I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 9.The Deep-Sea Creature and the Lighthouse Keeper (2)

Deep-sea creatures die the moment they reach land, unable to withstand the difference in pressure.

But Yul possessed multiple evolutionary traits and adaptive abilities.

Moreover, when moving vertically with Madness activated, the body treated it as if decompression had already been processed — meaning he suffered no harm from pressure changes.

However, temperature was another matter entirely.

'It's hot here.'

Having lived in the extreme cold of the deep sea, Yul found it quite unbearable to stay in the warm surface layer.

The temperature of the Epipelagic Zone exceeded 20 degrees. Still, for Yul, who had undergone numerous evolutions, it wasn't quite to the point of creature unbearable.

What truly was unbearable was the experience points from the creatures here.

[6,012 / 6,400]

'At this rate, when am I ever going to fill it up? Om nom nom.'

Even if he snatched and ate a passing tropical fish, it only gave him 1 or 2 experience points — just like the low-rank mobs of the deep sea.

'It's a completely different environment from the deep, but still... not bad.'

Though the experience points were few, there were no predators stronger than Yul, so Madness didn't trigger. Besides, the number of living creatures here was enormous.

Compared to the sparse life of the deep sea, this place was practically heaven.

Countless creatures lived in the coastal waters, growing by drawing energy from light.

Yul entered a region where massive kelp grew in abundance.

'Wow.'

Would you believe it if someone told you there was a forest beneath the sea? This was exactly such a place.

Just a little below the surface layer stretched a kelp forest, filled with towering fronds reaching toward the light.

'Vesping pearls... Vesping pearls, huh.'

He'd received several trade requests, but apparently, vesping pearls were by far the most valuable resource in the area.

Near the seabed where the kelp grew, various organisms thrived — including the Vesping clams.

'Oh, is that one of them?'

There it was — a colossal giant clam. It was enormous, so Yul had to figure out a way to break its shell.

-Bweeeeek!

When he fired his ultrasonic wave cannon, the clam shattered instantly.

'Crap, I overdid it.'

Well, considering that same blast could take down a sand shark, it wasn't surprising.

Between the fragments of the blasted Vesping clam, only traces of what used to be its body remained.

Yul looked for another Vesping clam. Extending a tentacle, he gently aimed at the tip of the shell.

Then, from the end of his tentacle, he secreted tetrodotoxin, a potent biological venom.

The startled clam snapped its shell shut — but moments later, its muscles relaxed completely and stopped moving.

Yul easily pried open the shell with his muscles, popped the lid open, and extended his tentacles to scoop out and eat the flesh.

'Wow, this is freaking delicious.'

Until now, after turning into all sorts of other creatures, Yul had thought his sense of taste had dulled—but this clam was truly a delicacy.

For the first time, he was eating not for experience points, but for flavor.

While eating, his delicate tentacle senses detected a pearl buried within the clam's flesh, and he discovered an item called a Vesping Pearl.

'It's not perfectly round, huh.'

Each pearl had a slightly different shape—some were oval, others bluntly circular.

But there seemed to be some kind of unknown "power" dwelling inside the pearls.

Yul put the pearls into the fine mesh net he had brought, then went off in search of more.

After collecting a fair number of Vesping Pearls, Yul descended a bit further.

Past the kelp forest lay vast coral fields, where Yul discovered something called Energy Coral, capable of storing magic power.

'This must be it, right?'

The coral was a vivid yellow, full of sharp-edged formations here and there.

Yul used a powerful tentacle chop to break it off and gathered the pieces.

He hadn't yet found the so-called Seaweed Fruit, but having gathered enough resources, Yul decided to head back to the lighthouse keeper's Island.

That was when he heard it—a very long sound.

Yul froze and turned toward where the sound had come from.

It was an extremely long ultrasonic tone. Since his language translation skill didn't activate, it carried no meaning—just a voice singing, "Aaaah↗," like a drawn-out song.

Still, Yul made sure to remember that melody, planning to return later to investigate.

Back on the island, things felt a bit more comfortable—mainly because it was winter around here.

For humans, this winter would've been bitterly cold, but for Yul, who had lived in freezing depths, it was merely mildly warm.

It wasn't anything like the sweltering southern seas.

From afar, Yul looked at the isolated island.

A massive stone lighthouse stood tall, and to one side was a small dock where ships could come and go.

There was no sign of advanced technology; judging by the setting, it seemed about 17th-century Earth level.

As he approached the island, he noticed a bell.

'Oh, he really set it up.'

It was a bell designed to be pulled even underwater.

Ding-ling, ding-ling.

'Hey, brother, I'm back.'

The moment the bell rang, Ian came running in a hurry from afar.

"Oh! You're here, Yul!"

He brought out a small fishbowl. When Yul slipped inside, Ian smiled broadly.

"I'm glad to see you again. I was starting to think you might not come back."

'Not really.'

Ian had saved Yul's life, and he was also the only person who could provide magic stones, so that was the only reason Yul had returned.

... Or at least, that's what he grumbled on the surface.

In truth, Ian was precious to Yul.

Because Ian was the only creature he could actually hold an intelligent conversation.

When drifting alone through the deep sea for too long, Yul would often forget he'd once been human—or even that he possessed intellect at all.

Time in the deep sea flowed endlessly, and intelligence had little meaning there.

But meeting Ian allowed Yul to truly talk again.

How could that not make him happy?

Inside the fishbowl, Yul surveyed the land around him. The lighthouse was the most striking structure on the island.

Inside, it contained furnishings fit for nobles, though from the outside it looked like an old, weathered lighthouse.

They entered Ian's room. The temperature there was noticeably warmer than outside.

Ian brought out a writing board—something he'd made after parting ways with Yul.

Since Yul always had to write on paper with a pen, wet pages made communication difficult.

So Ian had crafted a white sand writing board instead.

That way, Yul didn't need to extend a pen from his tentacle—he could exchange words directly on the board.

-How is it? The stuff I brought?

"They're excellent. Both the Energy Coral and the Vesping Pearls are top-grade. Even nobles would love these."

Ian set the Vesping Pearls down, clearly impressed by Yul's gathering skill.

Those pearls, he said, contained innate magical power.

"I asked my father to send more magic stones ahead of time. This should take care of the urgent situation."

-Thanks.

He said he'd pay Yul in advance. Yul absorbed four more magic stones.

【Current Lifespan】

[Remaining – 157 days]

"With these pearls and coral, I think we can buy several more magic stones."

-Thanks. The immediate crisis is averted.

"Don't mention it."

-I'm thinking of resting here for a few days. Is that alright?

"Of course. You're always welcome here. Honestly, I'd prefer that."

His eyes sparkled. Yul wanted to avoid another barrage of crazy questions.

-More importantly, what do you even do here?

"My job is a lighthouse keeper... though I actually do all sorts of things."

Apparently, that part was true. On foggy days, he would light the beacon in the massive lighthouse.

"I'm a mage. More precisely, a scholar of magic. In this country, you can't be called that unless you've been properly certified."

-Hmm? So, like an amateur versus a professional?

"Something like that. Hm. Do you want to hear my story?"

-Of course. I told you mine, didn't I?

"Well, the glass did break because of it, though."

Then he chuckled softly and lit the fireplace beside him.

"All right then. I'll tell you. I was born the third son in my family. I had seven younger siblings. But now... I'm the youngest. None of them lived to adulthood."

Yul left a message of condolence.

-My condolences.

"It's fine. Anyway, through all that, I realized something—humans die far too easily. Life is fleeting, and death can come anytime. So I thought..."

His eyes looked quietly lonely as he spoke.

"If I leave nothing behind, then what meaning does this wretched life even have?"

Yul fell silent. The mood had grown too heavy.

"So I decided to restore the ancestral magic I found in my family's archives. A Unique Magic."

-What's Unique Magic?

"If Common Magic is designed so anyone can use it, Unique Magic is created to be used by a single, specific creature. One of my ancestors mastered the Unique Magic called The Great Balance and became the founder of our house. But it was lost over generations. I made it my life's purpose to restore what he left behind."

Life's purpose...

"The Great Balance is a magic that balances disparities between oneself and the target—whatever that target may be."

-What do you mean? Like, if the target were the entire universe, it would balance your energy state with the whole cosmos?

"In theory, yes. Though, of course, only in theory. Anyone who could actually achieve that would be godlike."

Ian looked at Yul with genuine amazement, surprised that he could understand the theory so well.

"You actually understand magic?"

-Of course. It's fascinating.

"Yes... Anyway, to continue—I realized I needed to study both the stars and the sea. I believe the two are somehow connected. So I came to this lighthouse—it's a family property, quiet, and perfect for magical training."

Yul clicked his tongue. He'd isolated himself on this remote island just for that?

-How old are you, anyway?

"I'm turning twenty-three this year."

-And your family's fine with that?

"Of course, they worry—my mother especially. But I'm the only one in the family capable of learning the Great Balance. Even the elders expect me to restore our founder's magic."

-Impressive.

"You flatter me. But you—surviving the deep sea, climbing all the way to land—that's far more impressive. I would've given up right away."

Deep-sea creatures were meant to live only in the deep.

To Ian, Yul's very existence defied that logic—and that made it remarkable.

-But hey. Do you think I could learn magic, too?

"Eh?"

Ian blinked. An octopus learning magic?

"Well, that's a new one. There are some ancient myths about primordial creatures using magic, though."

-I want to learn magic. There's a damn shark in the deep that can use it.

"What!? A shark using magic? That's more shocking than a snake with a gun!"

Wait—so there are guns in this world?

-Anyway, I'm gonna get revenge on that bastard.

"Very well. Ha, let’s give it a try. Ha. But, you see, my magic is the magic of Bihin Bujeon."

(If one is not human, it must not be passed on.)

The meaning of this phrase was that it should not be taught to someone who lacked humanity.

But… taken literally, does it mean he mustn’t teach it to anyone who isn’t human?

As Ian flipped through his family's records and realized there was no such rule written anywhere.

"Fine. Let's do it. Let's try magic."

Yul grinned broadly.

'You slit-eyed sand shark bastard. Once I master magic, you're dead.'

And so, Yul's study of magic began.