As with the ‘dry’ test, I start by moving slowly, then speed up as I get a good grasp on how I can control the bubble. Since I’m just getting used to this, I move parallel to the surface. Since I’m only a meter below the surface, there is some light shining through, but I supplement it with my own {Orb of Light}.

Since I move magically instead of using my muscles, I shouldn’t need too much air, but since the effects of low oxygen can strike quickly, I surface after a few breaths. Hmm, I’ve moved further than I thought.

I dip under the surface again, this time releasing my breath directly into the water, instead of my air bubble. That way, it should be more obvious how much safe air I have. I surface a few times to get my bearing, but while underwater I can still replenish my air by drawing in a bubble from above.

I considered making a snorkel of sorts from air, but this way should be more handy. For one, it should work deeper down. And thus, I dive deeper, lighting up the area with more magic.

Holding the bubble together, moving my form, keeping my body warm, drawing in fresh air and lighting the area… This is probably the most magically tiring thing since I flew around to warn people about the insects. It’s certainly the most complex thing I’ve done since magic was revealed. At least the mental strain is fairly low once I’ve formed the magic.

This is pretty near the shore, so it’s fairly shallow. Maybe seven meters? I look down and then up, releasing a breath as I do. Yeah, seems about right. I gotta replenish my air soon too.

The water is more murky than usual, and the dreary weather above doesn’t help the visibility. Well, a day or two of rain would do that, I guess. Bubble enlarged to a safer size, I move all the way to the bottom, or rather to the top of this grassy stuff. The fish that have not already fled from my light do so now.

This is hardly the best water to see interesting things in, but that’s not why I’m here anyway. At this depth drawing in more air from the surface is quite draining for my mana, so I move up and down as I move along the shore of the lake.

I break the surface with my upper body, releasing my hold on the various spells as I do. It should’ve been almost thirty minutes since I first dove, huh. In that time I’ve moved quite a distance from my backpack… I should make my way back, but before that I wanna try to go deeper.

I am quite aware of the problems that can come from rapidly diving or rising, so if I go any deeper than ten meters I should bring enough air to not need to resurface for a while. I guess I could make the air have a constant pressure, but that would be even more of a mana drain…

I should make a set of magic items for diving, maybe a suit of sorts. This trip has given me lots of inspiration, ahh, I should make a kit so I can do simple artificing from anywhere. But that’ll have to be later.

I’ve slowly move towards opposite side of the lake compared to my backpack, and it’s still there. I suppose I should mention the lake has a rough L shape, and the shorter sides are something like fifty meters across. Well, a bit more after the Upheaval, but I’m not great at estimating distance anyway.

This should be plenty enough mana for a dive to thirty or so meters. The air would be the limiting factor anyway. I dip below the surface yet again, forming the usual bubble around my body, but also a dozen bubbles around myself. Then I dive. I’ll start heading back to the surface when I use the sixth bubble.

Five meters, ten meters, pause. I replenish the main bubble from the surface, then start slowly heading down. I chose this spot in particular because there’s a cliff people often jump from here, and the steep drop continue underwater, though not as steeply.

Fifteen meters, pause for a few breaths. I can feel the pressure increasing, it’s a bit uncomfortable. Experimentally, I expand the body bubble slightly, and the pressure lifts a little. Good. But for now I will revert it, leaving me with the option for later.

Twenty meters, the first bubble was used on the way down. I only hold one {Orb of light}, the strain of handling so many air bubbles and other spells a bit higher than I’d like it to.

Twenty five, pause. Bubble. Thirty meters. Stop. At this point I’ve started relieving the pressure a little, I don’t think I should go any deeper without a reliable, preferably tested, way to counteract the pressure.

I use the third bubble, slightly easing the magical strain. It’s eerily dark down here, and I haven’t really seen any fish lately. Did I go deeper than thirty meters? It’s not like I have any instruments, I just estimate. My breathing has become more rapid, a bit ragged as well. I think I’m keeping it at a reasonable level, but I will go through my air faster than I would otherwise.

Staying at the same level, I swim along the edge of the underwater ‘cliff’. My sight only reaches as far as my little orb can light up, and I’ve reduced it’s intensity so that I might have a hope of spotting things that are not directly lit.

I’ve seen several shadows move in the peripheral of my vision and edges of the light while swimming. Thinking back to my thoughts on the first day after the Upheaval, I can’t help but worry that there are actually underwater monsters. Pre-Upheaval I would shrug of the idea without a second thought, but now…

If there are any such monsters, they’d probably be more suited to fighting in this environment than I am. After absorbing another bubble, I count the remaining ones, seven. When I use the next one I should start surfacing.

Huh? I dim the orb to almost nothing, and move it towards the glint I saw. I think I saw, at least. Just a bunch of dead organic material and some rocks. No, it’s there again, on the other side.

I make my way over to them, returning the light to the previous level. There, at the other side of this weird plant-like thing. I glance up, it can’t possibly get any sunlight down here? Is this grassy stuff special? Ah, I want [Inspect] right now, but the only thing I can really swap out is [Regeneration].

Screw it, I’m not planning on fighting anyway, and if this grass is some sorta meat eater or monster I’ll just leave.

[Mana-drain Seaweed]? Actually, it does seem to absorb mana from its surroundings, including my spells. Other than that, it seems harmless. There’s an entire forest of it though, sparse here, but seemingly thickening nearest the source of the glint.

My mana reserves seem fine, but I don’t want to come into contact with them, so I swim up a bit, then towards the center of this underwater forest.

As I absorb the sixth bubble, I find what made the glint - it’s actually glowing continuously, a soft blue glow from a cave of sorts. I should really surface for more air, but I wanna see what’s there. Ahh, I’ll just see the entrance, I can come back after getting more air and regenerating my mana.

I still make sure to avoid the seaweed, but I will need to pass some of it in order to get to the entrance of the cave. I direct the {Orb of Light} to come into contact with one of them, and I can feel the mana drain, though not particularly quickly. Okay, it should be safe.

I make my way to the entrance, avoiding the weeds where possible. The sight leaves me breathless. Oh shit, I’m almost out of air, gotta refill. Five left. Wait, ohcrap. Crapcrapcrapcrap. Shit. Fuck. Damnit. I lost control of one of the bubbles when it hit some of the grass, releasing all the air. Four left.

Inside the cave the water seem to just stop, forming a barrier of air. On the other side? A man-made looking corridor with pink tiles, seemingly lit from nothing.

Which leaves me with two options. Start heading up, going a bit faster than I probably should, or spending precious time and air to get to the water barrier, hoping I can draw fresh air from there.

I glance up and quickly think of how much air I use. Both could work, but my air is slowly being used. Another breath.

I enter the cave, stopping just short of the barrier. There seems to be some sort of frame that keep the water out, or maybe the air in.

Here goes nothing, I stretch my mana out, through the barrier. Or not, the mana can’t pass. Crap. Experimentally, I stick my hand through. It goes through. The air inside is chilly, but the pressure seems similar to the that of the outside. I manipulate mana from my hand. It works, but disperses when I try to bring a bubble of air into the water.

I absorb the ninth bubble, leaving me with three more. I take a deep breath, and stick my head through the barrier. Ahhahaha! It’s breathable. But I can’t bring it outside, and if I enter with my entire body I will lose the air I currently have.

I take a few more greedy breaths, slowly calming down. I’m stuck now, aren’t I? In some sorta water dungeon or water temple. Because there’s no way in hell this place was made by humans. People, maybe, but not humans. I could enter and hope I find another way out, or maybe some loot that allows for water breathing. Or at the very minimum, something to make an air tank from.

This probably looks stupid. Not like anyone can see me.But at least I have time to think and make a decision.

I will not assume there is anything in the dungeon. In fact, it’s probably a true dungeon. One which spawns monsters, presumably through magic. As opposed to a false dungeon, which is just a place which has a gathering of monsters.

The insect dungeon from earlier should be a false one, I think. The terms are from the monster hunter community, but it’s not like dungeons have been explored very much. The only ‘proof’ that have been shown so far is a couple caves and such that was cleared by people and thus far haven’t gotten any more monsters.

On the other hand, true dungeons are just assumed to exist and be as described. It’s not like anyone have had time to research them, but despite pushing quite a distance in, they seem just just be refilled the day after, or in one case, even a few hours later. Of course, sceptics have pointed out that they might just have lots of monsters deeper inside.

Either way, I don’t want to chance it in there. This seaweed stuff could possibly be made to hold air, but I have no idea how I’d do that, and to begin with I do most of my crafting magically, which would make them hard to work with.

In other words, the option is to go up. I have enough air to do that, the question is if I can avoid the nasty side-effects of rising too quickly, while also raising fast enough to still have air.

Once I get to about ten meters, I can draw in fresh air from above. On the other hand, I’ve heard you should take a break every ten meters of depth change. The problem is, if I recall correctly, you should take thirty seconds to a full minute break.

Instead, my plan is to go about ten meters up, during which time I can use one bubble. Then, taking a break, I can use another. Finally, I will rise again while using the last one, but will not release the air I breathe out, instead reusing the remaining air. That should give me a bit of more time, even if the oxygen level will drop over time.

I take the deepest breath I can, then quickly pull my head into the water and head outwards and up, making sure that none of the bubbles touch the weeds, instead pushing them away by moving the water around them.

I drain one bubble as I slowly rise, then stop. My breathing has quickly returned to the more rapid, ragged breath that seems to be an instinct when underwater. I let myself rise, very, very slowly, while I count the time. Thirty-two seconds, by my count, I have to use the second to last bubble.

Upwards I go, bringing in the last bubble and making sure no breath escape my grasp. I can feel the air quality dropping, but it should hold. There! Light seeps from above, and I stretch a strand of my mana high, high up.

I’m not high enough! My already shaky grip slowly devolve into fear, panic. My breathing goes out of control. Calm, calm! I must not hyperventilate, I do not have the air for this!

Air! My mana hits air! I immediately send more mana up. More! More! It grasps the air, pulling down much needed bubbles. However, with my brain slowly getting less oxygen, and mental state not being the best, most of the bubbles shrink or even disintegrate on the way down. But some make it. Finally! Fresh air!

My lungs, brain and heart all seem to scream for more air, and when they finally get their wish-