Chương 115: What Lurks Below

Mana lit the storm-wracked sky, purple waves of power shielding the small skyboat as it bucked against the raging ocean. Two colossal tentacles slammed down, only to be battered aside by surging mana as the Kraken's roar split the night.

"Avast, mateys!" Joe bellowed over thunder and crashing surf.

"Tis far too cold a night for swimming! Let us slay the beast! Shanna, guard the port! Locke, keep the girl safe! Travis! TO ME!" A tendril of mana lashed around Travis, yanking him onto Joe's back as he vaulted onto the boat's railing.

"Today we avenge my lost leg! Today we shall have vengeance and poke out its cursed eyes!" Joe roared, two massive spears flashing into his hands. He tossed one to Travis, who caught it with a strangled yelp.

"We mount the beast! We blind it!" Joe howled with manic laughter as he leapt onto the Kraken's glistening, slick hide. Travis screamed in terror, but Joe was already driving his spear down in savage arcs, cackling like a lunatic with each strike. Alice pinched the bridge of her nose, waves slamming all around her.

"What is wrong with that man?" she mumbled, before the sea swallowed her words. Three hours later, the ocean was calm again. The water-battered skyboat drifted peacefully as the five companions huddled around Joe's little mana oven. Kraken flesh sizzled over the flame, its smell thick in the salty air. They hadn't slain the beast; it had fled into the abyss after Joe carved off a pair of tentacles, but Joe claimed victory all the same. He carved a crispy piece free, bit in, and chewed with gusto.

"Absolutely delicious," he mumbled through a mouthful.

"Alice, you've got to try this. You'll never regret it."

"I'll pass," Alice said dryly, sinking her teeth into a steak instead. Its juices ran down her chin as she savoured the far safer choice.

"Your loss," Joe grinned, gnawing another chunk of chewy, rubbery, half-slimy tentacle. Maybe it wasn't as heavenly as he claimed… but no way he'd admit that. Shanna took a bold bite and nearly gagged.

"That's disgusting!" she coughed, dousing her tongue with water. Joe laughed so hard he nearly dropped his plate.

"Four Eyes, your turn!" Before Travis could protest, Shanna jammed a chunk between his teeth. He flailed, choked, and sputtered as Joe collapsed onto the deck in hysterics. By the time the chaos settled, Joe smiled at Alice. Alice stared at him, as a sudden sense of foreboding assailed her. He raised a hand, and five facemasks and oxygen tanks appeared on the deck.

"You can't be serious," Alice implored. Joe's smile widened. __ Alice once again questioned every life choice that had led her here, strapped to Joe's chest, plunging into the pitch-black ocean at terrifying speed. Felicia had warned her that chasing a pretty face was a recipe for disaster. Alice hadn't listened. She'd leapt at the chance to go adventuring with the most dangerously handsome man she knew. Now, as cold darkness swallowed them and pressure squeezed her lungs, she wondered if it had been worth it.

They weren't even on a normal dive; they were chasing a Kraken. A Kraken. But then she remembered the potential date she'd won. All she had to do was convince Corel to lend Joe to her for one day. One little date. Surely Corel wouldn't mind? The Seeker had invited her to their bed often enough. Alice clung to that thought like a lifeline, a faint smile tugging at her lips as hope rose in her chest. __ Below, Joe's senses flared. Something was coming fast, smaller than the Kraken but closing with predatory speed.

[Brace yourselves. Incoming.] - Joe It was the only warning he could send before a colossal white shape erupted from the gloom, jaws yawning wide enough to swallow them whole. __ Alice tumbled blindly through the freezing black. Her lungs burned. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears louder than the rushing current. This man was insane. He was going to get them all killed. She tried to locate the others, but the pressure and darkness shredded her senses. Somehow, she still had her facemask and oxygen tank.

But she could no longer tell up from down. Her skills faltered. Alone in the depths, she was sure she would die here, forgotten and lost to the ocean. Then… purple light flared to her left. The abyss lit up like a storm at sea. Through the shimmering water, she glimpsed Joe, an incandescent figure moving faster than thought, tearing through a pack of sharks like a blade through silk. Mana roiled around him, illuminating the darkness in constant, violent flashes. It almost looked like he was wrapped in fireworks.

Every strike left streaks of purple light and clouds of blood swirling in the current. It was like watching an angel descend into madness. As Joe dispatched the last shark and turned toward her, through his facemask, she met his star-filled gaze. Even here, in this nightmare of crushing depths, he winked. Alice's fear cracked and fell away. She knew then, with a certainty that made her tremble, that she would follow this man into a volcano, into hell itself, just to see his smile one more time.

__ Joe pulled the mask from his face and took a deep breath. They had emerged inside a cavern miles beneath the ocean's surface. The air was dank and musky, but breathable. Shanna collapsed beside him, panting.

"I am never going swimming ever again," she groaned. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Me either," Travis agreed. Locke grunted something unintelligible, which Joe assumed meant he enjoyed the deep dive. Alice, on the other hand, just laughed, long, uncontrollable laughter that finally dragged a chuckle out of Joe.

"Okay, I didn't anticipate half the ocean trying to eat us," Joe admitted, hands raised in mock surrender.

"But hey, we're all in one piece." That statement earned him a hail of rocks, splinters, and anything else his companions could get their hands on. Joe laughed harder as he fended off their barrage.

"This way," he said, pointing to a tunnel on the right.

"This one smells clean. The others smell like blood."

"We go right?" Alice asked. Three hands shot up.

"Do we have to vote every time?" Joe grumbled.

"Yes!" came the chorus. He sighed in defeat. Apparently, leading them into two beast dens in a row had ruined his credibility. They didn't need to know he'd done it on purpose. What was adventure without a few brushes with death? The tunnel stretched on for an hour, darkness pressing close as their footsteps echoed. The air grew heavier, thick with mana. That could only mean one thing: a mana vein. Excitement flickered across weary faces.

"I told you this was a good idea," Joe said smugly. Even though there was no possible way he had known about this underwater mountain, they were currently inside.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep walking, Mr Adventure," Alice teased. Joe chuckled but kept his senses sharp. He'd felt it for some time now, a prickle along his skin, that weight in the air. They were being watched. The others hadn't noticed, which only confirmed his suspicion. Whatever stalked them was strong. Maybe stronger than anything they had faced so far. His pulse quickened, and a grin tugged at his lips. I'm coming for you, Mr Beast. Another hour passed before Alice suddenly froze mid-step.

Joe cursed and moved quickly, clapping a hand over her mouth before she could scream.

"It's fine," he whispered.

"I've known for a while. I've got this under control." His reassurance didn't work. Alice's eyes darted wildly.

"Are you insane? What the hell is it?" Joe closed his eyes, letting his senses stretch into the darkness ahead. Soon he felt it, the vast, coiled power radiating like heat off stone. A smile spread across his face.

"It's a bloody dragon!" __ Alice crouched behind a massive pillar as the cavern erupted in fire hotter than molten lava. Her teeth chattered despite her best effort to clench them still. Why had she come? She could have stayed in the tunnel with the others. But no… she had followed, desperate to see the dragon with her own eyes. And now she regretted it. That head… that colossal, scaled head lowering toward her, jaws yawning wide, flames bursting forth.

Her breath caught as Joe launched into the air, staff humming as it carved through fire and clashed against the beast. This was probably the first moment she had truly seen him let loose. She had watched him spar countless times. She'd watched him swat aside lesser beasts. But this, this was something else entirely. He was a storm given flesh. Every strike shook the cavern, rocks raining from above, the shockwaves pounding her bones. Compared to him, she was nothing. An ant staring up at a lion.

But the dragon endured it all. Its talons slashed, its molten breath roared, and still it pressed forward. The cavern itself, carved around a pulsing mana vein, was a testament to the beast's power. Each time its jaws snapped shut, her skull rang like a bell, her nose dripping blood from the force alone. If not for the vines coiled around her, feeding a constant stream of healing mana into her, she would have passed out a while ago. She still had no idea how Joe's healing skills worked.

He was a puzzle that made no sense, even in this crazy world filled with dragons, apparently. She wondered what god had blessed him with such an amazing class and profession that let him get so, so strong. She shook her head, but immediately regretted the motion as she swayed. The vines around her parted as Joe swooped down, scooped her up, and strapped her to his back with living wood that fused tight against her. The pillar she had been hiding behind cracked and began to crumble. [Sorry. It's targeting you now. So I have to keep you close. Try not to breathe in the flames.] - Joe. Her blood froze. He wasn't going to fight the dragon with her strapped to him… was he? He was. An ear-piercing roar thundered in her ears as she clung to him, every violent clash rattling her to the core. Her eardrums burst, leaving her in blessed silence. She prayed, begged, pleaded with the system and gods she barely believed in that she'd live through this madness.

Then Joe's healing washed over her again, and she felt a healing pill slide into her mouth as her hearing returned. And with it, she heard something that made her doubt her sanity. Laughter. Joe was laughing. Laughing as he fought, shouting into the flames and chaos. She strained to hear, tossed like a rag doll by the force of his movements.

"Now this is an adventure!!!" Her ears ruptured again, and the sound vanished. But the truth was clear. He was completely mad. Alice had no idea how long she'd been bound to Joe's back. Time had dissolved into fire, thunder, and madness. But at last the fury waned, and the barding loosened, freeing her head. She peeked over his shoulder, and her breath caught. The dragon sprawled before them, tongue lolling, chest heaving in ragged bursts. Its scales were cracked and bleeding, its body broken.

One eye glared at them still, hatred burning in its molten depths. Joe lifted his staff, the wood thrumming with a deep purple glow.

"You fought well, my friend. But your time is over. I pray you peace in your next life. Be honoured, you fought valiantly. I will never forget our battle." The dragon's jaws parted, and Alice braced for fire. Instead, a puff of smoke hissed out, followed by a hoarse growl of words.

"Var Seethe Kar." Joe threw back his head and roared with laughter as he brought his staff down. A tidal wave of mana split the beast's skull, silencing it at last. The cavern shook as its corpse began to cool. Only then did he unwrap her fully and set her gently on the scorched ground. __ Joe stepped toward the fading body and collected its loot as it dissolved into smoke, meat, rare materials, and at its heart, a peak E-grade infused sapling. His grin widened.

Then he turned to the cavern's true treasure: the massive mana vein and the ten radiant Mana Gems scattered around it. Jackpot! The gruelling, two-hour battle had been worth every second. He chewed a healing pill, feeling his broken body slowly stitch back together. [All clear, did you guys get your loot?] - Joe. [Oh my god! I got a pair of gloves and a cloak! It has hundreds of stat points! What level was the dragon?] - Shanna. [199.] - Joe. [Holy smokes. Thank you for letting us hide in the tunnel. Can we go home now?] - Travis. Joe chuckled. [Sure.] With the Mana Gems secured, it took a full day to retrace their path back to the waterway. Joe tested the ascent first, clearing out lingering beasts. Thankfully, the crushing depths didn't hinder them much, thanks to their system-strengthened bodies. So one by one, they swam to the surface, breaking into the open air. Once they were back aboard Joe's skyboat, they decided to end their epic adventure. For now.

Joe's gaze lingered on the distant horizon, on the unknown waiting beyond the ocean. One day, he promised himself he would return. But not today. Two days later, the group strode back into Landradad, victorious. Friends and villagers swarmed them for tales, and Shanna eagerly took up the role of storyteller, embellishing every moment with wild flair. Joe only smiled, content to let her bask in the glory. They had returned just in time.

Anthony soon sent word that the seed Joe had commissioned had just reached maturity. The moment for implantation had come.