Bloodline Research Center
A loud cracking sound echoes through the main room of the research center as Fraxis’s hands once again slam down on the desk in front of him when the screen at the front of the room shows four orcas being summoned by Aqua. With the sight of Aqua floating in the middle of them as her eyes glow a deep blue color in the water practically imprinting on his mind.
“What the fuck is her damned Bloodline?!” Fraxis shouts, his voice echoing across the entire room. And this time the other researchers aren’t even afraid of him as they feel the exact same frustration he’s feeling right now. “What Ancient Monster even has traits from both Krakens and orcas?!”
Fraxis turns his attention to various news stories open on the side of the room. They put them there just in case the reporters point out something they missed. Which isn’t something they would normally do, but at this point they’re practically just grasping at straws waiting for Aqua to reveal something else.
Only for everything she reveals to lead to a completely different conclusion every time.
And during all this, the Aquamarine-Life Laboratory completely ignores all of their requests, focusing solely on the research of the dozens of new types of marine life the Bloodliner keeps discovering there. Proving them to be completely useless in their Bloodline hunt.
What Fraxis sees on the news reports is just about what he expected. Every single news reporter is going crazy about the new skill reveal along with the sheer power behind it.
Summoning four deepsea orcas while also flooding the area with water.
It’s exactly the type of skill the Bloodliner needed to make full use of her Bloodline. A Bloodline that’s stronger when underwater.
At this point Fraxis doesn’t know what to do. He’s being paid by the Grand Chancellor to research Bloodlines, yet he hasn’t made any real progress on identifying the Bloodline shown by this one Pioneer.
If this keeps up he isn’t sure what that man will do.
And the Orcayne family still refuses to say even a single word on the matter for some reason. Which only makes it even more suspicious.
Some of the researchers in the research center even went on to suggest the possibility that she could have more than one Bloodline. But he threw them out of the room almost immediately at the preposterous idea.
After all, the chances of awakening even a single Bloodline is less than one percent for those who actually carry the blood. So the chances of awakening two Bloodlines is astronomically low.
And that’s on top of the fact that it would require two bloodlines to mingle in the first place. And no Bloodlines ever mingle together.
It’s not any sort of rule or anything, they’re just too proud to mix their bloodlines. Especially when they don’t know what the result would be.
But the most preposterous thing about the suggestion would be the fact that it would mean a member of the Orcayne family ended up having a child with a member of a Kraken related Bloodline. Maybe even the Kraken Bloodline.
Fraxis shakes his head at the thought before returning his attention to the main screen showing Aqua as she fights with the orc king. But then the orc king actually surprises both him and the Pioneer with its next actions.
Oh? This might be harder than she probably thought.
Aqua
I dodge a couple more attacks before stabbing the orc king in the side with my trident. But when I dodge the next attack, it hits one of the orcas that is currently charging straight at the orc king from behind me. And his singular attack slices the poor thing in half.
But that’s not all that happens. Because apparently it’s not a matter of ‘the water vanishes after all four orcas are dead’. Instead it’s a matter of the water decreasing with every dead orca.
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Shit.
The orc king notices it immediately, and he seems to realize what caused it as well. Then he clenches his legs before shooting straight through the water by pushing against the ruins beneath us.
All the way until he surfaces and takes in a big gasp of air.
I grit my teeth even as the ruins that he jumped from start to fall apart from the sheer force he put into that jump.
So much for the easy win.
The orc king lets out another roar, but this time it’s muffled by the water between us. And it doesn’t seem to have the taunting effect.
Regardless, I have the orcas finish off the other orcs, pleasantly finding that their kills count as my kills in the process, before personally rushing towards the orc king. Only to find the orc king glaring in the direction of the orcas. Making it clear who his targets are.
Yeah, that’s not happening.
When I reach him, I stab straight through his gut with my trident, sending him flying right into the ceiling from my momentum before we both fall back into the water. And by now I’ve gotten the System Messages for the deaths of each of the orcs, leaving just the orc king left.
But I try not to get overconfident. Mostly because of what happened to that deepsea orca. Poor fella.
So I order the other orcas to move as far away as they can. Building distance between them and the orc king.
Only for the orc king to suddenly throw his sword with so much strength it splits the water for a very short moment. Following which it pierces straight through one of the orcas. Dropping the water level again to about halfway up the room. Leaving some ruins left dry again.
Ruins that the orc king quickly climbs onto, albeit only after I stab him again in his right shoulder this time. The damned monster moving out of the way at the last moment to avoid being struck in the heart.
I narrow my eyes at the orc king, who is currently standing on the ruins while holding his right shoulder. With his only remaining sword currently having fallen down into the water from me stabbing his right shoulder.
So right now he’s weaponless, but on land. And with several injuries.
On the other hand, I’m actually fine.
It’s looking good so far.
I glance at the orcas to find them already having gotten rather far away. Only to turn back just to see the damned orc king having jumped directly into the air with his fist raised and heading straight for my face.
At the last moment, I duck backwards, but the orc king still manages to slam his fist into my chest. Sending me barreling back to slam into a wall.
And for a brief moment I seriously begin to wonder if this orc king put almost all of its free points into strength or something.
That or it just has a skill that enhances its strength.
Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure orcs also have a trait related to strength. I don’t remember what it was though.
That aside, I can tell just by looking down at the cracked armor over my collarbone and the shards of bone sticking out of said collarbone that the orc king did some major damage. Enough that it hurts like hell.
But I just don’t care anymore. It’s not enough damage to kill me right now, especially with my regeneration. And I’ve been suffering through endless pain most of my time here already.
So while the orc king is looking smug while trying to swim back to the ruins, I don’t waste even a single second as I swim straight up to him and stab him through the back. Piercing my trident halfway into him before twisting it. Making the orc king let out a roar of pain and anger as he swings his left fist back at me, slamming me in the shoulder with it and forcing me back while ripping out my trident from his back.
Which only seems to cause the orc king even more pain.
I grit my teeth as I feel my left arm going slack as pain flares up on it, making me drop my trident in the process. Probably from a dislocated shoulder judging by the lack of any visible damage.
The orc king abandons the idea of swimming back to the surface by the looks of it as he turns around to face me and pulls his left fist back to swing at me. And, despite the infection in my right arm clearly screaming at me not to, I pull back my own fist in response.
Making both of our fists clash in the water between us, sending a shockwave of water all around us in the process.
But his attack clearly does more damage to my infected arm than mine does to him as I let out a scream of pain.
The orc king looks confident as he pulls his fist back again.
So I finally do it.
I activate Abyssal Kraken’s Embrace six times in a row, making six different tentacles appear all around the orc king. Wiping that smug look off his face one last time even as he grabs one of the tentacles and rips it apart before grabbing another to do the same.
Only for the remaining four to wrap tightly around him. Trapping him in place for me to swim downwards and grab my trident with my infected arm before returning in front of him.
I glare at the cause of all my current pain while he looks back at me with a new look of fear on his face as he continues to drown in front of me.
But I don’t care.
I slowly move my trident towards the orc king’s throat with my infected arm until it pierces into the orc king’s flesh. Then into his windpipe and major artery.
And just like that, I watch the light in the orc king’s eyes gradually fade away as the light in my own eyes continues to glow brightly in the water.
[You have killed a level 20 Orc King. EXP has been granted accordingly.]
[You have killed a creature underwater. Apex Predator of the Depths has been activated, increasing your REGEN stat by one.]
[Congratulations! You have now reached level 17! Your total free points have increased by two, and your mana stat has increased by ten. Allocate the free points whenever you please.]
[Congratulations! You have now reached level 18! Your total free points have increased by two, and your mana stat has increased by ten. Allocate the free points whenever you please.]
Then the dungeon begins to tremble at its boss’s death.
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