Leveling up once—it had seemed like such a straightforward plan. One level up, and he’d have a better grasp on his mana. Yet, after three upgrades—two in meditation and one in water manipulation—he was still no closer to that elusive level up notification.

The system’s cold indifference to his efforts gnawed at him. With every skill upgrade, he’d been sure the next one would do it. But no matter how hard he pushed, how long he meditated, or how much he experimented with water, the level up remained out of reach.

He rubbed his face with his hands, feeling the dampness from the water he’d managed to manipulate. The puddle at his feet had grown a little now. It was progress, yes, but not the breakthrough he needed. The small victories weren’t enough. He needed something bigger—something that would finally push him over the edge.

"Come on, what am I missing?" he muttered to himself, glancing at the status screen once again. His mana reserves were still decent, his stamina partially recovered from earlier. But even with these upgrades, he still felt like he was scraping at the surface of his potential.

Perhaps it wasn’t just about skill upgrades. Maybe it required something more. A real challenge. The system rewarded progress in combat, after all. And here he was, locked in a cage, with no real way to test his abilities in any meaningful way.

Derek’s eyes narrowed in thought. Whatever may be the reason, he couldn’t just sit here, hoping for a breakthrough to fall into his lap. He needed to keep pushing himself, little by little like he had always been. He started the next round of meditation when the sloshing sound outside suddenly stopped.

Derek immediately snapped out of his practice session and craned his neck to see the entrance only to find his worst fear coming true. The merman was back and this time he was not alone. Five merman entered the narrow tunnel leading into the cave. The one at the front, the one Derek had grown accustomed to tormenting him, slithered forward with that same cruel smile.

Derek had a bad feeling. This wasn’t just another taunt or a chance to watch him squirm—this felt like something else. Something worse. The mermen circled the cage, their yellow eyes gleaming with malice. He couldn’t understand their guttural language, but the way they hissed and gestured toward him made it clear: they were here to make things harder for him.

The older looking merman, at least that's what Derek assumed from the white hair on the monster’s head moved closer to him and leaned down toward the cage, his sharp, yellow eyes locking onto Derek’s. The next second the puddle of water around Derek’s feet rose up and without any warning shot forward toward him.

Panic surged through Derek as the water closed around his head, cold and suffocating. He instinctively thrashed, but the water refused to let him break free. It wasn’t just drowning him—it was holding him, trapping him in an oppressive, swirling cocoon. His vision blurred, and the distorted sight of the mermen outside his cage twisted into grotesque shapes.

His heart pounded, every beat a reminder that he needed air, needed to escape. But the harder he fought, the more the water constricted, pressing in on him like a vice. His chest began to tighten, the familiar burn of oxygen deprivation creeping up. Thankfully the next second, relief arrived. The water suddenly receded, loosening its grip on his head and neck.

Derek gasped, filling his lungs with air, the cold rush of oxygen almost painful after the suffocating hold. He watched in confusion as he saw the water form a layer around his head like a sort of bubble. He couldn’t see anything outside but he heard a few muffled voices and then strained metallic groaning noises before a loud snap echoed in the small space. His cage door was open.

Derek did not know what was happening or why they had opened the cage, but no matter the reason, he wasn’t going to let this chance slip by. He struggled against the restraints of the water bubble around his head, his body stiff and uncooperative from the hours of confinement. His muscles screamed in protest, but the burning need for freedom pushed him to roll out of the cage.

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As soon as he was out, he scrambled to his feet, his mind racing with a single thought—escape. Just that, this single thought was all he could muster before he was unceremoniously yanked out of solid ground.

Derek’s world spun as he was hurled through the air, his stomach lurching as he lost all sense of direction. His limbs flailed helplessly, and before he could even try to react, he slammed into the cold, hard surface of the cave floor. Pain shot through his body, his ribs aching from the impact.

He gasped for breath, the water bubble around his head still intact, distorting his view and muffling the sounds around him. He struggled to push himself up, but before he could, one of the mermen slithered closer and hissed something in its guttural language.

Derek barely had time to brace himself as the merman’s long, muscular tail whipped toward him, striking him across the chest and sending him sprawling again. His head hit the ground with a thud, and stars danced in his vision before he went completely unconscious. Again.

Derek woke up to a splitting headache and a heavy, suffocating sensation pressing down on him. This time he did not quite forget where he was right now. Fuck. He swore under his breath. This was the second time he was tossed around like a ragged doll. He felt powerless. He hated it. He grit his teeth, trying to push the hopelessness down. This wasn’t the time to wallow.

Derek slowly sat up, wincing as every muscle in his body groaned. He shook off the dizziness and confusion as he took stock of his new surroundings. Wait, he was able to sit up? He immediately got his answer when he tried to move and felt something cold and hard hold him back. The cold metal shackles dug into his wrists and ankles and his legs were free enough to move slightly, but not enough to stand fully. Judging from the wet solid thing he was leaning against, his best bet was that he was chained to a stone wall somewhere, probably in another cave just like the previous one.

So he was still a prisoner. At least he was no longer in a small cage like an animal.

Forcing himself to focus, Derek tested the chains. They were sturdy. Very. There was no way he would be able to break free from them with sheer force alone. More than that, though, he had to figure out why he was still alive. If the mermen had wanted him dead, they could have easily finished the job. Instead, they kept him around. For what purpose?

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his racing heart and think clearly. The water bubble still clung around his head, making it hard to breathe comfortably or see or hear anything around him. There was no way for him to know what was going on around him. All he saw was the water. The gentle, swirling water around his head continued to run in circles like small coiled snakes. Anyone else might have probably felt claustrophobic but for Derek, this was the only comfort he had in this strange place, in this strange world.

Derek’s mind wandered as he stared at the blue veil. He took a slow, deliberate breath, feeling the way the water rippled slightly as he exhaled. What was his mother doing right now? Was she also locked up in some cage like him? What about Jo? He shuddered thinking about them and what situation they might be in. While he was locked up here day in and day out what kind of hell were they facing on the outside? A wave of guilt and anger washed over him. That uncertainty gnawed at him, twisting his stomach into knots. He couldn't shake the images that flashed through his mind—his mother chained in a similar dark, damp cell.

Derek took another deep breath, focusing on the water around his head. There were so many things happening around him. He was sure of it. The loud hushed noises were proof enough. He needed to get the hell out of here asap. He had to escape soon and had to find his mother and Jo. He continued staring at the water.

The minutes dragged on and he only saw the gentle movement of the water around his head, swirling in an almost hypnotic pattern. This water was full of mana. This water was controlled by magic. This water was forced by someone to act like this. It was a spell, a construct of someone else’s mana. It felt different when compared to the endless ocean that stretched all around him. Those waters were full of possibilities. It was welcoming. Not this. This felt like a shackle. As if he had no connection to this water.

Derek stared at it in a trance when he finally snapped out of it as he felt a sudden, sharp surge of energy rush through him. It was small but it was there. He instantly knew what it was. It was the same thing he had been waiting for all this time. He had finally leveled up!