Ackster didn't know what he had expected when he dived into the Habitat. He just knew that it wasn't water from what Wilma had told him. Once he inspected it a little closer, he also noticed that it wasn't water. And he felt that since it wasn't water, he didn't need to worry about being unable to breathe it.
It wasn't a forced rationalization. That was just what Ackster felt when he looked at the not-water.
So, when he dived in, Ackster's primary concern wasn't whether he could breathe it or not. It was how deep he could go.
For some reason, the original story had skimmed this part.
If Ackster had to guess, it was because its primary purpose was to show off how beastly The Hero had been and to set up the trouble that came afterward. The Hero easily broke the record at the Habitat he had visited. And he got an inventory that was a stupid amount larger than what most people with inventories even thought was possible.
However, for Ackster, it was a pivotal moment.
The Hero had made do without an inventory until he reached the A-rank since he had an artifact that filled the same purpose.
Ackster didn't. So, he couldn't walk around carrying noticeable weapons, flashy armor, or expensive artifacts that were bound to catch attention. Ackster already knew it would be difficult to fly under the radar, considering how gossip-prone adventurers were, especially when it came to other adventurers and even more so with strong ones.
Not carrying or using anything that could give him a nickname or become an identifier for him would make it more difficult for people to pinpoint his movements and identity. It would also make changing his hair color with Mio's help useless.
But with an inventory, Ackster could stock up on weapons, armor, artifacts, tools, resources, potions, poisons, clothes, Stones of Wisdom, and whatever else he might need to bring with him. And he could do it without worrying about it getting lost in a fight to the death or someone using it to identify him.
That was why Ackster, regardless of how difficult it was, made the bottom of the bottomless pond that was the Habitat his goal.
Thankfully, the nectar wasn't as difficult to swim through as he had thought. From above, it had looked like thick jelly that had at first glanced looked like still water. But once inside, it was completely different.
The nectar didn't offer any resistance to his movements as he swam down, but it still propelled him further. It also felt like he didn't weigh anything, which was a strange feeling. He quickly got used to it.
It was the first time he had felt something like it, but if Ackster had to put words to it to make it easier for himself to understand, it was like he was swimming in a pool of liquified weightlessness.
'This is actually pretty nice.'
The world around him was silent. Ackster didn't even hear himself breathe. Since it wasn't disconcerting, despite losing an entire sense, Ackster hadn't noticed it at first. But when he did, he was only worried for a couple of moments. Even if no sound entered his ears, he could still sense what was happening around him, which wasn't a lot since there wasn't much else other than him within the Habitat, at least not as close to the surface as he was.
The pond of nectar was also comfortably warm. It was like being wrapped in a warm and fuzzy blanket.
'That's…'
Ackster was, however, forced to stop daydreaming due to the pulsating dots of light blue light appearing deeper down the pond.
It was the inhabitants of the Habitat, the Space Jellies as they were so affectionately called. The spatial jellyfish weren't that different from ordinary jellyfish, at least not in terms of appearance. They were slightly translucent, soft-looking, and mushy with tentacles. They also glowed with their innate space mana as they drifted around inside the Habitat.
Ackster couldn't help but think they were a little cute despite their ghost-like appearances as they curiously came closer to inspect the strange visitor.
But he didn't get distracted.
Ackster continued swimming downward while greeting the Space Jellies. He had begun to feel a slight tingling sensation all over his body, which probably was the baptism of space energy Wilma had mentioned. It wasn't that bad, but it would continue the longer he stayed in the pond.
Eventually, it would become too much for him, and he would be forced to retreat or get pushed out of the Habitat. However, the size of his inventory was dependent on how deep he could go. Naturally, he had to try and reach the bottom, even if it seemed impossible.
However, as he went deeper and deeper, more and more Space Jellies decided Ackster's intrusion warranted their inspection. Although they seemed harmless, and Ackster knew that they weren't naturally hostile as many beasts and all monsters in the wild were, he couldn't help but worry when he could barely swim without swatting one of them.
Ackster had a feeling that if something like this had happened to The Hero, the original story would certainly have mentioned it. He also thought that if Space Jellies were this common or if they usually came up to anyone getting an inventory like this, Wilma should have warned him about it.
Sure, he had said he knew a little. But he hadn't even known that it wasn't water until Wilma said something and he took a closer look. Besides, she had also told him the basics.
Ackster could only conclude that something strange was happening.
'Ah… It's that thing Wilma mentioned. Has to be.'
The only thing that Ackster could think of being the reason why the Space Jellies were so attracted to him was the same explanation for why the Ant Queen wanted him.
His overflowing and leaking vitality made him a beacon for beings who could sense things like that. And considering their extraordinariness, Ackster wasn't surprised that the Space Jellies were like that when even the ants back in that nest could sense him.
'Hmm.'
But just because he knew of the cause didn't mean Ackster knew the solution to his problem.
However, the Space Jellies weren't aggressive. They were just curious, so Ackster gently pushed them aside as he continued downward while hoping they would stay as docile.