NOVEL NEXT Chapter 747: Breathing under Water
The deck of the ship was a mess of broken wood and soaked rope. Sailors scrambled to make repairs. Nox stood with Captain Lorric and Dorran. He had just asked who the Sea Devotees were, and for some seconds the men were silent.
"It's perfectly normal if His Majesty doesn't know about them," Lorric said, wiping water from his face with a calloused hand.
"The Sea Devotees are a subgroup of the Sea People," he began. "They're nasty fanatics. Most of the Sea People keep to themselves, deep down and are calmer. But the Devotees? They believe the surface is a blight. They attack any ship that ventures too far into what they consider their sacred waters."
Nox's eyes narrowed. He had suspected there would be a race like the fictional Atlanteans even in this world.
"Sea People? There's an entire civilization beneath the ocean?"
Dorran nodded, continuing, "Rumors, mostly. No one from the surface has ever been there and lived to tell about it. You can't breathe underwater, for starters. But every sailor knows the stories. Vast cities made of coral and crystal. They've been there longer than humans have had kingdoms."
"And the Devotees?" Nox pressed.
"The violent arm of their race," Lorric grunted angrily. "They don't just protect their territory; they seek to punish us 'land-walkers' for existing. We've never had trouble with the main Sea People clans. But the Devotees… they're a curse upon these waters."
Nox processed this. A whole other world beneath the waves, with its own politics and conflicts. It complicated things. The statue was down there, in a domain ruled by a powerful, unknown race.
For now, he didn't want to dabble in Sea People affairs. His main goal was to take the statue and leave this kingdom.
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A few days later, the lookout's cry came. "Aetherai seas dead ahead!"
The water here was different. It was a deeper, darker blue, almost purple in the sunlight. The air felt heavy and the crew grew quiet, their superstitious murmurs returning.
Dorran closed his eyes, his hand resting on the rail.
"This is it," he said, his voice low. "The feeling is stronger here. It's down there." He pointed to a patch of water that looked no different from any other, but which seemed to swallow the light.
Nox looked over the side. The water was impossibly clear, yet he could see only a short distance before it faded into blackness.
"How deep?" he turned to the young pirate.
"Deep enough that the pressure would crush this ship like an egg," Dorran replied sarcastically. "And like I said, there are other things down there... I have a feeling we won't have an easy time getting the statue."
"Then we need a way to get down there," Nox stated. He looked at Dorran. "Can your shark help?"
"My shark can take one, maybe two people if they hold on tight. But he can't protect you down there for long. It's not his world that deep. He's a coastal predator."
Nox turned to Zarek, who had been listening silently.
The vampire's red eyes glinted behind his blindfold. "Although I'm immortal to some extent, I do not breathe underwater. The pressure would be… uncomfortable, but survivable for me. You, however, are mortal."
"I'm not exactly normal," Nox countered. He focused inward, reaching for the Monster Shop. He scrolled through the skills and spells, looking for anything that could help.
There was nothing obvious—no "Water Breathing" spell. But he had something else. Gabriel had copied all the elements, including air and water.
And because they were ultimate rank, they were much stronger. What if he could create a bubble of air? A localized pocket of space around his head that pulled oxygen from the surface?
It was a theory, untested and dangerous. But it was all he had.
"I have an idea," Nox announced. "But it's a risk. Dorran, you're with me. Zarek, you stay with the ship. If anything happens, get them to safety."
Zarek gave a curt nod. "As you wish, young master."
Nox spent the next hour practicing on deck. He focused, trying to warp the space around a bucket of water, creating an air pocket inside it. The first few attempts failed, the water sloshing normally. Then, on the fifth try, a shimmering, bubble-like distortion appeared in the water, and the surface inside it remained perfectly still. It worked.
"Alright," Nox said, his confidence growing. "Let's go."
They prepared a long, strong rope. Dorran whistled, and the shark surfaced beside the ship, its dark eye watching them.
The plan was simple. Dorran would ride the shark. Nox would hold onto Dorran, using his water and air manipulation to create a personal air bubble around their heads. It was clumsy, but it was their only shot.
"Remember," Dorran said seriously. "Down there, we're the intruders. We don't fight unless we have to. We find the statue and get out. Fast."
Nox nodded. He took a deep breath of the surface air, then activated his skill. A faint shimmer enveloped their heads. He could still breathe normally. He climbed over the rail and grabbed onto Dorran, who was already seated on the shark's back.
"Ready?" Dorran asked.
"Ready."
With a powerful thrust of its tail, the shark dove, splashing water onto the ship.
The world turned green and then deep blue. The light from the surface faded quickly, replaced by an eerie, bioluminescent glow from strange jellyfish and deep-sea plants.
Nox's air bubble held, but he could feel the immense pressure of the water pressing in on it. Fortunately, he had enough mana points to keep it active.
They descended for what felt like an eternity. The water grew colder. Strange fish with glowing lures and needle-like teeth drifted past, ignoring them. Dorran guided Grim with subtle shifts of his weight, following an instinctual pull.
Then, they saw it.
Nox's eyes flashed sharply, and a small smile appeared on his face.
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