Chapter 60: Deep-sea Dungeon Raid Part 10

The [Song of the Beast] was a passive skill I acquired at level 16.

Simply put, it was a skill that allowed communication with animals, beasts, monsters, and other non-human species. It enabled me to understand simple emotions and even have conversations with them. Naturally, the quality of communication varied greatly depending on who the other party was.

For example, if I were dealing with a slime, I could only discern basic sensations like "fullness" and "hunger". Creatures with almost no intelligence like slimes possessed a very simplistic thought process.

But what if the creature had intelligence?

I could then glean information based on the creature's knowledge and experiences. I could ask a Dawn Forest Deer for directions out of the forest, ask about the location of an oasis from a Clawed Camel, or even ask a Maple Bear not to kill me.

So the effect of the skill varied widely depending on the nature of the creature involved. With beings of low intelligence, I could only receive very basic information, but with more intelligent beings, I could engage in complex conversations.

This reminded me of a documentary I had once watched, which claimed that octopuses were quite intelligent. They could navigate mazes, open jars, and even interact playfully with humans. A scientist in the documentary mused with a smile that if octopuses lived longer, they might develop intelligence rivaling that of humans

…And isn't a Kraken essentially a type of octopus?

No, if I had to say, isn't it more similar to a squid? It seems like a mix of both…

My consciousness was fading, and yet here I was, entertaining such foolish thoughts, which seemed ridiculous even to myself.

"Ugh, hah…"

A Kraken's tentacle had pierced through my side. What I could consider fortunate was that the tentacle that penetrated my side had just grown, so it was quite thin and it miraculously missed my vital organs. However, this didn't make the pain any less intense. The sharp suckers on the tentacle that tore through my side brought on a level of agony that made me wish for death. Cold sweat covered my body, and I trembled. Raising my head, I looked into the Kraken's large eyes that were shining as brightly as a full moon.

At that moment, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Kraken decided to rip out my entrails and end my life. Yet, as if time had stood still, neither the Kraken nor I moved.

"...."

It was because memories started to flood in.

These are the Kraken's memories…

I received these vivid, intense memories as if I had become the Kraken itself, and they were far more distressing and painful than the physical pain I felt in my side.

In these memories, the Kraken was being attacked by unknown entities. Despite its reputation as a formidable enemy of the god Donar, the Kraken was helplessly overpowered and lost two of its hearts.

This is why Lloyd…

It was then that I finally understood Lloyd. He had aimed precisely for the heart, only to be taken aback when he found it missing.

After losing two of its hearts, the Kraken ended up trapped in this dungeon. What followed was endless torment. Those beings embedded a black gem in the place where its heart used to be.

"…The Black Worm."

That meant the crows were involved somehow.

It seemed that when Lloyd's sword shattered the Black Worm, the Kraken was freed from its mental control. That's why its memories could flow into me.

Did the crows create this dungeon?

The Kraken, who became a slave to the Black Worms, was bred to suit their tastes. It was used as a subject for various magical and cursed experiments, and exploited for its tentacles, ink, and poison. But the most horrifying aspect was…

It was the "eggs" being taken away.

Krakens lay eggs only once in their lives, shortly before they die. They lay dozens, and sometimes hundreds of eggs, but not all of them hatch. In the harsh conditions of the Abyss, more than half die before they even emerge from their eggs, and of those that survive in their mother's womb until just before hatching, half die upon hatching. In the end, only about a quarter survive, but even these few mostly die as well because they would be unable to withstand the environment of the Abyss. So despite laying dozens or hundreds of eggs, only one or two may survive.

The Kraken's love for its offspring was bound to be extraordinary. It carried its eggs within its body until just before hatching and even after they hatched, it would hide its young among its tentacles to raise them. This was necessary because the Abyss was teeming with ferocious monsters besides the Krakens.

The crows mercilessly plundered the eggs that the Kraken treasured.

The things the spiny octopus people were busily chopping up… they were these eggs.

The discovery of the source of that chilling sound, the scraping and chopping, sent shivers down my spine. It seemed they intended to hatch the stolen eggs and raise the young Krakens themselves.

Were they planning to release grown Krakens into the Echaits waters?

It was a horrifying thought. A misstep could lead to the annihilation of the Echaits Union.

Is that what they really wanted by doing this?

Or perhaps, something even worse…

"Theodore!"

Suddenly, a forceful voice snapped me back to reality. I looked toward the source of the voice through my blurred vision. It was Lloyd.

"I'm fine… cough, huff…"

Blood welled up from my throat, making it difficult for me to speak. Lloyd raised his sword high as if intending to sever the tentacle that had pierced my side.

"No!"

At my shout, Lloyd stopped his movement and looked at me.

I felt sorry for the Kraken but this was an opportunity. While its mind was connected with mine in this way, it couldn't move properly. This might be because it was in a state of shock as it recalled all those painful memories.

"Now is the time. Now… now, we must kill it…"

I vomited blood right after I finished speaking. Lloyd looked down at me, then back at the Kraken. Its eyes were cloudy and unfocused. It was lost in the painful memories of its past.

"The heart isn't on the left side either…"

"...."

Lloyd had a look of suspicion about how I knew this, but there was no time for explanations.

"So the central heart…aim there."

"…Understood."

El and Roshanak dealt with the tentacles, which seemed to move on their own. And following my advice, Lloyd leaped high and targeted the central heart. In the darkness where there was no light, Lloyd's sword strangely flashed red.

– Pffffft!

Lloyd's sword embedded itself into the Kraken's last heart. Blue blood then spilled out into the water.

And just like that, the Kraken's heart stopped beating.

***

"Theodore."

Lloyd who was gazing at the tentacle still embedded in my side spoke to me.

"I'm going to pull it out."

Without giving me a moment to brace myself, he yanked out the tentacle in one swift motion. The pain was so intense that I couldn't even scream. Fortunately, I didn't collapse, thanks to Lloyd holding me up. I took the potion he offered and applied a [Wound Healing] spell to my side. The wound was slow to heal, perhaps because it was a puncture. After partially healing the wound, I used [Nature's Healing]. It was crucial to maximize the healing, as the exterior might seem fine but the interior could still be in disarray.

I then wrapped my side with an herbal bandage I had stored in my space ring and got to my feet. The bandage not only wrapped the wound but also numbed the pain so there was no discomfort in moving.

"...."

The dungeon was in disarray with dozens of tentacles having swept through the area as the Kraken fell.

No, this place isn't truly a dungeon. It's an ancient, sunken temple. The crows merely kidnapped the Kraken and turned this place into a "dungeon".

"Theodore."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"...."

"For a moment, it seemed as though you had controlled the Kraken. Some kind of witchcraft?"

"...."

"Then what was it?"

"...."

While I delved into the Kraken's memories, it felt as if an eternity had passed, yet in reality, it was but a fleeting moment. It's no wonder Lloyd thought I used some witchcraft or magic. After a moment of hesitation, I chose to speak the truth.

"You know I'm a Druid, right?"

"Yes, I do. But I've never heard of a Druid with such abilities."

"…. The world is vast, and there are all kinds of people in it. "

"Is that so?"

"I didn't control the Kraken. I merely shared its memories. The memories were so horrific that the Kraken was left in a state of shock."

"That's hard to believe."

"Is it? But that's the truth. There was no grand witchcraft involved, just ghastly memories."

"..."

"Sometimes, such things can destroy a soul."

Lloyd remained silent. I limped toward the center of the temple, where the altar stood. Despite the Kraken's tentacles having swept through everything, the altar remained untouched, leaving the surrounding area clean.

"Master, you need to rest."

Despite Eli's attempts to dissuade me, I insisted I was fine and ascended the altar. Lloyd who had been silently observing until now lent me a hand.

As I thought…

Upon reaching the altar, I saw dried husks rolling around and unidentifiable remains. These were likely the remnants of Kraken hatchlings that hadn't fully developed. Sifting through the desolate debris, I managed to find one egg that was still intact.

This final egg was much smaller than a typical one. Though small, it was still larger than a large dog. If it was this size, there was a high probability that it was malformed. And this was probably why it was left untouched and used for no experiments until the end. I carefully moved the egg and placed it on a soft bed of sea moss.

"Are you serious?"

Lloyd asked as if he already knew what I was going to do. I nodded my head in response.

"I'm going to save it."

"..."

Setting out to conquer the dungeon and yet intending to save the offspring of a creature deemed a disaster might seem absurd.

But then…

How could one simply label the mother who endured such brutal torture to save her offspring as a "monster"?

I placed my hand over the Kraken egg and began to recite. Magical power drawn from my core gathered in the palm of my hand and slowly flowed through my fingertips into the egg. Because the shell was translucent, I could vaguely see the magical power spreading to every corner of the egg.

"…. Thus, by sharing in this pain, our strength shall be doubled."

And with the final phrase spoken, I drew my dagger and sliced open the egg.