Ch.127Beings of the Deep Sea (1)

“Eek?!”

Currently, I’m in the forest near the beach looking for food.

Adhigh Orr is lying unconscious in the nest, with Sky Mother watching over him.

I should have left the hunting to Sky Mother, but I couldn’t bear to sit still because I was too anxious.

The more I think about what happened to Adhigh and No. 26, the more my anxiety grows.

What does it mean that only Adhigh returned?

Could No. 26 already be…

Squish.

‘Oh no.’

I spread my fingers. I had accidentally squeezed too hard, turning the Wood Devil into complete mush.

Adhigh won’t be able to eat this.

‘…I need to stay calm.’

Nothing is certain yet. This nervousness isn’t like me.

I discarded the Wood Devil that now resembled a crushed dumpling and went looking for other prey, all while thinking about what situation No. 26 and Adhigh might have encountered.

‘There are two possible scenarios.’

The first hypothesis is that remnants of the Humanity Cartel attacked them.

According to the data stored in the cruiser, there are no camps set up near the sea or on the islands around the continent, but I can’t be certain. The camps from inland might have relocated after my attack.

What’s puzzling is whether they could actually capture No. 26 at sea.

Though not fully grown, No. 26 is a Sea Demon. Unless it was Muriel, it would be nearly impossible for mere remnants to capture him.

It makes no sense that No. 26 would be captured while Adhigh, who can only survive on land, managed to escape.

‘The other hypothesis is an attack by beings unknown to me.’

It’s just a game reference, but PH-101 is classified as a high-difficulty planet due to dangerous environmental conditions, fierce predators, and natives hostile to outsiders.

I frequently visited this planet to collect rare genetic essences. As a result, I know which regions are dangerous and which creatures to be wary of.

But that’s all in-game knowledge.

There might be danger factors on this planet that I’m unaware of.

Later, I gathered various types of food and returned to the nest. Sky Mother was following my instructions, watching for any enemies that might be following Adhigh.

I approached the amber eyes glinting in the darkness and asked:

[Zz Zzzz (Any other enemies?)]

“No one following. No other movements in the water either.”

The auxiliary organs under my jaw agreed.

I looked at the unconscious Adhigh.

Besides his wounds, his once plump tail had lost considerable weight. The membrane of his wings showed signs of tearing in several places, and the area where his back connected to his wings was severely swollen.

Judging by the terrible state of his wings, he must have been flying for more than just a day or two.

[Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zz (Are there any dangerous creatures in this area?)]

“Dangerous creatures? There are plenty stronger than a Green Gallergorn.”

[Zzzzzz Zz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz Zzz (Besides Gallergorn, are there beings that could threaten a Sea Demon?)]

“Sea Demon? Wait, did you say Sea Demon? Don’t tell me your companion isn’t just one creature?”

[Zz (That’s right)]

The Griffon’s gaze wavered at my words.

Honestly, her reaction irritated me greatly in this situation, but I managed to hold back. Taking my frustration out on her would only make things worse.

Still, being perceptive, she quickly sensed that I was in a very bad mood.

The Griffon hastily answered:

“There’s an archipelago where Fishrians live if you go out to sea…”

[Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzz Zzzzzz (Fishrians? Fishrians live here?)]

Fishrians are fish-people who primarily inhabit ocean planets.

Their appearance is close to what we typically imagine as merfolk—men with fish heads or women with fish lower bodies, their entire bodies covered in fish scales.

What’s peculiar is that Fishrians have very strong cultist tendencies, as they were modeled after the evil god worshippers from classic horror novels.

‘Fishrians worship powerful marine creatures like Sea Demons.’

Since boss-level marine creatures like Sea Demons inhabit ocean planets, Fishrians also primarily live on ocean planets.

[Zz Zzzzzz Zzzz Zzzzzz Zz (Are there boss-level creatures in the seas here too?)]

“I’ve never seen one myself, but there’s a legend among the Volfs. They say a devil that devours gods lives in the sea.”

There’s only one thing that comes to mind when thinking of a sea devil.

‘There’s a Sea Demon in the deep sea.’

For a moment, I wondered if No. 26 and Adhigh had encountered a Sea Demon, but I shook my head.

If they had fought a Sea Demon, they wouldn’t have escaped with just these injuries. Considering its size, a small creature like Adhigh would be torn to pieces immediately upon contact with its serrated tentacles.

I examined Adhigh’s wounds again.

‘These wounds weren’t inflicted by a Sea Demon.’

Though they’ve started healing and look different from when I first saw them, these marks were clearly stab and slash wounds. Sea Demons don’t use trivial weapons like plasma weapons or blades.

These wounds were inflicted by others.

‘Fishrians don’t use firearms.’

For religious reasons, they adhere to primitive lifestyles and don’t use futuristic firearms like laser guns. At most, they might use conventional weapons utilizing gunpowder.

[Zzzz Zzzzzzzz Zz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz (These marks look like they were caused by Fishrian harpoons, what do you think?)]

“Let me see.”

Sky Mother’s keen gaze scanned over Adhigh’s wounds.

She nodded and shared her thoughts:

“You’re right. This part and here, the spiral-shaped torn wounds, are from Fishrian harpoons.”

The Griffon then extended her front paw to point at other wounded areas.

“But this part wasn’t made by harpoons. It looks like burns from laser weapons or plasma weapons.”

I think so too.

The injuries Adhigh sustained couldn’t have been made by weapons possessed by Fishrians.

‘Humans are working with the Fishrians.’

Fishrians are extremely hostile to outsiders.

Especially when they see humans, they always try to offer them as sacrifices to the marine creatures they worship. Unlike carnivorous animals that hunt because they’re hungry, they’re a race that actively attacks humans to offer them as sacrifices.

For some reason, those creatures are now cooperating with humans.

As I was thinking about the cause, Adhigh suddenly opened his eyes.

His oval eyes, resembling amethyst, darted around anxiously before meeting mine, immediately brightening.

“Elder!” “Happy!”

Despite the pain, energetic thought waves vibrated the tips of the monster’s tentacles. I gently stroked him with my combat arm.

[Zzzz Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzz (Tell me what happened)]

“Elder” “I” “Sorry”

[Zzzz (It’s okay)]

Adhigh trembled, but as I gently stroked him, he gradually regained his composure.

“……”

I could feel Sky Mother’s perplexed gaze from behind, but I ignored it.

“Little Elder” “Big trouble” “Dwarves” “Fish” “Little Elder” “Attack”

[Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz Zz Zzzzzzzzz (Humans and Fishrians attacked together?)]

“Fish” “God” “Dying” “Replacement” “Needed” “Dwarves” “God” “Learning” “Two” “Cooperation”

Adhigh’s speech consists of words or concepts, making many parts difficult to understand.

Still, I could roughly grasp what he meant.

‘The god probably refers to a Sea Demon, and the Fishrians are looking for a new Sea Demon because their god is dying.’

But as far as I know, Fishrians revere Sea Demons. They’re so extreme in their faith that they would give up their lives if their worshipped being died.

Such beings seeking a new god because their existing one is dying?

The possibility of normal Fishrians coming up with such an idea is very low.

This is where the beings Adhigh calls dwarves—humans—intervened.

‘The humans who came here must be researchers studying Sea Demons.’

They probably persuaded the Fishrians for smooth research, using the pretext of creating a new Sea Demon for them.

‘Then there must be a research facility near the archipelago where the Fishrian group is located.’

Whether it’s on land or in the deep sea.

Even as I was thinking, Adhigh’s thought waves continued:

“Dwarves” “Little Elder” “Me” “Attack” “Capture” “Little Elder” “Me” “Release” “Me” “Alone” “Escape”

‘So they were both captured while fighting, but No. 26 somehow managed to free only Adhigh.’

And Adhigh got injured like this while escaping from the attacks of Fishrians and humans.

“I” “Sad” “Sad” “Sad”

[Zzzz Zzzz Zzzz Zzzz (It’s okay. Eat this and rest)]

“I” “Wrong” “I” “Should be scolded” “Meal” “Impossible”

[Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzzzz (You need to eat quickly and recover so we can go rescue him)]

I comforted the self-blaming Adhigh and handed him the food I had caught. He didn’t want to eat, but when I kept insisting, he reluctantly extended his tentacles.

Seeing that he had started eating, I slowly got up.

Adhigh feels guilty about leaving No. 26 behind. Thinking he might not eat properly with me around, I moved a bit away from the nest.

‘At least it’s fortunate that No. 26 is probably not dead.’

Given that they captured No. 26 as a prisoner, the military power possessed by the humans at the research facility is not to be taken lightly.

They’ve likely already surpassed the level of pirate remnants and possess military power equivalent to the elite forces of Megacorp Prime Capital family.

‘House Egerton or House Zhao?’

I’ve already clashed with Egerton in the space city, and House Zhao has been a persistent nuisance in the game.

Add to that the barbaric Fishrian groups.

In truth, neither Prime Capital nor Fishrians are difficult opponents for me as a Subadult. The problem arises if the research facility is located in the deep sea.

With Sea Demons present, there’s no reason other threatening marine creatures wouldn’t exist. Of the traits I currently possess, not many are effective in underwater combat.

‘It won’t be easy if a fight breaks out.’

The difficulty of the battle will largely depend on the condition of No. 26, who excels in underwater combat. If No. 26 is severely injured, the difficulty will increase dramatically as I’ll have to protect him while fighting.

As I was looking at the black sea, thinking about how to rescue No. 26, Sky Mother approached.

“So it was true. The talk about having a friend. I thought it was an unpleasant joke.”

[Zzzzzzz Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzzzz (I’m not in a good mood, so don’t bother me)]

Despite my growl, she sat down next to me, unconcerned. Her amber eyes, like mine, gazed at the distant black horizon.

“If you’ll allow me, I’d like to help.”

[Zz Zzzzzz Zz (You want to help me? Why?)]

“Because I know the pain of losing family.”

She spoke casually, as if it were nothing significant. But unlike her tone, the emotion contained within was not small.

‘Sky Mother wants to help, huh.’

She’s strong in land combat, but I’m not sure about underwater.

Unless her transformation form is related to aquatic creatures, she’s a Griffon.

The higher the level of Incarnate, the more they can change their bodies to fight in various environments, but it’s still difficult to deviate from the basic transformation form. In shallow water, her combat power might not decrease significantly, but the deep sea is a different story.

‘No, the situation isn’t good, so I should use everything available.’

In the game, when fighting oceanic bosses like Sea Demons, I usually lure them to land to fight.

While an AMorph Subadult might find it difficult to fight underwater, swimming isn’t particularly slow. Even if I encounter dangerous creatures, I just need to somehow get No. 26 up to the island. Then I can fight with Adhigh and Sky Mother.

[Zzzzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzzzz (We’ll depart once Adhigh regains his strength)]

“Adhigh, is it? Then what about that Sea Demon? What’s his name?”

[Zzz (No. 26)]

“…Typical AMorph naming.”

The Griffon shook her head.

Ignoring her reaction, I continued to ponder ways to rescue No. 26.

These thoughts persisted until Adhigh, having devoured all the food, regained his strength.

–

“Team Leader Run! The communication has finally been restored!”

“Really? Why so suddenly?”

“I don’t know! Checking the FTL communication network, it seems a military satellite from House Garmelda has been deployed nearby.”

“Oh, that’s great news! I thought we’d be stuck here for a few more years!”

A Megacorp research facility located in the deep sea of PH-101.

This facility was established half a year ago by researchers dispatched by House Zhao of Prime Capital.

Originally, this place was designated as a sacred site by the Cult, so not just anyone could enter. But House Zhao detected that the surveillance network periodically became lax at certain times.

Wei Zhao, the head of House Zhao, knew through spies infiltrated into Cult society that all kinds of rare creatures inhabit this planet. Judging it a good opportunity, he secretly dispatched researchers.

Their goal was to study the ecology of dangerous deep-sea predators and collect their genes. Since the facility was built at the bottom of the deep sea, their location remained undetected even after the planet’s surveillance network was restored.

Normally, they would research in the deep-sea facility and, taking advantage of periods when the surveillance network weakened, procure necessary food and supplies from the island.

But recently, the surveillance network stopped deactivating, and a massive spaceship was even shot down by a Cult cruiser.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, they tried to send a communication to House Zhao, but all communication networks were already blocked.

They were stranded in the middle of the deep sea on this dangerous planet.

“The Fishrians’ attitude has been getting worse, and I was terrified every time we went up, so this is good news.”

“I know, right? If we had stayed a few more days, those fish guys would have tried to offer us as sacrifices.”

“Team Leader, the family will be surprised when they hear we’ve captured a mutant Sea Demon, right?”

“Surprised is an understatement. You all were Third Capital, right? When I get back, I’ll make sure everyone here gets promoted to Prime Capital.”

“Oh!”

“Thank you!”

“When the rescue team arrives from the family, we’ll go after that escaped Gallergorn too, right?”

“Of course, that goes without saying. By the way, who would have thought a Gallergorn would inhabit a planet like this? The academic world will be completely turned upside down.”

The researchers chatted amicably as they walked down the corridor.

Not far from them was a special prison.

Made of Black Silver alloy, it prevents the use of psychic power inside.

In the cold, hard prison, a pink balloon-like creature lay limp.

“■■■■….”

The creature continuously emitted incomprehensible wavelengths, but none of the researchers were aware of this fact.