I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 12. For a New Ascension

After much thought, Ian decided to return to his family’s estate.

He declared that he would get married there, have children, and then come back to the lighthouse to continue learning magic.

That process would take several years at the very least.

Yul told him to do so. It was a pity that they wouldn't be able to meet for a while, but Ian said he would return, so they could meet again then.

And in the meantime, Yul planned to actively pursue what he had been unable to do before-the first was to identify the source of the singing voice, and the second was ascension.

At this rate, he would soon complete his final evolution and achieve ascension.

He had more than enough lifespan left-around four years' worth-so it wasn't threatening.

"I'll bring back more records from my family. I'll be back within three years at the latest."

-Be careful.

"Don't worry. The estate is close to here by ship."

-I might not be in this form the next time we meet.

"You said it was called ascension, right? I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of creature you'll become next."

Ian set down the fishbowl containing Yul on the floor. Yul left the bowl and descended into the sea.

"Then, Yul, I'll be off."

Though parting was sad, it wasn't forever.

After parting ways with Ian, Yul headed to the southern sea, deep in thought.

'Ian said he has a clear purpose in life. But what about me?'

Yul pondered for quite a long time. He wondered if there might be some meaning to his own birth.

No matter what species he ascended into, he never really felt any sense of kinship with that species.

He also had no thoughts about reproduction, and even as time passed, his body did not age.

He only assumed that when his lifespan ran out, he would die-like a computer shutting down when the power's cut off.

'Then what am I supposed to do? Why was I born? What is this ascension ability that no one else has?'

He thought about his ultimate purpose. After much contemplation, Yul realized he had been trying to solve an unsolvable riddle.

'Why do you need a reason to live? You just live.'

Yul was not like Ian. Living with a kind of mad devotion toward a goal was truly difficult.

For now, Yul had two short-term goals.

One was to explore all the seas in this region.

'I'm a sea creature, right? Exploration's a piece of cake.'

He wanted to find another continent, discover a new island, or simply explore the vast waters he had yet to visit and find something new.

'An adventure into the unknown world..!'

The first place he headed for was the southern sea, where the kelp forest had once been.

The song he had heard there still gnawed at his curiosity to the point he couldn't bear it anymore.

'I have to find it no matter what.'

With Ian gone from the lighthouse and his lifespan secured, Yul was unstoppable, despite the journey being over 3,000 kilometers.

The Phantaratsa was vast indeed. Even with Yul's high-speed movement, it took a considerable amount of time.

On his way, Yul achieved his final evolution.

[6,402 / 6,400]

'Let's go with the "Water Temperature Change Resistance that appeared in the last available evolution.'

[Water Temperature Change Resistance: Develops an organ capable of withstanding sudden temperature changes or regulates body temperature independently, maintaining a constant internal temperature.]

[Stage 6 Evolution Complete]

'Done!'

Then, in front of Yul, the list for the next ascension appeared.

【Ascension】

[Path of Ascension - Shallow Stream]

[You have walked the path of the shallows. The list of species available for your next ascension will be limited to those that inhabit shallow parts of the seas.]

[Conditions required for ascension are presented. Satisfy at least three of the conditions below.]

-Encounter at least ten intelligent species. (Hiveminds not included.)

-Indirectly defeat a creature stronger than yourself. (You must not harm it directly.)

-Consume and absorb the magical metal Voratum.

-Jump more than 30 meters above the sea surface.

-Consume a land-dwelling creature that has entered the sea.

'What's with these conditions?'

They were very different from Xenoia's. The requirements had become more complex, and now he could choose which conditions to fulfill among several options.

'They're all difficult.'

During the Xenoia stage, it had been extremely easy-but now that he was a jelly octopus, things had gotten tougher.

The land creature condition seemed impossible without Ian's help, but maybe the "jump 30 meters above the sea surface" one could be doable somehow.

'For example, if I jump when the waves are strong, it might be possible.'

It seemed he would have to wait for a storm and leap above the surface of the sea then.

Yul chose a few of the options.

For now: the sea-surface jump, meeting ten or more intelligent species-and he'd think about the rest after observing for a bit.

'Indirectly defeat one... what does that even mean?'

His head hurt.

For now, Yul continued forward. Through the「Connection」, he knew exactly where the source of the sound was, so there was no chance of him getting lost.

Also, since he could now withstand extreme temperature changes, he had no trouble enduring the warmth of the southern sea.

'Huh? What's that? A ship?'

While swimming near the surface, Yul suddenly spotted a massive vessel.

'A carrack!'

It was a ship shaped like a 17th-century Western vessel-the kind Ian had said was often used in his country.

It was a carrack weighing about 500 tons. Yul, having learned the heraldry of various nations with Ian, recognized the flag bearing a white bird-it was the flag of Francia.

'A navy ship.'

In this era, naval sailors were adventurers, merchants, and sometimes pirates. Of course, none of that had much to do with Yul.

'Ah, right. Maybe I could clear a quest here?'

Meeting ten intelligent beings-if he just showed himself to them and then left, would that count?

But the closer he tried to get, the farther the ship drifted away.

'Damn, it's fast.'

Catching a favorable wind, the carrack was sailing swiftly, and Yul couldn't keep up with its speed.

He eventually gave up chasing it and continued onward, following the singing voice as his guide.

* * *

He was getting really close to the source of the song now-just a few dozen kilometers away, maybe.

That day was strangely peculiar. It was as if all the things he'd been meaning to do for so long were happening at once.

Yul sensed a storm approaching. The light filtering down through the water suddenly dimmed, and he thought it odd.

It wasn't even night yet, so he rose to the surface-and saw an enormous typhoon raging toward him.

'That's massive. The waves are going to go wild.'

If he jumped from one of those huge waves, he might be able to complete the jump quest.

Sending out a long burst of ultrasonic waves, Yul found the Kingdom of Francia's carrack again after several weeks. The flag was the same, so it had to be the same ship he'd encountered before.

'Oh, a ship. But will it be okay in this typhoon?'

A carrack was an enormous ship, but the storm was equally tremendous. If it capsized, everyone aboard would be doomed.

While waiting for the storm, Yul detected a 'turtle' following him via echolocation.

'Hm?'

It was still some distance away, but it was approaching at an incredible speed.

'What the... That's no ordinary turtle.'

The shape was turtle-like-but when Yul saw it with his eyes, he was shocked.

His body reacted on its own, glowing a bright crimson.

【Authority─Madness (狂化) Activated】

'Authority is surging!'

Yul barely restrained his rising madness. He still had plenty of lifespan left. The opposing turtle, however, was no normal creature.

Its entire body was made of metal-it looked like a knight clad in armor.

'An armored turtle?'

And the power streaming from its webbed feet was far from ordinary. That wasn't human magic.

'It's using a mantra.'

From a distance, he heard the turtle's mental voice.

-You there! Beast imbued with magic! How dare you swim these waters!

Yul locked onto the turtle, activated「Connection」, then used「Transmission of Thoughts」 to send his thoughts.

-Who are you?

-I am Kagan, of the proud Turtle Knights! By order of His Majesty the King, I am to patrol the borders and purge all suspicious creatures! Now, kneel before my might! And ecome my prey!

-No, I mean, what are you?!

-Flesh Mantra Activate! Uwoooooooh!

The turtle's body suddenly swelled to one and a half times its size. A musclebound, bulked-up turtle charged through the waves toward him.

'Oh come on!'

Yul quickly spread his tentacles and fled.

Never in his life did he imagine he'd be chased by a crazy, muscle-boosted turtle. Then the quest list flashed in his mind.

'Indirect kill... then maybe...?'

He darted toward the eye of the storm, luring the turtle behind him.

-You coward! Where are you running to?! Face me with honor, you weak octopus!

Yul knew he was much faster. With the Authority of Madness, his physical capabilities had skyrocketed beyond reason.

'No time. I have to end this quickly.'

But he didn't rush—he deliberately adjusted his speed so that Kagan could stay right on his tail.

All the while, he kept checking the ship's position through ultrasonic waves.

The waves made it hard to see, but he had a rough idea.

After a brief chase, the Turtle Knight Kagan finally caught up to Yul—unaware that Yul was intentionally letting him.

He was practically gloating.

-I finally caught you!

At that moment, Yul's figure vanished. He had gathered all eight of his tentacles together, then released them downward at once, propelling himself sharply upward with tremendous force.

-He disappeared to the surface!

When Kagan leapt high into the air, he suddenly found himself face to face with a massive carrack rising on the waves.

It was coming down straight toward Kagan's face. The hard prow of the ship was plummeting right at him.

-W-what..! You basta-!

CRAAACK!

That was the end of him. The weight of a ship, hundreds of tons riding the surge of a wave and falling back down, was more than enough to crush Kagan's skull.

'Quest complete!'

At that instant, the Authority of Madness was released. Yul could tell Kagan was definitely dead. His remaining lifespan was about two and a half years.

Yul had been flung even higher-drawn up to the peak of the waves before plunging back down.

His target had been the Kingdom of Francia's ship, but his landing point was off—he fell not onto the deck, but into the sea beside it.

A terrifying impact crashed over his body.

'Ghhk!'

Even for a sea creature, waves could still cause damage.

Falling from that height into rough water was much like hitting solid ground.

But his body was soft and flexible, easily absorbing the shock, and his regenerative ability allowed him to heal quickly.

'Now if I can just get to the ship... ah. Too far.'

He realized he'd lost track of the carrack's position.

In that storm, the ship had vanished in an instant. He wasn't sure whether they had survived.

'The turtle's dealt with, but only two quests cleared.'

Jumping over 30 meters—success.

Indirectly defeat a creature stronger than himself—success.

Meeting ten intelligent beings—still incomplete.

Yul also realized that the turtle named Kagan counted as one of those intelligent beings.

He could meet more if he went to the waters where those turtles lived, but they were far too aggressive. They attacked on sight.

'Guess I'll meet others eventually.'

After completing the two quests, Yul dove once more toward the source of the song.

Though the surface above was ravaged by the storm, the deep sea below was calm and silent.

There, Yul found something glowing beautifully on the ocean floor—something like a round, luminous pearl.

As he got closer, he saw it wasn't a pearl at all—it was a massive dome made of glass.

Inside were structures that resembled the temples he had seen before. It looked like a miniature globe.

One side of the dome was shattered, and the song was flowing out from that breach.

'What is this?'

Surely... there wouldn't be another Ktazar inside this time, would there?