Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

Two hours before I was kidnapped while disguised as the prince.

I was engaged in my first battle.

“…This looks far too dangerous.”

In a mansion in the Capital.

Dersia shook her head with a languid expression.

I added an explanation because I couldn’t accept her response.

“Right now, there’s only Lump there. I see this as a heaven-sent opportunity.”

“Are you certain about that?”

“I’m about half sure.” Even after finding Lump, I had Rahan inspect everyone in the royal palace.

There was nothing. At least, not within the range Rahan could sense.

That led to a conclusion.

“If we capture Lump now, we can learn a great many things. Especially if you help, Dersia-nim.”

“…”

She wore an expression of contemplation.

It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While I wondered why she was hesitating, Dersia explained the reason herself.

“First of all, Jern. It’s not your fault, but the operation has probably been discovered.”

“What?”

“It means that as soon as Lump reports, the Crimson Circle will order Lump to flee with the prince. The banquet is over, so they’ll likely start moving soon.”

“No, would they really react so aggressively?”

Utilizing Karos and even my experiences on Earth, I could proudly say that I had perfectly recreated the image of an incompetent imperial envoy.

In this situation, no matter how extreme the Crimson Circle’s response, it should’ve stopped at something like, ‘This is suspicious, investigate further,’ not escalated to immediate escape. They weren’t the type of organization to act so cautiously.

To my puzzlement, Dersia calmly explained.

“Your judgment was nearly perfect, but there was a slight problem with the mask you wore.”

“The imperial envoy?”

“More precisely, the envoy of the Princess.”

“…”

“This is a list of missions the Princess’s personal guards were carrying out in secret.”

“How did you get this?”

Dersia did not answer.

I gave her a sideways glance and skimmed through the densely written list, then furrowed my brow.

“…What we’ve seen was just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Yes. The Crimson Circle has been much more active than we thought.”

The actions mentioned by Decay, those done to make their name known in the Empire before going underground.

Those were greatly reduced in scale.

Originally, there were ten times as many incidents. But all of those had been suppressed into nonexistence, all thanks to the Princess.

[Children modified in Korral discovered. Liberated.]

[34 areas in the Blood-stained Mountains found coated with flammable substances. Demolished.]

[Patients blessed with bloodlust in the Capital’s psychiatric ward armed themselves with blades and attacked doctors. Covered up.]

From every single word, the Princess’s tearful efforts could be felt.

As well as the Crimson Circle’s bloody weeping.

“Within the Crimson Circle, the threat level of Sharmia is probably ranked as supreme, if not beyond. Her capabilities are likely already thoroughly assessed.”

“Then from the very beginning…”

“Yes. Whether you searched thoroughly or acted slothfully, as long as the persona you wore belonged to the Princess’s faction, they would overreact. Our worst-case scenario would be if they attempt to ‘cover up’. But for them, the worst-case would be Lump getting kidnapped.”

“…Understood.”

So, because the Princess is too competent, even if I play the role of a kitchen knife, it looks like a greatsword.

Did the Princess, foresee this situation?

It was an interesting topic, but now was not the time to dwell on it. If Dersia was right, the situation was urgent.

“Of course, I intend to help. Even if the Crimson Circle is alerted, there’s still some time before they act, so capturing Lump should be possible.”

“Then…”

“The problem is that the opponent is Lump.”

Dersia slightly narrowed her brow.

“If that one falls into my hands, he will probably commit suicide immediately. In that case, what we’re left with is a corpse and only fragments of information related to our goals.”

Indeed.

“Capturing another Crimson Circle executive who comes as backup wouldn’t be bad either, but they’ll likely have their own escape plans. And the biggest problem is the Inner World manifestation of those who possess the Great World.”

“Inner World?”

“Yes. Even if I am 9-Star, I cannot avoid being burdened in someone else’s Inner World. If I encounter a new opponent and receive their burden, depending on what it is, things could become extremely troublesome. I might not be able to reach you in time.”

“…”

Receive their burden…

After a brief moment of contemplation, I asked one thing.

“Is there a way to prevent Lump from escaping by dying?”

“If he comes in an unconscious state, it might be possible. But he’s already fought against me once. The moment he sees me, he’ll immediately take his own life and escape.”

“Then how about this?”

I explained my idea.

As she listened for a moment, Dersia’s expression turned sour.

“Are you… serious? This goes beyond just being dangerous.”

“I am serious. I think, relatively speaking, there are plenty of countermeasures for this, and it’s actually on the safer side.”

“Ciel.”

Dersia called out to Ciel, who had been silently listening in the back.

She scratched her cheek while looking at me, as if troubled.

“After having one fight, have the two of you switched roles?”

“What?”

“My master seems to be seeking safety, while Jern-nim is the one taking the risks.”

“…”

“But, as the strategist, I don’t think it’s entirely bad. There’s a chance we could capture a Crimson Circle executive.”

“Jern is not yet in a state where he can face a Crimson Circle executive.”

“But it’s not a strategy without any potential, right? And considering we’re caught in a dilemma, I’d say this looks like an excellent solution.”

1:2.

Seeing the firm expression on my face, Dersia hesitated, and I took the chance to press her.

“Master. Please help me. I want to know about my past.”

“…Take this with you.”

With a sigh, Dersia handed over a red potion.

“It’s a drug made by refining the pearl they gave you.”

“Oh, did you reduce the risks?”

“No. In fact, that one is safer. The one I gave you is far more dangerous. After taking it, you’ll have to endure a much stronger burden.”

“?”

“But for the first hour, it’ll have the same effect as swallowing one pill every minute.”

“You made… something strange, didn’t you?”

“Under normal circumstances, it would have been discarded. But I kept it, thinking a time like this might come. You’re the kind of person who would definitely walk into a death trap.”

As expected of Dersia. She knows me too well.

She glanced at the clock, then opened a book.

“There are a few other things I’ll explain. But before that, I need you to promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If it gets dangerous, you must run away.”

“Of course. If I get even slightly hurt, I’ll retreat immediately.”

I smiled gently to reassure her.

And truthfully, this was more about taking on the challenge.

If it were truly life-threatening, I wouldn’t even try it.

“Haa…”

Of course.

I was willing to sacrifice an arm, at least.

*

Desert, dawn.

For a moment, Lump stood still with a slight tremble in his eyes, blankly staring at me.

Surprise, shock, confusion, such unexpected emotions were conveyed clearly, even without using current sense.

It took a full minute before he spoke again.

“…I see.”

Lump’s tone had sunk deep, replacing his usual liveliness.

“I understand that you possess the Great World. If it’s Dersia, something like that isn’t strange. It’s not impossible.”

“That you’re a Deep Sea Creature and, alive, is surprising, but if you were guided by a 9-Star wizard, I can accept that too. I can chalk it up to using some unknown method I don’t know…”

-Thump.

He set his sword down. A subtle unpleasantness lingered on his tightly drawn lips, rather than a smile.

“But manifesting an Inner World, that’s a different realm. You can’t do that.”

“Yeah? Doesn’t seem that way to me.”

I leisurely stroked the jellyfish nearby.

As long as I have Water Barrier, I can view this world more calmly than I expected.

Lump heard my composed reply and quietly shook his head.

“I misspoke. You must not do it.”

“I see.”

I nodded in agreement and spoke.

“Then try stopping me.”

“…”

There was no reply.

But, the atmosphere shifted.

He licked his dry lips. In game terms, it felt like phase 2 of a raid.

The next moment, Lump’s condensed body charged forward like lightning.

“?”

I could see something, just barely faint.

I deliberately ignored it and dodged, but his body twisted grotesquely.

“What…”

His waist turned 180 degrees.

A rotation that would’ve killed a human, yet he swung his blade as if unaffected.

I barely dodged, horrified, but the blade had already reached right in front of my nose.

I couldn’t allow the first strike to land. I used all my strength to grip the blade with water pressure, slowing it down.

Even so, my cheek was slightly cut, and thick blood began to flow.

Lump exhaled through his nose, seemingly dissatisfied, and without giving a moment’s rest, charged at me with dual blades.

I responded by manifesting current sense at maximum output.

The strongest knight he’d ever met in his life.

The sword strikes of a nameless hero rained down like a storm.

“ㅡ!”

This was the price of allowing distance. I stared directly at the blade flying toward me, gathering Wind Thunder.

Three seconds, twenty-nine incoming strikes.

My small body, and the fact that this knight was weaker than Brimdal, were the only hopes keeping my life intact.

Naturally, he couldn’t yet wield Wind Thunder perfectly. The wind, twisted and unstable, swelled as if begging to be released.

Just what I wanted. I set off that explosion between me and Lump.

-KABOOM!

Instead of the barely-damaged Lump, my small body was hurled to the far side of the desert, rolling over and over into the sand.

“Ptuh, ptuh…”

Spitting out blood-mixed sand, I immediately leapt back.

Lump didn’t leave even the tiniest gap. But something felt off. Even with the distance I’d gained, his speed was too fast.

What is it? When I looked at his lower body, it was different from the knight from earlier.

His lower body was developed to the extreme, like that of a professional runner.

He’d pieced them together, knight’s upper body, speedster’s lower body.

Can he even do that? I gritted my teeth and somehow restrained him with water pressure.

Thanks to the drug Dersia gave me, Water Barrier was protecting me much more safely, but using such strong water pressure continuously wore me down second by second.

In a very brief gap, as I rubbed my eyes to keep the flowing blood out, the usually chatty Lump muttered for the first time since the battle started.

“You know about Great Worlds.”

“…Roughly.”

The combat style of one who had manifested their Inner World.

I had heard about it from Dersia. I gave him a kind smile.

“This place is shit. Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

To begin with, summoning a world, was a disadvantageous act for a Fallen.

The burden becomes overwhelmingly stronger, absurdly so, and every time one uses Inner Realm abilities, the toll multiplies.

Even standing still, one is dying. And much faster.

But, that goes for the invited opponent as well.

So, combat in a manifested Inner World is simple.

Escape.

There’s no need to fight. The world automatically identifies the opponent as a foreign object and slowly begins to consume them.

Watching the process of the opponent being digested by the world’s stomach.

That horrifying act is the fighting method of those with the Great World, and a method only they can use.

Lump clenched and unclenched his fist as he forcibly overcame the water pressure.

“The Inner World of the Three Evils, the Deep Sea… wasn’t it the Ocean?”

Mumbling something odd, he stared at me with fierce intensity.

“I’m taking you with me. No matter what.”

I forced a smile. That was the best thing I’d heard yet.

If Lump’s goal was capture and not assassination, then at least my life would be spared.

And the biggest issue when manifesting an Inner World, the risk that Lump might just run away, had just now vanished.

He thinks this is doable.

In fact, it’s more than just doable. He probably thinks catching me before he’s devoured by the burden of the Deep Sea is nothing.

Like leaving gold on the ground untouched.

-Crack… As he twisted and overpowered the water pressure with raw strength, I stopped wasting Water Barrier.

There was no more point in blocking. The rapidly intensifying burden would consume him faster than he could overwhelm me.

“Ugh-!”

Dodging the stabbing sword strikes by a hair’s breadth, I gave silent thanks to Brimdal in my heart.

If such a knight hadn’t taught me, I would’ve died from the very first blow.

Thanks to that, I was holding on.

The problem was, this illusion.

Before that bastard attacked, he kept tormenting me with bizarre white illusions. Can a knight’s body even use something like that?

Before launching his attacks, those illusions would appear first, distorting my vision. As I dodged while clutching my aching head, he looked at me as if intrigued.

“Is that also an ability of the Deep Sea?”

“…Want me to tell you?”

Was he referring to current sense?

Instead of an answer, much fiercer attacks came flying at me.

Dozens of overlapping illusions made it impossible to rely on sight anymore. I had to rely entirely on current sense, gritting my teeth to dodge the strikes.

This had long since passed the point of danger. Since he was a top-class knight, like Brimdal, my current sense would occasionally cut off.

Current sense was the only means by which I could dodge attacks from someone vastly stronger than me. If even the slightest flaw appeared in it, it was like standing in front of a cracking dam.

Current sense had to be perfect during battle.

But right now, it wasn’t.

“…Tch.”

Was he holding such a strong knight? As I was thinking about the next means- the guy inhaled.

“Hrgh!”

At the same time.

My current sense was completely severed.

He intended to finish me off, tired of my constant dodging. Within the blurred vision, a sword strike filled with killing intent carved its trajectory.

This attack couldn’t be predicted.

Which meant, it couldn’t be dodged.

I had to escape first.

But, once again, I saw one of those illusions.

‘This is…?’

Still unfamiliar with the Inner World manifestation, I’d been glossing over them casually.

Looking more closely, it was a bubble.

The trajectory of that bubble touched my neck.

“-!”

Almost instinctively, I dodged the bubble.

The next moment, that bubble turned into a living human.

Lump, who had been a bubble until just now, clicked his tongue.

“What an annoying ability.”

“…”

Watching the bubble rise into the sky, I tilted my head, briefly forgetting I was still in the middle of a battle.

I had grown far too used to using current sense to predict where the opponent’s attack would land.

So used to it, that I didn’t notice.

This bubble…

“It’s not prediction, but foresight… huh.”

“?”

Even as Lump raised his sword, puzzled by my cryptic words, and as I felt the bubbles on the back of my neck, I realized.

Inside this Inner World manifestation.

I could sense the trajectory of the bubbles that would form after the attack.