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Chapter 41: Underwater
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 03:09:26 +0000 UTC“As expected. I can’t fight underwater without being able to breathe in it,” James muttered the next morning as he dived into the lake.
Now that he was comfortable underwater, he could finally admire the scenery. His normal eye was obscured by the water, but his Mana Eyes allowed him to see everything clearly.
The lake was full of life. Corals, weeds, and other aquatic plants were scattered along the lake floor, creating a mystical atmosphere.
Several fish swam around. One resembled a tuna, while another swordfish glided beside it. A real shark lurked nearby as well. However, despite the delicious tuna and swordfish beside it, the shark showed no hostility toward them.
As James locked eyes with the shark, the entire group suddenly turned toward him.
The swordfish lunged first, its snout glowing gold at the tip.
James braced himself, eager to test his new shield.
The instant the sword struck, James felt a sharp prick on his arm—the nerves in his arm were connected to the shield. He was pushed back, but the shield held better than expected.
Since he was accustomed to fighting underwater, he quickly regained his posture as the shark came at him.
James then attempted something crazy.
Using all his strength, he blew fire inside the water.
Steam erupted, engulfing the approaching shark and disorienting it.
James’s sword glowed gold as he lunged.
The tuna swam forward, charging through the steam.
James swung upward, creating a streak of golden light through the water.
Fresh blood poured out from the tuna as it swam away with the shark. Despite its wound, the tuna had higher vitality than the shark. Even with a gash from the longsword, it still moved with ease.
James knew he couldn’t outswim these creatures. He also knew monsters didn’t know the meaning of retreat.
Anticipating another lunge, he scanned his surroundings for the swordfish.
The shield was more helpful than he had thought.
As the swordfish lunged, the rough surface of his shield caught its sword, preventing it from sliding off.
James swung his sword, leaving a small scratch on the swordfish’s blue scales.
The decisive factor came when James cast Mind Flay on the shark, rendering it immobile, before cleaving into it with his axe.
With the shark dead, the tuna was next.
It had fought hard to defend its comrade, but its vitality had limits. Unlike the deer, it lacked regenerative magic.
The agile swordfish was last. By trapping its sword in an ice block, James cut through its flank, finally ending the battle.
Afterward, James hauled the three fish to shore.
Using Chimera wasted too much meat. It was fine for rats, but wasting such high-quality tuna and swordfish felt like a crime.
The new Chimera skill wasn’t completely useless to him, though. It allowed him to extract the claw and leg meat from the crabs with precision.
After three more hours of fish preparation, James wrapped the meat in spider silk and froze it with the rest of his food supply.
“Alright! Time to go to the island. I’ll bet my ass the boss is there. What kind of boss will it be?” James slung his backpack and dived into the lake again. The backpack was bursting at the seams even though James had thrown away all of the organs and even some of the meat.
James wandered for a bit on the lake’s floor, trying to find a chest. However, he found none. So, he continued on to the other beach inside the island.
“Hm… what kind of boss was here? The forest in the middle of a lake seemed out of place.” James muttered while wandering the forest. Suddenly, a pink shadow lashed out from the tree.
“Fuck!” That was all James could say before the pink tentacle got him. The pink tentacle was sticky to the touch. Its feelers gripped James like a vice and sent him flying. Like a speeding car, James flew toward a gaping mouth in the distance.
James lit up his Fire Cloak ability, and the pink flesh that gripped him released its hold all at once. However, the momentum kept him going as James formed an intimate moment with a tree next to the monster.
[Paralysis Poison Nullified]
“What the hell…” James groaned as he braced himself with his shield and axe. Scanning around, he saw the monster fleeing. It was just a glimpse, but the monster looked like an enormous tree frog. James widened his eyes when he saw the frog disappear before his very eyes. When James squinted his eyes, he could vaguely see something moving in the bushes.
“I want that skin,” James muttered as he chased the frog. But the frog was fast, and its camouflage was impressive. James was no environmentalist. Knowing his enemy was hiding inside the forest, he burned down the forest to expose the frog. Like a dragon, he spewed flames left and right and lit the bushes on fire.
Other survivors might have trouble with this frog’s stealthy nature. But not James. James was adaptable. He didn’t wish to be the very best. He wished to survive. He believed the world didn’t care who became number one. They only cared about who was left standing. James saw with his own eyes engineers getting fired left and right even though their GPA was at 3.5.
Smoke rose from the forest as it obscured his vision. Unknown to James, the frog had trouble seeing him too. The flame maniac continued burning down the forest. The frog took a daring leap. If she let this survivor be, not only would she lose her home, but she would also lose her eggs. And so, she braved the fire and thrust her tongue once again.
This method had let her survive these many years. Using her sticky tongue, which could extend more than twenty meters, she often fished for nearby fish in front of the island.
The frog felt a burning pain as her tongue wrapped around the flaming survivor. However, she persisted. She had given up on eating this survivor. All she could do was throw him around, hoping that James would die as he crashed into a nearby rock or tree.
Of course, he didn’t die that easily. James cut off the tongue with his sword once he got used to being thrown around. The frog stared at him from a distance. James gasped for air as he was getting bruised here and there. If there was one thing James had above others now, it was his guts.
The frog tried to run away, attempting to hide and perform another ambush. But James didn’t let it this time. He quickly raised his crossbow and shot at its back. The frog’s stealth wasn’t canceled, but with an arrow sticking out of its back, James knew exactly where it had run off to.
James chased after it. His new legs provided him with incredible strength, and he didn’t tire. As he leaped from one tree to another, he followed the frog’s every movement.
Knowing its days were numbered, the frog turned around, baring its fangs at James as it made a desperate attack with its tongue. The tongue was fast, but since it came from the front, James could see it coming and swiped it away with his sword.
As a golden glow shone from James’ axe, the frog could only pray that he wouldn’t find her eggs. The golden meteor smashed into the frog’s head with a satisfying crunch.
[Congratulations. You have leveled up to level 40! You have obtained 100 coins! A class specialization has opened. Would you like to choose a class?]
James plopped down, ignoring the blue box notifications. His body ached all over. This was the first time he had been hit with a blunt weapon, swung around, and slammed into the ground.
“Never mind about that. Should I buy health potions, or should I buy hematonic potions?” James sighed as dizziness took over. Pain flared up from all over his body as the adrenaline from the battle began to fade.
[For your bruises, concussions, and cracked bones, a hematonic potion would work best. However, you would still need to rest for at least five hours.]
“Then buy it.” James groaned before letting out another curse.
“Novice dungeon, my ass.”
After drinking the pink potion that came inside a black box, James felt his body rejuvenate. The pain faded, and energy surged through him. He sat down with a relieved sigh, knowing the worst had passed.
As proof, a golden portal spawned several meters away, signaling that he had cleared the floor.
“Alright. Let’s take a look at what we have,” James said.
First was his level up. As always, it improved his stats. Since he had magic, it also increased his magic stats.
Next was the frog’s body.
[Would you like to modify your body? Y/N]
[Available body parts:]
Fishing Frog’s Skin (Camouflage) (Negative trait: Magic -10, Mana -100) (Skin Slot)
Fishing Frog’s Legs (High Jump) (Negative trait: DEX -20%) (Leg Slot)
“Huh? I didn’t get its tongue?” James asked as he inspected his Chimera skill.
[Chimera skill couldn’t plunder a damaged body part.]
“Hm… I want this skin, but I still want to keep my fur… Can I install it into an extra slot?”
[We would advise against it. If you want to use the camouflage ability, the skin needs to be on the outer layer. We could layer the skin on top of your fur, but in that case, whenever you activate your Fire Cloak ability, the skin will be damaged.
In the unique case of Survivor James, your golem hand will not be camouflaged, as the Chimera skill cannot place the skin over your golem arm. Moreover, Survivor James would need to be naked for the camouflage to make you invisible. It cannot camouflage your armor or weapons.]
“I see. Then it is useless.” James sighed as he dumped the tree frog’s remains. His arm stuck out like a sore thumb. He wanted to be stealthy and ambush his enemy, but doing it without weapons was pointless.
And so, this was James’ status screen after defeating the tree frog.
James then remembered that the system had mentioned a new function—something about a Class System.
Name: James
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 40
Coins: 390
Stats:
STR: 134 (↑2)
DEX: 128 (↑3)
MAGIC: 83 (↑3)
MANA: 860 (↑20)
Skills:
Novice Axe Mastery Level 4 (Powerstrike, V-slash)
Beginner Sword Mastery Level 7 (Hurricane)
Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1
Magic:
Mind Flay
Mana Sonar
Unique Skill - Chimera Level 2:
Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
Orc’s Left Arm (STR +10%) (Arm Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
Ratking’s Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
SwordShark’s Gills (Water Breathing, Negative Trait: Waterbound Respiration) (Extra Slot 3)
Rock Crab Shell (Physical Resistance +90%) (Extra Slot 4)
Equipment:
Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
War Axe
Longsword
Crossbow
Waterspout Dagger
Mask of Identity
Leather Bag
Sphere of Fethusiane
Cloak of Dark Night
Thompson Center Contender (x3)
Frag Grenade (x1)
