Leonar watched the flooded entrance closely. Just then, a notification popped up in front of his eyes:
[Eleonora's Power Unlocked: 1%]
Confused, he frowned, thinking aloud, "Why did you only release one percent?"
Eleonora's voice echoed in his mind, sounding almost amused and condescending.
"I want to see how your body reacts and how you handle the situation."
The blow to his pride stung, but Leonar kept silent. He took a deep breath and began moving toward the entrance, noticing how the water continued to rush with force, almost as if it were forming an intangible barrier against him.
'Can I really get through that…?' Leonar wondered to himself.
"Of course. Or are you scared?" Eleonora taunted.
Taking a breath, Leonar dove into the water, swimming with a bit of initial clumsiness. But soon enough, he surprised himself with his speed; the current didn't affect him, and he moved through the water like a fish in its natural habitat. He had to extend his hands frequently, though, to keep from colliding with the walls at the speed he was traveling.
"What on earth are you doing?" Eleonora's voice was filled with impatience.
'Swimming at this speed isn't exactly easy, you know?' he replied mentally, a bit annoyed.
Eleonora let out a sigh of exasperation.
"Of course I know that, but if you don't hurry, you'll run out of air. The current may not be affecting you, but you can still drown."
That warning helped Leonar refocus, and he pushed himself to adjust to the speed as quickly as possible.
As he advanced, darkness surrounded him, and he began to wonder if he was getting lost.
Then, a new message appeared:
[Eleonora's Power Unlocked: 2%]
With the added boost, Leonar gave another strong stroke, feeling his speed increase yet again.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Alright... looks like we're here. Swim up."
Following her direction, he began to notice light gradually until he finally surfaced at the same place where he and his companions had fallen before—the massive hole the worm had left behind.
"Take a deep breath. You'll need to dive again and find that damned door with whatever little light you can catch from the surface."
Leonar nodded, drawing a huge breath before diving again.
'Wait… what if I use my ability?' he thought, and opening his eyes, he activated it.
Suddenly, the whole cave appeared in shades of red, allowing him to see his surroundings clearly with contours highlighting the walls, exits, and every object under the water.
"Well… didn't expect that. You've got a pretty handy skill there," Eleonora commented, experiencing Leonar's ability for the first time.
'Yeah, but this isn't exactly good…'
"Why?"
'I'll explain later,' he replied, swimming purposefully, dodging tables, chairs, casino chips, and scattered gold as he advanced down the main hallway.
At the end of the hallway, he came across the floating, lifeless bodies of several goblins, forming a grim procession under the water.
Leonar swallowed hard, searching in vain for any sign of life among his companions, but there was nothing. Every human he saw was also dead.
Seeing the drowned bodies wasn't pleasant, especially knowing that this was, in part, his fault.
Just then, another notification popped up:
[Eleonora's Power Unlocked: 3%]
The boost let him move even faster, and he couldn't help but ask Eleonora, 'Why are you unlocking more of your power? Don't you see this place is enormous?'
"I'm helping your body adapt—don't be reckless," Eleonora replied. "Don't waste time, though; at most, you have a minute of oxygen left before you start drowning."
With the warning echoing in his mind, Leonar hurried, swimming toward the stairs that descended to the lower levels.
The deeper he went, the more disordered the area became, and the number of floating bodies increased, causing a hint of fear to creep into his thoughts.
'I killed them…'
"Hey, turn back now. You're near your limit," Eleonora advised, sounding genuinely concerned.
'Release more power.'
"You're not ready for that," Eleonora replied without hesitation.
'Just do it!'
Reluctantly, Eleonora complied, and another notification appeared:
[Eleonora's Power Unlocked: 5%]
The increase gave him an almost superhuman speed, making him zip through the water like a motorboat.
However, the speed came with a price: he began colliding with various objects in his path, releasing small bubbles of air every time he hit a table or a chair.
'Damn it!' Leonar cursed to himself, trying to keep calm.
Panicking underwater would be the worst thing that could happen to him right now.
His arms burning and his exhaustion building up, Leonar looked ahead, spotting another staircase descending further down.
"You can't keep going like this. Turn back," Eleonora urged, now genuinely worried.
But the sight of the floating human bodies was a difficult image to ignore. Driven by the hope of finding a survivor, Leonar swam toward the entrance of the staircase, only to be met by a terrifying sight.
Right in front of him, a dark and menacing silhouette materialized.
The creature was monstrous; its long, thick body resembled that of a shark, with cold eyes and a mouth full of sharp fangs, staring at him with unmistakable hostility.
'Red…' Leonar thought, clenching one of his fists as he faced the creature.