Chapter 52

# Chapter 52. <Into the Whirlpool>

"It looks even more terrifying at night."

Kael expressed his thoughts as he gazed at the largest whirlpool swirling beneath his feet. At the same time, he thought to himself.

'That Tunka is definitely a madman.'

How did Tunka obtain the sound of the wind? After drifting to the island and feeling a bit better, he started to take an interest in this whirlpool.

Wouldn't it be strange for someone who enjoys challenging himself against volcanic zones, ice fields, and deserts to just pass by a whirlpool in the sea?

Tunka enjoyed dangerous things. No, he was obsessed with them to the point of madness. That's why he was called a madman.

<“It’s my first time in the sea, but it looks fun, doesn’t it?”>

With those words, he dove into the whirlpool in the sea, naked. Of course, Kael had no intention of doing the same.

Kael had already brought the necessary items in his diving suit's pocket.

"Here?"

In response to the Black Dragon's question, Kael nodded and looked around. The village was indeed dark, probably because it was a rural seaside area and it was night.

The sea was even darker. Yet, it was noisy. The sound was from the whirlpool. Even if it got noisier, people wouldn't immediately notice. They would gradually start to feel something was wrong and pay attention.

Kael turned his gaze to the Wind Cliff.

<Tunka discovered a cave hidden behind the rocks at the bottom of the Wind Cliff and entered it. He burst into hearty laughter when he saw the object at the end of the cave.

“I didn’t expect such a good thing to be here?”

It was a stroke of luck that Tunka hadn't anticipated.>

Kael pushed the book's content to the back of his mind and spoke to the Black Dragon.

"Let's start."

"Understood, human."

Black mana flowed from the Black Dragon's massive front paw.

Rumble.

The magic bomb reacted to the mana and began to vibrate slightly.

The magic bomb Kael currently held was not the one mentioned in the first and second volumes of the secret organization.

'A more advanced magic bomb.'

In the latter part of the third volume of 'The Birth of a Hero,' the Wiper Kingdom's Mage Guild, cornered at the edge of a cliff, began to develop tools to kill the Non-Mage Guild.

One of them was similar to the magic bomb in Kael's hand.

Mana condensation. The main ingredient of the magic bomb, it reacts to the creator's mana and splits into multiple smaller bombs that explode in succession.

Though the power is reduced, the bomb that explodes multiple times is perfect for killing.

Kael praised the Black Dragon.

"You're amazing to have made this."

"I am a great and arrogant dragon."

More black mana flowed from the massive front paw and completely seeped into the bomb.

Rumble. Kael felt the magic bomb vibrating in his arms. He looked up. A moonless night. This was the moment Kael had been waiting for.

"Be careful, and don't get hurt."

The Black Dragon ascended higher into the sky, casting a shield around Kael and bidding him farewell.

Click.

A small sound came from inside the magic bomb.

Kael let go of the bomb in his hand and activated the breathing apparatus attached to his diving suit. It was a magical device that allowed him to breathe for five minutes underwater.

A moment later.

Boom! Bang! Crash!

The bomb exploded. Kael, enveloped in a silver shield, descended vertically. The night wind fiercely brushed past his face.

Dozens of small bombs exploded, and the whirlpool lost its strength, unable to spin properly. Kael spread the wings of his shield.

Whoosh!

The shield collided with the sea, and Kael entered the water. He immediately put on his diving goggles and headed downward. His body fell rapidly like an arrow.

Crash, Bang! The whirlpool continued to lose its strength due to the bomb's aftermath. The water currents pushed by the bomb's explosion touched Kael's shield and silver wings. However, Kael safely reached the seabed.

Boom. Kael swung his shield to deflect the last explosion and walked on the seabed. The central island. A massive whirlpool dominated the small island.

The whirlpool started from a small top under a huge rock.

A top that had been spinning non-stop for hundreds of years.

Kael saw the massive rock in front of him. A rock that would crush a person to death if they were caught under it.

<Tunka realized the whirlpool started under this massive rock and grabbed it. It was smaller than the rock he had lifted in the north, but he couldn't lift it.>

<‘Then I’ll break it.’>

<Tunka broke the rock.>

Kael looked at the rock and thought.

'Tunka, you madman. You broke this?'

Kael shook his head underwater and approached the top, which was partially revealed under the rock, like Sun Wukong.

At that moment, he heard the voice of the owner, just as he always did when obtaining ancient powers.

-You damn brats!

Oh. This owner was quite harsh in their words.

-What's the crime in stealing something that people sacrificed to create? If I return it to the people, why is it a crime? What a bunch of garbage! Why do such things have power?

The owner of the sound of the wind, the legendary thief who stole the god's item and left a mark in this village, didn't steal the god's item. She only stole the temple's items.

She was tied to the massive rock and drowned in the sea. The fastest and most silent thief couldn't escape her fate.

The superpower to control the wind. It was different from mana. She herself was the wind. Even after her death, she continued to spin and release the wind.

-If stealing is a sin, why do they lie to humans and say it isn't? The world is corrupt. A corrupt world where those with power eat everything.

The world was indeed corrupt.

Kael ignored the thief's words and placed the top on the ground.

The owner of the sound of the wind wanted only one thing.

Liberation. It was destruction.

Crack. The top shattered into pieces under Kael's feet.

Screech. A sharp, ultrasonic sound echoed through the sea. The top broke, and wind flowed out. The wind enveloped Kael.

-You are a regenerator. Don't get caught like me. Understand?

A regenerator? Does he mean the vitality of the heart? Kael's brow furrowed. At that moment, he heard the final words.

-Be free.

Whoosh.

At the same time, a white wind enveloped Kael's body. The wind swept over him from head to toe, stopping at his feet.

'Hmm?'

But the wind lingered around his heart. Rumble. Thump, thump. Kael suddenly felt his heart beating rapidly.

'Ugh.'

His heart was beating so hard it started to hurt. Kael tapped his left chest with his right hand. Air bubbles escaped from his slightly open mouth through the breathing apparatus.

'What is this?'

Kael, suppressing the groan that was about to escape, curled up his body. At that moment, whoosh. The wind glowed once more and quickly drew a picture on his feet, between his diving suit and diving shoes. A whirlpool pattern appeared on his slightly exposed ankles.

It was also silver.

Kael finally felt his heart stabilize.

'Could the vitality of the heart have also enhanced the sound of the wind?'

He was curious but couldn't think further. Beep, beep— The alarm signaled that only three minutes were left.

But this was enough time.

Kael used the sound of the wind. The wind began to swirl around his feet. Kael slightly moved his feet.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Kael's body crossed the sea and moved forward. The whirlpool in front of the central island had disappeared, but he ran through the remaining whirlpools.

'The other whirlpools will disappear within a week.'

But Kael intended to maintain them for a year. The whirlpools recognized the sound of the wind and their true master, creating a path for him.

His destination was the Wind Cliff.

Kael approached the cliff, carefully swimming between the rocks. The cliff was surrounded by large and small rocks. It was said that those who fell from the Wind Cliff and died had their bodies torn apart and mangled.

Kael approached a rock that resembled a lion's head. A smile formed on his lips as he saw a small cave behind the largest rock.

'I found it.'

After obtaining the sound of the wind, Tunka encountered a stroke of luck here. It wasn't particularly useful to him, but it was a valuable 'ingredient' for Kael.

When this ingredient meets the one Lak will later obtain, the Queen of the Jungle will have no choice but to trade with Kael.

'The queen needs to save the jungle.'

Kael swam carefully through the rocks and approached the cave. The cave entrance was dark, even without the moon, but it didn't matter. As soon as he reached the entrance, he emerged from the water and sat on the cave's threshold.

He looked at the sky outside the cave.

'It’s time.'

As if sensing his thoughts, the Black Dragon's voice echoed in his mind.

-Weak human, you're not hurt.

The Black Dragon only spoke in his mind in one situation. Kael felt a chill at the back of his neck. He slowly turned his head toward the inside of the cave.

When there was someone unknown nearby, the Black Dragon spoke in Kael's mind.

-But there's a living being in this cave. It's almost dead, but fortunately, it's not a corpse you fear.

Squeak. Squeak. A dragging sound came from inside the cave. Kael hesitated.

'Should I just dive back into the water?'

Or should he ask the dragon to take him home?

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. The dragging sound became more urgent, and before Kael could finish his thoughts, the living being inside the cave revealed itself. Kael dipped one foot back into the water.

The being, with a trembling voice, said:

"P-Please save me."

Ah. A sigh escaped Kael's lips. The scent of the sea came from the speaker.

Could it be?

"I have something I need to live for."

A human-like being with a mangled leg dragged itself toward Kael.

The torn areas oozed a green, sticky liquid, causing it to continuously bleed. It was a mermaid's attack.

"P-Please—"

A whale.

The beautiful human with long, disheveled hair, now crawling with blood-stained hands, was a whale.

-Weak human, are you catching a cold? Your face is pale.

The Black Dragon's voice echoed, but Kael didn't hear it. Kael felt as if he was facing a scene from a horror movie he had seen in the past.

A wounded, nearly dead whale-human appeared in front of Kael.