Chapter 64

The Lavre Lake Underwater Cave was a dungeon that released large amounts of mana across a wide area. The mana generated by the dungeon would leak out into the surroundings, and as a result, large numbers of spirit-type monsters began appearing near Lavre Village.

There was a simple way to deal with this phenomenon. The solution was to keep the spirit-type monsters spawning only on the inside. If the mana that was supposed to leak into the lake or rise to the surface got used up creating monsters instead, it would stay trapped in the dungeon where it belonged.

Of course, there was no way to stop the flow completely. That kind of control didn’t exist. But as long as the monsters kept getting killed and the dungeon kept reacting, the leftover mana inside would start to build up. Over time, the place would swell with so much mana that it was practically begging for something to explode out of it.

Now here’s the real question. What the fuck happens when way too much mana ends up stuck in one place?

[Named Monster Ancient Fish Zrark has been born.]

Sometimes, it would give birth to a monster strong enough to wreck everything around it. That was exactly how the Lavre Lake Underwater Cave functioned. It spawned named monsters one by one, which eventually led to the appearance of a boss monster.

It said Ancient Fish Zrark, huh? That’s one I’ve never taken down before.

There were a bunch of different named monsters that could appear in this dungeon. Every time the mana started pooling too much, the dungeon would pick one at random and throw it out. Zrark just happened to be the one Do-Jin had never fought before, but that didn’t make him nervous in the slightest.

He hadn’t gone up against it personally, sure, but he knew everything there was to know. He had memorized Zrark’s patterns, characteristics, and weaknesses long ago.

Looks like I got lucky.

In fact, as far as Do-Jin was concerned, Zrark was probably the easiest named monster he could have gotten at his current level.

“Ancient Fish... so pretty much a giant water-dwelling bastard, right? That means we have no idea where it might jump out from. Stay close behind me, Soso. I’ll protect you.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice. I’m already stuck to your back. Just keep your eyes open. You know I hate ugly fish.”

Do-Jin might have been calm, but the two girls were reacting very differently. The moment the system message appeared, both of them snapped into battle mode, eyes scanning every direction for movement. Even Soso, who was usually calm, looked tense. Just hearing the word “fish” had her on edge.

Do-Jin let out a tired sigh and asked the other two, “Named monster and Ancient Fish... Doesn’t that ring any bells?”

Theresa and Soso turned to look at him with blank expressions, clearly not getting his point.

So he spelled it out for them. “When we were running through this place, the deepest the water ever got was around knee height, right? Do you really think a named monster could swim around in water that shallow?”

He pointed farther into the depths of the dungeon. “If I had to guess, we’ll only find it if we go deeper in. Monsters have stopped respawning in this room, and that usually means the next area leads to the boss room.”

Theresa blinked, then gave an awkward little laugh. “When you put it like that... yeah, that makes sense.”

As Theresa glanced around at the water, Soso clung to her friend’s back while keeping her guard up.

Do-Jin stepped forward into the water and spoke. “Follow me. Whatever shows up, we’re going to kill it.”

As he walked, he pictured the layout of the dungeon in his head.

Zrark only ever spawns in deep water. And in this dungeon, there’s only one place where the water is deep enough for that.

***

They’d been cutting through spirit-type monsters guarding the path for a while when Do-Jin suddenly threw out an arm and stopped the group.

“I think it’s just up ahead.” At his words, Soso took a step back while Theresa stepped forward.

Her face had gone rigid as she stared at the water. “It looks pitch black,” she muttered.

“That just means it’s deep,” Do-Jin replied.

“What are we supposed to do? I don’t see the named monster anywhere. It’s probably underwater, but we can’t fight down there.”

She was right. Once they got stronger, it wouldn’t matter. For now, though, underwater combat was a death sentence. Fortunately, the room where Zrark appeared had several places where someone could actually stand.

They’re shallow enough to be hidden under the surface unless you know what to look for.

Do-Jin had already mapped them out in his mind. After confirming the locations of the platforms, he turned to Theresa and said, “Looks like this isn’t a place where a front line fighter like you can do much, Theresa. I’ll handle this fight alone.”

Of course she jumped at that. “Are you insane? You don’t even know what the hell is under there, and you’re planning to go in alone?”

Do-Jin looked at her and asked calmly, “You can’t see anything under the water right now, can you?”

“But I can,” he said, pointing to one of his eyes that was dark as midnight. “At the very least, I can try to locate where that thing is.”

As he stepped forward, Soso raised her staff and cast a series of blessings.

[Blessing of Mana]

[Blessing of Swiftness]

[Blessing of Life]

They were the three most useful buffs she had for a mage, all pulled from her current arsenal of holy magic. Do-Jin gave her a quick nod of thanks, then turned his focus back to what was ahead.

[Path of Ice]

The water in front of him froze over with a sharp, splintering sound, forming a clear path forward.

Gotta keep some class. I’m still a mage, after all. No way in hell am I going to go in splashing like a fool.

With that thought, Do-Jin took off.

He sprinted at full speed, eyes locked on the water. Zrark was swimming in slow, lazy circles beneath the surface, and he was waiting for it to drift just far enough to give him an opening.

Where are you, you bastard...

Even while running, his eyes scanned in every direction. Then he saw a glowing blur down in the depths suddenly tense in place. Do-Jin threw himself forward without hesitation.

In that instant, water exploded upward as Zrark burst out of the surface like a missile. Its massive body was translucent, almost ghost-like, and inside it, the bones of a long-dead ancient fish were clearly visible. It had launched itself with terrifying force, crashing into the spot where Do-Jin had been standing just seconds earlier.

The ice path shattered on impact, sending a surge of water crashing toward him like a tidal wave. Before it could knock him off his feet, Do-Jin planted his feet, focused, and used Psychokinesis to push against the water. Without incredibly precise control, it would’ve been impossible to steady himself here.

“

Pfft

!” Do-Jin spat out the water that had gotten into his mouth and sprang back into motion.

Zrark had pulled away, putting distance between them so it could build up momentum again.

Guess I’ll have to let it charge one more time.

The monster swam even faster this time, picking up speed as it approached in a broader arc, clearly aiming to cover a wider area with its next strike. Meanwhile, Do-Jin’s Magic Circuits glowed as he prepared to counter.

Fwoom

!

Another pillar of water shot into the air. The moment it rose, Do-Jin unleashed the spell he had been waiting to cast.

[Ice Shield]

Do-Jin used the water shooting into the air as fuel for his next spell. In an instant, it froze solid and formed a thick wall of ice between him and the incoming threat. The shield slammed into Zrark midair and shattered instantly, but it had bought him enough time to slip out of range and sprint to the platform.

There we go.

Do-Jin reached a wider area where he could actually move around. His ankles were submerged, but it was still way more stable than running on frozen water.

Alright. Let’s do this for real.

Zrark’s attack pattern was simple. Whether the target was standing on a platform or running along a frozen path, nearly all of its attacks were meant to drag enemies into the water. Once a player went under, they’d become prey.

As long as I stay out of the water, I only have to worry about two attacks. One is that body slam it tried earlier, leaping out to sweep the area. The other is water-based attacks Zrark had access to as a spirit-type monster.

Before he could finish gathering his thoughts, he saw it. Mana was condensing again deep below the surface. If it weren’t for the Magic Eye he had gotten from the duke, this fight would’ve been a complete pain in the ass.

Zrark was a monster that gave no warning before it attacked. Its territory was way down in the depths, out of sight. But with Silent Night, Do-Jin could see the living lump of mana lurking underneath. He could track its movements perfectly, even when it started pulling mana into its mouth to charge up another blast.

Do-Jin timed it and launched himself out of the way right before Zrark fired. A gigantic jet of water shot up and tore the platform in half with lethal pressure. The blast exploded behind him, loud enough to shake the air, but he didn’t even turn to look.

The next attack was obvious. Zrark always followed up with a delayed body charge. There wasn’t a second to waste getting distracted. He began casting immediately. As Zrark burst out of the water again, Do-Jin narrowly dodged it.

[Electric Shock]

The Tier 1 spell, fast and sharp, shot straight into the monster’s body. It felt almost choreographed, like the two of them had rehearsed the moves for some action scene. The monster let out an unearthly shriek as it took the hit, and its body trembled in shock before it splashed back into the water.

[Summon Wraith]

Do-Jin immediately followed up by summoning a wraith and placing it near the spot where it had landed.

Zrark’s biggest weakness was its poor detection ability. The best way to take advantage of that was with bait. The moment it lost awareness, it would latch onto the closest moving target the second it came back to its senses. Then it would charge.

Just as expected, Zrark twitched under the water and, as soon as it came to, turned toward the wraith. It had already marked the moving spirit as an enemy and began preparing to strike.

“Alright then. Let’s stick a straw in this bastard.”

Do-Jin watched as the mass of mana sank, then suddenly rocketed upward at full speed. Golden light flared through his Magic Circuits as the Grimoire of Truth opened, amplifying the spell within. The abrupt surge of mana struck him with such force that his head reeled.

[Wedge of Drain]

The spell that took shape wasn’t something a normal human could cast. It was the personal magic of an Archmage who had long since surpassed that title.

“KYYYYAAAHHHH

!

”

The wraith sensed Zrark approaching and slashed out with its claws. At the same time, it collided with the monster midair and shot upward with it. The impact was over in an instant. The wraith burst into a cloud of black smoke, completely obliterated in one blow. In return, it had launched Zrark into the air and left it floating helplessly for several long seconds.

“Game over, fish.”

A jagged crimson-black spike shot out and stabbed deep into the monster’s body.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Wedge of Drain wasn’t a spell that simply sapped some HP. It was part of the unique spell system developed by none other than Duke Tirund himself. His magic wasn’t just powerful. It worked on an entirely different plane.

Rather than just drain life, it

consumed

. It ripped away the lifeforce and very mana that sustained that life. Even non-living monsters, like ones made of stone or metal, were not safe from this kind of spell. On top of all that, it sucked out both HP and mana at the same time. As far as broken spells went, this was the crème de la crème.

What are you gonna do now, fish?

The longer it dragged on, the more it tilted in Do-Jin’s favor. Zrark probably realized that too, at least instinctively, which put it in a frenzied state. Do-Jin could already see it in the way the monster moved. Its swimming speed had jumped, easily one and a half times faster than before.

If that thing grazes me, I’m fucking dea—

He had no time to finish that thought when Zrark launched itself toward the surface like a torpedo.

BOOM

!

It moved so fast that it looked like it broke the surface before the water could even react. It had turned its spirit ability into a booster, using it for an instant burst of acceleration. Fortunately, Do-Jin had rolled ahead of time, barely managing to avoid the SUV-sized fish.