Wizard of the Abyss – Ch. 204

Wizard of the Abyss

[Extra Novels]

Chapter 204 - Journey (10)

If you had to ask someone to do something that might send them to hell, who should you go to?

Family? A loved one? No. If we died together, it would only hurt both of us even more.

So the person I would go to was already decided.

"...The situation has become quite serious.”

After earthing everything I explained, Dercia sighed and nodded before extending her hand.

"Let’s go and let me take a look first. Try taking me there.”

Right, someone extremely strong, yet someone who didn’t particularly value their own life.

Just as I expected. I smiled faintly, grabbed her finger, and deployed the Water Partition.

And—

"...Ugh."

A crushing burden poured over me instantly, and I frowned.

Something was off.

Each time the Partition crept up along Dercia’s finger, the pressure weighing down on my entire body grew stronger.

I had only covered one finger joint—yet the burdens had multiplied several times over.

It had been a long time since I had felt pressure strong enough to make my head ring. I hurriedly withdrew the Water Partition. Dercia looked at me curiously.

"Is something wrong?”

"The moment I tried to put you inside my Water Partition, actually, even before that, the burdens suddenly increased dramatically. I don't know why.”

"..."

Tilting her head, Dercia seemed to have realized something and rang the bell sitting on the table.

Before long, Carose, with an annoyed expression, burst through the door and began complaining rapidly.

"Lady Dercia, didn’t I tell you already? This bell is only for real emergencies, not for errands…Jern?”

"I called you because there’s something I want to test. Jern, could you try it with Carose?”

"What? Try what?”

When I took her hand while she was still confused, her expression only became stranger. Ignoring that, I covered her with my Water Partition, after which another headache struck.

"It seems the same. No, I was able to use it on other people before, so why all of a sudden…?”

"As I thought. It’s a matter of whether the Partition can endure it or not.”

"Endure…it?”

"Yes."

Dercia waved her hand dismissively, sending the baffled Carose away, and created a droplet of water above her palm.

Inside that droplet a smaller droplet was slowly spinning.

"This represents your Water Partition. The smaller droplet inside is you. Since it’s originally your world, you are not a foreign substance but essentially the same entity as it. Even if it shrinks like this…”

The outer droplet trembled and shrank under the pressure of the air. Eventually it became as small as the inner droplet, but neither burst.

"Because they are fundamentally the same entity, there is no major issue with contact. The problem arises when something different is placed inside. If it’s a being from the Abyssal Sea—something with the same droplet specifications as you—your Water Partition can withstand it. But if it’s something completely foreign?”

This time, Dercia took out a pin and inserted it into the small droplet.

At first it seemed stable, but when she applied pressure and the larger droplet shrank—Pop—both the Water Partition and the small droplet burst.

"That’s what happens. And I’m not something as small as this pin. If we had to compare it, I’d be closer to an awl.”

"Then what about Elisia?”

"She’s still a being who hasn’t even figured out what she is yet. Your Partition is clearly small even for containing yourself alone, but you could probably bring along someone slightly stronger than an ordinary person, like a mediocre wizard.”

It felt like a rather harsh evaluation of Elisia, but nothing she said seemed wrong.

In other words, it meant that for now, I couldn’t bring anyone into the Abyssal Sea.

My ultimate trump card had been sealed. While I sighed, Dercia pulled several books from a nearby shelf and muttered.

"Let’s organize the situation first. Right now, deep-sea creatures are gaining ‘eyes’ from something you called 'barnacles.' Is that correct?”

"Yes. Once they attach to them, it seems like they gain the ability to see me.”

"Interesting. Wake Malo. We should hear from someone directly involved.”

Dercia handed me a pin. Frowning, I stabbed my shoulder lightly with it, after which the robe woke up, rubbing its collar together.

[Ahem, I believe one of those deep-sea creatures became entangled with True Blood and achieved a kind of evolutionary advancement as a living being.]

"Setting aside the part about evolution, what exactly is this True Blood?”

[It’s the sacred blood of our creator. We received it and vowed to fulfill his wish of protecting the world. If we go deeper, the barnacle granting the ability to locate its master might be connected to the wish of that deep-sea creature.]

"...A wish?"

[The strongest wish of those deep-sea creatures might have been…to find you, Jern?]

"That’s an utterly absurd claim."

"..."

Hearing Malo’s uncertain explanation made something faintly stir in my mind, almost like a thought was about to surface.

As I pondered it, Dercia turned her gaze back to me.

"In any case, it is clearly an enemy that must be defeated. You said it was enormous, but how large is it exactly?”

"It was about the size of a small mountain.”

“Did it have any weak points you could strike?”

"...To be honest, if we consider it as an enemy, I have not a single idea who I’m supposed to fight against it."

Defeating a mountain was an absurd concept to begin with.

Overwhelming mass alone could make something practically impossible to overcome.

"Of course, since it’s in the Abyssal Sea, I could attack it with pressure or currents—but it won’t just sit there like a real mountain.

"I agree. That means we must use tools.”

"...Tools?”

"Yes. Even if you cannot bring a person into the Abyssal Sea, you should still be able to bring objects from this world, correct? That alone could be extremely helpful.”

"Ah, that makes sense.”

It felt like a light suddenly switched on in my head. Bombs that could detonate underwater, for example. Or substances whose scent deep-sea creatures would hate. If I could bring things like that, it would certainly help a lot.

"However, your Water Partition still has limits. You won’t be able to bring enough firepower to destroy a mountain. Splitting the mountain itself will ultimately have to be done by you, Jern.”

"Maybe I should practice splitting one here first. There’s a mountain behind the capital, too.”

I meant it as a joke, but Dercia answered seriously.

"That might actually be necessary.”

"..."

I was about to say it was a joke when—

A chill ran through my body.

"...Jern?”

[Did something happen…?]

-Slash!

At the same time, a deep gash appeared across my face.

"Jern!”

For once, Dercia looked genuinely startled. She jumped up from her seat and snapped her fingers.

Instantly, the surrounding air felt like it was burning hot.

But I grabbed my face and raised a hand to stop her.

"This attack didn’t come from here.”

"Then…?!”"

"Yes..."

Gritting my teeth, I realized the blood running down my face felt far colder than expected.

In the Abyssal Sea world that Dercia couldn’t see, a shark with a long tail covered in barnacles was swinging said tail wildly, the blade embedded in it having just sliced my cheek.

'At least no blood got on that thing.'

The strike had been so sharp and fast that the blood only burst out afterward. Because of that, my blood hadn’t spread into the Abyssal Sea.

If my blood had spread there, every deep-sea creature would rush over and start a feeding frenzy. Looking around carefully, I saw six…no, eight sharks of the same kind surrounding me.

'I need to run.'

There was only one reason I had been able to control and handle sharks so easily until now, treating them as if they were stupid creatures. 

It was because I could see them, but they couldn’t see me.

That meant I always struck first. And even if that first strike failed, the deep-sea creatures could search all they wanted, they would never be able to find me. In other words, my follow-up attack was effectively another first strike.

But if that overwhelming advantage disappeared?

It meant I had to fight millions to one against creatures that had lived their entire lives in the Abyssal Sea, freely controlling currents and pressure.

"Jern, get out of there immediately! There’s no way we can help you!”

"I would love to. Really.”

"...!"

Looking at Dercia’s pale face, I spoke the harsh truth.

"...I’m currently in the real world.”

-There was no escape.

It wasn't the water pressure. It wasn’t the lack of oxygen. The thing I had always thought was the greatest danger and burden had finally drawn its blade.

Whether naturally or unnaturally, this moment was bound to come someday.

I had to do it. With all my strength, I seized control of the ocean currents.

[-----!]

[...!!!!]

Had they been ignoring me?

Or had they grown careless? The whirlpool I created erupted upward, sweeping several sharks away.

Only half remained. The survivors rushed toward me like arrows, refusing to give me even a single opening.

I grabbed one with water pressure and sliced its belly open with a pressure blade.

For the second one, I twisted the currents and bent the direction of its tail strike.

The third—I couldn’t do anything about it.

That was my limit.

-Crunch!

"Kgh, hgh...!"

I had dealt with six of them in an instant, but the remaining two showed no mercy as their bladed tails raked across my back.

The moment the blade touched bone, a pain so intense that I couldn’t even breathe shot through me, and I collapsed to the floor. The imperial carpet was instantly soaked with blood.

[Damn it...]

"I’ll treat you first.”

Dercia clenched her teeth as she looked at me lying there bleeding heavily. She wrapped bandages around my back and shoulder before asking,

"How many are left?”

"Two…No, now it’s tens of thousands.”

"?"

"My blood got on them.”

This time, luck wasn’t on my side.

Blood remained on the sharks’ tails.

And that blood slowly spread into the ocean.

"Fuck..."

Soon, thousands of deep-sea creatures would gather and begin a feeding frenzy.

How many of them would have eyes? I’d have to fight a battle so brutal it would drive anyone insane.

"Jern.”

There was something mixed in Dercia’s expression. I forced a reassuring look.

"It’s not over yet."

This was something I had already prepared myself for.

Yes, something that could have happened at any moment.

I stood up with her support and expanded my Tide Sense.

A plan?

When this scent of blood spread through the Abyssal Sea, I’d slaughter them so thoroughly that they would never even think of approaching again.

There was no other choice left. Clenching my fist, I stared at the countless deep-sea creatures rushing toward me.

[--------------!]

[--------!]

[-----!]

[--...]

[...]

"...Huh?"

And then…

I saw them slowly disappearing.

The resolve I had carved into myself faded. Only when the last deep-sea creature vanished from my Tide Sense’s range did I finally process what had happened.

"What in the…?”

Suddenly everything ended. Frowning, I turned my head and noticed a warm sensation behind my back.

It was where the shark’s tale had cut me. Blood could feel warm, of course, but this warmth was too hot to be mine.

"...I heard everything.”

"E-Elisia?”

—Elisia was hugging me from behind.

She should have been asleep, but she was now standing there behind me.

Her white dress was stained red with my blood, and her clear eyes met mine as I turned.

"I’ll go."

"...What?"

"I’ll help you, Jern. I’ll go to the Abyssal Sea with you.”

The expression on her face as she said those absurd words—

Held a determination so strong that it made my own resolve seem laughable.

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