I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 15. Became an Orca

Come to think of it, there was no need to hesitate.

If you're given the choice between a squid, a flying fish, a jellyfish, and an orca—of course, you'd pick the orca, right?

Even if the others might use magic or soar through the skies, the orca is still the apex predator. That's the right answer.

Having reached his conclusion, Yul judged when the best time for ascension would be.

'Too many eyes on me here.'

Ascension was based on violent physical transformation. This place was far too conspicuous.

'Maybe I should prepare somewhere quiet. Well, it's not like the orcas will keep me in the village forever anyway.'

He figured he could stay for a few more days and then leave.

Then a thought struck him.

'Do I really need to leave to become an orca? What if I show them the process right here in the village?'

For these creatures, ascension wasn't an entirely foreign concept.

They themselves ascended to become one of the Deep Kings Tribe, so perhaps their perception of ascension was different.

'Showing them how I ascend... that's a bit of a gamble.'

If things went well, Yul might be accepted by the orcas. But if it went wrong, they might see him as a threat.

'I'll put that idea on hold for now.'

The next day, Yul went outside. Nugh was a warrior who had taken a great liking to him.

Especially after seeing the small-bodied Yul charge headfirst at a monstrous, electrifying creature many times his size, he considered Yul incredibly brave.

Maybe that's why he often went out of his way to help.

-What does your octopus species eat?

-Pretty much anything.

-Oh, really? That's fortunate. I was thinking of treating you to a meal. And I was going to show you around our village.

-That'd be great.

That was when Yul first learned that orcas stored food. Usually, sea creatures just ate whatever they found, but some of these orcas actually kept livestock within the village.

'They're a bit different from the other orcas, huh.'

These ones were, in human terms, settlers.

They built villages and kept their food close by.

Yul hadn't expected to see a civilization-like structure even in the ocean.

When a few mackerels escaped from a fish pen in the middle of the underwater cave, Yul snatched and devoured them all at once.

-You’ve got quite the appetite.

For some reason, Nugh looked at him the way a cat might look at a hamster cracking nuts.

-Want to look around the village? I'll show you around.

-Of course. I'm curious.

Yul followed the orca through the underwater caves.

He learned that this place had originally been a natural cavern, later expanded by the orca tribe that moved in.

-Not just our tribe, other orca tribes also form villages and live in underwater caves like this.

-There are other tribes?

-Of course. We may not speak the same way, but all orca tribes get along. There are plenty of enemies in these seas, after all.

While exploring with Nugh, Yul came across a strange cave emitting a faint green light.

-What's that place?

-That's where the sacred stone tablet of our tribe lies.

-Oh, I'm curious. I probably can't go in, right?

-Normally, no. But just a quick look should be fine. The Matriarch said to treat you as a guest, after all.

Following Nugh's words, Yul headed inside.

The green-lit cave had walls made of a reflective material.

It looked a bit like glass, or maybe like crystal, he couldn't tell exactly.

The source of the green light was in the center.

'Hm? Is this... some kind of temple?'

In the middle stood a massive rectangular stone tablet, radiating a soft green glow.

A line had been drawn around it to keep others from approaching, and surrounding it were several orcas, softly murmuring in ultrasonic tones toward the stone tablet.

-Protect... us... O ancestors...

The ultrasonic chant was so low and rumbling that Yul couldn't make out the words clearly, but it sounded like a prayer.

-What's that?

-It’s a stone tablet inscribed with the words of Isnael, the first of the Deep King Tribe. He was once an orca before he ascended

-Ah.

Roughly speaking, it seemed like a form of religion. This must be some kind of holy site where they worship their god.

-And those people praying up front are all practitioners.

-Practitioners?

-Yes. They pray before the tablet to cultivate themselves, using mantras to undergo the process of ascension.

-Oh.

So they were praying in order to become divine beings? It reminded him a bit of Buddhism.

It seemed the legend of the Deep Kings was well-known among the orcas.

The difference from humans on Earth was that here, ascension actually was possible.

-But not many orcas ever ascend. Only a few can read the words Isnael left behind on that tablet.

-Oh? Mind if I take a look?

-Sure, just don't cross the rope.

Yul approached the stone tablet. The practitioners glanced at him, but their concentration never wavered.

Compared to the curious stares he got outside, the atmosphere here felt solemn and devout.

Yul wondered if his translation ability would work on the tablet, too.

[I, Isnael, the first of the Deep King Tribe, proclaim this.]

[Your kind, the foolish orcas, lack the intelligence to comprehend language—this is my lament. Thus, I have decided to bestow my grace upon you.]

[Accept the Light, and give form to the Mantra, for the source of the Deep King Tribe is 'Light.']

[I sought the path within the darkness, and at the end of that path, I embraced the Great Azure Ocean.]

[The depth of the sea is equal to the depth of the heavens.]

[The power of the Deep King Tribe is not mere physical evolution, but the awakening of the soul. You shall take your first step toward that boundless potential.]

[When you embrace the light, you shall attain true freedom.]

[But those who reject the light shall be bound to the darkness, fated never to escape the call of the abyss.]

[Await the coming of the Heaven-and-Earth Reversal.]

What kind of nonsense is this supposed to be?’

Just like any self-proclaimed prophet, he had scribbled down a bunch of vague, lofty nonsense.

‘Embrace the light? What’s that even supposed to mean?’

As Yul tilted his head in confusion, a status window suddenly appeared.

[You have read the Epic of the Deep King Tribe.]

[Your fate begins to draw toward the Deep King Tribe.]

[A new path to Ascension has been detected — indexing.]

[Path of Ascension – Deep King Tribe has been unlocked.]

[You may now evolve from Orca → Deep King Tribe.]

'Oh!'

Yul blinked in surprise. He'd thought the tablet was just full of meaningless rambling, but it had actually opened a new evolutionary path.

'Wow, that's insane. I've gotta become an orca quickly!'

To do that, he'd first have to leave the village, ascend safely somewhere else, and then come back——

[User’s approval received. Ascension to Orca will now begin.]

'Wait, no! That wasn't approval!!'

But the stone tablet's power seemed to trigger on its own, causing the status window to go haywire.

'Wait! Hold on! Please! Not here! This is gonna cause so much trouble!'

-Hm!? Wh–What's happening!?

A brilliant light burst from Yul's body. It was unlike when he'd evolved from an octopus before.

His entire body began to transform. The form of a cephalopod creaked and twisted into a completely different creature.

New flesh formed, new organs developed, and fins grew across his body as he changed.

Defying all laws of physics, he ascended into an entirely new species.

When he finally opened his eyes, every orca around him was staring in shock.

-Ooooh!

-Ooooooooh! It's ascension!

-Unbelievable! How could an octopus ascend into an orca!?

-A sacred creature!

-A lower species ascending into a higher one... was that octopus a practitioner too!?

-My goodness. I knew he wasn't an ordinary octopus—any creature strong enough to defeat the Sirendron had to be something else—but to become an orca!?

The orcas' clamor and shock were a hundred times greater than Ian's reaction to discovering an intelligent octopus..

One orca even slammed its head against the wall.

-Even an octopus ascends! Why can't I ascend to the Deep King Tribe!? Why only me!?

-No! Hurry and inform the Great Mother. Report this strange phenomenon! Capture that creature!

-Strange phenomenon? Isn't this an auspicious occurrence? Our species has long believed it had no origin. But if another species evolved into ours, this could reveal the truth of our beginnings!

-What kind of nonsense is that? Isn't that octopus just special? A practitioner can ascend!

-That orca might become one of the Deep King Tribe!

The orcas suddenly split into factions and began arguing noisily.

'This is a total mess.'

Feeling their shock and fear, Yul checked his body first.

Given how things had turned out, he had to adapt and choose his next move. Yul first checked for escape routes and observed how they would react.

If they turned hostile, he had prepared to flee immediately.

'If they attack, Madness will activate, and I'll survive. Nothing to worry about.'

Still, he had truly become a completely different species. An orca, no less.

Fins on both sides, a fin on his back, and another on his tail.

A streamlined body. If there were a mirror, Yul would probably look no different from the other orcas.

The only difference was that his body felt smaller than the others.

A new status window appeared.

[Ascension Complete]

[Orca]

[A natural-born hunter found across the widest range of all whale species. It possesses high intelligence, lives in groups, and is equipped with an ultrasonic organ.]

[As the final function of ascension, you inherit one evolution obtained from your previous species.]

'Huh? Inherit?'

Right. Now that he thought about it, there was such a function.

Yul recalled his previous traits.

'Muscle Enhancement, Toxin, Pressure Adaptation, Temperature Resistance, Regeneration, Ultrasonic Wave Cannon—— something like that?'

Among the previously inherited traits, the ultrasonic ability was unnecessary. Orcas already had the natural ability to use ultrasonic waves.

'Which ability would be best to inherit?'

Orcas were said to live everywhere, from polar seas to tropical waters. So temperature resistance wasn't needed.

'I'm not diving back into the deep sea either, so pressure adaptation is useless.'

That left Toxin, regeneration, and the ultrasonic wave cannon.

'Offense or defense.'

Choosing defense meant gaining regeneration; offense meant toxin or ultrasonic attack.

'Let's go with defense.'

The wave cannon was tempting, but it might show up again later through evolution anyway.

For now, regeneration seemed the best choice to quickly recover from injuries.

【Evolution State (Stage 0)】

[Experience required for next stage]

[1/600]

【Creature Traits】

Marine Creature: A marine creature capable of diving from the surface layer to considerable depths.

Hunter: You are a natural-born predator.

Ultrasonic Organ: Can perceive and interpret ultrasound to use echolocation.

Temperature Resistance: Thick skin allows you to maintain a stable body temperature in varying water conditions.

【Inheritance】

Regeneration: At the cost of experience points, this ability rapidly restores damaged body tissue. Severed fins, tails, and internal organs can be regenerated.

【Authority】

[「Madness」: When a powerful enemy appears, this ability activates automatically. During its duration, strength increases dozens to hundreds of times, and the user becomes invulnerable, taking no damage at all.]

[Activation Condition: Automatically triggers when you encounter an enemy stronger than yourself, after evaluating their rank.]

[Cost of Use: Lifespan.]

【Awakening】

【Great Balance – Magic (Magna–Libra): The unique magic created by Arthur Beltaine and restored by Ian Beltaine. A magic that corrects the world's imbalance and harmonizes chaos and order. Currently incomplete.】

[Formula 1. Perception]

[Formula 2. Connection]

[Formula 3. Transmission of Thoughts]

【Ascension】 – Ascension Stage 2

Current Karma: 1,118

【Your Current Lifespan】

[Remaining – 70 years, 50 days, 23 hours]

‘Wow, insane! A lifespan of 70 years?’

Yul was thrilled. As a jelly octopus, he had never lived past five years—but this orca could live for seventy.

The orca was an innately powerful hunter. With regeneration as his inherited ability, Yul had no need to fear fighting.

On top of that, if he combined his Magic and Authority, he might be overwhelmingly stronger than other Orcas.

While Yul was taking a moment to examine himself, in the midst of the chaos, the Matriarch of the orcas entered the cave.

-Matriarch!

-Matriarch! A most auspicious occurrence has occurred!

-Nugh has told me of it. You’re saying that the jelly octopus we met before has ascended into our kind?

-Yes. And it ascended after seeing this stone tablet left behind by Lord Isnael of the Deep King Tribe.

-It seems this is no ordinary matter. Child, come with me.

Hearing himself being addressed as “child,” Yul blinked twice.

-Apparently, his current appearance was that of a young orca calf.

-‘Me, an orca calf?’

Perhaps because of that, they might be more inclined to accept him.

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(T/N): Orcas are called killer whales, but they’re actually dolphins — and they still count as ‘whale species’ because they belong to the big ocean family called cetaceans. It’s kind of like how a tomato is technically a fruit, but everyone treats it like a vegetable!