Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

“Shouldn’t I show this form so that Ha Leeha-nim can use it effectively for future ‘strategies’? [Energy Wave].”

Puff…!

As soon as the words ended, Blaugrun turned around. Stretching out what had been gathered in both hands towards the Kraken. That alone was enough. Leeha saw the lightning energy engulfing the entire body of the Kraken. An attack that causes paralysis, like the one once used against Kuzgunak’sh. Even that was enough to make the Kraken stiffen, spreading its ten legs in all directions.

“The electricity…… It doesn’t scatter…… “

“Sure, it was fun making an electric shock device with my scales, but there’s definitely a difference from genuine mana manipulation. The caster’s role is to transfer energy to the target. Just like this. [Quadruple Electric-Ball].”

Crack, crack, crack, crack!

Leeha couldn’t help but be amazed at the four lightning balls that appeared instantly.

Compared to the Hatchling class, where almost all magic was unusable, this could be called an ‘evolution’.

“[Double].”

And as the four lightning balls doubled to eight, Leeha was at a loss for words. A dragon that was Juvenile class, but not quite Juvenile. It was the moment Blaugrun’s true nature was revealed. Had it been above water, even Bailephus would have found it difficult to deal with the Kraken. Struck simultaneously by the eight lightning balls, the Kraken died on the spot.

A bold kid who didn’t mince words and expressed his opinion without hesitation?

“You’re amazing, Blaugrun-ssi.” No, that was not it. From this moment on, Leeha’s perception of Blaugrun had changed. What did it matter if his appearance was young?

There was no kid in the world who could so easily capture the Kraken, which destroyed all the ships of the First New Continent Expedition, with just a few gestures.

“Of course. I am a dragon, after all.” Leeha stood next to the Juvenile class dragon and extended his fist.

Blaugrun tilted his head, then, realizing, made an ‘Ah!’ expression and extended his own fist.

Leeha’s fist and the slightly larger fist of his ‘partner’ met in the water with a small ‘pop’.

“But you said to be careful fighting while protecting me, that it’d be distracting?”

“Of course, that was a joke. Let’s hurry. We’re almost at the Dragon Palace.”

Blaugrun, as if saying what a silly question, teased and then increased his speed.

“……Hmm, I need to work harder to distinguish between jokes and seriousness.”

Leeha acknowledged the undeniable talent but thought she needed more time to adapt.

“Ha Leeha-niiiiiiiiim—–

“Whoa, Anderson-ssi!?”

As soon as they approached the Dragon Palace, a mermaid came running barefoot.

Leeha took a moment to recognize him. His face was somewhat familiar, but his physique had changed dramatically compared to before.

“Oh, you must have been working out a lot, huh?”

“Hehe, I look better now, right? I’ve been receiving special training from Captain Sea Bream! What brings you to the Dragon Palace? I was so upset last time when you left without properly saying goodbye.”

Anderson, newly joined as a member of the Sea God’s Royal Guard, was now fully equipped with weapons and armor. He had been a small mermaid, almost awkwardly so for a member of the Royal Guard. Leeha could sense that a considerable amount of time had passed since he last borrowed the giant turtle Tortuga….

“But who is this beside you…”

“Oh, you don’t recognize him? This is Blaugrun-ssi.”

“What?! Really? Blaugrun-nim!? The dragon? Wow, you’ve changed so much! You were not like this when I used to carry you around!”

“That, that was a long time ago. Now I am a Juvenile class, so there won’t be a need for me to rely on you like before.”

Anderson approached Blaugrun warmly, causing him to be somewhat flustered. Leeha watched this scene and felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

“Cool! As expected, Ha Leeha-nim lives a spectacular life! Welcome, the prince has been expecting you!”

“Captain – no, Drake-nim?”

“Yes! We’ve developed a system that utilizes our echolocation abilities to monitor the entire area of the Dragon Palace!”

After settling down in the Dragon Palace, Drake’s life had changed significantly, Leeha heard. Not only Drake had changed, but since deciding to live not as a ‘human’ but as a ‘mermaid’ and as a prince of the Sea God, he had been revolutionizing the system of the Dragon Palace. Whether it was Bluebeard or someone else, he was making relentless efforts to prevent incidents like the fishmen crisis from happening again.

‘After all, he originally came from Kraven, a kingdom where he was the supreme commander…’

Compared to the peaceful life in the Dragon Palace, he must have lived a more intense life. Leeha nodded and followed Anderson. No complicated verification was needed. Leeha, already transformed into a mermaid, naturally had free passage, and more importantly, was accompanied by Anderson, who bore the mark of the Royal Guard. The fantastical scenery of the Dragon Palace they passed was an added bonus.

Leeha, Blaugrun, and Anderson finally met Drake and Sea Bream.

“Ha Leeha.”

“It’s been a while. No, actually, I feel like I’m seeing you too often?”

Leeha playfully joked with Drake. His appearance was still a bit different compared to other mermaids. His lower half wasn’t entirely fish-like. There was clearly a human lower half, with a fish-like tail protruding from the hips.

Leeha was convinced that Drake’s decision to live as a ‘human’ was related to this appearance, but knew that now was not the time to discuss it.

“Hmm, is that so? Still, I’m glad to see you.”

The response from Drake was unexpected. Who would have thought Drake would express his pleasure so openly? He looked at Blaugrun, who stood next to Leeha, with a content expression.

“And this person here is probably…”

“Though it’s not our first meeting, it’s our first time exchanging greetings. I am Blaugrun.”

“That’s right. It’s an honor to meet a mature dragon.”

Drake was indeed on a different level from Leeha. Not swayed by appearances, he respectfully bowed his head to Blaugrun. Blaugrun, looking proud, glanced at Leeha for a moment.

“Ahem. Yes, indeed, the son of Elaim is different. It’s an honor to be here once again.”

“Elaim? Drake-nim is a son of the Sea God – ah, I see!”

“…As the son of Elaim, please forgive my partner’s rudeness.”

“If I were startled by such things, I wouldn’t have been able to build a friendship with Ha Leeha.”

Leeha, as if realizing something, made a sound, causing both Blaugrun and Drake to look at him with surprised expressions.

However, Leeha had his own reasons to feel aggrieved.

‘The name of the Sea God never came up! It was always just ‘Sea God’, how was I supposed to know!’

But knowing that saying this would only be to his detriment, Leeha kept quiet and quickly got to the main point.

“Ahem, the reason I came today is-”

Leeha hesitated for a moment.

Where should he start his story and how should he ask for help most effectively?

If Drake and Blaugrun could empathize like this, it would be best to honestly bring up the topic of the growth accelerant.

Leeha thoroughly explained about the growth accelerant item – where he got it, how he used it, and the effects it had.

He also detailed his need to come here to gather the necessary ingredients to make a new growth accelerant.

Drake’s expression was not very positive.

“The essence of the world…”

“I assume it can be obtained from the ‘purification pool’.”

What Bahamut had said, and even the quest information alone, was enough to infer this fact. At Leeha’s words, Drake nodded as if confirming the answer. However, his expression remained unenthusiastic.

“Prince.”

“Sea Bream. Could you check where my father is?”

“Understood. Anderson, come with me.” The captain of the Sea God’s Royal Guard left immediately with Anderson. This was as Leeha had anticipated.

Even though Drake belonged to the highest echelon of NPCs in the Dragon Palace, as long as there was a ‘king’, the permission of the Sea God was absolutely necessary.

‘The real question is whether they’ll willingly give it…’

Shortly after, Anderson returned and guided Drake and Leeha.

The place was the same audience hall as last time. Blaugrun, seemingly uninterested in such conversations, was just curiously looking around.

“Ha Leeha!”

“I apologize for my late visit. How have you been, Sea God-nim?”

It was the same place where Leeha had received Jellypong. The surroundings were designed in a perfect sphere, allowing one to look at the audience and the king from any direction, be it up, down, left, or right. It looked like a stage, but a notable difference from last time was the absence of any spectating mermaids.

“Hm, a dragon. Juvenile class – no, Adult class?”

“I am still but a humble Juvenile, Elaim-nim.”

“Haha, enough with such formalities. Being called by the king’s name reminds me of that Ifrit fellow, which is annoying. So, you’re here about the essence of the world?”

The Sea God laughed heartily and received Blaugrun’s greetings.

Like Drake, he paid no attention to appearances and assessed Blaugrun’s inner qualities and abilities, truly befitting the demeanor of ‘one who commands the water spirits’.

“Yes.”

“The essence of the world… And the one who came with you is from the Metal Dragon’s lineage. Could it be, did Bahamut send you?”

“Huh, yes?”

“That damned dragon. He caused me so much trouble by forcibly extracting the essence for his experiments. Since then, he hasn’t shown his face, and now he sends Ha Leeha…”

“No, wait a minute. I didn’t come here because Bahamut-nim sent me-”

“So, it’s unrelated?”

“……If you put it that way… Not entirely unrelated.”

Leeha was flustered. He had spoken about the growth accelerant but never mentioned words like Platinum Dragon or Bahamut! From Drake’s nodding beside the Sea God, it seemed he hadn’t caught on either. Was this the true prowess of the King of Water Spirits? A Spirit King, who oversees a single type of spirit, had already fully grasped Leeha’s intentions.

“You probably already know, but the essence of the world is an energy that can be extracted from the purification tank.”

“Yes, that makes sense.”

“But by ‘extraction’…”

“Yes?”

“It means taking out a part of the energy from the purification tank. And that, forcibly. Do you understand what might happen?”

“Um…”

The Sea God’s demeanor had changed from the hearty greeting earlier. His face was stern now.

“You know what the purification tank is for, right?”

“I do. It helps water spirits of a certain purity to be born as mermaids – oh, so if that’s the case, perhaps?”

“…Yes. Once the essence is extracted, our kind cannot increase in number for a while.”

Drake’s expression worsened, and it was a valid reason for the Sea God’s face to harden.

Even if all the NPCs of the Wood Elf or Giant races die, if new players join and choose those races, their numbers can increase.

But mermaids are not a playable race!

A race composed entirely of NPCs. In other words, if any system restrictions are applied, increasing their population becomes impossible.

‘This Bahamut ajussi, what…?’ Suddenly, Leeha remembered what the Sea God had just said.

‘That damned dragon.’ It was a telling phrase about how Bahamut must have made the growth accelerant in the past.

“That, that would be quite problematic.”

“Indeed. It’s not just problematic. If Sylphid hadn’t intervened

back then, I and Gnoas would have taken action together.”

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