Chapter 523: Chapter 507 Cetus (pronounced kay-tos)

We sailed across the ocean on the [Mizumaru].

“Wow, to think that dungeons could actually manifest themselves like this…” I muttered to myself as I gazed out at the cobalt-blue sea all around us. [1] Aside from a few faraway islands, there were hardly any landmarks at all. If not for Fer’s absolute ability to sense magic, we could have been lost for years in this place.

Fer snorted, “It is my first time seeing this as well. However, considering how it is responding, it appears to be the right decision to come here.”

“Right decision?” I… really did not want to know anymore. Especially when you’re smiling so weirdly like that.

Should I ask what is ‘it’? A monster? The dungeon?

I wanted to know, yet don’t want to know…

“What about you, Grandpa Gon?” I asked, hoping for a change of topic.

“It is my first time as well,” he said thoughtfully. “It turns out, there are still many interesting things in this world.”

“Indeed! This is why we must explore all the dungeons!! Who knows what other exciting things we could find out there!”

This was the first time I see Fer so excited.

“”Right? Right? I was never really interested in dungeons before this, but now…””

Looks like Dora-chan had been infected by Fer’s dungeon fever, haha…

“After becoming Master’s familiar, I now get to enter human cities and even explore dungeons monitored by humans.”

“Wait, we found you inside a city dungeon…”

“Ah, well, I only went in and make my way down to sleep. I had never truly explored a dungeon and collected Drop items like this.”

“”Sui likes dungeons~~ pew pew~!””

I sighed. Looks like I would have to keep putting up with dungeon challenges from now on…

While we were talking idly here…

“Feodora, could you take out that one?”

Gaudino-san was pointing at the shadow of a fairly large fish.

“Yes.”

She aimed at the fish with her arrow and drew her bow.

Swish-!

[1] The arrow entered the water so smoothly that there was barely a ripple.

We know the arrow struck the fish perfectly because it soon disappeared and was replaced by a Drop item.

“Sui, would you?”

“”Okay~””

They could not hear Sui’s answer, but when Sui’s tentacle appeared from the side holding the Drop item as well as an arrow, the people from the [Ark] always made sure to thank her sincerely.

“Thank you very much, Sui.”

After their beach breakdown, the [Ark] was determined to be helpful in any way they could and did little hunts like these.

Underwater kills made it difficult for normal people to collect the Drop item, which is why I asked Sui to help them.

Also, since most of the Drop items from fish kills were meat, these usually ended up as ingredients for our meals.

The meat we collected just now was reddish pink, similar to salmon meat.

Along with fish, there were turtle-like monsters too and some of them Drop shells, which my party was not interested in. Naturally, [Ark] was very happy to keep these. In short, it was a win-win situation for everyone.

“Hey, wh-what’s that thing?”

Ever sensitive to danger, I quickly looked. For a moment, I could not make out anything, but finally…

“A- a dog?”

That can’t be right, dogs shouldn’t be in places like this. I know that this is a dungeon and that this world is a fantastical place, but underwater dogs?

[2] “Umu, is it a seal creature? They have faces similar to dogs.”

By now, all of us were staring through Sui at the weird creature with a distinctively greyhound-like head and obviously fan-like fishtail.

“That’s a Cetus [3],”

“Woah, as expected of Grandpa Gon. Experience does come with age,” I said admiringly.

“A type of sea monster. Be vigilant, everyone. They tended to move in packs.”

As soon as he said that, heads begin to pop up one after another onto the surface of the sea. They were all faces of… dogs, very much land doggo with a long and tapered snout and floppy ears and not at all like a seal. Also, when they moved, a sleek, grey dolphin tail splashed behind them.

Before we know it, we were surrounded by these Cetus creatures.

““Aruji~ Can Sui beat these~?””

“Y-yes! Beat them, beat them, Sui!”

“”Ye~es~~””

“Gugyaa—!!!”

A Cetus groaned as it was pierced through by Sui’s tentacles.

“W-we will fight too!” I said as I took out my Mithril Spear and mentally psyched myself to face the bobbing sea of dog heads.

“Umu, these things are too annoying,” said Fer as he stepped forward and made a motion with his right forepaw.

In a flash, the dog heads split into many pieces and dyed the surface of the sea red.

“How annoying, these things have good noses and tend to be a little too persistent. You shall all die here.”

Quite suddenly, a vortex appeared in the sea in front of Grandpa Gon, sucking many of the Cetus in. The vortex gradually turned red.

“”Oi, oi, don’t just have fun by yourselves!”” Dora-chan flitted up and Ice Spears began to rain down, piercing through the Cetus.

“Oi, don’t just stand there! Get those climbers!” Fer shouted, forcing us out of our stupor.

“Eww…” I reflexively flinched.

“Ugh, disgusting!” Gideon hissed as he drove his spear through the half-fish, half-dolphin thing in the neck.

“Giii—!!!”

The Cetus slithered wetly back to the sea with a rather disturbing death rattle.

“Fend them off! Fend them off! Don’t let any come up!” Gaudino-san shouted and his team scattered to defend the [Mizumaru] from the disgusting boarders.

Naturally, I joined them in fending off the dog-dolphins. The Cetus were so disgusting looking that it was I could not help feeling disgusted and outraged! They are like- like sea cockroaches!! Die!!

“Raaarrrggghh!! Just die you disgusting things!!”

“Ugh… I’m exhausted…” I sprawled on top of Sui, tired out from the battle against the Cetus.

[1] The sea, which had been churning with the bodies of dismembered Ceti, blood and foaming waves was now eerily quiet. Even the blood had disappeared along with the pieces of bodies, all of which had been reabsorbed by the dungeon. I really, really, don’t want to think what the place would be like had we been battling them on the surface.

Members of the [Ark] were also sitting and resting beside me.

“Master is as weak as ever.”

I opened my eyes to see Fer’s face looming over mine.

I gritted my teeth in a facsimile of a smile and said, [4] “Well, if you don’t like it, weak me can stay on the surface while you go on dungeon dives on your own.”

“U-umu, there is no need for that. Master has us, so you are allowed to be weak.”

“Heh.”

Still, the ocean is a pretty scary place.

One could never tell just what was hidden in its depths.

“”Aruji~~ look~~””

One of Sui’s tentacles came out of the water with some kind of grey skin at the tip.

“Hm? Is that a Drop item?”

“”There were lots and lots~~ but Sui only picked up a few… sorry…””

“Ah, no, no, well, it was rather hectic after all. Good job, Sui.”

Sui managed to collect 16 pieces of Cetus skin.

I tried to convince the [Ark] to take them all, but they refused on the grounds that they haven’t really contributed much in the fight. Which I totally disagree by the way.

Even so, the main reason why I wanted to give them the skin was because our party is not at all interested in inedible things. Moreover, seeing the grey skin creeps me out. It’s not even pretty like reptile skins.

Also, when it comes to the one who contributed the least in a fight, I think I should be awarded that position.

After a long back and forth, it was finally decided that our parties would split the loot in half. After achieving this compromise, I suddenly felt sick of the never-ending swaying of the sea and wanted to feel firm ground under my feet.

“Hey, Fer. We haven’t reached the nearest island yet?”

“Not yet- hm?”

Fer suddenly raised his head and stared into the nothingness.

“Fer?”

“Sui, move that way.”

“That way? Hey, isn’t the nearest island straight ahead?”

“We shall be taking a little detour.”

“What detour? Why are we taking a detour? Why can’t we just go to the nearest land?!”

“Ho ho ho, now that’s interesting,” said Grandpa Gon thoughtfully.

I was this close to stomping my foot, but I would never stomp on my sweet Sui.

“As I said, it’s just a little detour, nothing to worry about.”

Don’t worry? Don’t you know that just makes me even more worried—!!!

[Gumihou: Ahhh, I could feel the stress coming off the screen…]

[1] Additional descriptions for the dungeon floor.

[2] Fer being disdainful that there’s a ‘dog’ in the sea is pretty weird. Have him be more speculative than ‘scoff, dog?’

[3] Cetus (pronounced kay-tos) – there are too many contrasting descriptions of this mythical creature. Some of them being that it has the head of a boar, or that it is a sea serpent. Someone probably saw a large sea doggo and thought it was a Cetus, lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetus_(mythology)

Also, it’s unlikely for them to attack in groups, but since this is a mythical creature in a fantasy world, I’m not going to quibble over the details

[4] Changed Mukouda’s statement from ‘I’m with you guys because I’m weak’ to ‘If you think I’m weak, you can leave me behind’ per his slightly vicious attitude at the oddest moments and tiredness loosening his hold on manners.

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