His movements were swift, almost clinical.
He avoided looking at the faces.
He focused solely on the pockets, the belts, the satchels:
- Coins.
- Knives.
- Crude amulets.
- Seaweed powder.
- More and more.
Nothing.
He moved on to the next.
Still nothing.
As the seconds stretched on, a dull tension settled in his chest.
Arthur was alone, further away, with the last poachers.
Even though the child had the horn, even though he was supposed to stay hidden, Venti didn't like this situation.
Every moment counted.
He stood up abruptly and went back to search the remaining tents with renewed urgency.
Then, in one of them, larger than the others, reinforced with thick ropes and set slightly apart, he sensed that something was different.
The interior was better organized.
- A sturdy table.
- Maps hanging on the walls.
- And, resting on a metal hook near the entrance…
An enormous bunch of keys.
Venti froze.
The bunch was massive, almost disproportionate.
A heavy iron loop from which hung at least thirty different keys.
Some were long and serrated, others thick and square, still others strangely ornate, as if they had been designed for very specific locks.
The metal bore traces of salt and wear, signs that it had been used often—and for a long time.
Venti approached it slowly, as if the key ring might vanish if he made too sudden a movement.
He unhooked it.
The weight immediately strained his arm.
This wasn't just a simple collection of tent or chest keys.
This was the kind of key ring you entrusted to someone charged with watching over something important.
Something precious.
Or dangerous.
He tightened his fingers around the ring.
Venti: "...It's you."
He no longer doubted it.
Even without seeing the cage, even without trying a single lock, he knew that among those keys were the ones that locked the giant cage of the blue crab.
Too big.
Too many.
Too specific to be anything else.
A mixture of relief and anger washed over him.
Relief, because he finally had what he needed.
Anger, because it meant that someone had consciously carried those keys on him, day after day, knowing perfectly well what they held captive.
And Venti couldn't even destroy the chains himself because he wasn't strong enough.
Venti tucked the key ring into his belt and left the tent with a determined stride.
He cast one last look around him.
The cavern.
The bodies.
The Millennial Pearl Seahorse Still lying there, groaning softly in the distance.
It all formed an absurd, cruel, almost unreal scene.
But he wasn't finished.
A few seconds later:
Venti started to run.
FFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffffffffff
The air vibrated around him as he activated Mass Increase/Decrease.
His body seemed to lighten, as if gravity itself had decided to give him priority.
His steps became longer, faster, almost silent on the damp sand of the cave.
The scenery flashed by around him.
The walls covered in luminous algae traced greenish streaks in his field of vision, and the sea breeze rushed through the tunnels like an ancient whisper.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
With each stride, he felt the adrenaline pounding. His temples throbbed, but his mind remained strangely clear.
Venti: "That skill…"
He remembered it very well.
The first time he'd used it was the day he'd had to catch up with Arlan's and Leona.
Three bandits.
A quick choice to make.
Venti: "It was also the day I woke up."
The second time was during the entrance exam for the Adventurers' Guild.
He exhaled slowly.
Venti: "…How naive."
The cave occasionally opened onto wider recesses, and that's where he saw them.
Crabs.
Some small, others larger, moving clumsily across the sand, their claws still hesitant, as if they were rediscovering freedom.
Clack clack
Some had gathered near the walls, others were skirting the tunnels, drawn by the salt water and the natural algae.
None seemed panicked.
None seemed injured.
Venti slowed slightly, just enough to observe the scene.
These creatures, which the poachers considered mere merchandise, were returning to their places in the cave as if it had been waiting for them all this time. The cycle was starting again, slowly but surely.
He felt something relax inside him.
Yes… he had killed.
He didn't shy away from the truth.
Venti: ".....".
The images of the sprawling bodies, the blood on his hands, remained etched in his memory.
It wasn't something to be proud of.
It wasn't a resounding victory.
But seeing the crabs free, knowing that the Millennial Pearl Seahorse was no longer bound, thinking of the enormous blue crab still imprisoned but not for much longer…
He told himself he had made the right choice.
A difficult choice.
An irreversible choice.
But a necessary one.
He gritted his teeth and accelerated again.
Arthur was waiting for him.
Every second now counted.
The last poachers were still lying there, and even weakened, they remained dangerous—especially to a child.
Venti had no intention of leaving anything to chance.
Venti: "Hang on..."
He murmured to himself.
Venti: "I'm coming."
A few minutes later:
Finally, Venti arrived at the cave where he had left Arthur.
His breathing was perfectly controlled despite the run.
The Mass Increase/Decrease ability slowly dissipated around him, and his body returned to its normal weight.
The first thing he saw was the six bodies lying on the sand, exactly as he had left them.
The poachers were still breathing, unconscious, their faces etched with the extreme fatigue caused by the chain of debuffs.
Arthur was still there.
Standing near the large cage, his hands clasped around the horn, the boy stared at the enormous blue crab with a mixture of fear and fascination.
When he saw Venti, his face immediately lit up.
Arthur: "Venti!"
Venti instinctively placed a hand on his shoulder.
Venti: "Are you alright?"
Arthur: "Yes… I didn't see anything strange," Arthur replied after a moment.
"Well… the big blue crab often bangs its claws against the cage."
"It's trying to get out, but the bars are too strong."
Venti turned his eyes toward the cage.
The enormous blue crab was even more impressive up close.
Its shell was a deep cobalt hue, crisscrossed with fine, luminous veins reminiscent of ocean currents frozen in stone.
Its eyes, a lighter blue, shone with undeniable intelligence.
When it saw Venti, it froze for a moment, then began to bang slowly against the bars again, as if it understood that something had changed.
BAM BAM
Venti: "Wait a little longer."
Venti murmured.
Venti: "I'll get you out of here."
BBBBBBbbbbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzz
It was at that precise moment that he felt a familiar vibration against his chest.
His adventurer's crystal.
The bluish glow pulsed once… then a second time, more intensely.
A gentle, almost euphoric warmth spread throughout his body.
Venti barely had time to blink before lines of text appeared before him, visible only to him.
[Level Up!]
Venti — Level 28
HP: 8400 → 10300
ATK: 1300 → 1450
DEF: 860 → 860
Elemental Mastery: 310 → 370
Venti: "....".
Venti froze.
Venti: "Seven levels."
"All at once."
His heart skipped a beat.
But it wasn't over.
The lines continued to scroll by, almost as if the crystal struggled to contain the magnitude of what had just transpired.
Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 4 → Level 5
Telekinesis — Level 2 → Level 3
Resistance Reduction — Level 5 → Level 6
Stat Reduction — Level 3 → Level 5
Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 2 → Level 3
Wind Communication — Level 2 → Level 3
Intangibility — Level 2 → Level 3
Venti took a deep breath.
His body still vibrated with the accumulated energy.
It wasn't a violent sensation, but a constant pressure, as if his potential had suddenly expanded. He felt his lungs fill more easily, his muscles respond faster, and above all… the wind around him.
He could hear him better.
He understood him better.
Venti: "Seven levels…"
He murmured.
Arthur, who couldn't see any of the statistics, tilted his head.
Arthur: "Huh?"
"Did you say something?"
Venti shook his head slightly, regaining his composure.
Venti: "No… nothing important."
But inwardly, his thoughts were in turmoil.
He had leveled up quickly before, but never so much at once.
The reason was obvious, though.
It wasn't just the number of enemies defeated.
He had taken on an entire network.
He had dismantled an operation connected to the Abyss.
He had freed centuries-old creatures.
And above all… he had made an irreversible decision.
The system had recognized this.
He looked down at his hands.
Still stained with dried blood.
Venti: "So this is the price… and the reward."
There was no joy in his eyes.
Only calm acceptance.
The Venti of old might have smiled, joked about having "farmed" experience.
But not anymore.
He turned his attention back to Arthur.
Venti: "You did the right thing," he said sincerely.
"You didn't move."
"You did as I asked."
Arthur lowered his head slightly, a little embarrassed.
Arthur: "I was afraid... but I waited."
"That's exactly what I should have done."
Venti then pulled the enormous bunch of keys he had retrieved earlier from under his cloak.
The metal clinked softly, producing a clear click that immediately made the blue crab react.
He reared up as much as the cage allowed and let out a low, almost impatient growl.
Venti approached the bars.
Venti: "Just a little longer..."
he thought.
He cast one last glance around the cavern.
The six poachers were still unconscious.
No reinforcements seemed to be arriving.
For the first time in a long time, he felt he had some real leverage.
And with his new stats…
With his enhanced skills…
He knew things would be different next.
Venti: "Arthur."
He said calmly.
Venti: "Back up a bit."
Arthur: "Why?"
A slight smile appeared on Venti's face, but it was devoid of any carelessness.
Venti: "Because now… I'm going to release the crab, and it might make some big movements."
He turned toward the cage, keys in hand, as the wind began to swirl gently around him.
Venti knelt before the cage and began trying the different keys, one by one.
Click
The metallic clang echoed through the cavern, mingling with the slow whisper of the wind that seeped through the rocky cracks.
Clap
Some keys stubbornly refused to turn, others went in halfway before jamming completely.
Click
With each failure, the large blue crab tapped its claws against the bars, as if it understood that its freedom depended on these clumsy but determined gestures.
Venti: "Patience…"
Venti murmured, more to himself than to the creature.
Four minutes later:
Finally, after several attempts, the last lock gave way with a sharp, clear click.
The six bolts fell heavily to the ground. Venti took a deep breath, then placed both hands against the cage door.
It was massive, forged to contain monsters far more violent than a mere sea creature.
Venti: "....."
He had to force it open, his muscles tensing as the metal creaked under the strain.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGgggggggggggr
The door opened.
No sooner was there enough space than the crab began to pound the ground powerfully with its legs, producing deep vibrations that resonated through Venti and Arthur's legs.
Slowly, majestically, the creature emerged from its prison.
It was at that precise moment that they could truly see it.
The blue crab was immense, far larger than the cage had suggested.
Its shell formed several overlapping layers, like mineral petals, tinted with deep blue, turquoise, and white.
Some parts seemed eroded by time, covered in greenish traces reminiscent of ancient algae.
Its large, powerful claws gleamed with an almost metallic, dark blue, while the interior revealed a lighter hue, studded with natural golden patterns.
Each movement produced tiny sparks of aquatic light, proof that this was no ordinary creature.
Arthur: "....."
Its eyes immediately caught Arthur's attention.
They were a brilliant golden yellow, like two inverted flames, and yet… they expressed no hostility.
Venti: "It doesn't look as wild as all that."
On the contrary, a calm, ancient, almost regal intelligence emanated from them. When they landed on Venti, the crab became completely still.
Silence fell over the cavern.
The wind subtly shifted direction, as if waiting for something.
Arthur: "It's... magnificent..."
Arthur murmured, unable to look away.
Venti remained silent.
FFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffff
Thanks to his Wind Communication, he perceived something more than a mere physical presence. He sensed a will, an ancient memory, a being who had known the open sea long before humans thought of chaining it.
GGgggggrrrrr
The crab slowly raised one of its claws, then placed it back on the ground, right in front of Venti.
Venti: ".... ."
Arthur: "..... ."
It was neither an attack nor a threat.
It was a gesture of recognition.
Venti slowly straightened up and inclined his head slightly.
Venti: "You're free now."
The creature let out a deep, resonant growl, echoing from the abyss. Then, without a glance at the unsuspecting bandits, it moved toward the cavern's exit, each step leaving a wet, luminous trail behind it.
Arthur looked at Venti, his eyes shining.
Arthur: "We really did make the right choice... didn't we?"
Venti stared for a moment at the passage through which the crab had just disappeared, then closed his eyes.
Venti: "Yes... whatever happens next."
"Let's follow."
Venti and Arthur exchanged a brief glance before setting off after the blue crab.
The creature moved with surprising confidence through the cavern's tunnels, its legs striking the rock with a heavy but steady rhythm.
With each step, slight vibrations rippled through the walls, as if the cavern itself recognized its presence.
[Venti's Stats — Visible only to him]
Name: Venti
Level: 28/100
Max HP: 8400
ATK: 1300
DEF: 860
Elemental Mastery: 310
Identified Skills:
- Telekinesis — Level 3/10
- Stat Boosting — Level 3/10
- Intangibility — Level 3/10
- Flight — Level 2/10
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 2/10
- Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 5/10
- Illusion Creation — Level 2/10
- Resistance Reduction — Level 6/10
- Stat Reduction — Level 5/10
- Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 3/10
- Teleportation — Level 4/10
- Wind Communication — Level 3/10
Stock exchange: 8000 Moras
Equipment: Sacred Lyre, Fishing rod
Chapter 58: The electro pearl
The End