I dashed toward the wall.
My hand pressed against the crystal that shone the brightest.
Safi, the dwarf blacksmith, once told me something important —that even spirits have personalities. Some are strong, some are timid. Some like humans and others don’t. There are all kinds, and that’s why I have to be careful when choosing which spirit to house in my short sword or a gauntlet.
“Wake up!”
I didn’t know what kind of spirit slept within this crystal. But when I reached out with my skill, the light I felt from it was the strongest of all —as if it was telling me, “I’m here!”
Blue light scattered like petals in the wind.
From within the crystal, a spirit burst forth.
『An Undine huh. It’s a water spirit.』
Loki’s voice came from the gold coin.
Resting lightly in my palm, the spirit shimmered faintly and the word “mermaid” drifted into my mind. Her body was as clear as flowing water. Her upper half took the form of a woman while her lower body is that of a fish, with a crescent-shaped fin swaying gently.
『Rion, it’s about time, isn’t it? Let me grant you a new power, something that is perfectly suited to who you are now.』
Loki’s voice deepened, carrying a strange warmth.
A faint, purple glow began to bloom in my chest.
| Skill 『God of Mischief’s Divine Protection』 has been activated. Achievement unlocked. A new ability has been bestowed. |
A surge of light cascaded through me, and before I could even comprehend it, another wave of power descended — a gift from Loki himself.
| Skill 『God of Mischief’s Divine Protection』 has been used. 【Friend of Spirits】…… the one who draws forth the power of spirits. |
The words echoed in my mind like an oracle, each syllable resonating with the hum of the Undine’s presence. A soft, ethereal breeze rippled around me —not air, but mana— the gentle breath of countless unseen spirits answering my call.
A voice echoed in my head—familiar, teasing, and just a little exasperated.
Right… now that I thought about it, ever since this new journey began, the wind spirit—Sylph—and the fire spirit—Salamander—had been unusually responsive to me. Even that violet light burning faintly in my chest had flared up during the battle with the river pirates a few days ago.
The god who had granted me his power spoke again, his tone one of weary relief.
『Honestly, you really make me nervous, you know? Your magical aptitude is so low that your skills took forever to awaken.』
“Ha-haha… sorry about that….”
A stiff smile tugged at my mouth.
So the ability that had been on the verge of awakening all this time had finally blossomed—thanks to forming a bond with the water spirit.
“Alright!”
I slapped my cheeks. Resolve surge through me like a spark. This wasn’t the time to hesitate.
I sprinted toward the waterway where the overseer had vanished, and shouted—
“Please, Undine. Take me in the water…!”
Undine smiled softly.
Water came rushing in all at once from the surrounding waterfalls and canals. It engulfed me in an instant.
“Wah!?”
『Rion!?』
Solana and Mia-san cried out, their voices muffled by the rushing water.
But—strangely enough—I could still breathe. The water didn’t crush me or fill my lungs. Instead, it wrapped around me gently, forming a barrier. And inside that barrier… there was air.
“Wan!”
Sylph’s voice rang out from the blue crystal dagger.
So that’s it—the water sealed itself around me, and the air remained within. I was floating inside a massive, glimmering bubble.
Loki’s amused voice came from the gold coin,
『Remember the skill’s description?” It said ‘the spirits’, right? Meaning—』
“You mean… it’s not just one spirit’s power?”
A faint crackle sounded in the coin. Loki seemed to clap his hands. I could almost picture his smug and delighted look, as if saying, “Bingo!”.
『That’s right! I can combine the powers of multiple spirits. It’s like the spirit equivalent of ‘duplicity’.』
I turned my attention to the waterway where the overseer had disappeared.
“I’m going!”
Water or wind — I couldn’t tell which power was carrying me now.
The bubble that held me leapt into the air before plunging straight into the waterway below, scattering a burst of spray that must’ve reached the ceiling. The channel was at least five meters deep. Even a seasoned adventurer would be in trouble if dragged down here.
I tightened my grip around the coin in my pocket, feeling the faint warmth of divinity through the coin. I had to be ready to call upon my god at a moment’s notice.
| Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Hunting 』was used. 【Wild Heart】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Detection. With magical power consumption, effects can be further increased. |
Through the haze of magic, red lights flickered to life before my eyes. Judging by their distance and number, they had to be the sahagin who’d taken the slave traders.
Still wrapped in my protective bubble, I glided silently through the dark water. The world was muted, dreamlike, yet every movement felt sharp and deliberate.
From somewhere above, Solana’s calm voice echoed in my mind.
『This dungeon seems to have a rather intricate structure.』
“Yeah…”
I whispered back.
The current pulled me forward, deeper into the maze of shifting tunnels and rippling light. Pipes must’ve been running through every layer and crevice of the walls, carrying water from one level to another. I was gliding through one of those narrow channels now.
The faint luminescence from the walls and ceiling was the only thing keeping the darkness at bay. Without it, I’d lose my sense of direction in an instant.
『Part of the mechanism, perhaps. If Safi were here, she’d have a lot to say about this. The flow might even be driving some kind of waterwheel.』
I pressed forward, letting the current guide me until the narrow pipe suddenly widened. Ahead, the tunnel opened into a larger chamber.
“This is it huh…”
I breathed.
Three sahagin were waiting there. Their slick, scaled bodies glinting faintly in the glow. And behind them, drifting limply in the water, was the unconscious overseer.
“Gigigigi”
Its bright red eyes were wide open as it threatened me. Its bloodshot eyes and sharp claws stirred up instinctive fear. Still enveloped in the bubble, I stood against the wall. With my feet on the floor and my back to the wall, I limited the direction of its attacks.
After all, it could move up, down, left, and right through the water.
“Gigigigigi!”
Grinning their teeth, the three Sahagin swam around me at breakneck speed.
Swimming at the same speed as on land, maybe even faster.
『Rion, how do we defeat them?』
At Solana’s words, I drew in my chin and pressed my back against the wall.
Golden flame shimmered faintly around me, refusing to die even beneath the water’s weight. My eyes tracked the sahagin as they darted through the depths like arrows of flesh and scale.
“Now!”
All three lines of movement converged at a single point.
I kicked off the wall.
As if hearing my heart’s command, both Sylph and Undine surged to my aid—the wind pushing, the water pulling. My body shot forward like a spear.
The short sword in my grasp pierced through the first sahagin’s chest, its light slicing through the murk. Momentum carried me onward—through the second, then the third—cutting them apart in a blur of silver and blue.
Within the spirit-forged bubble, I moved as freely as I would on land.
The sahagin pack dissolved into ash, their remains fading into the water. Only a few magic stones drifted down, sinking quietly to the floor of the chamber. Even when I reached out with the blessing’s detection, there were no more hostile presences nearby.
Silence. Stillness.
“It’s over… We can take him back now.”
Gripping the overseer’s limp body, I turned and began retracing my path through the submerged corridor.
It had been a long fight—but at last, our true objective was completed. With this, we’d finally uncover the secrets of this dungeon. The slave traders’ hideout, the mystery of Ymir, and the reason they were after Lu.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 