The underwater kingdom had fallen silent.
Not because the currents stopped.
Not because the sea ceased moving.
But because everyone present had become trapped inside the same thought.
Three hundred.
The number lingered like a curse.
Three hundred dead this year alone.
Three hundred lives devoured by a creature that should not have existed.
Three hundred reasons for fear.
The mermaid guards stood motionless.
Their eyes occasionally drifted toward the distant predator.
The sailors looked troubled.
Even the ocean itself felt heavier.
Above them, faint rays of sunlight filtered through layers of seawater.
The giant monster remained perched upon the black stone far away.
Still eating.
Still feeding.
Still unconcerned.
As though the entire sea belonged to it.
As though every living creature existed solely for its convenience.
Crunch.
The distant sound of bones breaking echoed once more.
The mermaid guard flinched.
Several others lowered their heads.
Kel watched quietly.
Expressionless.
Calm.
Dangerously calm.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
"You're thinking."
"Yes."
"And whenever you start thinking like this..."
The Guardian sighed.
"...someone usually regrets it."
Kel didn't answer.
Because she wasn't wrong.
The sea currents moved around him.
The giant predator continued feeding.
The mermaids continued suffering.
The academy continued debating.
The problem continued existing.
Then—
Kel extended his hand.
The nearest guard blinked.
"What?"
Kel pointed toward her weapon.
"A spear."
The guard froze.
"What about it?"
Kel looked directly at her.
"May I borrow it?"
Silence.
The surrounding mermaids stared.
The sailors stared.
The guard stared.
Then slowly—
Very slowly—
She handed it over.
The spear was well crafted.
Coral-reinforced shaft.
Enchanted bone tip.
Balanced.
Reliable.
Suitable for underwater combat.
Kel examined it briefly.
Then nodded.
Reasonable.
The guard felt strangely nervous.
As though she had just handed a loaded siege weapon to someone.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed softly.
"You're doing it."
"Probably."
"The fish are going to panic."
"Mermaids."
"Fish."
Kel ignored her.
Then—
He reached into a waterproof pouch attached to his belt.
The sailors watched curiously.
The mermaids watched curiously.
Everyone watched curiously.
Kel removed a small pill.
Dark blue.
Simple appearance.
Nothing special.
Then swallowed it.
The guard blinked.
"A potion?"
"No."
"A pill?"
"Yes."
The guard looked confused.
"What does it do?"
Kel answered honestly.
"Increase stamina."
The sailors nodded.
Reasonable.
Completely reasonable.
Nothing suspicious.
Nothing unusual.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately started laughing.
Because both understood.
The pill itself wasn't necessary.
Not remotely.
It merely provided an explanation.
A convenient excuse.
A visible reason.
If someone later questioned how Aedon Flinth accomplished something unusual—
The pill existed.
People always accepted visible explanations.
Even when they weren't the real answer.
The Guardian sounded delighted.
"You are absolutely impossible."
Kel considered that.
Then continued preparing.
The spear remained within his hand.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
Aura began flowing.
Not much.
A controlled amount.
Then mana joined.
The two energies moved together.
Intertwining.
Compressing.
Condensing.
The surrounding seawater rippled slightly.
The sailors immediately noticed.
Their eyes widened.
One whispered:
"No way..."
Another sailor blinked.
Then blinked again.
Recognition appeared.
Then horror.
Then excitement.
The sailor pointed.
"He is doing it."
The second sailor froze.
"...Doing what?"
The first sailor's voice trembled.
"The thing."
"What thing?"
"The thing!"
Several sailors immediately understood.
Their expressions became increasingly strange.
The guard mermaids looked confused.
Then one sailor whispered the forbidden words.
"Divine Spoon Art."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Kel nearly dropped the spear.
Inside his mind—
Seiren exploded into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"IT FOLLOWED YOU UNDERWATER!"
The Guardian completely lost control.
Far away.
Scarder Lake experienced an unexpected storm.
Meanwhile—
The sailors became increasingly excited.
"No."
"It can't be."
"It looks exactly the same."
"The compression."
"The concealment."
"The energy layering."
Several stared at the spear.
Then stared harder.
One sailor whispered dramatically:
"We are witnessing history."
Kel suddenly regretted everything.
The spear remained within his hand.
Aura compressed further.
Mana compressed further.
The energies folded inward.
Then folded again.
Then again.
The process continued.
Not expanding outward.
Not leaking.
Not radiating.
Everything moved inward.
Toward the spear.
Toward a single point.
The surrounding mermaids sensed nothing.
No pressure.
No aura.
No mana.
Nothing.
The weapon appeared ordinary.
Completely ordinary.
Yet inside—
Power gathered.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Dangerously.
The guard who owned the spear suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Extremely uncomfortable.
She didn't know why.
Her instincts simply screamed.
Then Kel adjusted his stance.
The ocean currents flowed around him.
One hand gripped the spear.
His body aligned naturally.
Like countless previous throws.
Like countless previous battles.
Like countless previous hunts.
Far away—
The giant predator continued feeding.
Completely unaware.
Inside his mind—
Seiren finally stopped laughing.
Her voice became serious.
"You are using more than usual."
"A little."
"That's not a little."
Kel didn't answer.
Because compared to his actual strength—
It genuinely was little.
The Guardian sighed.
Then chose silence.
The sailors unconsciously moved backward.
The mermaids watched nervously.
No one understood why.
Then—
Kel threw.
The spear vanished.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
One moment it existed.
The next—
It disappeared.
The force behind the throw shattered the surrounding water.
A compressed tunnel formed.
The ocean itself parted.
The spear became a streak.
A blur.
An invisible line racing toward the distant predator.
No aura.
No mana.
No pressure.
Nothing.
Only motion.
Pure motion.
The giant monster noticed nothing.
The nearby mermaids noticed nothing.
The guards noticed nothing.
The sailors lost sight of it immediately.
Then—
The spear breached the surface.
BOOM!
Water exploded skyward.
A massive column erupted from the ocean.
The spear emerged.
Still accelerating.
Still moving.
Still carrying compressed power.
Above the waves—
Several floating mermaids suddenly turned.
Their eyes widened.
Something approached.
Something fast.
Something impossible.
Then—
Impact.
The spear struck.
Directly.
The monster's shoulder.
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
The predator blinked.
Confused.
Then the compressed energy released.
BOOOOOOM!
The ocean shook.
The black rock trembled.
Water erupted skyward.
A massive explosion detonated across the creature's body.
Not enough to destroy it.
Not enough to kill it.
But enough.
More than enough.
The upper layer of scales shattered.
Blood exploded outward.
Chunks of armored flesh scattered into the sea.
The monster roared.
A roar so powerful that the ocean itself vibrated.
Every mermaid froze.
Every sailor froze.
Every student aboard the academy ship froze.
Far above—
The passengers saw everything.
The spear.
The impact.
The explosion.
The aftermath.
And the reaction appeared identical.
Disbelief.
Complete disbelief.
The giant predator staggered.
Its yellow eyes widened.
Pain.
Actual pain.
Someone had hurt it.
For the first time in a very long time.
The nearby mermaids stared.
Unable to comprehend what they witnessed.
Then one slowly whispered:
"...Divine Spoon Art."
Another nodded mechanically.
"It looks exactly like the stories."
A third stared toward the ocean below.
Toward the depths.
Toward the unseen attacker.
"Who did that?"
The question spread.
Across the sea.
Across the ship.
Across the mermaids.
Across the sailors.
Everyone searched.
Everyone wondered.
Who had attacked the monster?
Who had launched such a strike?
Who had used the legendary technique?
And deep below the waves—
Kel calmly lowered his throwing arm.
As though nothing unusual had happened.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
Barely containing laughter.
"Congratulations."
"What?"
"You just created another rumor."
Kel suddenly felt a headache coming.
And above the ocean—
The wounded predator slowly rose to its feet.
Its massive eyes scanning the sea.
Searching.
Looking for the fool who had dared to challenge it.