It’s absurd to think these Water Serpents actually avoid my detection ability. Turns out, they didn’t. They simply tricked me into thinking I didn’t detect them.

It isn’t completely accurate to compare my sensory ability to a sonar but it is close. Instead of seeking out their physical form, it more or less picks up on their presence. Therefore, I can detect things that are normally imperceptible by the naked eyes such as wind, sound, energy, temperature and many others. However, it’s not without fault.

This current situation is a perfect example. The Water Serpents blend well with their habitat, almost as if they are one. Therefore, my sensory ability detects the serpents and their habitat as a single entity. A presence camouflage. A neat trick to avoid detection and sensory abilities.

Although, this trick only works if it has yet to be figured out.

Now that I know why I can barely sense them, I apply some changes to the way I detect stuffs. My aura diffusion which acts as a pseudo sonar wave, I make it as thin as it can be before diffusing into the vicinity. Slowly but clearly, every minute details come flowing into my brain.

Whoa…

Holy shit, there are a lot of information to process. My head hurts.

It will be bad for my mental health if I continue on with such precision. Since I got what I need, I stop diffusing my aura at a minute scale.

This small lake actually runs quite deep. I can’t tell how deep but it’s deep enough to be compared to the sea’s depth. Strangely enough, there are no holes, tunnels, tubes that connect this area to other waters. And I wouldn’t call it a simple resting place of these Water Serpents. This is practically a nest and there are a lot of them. More than dozens. Each waiting for their turn to strike. They are coming out in small numbers, probably to confuse their prey of their force size. I can just use some highly destructive magic to instantly bombard this whole nest but I’m not completely confident in having a hundred percent success rate. And if it isn’t a hundred percent, I will be left opened and vulnerable for retaliation. Plus, I’m not even sure if they didn’t have some sort of defense mechanism. There are just too much uncertainty for that plan to work.

Before, my mind had been focusing on the abnormalities regarding the Water Serpents’ detection inhibition but now that’s out of my mind, I begin to wander what happened to the Water Serpents I fell. If their bodies have simply dropped back into the waters, I would have been seeing red dying the surface but there’s no red.

A water sphere erupts from the surface and flies toward me like a bullet. At hindsight, it’s just a water projectile-type magic but with SIS, I can tell there is another spell overlapping the water sphere. It’s simply called, Mist.

As I sliced apart the incoming water sphere, it leaks out what could only be described as mist. So, it is that kind of an attack after all.

My sight is clouded with Mist but that’s all there is to it, my other five senses are still working fine. I’m taking my sixth sense[1] into account too of course.

As cliche as it could be, one of the Water Serpents springs at me from my six. As soon as I beheaded it, another one came attacking with a charged-up spell biding in its mouth.

I take notice of the one I decapitate. Just before it falls back into the lake, it vanishes. For an instance, I think I saw something like the space itself swallowed the carcass up. The explanation that came to me naturally is Hyx being the cause. He’s probably storing the ones I fell with his Spatial Magic. I’ll appreciate it if he could at least help me. I’m starting to think I’m just being exploited under the pretext of “training”.

Ah?

Crap!

The water-jet beam is coming. I said water-jet beam but the name of the spell is actually, Torrent Blast. It’s of intermediate level. Such ferocity of a strength but only of intermediate level. I guess it felt like an advance-type is probably due to one of the effect of the lake’s spell buffs.

I had always thought it to be weird for witnessing next to barely any novice spells after leaving the palace. Turns out, novice spells are mostly use for training. In the real world, it will take at least an intermediate level spell to be feasible. That makes sense, I guess?

After the Torrent Blast exhausted itself, another one followed suit immediately. When that one was over, another one took its place. There were times when three came simultaneously. Are they trying to wear me out this way?

While I’m assaulted by Torrent Blasts one after another, a Water Serpent closed in on me with bared jaws. The fangs which caught the moonbeam give me shivers. I still have the Aegis up so its fangs stop at the thin but tough filament of Lightning Magic. With such opening, no way I’m letting it go. With one swoop, I severed its head into top and bottom half. The space then swallows up the dead Water Serpent.

Help me, please?

The Torrent Blasts stop after that. This time, the Water Serpents lunge at me in the flesh. They came at most three at a time.

“Oh my god! Just give up already!” I shouted, not due to exhaustion but the mental fatigue piling up. It’s becoming frustrating instead of tiresome. It’s not hard to but it’s just endless. They seem to have no fear of death as they just keep coming. Although they do seem to try to be as sneaky as possible, with Abaddon, they don’t stand a chance of getting the jump on me.

Due to the repeated process of the Water Serpents ramming their bared jaws at the Lightning Aegis, one of the bulwarks finally gave in. The Water Serpents pounce on that vulnerable area.

AH! No no no no no!

I swing at the area where I’m exposed, where a Lightning Aegis is missing. I panicked. I didn’t control my strength. The swing packed more power than needed. The excessive force disturbed the other Lightning Aegis and they became weaken. The opportunistic Water Serpents were shreds before they even came close.

“Shizuka, please remain calm. Carelessness has been the bane of many, even the mighty.”

After being admonished by Talia, I calm down. Fortunately, the disturbance wasn’t too great to leave me completely open. I replace the missing Lightning Aegis and realign them.

I was getting too cocky there. I will admit I might have gotten a bit drunk on my confidence.

But anyways, the Water Serpents seem to somehow figure I have the means to wipe them all out regardless of their number. So they’re sending a little by little to slowly chip away my stamina. It would have worked if I don’t have Talia. Talia is also functioning as something like a constantly recharging Mana battery. Although the recharge rate is anything amazing but it helps with the upkeep. Since the Water Serpents don’t require much of me to dispatch them and unless they try something bigger, I can do this all day.

Still, how many more of them are there?

They just keep coming. And what's more, I have stopped receiving Skill and Ability points. Looks like it does get harder to gain new Skill and Ability Points, kinda like leveling up in games.

As complains pile up in my mind, they finally stopped. Not that they run out of numbers. Maybe they are trying something new?

“Ah, finally. The boss is here.” Hyx said, from somewhere. Jesus, his stealth ability is amazing. If I didn’t know he’s here beforehand, I would never have know he’s here otherwise.

A whirlpool forms in the middle of the small lake. The waters parted as the whirlpool expands outwardly. From the centre, a figure smaller by a head than the Water Serpent rises from it. It has a body of a Water Serpent with a few extra fins. It has a pair of limbs and a much more sentient expression. It basically has a the upper body of a human albeit with fins and it looks capable of reasoning, that’s the impression I’m having.

It’s a Naga wielding a trident. It’s title is Chief of the Water Serpents. Oh, it really is the boss. Although it’s still a B-rank but with a plus at the front. Looking at its ability and skill’s composition tells me enough of its higher tier of competency than its minions. It has Water Magic and Mana Control. I’m glad it didn’t have any race-specific abilities.

After eyeing me for quite some time, it opens its mouth.

It spoke, but I do not understand the language. SIS tells me it’s Monster Language. I know such language existed but I don’t understand it.

“I am the Chief of these Waters, for what reason have you attacked us? That’s what it said.” Hyx told me.

My face snapped to my right since I heard it coming from there, “you understand that?” I asked.

“You haven’t been paying attention to what my tale, have you?”

“I did but I wasn’t taking everything at face value.”

He was quiet then. Did I hit a nerve?

It feels strange that I’m not reserve when I’m talking to him. If he was anyone else, my words would have been more carefully chosen. I wonder why do I feel so at ease with him.

“Anyways, you don’t need to reply to him.” Hyx plainly told me. “Just have at him.”

“What? Just have at him? He’s trying to talk to us here.”

“Only because the scale is not tipped against him. He attacks the moment someone or anything enters his territory. He’s only using words because for once, he can’t win with violence. He’s nothing more than just a hypocrite. He’s just a beast, a monster. And they… they are cunning.”

I don’t feel good with what I heard but the truth is apparent. This Naga is indeed a hypocrite. I doubt he would listen to the words of some unlucky soul who accidentally stumbles into his domain. Good riddance, I guess?

In a Te Ura Gasumi stance[2], I prepare for my next attack. A quick and precise thrust. A sudden attack with the intent to catch the Naga off-guard. There’s no need to play fair here. Rules don’t exist in the wild. I’ll attack while he thinks I’m figuring out how to reply back to him. Well, this is my reply.

Tempest Wings, Soaring Strike. A thrust attack skill that is capable of covering long distance in a shortest amount of time.

Perhaps it was his instincts, the Naga reacted but I went on with it anyway. I launch myself at the Naga by kicking off the foothold in the air. This Soaring Strike is a new skill so I didn’t know how fast or how strong it could be. Neither did the Naga but he decided to dodge instead of guarding it.

Wise decision for him.

My thrust attack grazed his shoulder and my blade caved in the hill behind him where the water falls. My blow destroys a good part of the waterfall. Like a broken damp, the water comes like a flash flood without the restrains. For a moment, I lost sight of the Naga. The rushing waters were too loud for me to track him through sound. Nevertheless, I didn’t lose track of the Naga entirely.

At my right!

I almost make the mistake of simply blocking it with the blade. Guarding it will be futile since the gap between the three prongs is huge. Those blades will definitely get me if my blade fell into the gap. I deflect the blow instead and riposte. The Naga swings its parried Trident back into position and counters my riposte. I evade the strike with 3D Maneuver. I go underneath his sight and bring my blade up from below. He spins away, water torrents coil along his action. When he stops, the water torrents aim for me.

Torrent Barrage, that’s the ability’s name. That’s fitting.

With a swing of Talia that in the form of Vorpal Draw along with Storm Talons, I destroy all six of the water torrents.

He did not miss that window. He attacks before I can recover my posture from that huge swing. The trident glows blue as it’s thrust at me. It tears through the Lightning Aegis I conjured in a hurry. I cast a novice Wind Magic, Tailwind on myself to evade that strike and get a bit of distance away from him.

Tailwind is a Wind Magic that increase the user’s movement speed. It’s not much of an increase. At most, it feels like having a near-weightless body. Since it’s a novice-level magic, the activation of the magic is faster. Which is why I chose this magic in the spur of the moment.

The Naga immediately sends stakes made of water at me. Some of them missed and those that don’t were simply cut down by me. What’s with those misses?

Is he testing me?

The Naga then points his trident at me. His lips curling along with that gesture. I thought it was an intimidation but when the gushing waters behind me vibrated, I realize I was wrong. He’s using a spell that seems to take advantage of the ruptured waterfall.

Crap!

A thirty feet wall of water covers my vision. It’s coming fast.

I move back with Aerial Drive but the wall of water is persisting on my track. I was only safe when I moved out of the small lake where the Water Serpents dwell. Even then, the water comes splashing down on me. Although it was due to losing the magic that holds it together. I would appreciate this if it was day but now it’s probably an hour after midnight. I’m freezing… or that’s what I would have been feeling if Talia didn’t help regulate my temperature.

It seems she’s doing so by manipulating my Mana. She’s much more handy and controlling Mana flow than me but that’s a given since she’s much older than me.

After the tidal wave attack, more water stakes came flying at me. Unlike before, this one’s continuous instead of a single burst. The Naga only stop its spell when I retaliate with Wind Slash with my free hand. The already broken waterfall is further destroyed. The magnificence of the waterfall is no more. A pity but I’m no romantic.

I check my Mana and health.

My Mana has been expended considerably but the upkeep is doing well. I barely lost any HP but I have taken a lot of hit to my mental stamina.

On top of being mentally exhausted, the Naga’s shrewd and cocky expression is grating my nerves. I know I can blow this place up but would the end-result from that be truly desirable?

I have so much strength but I’m not savvy with its utilization.

Should I just blow this whole place up?

“No,” Talia responded to that thought of mine. “Who knows what the environmental destruction might do the balance of the ecosystem here.”

Fair enough.

This is frustrating.

Honestly, I want to stop. It’s been a long day. I almost had near-death experience just hours before. At the night of the same day, I’m out here battling against monsters I have never encounter. I’m cold and tired. And I’m wet. But… Valuma will give me a harder time than this.

“Talia, do you think we can finish this quickly?”

“Haste make waste, Shizuka. We must—”

“I know but I’m tired, Talia. If I don’t end it sooner, I don’t think I’ll have any leeway of avoiding making mistakes.”

“I understand, Shizuka.” I felt Talia kinda nodded. “However, as for the possibility of ending this battle as soon as possible, it will be a difficult conjecture. We’re in his domain. Too many uncertain variables for a solid conclusion. We can however, take a risk. The gap between between us and him in terms of raw power and strength is more than apparent.”

Our thoughts are aligned. We can brute force this battle with the large gap between our ability levels but this is his domain. Traps are certain to appear. Not to mention, the Naga has dozens of Water Serpents at his disposal. Another reason for ending this fight sooner is because of my fatigue. I’m not one for a drag-out fight.

Now that I have grasp his movement capabilities, my next strike would not miss easily. Let’s end this with the next assault.

But can I?

No, I can’t think like that.

There’s a possibility of failure. The cause of this thought is unfounded but it’s rooted deeply in me. I know better than anyone else that it’s nothing more than just my anxiety. I can’t keep doubting myself.

I coat Talia with Shadow Blade. I have Aerial Drive and Gale Rush at standby. I got into a Te Ura Gasumi stance again. This Soaring Strike shall not miss.

3... 2… 1…

Now!

I shot out like a rail gun, leaving a trail of faint black aura that outlines my figure.

The Naga prepares to dodge but shields of lightning appear in every direction he attempts to dodge to. Yes, I have enclose him with Lightning Aegis, limiting his room for movement. Now, the only way for him to go is to dive into the waters but that’s out of the question. By sealing off his other routes except one, his movements became predictable. If he was faster, there will be a tomorrow for him but beside his territorial advantage, I beat him at all other aspects. He can try to dive back into the small lake but will he make it?

He might be faster but… Might, he might. It’s no absolute that he’ll be faster nor is it possible for him to be faster.

Resignation and desperation begin surfacing on him. His smug face contorted. He summons up all his power for a fruitless resistance. Even to the untrained eyes, it’s easy to tell who will emerge victorious.

I win.

The Naga screams.

Looks like he refuse to be beaten. He denies the fate of his untimely demise. The more he look like a sore loser of a boy, the more my confidence surges.

This is my victory.

The remaining Water Serpents left the depths and come attacking me but the gap between our aura strength cripples their movement. They are overwhelmed by the presence of a Dragon. I possess the soul of a Dragon. I was worry that they have some sort of defense against this but a Dragon’s presence is too much for them. Even there is some sort of defense, it’s probably not sufficient.

This was risky but it paid off. I would be so dead if the gap meant nothing due to the Naga’s territory advantage but that’s not the case.

Left with no other options, the Naga resorts to face me head on. He cast some protection spell on himself. The water becomes tiny blades that circulates around him. Not that it would help much, or help at all.

I applaud his courage but it’s meaningless. His trident ruptures before the thrusting blade of Talia. The tiny water blades scratch my skin but not my flesh thanks to Mystic Skin.

The trident’s demise is followed shortly by the Naga himself. I tore through him. It’s not a clean cut but he’s halved nevertheless. The blue blood of the Naga showers me as it comes gushing out uncontrollably.

I have made this fight harder than it needs to be due to my inability to gauge my ability and my opponents. I have too much uncertainty and doubts constantly looping in my mind. I always fear for the worse. My optimism had always been the ignorance of pessimism. Something like this… I can’t allow this line of thinking in the coming battle with Valuma.

I lack faith in my self…

I see. How can I have faith in my friends, my allies, my weapons, when I don’t even have faith with myself?

I wonder… Did they left me because I couldn’t trust them or myself? Not because I was weak? Come to think of it, I never did know the reason. I have just assumed they shunned me because I look weak. Or was it the other way around? I shunned them…?

“Well done, Shizuka.” Talia congratulated.

They were simple words. Common to be heard everyday and almost every hour but… I have never been more relieve and happier when I heard those words addressed to me.

Fighting back a tear, I answer, “yeah. I did well.”

Skill Point(s) gained +5

Ability Point(s) gained +5

Title: - Acquired

Hirano Shizuka's Status Information

Name

Hirano Shizuka

Status

Exhaustion: High

Contracted: Talia Lox

HP

600

MP

300

Age

17

Class / Job

Scout Hero

Dragon Knght

Gender & Race

Female / Human

Standing

Hero of Zerogian

Arcane Arts

Magic Melee Arts – Lv. 5

Body Strengthening – Lv. 4

Wind Magic – Lv. 5

Spirit Magic – Lv. 2

Lightning Magic - Lv. 10

Water Magic - Lv. 1

Aerial Dance - Lv. 3

Legacy

Dragon Mystic Arts - Lv. 2

Unique

Tempest Wings - Lv. 2

Title & Deeds

Abaddon’s Apostle

Scout Hero

The Elusive One

Demon Slayer

The Audacious One

Resolute One

Mondra's Companion

Dragon Blade

Culling of Serpents

Overall Power Ranking

S

Effective Combat Strength

1990

Attack - 400

Defense - 250

Magic - 340

Resistance - 200

Speed - 600

Remaining Skill Points: 21 (16 ~ 21)

Remaining Ability Points: 17 (12 ~ 17)