‘Ohoh!’
As if angry for calling it gross, the man-faced fish immediately turns this way and starts swimming.
It can’t be said to be fast by any means, but we’re underwater, and it’s a fish. We should have some trouble dealing with it.
But by using Bubble Magic, we can move pretty well, even if not as well as on the ground. I also have the Water Current Control I just got from gacha, so it should work great here.
Apparently it allows me to control water around me at will. I can’t use it as a direct method of attack, but I can move and attack without any resistance, as if I was on the ground.
As a result, the man-faced fish easily goes down to one swing.
“Yes, it feels nice.”
“That face… I think I’ll see it in my dreams…”
Says Ayane, as she looks at where the man-faced fish was with an expression I can’t quite describe.
“True.”
‘Oh!’
‘Ohoh!!’
“And their sounds stay in the ear…”
I don’t know if they sensed one of them went down or what, but man-faced fish are gathering around us. Their awareness of their surroundings might be better than the scissor crabs’.
“That just saves us the trouble of going after them!”
I cut down a man-faced fish that charges at me.
Water Current Control only works on a fixed area around me. If I fire an arrow, it only moves well at first, and doesn’t go as far as I expect.
But I still have other ways to attack from afar, and I can confirm that magic can work even without Water Current Control. Needless to say, Fire Magic doesn’t work, but it feels like Wind Magic works well, so Ayane can fight even underwater.
If magic works underwater, then Purple Lightning Arrow should too, but… Wait, it has electricity, right? I-is it going to shock me?
“I assume combat skills do not affect the user. Furthermore, I assume we won’t be shocked while inside the Bubble Armor…”
“But what if it does happen? I need to be very careful if I do use it.”
“Understood.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What… Wait, did I even say it out loud?”
“Aira started talking all of a sudden. Tell me too.”
Apparently, Aira read my expression again. It happened so smoothly, that it didn’t feel unnatural to me at all.
“Muu. I want to be able to read your mind too, darling…”
“It’d be embarrassing if too much got leaked…”
“It is simply diligence, lady. But about what we were saying…”
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
I keep hunting while they watch.
These monsters’ area of awareness is wider than scissor crabs’, but the monsters are spread all over the southern sea. And not only are they spread apart, but they’re slow too. This also means it takes me an hour to hunt a hundred.
When the hundredth man-faced fish goes down, the long-awaited smoke comes out and swells.
‘Gyo?’
What comes out is a man-faced fish with arms and legs, that walks on two legs.
＊＊＊＊＊
Name：Man-Faced Fishman
Agility：200
Intelligence：30
Luck：None
Equipment: Fishman spear
Skills：Super Strength, Physical Strengthening Lv1 Spear Techniques Lv2, Swimming Lv1, Water Magic Lv2
Drops: Fishman scale, fishman seed
Magic stone: Medium
＊＊＊＊＊
The type of monster is different, but the old man face stayed the same.
No, the features are a little different, but it’s still an old man.
“It really is gross!!”
‘Gyogyogyo!!’
It also acts like it’s reacting to the word gross, and starts swinging its spear furiously. With these stats and the advantage of fighting in the water, this should be a tough fight, but… It’s not really a tough opponent for me right now.
After letting Ayane and Aira attack it, I send its spear flying with one sword, and use the other sword to stab it. That’s enough to turn it into smoke.
【Level up】
【Leveled up from twenty-eight to forty】
“It would have been a tough fight when we first met, but… It is no match for you now, master.
“Darling has become too strong!”
“Thanks. Something like this is no big deal anymore.”
As we talk about how these monsters are gross and I measure the time, the smoke dissipates. I guess the higher the level of the original rare monster, the lower the chances that the second rare monster spawns.
Aira comes back after collecting everything just as fast, despite being underwater, and she smiles like she’s reading my thoughts again.
“Did you want it to spawn?”
“Yeah. But I think the next one would be equal or superior to a Shell Knight. I’m actually kind of scared to fight something like that underwater. I’d end up being a burden to you too… I guess in a way, Luck is working for me.
“That’s my darling!”
Ayane hugs me with a smug expression, and our Bubble Armors mix into one. Apparently people using it can separate and combine when they want.
Also, the Bubble Armor is now twice the original size.
“Hehehe, darling.”
Ayane goes around behind me as always, and jumps on my back. She was hesitant at first, but after I let her approach me a few times, she started coming over to be pampered very often when we’re not fighting. And when she’s in her regular spot, she holds on tight and can’t be pried off me.
I feel like she’s starved of warmth, and she holds on to me like this both in dungeons and at home.
I don’t dislike being hugged, I’m happy even, and I’ve been letting her do as she wants, but didn’t she have siblings? I guess they never really pampered her?
“Uu. Hugging you when you’re wearing the armor is no good, it’s cold…”
“Haha, yes. Hn… I don’t think I’ll fight any more today, so maybe I’ll take it off. Help me out, I want to see if I can take it off underwater.”
“Yes!”
“Leave it to me.”
And so, they start taking the armor off with Bubble Armor as one. It’s a little cramped, but the three people’s worth of Bubble Armor is enough to make a small circle. I wonder how it grows with people and level.
“Well then darling, are we going back to the eastern beach?”
“No, I want to see if there’s a Man-faced Fishman treasure chest here in the north. I don’t think it’s near where the Man-faced fish are swimming, I think it should be a little further away like in the east. Once we’re done checking, let’s go through the north and go open the eastern treasure chest.”
“Understood.”
“Then it will be a stroll from here on!”
We hold hands with Ayane in the center as she wants, and start looking around the bottom of the sea.
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Thanks for the treat.