I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 90. Sea Elves of the Island of Boundaries

It had been a while since Yul last swam across the Great Azure Ocean. The pleasant pressure of the sea wrapped around him.

‘The entire ocean really has changed.’

According to the map data of Phantaratsa that Arktar had once given him, there should not have been an island here—yet now one stood plainly in sight.

Beyond such ordinary changes, there were phenomena that were utterly incomprehensible.

An island where bizarre rock formations grew on their own.

Massive boulders floating in midair, spinning in whirlpool-like formations.

A volcanic island that even now spewed pitch-black ash and lava.

‘It’s nothing like the Great Azure Ocean I knew.’

The original Great Azure Ocean had no islands at all—just a vast, open expanse of sea.

Even the nature of magic had changed. Having swum these currents countless times, Yul could scarcely tell whether this was truly the same place as before.

Still, islands remained sparse, and the sea was unimaginably vast. Even at his current size, it felt boundless.

‘Even if I return to my main body, it’ll probably still feel enormous.’

The seas across all of Phantaratsa were overwhelmingly wide.

He crossed the Great Azure Ocean and headed south.

‘I can definitely feel that the sea powers have disappeared.’

The Turtle Kingdom that had once been adjacent to the Orca Tribe was gone as well.

Passing through those waters, he entered the Archipelago Ocean. Immediately, he felt the quality of magic shift.

‘The magic of the Archipelago Ocean feels similar to before.’

Soon, Yul’s island—the Island of Boundaries—came into view.

-Huh? It feels like the island has grown a bit……

When observing through the island’s soul, he had not noticed, but from afar, the island did appear slightly larger.

In fact, on one side, enormous drifts of sand had washed ashore, revealing a white beach that had not existed before.

‘The moment I recognize it in my mind, I can immediately see it through the island’s soul. This area has now entered my dominion as well.’

Reaching the nearby coast, Yul did not Polymorph. Instead, he used flight and ascended onto land as he was.

‘Shall I go meet the illegal settlers?’

He already knew their location.

Keeping his appearance as it was, he flew slowly and rose above the sea elves’ village.

Normally, he would Polymorph before meeting them, but this time he intended to exercise a degree of force.

If these illegal settlers resisted, it could become troublesome.

─Gooooooh.

As he deliberately flew slowly, a commotion began within the island.

By the time his massive shadow blanketed the village, all the sea elves had gathered outside.

‘No weapons……?’

They did not appear ready for battle. Rather, they knelt and bowed their heads as if worshiping him.

One elderly sea elf standing at the very front raised his hands toward the sky and shouted something.

Since it was too far to hear, Yul gradually descended.

“O Lord of the Island! We beg forgiveness!”

Seeing them immediately prostrate themselves in apology, Yul decided to at least hear them out and continued descending slowly.

All the sea elves had hair close to teal in color. They wore clothing made from the hides of beasts hunted on the island, and most were armed with cold weapons.

Yul’s twelve eyes gazed down indifferently at the one who appeared to be their chief.

“O Lord of the Island! We apologize for occupying this island without permission.”

-Speak.

When he sent a magic signal, the sea elf chief flinched.

He likely did not understand the meaning. But he would recognize it as some form of ‘response.’

The aged sea elf swallowed hard. From the being before him, fear surged—if he mishandled this ‘response,’ they might all be slaughtered together.

“I am Aranmas, who once served the late Sea Elf prince. We lost our way and wandered until we found this place……. We know we entered this island without permission, but we beg you to show mercy.”

The tribe consisted of sea elves of all ages and both sexes.

But what was strange was that sea elves spent their lives wandering the sea and never settled permanently on land.

Why had they come here?

Yul could have passed judgment on them right then and there, as they had occupied his island as they pleased.

But he did not wish to. Punishing those who sought mercy did not align with his way.

‘They say a single word can repay a thousand nyang of debt. This is exactly that kind of situation.’

He dispelled his Polymorph and descended slowly.

“Ooooooh!”

“The Lord of the Island has transformed into a human!”

“It’s better to speak properly in this form. Bring some tea.”

“Y-Yes, please come inside.”

The elderly elf who had introduced himself as Aranmas immediately guided Yul into the largest tent.

They had no metal tableware; tea was poured into earthenware cups, which seemed to be the finest they possessed.

For some reason, they appeared to be living in rather poor conditions.

“I’m hearing you out only because you once served under Prince Arurion Phantarey.”

“Th-Thank you.”

“What happened to Arurion Phantarey?”

“It has been far too long since we lost contact, so I do not know his current fate. The last I saw, he set out on a voyage without end, searching somewhere in the Archipelago Ocean for an island said to hold a Healing Spring…….”

“A Healing Spring?”

“Yes. During the Heaven and Earth Resonance incident, he suffered severe injuries and fell into a coma.”

“I see….”

Aside from Arurion’s fate, there were many strange aspects to their own story as well.

“If you were left behind here, were the other sea elves also crew members of the winged ship?”

“No. The other sea elves living in this village were each aboard different ships.”

“As I understand it, sea elves spend their entire lives on ships, wandering the sea forever as tradition dictates. Why are you living on land—on an island, no less? Were your ships destroyed by the Heaven and Earth Resonance?”

“No. The damage from the Heaven and Earth Resonance was limited to a small part of the Northern Archipelago Ocean. This Island of Boundaries did suffer some impact, but aside from the prince’s injury, the island itself was not greatly harmed. Sand was merely pushed ashore and piled up somewhere on the coast.”

So that wide white beach he had seen earlier must be what they meant.

“After the Heaven and Earth Resonance, we were afflicted by a mysterious illness of unknown cause. It was…… seasickness.”

“Seasickness?”

Sailors suffering seasickness? Sea elves who wandered the ocean their entire lives until death?

“Yes. And we lost our ability to see the sea. The currents that were once clear to us became invisible. We could no longer read the flow of weather, and we could not sleep properly aboard a ship.”

“Did this happen to all sea elves?”

“No. Some sea elves remain unaffected. But those who cannot adapt…… continue to appear. In sea elf society, we are called those rejected by the sea. And we are exiled to land.”

“…….”

“I wandered the sea for hundreds of years, yet for some reason, I, too, was rejected. Many elves who experienced the same phenomenon were exiled to islands believed to be uninhabited. These children are the same.”

“Is this ‘rejection’ happening across all sea elves?”

“Yes. No one knows on which ship it will occur or when. Everyone lives in fear. We have become closer to land than to ships.”

“So you came to my island.”

“Yes. We were not accepted on many nearby islands……. When we were driven away from the last one, I remembered that this empty island at the very edge of the Archipelago Ocean…… might allow us to survive. So I persuaded the others and brought them here.”

When sea elves who had always lived on ships attempted to settle on land, the creatures of land rejected them.

Rejected by the sea, rejected by their own kind, and rejected by the dwellers of land.

At the very end of their road, they had arrived at Yul’s island.

“It seems this was not Arurion Phantarey’s command.”

“N-No, absolutely not. I saw with my own eyes when the prince gifted this island to you.”

In chronological order, then—Prince Arurion had briefly stayed on this island, was injured during the Heaven and Earth Resonance, and departed for treatment.

Afterward, Aranmas, suffering from the rejection phenomenon, wandered in search of refuge and remembered that this island had been empty.

“Punish me if you must, but please show mercy to the other elves who know nothing.”

“No. There will be no punishment.”

“Th-Then…….”

“If you intend to remain on this island, acknowledge my dominion and work for me. If you cannot accept that, I will exile you.”

It was a conclusion reached after careful thought.

Their circumstances were tragic; they had nowhere left to rely on.

And as sea elves, they would at least possess knowledge of ships.

‘I’ve long considered making the Island of Boundaries a port of call.’

Back then, because it had been uninhabited, he had postponed the plan. But if sea elves were living here, that changed things.

“Y-Yes. We accept.”

“If there are other sea elves being exiled, you may bring them here. They will remain under the same conditions.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Aranmas’s eyes brimmed with tears. Considering he had just agreed to submit to dominion and labor, his gratitude suggested their treatment elsewhere had been far harsher than expected.

Crash crash crash crash!

At that moment, children tumbled through the entrance of the tent in a clamor. They had been eavesdropping outside—elf children whose exact ages were impossible to guess.

“L-Lord of the Island!”

“Can we really live here?”

“You can. And do not address me by such a title. Call me Yul.”

“Waaah!”

“We’re allowed to stay!”

“Thank you, Lord Yul!”

Catching Yul’s glance, Aranmas cleared his throat.

“Leave for now.”

Young women ushered the children outside, and an elderly woman brought fresh tea. Judging by her fine clothing, she seemed to be Aranmas’s wife.

“The tea tastes good.”

“Thank you. It is Silvermoon Tea brewed from silvermoon leaves that grow on this island.”

The fragrant tea stimulated Yul’s senses. At this quality, it could become a valuable trade commodity.

In truth, Yul could survey the entire Island of Boundaries at any time, but he had not examined the details.

After determining that the island’s interior consisted of jungle vegetation, he had not investigated what kinds of trees grew there, nor what insects or beasts lived within.

‘I should check what resources the island holds later.’

That aside, he needed more information. Aranmas had served long aboard Arurion’s ship; he would know much.

“I have never operated in the Archipelago Ocean. Aside from when Arurion gifted me this Island of Boundaries.”

“Yes.”

“Can you explain the Archipelago Ocean in detail? To begin with, I want to know what exists here besides you.”

“The Archipelago Ocean is as vast as the Great Heavenly Ocean. And although it is divided into sea factions and land factions, they are not clearly distinguished. Also, as many as there are islands, there are a great many diverse races living on their own.”

Yul listened with interest as Aranmas described the overall forces of the Archipelago Ocean. They had built their own sphere of influence entirely separate from continental factions.

“First, there are humans who worship the sea. The Deep Sea Order is a powerful religious force. Their faith is called the Sea Inheritance Doctrine, and they are unified under a transcendent leader known as the Sea Master.”

“The Sea Master?”

“Yes. He is a reincarnator who lives countless lives, reborn anew each time.”

Reincarnation?