The angler serpent pounces at us at a fast pace. I grip my claymore tightly and step forward—then Edward grabs my shoulder and pulls me back. His hand opens, and within seconds, the water sphere shifts into a solid state, turning to ice. Spikes sprout out, piercing the angler fish's open mouth.
The fish thrashes violently, trying to free itself, but the ice spikes only dig deeper. Finally, a spike goes through its head, stopping the monster's thrashing.
Aurelia looks back. "Edward, disable your spell. It's getting harder to move this."
"On it."
The ice dissipates within seconds. The sphere moves much faster now. We need to reach an island as soon as possible. Even at eighty feet above the sea, these monsters can jump that high.
I notice Aurelia's arms shaking as she holds them forward. Sweat drips from her forehead.
"Aurelia, you're running out of Lumin. We can go lower."
Her voice is tired. "Zain, if I go any lower, gods know what will attack us. That thing could jump that high."
Dominio interjects. "I see land ahead."
Aurelia follows his gaze, and she slows, beginning to lower the bubble. I keep hearing the clouds rumble—louder and louder. I look up to see red sparks glowing brighter in the clouds, right above us.
The bubble keeps moving, and the light follows us.
I look at Edward. "Edward, make your ice shield again!"
"What?" His face is confused.
"Hurry!"
He raises his hand, but it's too late. The red lightning strikes the bubble hard, and the electricity transfers through the water, electrocuting us. The bubble pops, and we all fall toward the island. The surface isn't even sand—it's pure black rock.
I move quickly, grabbing Aurelia and Dominio by their waists. Rela holds both Edward and Alexandria.
Edward moves his arms, and an ice slide forms from the island surface. I shift my body and slide through the icy ramp, rolling as we reach the ground, trying to protect Aurelia and Dominio.
Rela slides through and lands upright.
I let go of the two and get up. Dominio jumps up and looks at Edward. "Smart mage."
Aurelia gets up slowly, holding me for support. "Good job, Edward."
"No problem. But you need to rest. That spell clearly drained your Lumin."
She nods and moves away from the shore, sitting on the black rocks. "This island doesn't even have trees or sand. How are we supposed to find the crystal?"
Alexandria adjusts her plate armor. "There might be a cave somewhere. Judging by how much these moderators love mystery, there's probably a crystal here."
I cross my arms. "Alexandria is right. This island has many boulders and probably caves. I think it's better if we look now."
Rela chimes in. "I'm going!" with a big excited grin.
"No." Aurelia objects. "I think it's better if Dominio, Edward, and Alexandria go. They're much swifter."
Aurelia's onto something. Alexandria's unique skill can help find the crystal. Combine that with Edward's magic and Dominio's speed—we'll find it faster.
Rela exhales, putting her hands on her hips. "So what will Zain and I do?"
"Be lookouts. If any rookies try to enter the coast, you two will handle them while the others search for the crystal." Aurelia's breathing slows and calms. "Plus, I need to recover my Lumin and strength."
I chuckle. "So you need a bodyguard?"
She looks at me with a slightly annoyed yet amused expression. "Yes. I need a bodyguard as I recover my Lumin."
"I have no problem with that." I turn to Rela. She scoffs.
"Fine. But there better be action. These exams have gotten boring."
Edward smooths his coat. "I hope there won't be action. If the sea is like that, imagine the islands."
Alexandria laughs. "You scared, pretty boy?"
"We had an encounter with an ugly fish monster trying to eat you. Wouldn't you be scared too?"
Alexandria pulls out her two-handed axe. "But you have people like us to keep you safe." She walks toward the large rocky terrain. "Come on. Let's go before it gets dark."
Edward, Dominio, and Alexandria move into the forest of rocks.
Rela sits down beside Aurelia, looking impatient already. Aurelia looks at her with a calm face. "Don't worry. You'll fight something."
I pull out my claymore and begin practicing my swings. It's been a while since I've used it. A thousand swings, one thousand thrusts, and combos. Those were old man Draka's words. I begin swinging. The form and technique aren't rusty. Good. At this point, being rusty could kill you.
Aurelia watches me train, her face calm and observant. Then it shifts.
"Zain, behind you!"
I hear fast footsteps. I turn to see a figure jump out of the sea, arms spread wide. I jump back, dodging its grip.
Rela gets up, grabbing her twin axes, ready to butt in. I take a few steps back to see the thing.
It has the body of a woman. Its body is pitch black, its head bald. Its form is slender, but its hands are tipped with long, sharp claws. It has no face—no expression. Just red pupils.
It looks at me and grins widely, all its teeth sharp—similar to the angler monster's.
"Shit. It's a mermaid!" Aurelia curses, grabbing her wand.
That's a mermaid?! I turn to look at the creature. Aren't mermaids supposed to be beautiful women with fish tails? But this is a mermaid in this world? Why is everything so unsettling here?
Rela strides forward confidently, gripping her axes. "Move aside, Zain!" Her voice booms with excitement. "This bitch is mine."
She says it with an excited smile as her Lumin surges out of her body, solidifying around her skin. It's similar to what Zora did when Dominio attacked him—Lumin skin.
The mermaid focuses her attention on Rela, walking toward her slowly. Its claws extend, and its red eyes glow. I move back to where Aurelia is seated and sit beside her.
Rela's a tank. She has the durability and endurance. Not to mention that ogre blood is poisonous. She's going to win this!
Rela moves close to the mermaid before they go face to face. The height difference is already noticeable. The mermaid's head barely reaches Rela's shoulder.
The mermaid moves back before pivoting and dashing forward, slashing at Rela's torso. Blood doesn't come out. She continues her barrage of scratches and slashes, but Rela only endures them before grabbing her arm with one of her four arms and throwing her afar.
Rela positions her axes in an X formation as Lumin surges and takes form. Her black Lumin takes the shape of a wolf, and within seconds she launches herself—only for the mermaid to dodge barely as the impact causes a dust cloud.
The mermaid emerges with a missing arm, looking back at the cloud, and starts running back to the ocean.
Then from the smoke, a large gray hand grabs the mermaid's head, stopping her from running. "Where do you think you're going, darling?"
Rela comes out of the smoke, raising the mermaid in the air with one arm before punching her gut, launching her back to the sea, making her skip across the water like a stone.
She dusts her hands. "That was easy." Her voice is low, almost disappointed.
"See why I wanted you as a bodyguard?" Aurelia remarked with a smirk.
"And I hate it because I can barely fight, and the thing I was fighting was just a mermaid. Wonder why you humans panic when facing something so weak."
Aurelia's smirk falls, and her eyes narrow. "Mermaids don't fight alone, Rela."
She points at the bubbles coming from the ocean. Rela's smile shifts to a more serious tone. "I see. So they attack as a coalition. That means more bodies."
Aurelia looks at me. "Rela might need a hand. Some of my Lumin has recovered, so I can act as support from the back. You and Rela are on the front lines."
I pull my claymore from its scabbard and move to Rela. "So both of us are going to fight? Good!" She looks at the sea as dozens of mermaids emerge. Their expressions are unreadable, but I know one thing.
They're pissed.
Both of us drop into our stances. My Lumin transfers to the sword, surrounding it like flame.
"You ready?" Rela asks.
"Beyond ready."
"Good!" She smiles wide, her fangs showing.
"Now let's show these sea demons our wrath."