“To the extent you say?” Murai asked, finding her excuse quite fitting, even when he considered himself. “That puts things in a different light, doesn't it?”
“Shut up, and your clever words... I am doing my bare good and considering you, it is fitting to me. You are you.” Lisa said, still a bit upset.
“Yea. Yea. I see the sincerity that is just a pile of excuses and willingness to be yourself. Get up already, will you? I don't care much about your problems, since I have my own take on living. Yours is yours. There is nothing wrong with it, so if you will help me with something, I will be glad you will do it with honesty while forgetting the scheming.”
“Scheming? You think I do something?” Lisa asked, as her eyes remind upon the water.
“Right, a bit is fine. It's going against your code, or whatever. I meant what I meant. For once, that is the truth and you should understand our situation and circumstances. Do your part of our idea that you consider being enough, but don't waste time. I hate that.”
“You.. meant it?” Lisa turned her face around, watching Murai's figure was taller than her figure that is 20 or so centimeters tall.
“Accepting others is one key to achieving some form of inner peace. I bet it's not something demons find that appealing. However, you shouldn't be all that different from then, even with this form of yours.”
“I know that... Fine!” Lisa floated up all of a sudden, so she wouldn't feel so small before him. “I am not accepting you, by the way! That's who am I but in no way I cannot make my words enough for you. Instead, I will help you with what I can, and since you are so... old? Right, I won't get so worked up. Is that what you wanted to hear? An excuse?” Lisa said, pointing her finger at Murai's head.
“I wasn't really ready to hear your description of our issues, since I don't care either way. You can lie, plot, or care less about that, but I am remaining on my path one way or another. I just came here to tell you that I am getting the fuck out of this cave, so if you don't want to remain here, then it is a good idea to get on my back or go into my soul space. If anything doesn't faze you, then consider my talking as an insane talk of an old man.” Murai said, and with little regard jumped into the water.
Lisa didn't hesitate flying at his back while Murai swam further into the lake. She had some problems with something, but some considerations were long overdue. She knew it but realized it was tougher than she expected.
“Your bag is loose. You are going to lose it like this. Wouldn't it be funny?” she said, securing her position on top of the backpack that will be her main seat for traveling.
“I can't do it myself that well, so secure it yourself,” he replied, unwilling to admit that he tried to do that for 10 minutes by himself, but couldn't do it properly thanks to his clumsy beak.
“Maybe you should try more advanced Shaping. I met some invalid mages who lost a hand or two. They made artificial hands from mana or golem-like structure with some materials.” Lisa said, securing the backpack a little bit better since she had hands that only needed a bit of change in physicality.
I know what you mean, but that is a bit more advanced for my current Shaping and my mana is.... unfitting to me. It's too early for trying to skip things up that much, but it is a possibility to lift and use some objects... Most likely. Not now though. Murai argued in his head.
“Really? I can see you are advanced in many things already. Some, which are surprisingly more than you think. Things like getting the flame out of some... strange fundamental Shaping, and creating these huge spears, javelins, blades, and spike out of no peculiar ability and with Shapining that takes few seconds. It speaks for me. Your magic is your finest weapon, but you are forgetting the body. You even get the additional affinity to your Beast Core without doing a thing! Will of the Battleworld usually doesn't do things in this way. That is quite impressive for Blessed under level 10.” Lisa says meaningfully, not exaggerating her view on Murai's progression.
Although she viewed things from a different perspective than him, it wasn't as bad as some exaggerated words or lies. Murai wasn't that considerate about his power either, and the number of times he took her words into consideration wasn't that often. He was always more self-centered, making him rather poor at handling people like himself. It was part of Ego and his Will, or so she assumed.
This time wasn't any different, since his basic view was vastly different from Lisa's. Although, having a different view wasn't a bad thing. Taking her words into a small corner of his mind was the bare minimum that he could give her, but maybe that was a bit too much to ask for.
“Not telling anything to that... Fine. What are you going to do now? Is there any way outside of this cave?” Lisa asked, figuring that Mura will tell things that he wanted, and how he wanted. She spent the past many hours in silence, while he researched Rudolf's tome, so that was about it.
I hope, but I doubt there is a direct way out apart from these wild running water sections in this cave. Those are too wild for me to pass upstream, so I have another idea. Which do you think?
“Like, which way is a great way to get back to the surface?” she asked curiously.
Murai nodded.
“Currents, or caves. Water is a possible path, but it will depend on its length and speed. Your Diving Sphere is passable, but it has limited speed and duration.” Lisa answered, giving a right answer that Murai agreed with.
Right. Underwater currents and underwater caves lead to more moving water in this lake. A current is there. I think that is the one way to get out or try to figure out the way out from the other section of the caves that led to this one.
Murai tried his guess since he couldn't be sure about it. He felt the water current moving so there was some way out, but what if it led to other caves, ending in a never-ending cycle of these caves? No... He was already getting tired of this place. He wanted to get out.
“Are you asking for my opinion, or are you thinking for yourself? Can I bet?” Lisa chuckled, and then frowned, thinking that he wasn't even willing to hear her opinion.
“You figured? Heh.” Murai also chuckled. “I will dive underwater one way or another,” he said without hesitation and did as he said, leaving Lisa to understand that a certain change between them was already happening. She had to accept it, otherwise, she will regret it by being too damned stubborn.
Performing the Diving Sphere prepared him to travel at passable speed, but for how long and where? That was the problematic part since he didn't know the exact part of the uncovered cave systems down below. Even his Mana Detection lacked those means since the place was too large.
What if the lake's deep layers were also part of more submerged caves, causing him to lose his time and then die agonizing death? Drowning was one of the most terrifying things he had experienced, so it was obvious he had some issues with that.
The lake was deep, with some sections having grass and some underwater flora, flourishing around some rocks and soil. There were also many fishes, but nothing dangerous as far as Murai was concerned. He already ate a few of them, so he was certain there was nothing to them apart from being normal fish.
Diving down, Lisa remained on her spot. Murai kept feeling the surroundings with his Soul Read, which was for living beings, and Mana Detection was for general surroundings.
He was able to do so up to a few dozen meters away, which was some improvement from before the dungeon.
“My mana did improve well enough. Grade F to E? Is that good or bad?” He asked out loud, but this time, Lisa more or less figured out he was thinking about it, so she would answer it. As far as she understood, Murai wasn't as familiar with the Grades of the letters, which made this Battleworld unique from his experiences.
“Your Grade D is passable in itself since it's meant to be a progression. It is slightly stronger than F, so take it as a system you have. S is highest, forging the unique circumstances of SS, or SSS, circumstances that are out of the norm. You are lacking the time, experience, and use in your mana itself. Mana Detection can encom...” Lisa stopped herself, figuring Murai didn't listen to her while putting his effort into the surroundings. She already explained his desirable answer well enough, so she stopped talking too much.
Ability such as Mana Detection was very basic but quite important. Murai knew it and so did Lisa. Grade meant the degree and might of the Ability, and it wasn't unique to most beings. D meant that Murai's use of Mana Detection was at the beginning road of the progress, while still being better than Grade F. Any kind of mage would have something similar to the Mana Detection at this level, but at Grade F or D at best.
Murai was different since his current life wasn't that of a regular mage but an Anatidae.
Lisa had to accept the answer in her mind, and not voice it. It came from her willingness to talk, and not because she didn't want to talk. Murai was focused on his journey, feeling the tension in the air and reaching the depths of this lake. The currents that led to some corners of the caves were soon discovered and seen.
There was an opening, barely large enough for a Diving Sphere. The current was sucking the water of the lake to it, and Murai found himself in a similar position. Diving into it without hesitation. He decided to try this out since his mana detection didn't detect any issues.
Vortex of the water currents pushed against his Divine Spheare, mixing him within, and shaking him up, but it at least remained intact. After a couple of seconds, his Diving Shpere stabilized, making him travel without any effort to the unknown. It didn't seem much from the outside of the calm lake, but here, it was much stronger than Murai's control over the Diving Sphere.
He was at the mercy of this current, and he realized it too late.
“Well, here goes nothing, Lisa. Do you regret my choice?” he asked, sensing and understanding that everything was his decision. Was he greedy, confident, or dumb? Lise would agree on all of them to a lesser degree.
“It was your choice. Not like I have a say in that.” she unhappily added, clutching her hands around Murai's neck since the time of the turbulent arrival to this place.
This road in the water current wasn't that long. It took a few dozen seconds until they reached another, almost fully submerged cave that led to yet another one. There was at least some form of space above, allowing Murai to restart his Diving Sphere. Another good news was the light that the Diving Sphere was making the surroundings clearer, even with his Night Vision.
Murai reached another cave afterward, doing so at least 3 more times. Shooting out of a small opening that was sucking more water, he appeared yet in another vast space. Vast? It was bigger than the ones before. Unfortunately, he noticed that no current was there, and the tension of the water was calm.
Calm? Murai asked himself. That means this is the end of the currents, so the most likely cause is...
Murai moved his Diving Sphere upwards, swimming as fast as he could since time was ticking, and he felt he was quite deep in the dark waters.
Far above, he saw a wide opening of a submerged cave that was quite narrow. It resembled some submerged valley, with little or no light. There was some occasional Underwater Grass and generic flora and fauna one would find in anywhere.
Those are common... Great! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! He cheered.
Reaching up and up, Murai reached the depth section with visible light above his line of vision. This was quite a deep cave, but the light coming off of the distant surface was clear.
It was the surface! This cave led all the way to the light of the sun. Murai grinned upon seeing the change but also frowned soon afterward since he noticed dozens of flickering lights surrounding his Diving Sphere. They appeared from some holes and caves of varying sizes.
“Hm? FUCK!” he quacked, feeling the sudden tension that was unlike what he hoped when seeing the land after a long time.
“Those! Where did you end up for fuck's sake!” Lisa shouted, seeking the upcoming monsters, that wasn't that easy to deal with. They were no Speedo Shark that was barely in its living. Those eyes were of bigger and more dangerous light.
This... or to be precise, these fish were bigger, and they weren't fishes at all. They were much stronger, wilder versions of something inland.
[Ding Dong! The land of the underwater is full of enemies our dear citizen of the Battleworld! You've met a regular case of bad luck and encountered enemies that no longer view you as an unworthy battle opponent]
[They seek you as food. How fitting]
The Will of the Battleworld descended with a simple message and a simple reason.
[You have been brave, crafty, and interesting, but the unlucky part is also there. After spending your luck in the Somalis Dungeon, it's time to shine through the truth. Too bad]
[You have met the flock of Regators. They are part lizards that have highly effective underwater control but equally sturdy powers outside of it]
[Their appearance consists of small height, but quite some wideness and they are quite long and muscular. These can grow up to 7 meters, with up to 1 meter in height]
[Their distinct appearance is their wide and big jaw with deadly teeth and incredible bitting power]
[Once bitten, it means a loss of flesh and life]
[The current flock of Regators - Level 26 to 35]
[Class D]
[Notable Abilities]
[Power Bite - Such Ability speaks for itself]
[Grade D]
[Levels 17 to 32]
[Gnarly Eyes - the ability to see in the depths of the ocean. Allows seeing at night, in the mist, or any kind of impediment to eyesight]
[Grade D]
[Level 17 - 29]
[Fast Swimmer Passive - General ability of Ragator species. Dexterity is 20% higher underwater]
[Death Roll - when bitten the twist and turns can turn one's flesh and bones to mush. A fatal attack]
[Grade C]
[Level 14 to 26]
[Your current task of meeting this flock? None]
[This is a generic encounter of the Battleworld so deal with it as you wish. Get stronger, fulfill the cause of your fate for the Battleworld to its utmost potential, and get familiar with your own powers]
[That's what Battle should look like, dear Citizen]
[Survive, or die trying]
“Fuck you!” Murai cursed the world at end of this message, but it didn't change a thing.
“C-calm down for my sake!” Lisa argued, still clinging to his neck. “This isn't anything abnormal. It is true that the fight against the Blessed has some prohibition of balance, but those aren't the case here. They view you as food, and frankly, you got powerful. The balance got broken, and you got yourself into trouble. Regators are common beats, but for you... It's bad. and They appear pissed off for some reason. Maybe there wasn't much of a challenge here, so the Will included nothing?” Lisa guessed, yet nervousness also appeared on her face.
Those monsters were way too tough, large, and powerful than the current Murai.
“What? I thought the Battleworld has some principles regarding the balance of low-level monsters and high-level ones!” Murai complained since he thought so from his time before his 1st Evolution. As far as he saw it, he encountered many beasts, but none attacked him or no message of the Will of the Battleworld descended upon him.
Now, it changed, and why? Will of the Battleworld explained it enough, and Lisa repeated it too, making Murai realize the harsh fact.
“I think you were unworthy of any care back then. I would expect nothing else since that appearance of yours as a duckling was more than useless for any animal or beast to consider. That is, apart from the involvement of the Will of the Battleworld. In such cases, the Devil Fox and Pouncing Devil had their own gifts to seek you dead, or you initiated the combat itself. Now, you are different and have... some abilities so to speak. Also, I think the mark of God's Trial can make things a bit more difficult and different from some points... I think. ”
“You think too damn much!” Murai snapped and saw how the flock started to circle around him. He saw Ragator's silhouette in the dark. Wide, and thick were their silhouettes, and their eyes glowed in red color. “I need facts or I won't understand this at all!” Murai shouted in frustration, looking around in apprehension while Regators flooded his vision, making it clear that they were playing with their food.
“Deal with this as you wish, Murai Hisagi, and you have plenty of goals yourself. No need to involve the Will of the Battleworld all the time! This is war! A fight? You got yourself out of the troubles in the Dungeon before, so what makes it different now, or difficult?” Lisa argued, hoping she would be of some help, even though Murai was a stubborn old fool.
Different?
The Levels were clearly huge, and Attributes must be so as well. Letting one Regator pass would be fine, but there were at least a dozen of them. This was bullshit and nothing else.