"I just realized something," Kee muttered, his voice breaking the quiet.

"Hm? What’s that?" Yelena’s response echoed in his mind, mildly curious.

"Well… technically, your skill is powered by magicules, so it could be considered magic. But you can’t summon flames like that without relying on a skill. Yet, if you were subconsciously limited, you wouldn’t have been able to create that pillar of flames to cut the wave. You’re already doing it without realizing—you just need to learn how to do it consciously."

Kee frowned. "You’re just confusing me more. I’ve never studied magic—I don’t get it."

Yelena chuckled softly. "Maybe it would be more fun to raid a dungeon or visit a black market instead."

"It’s not about fun…" Kee started, but then stopped, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Actually, you know what?"

"What?"

"It is about fun. I want to learn magic for fun. There was no magic in my world, so I don’t care about doing good or bad. I just want to experience it."

Unbeknownst to Kee, Yelena smiled softly behind the veil of their mental link, a gentle yet fierce expression forming. His unrestrained nature struck a chord with her.

"That’s right," Yelena said, her tone unusually tender. "You should do what you want. Freedom is the best thing… Always be strong."

Kee blinked, momentarily taken aback. There was a weight to her words, a depth that stretched back into a distant past. Something about the way she said it, as if those words were tied to a time long ago, made him pause.

“Alright,” he said finally, sensing the shift in her tone. “Let’s check on the fish boy.”

"Um, yes, okay," Kee said, his focus shifting to the merman.

As Kee approached, he raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. The merman, sprawled in the sand, had the face of a weathered 40-year-old, with scruffy, unshaven stubble and a body riddled with battle scars. Despite having just been washed ashore, he looked like a down-and-out beggar.

"Yeah, I’m not going near him," Kee said, cringing slightly. "Even though he came from such clean water, he looks… dirty. If he dies, he dies. If he lives, he lives."

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Yelena let out a soft, amused laugh in Kee’s mind. "That’s awfully unkind of you, especially after all the effort you went through."

"I don’t know… He gives off bad vibes. Like I’d catch all sorts of bad luck hanging around him. He’s like an experienced warrior and a drunkard mashed into one person. The most I’ll do is keep an eye on him."

Yelena’s laugh faded as she drifted back to sleep.

Hours passed, and just as midnight struck, the merman stirred. His eyes fluttered open, and he groggily took in his surroundings. His body, half-buried in sand, was cold, and the wounds covering him stung. But what truly shook him was the sight he met when he turned his head—a pair of glowing eyes, one gold and one blood-red, watching him intently. The long, vertical pupils gleamed in the dark like something out of a nightmare.

“Who are you?” the merman croaked, his voice trembling.

Kee’s eyes narrowed slightly. "…Rude fish."

The merman’s jaw dropped. He had just asked a question, only to be insulted. However, as common sense kicked in, he quickly tried to recover. "My apologies," he said hastily. "Thank you for saving me. May I ask who you are?"

"Why is it a question if I saved you?" Kee asked, his tone slightly mocking. "And how rude to ask about me before introducing yourself."

The merman stammered, "Oh, I’m sorry… Well, thanks for saving me. My name is Rin, from the underwater village of Vensta. I’m a merman, as you’ve probably noticed."

"Obviously."

"Respected Majin…"

"I’m not a Majin—I’m human," Kee snapped, clearly irritated.

"Yeah, nice joke," Rin muttered under his breath, looking skeptical.

"Ugh… why do you keep calling me a Majin?" Kee demanded.

"Because you’re neither human, demon, elf, dwarf, demi-human, nor any monster-evolved humanoid species I’ve ever seen, but you have a lot of magic. Majin are the only ones I know who don’t have set characteristics, except for large amounts of magicules. So I concluded you must be a Majin."

Kee sighed. "Just call me Kee."

"Is that a nickname?" Rin asked, blinking in confusion. "Are we already close enough for that?"

"No! It’s my full name. Also, why were you skipping across the water like that?"

"Oh, right…" Rin hesitated before continuing. "There’s an annual exchange market a few kilometers from here. Maybe more. It’s a place where monster-evolved races with intelligence trade goods."

"Sounds interesting," Kee said, nodding. "But that still doesn’t explain the skipping."

"I was guarding a convoy from my village," Rin explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "A monster attacked. I stayed behind to distract it, but I got caught in an underwater current and couldn’t dodge its attacks. When I finally broke free, it launched a huge blast of water, sending me flying."

"Good story. Now take me to this exchange."

Rin nodded slowly. "I’ll do that as thanks for saving me, but… can you unbury me first?"

"Oh, right… sure," Kee said, quickly removing the sand from around Rin. "Also, put some clothes on."

Rin blushed faintly. "…Okay."

After being unburied, Rin summoned a ring onto his finger, and in a flash, a set of clothes and equipment materialized out of thin air. Lazily, he put them on, his movements slow and deliberate.

Together, they began walking along the beach, heading west as the sound of the waves accompanied their journey. Kee was curious, eager to see what other races he might encounter.

“Let’s go,” he said, the excitement building inside him.