Chapter 33: The Underwater Area

“It’s a relief there are still pockets of air down here.”

“Thanks to that, we can take a breather.”

“I’m exhausted…”

The group—Shifa and her companions—were currently deep within the Underwater Area.

After confirming the remarkable effects of the Water-Breathing Potion, they had launched repeated expeditions into this region, steadily expanding their hand-drawn map and filling in the blank spaces of the unknown.

This zone had been almost completely untouched until now; reliable information was practically nonexistent. Each new tunnel and cavern they uncovered was being charted by their own hands, a slow, deliberate unveiling of an alien world that had lain hidden beneath the surface.

Fortunately, not everything was submerged. There were occasional air pockets—dry ledges and half-flooded chambers—where they could climb out of the water and rest.

Even better, the monsters inhabiting this zone were mostly aquatic. As long as they remained on land, they were rarely in danger of being attacked.

“Still, without those Water-Breathing Potions, there’s no way we could make any progress. Even swimming from one air pocket to the next would be impossible—the distance’s just too great to hold your breath.”

“But with the potion, it’s surprisingly easy.”

This place had earned a reputation as one of the most challenging areas of the dungeon—but that difficulty came almost entirely from the environment itself, not from the strength of its inhabitants.

Now that they could breathe underwater freely, combat wasn’t much different from fighting on land. The monsters, though formidable in appearance, were no match for them, and the layout of the area turned out to be far less complex than the rumors suggested.

After taking a short rest, they uncorked another round of Water-Breathing Potions and dove back in.

The effect lasted roughly an hour, so they’d agreed to reapply the potion every forty-five minutes just to be safe.

At first, the underwater area had been nothing but a dull stretch of cave corridors—cold stone, dim light, and silence broken only by the sound of their movements. But as they pushed deeper, the scene around them transformed into something breathtaking.

(It’s… beautiful. If only this weren’t a dungeon, this place could make a fortune as a tourist spot.)

(Yeah… those colorful things down there, they’re coral, right? I think they only grow in the sea?)

(I wonder if coral’s edible?)

It was indeed a coral reef.

For the three who had spent their lives inland, this was their first glimpse of such a spectacle—an underwater garden blooming in impossible hues, swaying gently in the currents. The light filtering down through the surface shimmered over the corals, painting the seabed in a dreamlike dance of blues, reds, and golds.

(…Wait. Over there—something’s moving.)

The beauty of the scenery came with danger. Some of the monsters lurked among those same corals, lying in ambush for careless adventurers entranced by the view.

They could not afford to let their guard down.

Defeating crablike beasts, serpentine eels, and massive octopi, the trio advanced steadily, their path illuminated by the faint glow of enchanted lightstones.

(Time for the next potion.)

Just as they prepared to surface for another dose, something caught Sena’s eye.

(…Hey, what’s that?)

She pointed toward the distance, her expression puzzled.

Shifa and Anii turned to look—and froze.

(Huh…?)

There, far ahead in the deep blue, a colossal shadow moved with slow, majestic grace.

It was far enough away that the scale should have been hard to gauge—yet the massive manta monsters swimming below it looked like specks of dust by comparison.

Each of those manta beasts was at least three meters wide.

So then… how large was that shadow towering above them?

(Fifty meters… no, closer to a hundred?)

The three young women could only stare, frozen in place, their bodies trembling as the sheer enormity of it sank in.

(Could that be… the Named Boss of this area?)

No one had ever seen the Underwater Area’s Named Boss before. It was said to exist, but no adventurer had survived to confirm it—no name, no record, just rumor.

And yet, Named Bosses were always unmistakable. Their power and presence alone set them apart from ordinary creatures.

Judging by that overwhelming aura, there was little doubt.

(How are we supposed to beat something like that!?)

(L-let’s retreat for now!)

(Agreed!)

They swam upward as fast as their bodies allowed, bursting through the surface into an air pocket and dragging themselves onto the nearest rocky ledge, gasping for breath.

“…We really underestimated this place,” Shifa muttered, wiping water from her face. “The regular monsters were so weak, I thought the boss would be manageable—certainly easier than the Volcano Zone’s.”

“Same here,” Anii admitted.

“Yeah, I totally thought this would be a cakewalk,” Sena sighed.

The three of them sat in a circle, damp and weary, their expressions clouded with concern.

“Assuming it’s actually a hundred meters long… how exactly do we even fight something like that?”

“Oh! I know,” Sena raised her hand solemnly. “We don’t. It eats us, and that’s the end!”

Shifa groaned. “You’re not even trying to think this through, are you? …Though, unfortunately, you’re probably right.”

A monster that size could swallow them whole without effort. A single gulp, and they’d be gone—snuffed out like candle flames beneath the waves.

“So much for smooth progress, huh…” Anii murmured.

It had been their first successful expedition into the Underwater Area. They’d hoped—perhaps even believed—that they might be the first to fully conquer it. But the appearance of that behemoth shattered that hope.

While the mood darkened, Shifa straightened up, determination flickering behind her eyes.

“…Let’s set aside the boss for now. We’ll focus on finishing the map. Once we’ve gathered enough data, we’ll retreat.”

The others nodded in agreement.

If that giant creature approached, they’d sense it immediately—but still, they moved with heightened vigilance as they resumed their exploration.

And then, it struck—without warning.

Just as they were wrapping up the day’s exploration, ready to return to the surface, the water around them suddenly darkened.

A vast shadow loomed overhead—so enormous that its edges vanished into the gloom, impossible to take in all at once.

It was the same monstrous shape they had seen earlier, but now it was here.

Close.

Unimaginably close.

“Wh—what…?”

The three could only stare upward, frozen, as the sea itself seemed to tremble around them.

In that moment, they understood.

There would be no escape.

The Named Boss of the Underwater Area had finally revealed itself— and they stood directly in its path.