Neo and Eva slipped behind the waterfall, the roar of falling water fading as they stepped into the damp cave. Water dripped from the ceiling in steady beats. Neo pulled up his system map. The glowing markers lined up perfectly. This was the place. The gate to the Hydro Kingdom sat somewhere inside these walls.
He moved deeper, torchlight from his spear catching strange carvings on the stone. His eyes widened. The drawings showed swirling waves, open gates, and figures stepping through water. Maybe mana would wake them. He reached for Eva and pulled her close. "Stay near me." His mana thread stretched out, thin and bright, and he poured power into the carvings.
The lines lit up one by one. Light crawled across the wall like liquid fire, recharging until the whole surface glowed white. A portal tore open in the center, rippling like a vertical pool. Neo grabbed Eva’s hand and pulled her through.
They passed some kind of barrier. The air vanished. Cold water pressed in from every side. Both of them jerked, eyes wide, mouths opening on instinct and finding only liquid. Neo’s chest burned for half a second before he yanked the breathing suits from his inventory—the ones Veya had given him after he told her where he was headed. He shoved one at Eva. They pulled the suits on fast. Clear masks sealed over their faces. Cool air flooded their lungs again.
They swam forward. Schools of ordinary fish darted past. Between them moved the half-fish people—scaled from the waist down, human torsos above, fins cutting the water. Some carried spears. Others simply watched the two outsiders with flat, curious eyes.
In the distance a massive structure rose from the seafloor: an arena locked tight by thick iron chains. Neo stopped a passing Fishman with a raised hand.
"What is that place?"
The Fishman glanced at the chained arena and answered in a low, bubbling voice. "Hero’s Arena. A beast took it as its den. No one strong enough to drive it out. So the chains stay."
Neo nodded. "And your ruler? What does he do about it?"
The Fishman sighed, bubbles rising from his gills. "We had a king. He fell ill and passed. Now the princess rules. She puts all her hope on some stupid prophecy."
"What prophecy?"
"Something about a human killing the beast in there."
Neo’s eyes widened. Could the princess really see the future? He said nothing more. He and Eva swam on toward the arena.
A mermaid waited near the chained gates. Pale blond hair floated around her like soft silk. Her eyes were large and clear. Full breasts pressed against the thin scales that covered her chest. Her hips flared wide, the curve of her ass smooth and heavy under the water. Her skin was white as fresh milk. Neo’s mouth watered before he could stop it.
She grinned and swam closer, extending a slender hand. "I am the princess of the Hydro Kingdom. I was expecting you."
Neo took the hand briefly, then let go. "What’s my payment?"
Her grin widened. She rubbed a hand slowly over her flat belly. "How about one night in my chamber? The beast has grown too big. If I cannot clear it, the elders will call me unfit and take the throne. I need this done."
Neo studied her. "Why me? This is your body you’re offering."
A faint flush colored her cheeks. She looked almost shy. "I already saw this moment in the future. You said those exact words to me. Still... I want to say it again to you."
Neo’s mouth curved into a grin. "That helps. Great motivation."
He and Eva swam past her and through a gap in the chains, into the Hero’s Arena.
The moment they entered, Neo cursed under his breath. Every sound bounced back in hard echoes. The water inside was black. Even Eva, swimming right beside him, vanished into the dark. He could not see her face, only feel the faint pull of her presence.
He lifted his spear, hoping the tip would throw light. Nothing. This darkness was different. It slid under his skin and left a deep chill in his bones.
Eva’s hand shot out and yanked his wrist hard. A blue lightning bolt cracked through the water where his chest had been a second earlier. The bolt lit the space for a heartbeat.
In that flash Neo saw the beast.
A huge, misshapen fish drifted above them. Its body was thick and wrong, covered in jagged fins. Massive fangs lined a mouth that could swallow a man whole. Teeth the size of daggers jutted from its jaws.
The creature lunged.
Neo triggered his transportation skill. Space folded. He reappeared farther away—only to land in a field of traps. Metal jaws snapped shut. Six bear traps clamped onto his legs, three on each, biting deep into muscle and bone. Pain ripped up his thighs. He snarled and tried to force the jaws open, but the fish was already on him.
It opened its jaws wide and swallowed him whole.
Darkness and pressure closed in. Teeth scraped across his suit, trying to crush and grind. Neo’s mind raced. He reached for two skills at once—Steal and Transportation—and forced them together. Power flared. A new skill settled into place.
Black Devil Hand. Invisible Hand for short. S-rank. It could pull an enemy’s heart straight into his palm with perfect accuracy, so long as the enemy had a heart and stood only one rank above him. The catch was sharp: the skill needed ten full minutes of continuous fighting before it could fire. No spam. No shortcuts.
Neo’s throat worked. A guaranteed kill... if he survived the ten minutes.
The fish thrashed, trying to bite down harder. Neo locked the new skill onto the creature and held on. Time stretched. He kept moving inside the crushing throat, dodging the worst of the teeth, buying every second he could. At the ten-minute mark the skill activated.
A massive, heavy weight dropped into his palm. Neo’s eyes went wide. The fish’s heart sat there, still beating, thick with dark blood.
He crushed it.
The organ burst. Blood clouded the water inside the beast’s mouth. Yet the fish did not slow. If anything it grew wilder, thrashing harder, jaws slamming shut again and again in pure rage. Teeth scraped Neo’s armor. The pressure increased.
Neo cursed, the sound lost in the wet dark. The fish had more than one heart. Destroying the first had only made it angrier.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
