Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

Nox hadn't even seen the statue, but merely being close, he felt a familiar sensation… comfort and divine energy. In short, it was the same feeling he had whenever he was near Terra.

In the distance, half-buried in silt, stood the statue. It was larger than Nox had imagined. Indeed, it was of Terra, with her distinct feline ears and one arm outstretched as if in offering. Just as Dorran had described, her eyes seemed to hold a faint, inner light.

"It's truly her." Nox's eyes widened in amazement as he beheld the majestic figure. Despite resting underwater for thousands of years, there was no coral or sea growth clinging to the statue.

It felt as if it had been purposely preserved.

'Come on, let's check it out.' Nox urged. Dorran nodded and commanded his shark forward.

Suddenly, the shark halted abruptly, and both of their shoulders tensed at the sight before them.

Beyond the statue lay ruins. It looked like a temple, with strange beast carvings etched into the walls. But unlike the pristine statue, moss and coral clung thickly to the structure.

Yet it wasn't the temple that caught their attention—it was something else entirely.

Moving among the ruins were figures. They weren't the coral-clad Sea Devotees but another kind of Sea People. These ones appeared more human, their armor shimmering faintly as they moved with graceful purpose. They examined the ruins, completely unaware of the two intruders.

Dorran pointed urgently toward a large broken column where they could hide. The shark swam silently and settled behind the stone. Both men peered out.

The Sea People spoke in clicks and melodic tones neither Nox nor Dorran could understand. It sounded like sea creatures trying to mimic language. One of them, clearly the leader, gestured toward the statue. It was obvious they were speaking about it.

"What do we do?" Dorran whispered, his voice trembling.

Nox's mind raced. They couldn't fight their way through. There were too many, and this was their domain. You had to be beyond confident to fight sea creatures in the water.

But he hadn't come this far to turn back.

He noticed something. The leader of the Sea People held a strange, orb-like device that pulsed with a soft blue light. He used it to scan the statue, and as he did, the statue's eyes glowed brighter in response.

A deep frown appeared on Nox and Dorran's faces. What was the orb's purpose? It clearly reacted to the statue—perhaps it could even influence it.

Suddenly, both sensed a powerful presence approaching. At first, they thought it was only them who noticed, but even the organized Sea People had felt it.

The group froze, their faces pale.

The leader's blue orb flickered. The once calm and graceful Sea People broke into panic. Fear spread across their expressions.

"What's going on?" Dorran muttered, tightening his grip on the shark's reins.

Nox narrowed his hunter eyes. He felt it too—a massive presence rushing closer, stronger than anything he had faced before.

From the abyss, a huge shadow rose. Bigger than the temple, bigger than the statue. Midnight-black scales glimmered faintly like stars across its body, and golden eyes burned like twin suns.

It was… a leviathan.

It growled, and the whole sea shook.

The Sea People fled. Some swam in all directions, dropping their weapons. Others tried to form barriers, but the beast's aura shattered them instantly.

Nox decided to take advantage of the chaos. Reckless, yes, but it was now or never.

He focused his air manipulation. Not on distance—just precision. He targeted the orb in the leader's hand.

With a grunt, he created a tiny pinpoint air portal right in front of the orb. The other end opened in front of his own outstretched palm.

There was a faint pop and swirl of water. The orb vanished from the leader's grip and instantly reappeared in Nox's hand.

Amid the chaos, the leader didn't even notice, fleeing with his subordinates from the monstrous leviathan.

Nox clutched the warm, pulsing orb with a grin, then glanced at Dorran, whose face was frozen in horror.

At first, Dorran thought his partner had lost his mind—until he saw it in his eyes. That predatory golden gaze staring back.

They've been caught...

At least, that's what Dorran thought, until Nox's lips moved.

"Phantom Cloak."

Dorran waited for minutes, expecting the leviathan to lunge at them. But it never did. Its gaze swept past as if they didn't exist.

He looked back at Nox, who simply gestured for silence. Swallowing nervously, Dorran stayed put.

The silence in the depths was absolute. The Sea People were gone. The leviathan drifted back into the dark. But the statue remained, glowing faintly.

"The orb," Nox whispered once they were far enough, holding up the artifact. "It reacted with the statue. Maybe it can do more."

Dorran eyed it warily, uneasy about the risk. "Or maybe it'll bring that big one back. We should leave. Now."

"Not yet." Nox's gaze stayed fixed on the feline statue in the ruins. The leviathan was vanishing into the dark, but the statue's eyes still glowed with persistent light.

'I have a hunch… the Sea Devotees and Sea People worship this statue. Lorric said they see the surface as a blight. What if they see this as their goddess? We can't leave it in their hands.'

"If you say they worship it… do you think they'll just let us take it?" Dorran asked with a frown.

At that moment, the leviathan disappeared fully into the abyss.

"Doesn't matter." Nox's tone was firm. "I was instructed by the owner of this statue herself to retrieve it. Fuck the Sea Devotees and Sea People. I'm not leaving without it. Come on—we've got work to do."

"This is going to get us killed," Dorran shot back, but he knew arguing was pointless. He gestured to his pet. The shark, still nervous from the leviathan's presence, swam closer.

***

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