I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 6. Sand Shark

Shortly after Yul left.

A school of sharks appeared after hearing that the ecosystem near the hydrothermal vent had been ruined.

Yul lumped them together as deep-sea sharks, but they were seabed sharks that filtered soil for food.

The species name was 'Sand Shark'.

These Sand Sharks have almost no intelligence when young, but as they age and become 'Elders', they acquire intelligence.

Their lifespan is at least one thousand years.

So to them, a shark that had lived a hundred years was still essentially a juvenile.

-W-what in the world happened here?

-Who would do such a horrific thing...!

Hm.

Looking objectively at what Yul had done in his madness state, it did look, well, grim.

It had been a simple battle with deep-sea creatures, but from the perspective of the intelligent Sand Sharks, he had brutally used individuals of a species that were roughly in their growth stage, trashed the ecosystem inside the hydrothermal vent, and then fled.

This was a deadly threat to the Sand Sharks, who controlled the nearby ecosystem and used it as their hunting ground.

-We will exact revenge! Find out who this is at once! Summon a mage from within the tribe who can wield mantra!

One elder Sand Shark shouted like that.

* * *

【Your Current Lifespan】

[Remaining – 2 years 48 days 12 hours]

'My chest feels tight.'

He had consumed too much lifespan. If he didn't ascend to the next rank of the Jelly Octopus, it could become dangerous.

'Hmm. What should I evolve first?'

While a revenge plan proceeded somewhere Yul did not know, he was thinking about what to evolve next.

As Yul guessed, 'evolution' is both the acquisition of abilities that the species does not possess and a condition for becoming a higher species.

To ascend, you must fully fill your evolutions — the Jelly Octopus has six evolutions. Xenoia has five, but Jelly Octopus has six, huh?

'Maybe at the next ascension, evolutions could be possible up to seven.'

He learned one thing this time. Even if you don't evolve, you can hold excess experience.

So it might be okay to hoard experience and evolve at the moment you need to.

'If I use the saved experience to gain heat resistance the moment I see the hydrothermal vent, I could go right in, right?'

The remaining experience pool for stage 6 was 6,400. He planned to evolve up to stage 4 and leave the stage 5 evolution for later.

'First, I need attack power. The Stone of Authority is very dangerous.'

Losing lifespan as a cost felt too wasteful.

What weapon is efficient against small creatures? Poison. And he wondered if there were any octopuses that possessed poison.

'With poison!'

And then he obtained poison.

[Biotoxin: This powerful neurotoxin, containing large amounts of tetrodotoxin, is observed in Blue-Ringed Octopuses. It is a deadly poison about ten times that of cyanide, and no antidote exists. It is distributed in the teeth and can sometimes be spat out.]

'Ooh!'

Indeed, there were poisonous kinds among octopuses. A Blue-Ringed Octopus? He had never heard of it, but in any case, he had obtained an offensive weapon.

[Stage 2 Evolution Complete]

The next evolution, he was originally going to choose ink, but then stopped.

From the start, in such deep waters, ink wasn't of much use anyway.

'Since I'll eventually go up to the surface, I don't really need ink right now. What I need at the moment is probably body enhancement, isn't it?'

There's a saying: a strong foundation makes the man. If the base specs are sturdy, you don't need extra evolutionary functions.

'What's there for basic stat increases?'

[1. Hardening (硬化): While maintaining the unique softness of the Jelly Octopus, you can obtain tough skin that blocks a shark's teeth.]

[2. Regeneration Ability: The ability to rapidly regenerate damaged body tissue in exchange for experience. Severed tentacles or legs can be regenerated within minutes.]

[3. Tentacle Enhancement: Tentacles can be modified to sprout thorns or channel venom. Choosing this evolution doubles the current length of the tentacles.]

'Oh. That's awesome. Then number 2, regeneration.'

Hardening was pushed down in priority, since once the Madness state is activated, it gives even higher-level abilities anyway.

Having once experienced his innards being churned up thanks to that exploding shrimp, Yul was reluctant about sacrificing tentacles, but regeneration had to come first.

'Now, for Stage 4, is there something more badass?'

At that moment, the system chimed.

[By coming into contact with the First-Class Mystery, the Stone of Authority, you have acquired the authority to evolve into a magical organ.]

[1. Telekinetic Tentacles: Invisible tentacles that allow you to manipulate substances in the deep-sea environment or move small, distant objects. This organ attaches to the brain.]

[2. Ultrasonic Wave Cannon: Your existing ultrasonic organ evolves. You can form a powerful ultrasonic wave cannon, firing it at enemies to destroy them from within.]

'Wow, are you serious?'

A magical organ? Yul sensed a whole new possibility for evolution.

Not just the usual physical evolutions, but maybe even magical evolutions—and those could affect ascension itself.

'Then, the Ultrasonic Wave Cannon.'

Eight tentacles were already dizzying enough. Even though each tentacle had its own bit of 'intelligence' and could move on its own, he didn't want to keep adding more arms.

'Stage 5 evolution, let's keep it for later.'

[Current Remaining Experience]

[3,800/3,200]

He was saving his evolution points to use exactly when they were truly needed.

Yul focused his mind and examined the inside of his head.

Somewhere in the corner of his consciousness, there was a map of this sea.

This had been passed on through a special ability called Mantra by the alien Arktar of the Ktazar race, who had once guarded and then abandoned the Stone of Authority.

'It's so deep.'

The place where Yul was now was about 2,000 meters deep.

This ocean, Phantaratsa, was said to have places plunging as deep as 7,000 meters.

Just existing there meant you were a transcendent being capable of withstanding such immense pressure.

Like that sea eel, the Sea God Kaidron.

Yul avoided such beings and gradually rose upward.

And even now, he continued ascending.

There were several reasons, but mainly to avoid dangerous enemies while also seeking weaker prey.

'Of course, just because I go up doesn't guarantee weaker creatures, but still, the higher levels should have greater biological density than here.'

The deep-sea floor had nothing unless there was a hydrothermal vent.

And even then, only shrimps, jellyfish, and crabs are worth 3 experience points each.

Maybe Yul just hadn't discovered enough yet, but for now, he decided to keep ascending.

As he continued upward, he reached a zone where his body began to feel strange.

Yul was aware of the pressure differences between the deep sea and the surface layer.

'Do I need decompression?'

The higher he went, the more it felt as though something was pulling him down from below.

As the pressure lessened, he felt his body no longer suited for this ecosystem.

But the sensation faded if he stopped for a while. It was the unique adaptability of deep-sea creatures.

'For the next ascension, what should I become?'

He wanted to transform into a creature that lived higher up. A surface-dwelling creature would be even better.

A turtle? A whale? Hm. There were also seals and penguins. In any case, he did not want to turn into a fish.

As Yul rested for a moment, he realized countless bits of drifting matter were falling like snow above his head.

'Is this marine snow?'

These endless particles sinking from the sea's surface to the seabed were made of dead seaweed and animal corpses.

Through the gaps in that snow, Yul sensed something.

'Hm?'

Caught at the edge of his ultrasonic net, they were moving at tremendous speed.

'Fast! These are sharks!'

A swarm of sharks was rushing in.

Yul was startled. They were heading straight in his direction.

Fortunately, thanks to his enhanced ultrasonic organ, Yul detected them long before their electromagnetic fields reached him.

He immediately pressed himself against the seabed to hide. sand sharks  swept the bottom for food, but floating things were easier for them to find.

'One, two, three, four, five... no, how many are there? This is way too many.'

It was like a whole colony of sharks. To think that so many deep-sea monsters roamed about.

'This place really is dangerous. I have to leave the deep sea.'

They reached just above Yul's head. And then, Yul could hear their conversation.

-I just felt the wave of a Deep King! Search the area immediately!

-The Deep King tribe! To dare harm a child of our clan, they will regret it.

'Deep King tribe?'

Yul remembered hearing that word before.

That's right—back in the Xenoia days, he had heard the deep-sea mermaids mention it.

His ultrasonic trait seemed to be one used by a race called the Deep King tribe.

'But why are they here?'

Yul soon found out.

—To kill our young in such a brutal way. And worse, to devour his brain so his soul cannot be sent back to the Nether.

—Unforgivable!

—Vengeance for the hydrothermal vent!

—Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!

'Was that... me?'

The moment he heard "hydrothermal vent!"

Yul stiffened. No, that sand shark couldn't even talk—it just attacked, so he only defended himself...

But there was no way the swarm would listen to his protest.

The sand sharks began digging in formation.

Digging the seabed—that was their specialty.

Yul was trapped by their sweeping advance.

As they plowed the seabed evenly like tractors tilling a field, Yul was inevitably exposed.

'Kraah!'

In an instant, Yul's body turned reddish. The signature skin color change of Madness.

【Authority—Madness (狂化) Activated】

'Die!'

The true power unleashed by rage exploded forth.

Yul's tentacles tore into teeth. This time, it was easier.

'Ptooey!'

He fired venom into the roof of a sand shark's mouth that had tried to swallow him.

The shark instantly lost all muscle control and floated upward.

-One of ours is hit!

-Green Fin is down!

-Where is the enemy!?

Yul ripped open the palate and devoured its brain matter.

[You have devoured a higher rank creature, the Sand Shark. Experience +1,000!]        

'Urrrgh! I'll take you all on!'

-No! Stop! Get away from Green! There's something inside its body!

As soon as the eldest sand shark shouted, the others quickly spread out.

And moments later, when Yul burst out, the sand sharks were horrified.

-A Jelly Octopus!?

-H-how is a Jelly Octopus here?

-It must be an evil creature blessed by a Sea God! Or else a demon summoned by an Outer God of the abyss! Form a battle formation immediately! Warriors, defend only! Mages, kill it!

'Magic!?'

Just then, in the distance, Yul saw a sand shark wrapped in dazzling radiance.

Strange mantra symbols floated around it, forming a massive vortex.

-Mantra of the Water Bomb!

'No, what kind of shark uses magic...!'

The terrifying vortex struck Yul. He was hurled away in an instant, slamming into the seabed.

And then immense pressure bore down on him without end.

'Aaaaghhh!'

Though his invincibility let him endure it, Yul felt his lifespan draining away at incredible speed.

'I have to run!'

-It's fleeing! Chase it!

'Die!'

He tore apart the head of one pursuing sand shark with his tentacle, but Yul felt the crisis deep in his bones.

Even if invincibility allowed him to kill the sharks, his lifespan was dwindling far too quickly.

'I have to turn Madness off.'

For the first time, he thought the condition of "automatic activation in the presence of strong enemies" was far too restrictive.

What do I do? How...?

Yul looked at the marine snow falling in the sea.

'Alright. I'm going to ascend right now.'

Let's see how long you bastards can follow me!