The Water Magician

The two on board the USS Neil Anderson, who had achieved a complete victory, had returned to the original coastline.

"Thank goodness it was just one kraken."

"Huh?"

Abel said something ominous, and Ryo questioned him.

"Well, it seems that krakens can sometimes appear in groups. There's a story about a famous fleet from the Eastern Nations that had fifty ships, all of which sank in an instant. According to the kingdom's legends, groups of krakens also appear... so I'm glad it was just one."

"What, are you some kind of harbinger of death?"

Ryo had thought that since they encountered only one kraken here and one off the coast of the Forest of Rondo, that it was normal for them to act alone.

He felt painfully aware that he still lacked knowledge about their enemies.

"Anyway, let's set the kraken aside for now. The scenery under the sea was incredible, but the battle was amazing too."

Abel regained his focus and said excitedly.

As a former a-rank swordsman, it was no doubt an exhilarating experience for him.

"Right? Facing a forty-meter opponent with complete three-dimensional combat. And in the end, look at this!"

Ryo also set aside thoughts of the kraken group and raised what he held in his right hand.

It was a blue magic stone, about the size of two fists.

"That's huge. Isn't it about twice the size of the wyvern magic stones we collected from that mountain?"

"Indeed. With a body length of forty meters and arms that are a hundred meters long, it must be large to ensure magical power spreads to every corner."

Abel expressed his admiration, and Ryo made a casual guess.

"And the color is deep."

The kraken's magic stone, aside from its size, was strikingly vibrant blue... a very deep shade of blue.

"It might have reigned as the master of this area for a long time," Ryo said reflectively.

Perhaps that statement contained the sadness he felt when the flagship Rondo sank.

"Alright then, let's eat. What's on the menu is the grilled sardine-like monsters we caught along the way, right?"

"Yes. There are seven of them, so even the gluttonous Abel should be satisfied. They're larger than normal sardines, being monsters and all."

"I feel like Ryo is the one with the bigger appetite..."

"Did you say something, Abel?"

"No, I didn't say anything."

Abel gracefully dodged Ryo's remark.

They really seemed to make a good team.

The seven monsters they had caught were retrieved from the area where they defeated the kraken, where a bait ball had been present.

Using the Capture Arm and Stealing Arm.

A total of seven.

Abel quickly gathered some dried branches and palm fronds and started a fire.

It seemed he had acquired flint somewhere along the way, striking it against a knife to create sparks.

As expected from a former a-rank adventurer, he was quite skillful.

Ryo, on the other hand, was gutting the sardine-like monsters... although he didn't actually know their formal name, he extracted small magic stones from them.

The magic stones that emerged were all smaller than a fingernail.

They were the same size as the "echo of the soul" magic stone that Ryo wore on his left ear.

In other words, the echo of the soul seemed to have come from the sardine-like monsters.

Though small in size, their color was a vividly bright blue.

"If it were a sapphire, it would likely fetch a very high price."

Ryo murmured, unaware that this magic stone was also quite valuable...

He was the only one oblivious to it.

The seven fish were skewered on a spike made of ice that Ryo had created.

Before long, they found their way into the stomachs of the two hungry adventurers.

"Ah, that was delicious."

"It's strange, isn't it? Monsters taste better than ordinary animals or fish."

Abel was satisfied, while Ryo expressed his bewilderment.

Yes, the monster rabbit, rather than a regular one, tasted better.

It seemed that was the case even for sardines...

Ryo had always found it curious.

"Is that so? Since they're infused with magical power throughout, it's only natural that they're tasty, right?"

"Magical power is tasty...?"

Abel said it as if it were obvious, but Ryo shook his head in confusion.