Chapter 40
Chapter 40. Barcenoy
Tuania wasn’t the type to vent her anger through sound.
Instead, she swallowed it whole, turning even that rage into fuel that burned through her body with a flame-like madness.
In an instant, Tuania reached the end of the gem column on the wall. The moment she struck it, her body bounced off like rubber and shot forward in an explosive attack.
Yul snapped to attention and countered immediately.
-Its flagellum is preparing a high-heat whip. Be careful, the bubbles are extremely hot.
The foamy flagellum stretched to an immense length, lashing out like a whip.
At the exact moment the whip would have struck her head-on, Tuania pulled off a maneuver that defied reason.
Without slowing down, she twisted more than seventy degrees to shift position, then turned back at a right angle to her original path.
Thunk!
On the second strike, the barnacle-covered creature, Barcenoy, had its upper section dented inward.
But it didn’t just take the hit. It extended its feather-like flagella, spread across its body, and snatched Tuania mid-motion.
The size difference between them was incomparable.
The instant it caught her, its entire body unfolded wide.
-Crazy.
What had been hidden under layers of barnacles finally revealed itself—a mouth.
Like a massive serpent unhinging its jaw, it slowly twisted and opened wide, large enough to swallow three orcas whole.
Its internal organs were grotesque; spiral-shaped protrusions lined the inside, their tips needle-sharp.
Before Tuania could be swallowed, Yul struck first—cutting through the cilia coiled around her with a sweep of his tail.
-Thank you!
-Fall back a bit. I’ll do what I was about to do earlier.
-What is it?
As Tuania darted behind him, Yul gathered his magic.
It was the technique once primarily used by Ogh of the Rising Tide—the Mantra of Illusion, a spell that distorted perception.
He couldn’t wield it as perfectly as Ogh did, but that didn’t matter; Barcenoy wasn’t perceiving them through sight anyway.
-That thing senses direction and speed using its flagella. I’m going to scramble its perception.
-What do you mean?
-I’ll use my Mantra to keep it from detecting you.
-How did you even get a Mantra like that?
-It's a long story.
-Anyway, all I have to do is beat it up, right?
-Exactly.
Yul could have joined in the close-range assault, but this was his first time using the Mantra of Illusion in actual combat—he wanted to test it.
If things got dangerous, he could intervene like before.
Yul drastically reduced Tuania’s presence. She already gave off almost no trace, but now, even the surrounding currents couldn’t sense her existence.
Separately, Yul created a genuine decoy that perfectly contained Tuania’s presence.
The decoy had no physical form, but it radiated her exact aura. Using the Horn of the Sea King, he manipulated the currents so that it felt tangibly real.
'It is difficult to manipulate the currents outside my body with the Horn of the Sea King.'
He could use a workaround.
Yul bit into the edge of his tail fin, tearing off a small piece of flesh. Blood flowed, but with his regeneration trait, the wound would heal quickly.
He then infused a fragment of his soul—isolated through soul isolation—into that tail tip, using it as a medium to channel the Horn’s power.
He had tested earlier whether a soul separated through isolation could exist remotely, and it worked.
‘Come to think of it, Authority of Madness isn’t activating. It looks stronger than me… Is it because the distance between Varsenoi and me is too far?'
Either way, the fake Tuania was complete. The moment it was ready, they launched the attack.
-Go! Tuania and fake Tuania!
The fake Tuania was immediately struck by the Barcenoy.
The whip-like flagella, mixed with scalding bubbles, slashed into the illusion, splitting it in two, only for the illusion to instantly return to its original form.
Meanwhile, the real Tuania changed her angle of attack. She swung her tail and shattered the Barcenoy’s right leg.
For a creature of such enormous size, those legs were like fragile reeds; one strike from Tuania’s tail split it clean in half.
The Barcenoy’s body twisted and writhed, unable to steady itself. Before its signature regeneration could restore the limb, Tuania struck again, smashing another leg and completely destroying its balance.
Yul noticed the Barcenoy’s gaze shifting downward. Using the fake Tuania, he charged at it in a threatening rush.
It turned its attention again, only to face another strike.
With that alternating rhythm, Yul and Tuania made it impossible for the creature to distinguish illusion from reality, gradually stacking up serious damage.
-I’m joining in.
Yul joined the assault, biting into the creature himself. Between him, Tuania, and the illusion, it was as if three attackers were striking all at once.
The Barcenoy thrashed wildly, swinging in vain. Blows landed again and again until, curling in on itself, it shrank its body.
Then, in the middle of the barrage, two more legs sprouted from its torso.
-What the hell? It’s growing new legs from the middle of its body.
-It’s adapting to the pressure! We have to kill it fast!
Shouting that, Tuania charged forward again, her aura flaring even brighter.
Yul attacked alongside her, but the creature was far more durable than expected—its endurance was incredible.
Their combined attacks weren’t enough to finish it quickly.
-Let’s push it down.
-What?
-You said it came up from the Deep Sea cliff, right? If it’s adapted to this pressure, then once it goes back down, it won’t be able to come up again.
-Can we even do that?
-Let’s find out.
Yul convinced Tuania, and together they began to shove the monster downward.
Even though it was thirty meters long, a full-grown orca was over ten meters—so with Yul and Tuania’s combined strength, they could push it.
Its flagella were already disabled by the sensory interference earlier. They shoved it straight toward the gem pit at the bottom of the Deep Sea.
-Tuania, push it moderately, and if you can't withstand the pressure, go up.
-Why? What about you?
-I came from the Deep Sea, after all. I can endure more.
Yul’s skin had already turned crimson.
He brushed it off, pretending it was fine, though in truth, Authority of Madness had activated, protecting him from the worst of the pressure.
-All right. Here we go!
-Push! Uwooooooh!
Before it could regenerate, they decided to crush it faster—with the pressure itself.
As the Barcenoy was forced downward, it regenerated its flagella, jabbing at Yul and Tuania’s skin.
But they were already dragging it deeper, faster.
When Tuania had descended halfway down the abyssal trench, she shouted.
-I can’t hold on any longer!
-I can! Go back up!
-Don’t overdo it! Get back up soon!
Yul kept pushing, forcing the monster deeper and deeper.
And then, at some point, he heard a sound—something collapsing inward.
Crrrk. Crrrk-crrrrk.
-Hmph, looks like even you can’t withstand it anymore?
The creature tried to open its jaws to devour Yul, but under the crushing water pressure, the mouth that had begun to open was forced shut, crumpling inward.
At some point, Yul felt it was enough. He gave the monster one final shove and glanced around.
What surrounded him was pure darkness—pitch black.
He had already reached the very bottom of the Starlight Gem Cavern’s seabed.
When he spread his ultrasonic waves wide, he sensed the presence of enormous beasts—colossal creatures as massive as the Sea God Kaidron himself.
'I-insane.'
Realizing where he was, Yul immediately shot upward at full speed to escape.
-Ghk!
As he rose farther from the monster, the Authority of Madness (狂化) faded, and the intense pressure began to rupture his internal organs.
Even so, Yul kept ascending, bursting out through the shimmering entrance of the Starlight Gem Cavern, before losing consciousness.
A moment later.
-Are you awake?
-Yeah.
At Tuania’s voice, Yul slowly regained his memory.
He had blacked out inside the Starlight Gem Cavern, but only for a brief moment.
-How’s your body? Are you all right? Should we go to the Healing Cavern?
-I’m fine.
Yul had anticipated situations like this.
Through his Inherited Evolution ability, he had retained the regenerative trait of his previous species—the jelly octopus.
-I almost died, seriously. I went down there and saw crazy monsters all over the place.
-What about the Barcenoy?
-Last I saw, it was crushed down to about half its original size.
It must have failed to adapt to the sudden pressure shift.
-That’s a relief. You’re really tough, aren't you?
-Yeah. How about you?
-I’ll manage. But I think I still need to rest in the Healing Cavern.
Tuania’s body was also covered in wounds—her skin torn in several places. The black aura that had once blazed around her had dimmed considerably.
- The Barcenoy had an ability that distorted the flow of magic around it. That’s probably why the Mantra of Communication we sent from the watchtower never reached anyone.
-Seriously?
-Yeah.
Tuania’s expression grew troubled.
-Lately, these kinds of monsters have been awakening far too often. Starting with Syrendron, even the Dark Bubble Clams are beginning to move.
-Isn’t it normally like this?
-Of course not. Strange incidents like these have been happening one after another. Remember a few years ago—the battle between the Sea God and the Lord of the Abyss?
-Now that you mention it.
The clash between Kaidron and Abysarion—that, too, fell into this chain of “abnormal incidents.”
-I think I’ll have to report all this in detail to my grandfather. Unfortunately, I doubt I can visit the human kingdom anytime soon.
-That’s a shame.
-If you’re all right, I’ll be heading off soon. I’ll make sure to tell my grandfather and the tribe about your help.
-Understood.
After parting ways with Tuania, Yul reviewed the battle in his mind. He had gained quite a bit from using the Mantra of Illusion.
And, during the fight, he’d also taken a few bites out of the monster.
He opened the status window screen.
[You have consumed Barcenoy’s flagellum.]
[Experience gained: 322]
.
.
.
[You have consumed fragments of Barcenoy’s flesh.]
[Experience gained: 1,220]
.
.
.
[You have consumed Barcenoy’s bone.]
[Experience gained: 500]
.
.
.
As expected of a creature that lived in the Deep Sea.
Even though he had only devoured parts of its body during battle, the experience gain was enormous.
-If I’d eaten the whole thing, I probably would’ve gotten even more experience.
That was a bit disappointing. Still, his attack power had been lacking; had he hesitated any longer, the creature might have fully adapted to the pressure and regained its strength.
In such cases, it was better to cut losses quickly.
'There were four evolutions left until Ascension.'
He had already completed three stages of evolution.
Once he achieved four more, he would reach the Path of Ascension.
[Experience Required for Next Stage]
[10,600 / 4,800]
‘Well, I’ve gathered more than enough experience… Should I evolve now or hold off for later?’
Yul considered his three defensive evolution options.
Then, glowing text appeared before his eyes.
[Stage 4 Evolution]
[1. Deep-Sea Pressure Creature’s Inner Membrane: Forms a gel-like tissue beneath the skin similar to that of deep-sea leviathans. This gel absorbs magic and provides powerful defensive capability. Resistance to deep-sea pressure is greatly increased.]
-Type: [Physical], [Defense Ability], [Active Ability]
[2. Core of the Wave: A secondary magic engine forms within the heart. It circulates magic through the bloodstream, temporarily amplifying all physical abilities. However, after use, it causes severe aftereffects for a period of time.]
-Type: [Magical], [Utility Ability], [High Risk]
[3. Lithium Pressure Nerves: Lithium-based neural networks fuse with your subcutaneous nerve layer, allowing you to instinctively analyze and predict changes in temperature, gravity, pressure, magnetic fields, and ocean currents. Even the smallest shifts in water pressure or flow can be sensed in advance.]
-Type: [Internal Transformation], [Utility Ability]
'Oh? Which one should I choose?'
Every time he evolved, the same dilemma struck—each choice seemed too good to pass up.
After much thought, Yul chose option 3, an ability he didn't yet possess. There was a reason for this.
‘Sometimes, I get swept up in strange currents.’
While traveling using the Horn of the Sea King to manipulate the currents, he’d occasionally been caught in overwhelming flows that nearly dragged him off course.
To fight against such tides, his magic consumption had spiked sharply.
‘This should help when I explore uncharted waters, too.’
Being able to sense changes in pressure, currents, and even magnetic fields made it a remarkably practical ability.
[Experience Required for Next Stage]
[5,800 / 9,600]
-Perfect.
He had chosen well. Though not an offensive upgrade, the Lithium Pressure Nerves would greatly aid him as he roamed the vast seas.
After that, peace returned.
The watchtower was reassigned to a new Patroller, and Yul, having contributed more to the tribe, gained considerable recognition among the Elders—though he wasn’t yet aware of it himself.
Still, these things would one day accumulate, and when that time came, they would surely be helpful.