Chapter 152

Chapter 153: Don’t Touch What You Shouldn’t (First Update of the Day! Begging for Subscriptions!)

The smooth, soft cheeks, the long hair in a pale blue hue akin to the water’s surface, the adorable fins replacing ears, and emerald-like beautiful eyes.

“Mermaid……?”

Izay couldn’t help but slow his breathing as he saw the little head adorned with shell and pearl hair accessories bobbing above the water, stealthily observing him. Afraid of startling her, he held his breath.

The little one seemed unaware that she had been noticed, her large emerald eyes blinking as she sneakily peeked at Izay, her expression as innocent as a child’s.

It was the kind of look only a child would have when they see something they like.

If her parents were around, she’d probably be tugging on their sleeves, pointing at Izay and saying, “Mommy, I want that!”

She looked younger than Izay, maybe around fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing hair decorations made from coral and pearls that shimmered beautifully with the water’s reflection.

Unlike other monsters, she didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking Izay.

Even though she had clearly spotted him, a human, she didn’t plan to attack. And compared to earlier, her appearance seemed to shift styles completely…

“—Heretic?”

Softly, Izay moved his lips.

In Water Riddle City and within the Great Tree Maze, these are the main activity areas for the heretics. These two floor environments contain the “Secret Groves” necessary for the heretics’ survival.

“Secret Groves” are the homes of heretics within the dungeon, all undiscovered realms. There’s more than one such place, and each has its own guardian.

The Secret Grove inside the Great Tree Maze houses a Tree Dragon, while this area of Water Riddle City seems to be guarded by a mermaid.

‘So… does that mean… the one in front of me?’

Izay opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

What should you do if, while equipping new gear and entering an instance, you suddenly encounter a friendly rare creature in the wild?

One that runs away as soon as it sees you.

Should he try to catch her?

As Izay wrestled with how to approach her, the mermaid girl tilted her cute head slightly, locking eyes with him.

Seemingly confused about why the human in front of her was behaving so strangely.

But soon, she blinked.

Is that human looking at me? What is he looking at?

Did he just say something? Was he talking to me?

Ah? Something feels off…

Realizing this after two seconds of hesitation, the mermaid girl suddenly came to her senses, widening her eyes and covering her lips with her hand, her expression saying, “Uh-oh! I’ve been spotted!”

Not now, you’re realizing this now?

Seeing her reaction, Izay felt the urge to comment.

But he didn’t stand there staring either.

Gently shaking his right hand holding Que Xie, once it left his palm, Que Xie spun twice in mid-air before vanishing in a golden light.

It hadn’t disappeared; rather, Izay stored it in a dedicated weapon space. To retrieve it again, he merely needed to think it.

He took a step forward slowly toward her.

Whether due to weak wariness or strong curiosity, seeing Izay approach and put away his weapon, the mermaid girl neither attacked nor fled. She watched him with a mix of unease and fascination.

But she submerged herself slightly, maintaining a defensive posture.

Only her small head remained above water, ready to flee at any moment.

“…Are you, a heretic?”

Stopping about a meter away from her, Izay bent down to meet the gaze of the head poking out of the water and asked softly.

“—Eee!?”

The emerald eyes widened gradually. Upon hearing the word “heretic,” it seemed like the correct password had been given.

She who was previously hiding underwater, blowing bubbles and ready to escape, actually moved closer.

“Do you know?”

“Know?”

“Do you know us?”

“Hmm… somewhat.”

“How strange, none of us have ever interacted with humans, so why do you know?”

With every question, the mermaid emerged further from the water. Though her lower body was still submerged, her upper half was almost entirely out.

She propped herself up to look Izay in the eye, allowing him to see her clear and transparent green scales and tail, her white and delicate skin, and her exposed round shapes…

Sss, what a big fish tail! Such a white surface!

“Because Fels told me?”

While admiring the lake view, Izay didn’t stop thinking.

He sat lightly on the crystal shore, and upon seeing this, the mermaid girl jumped out of the water, grabbed onto Izay’s arms with both hands, then leaned in, sniffing along his clothes.

“…But you don’t smell like Fels?”

“Are you a dog?”

“Hmm?”

“Not really, I mean Fels is just a skeleton, where would he even have a smell?”

Would bones even have a scent?

Izay wasn’t convinced by that.

By the way, judging facts through smell? That’s ridiculous.

Isn’t this mermaid’s skill tree barking up the wrong tree?

“Do you know what Fels looks like under his robes? So impressive! Even we don’t know!”

The mermaid girl’s attention shifted to something strange, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Uh… well… um, you might be misunderstanding something. Under Fels’ hat, there’s nothing. He is actually…”

Halfway through his explanation, Izay paused, stunned.

Wait…

Hadn’t he never seen what was under Fels’ black robes? He had just assumed it was a skeleton.

Though that possibility was indeed high, wasn’t he slandering him?

“What exactly is he?”

The mermaid eagerly questioned, clearly curious about the sage’s hooded face for quite some time.

Covering his cheeks with his hands, Izay sighed.

“Do you know what a ghost is?”

“What’s that?”

“A mysterious being without a body or face, floating aimlessly in the air.”

“Is Fels a ghost?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Ohhhhh…”

A certain sage heading towards the lower floors muttered, “Even though skeletons don’t sneeze, I inexplicably sense a wave of malice…”

“Speaking of which, Silver Star’s exploration speed is too fast! In no time, they’ve already reached the lower levels…”

Still wandering through the middle layer, Fels, who had to be cautious about concealing his form due to the numerous adventurers in the middle and upper layers, couldn’t help but mutter.

Due to the vastness of the dungeon, the sage who couldn’t place eye crystals everywhere to monitor the situation hadn’t yet realized the severity of the matter.