Chapter 229: I’m a Slime

Kaelen didn’t want to waste time standing around. The other lobbies were already on the same floor, and there was a high possibility that they were already deep-diving while he was still thinking about it.

That was when an idea struck him.

Wait...

He tilted his head to look at SKD.

"You said you can’t swim?"

"Yes, milord."

"So are you saying you’d drown if I shoved you inside?"

SKD hesitated for a moment. "I wouldn’t, because I have no lungs and no need to breathe above or underwater. But I might sink to the bottom."

"Can your flames burn underwater?" Kaelen asked again.

"On a normal body of water, certainly. But there’s a possibility that this storm isn’t normal at all, and using my breath underwater might prove futile."

"So if I were to come at you underwater, you’d be a sitting duck?"

The Supreme Elder Dragon looked like he wanted to scratch the back of his head in confusion, not understanding Kaelen’s line of questioning. "I doubt the water resistance can stop my blades from cutting down the enemy, but my movements might be limited."

Kaelen’s lips slowly curled up. "Very well, then. Prepare our men for a deep dive into the storm."

"Yes, milord. What’s our objective?" he asked with a serious expression.

"A moment," Kaelen said and shut his eyes.

Back in Lysandra’s room, he rose from the shadow once more and turned to face her, as she was still seated where he’d left her.

"You’re dealing with merfolk," she began before he could even speak. "They fight with tridents and spears, but you should watch out for their spear guns, which are long-ranged and incredibly fast. There’s a castle underwater and a kingdom of them. So far, Lobbies #111 and #001 have only made it to the outskirts and are being surrounded from all sides. I’m guessing the final boss is likely their ruler."

Kaelen paused to think for a moment. "And what would you do if you were in that situation?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Me? I’d make my way straight to the boss room instead of engaging with the merfolk warriors, who come in endless troops. Once you get caught up with them, it might be hard to break free without slaughtering them all."

"And how do you plan to do that exactly?"

"For me? I have my mana threads. Once I get close enough, I’ll attach them to the castle walls and disappear. Once inside, I’m guessing the corridors should be narrow enough that troops can only attack me from the front and back. Using my mana threads like a whip, I can tear them down in tens," she said sharply.

Kaelen was impressed.

"Your mana threads sure are useful and versatile," he said with a wry smile.

"You think so? I can teach you if you like," she said with a smile.

"You can teach me?" Kaelen asked in surprise.

"Mm-hmm. Creating the threads is the easiest part, but controlling them and balancing yourself on them are the hardest. I’m willing to teach you until you can use them as well as I do, no matter how long it takes," she said with a bright smile.

Kaelen smiled too. "Thank you. See you later," he said and dissolved into the shadows once more.

He opened his eyes and turned to face SKD.

"The objective is to get to the bottom. The faster you can sink, the better. Once you land in enemy territory, use their land as your foothold and push forward. Cut down anything that comes at you. Understood?"

"Yes, milord."

Kaelen turned to stare at the high waves one last time.

"Wait," Saha suddenly interrupted. "How exactly do you plan on breathing underwater?" she asked curiously.

Kaelen stared at her in silence for a moment before shifting his attention back to the sea.

Back on the Seventh Floor, when Kaelen had been covered in blisters after escaping the poison dragon, he had noticed a unique pattern in his healing before SKD gave him a Health Potion from Kenora.

He had healed with the properties of a Slime.

Instead of watching flesh knit itself back together, his skin had liquefied around the blisters and begun regenerating flesh.

Kaelen might have been stripped of the ability to transform into a Slime, but he was still a Slime. If he were stabbed in the heart now and his core were in his stomach, Kaelen would survive.

If he lost his head and his core were in his arm, Kaelen would survive and regenerate.

In other words, a Slime could survive underwater because it didn’t need to breathe. It was already 99% water and was one with it. So, if Kaelen could hold his breath inside the ocean, he believed his core should sustain him and supply his brain with enough oxygen to survive for as long as he was in there.

Kaelen tilted his head just enough to look at Saha, and he replied with three simple words.

"I’m a Slime."

The ladies could barely react before he dove into the water and was dragged away by the waves.

SKD was right behind him. As soon as they hit the water, the shadow army appeared and dropped in after them.

Because the goal was to sink faster and prevent the waves from carrying them away, all the dragons in the shadow army immediately transformed, and the rest, including Kaelen, had to grab onto them as they descended to the bottom, leaving the roaring waves above.

Luckily, Kaelen’s intuition was right. Though uncomfortable, he didn’t feel a desperate need for air and felt like he could last longer than that.

It wasn’t long before the glowing lights of an underwater kingdom came into sight, and with them, several figures began approaching from below.

Merfolk.

They didn’t come alone. They came with carriages drawn by what looked to be large seahorses and pets that resembled sharks from Earth, but were larger and more ferocious.

Without waiting for the enemy to arrive, Kaelen struck first.

Not with his shadow army, not with the Maw of Annihilation.

With hundreds of quality-enhanced skill books in his inventory, he began ripping them apart. Page by page.

His plan was simple... he was going to bring the storm down on the enemy’s camp.

He was going to give them a taste of his very own... Heavenly Tribulation.