Aqua

  For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been very happy with my life. But I always push through and try to find the few good things about it. Like my mints.

  Those are good mints.

  Even getting the job at the convenience store was just a way to push my life from ‘basically dead but walking’ to ‘barely scraping by’.

  So when I found out about my Bloodline, I thought I might actually have a chance. Some hope that I could latch onto for a first. If I could just get out of the damned cave.

  And now, as I’m swimming very slowly with shattered bones across my body outside of that very cave, I find myself wishing I could go back to the cave.

  Right as the monster begins its next charge towards me.

  I close my eyes at the realization there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

  Then the sound of some sort of loud chirping noise echoes through the water, following which I hear a loud screech and a crash from where the monster is coming from. And despite all that, I don’t feel any pain. Well, no extra pain. Nor do I feel anything hitting me.

  So I slowly open my eyes, only to feel myself tensing up again at the sight that greets me.

  Another monster even bigger than the last with the first one partially in its mouth. Only for the newcomer to chomp its teeth further in and rip out almost half the first one’s body in that one bite.

  I don’t even see the chat anymore as my eyes tremble a little while watching the new monster.

  And yet, this new monster looks… familiar.

  Very familiar.

  The thing is mostly black with a white underbelly, a couple spots of white around its head, and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It has several fins, with one on its back, two on its front sides, and a tail fin at the back.

  And if it weren’t for its massive size and glowing blue eyes, I would be convinced it was a regular one.

  [Deepsea Orca – Level 102]

  That’s one of the lesser versions of the Abyssal Orca.

  The orca is about fifteen meters in length, with a mouth that is a little bit small for its massive body even if its full of sharp teeth. But the creature in general is beautiful.

  It’s also turning to look at me after killing that rigal.

  I flinch at the sight of its eyes locking onto me, only for the orca to slowly begin to approach me.

  Then something unexpected happens.

  Instead of eating me, the creature just nudges me with its head. And as if that wasn’t enough, the thing starts to glow blue before said blue light transfers to me. Sending a wave of relief flowing throughout my body as the pain subsides.

  I let out a sigh at the sensation. Then I try to move a bit and find that I can move with ease.

  Wait a second… is this thing…

  The orca lets out a cute sounding chirp before nudging me with its head once more and turning around. And without a moment of hesitation, the thing just blitzes through the water so fast that I can barely keep track of it.

  Leaving me here stunned and somehow healed.

  My mind practically blanks out as I glance between the orca and the corpse it just left behind. The half-eaten corpse at that.

  It just saved me.

  Equeter Pioneer Broadcast Central

  Not long before Aqua leaves the caves

  “Does this mean Aqua Fallen has a variant of a Kraken Bloodline?! That would be huge!” Larsen practically shouts as he watches the livestream. Meanwhile the host of the main Pioneer broadcast on the planet known as Equeter just sits back staring wide-eyed at the screen despite the tentacle having long since left said screen.

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  “If a type of Kraken Bloodline has reemerged, doesn’t that mean Aqua is due all the properties owned by the Azuranth house?” Larsen asks, finally snapping the host out of his stupor.

  “Yes, if she is proven to have a Kraken related Bloodline, the properties and assets of the Azuranth house will automatically belong to her,” Arnold answers, the host finally collecting himself. “But that’s only if she is proven to have a Kraken type Bloodline.”

  “Isn’t that tentacle enough proof?” Larsen prods, worried his new favorite Pioneer might not be able to get something good.

  Well, that and the fact that his enemy is currently gunning for using the Azuranth Auction House for their next plot. And if someone can finally take control of the auction house, then that problem won’t be one anymore. Leaving his Virtrue house an opening to strike back.

  “There are other octopus related Ancient Bloodlines besides the Kraken,” Arnold says while the elderly man shakes his head. His age showing far more than Larsen’s since Arnold is a lot lower level than Larsen. “Furthermore, a single skill could have been obtained by luck of the draw.”

  Larsen holds himself back from clicking his tongue since he’s live on TV right now.

  But just a few moments later, his frustration vanishes into shock as he sees the Bloodliner leaving the caves and instantly running into a level 42 monster. One that attacks her, leaving her seriously wounded and with no possible chance for survival.

  “Damnit, no!” Larsen fails to hold himself back this time as he stands up and shouts at the screen.

  “It looks like it won’t matter in the end,” Arnold states with a shake of his head.

  But no matter how much Larsen wishes it weren’t happening, the events on the screen continue. The level 42 deepsea monster charges at Aqua, only for her to summon four more tentacles to hold it down and dodge it using some of those tentacles to throw herself out of the way.

  Then the monster tears apart the tentacles with ease after crashing into the ocean floor before turning to the currently fleeing Aqua.

  Right as Larsen’s depression at the situation is reaching a critical point, however, things change.

  Aqua closes her eyes as if accepting her fate, still with that lazy look on her face even if it’s marred strongly by pain. But instead of the monster charging at Aqua, a loud call echoes through the screen, following which what looks like a massive orca with glowing blue eyes charges straight at the level 42 monster.

  Chomping straight down onto it before swinging it around like a toy.

  And right after Aqua opens her eyes, the orca chomps down harder on the monster. Tearing straight through it and then swallowing the part it chomped through.

  Killing the thing with ease.

  The very thing that was attacking Aqua.

  Larsen slumps back in his seat, feeling defeated now. Because there is no chance she can escape a monster that strong. Especially when it’s level 102.

  But the events that play out after leave both him and the host shocked just as much as the sight of her using a tentacle related skill.

  The sight of the orca moving up to her and nudging her as if she were a child orca, only to heal her and leave.

  Now while a normal orca might leave a human alone or even play with them, a monster orca, specifically a deepsea orca, would just eat a human if they saw them. Treating them as food from that point on. Maybe even a toy.

  But this deepsea orca just healed her.

  “Are you still sure her Bloodline is that of a Kraken?” Arnold eventually asks, leaving Larsen to shake his head in the negative. “I’m not sure what her Bloodline is, but I am at least sure of one thing.” Arnold finally uncrosses his arms. “It’s an unusual one.”

  Larsen finds himself numbly nodding his head.

  Bloodline Research Center

  “Write down everything you can! Absolutely everything! Don’t leave a single detail undocumented!!!” Fraxis shouts, his voice cracking from how loud he’s raising it. Meanwhile pandemonium hits the research room all around him as all the researchers all frantically move, documenting every last thing they can about what they just witnessed.

  The various different tentacles the Bloodliner used. What color they were. The fact that they had scales. And even their size. All the way down to the way the orca treated her. Which was exactly how an orca would normally treat their young.

  “Make sure to save recordings from several angles!” Fraxis continues shouting while documenting things himself.

  Since the camera angle given to viewers can be moved by the viewers themselves through the System, they have a good setup for getting as much data as possible.

  Of course, the camera is specifically built so that it can’t be moved into certain angles from certain positions in order to protect the privacy of the Pioneers, but it’s plenty enough for the researchers to collect data from. And that’s what Fraxis is counting on. Gathering the footage recorded by different people all over the universe from different angles.

  This is their first breakthrough in research, and it only happened due to her revealing her first skill and meeting the orca.

  That realization alone gets on his nerves more than it should. And to make matters worse, it doesn’t matter if she takes her armor off anymore since the orca healed her. So there’s no way to tell if she’s healed or taken less damage than she should.

  Fraxis feels a headache coming on as he thinks about all of this. But after a moment of pause, he turns to the researcher who had called the Orcayne family before and asks, “Try calling the Orcayne family again. They may answer now that potential proof has been shown of her Bloodline being related to orcas.”

  The researcher nods their head immediately and grabs a phone.

  Fraxis turns his attention back to the screen again where he sees the Bloodliner entering the caves again and seemingly heading back to the dry place she managed find in it. Then he remembers what she had said earlier on about not accepting any business inquiries until she gets a safe place to stay.

  She probably has people lining up to sponsor her, especially after this.

  He lets out a sigh while rubbing his temples.

  Then he returns to his work documenting everything he can about the videos that were taken.