Book 1: Chapter 75

Aqua This is something I’ve been working on for a while now. An array of attacks with a lot of preparation and precise timing thrown all together into a single hit. So without further ado, I begin by activating one skill after another back to back. Abyssal Kraken’s Embrace and Abyssal Kraken’s Partial Shift to summon multiple tentacles that I immediately use to forcefully hold the serpent in place. Pressure of the Abyss to help assist the tentacles. Abyssal Reversal to instantly confuse the hell out of the serpent. The berserk effect from my bracelet to increase my strength. And last but not least, I pull back my trident before stabbing it straight towards one of the small gaps in the scales on the wall. While using Hydrokinetic Wrath at the very last second to coat the water right on the trident’s three blades with incredibly pressurized water in the form of blades. This is something I haven’t been able to figure out very well. At least not for practical use in a major battle. The main problem is that Hydrokinetic Wrath costs an immense amount of mana for a very small amount of actual work. Making it so I can only realistically make small mana blades or bullets and shoot them off and nothing more. For one, it costs significantly more mana to keep the blade in shape than to just launch it. And the same goes for trying to make some sort of pressurized armor. Not only would it be too difficult for me to make the armor and keep it around my body, using up a lot of my focus, but it would drain more mana than I have just to hold that for a few seconds. Even just coating my weapon like this takes an immense amount of focus as I stab the trident straight in-between the serpent’s scales. With the serpent starting to attempt movement now that I’m restraining it. But it’s too late as I do all of this in rapid succession. Piercing straight in between the two scales and into the serpent’s side, sending the scale above my trident flying as it rips off of the serpent’s body without much struggle. The serpent lets out a roar as my trident continues piercing through the serpent’s flesh even after going past the scales. First a third of a meter, then half a meter, and finally an entire meter into the serpent. But I don’t stop there as I then detach the tentacles on my back that were latched onto the serpent’s scales with their disturbing fangs before sending them rushing into the hole made by the trident. Where I have the tentacles quickly begin chewing through the serpent’s insides, digging the hole even deeper. All while the serpent begins thrashing and an extremely loud hiss echoes through the cavern. And unlike when I first encountered the thing, my tentacles actually manage to hold the serpent down without much difficulty. Especially because of the serpent’s injury. Leaving the serpent having to twist its head around in order to find me without the rest of its body. I don’t just sit here though as I pull my trident back while the tentacles feast on the serpent’s insides before slamming it straight back into the serpent again. Striking at the back of the hole and digging even deeper. All the way until the trident finds the serpent’s spine and pierces straight through it. Shattering the thing with ease. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Making the entirety of the serpent from this point and on entirely disabled and unable to move, leaving just the front part still capable of movement. The serpent lets out an ear piercing hiss that shakes the caverns. All while the serpent itself tries frantically to move. And at this point I go ahead and let it. Making the tentacles finally let go of the serpent as I swim backwards with a grin on my face. Yep. I was right. I can easily deal with this serpent now. The serpent finally begins to move, revealing its face to me with absolute hatred in its eyes. But I couldn’t care less about the look on the serpent’s face. A damned snake that almost killed me once. There’s no way I’ll ever forgive that. I glance at the chat for a moment. [#PREDATORAQUA!] [#PREDATORAQUA!] [#PREDATOR AQUA #PREDATOR AQUA #PREDATORAQUAAAAAA!!!] Again? Hmm. Well, whatever. I look over the serpent as it hisses at and tries to rush towards me. But I easily swim out of the way of its snapping mouth. Then I just swim around a bit with a smile on my face, toying with the creature. And as I do so, I make sure to comment for the chat, “Revenge is best served long and cold. Remember that.” The chat blows up with that statement. Then, after toying with the serpent for a few more minutes, I finally swim back before smiling at it and activating the skill. Maw of the Abyssal Kraken. And immediately activating the skill, I find myself... very surprised... by what happens. Because the mouth that appears breaking out of the ground right at around the center of the serpent’s body isn’t the same size it was the last times I used it. This time the mouth spans several dozen meters in diameter. Even if the tentacles are the same size, albeit far more numerous. Interesting. So it looks like the skill adjusts its size to the target? I’m not entirely sure if that’s the case or not, but still. This is a good show to watch regardless. Or at least, I think that until the gore begins. I can’t help but grimace when I see the tentacles all grabbing onto the serpent’s body and beginning to drag it down into the enormous mouth. Which immediately begins shredding the snake, flooding the cavern with the serpent’s blood and chunks of its body in the process. All while the serpent itself hisses wildly in pain and flails its front body like crazy. As it slowly but surely gets pulled further and further into the mouth. But what’s worse is that even the gore is all being sucked into the mouth around the serpent’s body like some damned vacuum cleaner. Of course, I make sure to look away. Because gross. The chat isn’t so lucky though, since their vision doesn’t follow my gaze. So while I’m just casually looking at a nice wall in the cavern, they’re stuck watching the gorefest. “This is a nice wall,” I mutter to myself while nodding my head. Honestly enjoying messing with the chat a bit. [Damnit, hurry this up already! This is fucking disgusting!] [I was not expecting this...] [I was eating ;-;] [Not anymore...] Ah, revenge is sweet. I did tell them it’s best served long and cold after all. The crunching sounds of the maw eating the serpent along with the loud hissing screams of the serpent itself continue for a little while before finally coming to an end as I get a message about the serpent finally dying. Making me turn around to look at the massive cavern left empty. All with the maw slowly disappearing into the ground again. I wonder where all that meat is going anyways? It’s the same with the meat eaten by the tentacles growing from my back. Because I know it’s not entering me. Is it just vanishing or something? I’m not getting any mana or healing from the meat, nor do I feel like my stomach is incredibly bloated. Not that I could imagine all that serpent fitting in my stomach in the first place. Considering that it’s eyeball alone is larger than said stomach. So... where is it all going? Hmm. A question for the ages I guess. Or maybe a question for the Abyss? Anyway, the chat is still going off on me for that. So I continue ignoring them while searching around the cavern for anything interesting. When I don’t find anything though, I go ahead and finish off the baby snakes and eels – don’t want them growing up into more serpents like the big one – before heading back to the main cavern. Then I turn my attention towards the last tunnel of the main cavern. The one leading towards the large mana source that’s spawning these monsters. Hmm... Should I go look at what’s there, or should I just leave and come back to check it out later? I’m not really sure... Several seconds pass as I stare at the tunnel before eventually shrugging. Then without a hint of hesitation, I turn around and begin leaving the caves. That’s a matter to deal with later. When my mana is full and not low like it is now. I only have a little over a hundred mana left now. Which should be good for crossing to a new ocean, but not good enough for whatever is letting off that mana. After marking that little problem off as a ‘future Aqua problem’, I go ahead and begin making my way back to the Hunter’s City.