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9. Mermen 101

After hours of grueling struggle, meditation, and countless failed attempts, the elusive breakthrough had arrived. Derek felt the surge of energy ripple through his body, filling him with renewed vigor, as if all the fatigue and hopelessness that had weighed him down had suddenly lifted.

More than just a surge of power, Derek could finally sense the subtle strand of energy coursing through his body—a delicate thread of mana that had previously eluded his grasp. He took a slow, deliberate breath, focusing on that strand of energy. It felt like a barely noticeable itch or a prickle that moved across his skin except in this case it was somewhere deep inside his body.

It started vaguely in the lower abdomen region and moved through his core, up toward his chest, and into his arms, as if awakening dormant pathways within him. The sensation was strange yet exhilarating, like discovering a new limb he hadn’t known existed. The energy was subtle, but undeniably present, and with each passing moment, he became more aware of its flow.

Derek focused intently as if mentally tracing the path it traveled. It was very minuscule, barely a flicker of what he imagined it to be but for the first time he was able to feel it. His heart raced at the thrill of it. He continued following the strand, keeping up with its fast pace as it moved in confusing paths all over his body.

After a few seconds, Derek felt something was off. He was slowly not able to keep up with it. Or rather he was losing track of the feeling. Eventually, the entire feeling died down and he was no longer able to pick up anything. It was as if mana had disappeared from his body completely as if it was never there.

Panic crept up within him. Did he now have to wait for another level up to get anywhere with the mana manipulation? Shit! He opened his eyes urgently and willed for the system screen to pop to find out what was going on. Immediately many notifications popped up in front of him.

[Ding! Water Manipulation - lvl 3 > Water Manipulation - lvl 4]

[Ding! You have gained experience points]

[Ding! You have leveled up]

[Lvl 4 > Lvl 5]

[Ding! You have gained Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1 and Wisdom +1]

[Ding! You have gained 1 free stat point]

[Ding! Congratulations on reaching level 5. You can now choose one basic skill to learn]

[Basic Inspection: Allows you to view detailed information about the target in focus. This skill provides insight into the world around you and enhances your strategic decision-making.]

[Basic Language: Allows you to understand and communicate in a selected foreign language, including basic comprehension of both spoken and written forms. Useful for interacting with new species and navigating unfamiliar environments.]

[Basic Weapon Mastery: Enhances your proficiency with basic weapons such as swords, spears, and bows. Grants a basic knowledge of how to use different weapons with acceptable speed and accuracy.]

Derek looked in a daze. He had surely gained more than what he had hoped for. His gaze landed on the three new skills that were now available to him. Was this a one time thing or was he going to get these kinds of options often? His choice would definitely depend on that. He tried mentally asking the system about it but there was no response. It looked like he would have to make the decision with the information in hand.

Derek stared at the options, weighing them carefully. Basic Inspection would give him a tactical edge—he could assess his surroundings, the strength of his enemies, or even the magic imbued into the objects and barriers around him. Basic Language could open a whole new window of opportunity for him, potentially letting him understand the mermen and what the heck they were up to. Lastly, Basic Weapon Mastery seemed practical but didn’t feel immediately relevant, given that he was unarmed and still chained up.

His mind raced as he considered his current situation. Knowledge was power. Unfortunately, he currently did not have enough power to actually make that translation. What use was knowing what level his enemies were if he was stupidly outleveled by them. On the other hand, if he could understand them, then maybe he could find a break somewhere. Maybe they might even let some secrets slip out. On the negative, there was no guarantee that the basic language package would include whatever weird tongue these guys were talking in.

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Derek thought about it for a few minutes and then let out a sigh. In all honesty, all three options were great for him and he desperately needed them. Since he could select only one, he decided to go ahead with his gut feeling, with what could give him the best chance of escape at the moment. He selected the second option, Basic Language.

[Ding! You have acquired the skill: Basic Language – Level 1.]

A subtle warmth spread through Derek’s mind as the skill activated. He felt a slight pressure in his head, like someone had unlocked a door to a part of his brain he hadn’t known existed. Words and sounds floated through his mind, unfamiliar at first, but slowly they began to make sense. The guttural growls and hisses of the mermen, the incomprehensible noises they made—he could now understand them, at least at a basic level.

The muffled voices outside the cave suddenly became clearer. He could hear snippets of conversation, faint but decipherable. thankfully, this gamble had played out in his favor.

“…why is he still alive?” one voice asked, low and gravelly.

“Because the chief said so,” another replied. “We need him for the ritual.”

Ritual? Derek’s heart skipped a beat. They were planning something, and he was a part of it. He strained to hear more.

“What about the other four humans?” the first voice asked. “We can’t eat any of them? Doesn’t seem fair. Prey like this is hard to come across. I am bored of eating the stinking razorfin all my life.”

Derek’s heart froze. Four humans? There were others chained up just like him? Who were the other four? Was Jo also here? They both were in the same place when everything went to hell after all. There was a decent chance that she was also caught and chained up like him.

The mention of the ritual, the fact that he and the others were being kept alive for some nefarious purpose, made his blood run cold. Just how many mermen were there around them? If it was for some ritual or sacrifice, wouldn’t the whole group or cluster or whatever be around them, guarding them, making any form of escape impossible?

The mermen's conversation continued, now fully comprehensible to Derek. “The ritual takes precedence over our hunger. We’ll have plenty of flesh afterward if we succeed.” There was a murmur of agreement. “We all know what happens if we fail. The sea itself will claim us.”

Derek felt the weight of their words, the fear in their tone. Whatever this ritual was, it involved not only him but something that held great importance to the mermen. And something told him that he had no interest in sticking around to find out what that was. This was not going to end well for him if he sat here taking his own sweet time to slowly level up. But what else could he possibly do?

Derek repeated his routine breathing exercise to calm himself down. He closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the realization of his situation to fully sink in. The ritual, the mention of other humans, and the sheer gravity of being held captive by an entire group of mermen gnawed at him. Panic wanted to take over, but he fought it down with slow, controlled breaths. He had already leveled up, gained new abilities, and finally understood the language of his captors—those were his small victories. Now, he had to use them to his advantage. He needed to think of something but first, he needed to be able to see around him to make any sort of prison break plan. And for that he needed to get rid of this damn water helmet.

Derek tried to focus once again on the feeling of the mana strand that had run rampant in his body. The thing was like a fast worm going from one end to another in a fraction of a second. He had clearly followed it from start to finish? Did he really fail again? He clenched his fists as he sat back, frustration bubbling to the surface. He had felt the mana, traced it as best as he could. But why had it slipped away? The brief sense of power, that connection to something deeper within him, had been like grasping at smoke.

He wasn’t about to give up. His life was at stake. He forced his breathing to steady and focused inward, trying again to latch onto the mana. He closed his eyes, blocking out the murmur of the mermen outside. He reached deep, where he had felt the mana originate, in his lower abdomen.

It was there. I know it was there.

For a moment, he felt nothing—just the stillness inside him, the faint hum of his heartbeat. Then, slowly, he sensed it again. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it was there. A dot of energy. A small fraction of what he had sensed before.

Derek latched onto that faint spark of energy, refusing to let it slip away this time. He breathed deeply, his focus narrowing until all he could sense was the small flicker of mana deep within him. It was like holding onto a fragile thread, one wrong move and it could vanish again.

It’s there. It’s real. He reassured himself.

Derek continued to focus on that dot and only that dot. Before long, he ended up seeing another one of those dots. Another faint spark appeared, flickering just within reach, like a second star joining the first in the vast expanse of his inner focus. His heart leapt—this was new. There wasn’t just one particle of mana, but multiple, scattered like tiny embers. As he honed in on those two with all of his mind and focus, suddenly something shifted.

Derek almost gasped out loud as one after other more faint sparks began to appear. Dozens of them lit up inside him, like stars blinking into existence.

[Ding! You have learned a new skill: Mana Sense]

[Ding! You have gained experience points]