Water Sentinel

Renir saw the shining water pillar and dropped his jaw in disbelief.

Was this the Water Sentinel?

Seeing that would drive anyone with fear and panic. It was like the light of judgment.

However, Renir kept his composure. His heart was palpitating but still, he kept it intact.

Thanks to the power and hope he had seen, it gave him potent confidence that overwhelmed his fear and sadness.

How could he stay and watch there? Renir had his eyes sharpened grimly as he dived into the valley and seek the next rune.

He could feel it nearby as if he could hear it. Renir's ear trembled slightly.

After gaining the strength rune, Renir's ears stopped being fidgety. Maybe it was really just a side effect since even without it, he already "sensed" what is there to be sensed.

Renir could not see in that valley underwater. His eyes were close but an imaginary light was nearing.

This hallucination was created by the presence of the rune being detected by Renir's various senses.

When he was sure it was in front of him, Renir immediately touched it as soon as he could reach it.

There, the light opened his eyes and one symbol glowed from a small boulder.

It was different from the stone tablet. This was more... natural.

It felt like nature was the creator of this rune and the power it holds.

'Trial', he thought.

Then the light was absorbed into his beads where two symbols lighted. However, the second symbol was dim and seemed fragile.

Words then entered his mind.

[

Trial

Use Elemental energy to defeat a foe.

]

The light then dissipated with Renir pushed aback. Before thinking about it, he resurfaced and shouted, "Huah! Elemental energy?!"

Renir was completely lost. How and what questions filled his mind.

He didn't have the simplest clue, but he knewvhe was blinded by panic when he realized, he had a manual just on his right wrist.

"Elemental energy", Renir whispered, and the first rune on the beads lit.

[

Elemental Energy

The energy that was from nature and could be manifested in various form, commonly:

Fire, water, earth, plant, and wind.

To use elemental energy, Renir Ennure's energy should interact with nature's energy and find a connection which he could control.

For this, Renir Ennure's elemental affinity is needed.

Water affinity: 5

Wind affinity: 3

Earth affinity: 3

Plant affinity: 1

Fire affinity: 2

]

As the light faded, Renir was bombarded with information that he needed to process.

But while he does so, he needed to get a closer view of the formation of the Water Sentinel. He got what he wanted there anyways and Renir was confident that he could escape its grasp if he was ever caught by it.

If he didn't observe it, how would he able to defeat it? Pure luck? Pure strength?

Renir never once relied on these things. Since he was weak, he needed to do it himself. It always takes the arduous path of succeeding.

Were the thoughts that became the driving forces that were pushing him.

But from the information he got, clues revealed itself.

'Affinity...', that was obviously Renir's greatest clue on conquering the trial of the next rune.

He dived underneath the water, searching for something while he made his path.

There, his ears slightly twitched on its own although it was not obvious. It was because of the water-resistance he was receiving while diving at such a fast pace. His face were flunctuating, his hair fluttering and his ears twitching.

When he sensed creatures following him but failing to keep up, he slowed down and positioned his limbs and thrust both of his claws.

Even on the far underwater, the surface felt the ripples from Renir's actions.

With two simultaneous movements, he caught two sword-like water creatures and wasted no time eating them before the next.

After some time, being sure that he already consumed every water creatures in the vicinity, he would move on with a high speed.

He repeated this again and again.

At the same time, the majestic pillar of water that shone ethereal aura, contracted and began to drop its massive height.

The being that was centered around the bright object was formed.

The Water Sentinel was born.

Renir stopped his movements. There was something unknown that was making him anxious and worry, making him uneasy.

This discomforting feeling was then explained when Renir saw rays of light pierced through the surface of the flood.

The brilliance brightness of the Water Sentinal's formation was gone.

The thundering clouds and the ravaging storm was no more, and the moon was then again showered Gantlet with its moonlight.

Renir resurfaced and saw that stars, many than before, were frantically moving around the moon again. Unknown but majestic energy was permeating through the sky and radiant to the land.

But Renir felt discomfort rather than the opposite.

After eating so many water creatures, he felt he was better in the water furthermore. From his logic, the reason for his high affinity with water was because of his large consumption of water creatures.

Why wouldn't it be? He is literally eating water energy from them. Aren't that supposed to get elemental energy?

Renir didn't have any other explanation than this.

And so, he grabbed as many water creatures as he can. When he looked at his water affinity, after relentlessly eating for minutes, his water affinity increased by one!

Renir overjoyed when he found a path to completing the rune's trial.

He just had to eat water creatures as he can while escaping the Water Sentinel then, eventually, he will get a hold of that elemental energy, right?

'And the last clue should be the connection.', Renir thought.

That was included in the first step: try to feel his own energy.

If he could feel his own energy then have high water affinity, there is a chance he could unlock the elemental energy or the water elemental energy, specifically.

'It only said to use elemental energy to defeat a foe.', Renir couldn't have chosen anything other than water affinity at this point.

While terrorizing the flood with his sharp claws, metallic jaw, and sharpened teeth, Renir eventually got his foe.

No, his own predator.

The Giganslik was no match to its size. The one in front of Renir was as big as a whale. It had sharp teeth on the outside of its mouth.

Renir knew what it was, that creature that chased him looked so ancient.

It was the Water Sentinel.

When Renir saw the "leviathan" aggressively swimming towards him with its mouth open, he paralyzed in fear for a moment before fear hijacked his whole body.

One word appeared on his head: Escape!

Swoosh*! Renir used all his might to propel himself, trying to escape the Water Sentinel.

It was scary from head to tail!

Its whole head looked like a gray monster's skull with gray razor-sharp teeth at the front. Its whole body moved frantically as if it was a small fish. Its tail was long like a dragon.

On its head were circular eyes that stared into Renir's escape, watching him like a predator about to feast on a helpless prey.

Undeniably, it was fast, faster than Renir...

Renir didn't want to look back but felt like the Water Sentinel could eat him if he did.

But he couldn't help but take a peek, but what he saw was just pure darkness enveloped by sharpness.

Renir almost fainted when he saw that he was mistaken.

This one... was larger than any whale.

No matter how fast Renir swam, he couldn't escape the Water Sentinel's mouth.

His pale complexion showed how scared he was, thinking that any moment, the Water Sentinel could close its mouth for him to never see the light ever again.

Even if he revived a hundred times inside that being, he couldn't escape.

This is not just hopeless, this is death!

Renir choked on some water when he wanted to shout out of fear when he saw the Water Sentinel's mouth became narrow.

'It's closing?! No!', Renir tried to reach out his hand, but even how much he reaches, he couldn't even touch the teeth that were already as big as he was.

'...this is ridiculous...' when Renir saw no point in swimming, he stopped and fell back into the leviathan's throat.

The Water Sentinel closed its mouth and without any remorse, it swam back. It had its food.

The path it rook was towards the mountain where the Pentafive rested in.

Inside its mouth, Renir was locked in total darkness. His consciousness left him again. Corrosive acid fell on his body as it burned his skin.

Slowly, he was being digested without him ever knowing. His heart slowly beat, but when the corrosive acid that only burnt his skin along, not his clothing, his eyes abruptly open.

"AHHH!!!!", he screamed in pain.