Exploring the Dragon King’s Sea
The Dragon Palace.
A palace said to be the home of the Dragon King, a divine being who protects the sea.
The waters surrounding the Dragon Palace were an underwater paradise.
All kinds of fish lived peacefully without a single worry, while sparkling jewels, coral, and seaweed grew thick like a forest...
Then why is something like that in the sea right in front of our fish farm?
Bubble, bubble...
I kept releasing bubbles from my mouth in shock.
There was no other way to describe the scenery before my eyes except to say that the Dragon Palace had actually appeared.
Peep!
A familiar whistle-like sound came from somewhere.
Because I was underwater, I awkwardly turned my head and barely managed to look around.
Daldal was swimming freely while looking at me.
“Sooho!”
He called my name.
Huh?
Did he just call me Suho?
“Bubble? Daldal?”
“Sooho! Swimming together is fun!”
Daldal smiled brightly at me.
Good grief.
A talking otter!
[Information: Upon entering the territory of the Dragon Palace, Translator performance has improved. ‘Dubbing’ support has begun.]
Oh.
So it was a function of the translator.
Darn.
For a second, I thought I was hearing Daldal’s actual cute voice.
That was a little disappointing.
[Information: Once Affinity with the Spirit Beast reaches 80 or higher, you will be able to hear the Spirit Beast’s true voice through Permanent Dubbing.]
[Permanent Dubbing: Currently unavailable.]
Oh?
I see.
Now I had even more reason to raise our Affinity.
“Sooho?”
Ugh.
Even if it was only dubbing, hearing that kind of voice coming from Daldal’s mouth was way too cute!
Without realizing it, I stretched out both arms, hugged him, and vigorously stroked his long body.
“It tickles!”
Daldal twisted his entire body around while giggling.
Seeing that made him even cuter, so I kept petting him with all my desire...
“Bubble. Ouch.”
“I said it tickles, Sooho!”
He lightly bit the back of my hand.
Honestly, it did not hurt at all, so I almost decided to accept the bite and keep petting him...
“Mmm...”
But I barely managed to stop myself because I did not want him to dislike me.
“Welcome! Ahead! Dragon Palace! Here! Dragon King’s Sea!”
Daldal happily swam around while proudly introducing the fantastic scenery before me.
Then, perhaps wanting to show off a trick, he played around with the bubbles coming from his nose and shaped them into a seashell.
Wow...
I clapped as I watched him.
“Sooho! Look over there!”
He pointed somewhere with one of his short, plump fingers.
Swimming slowly and awkwardly like an idiot, I turned my body toward the direction Daldal was pointing.
“Dragon Palace Wockfish!”
Just as Daldal said, a school of rainbow-colored Dragon Palace Rockfish was swimming peacefully through the water.
Bubble...!
Once again, I released a burst of bubbles from my mouth in surprise.
“Sooho looks funny!”
Daldal excitedly swam between the bubbles I had made while giggling.
I already thought he was pretty quick on land, but Daldal in the sea was something else.
He was truly an otter in his natural element.
Was it called Daljeeo, Otters Presenting Fish?
Come to think of it, our ancestors might have treated otters almost like fish themselves.
“Sooho! This way! This way!”
Daldal called to me while swimming around at incredible speed.
Then he gestured as if there was something he wanted to show me.
I lightly kicked my legs and followed after him.
Huh?
Something felt different from before.
My body felt strangely light and quick as I swam through the water.
Ah.
I remembered the Dragon Palace Rockfish I had eaten last night and its effect.
It increased agility while moving underwater.
So this is what it meant.
This is nice.
Shivering with excitement over what was basically a legal doping effect that national-level swimmers would line up to get, I pushed forward.
Every time my diving fins kicked through the seawater, the distance between Daldal and me became shorter.
“Sooho, fast!”
Daldal pretended to be shocked when he saw me.
Then he shot far ahead at an incredible speed, only to swim back while laughing.
Guided by Daldal, I explored all kinds of places in this unfamiliar sea.
“Bubble! Wow!”
A school of tiny fish that looked like anchovies, but whose entire bodies were covered in brilliant colors, rushed close enough to brush against me before shooting past.
The tiny scales they left behind sparkled beautifully in the sunlight.
Without thinking, I opened my palm and caught some of those scales.
[Information: Item acquired! Scale of the Jewel Anchovy.]
Oh.
Apparently, some parts of Fantasy Fish were also recognized as items.
I decided to check what kind of effect the item had later.
Once Daldal confirmed that I was following properly, he did not seem to mind when I fell behind a little to look around.
Actually, every now and then, he came back to me carrying fish or other sea creatures he thought I might find interesting.
Name: Sensitive Sea Cucumber
Species: Fantasy Creature
Rank: F
Difficulty of Acquisition: Very Easy
Description: An echinoderm that evolved after receiving a small amount of power from the Dragon Palace.
Its ecology and taste are not very different from an ordinary sea cucumber. Strangely, it is extremely ticklish, and its body trembles when held by hand.
Special Effect: Slightly increases Stamina when consumed. Permanent.
“Bubble! Hahaha, it really is shaking!”
Daldal handed me a huge sea cucumber about the size of a cucumber.
When I gently touched it with my hand, its body really did tremble as if it were being tickled.
Just in case, I placed it inside the collection net I had brought, then continued swimming after Daldal.
At first, I had simply thought the effect was interesting.
But the longer I swam, the more clearly I could feel the special effect granted by the Dragon Palace Rockfish.
After swimming this much, my body should feel stiff and heavy.
But I still feel light.
If I succeeded in farming them properly and could supply them in large quantities, they might even bring a revolution to the swimming industry.
It would also be nice to give some to the elderly haenyeo divers who worked so hard.
Well,
that was assuming I actually succeeded in farming them.
We passed bright blue scallops swimming together in groups like castanets, long kelp and eelgrass swaying in the current like inflatable dolls...
“Sooho!”
At last, I reached the place where Daldal was waiting.
“Dragon Palace Wockfish! Lots and lots!”
My eyes widened as I carefully looked at the place Daldal was pointing toward.
Schools of Dragon Palace Rockfish had settled into every gap between the huge rocks piled together like a mountain.
“Look at this!”
Daldal shot into a gap between the rocks like lightning, rummaged around inside, then returned carrying a Dragon Palace Rockfish whose belly had swollen up like a balloon.
