[Current Status: FLEEING FOR MY LIFE]
I Pulse Burst away from the Leviathan's chamber with every ounce of speed I have.
[MP: 10,300→10,250]
Behind me, that MASSIVE mana signature pulses again. Stronger. Brighter.
[Leviathan: Awakening 15%]
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE—
[Pulse Burst activated]
[MP: 10,250→10,200]
I shoot through the corridor, my Sixth Sense screaming warnings about everything behind me.
But... it's not following?
[Leviathan: Awakening 20%]
[Leviathan: Remaining in territory]
[Warning: Leviathan appears to be confined to central chamber]
It's... staying there?
I don't stop to question it. I just KEEP SWIMMING.
[Distance from Leviathan's Chamber: 500 meters]
[Distance: 800 meters]
[Distance: 1200 meters]
Finally, when I'm far enough away that my Sixth Sense can't detect that nightmare mana signature anymore, I stop.
[Leviathan: Awakening 25%]
[Leviathan: Stationary]
Okay. Okay. It's awake. But it's not chasing me.
That's... good?
I'm going to choose to believe that's good.
I check my surroundings with my Sixth Sense. I'm in a different section of the abyssal dungeon. Still deep. Still dark. Still full of terrifying creatures.
But at least there's no APOCALYPSE-CLASS MONSTER here.
Just regular Level 30-40 eldritch horrors.
My life is WEIRD.
I try to find an exit. Any exit. A way back UP to the surface entrance.
But my Sixth Sense isn't picking up any upward currents. No passages leading up.
[Scanning dungeon structure...]
[All exit paths lead through Leviathan's Chamber]
What.
[Dungeon design: Single entrance/exit through central guardian room]
WHAT?!
The ONLY way out is through the LEVIATHAN?!
Who DESIGNED this dungeon?! What kind of SADIST—
I pulse around frantically, checking every corridor, every passage.
Dead end. Dead end. Leads to Leviathan. Dead end.
I'm TRAPPED.
I'm trapped in the abyss with no way out except past a Level 200+ apocalypse monster!
This is...
This is FINE.
I'll just... wait. Yeah. I'll wait until it goes back to sleep. Then I'll sneak past.
How long could that take?
[Time Elapsed: 6 months]
The Leviathan is STILL AWAKE.
[Leviathan Status: Active.]
Of course it is.
I've been surviving in this abyssal hell for MONTHS. Hunting. Fighting. Barely surviving.
[You have defeated: Void Stalker - Level 35]
[+2100 EXP]
Every fight is a NIGHTMARE. These creatures are STRONG. Fast. Vicious.
[HP: 340→140]
A Void Stalker's claws RIP through my body. No pain—I don't have pain receptors—but I can FEEL the damage. The wrongness of having chunks torn out.
[Constantine activated]
[MP: 9800→9500]
[HP: 140→340]
I heal instantly. Strike back with necrotic venom.
[Necrotic Poison Sting activated]
The Stalker dies, melting from the inside out.
[Stomach Inventory: Void Stalker stored]
[Mass increased: +42 kg]
I'm getting HEAVY. So heavy.
But I need the mana. Need the EXP.
[Current Mass: 156 kg]
[Time Elapsed: 1 year]
[You have defeated: Abyssal Predator - Level 38]
[+2400 EXP]
I've lost count of how many times I've been ripped apart.
Claws through my bell. Teeth tearing off tentacles. Entire HALVES of my body bitten off.
[Binary activated]
[HP: 340→0.5 (Left Half)]
[HP: 340→0.5 (Right Half)]
Split again. Both halves fighting independently.
[Necrotic Poison Sting x40 - BOTH HALVES]
The predator doesn't stand a chance against half and half of me.
[You have defeated: Abyssal Predator]
[Recombination initiated]
[MP: 8900→8860]
Back to one body. Still alive. Still fighting.
[Current Mass: 289 kg]
[Time Elapsed: 2 years]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 35]
[HP: 340→420]
[MP: 10,300→12,000]
The levels are coming slower now. The EXP requirements are MASSIVE.
But I'm getting stronger.
[You have defeated: Depth Horror - Level 41]
[+3100 EXP]
Hole punched through my center mass. Gone. Just... gone.
[HP: 420→120]
[Constantine activated]
[MP: 11,500→11,200]
[HP: 120→420]
Instant regeneration. Every time.
No matter how much damage I take, as long as I have MP, I CANNOT DIE.
[Current Mass: 378 kg]
[Time Elapsed: 3 years, 2 months]
[You have defeated: Ape fish- Level 45]
[+4200 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 45]
I'm so heavy now I can barely move.
[Current Mass: 512 kg]
Five hundred kilograms of stored biomass in my Stomach Inventory.
The algae inside can't keep up. Can't process it all fast enough.
I need to stop. Digest. Assimilate.
I find a crevice in the dungeon wall and wedge myself inside.
[Beginning digestion process...]
[Estimated time: 72 hours]
Three days of just... existing. While the algae works.
[Manabloom Algae: Processing biomass...]
[Mana generation: Ongoing]
[MP: 11,200→13,000→15,400→18,200]
My MP pool swells. Massively.
[Assimilation: Analyzing consumed organisms...]
[Trait extraction: Limited success]
[Most consumed creatures lack compatible traits]
Most of the abyssal creatures I've eaten are just... muscle and teeth. Nothing special.
But then—
[Compatible trait found: Hydraulic Propulsion System]
[Absorption successful]
[New Skill Acquired: Water Jet Lv.1]
Water Jet?
[Water Jet Lv.1: Pull surrounding water into stomach cavity, compress, and expel at high pressure. Can be used for propulsion or as a cutting tool.]
I test it out.
Water RUSHES into my Stomach Inventory—not stored, just held temporarily—and I feel the PRESSURE building.
Then I release it.
A concentrated BEAM of water shoots out, slamming into the dungeon wall.
The stone CRACKS.
THAT'S A DRILL! I HAVE A WATER DRILL!
[Water Jet: Sufficient pressure to cut through rock and organic matter]
This is actually useful!
Should this even work under water? I'll figure that out later.
[Digestion complete]
[Mass reduced: 512 kg → 28 kg]
[Final MP: 20,000/20,000]
Twenty thousand MP. My pool has DOUBLED.
[Level: 45]
[Time Elapsed: 4 years, 8 months]
I'm still trapped. Still hunting. Still fighting.
[You have defeated: Eternal sea Lurker - Level 48]
[+5100 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 50]
Level 50. Finally.
[Evolution threshold reached]
[Species: Turritopsis nutricula → Turritopsis dohrnii available]
[Do you wish to evolve?]
YES!
But... not here. Not in the open where anything can attack me during metamorphosis.
I find my crevice again and wedge myself in deep.
[Evolution Initiated]
[Metamorphosis time: 4 hours]
[Evolution Complete]
[New Species: Turritopsis dohrnii - True Immortal Jellyfish]
[HP: 420→600]
[MP: 20,000→25,000]
[All stats significantly increased]
[Constantine Lv.1 → Constantine Lv.2]
[Necrotic Poison Sting Lv.5 → Necrotic Poison Sting Lv.7]
True immortality. Stronger regeneration. Better venom.
I'm stronger. But still trapped.
[Time Elapsed: 5 years, 11 months]
[You have defeated: Spongetom - Level 51]
[+6800 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 52]
I stop hunting.
Because there's nothing LEFT to hunt.
[Scanning for prey...]
[No viable targets detected within range]
I've... I've killed everything.
Every abyssal creature in this section of the dungeon.
Gone.
[Current Mass: 643 kg]
Six hundred and forty-three kilograms of stored biomass.
I need to digest again. Process all of this.
[Beginning digestion...]
4-6 days later.
[Digestion complete]
[Mass reduced: 643 kg → 35 kg]
[Final MP: 28,000/28,000]
I check my full status for the first time in... years?
[STATUS]
Name: —
Species: Turritopsis dohrnii
Level: 52
HP: 650/650
MP: 28,000/28,000
STR: 520
DEF: 480
AGI: 680
INT: 550
Skills: [ Author is too lazy to list]
Total number of skills: 20
Skill Points: 32
Over 500 in every stat.
Twenty-eight thousand MP.
I'm... I'm actually STRONG now.
But I'm still trapped.
The only way out is through the Leviathan.
...
I guess it's time to face it.
I swim toward the Leviathan's Chamber. Slowly. Carefully.
[Warning: Approaching Leviathan territory]
My Sixth Sense picks up the boundary.
The moment I cross it, everything CHANGES.
[WARNING: ENTERING ECOLOGICAL DEAD ZONE]
Dead. Everything is DEAD.
Fish. Crustaceans. Jellyfish. Octopi. Everything.
Just floating. Lifeless.
Killed by the sheer DENSITY of mana in the area.
[Mana density: EXTREME]
[HP: 650→640]
I'm taking DAMAGE just from BEING here!
[Constantine activated]
[MP: 28,000→27,990]
[HP: 640→650]
I can heal it. But this is... this is BAD.
The walls here are covered in purple algae. Glowing BRIGHT purple.
[Appraisal activated]
[Target: Ancient Manabloom Algae]
[Type: Evolved Magical Organism]
[Description: Manabloom Algae fed with high-quality prey for thousands of years. No longer releases mana. Instead, stores concentrated mana in crystallized tubers beneath surface.]
Thousands of years?!
This dungeon is ANCIENT.
I use Water Jet to drill into the wall, exposing the root system beneath.
[Water Jet activated]
The stone crumbles. And there—
A tuber. Glowing BRIGHT purple. Pulsing with condensed mana.
[Appraisal activated]
[Target: Purified Mana (Crystallized)]
[Type: Condensed Energy]
[Description: Pure, unadulterated mana stored for millennia. Extremely potent. Can be consumed for. WARNING: Incompatible digestive systems may reject.]
This is...
Nah this is definitely a POWER-UP ITEM!
I swallow it whole.
[Stomach Inventory: Purified Mana stored]
Immediately, something goes WRONG.
[WARNING: Algae symbiosis rejecting foreign mana]
[Manabloom Algae: DYING]
[HP: 650→550→450]
PAIN.
ACTUAL PAIN.
For the first time since becoming a jellyfish, I feel PAIN.
Searing. Burning. Like my entire body is being torn apart from the INSIDE.
[Algae symbiosis: Critical failure]
[HP: 450→350→250]
[Constantine attempting to heal...]
[MP: 27,990→27,000→25,500]
My MP is DRAINING! The tuber is EATING my mana!
GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!
I force it back up. Out of my stomach. OUT.
[Purified Mana: Expelled]
The glowing tuber floats away.
[Algae symbiosis: Stabilizing...]
[HP: 250→350→450→550→650]
[MP: 25,500→25,550→25,600]
I'm... I'm okay.
But that was HORRIBLE.
Never again. NEVER. AGAIN.
I leave the tuber floating and continue deeper.
The mana density gets WORSE. Thicker. The dead zone is MASSIVE.
And then I see it.
Through my Sixth Sense. Through my Intermediate Vision.
The LEVIATHAN.
It's... it's HUGE.
A serpent. White and blue scales that GLOW with internal mana. Easily a hundred meters long. Maybe more.
But it's... trapped?
[Appraisal activated]
[Target: LEVIATHAN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
[WARNING: RUN]
"I get it!!"
I activate my invisibility
The creature is encased in a BUBBLE. A perfect sphere of... energy? Magic? Covered in glowing patterns and runes.
[Appraisal: Containment Field - Ancient Seal]
It's SEALED. The Leviathan is IMPRISONED.
That's why it couldn't chase me!
I try to swim around it. Back to safety.
But I can't move.
[WARNING: Telekinetic force detected]
My body is YANKED forward.
Toward the bubble.
Toward the LEVIATHAN.
NO! LET ME GO!
I Pulse Burst. Water Jet. Every running away skill I have.
Nothing works.
The telekinetic grip is ABSOLUTE.
I'm pulled closer. And closer.
Until I'm right at the edge of the containment bubble.
Face to face with an APOCALYPSE-CLASS MONSTER.
Its eyes—massive, slitted, GLOWING—focus on me.
And then—
A voice. In my head.
"You dare enter the domain of the Ruler of the Sea?"
The voice is... squeaky?
Like a little girl.
I heard that!
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm trapped down here! I just want to leave!"
The Leviathan's eyes WIDEN.
The telekinetic grip releases.
I drop, then quickly stabilize myself.
"You... you can understand me?"
The voice sounds SHOCKED.
"Uh... if you didn't know I could understand, why did you speak to me?"
There's a pause.
"I... I was bored. So I say that to anything that wanders in here."
BORED?! You're doing this because you're BORED?!
"Wait, hold on. Since when are monsters SENTIENT?!"
"MONSTER?! Who are you calling a MONSTER?!"
The water SHAKES with the Leviathan's indignation.
"I am a beautiful sea guardian! Not a monster!"
"O-okay! Sorry! Guardian! You're a guardian!"
The massive serpent settles down, coiling within the bubble.
"...It has been so long since anyone could speak with me."
Her voice—definitely female, definitely young—sounds... sad?
"So... her comes the part where you tell me why you're imprisoned down here? What happened?"
"..."
She doesn't answer.
Instead—
"Come. Enter the barrier. Let us speak properly."
"Enter?! Into the DEATH BUBBLE with the APOCALYPSE SERPENT?!"
"The mana density is harmful to you, yes? I will reduce it. Come."
This is a terrible idea.
This is the WORST idea.
I'm doing it anyway because I'm DESPERATE.
I cautiously pulse through the containment barrier. It parts like water, letting me through.
Immediately, the mana density SPIKES.
[HP: 650→400]
[Constantine activated]
[MP: 25,600→24,900]
And then the Leviathan... CHANGES.
The massive serpent SHRINKS. Condenses. Transforms.
Into...
A girl.
A HUMAN girl.
Small. Maybe twelve years old in appearance. Long white hair with blue streaks. Wearing... nothing? Just wreathed in glowing energy?
[Leviathan: Human Form Activated]
[Mana output reduced by 90%]
[HP: 400→650]
The pressure disappears. I can BREATHE again. Metaphorically.
The girl floats in the water—suspended by magic?—and smiles.
"Better, yes? I forgot how fragile lesser beings are."
"Lesser— you know what, never mind. Who ARE you?"
"I am Yamato. Guardian of the Abyssal Depths. Keeper of—"
"Wait. YAMATO?"
Japanese. That's a JAPANESE name.
"Why do you have a Japanese name?!"
Yamato tilts her head, confused.
"Japanese? Is that what that language is called?"
She knows Japanese?!
"Did you... did you meet someone Japanese? Someone from Japan?"
"Japan?" She sounds out the word carefully. "I do not know this place. But yes, I met someone who spoke this language. He gave me this name."
"He? Who—"
"My husband," she says simply.
HUSBAND?!
THE APOCALYPSE SERPENT HAS A HUSBAND?!
AND HE'S JAPANESE?!