“Sea dungeon, huh?”
“Yep.”
Besk Ronhadia, the former Eight Swords of the Empire and manager of Elbrite, handed me the report with a tired expression.
The report mentioned that bizarre portals of unknown origin were appearing all over the sea.
This was a place known as ‘dungeon,’ something the users were quite familiar with.
However, since dungeons were for the users, it wasn’t something that Besk, a resident here, needed to seriously worry about.
“Dungeons are always around, right?”
“But there are too many of them. And…”
“And?”
Gulp.
“That energy is gradually seeping outside, transforming the nearby sea into something else.”
This was definitely not something to take lightly.
I infused mana into the report and turned to the next page.
It detailed the structure of the dungeon, strange foghorn sounds, and the pitch-black seawater…
“It’s the Kraken.”
It perfectly matched the Kraken’s power of ‘territorialization’ over the sea.
A type of erosion that turns the place where its physical body settles into its domain.
But a question arose in my mind.
“Why so soon?”
Although discussions about countermeasures and stories regarding the Kraken had been ongoing, it had never made such a blatant impact before.
The Great Cataclysm hadn’t even started, and the Kraken had yet to reveal itself.
While I could brush off one or two instances, there were over thirty identified so far.
It was puzzling why I found this out now.
“Yes. Elbrite hasn’t suffered since it’s not adjacent to the sea, but the kingdoms with maritime territories are closely watching the portals.”
“What about the Empire?”
“The Empire, well… they’ll do what they always do, won’t they?”
Ignore it or take action.
Always in favor of what benefits the Empire.
“…Hmm.”
“Shall we go take a look?”
“Yes.”
Let’s go see what’s happening.
It had been pretty boring for a month, so this was good timing.
After skimming through the report, I checked the map Besk provided.
Where should I go…
■
I decided to visit one of the many dungeons Besk recorded, choosing one located in a less populated area.
The reason was that a less populated area was likely to be a place where other users hadn’t cleared yet, making it easier to respond if anything unusual happened in the dungeon.
Thus, my final choice was the small port city of Zrawo, located at the southern edge of the continent.
It was a territory of a minor kingdom, half-abandoned and poorly managed for years.
Of course, a few people lived there, but their numbers were small.
Upon arriving at the port, I could clearly feel a sinister energy flowing from beyond the horizon.
“Kraken.”
Ta-gak.
Heading to the dungeon_
[Lilha!]
[ㅎㅅㅎㅅㅎ]
[Oh, awesome]
[Yas, broadcast ON LOL]
[Lily, is today the day you’re feeling it?]
[Oh, a dungeon?]
[Dungeon vibes?]
[There are a lot of dungeons in the sea, are we going there?]
[Oh]
[These days, the sea seems off]
[Let’s do some rankings]
[Breaking News) Port city’s land prices are rising again, lol]
“Lilha~ Everyone, come on over~.”
Waving my hand towards the camera while standing at the port.
The chat window is bustling as usual.
Looking at the sea reminds me of the time I went to the Crab dungeon.
It was a dungeon floating on the sea back then too.
“Today, we’re going to the dungeon. There seem to be a lot of dungeons near the sea these days.”
[Yes, yes, yes]
[?]
[Really?]
[They’ve popped up all over the sea]
[Oh]
[Is it the Kraken dungeon or what?]
[Is it true that Yena has been stuck for a month?]
[Even if we go, there’s nothing there]
[Is it finally a dungeon?]
[Aren’t we going together today? Like Leo or something?]
“Yeah. I’ll go solo.”
Even though it’s been a while since I’ve been to a dungeon, I’m just going for the sake of checking it out.
I don’t really need to bring someone along.
I’ve seen plenty of people in various places, including academy classes.
After chatting for about 10 minutes while people joined in, I crossed the sea and arrived at the dungeon entrance.
A dark blue circle is emitting an uncanny energy, and I can hear faint ship horns.
[Appropriate level?, Playtime?, Maximum party members?.]
[Would you like to enter the Sea dungeon?]
“Yes.”
[This dungeon is a multi-dungeon with random dungeon mechanics.]
[Do you acknowledge this before entering?]
“…Random?”
Did this exist?
There weren’t any warnings in the information Besk gave me.
The residents who don’t know about the system might not have caught on to this.
“Shall we go?”
[Yes, yes, yes]
[Let’s go~ Let’s go~]
[Only three transcendents, so nothing to fear, lol]
[Will there be a hidden one?]
[With Lily’s specs, she could probably clear it with her feet]
[The Sea dungeon isn’t that hard; I’ve done it before, yes, yes, yes]
[Let’s go]
[Please, hidden, I hope!]
“I will.”
The dark blue circle engulfs me.
[Tip. Check the time often. If the date exceeds, an unstoppable disaster will come.]
■
Day 1
07:15
Splash~ Splash~
The smell of the sea accompanies the sound of waves all around.
Adults are moving about, managing the ship on deck, and the sky looks a bit dark.
By around 7 AM, it shouldn’t be strange for the day to start brightening up, but somehow it’s oddly dark.
Still, it should brighten up by the time we get home, right?
“Lily, did you come out without sleeping?”
“Yes!”
“Get some more sleep. The sun is still far from rising.”
“Aren’t we almost there?”
“True, but it’ll take time to dock the ship and unload the cargo.”
“Got it!”
Hurrying back to the lower deck’s room at my uncle’s suggestion.
Though he looks a bit gentle, he’s the captain of the ship and has a loud voice in the village, so he’s a very trustworthy person!
What an active person I am!
Mom and Dad trusted that uncle too, so they allowed me to travel to another continent.
I’ve piled up gifts, so I’ll have to give them to Mom and Dad as soon as I get home.
I thought this as I lay down to sleep.
“Oh, and speaking of which, in another room…”
There’s nothing I can do right now. I might as well sleep.
Clank, clank!
“Hey! Be careful moving that over there!”
“I got it, Tom.”
“Why has this come? Who sent it?”
“Not me, I don’t know.”
I hear the voices of adults.
It sounds like they’re unloading luggage.
“Did we arrive already?”
I checked the wrist watch I got from Dad.
The watch is in a unique shade of purple and is said to be an item you can’t easily find here, which is all sea.
10:30
I fell asleep at 7, so it took three more hours?
It seemed like we arrived quickly from the distance.
“Did it take long because they were unloading the luggage?”
I felt a slight doubt, but didn’t care much and packed the luggage into my bag and slung it over my shoulder.
Thump, thump.
As I stomped up the wooden stairs like a proud dinosaur, the bright sky finally came into view.
“Huuhh… Ahhhh…”
Home really is the best.
I inhaled the air as if I was stuffing it into my body and disembarked from the boat.
Everyone looked so busy, with uncle and the other adults specially uninterested in what was going on here.
Come to think of it, some of my friends were on board too…
“Lily!”
“Oh! Ness! An!”
“You’re the last one to arrive. Hurry up!”
Here are my best buddies, Ness and An, in a city where not many people are around.
One’s a boy, the other is a girl, and including the sickly Via, we’re four of the closest friends here.
An, the girl, asks, “What are you carrying so heavily?”
“Oh come on~ I’m not giving you anything. It’s for my parents!”
“Geez. Who’s asking? I got something too!”
An says this while showing off her bag with a flourish.
…It does look kinda promising.
“Ness, what about you?”
Clears throat! “I brought… food?”
“Typical you. Did you bring anything else?”
“Not really, nothing caught my eye.”
“Lily, are you going to play today?”
“Huh?”
Are we going to play, you ask?
Of course, we have to play!
I had fun visiting another continent, but nothing beats playing at home.
Besides, it’s been a few days on the boat without playing, so right now—!
Well, aren’t I feeling a bit tired?
“……”
“Lily?”
“…Uh. No, I’m just a little tired.”
“Eh? Didn’t you sleep on the boat?”
“Well, I did, but… I guess I slept kinda awkwardly.”
For some reason, I feel exhausted.
I definitely slept for about 10 hours, and even went back to sleep when uncle told me to, but something feels off…
An shook her head in disappointment.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Ness, let’s play together.”
“Alright. Let’s play tomorrow, Lily!”
“Yeah. Thanks for all the hard work on the journey, everyone~”
“See you~”
Ness and An leave while giggling.
Left alone, I feel tired and head back home.
As soon as I arrive home, Mom and Dad greet me warmly.
After hugging them tightly, I pull out the gifts I brought for each of them.
They look very satisfied and prepare a feast for me.
“Is it good?”
“Yes! It’s so delicious!”
“Hehe. Eat slowly, don’t choke.”
Mom gently pats my head while I eagerly devour the chicken.
But how can I stand this!
It wasn’t this delicious in other continents!
Mom’s home-cooked food is the best! I’m going to eat a lot today and just sleep soundly.
Let’s eat moderately and head back to my room.
“Lily?”
Cough! That was delicious!
“Aren’t you going to eat more?”
“I had plenty earlier. Hehe. This much is enough.”
“…? Alright then.”
Rattling— I get up from my seat.
Dad, who was eating the chicken I left, speaks up.
“Since you’re back today, just rest well in your room.”
“Yes, I will.”
I head to my room on the second floor, close the door, and sit on the chair by the window.
What time is it now?
14:25
I have more time than I thought.
Usually, it would be the time to play a lot, but I came in early because I was tired.
‘What should I do?’
Should I just sleep?
Sleep? Yeah, I was just feeling tired…
I lay down on the bed.
Naturally, I should fall asleep now, but…
‘There’s no way I’ll sleep.’
[There has been a gap of 2 hours and 25 minutes for ‘Lily (Day 1)’.]
[Temporarily acquiring the ownership of ‘Lily (Day 1)’’s body.]
[If an action inconsistent with ‘Lily (Day 1)’ is detected, you will immediately lose the ownership of the body.]
Brrrr… For a moment, Lily’s body trembles, and the young girl’s consciousness fades away.
Another Lily slips in through the gap.
‘Me’ occupying ‘Lily’s body blinks my eyes.
“…….”
Wriggle.
Small hands and soft skin.
Looking at the little mirror beside me, I finally feel it.
“It reminds me of old times.”
I’ve become 12 years old.
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