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Chapter 175: The Mermaid (2)

“Uh….”

Kukulitan looked unsure of how to respond.

A normal barbarian would have no reason to come and meet him alongside an inquisitor of the Sun god and a magician of the tower.

It would have been enough to wait inside the cave like the other sailors until the problem was resolved.

But Ketal stood confidently in front of him, as if that was all that mattered.

Understanding his reaction, Aquaz added,

“He has enough strength. He will be of great help, perhaps even more than the two of us.”

“R-really?”

‘Does he have some hidden power?’

Ketal didn’t seem to exude an extraordinary aura.

But since Aquaz spoke so highly of him, he must possess some special power.

Kukulitan smiled warmly at Ketal.

“Whatever the case, you’ve come to help us. Thank you.”

The brief introductions and greetings were over.

Now it was time to get to the point.

Ketal asked,

“So, what exactly happened?”

Kukulitan sighed and began to explain.

“We were residents of a city with a bluish-green hue. Just an ordinary mermaid city that existed everywhere.”

The mermaids lived peacefully, interacting with humans.

Although there were many pirates, it was not a big issue for the mermaids living beneath the sea.

Occasionally, it was bothersome when supplies didn’t arrive, but it wasn’t a major problem.

They considered it human affairs and didn’t pay much attention.

They lived peaceful and leisurely lives.

The mermaids firmly believed they would live like that forever.

But that belief was shattered.

“…In the deep sea beneath our city, there existed a Forbidden Land.”

“Deep-sea primates that live and breathe.”

“They existed beneath our city. But we didn’t pay much attention to them.”

The Forbidden Land’s existence was confined within its boundaries.

It was an absolute truth that had never been broken since the continent existed.

Therefore, the mermaids didn’t think much about the Forbidden Land.

They were slightly uneasy, but it was just to that extent.

Some even took pride in it.

When mermaids from other cities visited, they introduced it as a tourist attraction, and young mermaids often raced near the Forbidden Land to test their courage.

But one day, that peace was shattered.

“One day, suddenly, they crawled up from the deep sea.”

The deep-sea primates.

Those monkeys climbed up from the deep sea.

Since the city was directly above the Forbidden Land, they were attacked by the monkeys without any time to respond.

The monkeys began massacring the fleeing mermaids.

“It’s not that we didn’t resist. The city’s warriors gathered and desperately tried to drive out the monkeys. But no attack worked on them.”

The monkeys responded to their desperate attacks as if they were just tickles.

Kukulitan lamented.

“I had considerable strength, but… it was meaningless.”

“There were no superhuman-level warriors, I presume.”

“It’s a small city.”

Kukulitan muttered dejectedly.

It wasn’t unusual.

A superhuman-level warrior was rare, perhaps one in the entire kingdom.

It wasn’t likely to find one in a mere city.

As a result, the mermaid city was ravaged by the monkeys.

The beautiful city fell into the hands of the monkeys.

“We barely managed to escape their surveillance, but… many mermaids couldn’t.”

Many mermaids were hiding in the city, avoiding the monkeys’ gaze.

They wanted to save them, but the monkeys’ vigilance made it impossible to even approach.

Kukulitan smiled bitterly.

“My daughter is trapped there too.”

“…I see.”

“Please, I beg you. Save our city, save my daughter.”

“Understood. That’s why we’re here.”

Aquaz nodded readily.

Kukulitan grasped Aquaz’s hand with a face full of gratitude.

“Thank you! Thank you! When all this is over, we will give you the mermaid relics our city has held since its creation!”

At those words, Ketal’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s a pleasant promise. It’s always good to have a reward.”

They had roughly understood the situation and circumstances.

Now it was time to gather information about the enemy.

Aquaz asked calmly,

“Do you have any information about them?”

“First… their bodies are extremely tough. Even first-rate strength couldn’t penetrate their hides.”

“We are aware of that part.”

A superhuman-level strength was required to even scratch them.

Their bodies were incomprehensibly tough.

“And their eyesight is extremely good.”

There were instances where they spotted mermaids kilometers away and quickly rushed to devour them.

“That’s unexpected.”

Ketal murmured.

The deep sea is an extremely dark place.

It’s hard to see even an inch ahead.

Thus, deep-sea creatures usually have degenerated eyes and developed other senses.

But the monkeys seemed to have highly developed eyes instead.

“But perhaps because of that, their hearing isn’t very sharp. We made quite a bit of noise while escaping, but they didn’t react much.”

The monkeys screamed when they attacked the ship.

It was to call their companions.

The sound was extremely loud and sharp.

Conversely, it seemed that unless the sound was that loud, they couldn’t hear it.

“And they live in groups. They seem to have settled in the city, using it as their base. If so, why didn’t they just stay down in the deep sea? Why did they come up and trample our city?”

Kukulitan’s voice rose momentarily, overcome with emotion.

But he quickly regained his composure and shook his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I understand. It’s a tough situation.”

“And… there are monkeys that seem to act as scouts. But there’s something peculiar. They always move in pairs.”

“In pairs?”

Aquaz tilted her head in confusion.

Ketal, who had been silent, spoke up.

“They’re a buddy system.”

“Excuse me?”

“If their enemy attacks the scouts, one must escape to report it. But what if the enemy is too strong for either to escape?”

“…One sacrifices themselves, and the other escapes.”

“Exactly.”

“N-no.”

Aquaz was taken aback.

What Ketal described was a buddy system, a fairly common tactic, something Aquaz was aware of.

But she hadn’t understood it earlier.

And there was a reason for that.

“Are you saying the monkeys have that level of intelligence?”

A buddy system requires significant intelligence.

It was hard to believe that the primates of the Forbidden Land had such intelligence.

“There could be other reasons, but for now, let’s assume that’s the reason.”

“We need to verify it.”

They needed to learn more about the monkeys.

They decided to head to the mermaid city that the monkeys had taken over.

Kukulitan asked worriedly,

“A-are you sure it’s alright?”

“We need to confirm it. And we’ll be fine. As you said, they have sharp eyes but dull ears. We have ways to conceal ourselves.”

“…I see. Then I’ll guide you.”

Kukulitan said with a determined look.

Aquaz did not refuse his offer.

They set off toward the mermaid city, full of concern.

Aquaz whispered a small prayer.

“Cavotan Chapter 1, Verse 12. The great sun has various forms of light. Its essence is hard to discern due to numerous reflections.”

Kiiiiing!

Light enveloped the group.

“It’s done. With this, the monkeys can’t see us. But it doesn’t block sound, so be careful.”

“Oooh. This is the power of the scripture….”

Kukulitan was moved.

Following Kukulitan’s guidance, they headed towards the mermaid city.

Although it was quite a distance, they all moved swiftly as they were all strong.

As they advanced, Ketal gazed at the sea with awe.

‘This is the sea of fantasy.’

It was incredibly beautiful.

Seeing his face, Kukulitan smiled warmly.

“The underwater world is very beautiful. Anyone seeing it for the first time can’t help but be amazed. It’s a shame the situation is like this; otherwise, I would have guided you more.”

“No. It’s not my first time seeing it.”

“Oh, really?”

“But it is my first time seeing this sea.”

There was a sea even in the white snowfield.

He had often descended into the deep sea to gather food there.

But that was the sea of the white snowfield.

Horrible creatures lived there. It was far from beautiful.

In contrast, the scenery he was seeing now was so beautiful that he was immensely satisfied.

As they advanced, they spotted a monkey.

“…It’s a scout.”

Two monkeys were swimming quickly.

A large whale was desperately fleeing from them.

In no time, a monkey caught up to the whale and swung its fist.

The whale’s body shuddered with the impact.

The other monkey grabbed and tore the whale’s belly.

Crunch.

[Bwooooooo.]

A painful wail echoed.

Aquaz grimaced at the brutal sight, and Baker looked horrified.

Only Ketal watched with an interested expression.

Soon, the whale went limp.

Satisfied after devouring the whale, the monkeys started dragging it away.

“They seem to be taking the food back to their nest.”

“It looks that way. Let’s head in that direction.”

They followed the blood trail swaying in the current.

Along the way, they encountered more scouts.

Observing them, Ketal made an observation.

“They are quite organized.”

“Yes?”

“The scouts are patrolling at regular intervals, maintaining a certain distance from each other.”

They weren’t just wandering around aimlessly; they had a systematic plan and were patrolling the area.

Kukulitan’s eyes widened at this statement.

“Is that so?”

“It’s easy to tell if you calculate the time and distance between when the scouts appear.”

“Uh….”

Kukulitan trailed off.

The merfolk hadn’t realized that the scouts were patrolling at regular intervals.

It wasn’t because they were stupid, but because it was difficult to gather such information from only a few encounters with the scouts.

But this barbarian had figured it out immediately.

‘What, what is this?’

Was this barbarian the brains of the party?

A barbarian, of all people?

Kukulitan was confused.

Aquaz’s expression grew serious.

“…Is that so?”

Was it possible that the creatures from the forbidden land had such intelligence?

If that were true, it was a significant problem.

They advanced more cautiously, and soon they arrived at the mermaid city.

“A-ah.”

Kukulitan’s eyes trembled.

The mermaid city was a place of great beauty.

Homes were built from sea soil and giant crustacean shells, creating a harmonious blend. Humans who occasionally ventured underwater often marveled at its beauty.

But not anymore.

The scouts threw the large whale into the middle of the city.

The monkeys, excited by their prey, ran around wildly.

Crunch.

Crash!

The city was being destroyed.

“Our… city.”

Kukulitan groaned.

As Aquaz observed the city, she noticed something odd.

“They’re not eating the whale.”

The monkeys had gathered around the whale.

But none of them touched it directly.

They seemed to be under some kind of control.

As they watched curiously, one monkey caught their attention.

Thud! Thud!

It was significantly larger than the others.

Its body was covered with numerous scars.

It pushed the other monkeys aside with a fierce expression and approached the whale.

Crunch.

The large monkey began to tear into the whale and eat it.

The other monkeys waited silently.

They realized,

“It’s the leader monkey.”

It was the leader of the monkeys.

As the leader, it had the privilege of first dibs on the prey.

As they watched the leader, Ketal murmured,

“Those are recent wounds.”

“Huh? You’re right.”

There were still fresh scabs on the leader’s back.

They looked like they had been caused by long, sharp claws.

“Maybe it’s from fighting among themselves?”

“Barbaric creatures like them might have fought over who gets to be the leader.”

The others didn’t pay much attention to the wounds.

But Ketal stared at them intently.

‘…Those wounds.’

They looked familiar.

They were wounds of a shape he remembered.