Ch.260

The Merfolk had a special ability.

“Have you ever seen that corrupted abyss?”

“I haven’t seen it. But I know where it is. I can find that dense aura of darkness.”

“Find it… how?”

Areas with concentrated chaotic energy can be sensed just by approaching them.

Especially for me, when I enter an area with dense chaotic energy, it’s revealed as a sub-quest like a dungeon, so I had a way to identify them faster than anyone else.

But here in the Abyssal Sea, that’s not so easy.

This was similar to the difficulty I had in the Ore Vein Mountains—when a biome is vast, even if you can move around using leaps for instant teleportation, there are so many places to check that it’s not easy to enter zones where dense chaotic energy is concentrated.

Moreover, if you skip around too widely, you might completely miss areas, so you need to maintain an appropriate distance while exploring.

That’s why it took quite a long time to explore the Ore Vein Mountains, but this sea is several times larger in searchable area when you consider the depth as well.

So I couldn’t help but be interested in what the Merfolk chieftain was saying.

I wondered if they had some special search method.

“We can use ultrasonic waves to detect distant life forms or entities. Not only deep-sea creatures but also powerful energies come within our detection range. It’s quite far, but we’ve succeeded in finding the source of that energy.”

“Oh.”

It makes sense. A half-human race living in these deep seas among creatures like deep-sea scavengers would need some special ability to survive.

Sure, having overwhelming strength would work too, but the fact that they’ve survived and endured against deep-sea monsters dozens of times their size until now means they must have something beyond mere strength.

That something was the ultrasonic ability the chieftain mentioned.

I suspected it wasn’t just used for detecting and finding enemies but also as a means of attack.

“Then guide me. I’ll clean things up neatly.”

“Before that, there’s something we need to confirm.”

“What is it?”

The chieftain, who had been cooperative until now, looked at me with suspicious eyes and said:

“Whether you’re a human worthy of trust.”

“…Why suddenly? It’s confusing when you give me a quest and then act like this.”

“I only spoke with you because you’re a human who made it this far. But we need to test whether you’re someone we can entrust our tribe’s future to.”

Seeing his resolute expression, I stood up.

“Let’s do it. Let’s get this over with quickly. I’m busy.”

This too is part of the sub-quest.

A process to gain trust.

Trust doesn’t necessarily have to be built on faith alone.

Overwhelming power.

Well, if it weren’t a sub-quest, I would have shown that power anyway.

When I left the chieftain’s house, numerous Merfolk were waiting outside.

The one I had brought along was definitely female and young, so she was smaller, while many of the male Merfolk were quite large.

Perhaps it’s the same for Merfolk as for humans—men fight battles while women stay inside for reproduction and household duties—or maybe they’ve evolved even more in that direction.

One of the many male Merfolk stepped forward.

Over 2 meters tall with a muscular, imposing body.

Unlike the slender, soft tail I had touched earlier, his was rough and thick, giving the impression of a gym rat.

His swimming seemed like it would be powerful and swift.

“I will test you.”

The Merfolk male stepped forward with strong determination.

Holding a trident, he seemed ready to charge at me at any moment, with a sneer on his lips that showed considerable contempt for me.

It was understandable.

“You’re so skinny, like a woman! Hahaha!”

Whether human or Merfolk, their roles seem similar, so the things they say sound familiar too.

I didn’t respond.

A test of strength.

Duels aren’t fought with words.

I summoned a Gear Sword and grasped it.

Though the Gear Sword, modeled after the Light Magic Sword, looked insignificant compared to his long trident.

“Hahaha! With such a small sword, you can’t harm my body…!”

As I swung the sword, the fin at the end of the Merfolk’s tail, 20 meters away, was sliced off.

“…Aaaaargh!”

The tail and the fin attached to its end play a crucial role in allowing merfolk to move freely underwater.

What happens when that fin is cut off?

“I wonder. What happens when a merperson’s tail is cut?”

Of course, I wasn’t really curious.

Who would cut off a fish’s fin just out of curiosity?

I was simply attacking a vital point.

I could have easily cut his neck, but killing him too quickly wouldn’t instill enough fear of me.

It would only build up anger.

“You… bastard!!!”

He swam rapidly toward me.

Even with the tip of his fin cut off, his tail could still push against the water quickly and powerfully.

His large body and tail definitely gave him good propulsion.

Blood streamed from the cut, trailing in the seawater, but he charged at me seeking revenge despite the pain.

I didn’t dodge the incoming trident.

Instead, I swung my sword again to cut the approaching Merfolk.

“Aaaaargh!”

The Merfolk reached me quickly but couldn’t thrust his trident.

His right arm holding the trident had been severed.

Yet, proving his confidence wasn’t just bluster, he tried to attack me with his remaining left arm, showing the spirit of a true warrior fighting for his people despite the pain.

His fist connected with my face but didn’t do much damage.

It didn’t hurt much anyway.

With SSS-rank vitality and SSS+ rank defense ability, I probably wouldn’t have been penetrated even by a native of a level 7 biome.

Nevertheless, seeing me unaffected by an attack from someone in such a battered state, terror filled the eyes of the many watching Merfolk.

This is why I accepted the test.

It was their chosen path.

The sacred act of dueling follows the rule of survival of the fittest while proceeding by mutual agreement, so no one submits to victory or defeat.

The moment you submit, you betray your beliefs.

Just like how even the Black Monkeys accepted and acknowledged a human leader the moment I defeated their chieftain.

“If you need more testing, you can all come at me together.”

I didn’t kill the Merfolk male.

There was no need to add the extreme terror of death to opponents whose eyes already reflected fear and dread of me.

The moment he died, the other Merfolk would surely develop a sense of rejection beyond their fear of me.

Still, there’s a clear difference between killing someone and maiming them.

Anyway, live. As they say.

Though I wonder what a Merfolk man with severed arms and tail can do in this society, but that’s not my concern.

“That’s enough.”

The chieftain ended the test.

It might seem a bit early, but it appeared sufficient.

“Welcome our guest.”

At the word “guest” from the chieftain’s mouth, the Merfolk bowed their heads, though still fearful.

In these native villages or groups, the chieftain’s authority is absolute.

A single word that makes them acknowledge my existence despite their fear.

I smiled and pointed.

“I’ll take her. We got a bit friendly on the way here.”

“Eek! N-no…”

“Nir. Welcome our guest.”

“Hng…”

Nir. The name of the female Merfolk I first met was Nir.

Nir looked at the chieftain with pitiful eyes, but seeing his firm attitude, she approached me with a pout.

She tried to signal for help to the many watching Merfolk, but they all deliberately avoided her gaze.

Standing before me, Nir spoke hesitantly, unable to meet my eyes.

“I’ll… guide you… this way…”

It wasn’t that she disliked me.

The display of force she had just witnessed reminded her of our first encounter.

She had been so brazen then, even in the face of the Gear Swords I had shown her.

But now, from Nir’s perspective, just one sword had maimed a fairly skilled Merfolk warrior.

She realized I could have killed her, small as she was, at any time.

One wrong move meant death.

I smiled and put my arm on the shoulder of the small-framed Nir.

“Let’s go.”

“Y-yes…”

The now-docile Nir guided me to her home.

“Is this where you live? With you?”

“I’ll… attend to you while you’re here…”

“How will you attend to me?”

“Eek!”

When I gently pulled her closer, she trembled and avoided my gaze.

I brought my face close to her slender neck and asked:

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t let me off? How? Want to fight?”

Seeing Nir respond with a tearful expression, I felt like I’d found a toy to alleviate my boredom until I left the Abyssal Sea.