In the beginning, there was something that had always existed—until the ancient force on the surface faded and the barrier dividing the world disappeared. It stepped out into the open at last, tasting freedom for the first time. And it was stunned by what it found. The realm it came from was shrouded in darkness and biting cold. Food was always uncertain—sometimes one could snatch a meal, other times one might freeze to death if one let one's guard down. Survival among its own kind was a daily struggle, and the odds of making it through another day were always slim. But the world outside was bright and warm. There was prey everywhere, and the temperature was so high it almost felt unreal. It was an astonishing place. And then, it was struck by a second revelation. What are these weak creatures? All the life outside seemed unbearably fragile. Where it came from, there was no real prey—only competitors, other predators as dangerous as itself, ready to devour any who slipped up for even a moment. But here, everything was prey—soft, yielding, easy to catch. All it had to do was reach out, and the creatures would burst open, spilling their insides everywhere. When it brought one to its mouth, the flesh was sweet, the taste rich and unfamiliar. It was, by far, the best thing it had ever eaten. Only then did it realize just how feeble this outside world truly was—how laughably weak, compared to where it had come from. A surge of delight rushed through it. Overjoyed by the destruction of the world’s old restrictions, it gorged itself on the bounty of this new land. The helpless prey thrashed and struggled, but it made no difference—they had no chance. What a fragile world this was. What delicious prey filled it. It felt as though it had become a king. Triumphant, it reveled in its newfound freedom. Across the vast continent, a creature once locked away had finally been unleashed. A mermaid. An honest-to-gods mermaid! Ketal thought. He stared with open fascination as the mermaid lifted her head above the water. Her upper body was almost entirely bare, only a bikini crudely woven from seaweed offering any modesty. Despite the exposure, there was nothing lewd or vulgar about her. It all felt remarkably natural, as if it were simply her everyday clothing. And there was no denying that she was beautiful. But her ears are similar to human ears, Ketal noted inwardly. He’d seen stories where mermaids had gills or webbed ears, but her ears were as human as anyone’s. Her upper body was all human, and below the waist, it was shimmering scales and a powerful tail—undeniably that of a fish. She was definitely a being from a fantasy world, and she was right before his eyes. Ketal could not help but gaze at her, utterly enthralled. Mero, catching his look, glanced away in slight embarrassment. But it seems like she’s not afraid of me, Ketal thought. Elves tended to recoil in fear at Ketal’s presence, overwhelmed by the force he unconsciously exuded as a barbarian, their natural affinity for the wild making them sensitive to such things. Mero, on the other hand, simply seemed a bit uneasy, but not truly afraid. So, are mermaids not creatures of nature, or is their sense of things simply different from elves? Ketal wondered. He broke into a bright, delighted grin, and Mero, determined to ignore him, turned her gaze toward the others on the boat. The most update n0vels are published on novel✶fire.net “I recognize a few faces...,” she said quietly. Valkran and the crew tensed, instantly uneasy. After all, they were pirates. More than once, they’d raided cargo ships carrying goods for the merfolk’s underwater city. It was unlikely the merfolk held much fondness for them. Mero’s eyes narrowed for a moment as she looked them over, but then she shook her head. “It’s fine. That’s all in the past. I doubt you’ve heard the latest news, but this place is extremely dangerous now. I can’t guarantee your safety—if you’re wise, you’ll turn back before it’s too late.” “No—we already know,” Aquaz said calmly. Mero turned to her, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “We came to help you,” Aquaz continued. Mero’s eyes widened. “Really? We tried asking for help a few times, but nothing ever came of it. We’d given up hope...” “There was one survivor. He told us a little of what was happening here. We listened, and that’s why we came,” Aquaz explained. With quiet dignity, Aquaz stood and bowed her head. “I am Aquaz, Inquisitor of the Sun God. We have come here for the sake of the merfolk.” “Oh... the Sun God,” Mero breathed, emotion filling her voice. “We are truly grateful. The seas around here are crawling with those apes—it’s a miracle you managed to make it this far. The Sun God must have blessed your journey.” “We encountered the apes ourselves,” Aquaz said. Mero froze, shock plain on her face. “You... met them? But how did you escape? Even with a ship, there’s no way you could outrun those things...” “We flew,” Aquaz said simply. “What...?” Mero blinked, unable to make sense of her words. Aquaz smiled ruefully. “I know how it sounds. But it’s the truth—we escaped through the air.” “Oh... I see...” Mero looked a little dazed, but decided to let it go. She assumed it was just a figure of speech. “Regardless, if you managed to get away, you must be strong. That’s a relief. The situation is... very bad,” Mero admitted. “What exactly is going on?” Aquaz asked her. “I want to tell you everything right now, but we’re still exposed here. The apes could notice us at any moment. It would be safer to move somewhere else.” She glanced down at the dark water. “I’ll take you to our home. We can talk there.” “W-wait, your home? You mean, underwater?” Baker blurted out, clearly unnerved. It was a fair concern—humans could not breathe underwater. But Mero just swished her tail dismissively. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Receive our blessing.” With a gentle wave of her hand, a strange light wrapped itself around the people on the boat. “Now, let’s go.” Mero grasped the side of the boat and began to pull it downward. Slowly, the boat started to sink, taking its occupants with it into the deep. The crew instinctively tried to hold their breath as the water closed over their heads. But, to their astonishment, they quickly realized that everything was okay. “Hey, my eyes don’t sting...” They could breathe and see just fine, even at these depths. Baker stared in shock. “Is this mermaid magic?” “It’s not magic—it’s a blessing,” Mero explained, as they descended deeper into the ocean’s heart. Mermaids were beings who lived in the darkest, deepest parts of the sea, yet half of what they were was human. The boundary between land and sea had always existed, and over the ages, countless tragic tales had arisen between humans and merfolk. Moved by their suffering, a god had bestowed a blessing upon the mermaids—a power that allowed them to share the ability to breathe underwater with land-dwellers. Thanks to this divine gift, merfolk could interact with humans with far fewer complications. It was how they could maintain trade and friendships with coastal cities, despite belonging to two different worlds. Aquaz and Baker both breathed, marveling at the gift that let land-dwellers survive beneath the waves. But just then, Ketal reached over and tapped Mero gently on the shoulder. She looked back at him, only to find Ketal watching her in silence. It was only then that Mero realized she hadn’t extended her blessing to Ketal. “Wait, you—” she stammered. It had been almost ten minutes since they started their descent. Any normal human would have passed out by now without air, but Ketal looked completely unfazed. Mero hurried to cast the blessing upon him, but it wouldn’t take. “Huh? Hold on a moment...,” Mero said. However, rather than waiting, Ketal simply closed his eyes and began to pray. A soft radiance spread out, divine energy swirling around his body. “...Is that—holy power?” Mero stared at him in astonishment. Ketal opened his eyes. “Hm, I guess this works too. Problem solved.” Mero could only gape at him. “How...?” “My body is a little unusual,” Ketal replied. “Magic like yours doesn’t work on me. But I can manage with divine power.” He had used Kalosia’s holy relic to wrap himself in the Veil of Deceit[1], creating an artificial atmosphere as if he were still on land. So even underwater, he could breathe as if nothing had changed. So even something is possible with holy power, Ketal mused, a bright smile on his face. What an incredible, versatile ability. Mero, for her part, was speechless. A barbarian wielding the holy relic of a god, and immune to the blessing of the merfolk—she could hardly believe her eyes. After all, the merfolk’s blessing was a divine gift; the fact that it didn’t work on him meant the power of their god was being rejected. In this world, which was built on the grace of the gods, that should have been impossible. Ketal just shrugged. “Don’t ask me for answers. I don’t know, either.” There was nothing more to be said. Clearly unsettled, Mero gave up and drifted away. The crew now looked at Ketal with a mixture of awe and fear. “Um... we’ll just keep going down, then,” Mero said. The descent continued, the boat gradually sinking deeper into the abyss. The further they went, the darker the water became, until not even sunlight could reach them. Without Mero’s blessing, nothing would have been visible at all. Strange, wondrous sea creatures began to appear, their shapes and colors unlike anything the crew had ever imagined. At first, the sailors were mesmerized by the underwater sights. But soon, a cold fear crept into their hearts. “How deep are we going...?” someone asked nervously. “The ocean is very deep,” Mero replied calmly. “We still have a long way to go.” The further they sank, the more anxious Aquaz and Baker became. Instinctive dread clawed at them—an ancient terror of the unknown, of the crushing dark. On the other hand, Ketal was grinning like a child at the world unfolding around him. At last, Mero, watching Ketal out of the corner of her eye, asked hesitantly, “Can you actually see anything?” It was pitch black, with not a trace of light. To someone without the blessing, it should have been impossible to see at all. But Ketal just smiled. “I can see just fine. There are so many strange fish down here. This is fun.” He truly looked to be enjoying himself, taking in the alien wonders of the deep sea. Mero eyed him as if she were staring at some kind of monster. At length, the boat finally touched down on the ocean floor with a gentle thump. “Please, this way. I’ll take you to our home,” Mero said, waving her tail as she glided forward. They stepped gingerly out of the boat and onto the seabed, following her across the sandy bottom. It was not long before they reached the mouth of a small underwater cave. Sensing their arrival, a young merboy emerged from the shadows inside. “Mero, you’re back! What happened?” “I’ve brought people who have come to help us,” she answered, her voice steady. The boy’s eyes widened. “Really? Does that mean we’re saved?” His voice carried into the cave, and soon more merfolk—men, women, and children—began to appear. When they saw Ketal and his companions, they gasped in excitement and relief. “They’ve come from the outside!” “Finally, someone to help us!” “Please—kill those damned apes for us!” Their group was welcomed with open arms, drawn into the warmth of the merfolk’s gathering place. Inside, dozens of merfolk clustered together, peering with hope at their new guests. Valkran scanned the cave, frowning. “Is this all that’s left...?” The City of Merfolk had once been home to nearly a thousand souls, a thriving, vibrant place beneath the waves. Now, barely a hundred remained. Mero’s face grew somber. “Things are very bad,” she said quietly. “Did... did the apes kill them all?” Valkran asked her. She shook her head. “No. Most are still trapped in the city itself.” “Trapped? Are the apes keeping them as slaves?” Ketal pressed. “There’s someone better equipped to explain than me,” Mero replied. “I’ll take you to our city’s caretaker. You’ll get the full story there.” She spoke quietly, her eyes dark with sorrow as she led them further into the cave. Ketal, Aquaz, and Baker followed the merfolk guide deeper into the cave system to meet the caretaker. Meanwhile, the sailors were politely separated from the group—their role had been to escort Ketal’s party and make this introduction. With that finished, the merfolk led them to a side chamber where they could rest and recover from the ordeal. Before Ketal left, Valkran called out to him. “I hope things work out for everyone,” Valkran said quietly. Ketal offered a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry. We’ll get this sorted. Just treat this as a different kind of journey and try to relax.” Valkran managed a thin smile. “You’re probably the only one who can see it that way.” “Maybe so.” Ketal laughed, and with that, he turned and followed Aquaz and Baker into the depths. They were led to the innermost chamber of the underwater settlement, where a middle-aged merman waited for them. His bearing was dignified but carried the weight of exhaustion. “Welcome, humans,” he said, his voice resonating gently through the water. “I am Kukulitan, former leader of the city of emerald and blue. Well—former leader, I suppose.” Kukulitan’s smile was tinged with bitterness as he bowed deeply. “Thank you. Truly, for coming all this way for us.” “Please, don’t mention it,” Aquaz replied politely. Kukulitan hesitated, studying them with cautious hope. “May I ask you to introduce yourselves?” Having outsiders arrive to help in a time of crisis was no small thing, but in a world as dangerous as theirs, Kukulitan needed to know whether these humans had the power and the support to actually save his people. Aquaz stepped forward first. “I am Aquaz, Inquisitor of the Sun God. I have attained the rank of Transcendent.” Kukulitan’s eyes widened in amazement. “A Transcendent Inquisitor of the Sun God! That is... incredible.” He could barely contain his awe. The Sun God’s Church was the most powerful on the continent, and a Transcendent Inquisitor would be a figure of tremendous prestige. If trouble arose, it might even be possible to count on the church’s direct support. Baker was next. “I’m Baker, Transcendent mage of the Startail School, the ones who gaze upon the stars.” Kukulitan gave another gasp, even more impressed. “A mage from the Mage Tower!” The legacy of the Mage Tower, established by ancient Heroes, was known even beneath the waves. A mage of the Mage Tower was a rare and mighty ally. In times of need, perhaps the Mage Tower itself could be counted on for help. Aquaz and Baker were both rare individuals, possessing both strength and authority. Kukulitan’s eyes brightened with hope. Finally, he turned to Ketal, his gaze expectant, as if waiting for yet another illustrious title. Ketal simply said, “I’m Ketal, a barbarian.” Kukulitan blinked, caught off guard. “Is that all...?” “That’s right,” Ketal replied, utterly unconcerned, as if there were nothing more that needed to be said. For a brief moment, Kukulitan was left speechless, unsure how to respond to Ketal’s simplicity. 1. Over here, the raws is different from in Chapter 153, but the author seemed to be referring to the same spell here as before. ☜