Chapter 42: The Maelstrom Leviathan (Part One)

This battle was truly an embarrassment for me. During the fight with the Red Mountain infiltrators and the demon Mahaktu they commanded, Yan Formation and Resonant Melody worked together seamlessly, taking turns to strike. They didn’t even give our opponents a chance for close combat—within moments, the two hapless fellows were sprawled on the ground, leaving me standing there in a defensive posture, fully alert for nothing. It was a complete waste of effort and emotion.

Meanwhile, Feine won her magical duel against the Red Mountain summoner with absolute dominance—she kept complaining that I hadn’t helped her, forcing her to expend so much magical energy. To make amends, I had to give her a “Blue Diamond Star” ring, which enhanced the effects of ice magic. In the end, the three of them stood beneath the arrow tower, loosing two volleys of arrows that easily dispatched the Red Mountain sniper perched above.

From start to finish, I was entirely irrelevant to the battle. At best, I was a well-intentioned but unnecessary spectator, always hoping to be of use, yet ultimately doing nothing—never attacking the enemy, nor ever being attacked myself. It was an awkward passage through the fight.

If I must claim to have helped at all: after they shot the sniper atop the tower, it was I who climbed up, searched his corpse, and found thirty-six silver coins and a grass mushroom, which I then handed to Feine. That was all I contributed to the battle.

The subsequent skirmishes were equally easy and dull. Our enemies were all dark elves, four or five levels below us, appearing only in small groups, and always outnumbered. In truth, this was a mission Yan Formation could have accomplished alone, and in my view, she had the ability to do so. Such tedious combat failed to arouse any interest; soon, we had fought our way into the Red Mountain Cave, occupied by the dark elves. Deep within the cavern, in a subterranean river, we found the target of our quest: the Whirlpool Crocodile, A. Stan.

Upon seeing this enormous aquatic monster, I couldn’t help but gasp. Never before had I encountered such a colossal beast. Its flat maw was nearly as wide as my waist, and its length rivaled three joined wooden boats. If it had the appetite, it could swallow me whole in one bite, and would never have to worry about my shoulders getting stuck in its throat.

In fact, I still hadn’t seen the crocodile in full. This creature, reminiscent of a draconian beast, prowled beneath the surface, casting a vast shadow in the shimmering water. Only when it surfaced to breathe did its massive head emerge, or sometimes it would mischievously slap the water with its thick tail, producing a frightening “bang bang” and sending water splashing everywhere.

“Oh, what an adorable little croc!” Yan Formation exclaimed with delight the moment she saw A. Stan. Had we not pulled her back in time, she would have leapt into the underground river, offering herself up as a midnight snack for the giant crocodile.

To the elf ranger, who embraced an unprincipled animal protectionism, all creatures seemed to fall into two categories: cute animals, and even cuter, smaller animals.

“This ‘little croc’ is bigger than a four-wheeled carriage,” I teased her, mimicking her coy tone despite my aching teeth.

“It’s still a little croc!” The tall elf girl raised her chin, unashamedly retorting with forced logic.

I was left speechless.

“So, Yan Formation, how do you plan to tame it?” Thankfully, Resonant Melody retained his senses and asked her.

“The beast trainer gave me a whistle. If I can blow it for twenty seconds within five paces of the crocodile, I’ll be able to tame it again.” Yan Formation showed us a jade-green stone whistle.

Twenty seconds? That was more than enough time for this level thirty-eight “rampaging” monster to turn you into a delicious river feast alongside the fish and shrimp, slowly savoring you, and still have time to pick its teeth clean with your bones. I thought this quite honestly, but wisely kept my thoughts to myself.

“But it’s underwater now; getting close won’t be easy. And it’s so high-level—underwater, we’re not nearly as agile as on land. It’ll be hard to subdue it,” Feine said, her brow furrowed with worry.

Yan Formation clearly hadn’t thought of a good solution. She blinked innocently and said, “Actually, I could just go in by myself. It’s not that complicated.” Her suggestion was promptly ignored by all of us.

Seeing how eager Yan Formation was, Resonant Melody stared at the flowing water for a long while. Suddenly, he turned around, eyes brimming with enthusiasm as he looked at his fellow elf, resolutely declaring, “If nothing else works, I’ll go in and try to lure it up.”

“You’re insane—that’s a level thirty-eight rampaging monster!” Who knows what clouded the elf archer’s judgment, prompting such a reckless idea. I couldn’t help but cry out, loudly trying to dissuade him.

“What else can we do? We can’t let a young girl take the risk alone,” Resonant Melody tried to make his words sound heroic, but his trembling voice betrayed him.

“Little Resonant…” At this point, Feine stepped forward, patting Resonant Melody on the shoulder. “...In my memory, this is the most manly you’ve ever been since we met…” Her words made him stand even straighter, head held high.

“You don’t need to persuade me…” he said, “…since we’re helping Yan Formation, we have to see it through.” As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Yan Formation. The tall elf girl was watching him, and when their eyes met, she immediately lowered her head, shy and embarrassed.

“I’m not here to persuade you,” Feine said earnestly. “I just want to remind you: take off all your gear before you go in. If the crocodile bites you to death, that’s fine. But if it damages your equipment, you’ll have to pay for repairs…”

“Uh…” It was, truly, the most unromantic farewell I had ever witnessed.