Chapter 55: Deep-sea Dungeon Raid Part 5

"Don't let your guard down. There's one more."

And this one appeared to be even more formidable than the creature we had just defeated.

How did I know?

…It's missing an arm.

Goblins were a typical and representative monsters that followed the law of the fittest.

The weak are naturally ostracized or killed within their ranks.

Yet, this sea goblin shaman was already missing an arm.

The fact that it survived with one arm less means it must be strong enough even without it.

Perhaps, it could even possess strength far surpassing that of other goblins.

And since this guy was a shaman, you never know what troublesome things might happen.

Should I have Sharp swiftly deal with it?

I controlled Sharp through our mental link. I was intending to swiftly end this by having Sharp devour the creature in one fell swoop.

-Swhoosh!

Sharp, who had been tearing and feasting on the smaller sea goblins, suddenly changed direction and charged rapidly toward the sea goblin shaman. But then,

-Fizzzzz!!!

An intense headache suddenly overwhelmed me.

This is… a curse!

The sea goblin shaman was brandishing a staff crudely fashioned from the bone fragments of deep-sea creatures. Damn it, a curse… The situation had just become significantly more troublesome. The mental link was causing such an intense headache that it was difficult to focus. Sharp was likely experiencing the same pain.

I need to act fast.

Sharks have a unique trait where they must keep swimming or they die, which is why they swim even while asleep. If they were to become unconscious and start sinking, death would come swiftly. Watching Sharp who was belly-up and slowly sinking I stretched my hand upwards and specifically towards a giant jellyfish.

The giant jellyfish, armed with a toxin potent enough to paralyze even a whale, roamed the seas with ease despite its near absence of intelligence.

The two longest tentacles don't release toxins, so I'll grab hold of those.

After briefly severing my mental link with the unconscious Sharp, I used a command of [Subjugation] on the giant jellyfish. Fortunately, due to its minimal level of intelligence, gaining control of it was relatively easy. Of course, it was a creature that hardly required any control to manage its simple body.

With considerable effort, I moved the tentacles of the giant jellyfish. Given that jellyfish typically move with the flow of the water and without any self-directed motion, controlling its body was no simple task.

Ju-Just a bit more…!

I wrapped each of the chosen tentacles around Sharp's fin and tail and steered the giant jellyfish upwards. Although it was difficult, choosing the giant jellyfish was a good decision. This was because the sea goblins could no longer attack Sharp.

The conclusion was clear.

Seeing as how this goblin lacks an arm and can use mental curses instead of poison, it must be the leader.

Eliminating such a creature quickly was the best strategy. However, Lloyd and El were overwhelmed and were constantly fending off the onslaught of sea goblins. So, in the end…

Is it only me again?

It was clear that this was no foe to be simply felled by arrows. To begin with, it was awkwardly hidden in a crevice in the rocks, so it was difficult to attack with an arrow, and approaching it was out of the question for me. This was because the number of sea goblins was increasing and no one knew where they were coming from. The fact that their numbers didn't decrease but instead increased, made me wonder if I was dealing with a hydra.

Moreover, in this terrain, the sea goblins held a significant advantage.

It was frustrating but true. These were sea goblins, after all, and they had evidently made this place their stronghold for quite some time.

Should the sea goblin shaman prove to be more cunning than I anticipated, we would quickly find ourselves at a disadvantage.

Therefore, taking the initiative was imperative.

I glanced briefly at the seabed where various types of seaweed were scattered and then knelt down. The variety of seaweeds might not have been vast, but what they lacked in diversity, they made up for in one crucial aspect: their reproductive capacity.

Placing my hands on the soft, sandy bottom, I channeled magical power from my core before letting it flow through my fingertips and spread far and wide.

Now, I would give them something they had never experienced before.

If one were to provide the deep-sea seaweeds that were accustomed to extreme environments with sunlight, wind, water, and nutrient-rich soil…

-Boogrrrrr…

– S-Seuuugh!

-Srghhhh! Seeeuuugh!

The outcome was obvious. Naturally, they would grow tremendously.

The seaweeds vied with each other in a rapid growth spurt, soon forming a veritable forest. Amidst this lush expanse, sea goblins entangled within the seaweeds began to die from poisoning.

We took a moment to catch our breath behind the seaweed forest. Despite Lloyd's monstrous abilities, facing the relentless onslaught of sea goblins alone was an impossible task. The same held true for El.

"Let's take a short break."

"..."

"Here, take this in the meantime."

I handed Lloyd an antidote made from the totem.

"It's an antidote. The poison from the seaweeds is quite potent, which is why the goblins can't get through."

"Is that so?"

"The number of goblins is more than I expected. And there's something off about their shaman."

"The shaman…"

"He seems to be exceptionally skilled, capable of taking down an armored shark."

"Should we attack him first?"

"No, doing so would leave us overwhelmed by the swarm of sea goblins. Roshanak and I will take care of the shaman. Lloyd, please deal with the other goblins alongside El."

"...."

"This isn't the end. Their numbers will continue to grow. I have this feeling."

I retrieved health potions from my space ring and handed them to El and Lloyd.

"Take these now. The real challenge is about to begin."

***

Where could they possibly be coming from in such endless waves?

The sea goblins charged at the seaweed walls like crazy. We kept killing them, and killing them, and killing them again, but it felt like the number of sea goblins wasn't decreasing at all.

It wasn't an illusion.

In reality, their ranks were being continually replenished.

It was becoming clear that we needed to eliminate the goblin shaman, who, after the initial attack, had become exceedingly cautious of us and was using other sea goblins to create living barriers.

If Lloyd and El continued to fend off the sea goblins, they would inevitably reach their limits. It was clear we needed a different approach.

"Roshanak."

I called out softly to Roshanak, who was hidden among the seaweeds while effortlessly bursting the heads of sea goblins with water arrows.

Despite using a substantial amount of magical power, Roshanak showed no signs of fatigue. This was probably thanks to the traits of her mermaid lineage and the familiar environment of the sea.

As expected, taking her in had been a wise decision. I commended my past self and whispered to Roshanak.

"It seems we must take action ourselves."

I placed a giant water lily seed in my palm and infused it with potent life force. Then while restraining the seed's eager sprouting with its shell nearly bursting, I handed the giant water lily seed to Roshanak.

"What's this?"

"We'll use this to kill the shaman."

Roshanak looked at me with a puzzled look on her face.

"My arrows will give us away too easily. That's why I need your help."

"How so?"

"Carry the seed on the waves. We can't use water arrows; they'll be too obvious."

"Then…"

"Slowly, create waves as if you are pulling a very thin thread. So that the shaman doesn't notice."

With that, Roshanak twirled a finger, and I felt a clear ripple swirling around me.

"Yes, like that, but with less force."

"Do I have time to practice?"

At Roshanak's question, I glanced at Lloyd and El, who were busy slicing through goblins in front of the seaweed wall.

"You might have a moment."

During the magic lessons Roshanak had with Iris, they focused on powerful attacks, so it's natural that Roshanak needed time to learn how to control her strength. I watched her practice manipulating the waves, and it took quite a while for her to create ripples so subtle they were almost imperceptible. Just as the seaweed wall began to give way, Roshanak managed to produce a usable ripple at the last moment.

"Good. That's it."

I planted the seed on the wave. The seed that was ready to sprout at any moment bobbed along. It then started weaving through the seaweeds and making its way forward.

"Good job, Roshanak. You're doing well."

"Ugh… This is so hard."

"Take your time, just focus."

Roshanak concentrated on the waves, and I focused on the seed. The seed moved slowly, almost sinking to the bottom but barely keeping afloat as it swam toward the goblin shaman.

The shaman who was hidden in a crevice and shielded by sea goblin soldiers continued to chant his spells. It seemed he was casting some sort of curse to suppress the survival instincts of the sea goblins. Otherwise, it made no sense for the sea goblins to recklessly throw themselves into Lloyd's bloody swordplay.

The waves controlled by Roshanak slowly encircled the goblin shaman. As the seeds hovered near the shaman's chest, I released the restrained life force.

– Pop!

-Bang!

– Pop!

With muted explosions, the seeds burst into bubbles and rapidly grew into giant water lilies. I quickly manipulated the roots of the giant water lilies to intertwine with each other. In an instant, the giant water lilies wrapped around the shaman's head and began to rise like a tube. The shaman flailed in panic and tried to puncture the water lilies with his staff, but the tough outer layer of the water lilies resisted the blunt weapon, leaving the shaman helplessly rising upward.

"Now, Roshanak. Aim for the heart!"

It seemed Roshanak was quite frustrated with controlling the thin waves, as she pointed at the shaman's body with a visibly excited expression. Bubbles formed at her fingertips, and then with a strong bursting sound, they shot forward.

– Thump!

A shapeless transparent water arrow pierced through the shaman's body. Purple blood sprayed out like fireworks. The shaman's body shattered into pieces, and the staff he was holding slowly fell to the ground. To be precise, the staff and one of the shaman's arms fell together.

"Oooh…"

"Did I do well?"

"You really need to learn how to control your strength."