Chapter 675 - Incidentally, Things That Come Onto Land Don't Count as Objects of Fear
The law of magic took hold, and water gushed forth.
In the water that instantly swallowed and filled the limestone cave—which couldn't be described as spacious by any means—a massive sense of incongruity immediately surfaced in my mind.
It wasn't that my avatar was in danger from the sheer force of the [Flood] I had unleashed with the party's consent. A Level 100 body wouldn't lose to a mere intense current, unless it was mixed with the shockwaves of a certain [Heroine] or there was a poison swamp nearby.
No, that wasn't it. The source of this strangeness was…
"—This isn't… water…?"
Even though my entire body was submerged in what should have been a more restrictive environment than reality, the burden was only a slight 'difficulty in moving.'
It was a night-and-day difference compared to the river we had dived into on our way to this cave. Furthermore, there was absolutely none of the discomfort of clothing clinging to my body.
To top it all off, the murmur I let out, half in disbelief, came out as a distinct 'voice.' Seeing the surprised expression on Sora-san's face next to me, her long golden hair being combed by the water, I knew it wasn't just my imagination.
No, I don't get it. I don't get it, but I'm almost certain.
The [Flood] magic I activated didn't actually cast. My mana was simply taken to activate something else. The chilling sensation I felt a moment ago, as if something invisible was being yanked from my body, was probably something like that.
I glanced over and my eyes met Tetra's. He gave a faint smile and said,
"You can talk, and you can breathe, too."
He casually revealed the answer to the three of us who, aside from the knowledgeable Kanata, were in the dark. He probably did so because he sensed that Sora and Ui-san, who were floating beside me and a little further away, had already figured it out before he even spoke.
That's all well and good, but what exactly happened here?
Did casting any kind of water magic act as a key to start a conquest event? If so, then a simple [Aqua] splash would have worked just fine instead of a massive [Flood] deluge.
Even my infamous Great Nuisance Waterfall Summoning Jutsu (Terra Aqua) couldn't possibly flood not just the immediate area but also the entire visible length of the passage. It's more natural to assume that some kind of gimmick activated and caused the entire maze to become like this.
Still, though…
"This is fantasy at its finest, isn't it…"
"It's so strange… W-Wow, I can really talk…!"
While my various senses told me it wasn't 'water,' if asked what it was, I could only frustratingly answer 'water.' Therefore, even though my reason understood it was different, my instincts perceived that I was in water. It felt like my brain was about to short-circuit.
Sora-san was getting gracefully excited, half with curiosity and half with fear, but as for me… yeah, well, as for me, it's not, a problem.
It's just that, you know, it's only the sea that gets to me. As long as it's not teeming with grotesquely colored seaweed or overrun with fish with crazy eyes,
Then, just being underwater is fine, it's really—what the hell, I just thought maybe if I sprinkled a little water around, some random gimmick would activate, I never thought the whole place would just turn into a full-on underwater field—
"…Haru-kun? Are you alri—"
"I'm fine. Are you okay, rather?"
"Y-Yes…? I'm, yes. I'm perfectly fine…"
My master must have seen through my poker face with a perception different from my partner's telepathy. She floated over to my side in this space that felt more like low gravity than water, and offered words of concern.
I instinctively replied that there was no problem, but it was so reflexive that it came out a bit clipped. Her puzzled expression was only natural. Calm down, me, this is a game.
…And the only one here who could understand the reason for my strange behavior.
Sora-san, who must have remembered the 'ocean phobia episode' I shared at the Yotsuya residence's dinner table once, realized with a small "Ah…" and opened her mouth—at that moment.
Just over a minute had passed since the mysterious water submersion gimmick had activated.
And so, what happens now—as if to silence the impatient player's nagging question, two new changes occurred.
The first was a new icon that lit up below the status bars of all five of us on the edge of our vision. It was a difficult shape to describe, but if I wasn't mistaken… it probably depicted a pursed mouth with bubbles escaping from it.
Its meaning could easily be inferred from the MP bar, which began to gradually decrease as soon as the icon appeared. I couldn't help but think, Why MP and not HP? but I can ponder the settings and other complicated details later.
And the second change, this was the main one. The 'path' that had been continuously laid out in the maze. The 'writing' on it began to glow faintly, then brilliantly…—
—Oh, thank God. Thank you.
"Alright, if it's not fish, I'm not scared…!!!!"
"Huh… what are you talking about?"
"'Gyoro'…?"
"Haru-kun?"
"Ah, haha…"
Three question marks were thrown at the relief and true feelings that slipped from my mouth, and just one subtle glance that seemed to say, "Good for you."
From the moment I decided to come here—to the lair of the Great Spirit of Water—I had steeled myself to power through even if 'hell' awaited, but… well, this is a relief.
The glowing letters rose from the water one after another, forming 'bodies' that contained the transparent scenery within them. These beings, with various letters held like cores, were unmistakably… birds.
Their forms were composed of only the bare minimum parts—a head, a torso, a tail, and wings—making it difficult to discern their motif at a glance. I had a vague feeling they resembled seagulls, but the seagulls I know aren't monsters approaching two meters in length, so I'll classify them as a different kind of bird.
I won't question the various 'whys.'
Rather, please, by all means, stay that way until the end.
"Well now, this must be part of the puzzle too, but…"
Enemy name: [Leapis Aquia, Exfoliating Water Spirit]—a name that sounds familiar from somewhere. There were over twenty of them, not just in front, but sandwiching us from the front and back.
The full scope of the gimmick is still unknown. But if enemies have appeared,
"Alright then, I'm counting on you for command, Clan Master."
"………………Is that necessary?"
Of course it is.
Let's wipe them out quickly and get off to a flying start.