Chapter Forty-Two: The Whirlpool Leviathan (Part Two)

According to Fayin’s instructions, Xian Ge Yayi removed all his equipment, tossing it into his magic satchel—except for the glasses perched on his nose. The Vortex Crocodile, A. Stan, was enormous, and without his glasses, Xian Ge Yayi might not even have seen it if he rammed straight into its jaws.

Bare-chested, the elven archer looked rather frail, but his frame was at least sturdy enough; between his sharply jutting ribs, one could just barely discern a few patches of muscle. With a graceful leap and a splash, the slender elf dove headfirst into the water, embarking on his brave adventure.

Watching as his figure vanished beneath the surface, I couldn’t help but worry for him, uncertain of what fate awaited him below. Unarmed and underwater, facing a powerful beast several levels above him, even the most cunning escape artist would have little chance of returning unscathed.

It wasn’t long before, from the spot where Xian Ge Yayi had disappeared, several small bubbles rose to the surface, popping quietly. My heart tightened as I gripped my sword and shield, ready to fend off a beast should it erupt from the depths. Yet, after those few tiny bubbles, the water grew calm again, with no further sign.

“Jeff, do you see anything?” Fayin craned her neck, scanning back and forth, trying to spot Xian Ge Yayi in the water. But like me, she saw nothing.

Moments later, another cluster of bubbles rose more rapidly from the same spot—a possible omen, a sign that something was about to happen. But for a creature of such massive size, these few bubbles seemed far too insignificant.

After a while, the surface finally changed dramatically. From where the bubbles had been rising came a soft gurgling sound, and then… we saw Xian Ge Yayi, limbs dangling, belly up, floating slowly to the surface.

His eyes were rolled back, lips tinged with blue, his stomach distended as if he had been dead for some time. Fayin and I hurriedly worked together, pulling his lifeless body from the water. Despite having witnessed the deaths of friends many times before, I still wasn’t used to it and fumbled awkwardly. Fayin, on the other hand, was far more composed. She tossed Xian Ge Yayi’s corpse aside, quickly built a campfire, sprinkled spices over chunks of bison meat, and set them to roast, soon preparing three servings of “Grilled Steak”—her life skill was Chef, and she often took advantage of downtime to practice and raise her culinary rank.

While her obsession with money was well known, it was her cooking that we truly praised. As with these grilled steaks—crispy on the outside, tender and fragrant within, with a scent that made one’s mouth water. Eating them would even boost one’s defense by fifteen points for a short time.

Just as we finished the last bite, the revived Xian Ge Yayi finally coughed up the last of the water in his lungs and slowly came to. His lips were still a little blue, but color had returned to his cheeks.

“What happened?” I asked, grasping the elf ranger’s arm with concern. “How did you die so quickly? What skill did the crocodile use? Was there no way to escape?”

At my questions, Xian Ge Yayi looked deeply embarrassed. “That crocodile? I have no idea—I never even saw it.”

“The moment I hit the water, I sank straight to the bottom. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t rise. I tried to move forward but couldn’t. I shouted for help, but you couldn’t hear me. And then…” He tugged absently at a wet lock of hair, fiddling with it for a moment before continuing sheepishly, “Actually… I drowned. Um…”

“…I can’t swim!” That final admission he made with surprising boldness.

Stunned, silent, solemn… His words left us speechless, exchanging helpless looks. Somewhere above, a crow flapped by, letting out a hoarse “caw, caw…” as if the sound itself concealed some profound secret, making us want to laugh and cry all at once.

“You great fool!” After a brief silence, the female mage finally erupted with hysterical fury.

Her hair was disheveled, eyes red, veins bulging on her temples as she shrieked in a piercing wail, like some vengeful banshee. Powerful magical energy coalesced tangibly in her hands, swirling with wild force, threatening to slip out of control at any moment. “When will you ever act normal? If you can’t swim, why did you jump in the water? We’ve wasted all this time waiting for you…”

“I just acted on impulse and forgot about it… Besides, there was no feeling of suffocation underwater. I only realized I’d drowned after I died… Hey, let me explain—don’t hit me, put the staff down, listen calmly… Wait, what are you doing? Don’t take up a spellcasting stance—ow, enough, stop shooting me with Ice Arrows… Oh, I didn’t mean for you to use Ice Spears… Magic potions are expensive… If you keep hitting me, I’ll fight back… Please, no more, you’re going to kill me again… The respawn point is far from here…”

“I’m going to kill you, rid the world of evil, and bring glory to the nation!” Fayin cried furiously, unleashing spell after spell without pause.

“Wait, I can understand ridding the world of evil, but how does killing me bring glory to the nation?”

“As long as I have an excuse to beat you up, who cares about the reason! Prepare to die!”

“Ow! Help! Someone stop this madwoman! Not below the waist, that’s against the rules… Ah, my—!” While Yan Zhen and I stood by, unsure what to do, a dazzling array of magical lights swirled around Xian Ge Yayi, his pitiful wails echoing from within.

It seemed Fayin had truly lost her head this time. The mage, usually so obsessed with hoarding money, actually downed a bottle of mana potion just to pummel the newly revived elf archer with a high-level, mana-draining spell like “Frost Storm”—clear proof she was no longer in her right mind.

Thankfully, a shred of reason remained in her rage, and Xian Ge Yayi managed to hang onto a sliver of health, spared the misery of yet another long trek from the respawn point.