Chapter 136: Underwater ruins (2)

The brilliant sunlight pouring from the sky was fragmented by the rippling waves.

As I swam toward the dazzling coral reef, schools of hidden fish scattered in all directions.

At that moment, a splash of white foam signaled the arrival of Su and Shu, who had just dived into the sea.

Perhaps it was their first time truly witnessing an underwater world—the two of them froze in place, silently taking in the scenery.

Burble—!

Naturally, no voice could be heard underwater. Shu quickly realized this through experience and covered his mouth, having just exhaled a mouthful of bubbles.

It was a comical sight. With a faint smile, I turned my body away.

The underwater view was certainly beautiful, but we couldn’t spend all day just admiring the scenery—we weren’t here for sightseeing, after all.

I began descending toward the seafloor beneath the coral reef.

I swam around underwater, scanning the seafloor. Pulling out the Ice Dragon Sword, I stirred through the cloudy sand here and there.

Occasionally, I’d uncover what appeared to be remnants of ruins.

This time, I found a half-broken sword, rusted and covered in barnacle-like growths. It was in no condition to be considered usable.

Still, I brought the rusted blade with me as I rose to the surface.

Whenever we discovered something underwater, we surfaced and tossed it onto the shore.

It was a process we’d repeated several times now. As I emerged and hurled the sword onto the sand, I noticed that Su, Shu, and the three divers had already begun piling up their finds near the beach.

Sitting among the mountain of junk was Bluemet, poring over the objects we had retrieved.

With a notebook, a quill, and a thick dictionary in hand, he seemed to be deciphering the faded inscriptions on the items.

Time flew quickly. By the time the sun disappeared and moonlight took its place, the day’s underwater expedition finally came to an end.

“Great job, everyone! Let’s call it a day!”

Bluemet greeted the returning group warmly.

Su, Shu, and the divers all sighed as they looked at the growing pile of junk. Though they’d uncovered many items, most of it was just useless debris.

After dinner, everyone was free to do as they pleased. The divers gathered for drinks, while Su and Shu headed to the beach to train with their swords.

Normally, I would’ve supervised their training, but tonight was different. I wanted to see what the ocean looked like beneath the cover of darkness.

Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to see a thing in the pitch-black water—but I wasn’t ordinary.

My eyes, more akin to a dragon’s than a human’s, could see clearly even without light.

After checking that no one was nearby, I quietly slipped into the sea.

A splash followed as my small frame plunged into the water, and a flurry of white foam tickled my face.

Now veiled in darkness, the ocean carried a different charm than it did during the day.

The soft moonlight couldn’t reach the deep ocean floor, scattering faintly like drifting waves.

Just as monsters dwelled on land, the sea had its own. And apparently, they were nocturnal.

Creatures I hadn’t seen during the day now roamed near the island.

The first thing I spotted was a giant snake-like creature. Easily over ten meters long, it locked eyes with me—then immediately turned and fled.

The same thing happened with every other monster I encountered.

Once-bold creatures swimming confidently through the depths turned tail and ran the moment they saw me—as if they’d laid eyes on something terrifying.

It was a bit disappointing, really.

I pushed past the area we’d searched earlier, swimming further.

Following the coral reef spread wide beneath the island, I eventually arrived at the edge of a cliff.

Peering cautiously over the edge into the inky abyss, I noticed a faint, flickering shadow far below.

Since no one else was around, I took off my pants and tied them around my waist before gathering mana into my body.

A rapidly spinning circle dispersed mana throughout me, initiating my transformation.

Sharp claws and fangs emerged, red scales and horns followed, and finally, a long tail grew from my back.

All of my senses heightened. I could now feel even the slightest tremors in the water—every living creature’s movement resonated through the waves.

It was like having an extra eye.

The large dragon tail made swimming much easier. I writhed and twisted, using it like a fin.

Descending deeper past bizarre fish and strange sea creatures, I soon discovered a partially buried structure nestled at the base of the cliff.

I reached out and brushed away the fine sand covering its surface, revealing faded letters. From the looks of it, only a small part of the structure was exposed.

I grasped a protruding edge and gave it a strong tug.

Grkkk—!

There was definitely something attached beneath it. I twisted my tail harder and yanked the structure upward with even more strength.

Then it happened. With a spine-chilling crack, a piece of the structure broke off in my hands, and the recoil sent me spinning through the water.

I stared at the broken fragment. It bore a fresh claw mark—undoubtedly recent. I tossed the piece aside and gripped the next exposed section with both hands.

This time, I widened my grip and firmly dug my claws in. Then, with another powerful motion, I pulled upward again.

Whoosh—!

My dragon tail whipped violently. As it stirred a powerful current, a deep rumbling noise echoed from below.

Crash!

A cloud of murky sediment exploded upward, and I was thrown back again. Even with excellent night vision, I couldn’t see a thing in the muddy water.

I had to wait for the cloud to settle.

Eventually, the water cleared. As visibility returned, I spotted a staircase descending into the abyss.

It must’ve been the entrance I just opened.

Tossing aside the debris in my hands, I swam toward the stairs.

The building’s interior had been completely flooded, and the corridor I entered was flipped upside down. I had to swim through it like a narrow water tunnel.

There weren’t any treasures to be found inside. The furniture and books had long rotted away, and even the ornamental weapons had rusted to the point of crumbling at the touch.

The only salvageable items were a few gold coins scattered around and a single, pristine white plate.

While collecting these, I discovered a heavily rusted patch on the wall. When I touched it, a chunk of iron fell away.

Behind it sat a small wooden box. Despite the years that had passed, it hadn’t rotted at all. Unlike everything else I’d found, this box had traces of magic.

This was it. I hugged the wooden box close and began using Blink.

Pop—!

Pop—!

Pop—!

My surroundings changed rapidly in succession, as I used Blink repeatedly until I reached the surface.

Despite having stirred up the ocean floor, the base camp remained quiet. I recalled the mana from my body and returned to my original form, then slipped my pants back on.

I didn’t take the wooden box to Bluemet. He had said the exploration was over for the day, and since I found this during personal time, it was mine to keep.

I snuck into the forest and carefully opened the wooden box. Inside was a silver bracelet.

It wasn’t just any bracelet. Magic flowed along the engraved runes on the inside—it was an artifact.

Normally, only the creator of an artifact could determine its effect, but rules didn’t apply to me. With my dragon eyes, I could read the flow of mana itself.

Focusing mana into my vision, my surroundings blurred as the flow revealed itself.

An image formed in my mind—a mage wearing the bracelet shrank in size, becoming no taller than a child.

That was the bracelet’s sole effect. Not a combat spell, nor a defense mechanism. Just size reduction.

I frowned. What kind of mage would bother making a spell like this?

It wasn’t rejuvenation—just shrinking. Completely useless to me.

I sighed and shook my head.

But then, a thought struck me.

Nightmare.

My lifelong companion, often misunderstood due to his massive size.

If Nightmare could use this bracelet… our travels would become much easier.

I jumped to my feet and sprinted toward where Nightmare lay sleeping.

Whuf-fuff— Whuf-fuff—

He was snoring peacefully on the blanket I’d laid out. As I approached, one eye peeked open, and his tail gave a little wag.

I frowned as I looked down at him. There wasn’t really a good place to put the bracelet. His legs were too thick, and his tail too loose.

Only one spot remained.

I slipped the bracelet over one of his tall horns.

Whuf?

He tilted his head, trying to glimpse the top of his own forehead. I placed my hands on my hips and smiled.

“You can control your mana, right? Try focusing it on your horn.”

As if he understood, Nightmare nodded. At that moment, the bracelet on his horn flashed with a faint light.

“Oh…”

Whinny—!

Nightmare shrank—to the size of a small puppy.

Now barking and yipping joyfully, he pranced around my feet.