As soon as the Kappa crawled into the physical realm, the Water Summon stepped besides Elem and regarded the ocean with its summoner. The sunlight glittered on the water as seagulls glided in the air and a soft breeze created little waves.

Everything considered, the morning seemed like a beautiful moment for a swim but despite the favorable conditions, Elem was still frightened by the idea of jumping into the water. His summon, on the other hand, looked as if it could barely contain its excitement and clattered its beak like an agitated stork.

“I thought your kind preferred rivers and lakes?” Elem teased. “This isn’t even fresh water. Won’t the salt damage your skin or something?”

The Kappa replied with its signature hiss as it straightened its turtle-like body.

“Alright, alright,” Elem told the Summon, supposing he couldn’t possibly expect the interdimensional being to appreciate his nervous jokes.

There was no point in delaying the jump. He closed his eyes, took a few steps back and then ran straight off the cliffs. Seconds later, he plunged into the ocean with such velocity that flushed the seawater straight through his ears and nostrils. There was no way back now.

A panicked sensation shot through his body and Elem could only gasp for air while he frantically reached for the Kappa’s shield as if the creature were some sort of lifebuoy. He had never been a good swimmer but at least he could now rely on his Water Summon to stay afloat.

Clinging to his Kappa, Elem stabilized the Essence within his body before focusing on the energy dancing around him. He could easily sense that the ocean was filled to the brink with life and thus teeming with Essence. If he just maintained his concentration and controlled the energy levels in his body, he would be able to rely on his Kappa as long as he kept cultivating.

Elem took a big gulp of air and then submerged below the waves. Zorya hadn’t exaggerated one bit; the waters were infested with seaweed. Everywhere he looked, Elem saw floating leaves and long stems of kelp that reached from the ocean’s dark bottom all the way to the surface. It was an ominous and somewhat mysterious sight, making him feel as if he had magically floated off to some mysterious subaquatic planet.

As expected, locating the grotto proved difficult. Visibility was poor and even the cliff sides were fully covered with kelp. On top of that, Elem had to go up for fresh air every minute. He tried to go deeper each time but his burning lungs did not allow him to go very far.

When he went up to catch a breath for the umpteenth time, Elem noticed it was getting harder for him to summon and maintain Essence. He angrily slammed his fist through the water. He hadn’t even reached the temple yet and he was already getting winded?

Elem dived just below the waves and peered down. By now, they had searched the entire cliffside without finding anything even resembling a grotto, meaning that the opening they were looking for was likely deeper than expected. Staring down kelp stems, he noticed how the relatively shallow waters rolled into a dark ravine. That was his next destination.

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“But how?” he wondered aloud.

Elem could impossibly hold his breath long enough to go all the way down; such a feat was impossible, not only for him but probably for any human being without diving equipment.

Maybe, there was another way. What if he’d just sent his Kappa down without diving along? Of course, he would have to go down eventually but at least his Summon could scout the area and search for the grotto before Elem would even have to think about logistics of going down.

“Yes," he murmured to himself. “That would work.”

His new strategy was easier said than done. Summoning from a distance was extremely difficult, required a lot more Essence than usual, and doing so while swimming was nearly impossible for someone at Elem’s skill level. So, as a remedy, he swam to the side of the cliffs and leaned on the slanted rock face as he watched his Kappa descend into the abyss.

The idea might have been simple but the execution was painfully exhausting and as the distance between him and his Kappa increased, the strain on his body worsened exponentially. His limbs began to tremble, making it harder to lean against the cliffs without drowning, and the Essence node deep within his body began to hurt.

Elem closed his eyes, cultivating both his internal and external Essence in an attempt to maximize his chances of survival. Then, he bided his time like a fisherman sitting behind his rod, waiting for a jolt in his flow of spiritual energy; a sign from the Kappa that its mission had been a success.

After what felt like hours but likely wasn’t more than a few meager minutes, Elem heard a shout in the distance. Focused on his summoning, he tried to ignore the sound but as the shouts kept coming he finally opened his eyes to see what was going on.

Above him, he noticed Zorya leaning over cliffs. Her relaxed demeanor had fully evaroped, replaced by an open mouth and wide, frightened eyes.

“Hey!” the young master shouted, pointing at the water. “Watch out!”

“What?” Elem called back. “What’s going on? I don’t–”

Before he could finish his sentence, Elem’s heart stopped.

A few meters away from him, he noticed a massive fin rise up from the waves, slowly zigzagging into his direction.

“Shaaarrkk!” Zorya continued. “Watch out!”

“Of course it’s a shark!” Elem grumbled. “Of course there has to be a freaking shark!”

A part of him had known from the start that jumping in the water was a bad idea and now this premonition proved justified. What luck; he hadn’t come any closer to finding the village temple but was instead about to be devoured by some massive predatory fish.

Cursing and screaming, Elem tried to claw up to the rock face like a wet cat trying to escape a bathtub but failed miserably in the process. The entire cliffside was overgrown with slippery seaweed and had been sprayed with sea water, there was no way he could get a good grip to hoist himself up.

He peered back at the water. The shark was closer now, so close that Elem could see its grotesque shape through the ocean water. The beast kept approaching him at a slow pace, moving with an almost sadistic degree of patience. If anything, Elem’s frantic escape attempt had likely only intrigued the shark.

Elem held his breath, he had never seen an animal this big and this terrifying. If the shark wanted to strike now, it could leap out of the water and easily rip him to shreds. With that idea haunting his mind, Elem knew he simply couldn’t wait around, that was a certain death sentence.