoy it, Dad!]
“Thanks, I will. I’ll drink it well.”
[Yes! I love it when Dad drinks my liquids! It makes me happy just to see it!]
【Pururu】—Hrm…
【Yumi】—Am I the only one who thought something strange just now?
【Pururu】—Yup, probably just you.
I unscrewed the cap and gulped down the cola while looking around at the monsters resting in the hideout.
Next to Iris, who was diligently streaming the screen for the exploration team…
“Catch this!”
[Kyuah!]
“And throw it back!”
[Kyuah!]
…Merino and Melody Fox were playing with a crystal ball provided by Rise.
Further away…
[Hmm, drawing is harder than I thought. But with a little more practice, I think I’ll improve a lot. Though I doubt I can ever draw as well as you, Explorer.]
…was the Centaurides, her drawing skills rapidly improving, perhaps having inherited my mother’s talent.
Nearby…
[Du-doom-ba! Du-du-doom-ba! Shake your hips, everyone!]
…the Hedgehog Summoner was once again lost in her dance, as always.
Then there was…
[Son…]
…Niara Nepensis, who, after being told to keep her distance, was watching me from afar with a longing gaze.
[Sssss…]
…the Black Magma Slime, its body puffed up, serving as a makeshift bed for the other monsters.
On top of it…
[Piiii…]
[Orooro… chirr…]
[I dream of my wish…]
…the Medical Mushroom, Snake Head, and Mummy Skeleton were sound asleep.
“Two plus two is… four…”
[Oh, impressive. Now, what’s one plus one?]
“Two…?”
[Wrong. It’s a window. Gauntlet says it’s a window.]
…Azeras and the Anubis Dragon were studying math together.
‘They’re all resting well.’
Everyone was enjoying their break in their own way.
Satisfied, I took one more look at the monsters and returned to my seat.
And at that moment…
─[What are these sharks?]
─[They’re all dead…]
The voices of Ignis and Lilith, the former God of Destruction and Fallen God, echoed through Iris.
What was going on?
When I checked the screen, I was greeted by the sight of countless dead sharks floating around.
【Pururu】—What the hell is that? Creepy.
【Mysticism】—🤢
【Yumi】—It’s like a swarm of insects wiped out by pesticide.
【Bubble Bubble】—That must be the creatures summoned by that monster earlier, the one called Sharklord.
【Rise Nova】—Their faces do look similar.
─[Piii! Time to drink some blood… huh? There’s no blood!]
The Jellyfish Princess, who had quickly approached one of the shark corpses, widened her eyes in surprise.
The water around the shark bodies was crystal clear, with not a single drop of blood.
Perhaps they weren’t ordinary creatures, but more like spirits.
As tiny bubbles rose from the motionless sharks’ bodies, they melted away like ice, becoming one with the seawater.
As the shark corpses dissolved…
─[Yoih…]
…a monster hidden beneath them was revealed.
【Pururu】—Huh? That’s the shark from earlier.
It was the Sharklord, the same monster that had fled from the exploration team on the beach earlier.
I wasn’t sure if it was the same individual.
The Sharklord, now barely alive, floated helplessly, letting out agonized groans.
Suddenly, a massive entity appeared, swallowing the Sharklord whole in a single bite.
Crunch!
The sound of bones being crushed echoed through the sea.
─[Burugar. Burugar.]
With the arrival of the new monster, the surrounding seawater transformed into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors.
【Mysticism】—😮 The ocean suddenly became so colorful!
【Bubble Bubble】—It must have been hiding using a transparency ability.
【Pururu】—It’s huge.
【Yumi】—I guess the shark humanoid was killed by that monster.
It was a starfish-like monster, glowing in a variety of colors.
Its real danger level: S-rank.
Nerfed danger level: B-rank.
The size of just one of its teeth was larger than the entire exploration team combined.
Its name: Colorful Starfish…
No.
Since the name overlapped a bit with Jellyfish, I decided to name it *Colorful Seastar*.
【Rise Nova】—It’s smaller than the Solorb in the desert, but still, it’s massive.
【Pururu】—Don’t tell me this one’s been nerfed too?
【Yumi】—Who knows? Maybe it has.
【Pururu】—If this is the nerfed version, how big would the original be? Damn.
【Yumi】—Of course, it’s possible this is its original size. Not all monsters are nerfed, as Ms. Mysti mentioned.
【Mysticism】—😉 The Hedgehog wasn’t nerfed at all!
─[Burugar, burugarrr.]
Unlike the monsters we had encountered so far, the Seastar didn’t seem at all interested in fleeing from the exploration team.
It showed no signs of fear.
In fact, it seemed brimming with confidence.
Was there something it was relying on?
There was no way the team would lose to it, but still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Hey guys, be careful. It’s weaker than you, but it might be hiding a trump card like the Curse Devil Gentleman did.”
─[Got it, Dad!]
─[Understood.]
The Jellyfish Princess and the Puppet Master responded.
Arachne scratched her head, looking troubled.
─[Father, I was going to do that, but… she’s already charged ahead.]
Arachne pointed below with her finger.
Iris immediately pointed her camera in that direction.
─[Daaoooong!!!]
【Pururu】—What the hell is this sudden charge?
【Bubble Bubble】—Maybe she likes starfish?
Bastet Daong was rushing toward the Colorful Seastar.
─[The friends in Solorb are disappointed that I haven’t shown my strength! If I don’t make a move soon, my position might be replaced! I have to prove myself before someone else takes over!]
【Mysticism】—🤔
Bastet’s eyes flashed like lightning.
At that moment, her speed began to increase, and soon…
*Pang!*
Her body transformed into light, vanishing with a shockwave.
*Shwooong!*
A sharp sound reverberated through the deep sea, and her supersonic movement barely registered on the screen, leaving only afterimages of light.
Then,
─[Daaoooong!!!]
Like a meteor streaking across the cosmos,
Bastet’s body, transformed into a flash of light, repeatedly pierced the massive body of the Colorful Seastar from all directions in a relentless barrage.
In just a few seconds, the colossal Seastar, unable to even counterattack, was riddled with holes throughout its majestic body.
─[Buru, garrr…]
The massive body of the Colorful Seastar, now resembling a honeycomb, drooped lifelessly.
In the brief silence that followed,
Bastet Daong returned to her original form, striking a silly pose with a bright smile on her face, clearly pleased with herself.
─[I did it! Did you all see that? Remember, if anyone tries to take my spot, they’ll end up like that!]
【Bubble Bubble】—Impressive.
【Rise Nova】—To defeat such a gigantic starfish in just a few seconds, that’s remarkable.
【Yumi】—Bastet is incredibly strong, isn’t she?
【Pururu】—Oh, right. I forgot that furball was SS-rank. Totally slipped my mind.
【Mysticism】—🤭
The battle ended with Bastet Daong’s victory.
The Colorful Seastar had been so overconfident that I had worried it might have a hidden trump card, but it turned out to be just plain arrogant.
Or maybe it had been taken out so fast that it didn’t even get the chance to use its trump card.
With the battle over,
I was about to open my notebook when the Centaurides hurried over, carrying her own notebook.
[Explorer! This time, please let me draw! Let me do it!]
【Mysticism】—🧐 Is Centaurides good at drawing?
【Pururu】—I caught a glimpse of her practicing earlier. She’s pretty good. Seems like she’s got talent.
Although I wanted to draw it myself,
I decided to let her take over this time.
The Centaurides had been diligently practicing drawing during her free time just to participate in the Monster Guidebook project.
—
■Colorful Seastar
─Real Danger Level: S-rank.
─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: B-rank.
─Abilities: Transparency.