I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 18. Penguin Refugees

-How is it? Hasn't everyone's attitude toward you changed?

-Yes. But... I think I liked it better before.

Nugh's children had begun treating Yul with a certain stiffness. They were no longer as friendly as before—still polite, but now there was a subtle distance between them.

Beside Yul, after leaving the shrine, was Rukit—hovering like a small ghost.

Yul still found Rukit awkward. To think that something like a spirit or a ghost could actually appear before his eyes and casually start talking to him—it was unsettling.

-How long are you going to keep following me around?

-Hey, look at this brat. Do I look like some stray spirit that just clings to people? Is it really that hard to chat with an old man from time to time?

-Yes.

Honestly, having a ghost-like thing hovering next to you is just uncomfortable.

-Tch. After all the help I've given you!

-That’s one thing, and being uncomfortable is another. Imagine, when you were alive, if a ghost just popped up beside you.

-Back in my day, mythic beings walked the earth. Things like that didn't bother anyone.

-Excuse me?

-It was an age when giants that created swamps and giants that raised continents still roamed around. There weren't even any beings called the Deep King Tribe back then.

... Just how ancient is this old man? An orca older than the Deep King Tribe?

‘Hmm? Didn't the highly intelligent Orca Tribes originate from the Deep King Tribe?’

At that moment, Yul felt one of his quest logs update.

-Encounter a creature possessing divinity. Retroactive application is not possible. (Completed)

A creature possessing divinity? Yul felt oddly uneasy, realizing the quest had been completed just like that.

Maybe Rukit was a far greater entity than he appeared.

In any case, some things had changed because of Rukit. Nugh seemed a little more lenient toward Yul now.

He had once spoken to Yul with a stiff, formal tone, but lately, his attitude resembled how he'd spoken back when Yul was still a jelly octopus.

On the other hand, the orca pod had grown a bit more distant.

The only one who hadn't changed was Tuania.

-Alright, we'll talk later.

As Rukit faded away with a soft whoosh, Yul turned his head. Tuania had approached.

-Are you really a Chosen One now? Can you wield divine power or something?

What's with this "Chosen One" talk all of a sudden?

-Of course not. I just made a contract to occasionally talk with Rukit, that's all.

-No, seriously. Normal orcas can't do that. I think the uncles are right.

-About what?

-That you're the chosen orca—that you'll ascend and become one of the Deep King Tribe.

Deep King, chosen orca—Yul couldn't care less.

-Anyway, now that you're accepted by the family, I'll teach you something.

-Teach me what?

-You said before you wanted to learn how to control your body, right? The art of moving in silence.

-Oh?

Tuania's movements were unlike any other orca's—completely without a trace. Yul had asked her about it back when he was learning ultrasonic waves, but she had refused to teach him then.

-We call it the Stealth Form.

At that moment, Nugh swam up to them.

-Tuania, how many times must I tell you that Yul isn't a fully grown orca yet?

-I started learning the Stealth Form when I was young, too.

-Hmph. That's because you—

Yul slipped in between them.

-What exactly is the Stealth Form?

-It’s one of the ways orcas control their bodies, Yul. You could say it’s a physical art that’s been passed down since ancient times.

-Hmm.

So basically, a systematized way of using the body efficiently. Nugh glanced back and forth between Yul and Tuania.

-Haa. Fine, teach him if you want. I'm sure Yul will figure it out.

With permission granted, Tuania's eyes sparkled as she began explaining.

-The essence of the Stealth Form is a physical technique that values stealth and heaviness.

-Stealth and heaviness?

-When you cut through the current, don’t force it. With just the movement of your fine muscles, you can draw out immense strength. I’m not good at explaining things—so from here on, experience it yourself.

Without warning, Tuania flicked her tail upward and struck Yul's jaw.

Thwack!

-Ugh!?

After taking the hit, Yul finally realized he had been struck. He hadn't even managed to react in time.

No—it wasn't that she was too fast.

He simply hadn't perceived it at all.

'Gotta heighten my senses and emit ultrasonic waves in all directions.'

Yul released radial ultrasonic waves around Tuania's position, using ultrasonic waves to pinpoint her movements in real time.

Thwack!

-Too slow.

Yul only realized he'd been hit again after it happened. This time, it was his back.

Before he knew it, Tuania was behind him.

-But she was right in front of me a second ago.

-Ultrasonic's a great ability, but you have to remember your opponent can use ultrasonic too.

Ultrasonic canceling out ultrasonic... and then there was that strange way she moved.

-Normally, orcas move by cutting through the water. But Stealth Form moves by bouncing off the current instead. You have to make your whole body quiver, like vibrating through the water using your muscles.

She demonstrated as she spoke, and Yul was left baffled. How am I supposed to mimic that?

-Let's stop here for today. We'll be arriving at the Arctic soon anyway.

-The Arctic? Why are we going there?

-To trade.

After the Stealth Form lesson ended, Yul joined the orca pod heading north once more.

* * *

Yul had already known that the orcas stored what they hunted inside massive clamshells.

Since they lived a nomadic life centered on hunting and gathering, he'd assumed they kept extra food for hard times.

But apparently, the surplus catches were meant for trade with species living in the Arctic.

Yul turned around.

Behind him, other orcas were carrying the enormous clams, tied together with strands of seaweed like strings of dried fish.

He swam up beside Nugh.

-Who lives in the Arctic?

-The penguins.

-Huh?

Hearing that from a creature like an orca—who could literally split a "pen/guin" in half—was absurd.

-They're intelligent beings, just like us.

-Huh??

-That’s right. I heard they even established some kind of kingdom not long ago.

-They call it the Yanskal Kingdom. Its leader and I have some history.

-What??

Penguins founded a kingdom? Yul was dumbfounded, but he let it slide. When he thought about it, nothing in this world was particularly strange anymore.

There were magic-wielding alien squid people and colossal eel-like monsters—so a kingdom of penguins wasn't that far-fetched.

Eventually, Yul and the pod reached the vicinity of the massive Arctic continent. The cold here was truly brutal.

Nugh's pod didn't seem to mind—thanks to their thick skin.

-Yul, aren't you cold?

-No.

-Some orcas do get chilly up here, you know.

Yul checked his body. He didn't feel cold at all.

‘It must be a biological trait of orcas that lets me endure this temperature.’

From each species he'd evolved through, Yul had retained certain natural traits—even without additional evolution.

When he was a jelly octopus, it had been regeneration and deep-sea resistance.

'Let's check the status window.'

【Evolution Status (Stage 0)】

[Experience Required for Next Stage]

[1,123 / 600]

【Creature Traits】

Marine Creature: A sea-dwelling organism capable of diving from the surface layer down to significant depths.

Hunter: You are a natural predator.

Ultrasonic Organ: You can understand and utilize ultrasonic waves.

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

【Contract】

1. Contract with Spirit - Rukit

[Mutual agreement contract. The two parties can communicate with each other anytime, anywhere. Perceived time acceleration applies during conversation.]

【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: 1,618

【Your Current Lifespan】

[69 years 228 days 23 hours remaining]

'So that's it—it's thanks to the temperature resistance trait.'

Yul hadn't chosen to evolve yet. For now, he planned to stay as he was while living with Nugh's orca pod.

Even now, there was still some distance between him and the others. If he changed physically, it would probably make things even more awkward.

'They already think I'm weird enough as it is. No need to make it worse.'

It wasn't exactly hostility—more like polite avoidance—but Yul could feel it.

In any case, Yul and Nugh's pod finally arrived in the Arctic.

He lifted his head above the surface to look around.

At the front of the group stood a penguin with a spear strapped to its back.

'A weapon?'

Yes. It was actually holding a spear. Its head was tinged red only at the top, like a rooster's comb.

Yul gave up trying to make sense of it and surfaced quietly with the rest of the orcas, like an extra in a film.

Nugh then spoke—not through ultrasonic, but through a magical signal—to the penguin at the lead.

-It's been a long time.

-It's been a while, Lord Nugh.

-How have you been? I brought the fish your people requested.

-Oh, thank you so much, Lord Nugh. Here—these are the gems.

At the penguin leader's gesture, his subordinates tightly grasped the sacks in their hands (which Yul knew were actually wings) and handed them over.

Inside the animal-hide sacks were heaps of gems. Then, the other orcas raised the giant clams they carried in their mouths to the surface.

As both sides exchanged their goods, Nugh asked the red-crested penguin at the front.

-Yorkdan, you don’t look well. Has something happened?

-To be honest, I can't say we've been doing well.

-Why is that?

-War has broken out.

-Oh dear…

-A penguin calling himself the Sorcerer King has appeared at the far north. He’s been conquering everything in sight and claiming the land as part of his ‘kingdom,’ so now all the tribes are in an uproar—talking about forming alliances and the like.

-The Sorcerer King? Who is he?

-Supposedly a penguin from the far north, but no one knows his true identity.

Nugh seemed troubled.

-The Sorcerer King says he'll accept anyone into his kingdom as long as they don't resist—but if they defy him, he kills them brutally. His reputation is fearsome.

-And what side are you on?

-To be honest, I don't know. Life's already harsh enough as it is, and now he's talking about a kingdom? As you know, our tribe has nothing but gems. We have to import food like this just to survive.

Listening to their conversation, Yul couldn't hide his fascination. He hadn't expected there to be such tribes in a place like the Arctic.

Then, Yokdan made a rather meaningful request to Nugh.

-That aside... might your Orca Tribe be willing to take care of our children for a while?

-Children?