Chapter 10 – Leviacuda's Grin

The ocean deepened.

Darkness coiled around Jade like an ever-thickening curtain as he descended with a squad of ten merfolk—Kaelen's top warriors flanked by two swift scouts led by Neris. Their lantern-eyes flickered like fireflies in the dark, silent and focused.

Today, they weren't building.

Today, they were hunting.

He needed experience—badly. Both he and his people had grown stronger from mock drills and discipline, but the Newbie Trial wouldn't care about his organization. It would tear through them like kelp if they weren't seasoned with real combat.

A ripple of mana stirred in his palm as the Check-In Interface pinged.

[ Daily Check-In Reward:

• Item Received: [Abyssal Coral Bloom] – Binds to territory, doubles ambient mana generation within 100 meters.

•Summon Received: [Moonstone Sea Lantern] – Rare Water Elemental. Requires territory mana to sustain.]

Jade blinked. "This... is a jackpot."

He whispered a command.

The coral bloom appeared in his storage shell—a radiant flower with curling petals, almost translucent, glowing faintly with lunar hues. He tucked it away for now. His Territory could use it once they returned.

The other item—the Moonstone Sea Lantern—was far more complex.

He activated the summon.

A swirl of water condensed before him. Light spiraled into form. A glowing entity appeared, its body shaped like a drifting lantern but with elegant fins and a swirling core like a star caught in tide. It hovered silently, awaiting command.

[Rare Summon: Water Elemental – Moonstone Lantern

Traits:

Passive: Radiant Beacon – boosts morale and magical recovery for nearby allies.

Active: Pulse Jet – blasts high-pressure jets at enemies.

Special: Command Link Override – allows Lord to take direct control.]

"Perfect," Jade whispered. "You'll be our ace."

They swam further, into the black ridge known by the merfolk as Wyrmback Drop—a deep gash in the ocean floor teeming with predatory beasts.

"Movement ahead," Neris's voice echoed in the Command Link, laced with tension. "Heavy water pressure. Large displacement. It's circling."

Kaelen bared his teeth. "Something's hunting us."

"Not anymore," Jade replied coldly. "We hunt it."

He switched to the Elemental, engaging Command Link Override.

A rush of unfamiliar senses flooded his brain—slippery, weightless control like becoming part of the current itself. He felt water flowing through him, pressure gradients shifting as sonar-like pulses echoed from his elemental body.

From the depths came a monstrous blur.

Razorfin Leviacuda – Rank 4

Length: 17 meters

Traits: Apex Predator, Armorhide Scales, Blood Frenzy

It launched forward like a torpedo.

Jade screamed through the link. "Split! Formation Manta! Scouts, kite it! Warriors, flank from below!"

Neris darted upward, leaving behind a glowing trail of decoys from her ink glands. The beast swerved toward her bait—Kaelen and two warriors rammed it from beneath with jagged coral spears, cracking against its armored belly.

The impact barely dented it.

"Shells!" Kaelen growled, knocked back by the tail swipe.

Jade surged forward inside the Moonstone Elemental, charging a jet of compressed water in his luminous core.

Pulse Jet!

The beam struck the Leviacuda's left gill. Blood spurted. It roared, the sound vibrating across the trench like an underwater quake.

The monster twisted, tail lashing.

CRACK.

A mermaid screamed—Jade felt it through the bond.

One of Kaelen's warriors—Tiro—was caught mid-spin, his body smashed against a stone pillar. Blood clouded the water.

Silence followed.

Jade's chest tightened. He grit his teeth. "Pull back! Everyone, form a circle. I'm taking it head-on."

"But Lord—" Kaelen began.

"Do it."

The elemental shimmered with sea-light as Jade directed it forward, weaving around the beast's lunges. Every dodge, every flick of motion was a dance of instinct and control. He wasn't strong physically, but with this body—this summoned conduit—he could be.

Pulse Jet – Spiral Barrage!

Streams of cutting water spun in sequence, hammering the wounded gill again and again until the flesh split open. The Leviacuda howled and backed away in panic—then lunged in sudden rage.

It bit down.

Jade spun, ejecting pressurized bubbles from the core. The lantern exploded outward like a mine, repelling the beast. His vision flickered as the summon strained under damage.

HP Critical. Summon core destabilizing.

Not enough. One last hit. Just one…

"Lord Jade, permission to join you," came Kaelen's voice. "I have a plan."

Jade gasped. "You have 20 seconds."

The warrior mermaid darted like lightning, flanking the beast from behind, his weapon glowing faintly with the Moon Coral Jade had once gifted.

"FOR THE LORD!"

Kaelen stabbed the Leviacuda through its mouth from the rear. The spear pierced its brain.

The beast spasmed. Then went still.

A deathly quiet settled.

Then a cheer. A hiss-click chorus from the mermaids. Victory.

Back at the evolving trench, Jade limped into the coral manor that was once his hut. The Moonstone Elemental flickered beside him, low on energy but stable.

He activated the Territory Upgrade Menu and planted the Abyssal Coral Bloom in the central ridge. It pulsed with radiant mana, and within moments, a wave of magical energy flowed outward, seeping into the stones and coral.

[Territory Mana Generation increased by 100%.

All constructions gain +1 durability.

All summoned units recover 5% faster.]

The impact was immediate.

His territory felt more alive.

He opened his Status Board.

Jade stared at the numbers. Their strength was growing.

But the loss of Tiro still burned.

He held a silent moment in front of the new shrine Veyr had erected—a memorial built from pink coral and etched with runes.

"Tiro died protecting me. Protecting us," Jade whispered.

Kaelen bowed nearby. "We will remember him. And we will fight smarter next time."

Above, far from the trench, the realm of High Observers shimmered.

Whispers spiraled like fish circling bait.

"He fought with strategy."

"He learned pain."

"He teaches. He feels."

"Most Lords hoard power. He shares it."

In one hidden pool of eternity, a figure once known as the Sea Crowned Queen watched with intrigued approval.

"Let him grow," she murmured. "Let him rise."

Back at the surface world…

In the cafeteria of Silvermist Provincial High, students gossiped with exaggerated gestures.

"I heard Fatty Jade dropped out," someone snorted.

"Maybe he drowned and became fishfood. With his size he must not been able to float on the sea."

"Or Elia must have hunted him down endlessly. Hahaha"

"It was his misfortune to have his territory near Elia. It must be fate's joke to spawn him there knowing Elia hates him so much for being fat and and stealing the top spot in school."

"She is a die hard pursuer of Lucien and Jade being a top ranked after Lucien makes ger jealous."

"What a funny lovestruck girl. Though she really is a beauty with both brains, talents and background to back it all."

Lucien sat silently at a corner table, fingers tapping.

Jade's absence hadn't gone unnoticed—not by him.

"He's not weak," Lucien muttered to no one. "But am not really sure if he really is alive. I should not fret about people I am not really connected with. This just maybe my conscience."

From the window, a raven fluttered by, as if in silent agreement.