With the death of the sea beast, the surrounding waters turned a vivid shade of red.
As August prepared to lay in wait, hoping to attract predators with the bloodied water, a graceful figure approached rapidly from the distance.
A few seconds later, August's expression shifted to one of surprise; it was none other than Melro, the mermaid who had initiated their conversation yesterday.
Trailing behind her was a pack of large sea beasts resembling great white sharks, their rows of sharp teeth glinting menacingly as they pursued her.
"Mr. August! You need to get out of here; the sharks are right behind me!" Melro warned, her eyes wide with urgency.
Though she was puzzled by August's presence in the ocean, now was not the time for questions.
As Melro spoke, the school of sharks closed in, and August noted there were at least thirty or forty of them, each one a significant threat.
"Melro, do you need my help dealing with these nuisances?" he asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.
"Deal with them? Are you planning to fight all these sharks alone? That's impossible! We should just get out of here!" she replied, her voice laced with concern.
"Impossible?" August smiled, undeterred. He focused his gaze on the approaching sharks.
Buzz~
A dominating presence emanated from August, a force that signified his position at the top of the food chain—a power that only those with the qualities of a king could wield: Conqueror's Haki, and not just any form of it, but an extraordinary level of it.
In that instant, all the previously aggressive sharks halted in their tracks.
They looked at August with eyes filled with awe and fear.
To them, August had transformed into the apex predator of the ocean, while they were nothing more than prey.
Melro was equally astonished by the scene unfolding before her. What had just happened? Why had the sharks stopped? Who exactly was August?
"From this moment on, the roles are reversed; you are the prey," he declared.
Whoosh!
Silver chains of binding law shot out from all directions.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One by one, the sharks were pierced by the binding chains, suspended helplessly within them. Nearly thirty sharks were swiftly transformed into trophies.
Melro's eyes widened in shock—how could this be? These were great white sharks, effortlessly taken down?
While not the most powerful of sea beasts, great white sharks were among the most troublesome.
Their individual strength was formidable, and they hunted in packs, often overwhelming even larger sea creatures with their coordinated attacks—truly the wolves of the deep.
Yet here, this entire group of sharks had been dispatched with such ease.
August retracted the chains, tossing the defeated sharks into his small world. It was quite a substantial haul.
After neutralizing the threat, August's attention shifted to the mermaid Melro.
"Melro, it's good to see you again," he said with a warm smile.
"Yes, I didn't expect you to be so powerful, Mr. August. You can even survive in the ocean as a human!" she replied, her admiration evident.
"I'm not human, nor am I surviving in the ocean. I merely isolated myself from the water," he clarified.
At that moment, Melro noticed the thin, nearly imperceptible membrane surrounding August, forming a protective barrier that kept the seawater at bay.
August assessed Melro in return; mermaids in the ocean exuded far more allure than those on land.
"Did you come to the ocean looking for me?" Melro teased playfully, a mischievous smile gracing her lips.
"No, I came here to hunt sea beasts. I just happened to encounter you at the start," August explained.
"Hunt sea beasts?" Melro echoed, surprised.
"That's right," he confirmed.
"Then I must be quite lucky! If I hadn't run into you, Mr. August, I might have faced disaster," she said, relief washing over her.
The danger posed by great white sharks in the ocean was incredibly high, even for a mermaid like Melro, who belonged to a powerful aquatic race. Today, due to an unexpected turn of events, she had found herself being chased by a pack of these sharks, truly a perilous moment.
In her most desperate hour, her prince had appeared to rescue her. It was a scenario she had often dreamt about but never expected to become reality.
Unbeknownst to August, Melro was now lost in her own whirlwind of thoughts.
August had already savored the benefits of hunting sea beasts; their value far surpassed that of land beasts, especially the large and super-sized sea creatures, which were akin to top-tier magical beasts.
Moreover, killing sea beasts required just a single strike, yet the rewards were immense.
"Um, Mr. August, if you don't mind, would you come visit my home? I want to express my gratitude properly," she suggested.
"Visit your home?" he asked, intrigued.
"Yes! After all, you are my savior. I naturally wish to repay you," she replied, a bright smile illuminating her face.
"I don't have a problem with that, but where is your home? In the ocean?" August inquired.
"Yes, it's down in the trench over there. Many years ago, my father told me that humans often captured members of our race because both our males and females are considered incredibly precious treasures among the various races."
August was taken aback for a moment, but then he understood. Although different races might coexist peacefully now, that hadn't always been the case; a few centuries back, things could have been quite different.
Could visiting Melro's home be akin to discovering Atlantis in this world?
"Mr. August, is that okay?" Melro asked again when she noticed his silence.
"Oh, of course! I don't have anything else planned," he replied casually.
"That's wonderful! I'll lead the way; let's go quickly!" she exclaimed, darting off in the direction of her home.
August followed closely behind, intrigued by the prospect of seeing a mermaid's abode.
He had already arranged to explore the mermaid shops with Stank and the others tonight, but visiting Melro's gathering place first could be advantageous. Perhaps he might even save some money.
After saving this lovely mermaid, August felt that her fondness for him had certainly increased.
Truly, the wisdom of ancient times held true; the heroic rescue of a damsel may be a cliché, but it was undeniably an effective tactic.
Meanwhile, on another part of the ocean's surface, Stank and his companions had rented a small boat and ventured out.
However, once they arrived at the vast ocean, they quickly realized a critical issue—they weren't strong swimmers. While they could manage in lakes and ponds, this was the ocean. Could they truly handle it?
Especially Bruz; as an orc, being thrown into the water felt like a death sentence.
The atmosphere turned tense as the four friends found themselves at a loss, unsure of how to proceed. If they wanted to hunt sea beasts, their first task was to locate one, but in this endless expanse of ocean, how could they possibly find it?
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