Chapter 48

### Spatial Leap (5)

'Wow.'

It was a brief reflection on the blood art he had just properly displayed for the first time.

It was exactly as he had imagined, but seeing it in reality was different.

The synergy between the blood art and instant killing.

If used this way, it was practically an invincible area-of-effect skill, especially against a large number of enemies, particularly when they were bunched together.

- ······What?

She stared blankly at the lance fish that had sunk after being killed en masse, then turned her gaze to me.

Her face showed no understanding of what had just happened.

- Did you do that? How... Is there some kind of deadly poison in the blood?

As she spoke, she flailed in panic at the blood mixed with water floating around her.

- Ugh, ah!

She was really panicking.

Soon, she realized that nothing was wrong with her and asked again, bewildered.

- Am I okay? Right? I'm not going to die, am I?

I nodded. No poison.

Only then did she look relieved.

- But what kind of magic did you use? You never said you had such abilities, damn... I really thought I was going to die.

Why would I tell you that?

I pointed downward with my finger, indicating that we should keep moving.

She nodded and swam ahead.

A faint murmur reached my ears.

- ······So, it wasn't really dangerous then? I was just putting on a show? Damn, how embarrassing...

A few more strange creatures appeared and began to devour the fallen lance fish. They had a good feast today.

We passed by them and followed her deeper.

'How far down have we gone?'

We had reached a depth where almost no light penetrated.

When I explored alone, I had never ventured this far from the surface or dived this deep.

Thanks to my heightened senses, my vision was still fine, but the pressure on my body was a concern.

Even if some issues arose, I believed my super regeneration would take care of it.

'How much deeper are we going?'

She continued to lead the way without any sign of stopping.

Just as I was starting to feel the limits, the ground came into view.

It wasn't the lake bottom but a terrain that gently curved from a vertical wall.

'······!'

And around it, sharp rocks extended like stalactites.

Some were bent sideways, resembling bamboo shoots or giant teeth. It was a fascinating sight.

I stopped and touched the wall.

She pointed to the rocks, having already reached the bottom.

- Is this what you were talking about? The only place with sharp rocks around here.

It must be.

I remember the place from the gameplay videos, and it had the same feeling.

I didn't think there would be another such unique natural formation.

'Then there should be a cave nearby... '

That's where the mystery of spatial leap is hidden.

I signaled to her.

Mimicking the shape of a cave with my mouth, she seemed to understand and shrugged.

- A cave? I'm not sure. But it looks like there might be one if we look around.

Indeed, the area with the sharp rocks was vast and uneven, so there could be a hidden entrance.

I was about to signal to search separately but stopped.

If she found the cave first, she might enter and discover the mystery on her own.

So, I showed her an open palm, indicating that she should wait.

- What? Wait here?

I nodded.

- Why? Aren't you looking for the cave entrance? I can help...

I shook my head vigorously. Please, just stay still.

She nodded, looking a bit sulky, and muttered.

- I don't care about treasure. Who would even covet it? Humans and their greed...

Though she seemed to have misunderstood, it didn't matter, so I let it go.

I began to move, examining the rocky area.

I remembered it being a small entrance, just big enough for one person.

I checked the flat area, then moved to the side and examined the steep slope.

'Oh.'

...I found it.

I triumphed inwardly and looked at the entrance hidden between the rocks.

Without hesitation, I bit down on the luminescent stone tied to my waist and slowly entered.

The passage was narrow, making it difficult to enter, but not impossible. The water made it much easier.

Using my outstretched arms to pull myself along the walls, I moved forward.

As I went deeper, the passage widened, allowing me to move my limbs freely.

A small side passage appeared, about the size of the entrance.

'······?'

Thinking it was a fork, I stopped and immediately cast a stasis barrier.

A giant snake shot out of the hole, its mouth wide open, and hit the barrier.

【Lv. 35】

...Not a fork, but the den of this water snake. Or maybe a hunting ground?

The snake, dazed by the impact, wriggled backward.

I shot a blood droplet at it, killing it instantly. No more ambush and escape.

'What a surprise.'

I continued on my way.

Would even more monsters appear if I went deeper? I had that thought.

But it didn't matter. No matter how big they were, killing them would be easy.

When I found the first mystery, I couldn't do anything alone, but now, despite my still inadequate physical abilities, I had become much stronger.

The passage turned and continued upward for a while.

At the end, instead of a monster, I found what I had been desperately searching for in the lake for a week.

A small room-sized space.

In the center, a mysterious pattern glowed brightly in purple.

I smiled and swam toward the pattern.

Whoosh!

As I touched it, the pattern glowed brightly and was absorbed into my body.

I processed the information flooding my mind and immediately tried it out.

'Oh.'

Using spatial leap, I instantly teleported a short distance forward.

There was no special effect, and like the stasis barrier, there was no casting delay.

The space was too narrow to properly test spatial leap, so I decided to go out.

Returning through the passage, I saw the woman swimming around far above.

I teleported to her.

- ······Ah!

She stopped, startled by my sudden appearance.

- What, what is it? Where did you come from?

I pointed upward.

She looked me over and became puzzled.

- ······Going up? Did you find something?

I nodded.

With this, I had successfully obtained the mystery of spatial leap.

***

After returning to the surface, I tested the spatial leap mystery in detail.

The maximum range was slightly over 100 steps, about 100 meters.

Most importantly, this ability was a rechargeable skill with a maximum of 3 uses and a 10-second cooldown.

'3 uses, 10-second cooldown.'

In other words, if fully charged, I could use it 5 times in a row without a cooldown, and it would recharge one use every 10 seconds.

I wasn't surprised, as I knew from the game that the spatial leap mystery was a skill of this type.

In the game, the total daily uses were limited to 10, but it seemed there was no such restriction here.

I looked up at the sky and used the ability again.

This time, I teleported upward, and my body floated high in the air.

Using the stasis barrier, my body was fixed in mid-air, preventing me from falling, creating a levitation effect.

The stasis barrier could completely fix my body in place, making this possible.

'I can use it like this too.'

I wasn't sure when I would need it, but it was good to know a new application.

Before I fell, I teleported back to the ground and landed.

The spatial leap mystery, like the stasis barrier, canceled any forces acting on my body when used. This meant that if I used it while falling, the falling force would be completely nullified.

With these two abilities, I wouldn't die from a fall.

I crossed my arms and thought about synergies with other abilities and more efficient usage.

Splash!

The woman emerged from the lake.

She held a few large fish.

She shook off the water and approached me.

"Hey, let's go."

I had told her to wait, and she had jumped back into the lake, so I was waiting. I didn't know where she wanted to go.

When I looked at her silently, she scratched her head and continued.

"Well, it's getting dark, so let's go back and have dinner together. We weren't planning to leave immediately, right?"

"I was just about to."

I had found the mystery, so there was no reason to stay longer in the lake.

I planned to return to the carriage and leave as soon as it was light.

She pouted.

"Are you being so cold? You know, you healed our elder and saved me earlier... So, I want to treat you to a meal out of gratitude."

"There's no need. Let's part ways here."

"Hey, come on!"

She got angry, then sighed and spoke seriously.

"Can't you just come for a bit? Our elder has something very important to tell you."

...Important?

What's this all of a sudden?

'Could it be about the Mage Guild in Saintea?'

That was the only thing I could think of.

Anyway, such an important person wouldn't say something trivial.

I had no choice but to nod.

"Alright, I'll go with you."

Her expression brightened.

"Should have done that from the start. I'm starving, so let's go quickly. These fish are really tender and delicious."

She hummed a tune and led the way.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Ron."

"My name is Anne, Ron. Remember it well."

I knew her name from hearing the other Harin and the chief call her.

She hummed as we walked toward the cave.

***

"Ah, Anne. You're here."

When we arrived at the cave, the chief, standing at the entrance with his hands behind his back, greeted us.

"You're here again. I was just thinking of treating you to something before you left..."

I nodded and asked.

"I heard you have something important to tell me."

The chief tilted his head.

"Something important? I don't recall that."

...?

I looked at Anne.

She laughed awkwardly and avoided my gaze.

"Sorry, it was a lie."

"······."

"Since we're here, why not just enjoy a meal? I'll cook the meat really well!"

Is this how you trick someone?

I watched her run into the cave with a bewildered look.