006. The Power of a Spirit Beast
[Immediate Combat Action Initiated]
The Status Window appeared in front of me as soon as I made up my mind to fight.
“Bubble?! Ugh?!”
Then, an unknown power I had never known existed inside me began swirling around my heart.
It burst out through both of my palms with incredible force and rushed straight toward Daldal!
“Woooow?!”
Daldal’s eyes grew round in surprise as he was wrapped in the powerful light pouring out of me.
“Sooho! My whole body is overflowing with power!”
As if he could not control his own strength, Daldal swam around with tremendous force, creating violent currents.
I desperately kicked my legs so I would not be swept away by the current he created.
But...
It seemed Daldal had not simply received power from me.
A mysterious blue light burst out from his entire body!
“Woooow!”
The powered-up Daldal happily shouted toward me.
“Sooho! So much power! I grew! I grew lots!”
Daldal circled around me while smiling brightly.
There was hope in his face.
[Combat Preparation]
Uses the Tamer’s Mana to draw out the Partner’s true power and true form.
A large amount of Mana is required to maintain the true form of a ‘Spirit Beast.’
The Partner Tamer should carefully manage Mana.
So this is his true form...
“Sooho! Danger!”
Right.
I hurriedly looked around again.
The ugly Gate Fishmen were circling us with their teeth exposed.
But...
They only bared their teeth while their jaws trembled.
They could not bring themselves to charge at us.
“......”
Did they get scared after seeing Daldal’s true form?
I did not know what principles controlled monsters, or why they attacked creatures from Earth.
But one thing was clear.
Their actions followed the law of strength.
They had enough intelligence not to throw themselves into a suicidal battle against an opponent overwhelmingly stronger than themselves...
At least, that was how it looked to me.
In that case.
“Bubble! Daldal!”
“Yeah! Sooho!”
“Bubble, bubble! Let’s wipe them all out and protect the Dragon Palace Rockfish!”
“Okay! Sooho!”
Daldal eagerly circled around me.
[Information: The Partners share the same emotions. Mana resonance has been maximized.]
“We can protect the Dragon Palace fish!”
Daldal trembled with excitement.
Along with Combat Preparation, a new Status Window had appeared.
I quickly looked through it.
Several attack skills Daldal could use were displayed there.
Among them, I chose the one whose name I liked the most.
[Cleaning Up Marine Trash]
Clean up the trash of the sea threatening the Dragon Palace Rockfish that have protected new life until now!
“Bubble! Daldal! Let’s go get rid of those guys! ‘Cleaning Up Marine Trash!’”
I shouted toward Daldal with all my will.
Then,
“Here I gooo!!”
After receiving the command to use the skill, Daldal shot toward the monsters like a missile at incredible speed!
The current he created flipped my body over once before I barely managed to regain my balance.
When I finally recovered and opened my eyes,
Wow...
Fast.
He was fast and powerful.
“Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!”
Daldal tore through the group of Gate Fishmen with greater speed and movement than any monster I had ever seen, slaughtering them as he went!
“Kyaaak!”
“Kyaak!”
“Graak! Kakh!”
The terrified enemies tried to form one huge group to fight back.
But,
“Cleaning!”
All that did was create one giant toy that Daldal could play with before ripping it apart.
His sharp claws tore the monsters to pieces in an instant.
Wherever his teeth passed, only meaningless remains were left behind.
They were no match for Daldal at all.
“Cleaning finished!”
After finishing his monster cleanup, Daldal returned to me without looking tired in the slightest and proudly showed off.
I vigorously stroked his entire body while carefully checking my Partner’s condition.
There was not a single injury anywhere.
Perhaps it had not even been enough to call it hunting.
Maybe it had only been a game to him.
Haha...
“I did good, right?!”
Daldal suddenly came close while I was blankly staring at the Status Window, wrapped his body around me, and rubbed his face against mine.
Still...
I thought we had taken care of every monster nearby, but the Combat Status Window had not displayed any message saying the battle was over.
That meant there were still more enemies ahead.
My oxygen...
Considering how hurriedly I had prepared, I still had plenty left.
I had confirmed Daldal’s overwhelming strength, but I reminded myself that as a beginner Tamer, I could never afford to let my guard down.
“Bubble, bubble? Daldal, I think there might be another enemy nearby. Should we check?”
“Another enemy?! Yeah! Sooho! Be careful!”
Daldal, who had been watching our surroundings, suddenly moved close and tightly hugged my body with his front paws.
“Gasp.”
Have any of you ever been hugged by an otter?
Do you know how it feels to be hugged by something small and precious?
It was like...
I am not telling you.
This was a warmth I wanted to enjoy entirely by myself.
I did not want to share it with anyone.
Jealous?
What exactly can people without an otter do about it?
Haha.
“Sooho, be careful! I think there’s something over there!”
Like the seashell that BonoboX always carried around, Daldal held me preciously in his arms and kicked strongly through the water with his hind legs and tail.
The fierce current battered my whole body from my head down, as if I were riding a motorcycle at full speed without a helmet.
If I did not clench my jaw with all my strength, my breathing equipment felt like it would be ripped right out.
I desperately held onto the breathing device while looking around.
“!”
Suddenly, an ominous presence strong enough to make the hair on the back of my neck rise came from somewhere.
Whoosh!
Daldal seemed to sense it too.
He twisted his body and came to an abrupt stop.
Thanks to that, I practically had to hold my insides in place to stop them from flying out through my nose.
Then I saw the terrifying enemy before us.
“Bubble... Good grief...”
It had finally appeared.
Whenever I watched live broadcasts of Awakened raiding Gates, there was one extremely dangerous existence they always eventually encountered.
A Boss Monster.
The ‘Rank’ of the Boss Monster depended on the size and danger level of the Gate.
The problem was...
It looks ridiculously strong.
Even a beginner Tamer like me could feel the power of the enemy before us.
[Boss Monster analysis complete.]
Name: Cursed Gate Fishman Legion Commander
Type: Aquatic Monster
Rank: C
[Additional Information]
Information: A Legion Commander who leads the Cursed Gate Fishmen. Possesses high intelligence and strength. Commands the overhunting of Dragon Palace Rockfish and seeks the destruction of Earth’s lifeforms.
