Chapter 139: Underwater Horror

Although she had squid genes, Clara’s old home on Earth was an inland town, where the most she’d ever seen were nameless lakes polluted by chemical plants. She had never seen real seawater.

The moment she slipped into the sea, she actually felt like she’d finally come home.

[Are you not afraid of the salt anymore?]

As long as I keep my mouth shut, there’s nothing to be afraid of! My slick, slippery skin is waterproof, after all!

[Nyx has a question.]

[You clearly don’t have gills—how are you breathing underwater?]

“Squeal” had gills, but “Clara” did not, so Nyx’s question not only stumped her, but actually made her feel short of breath.

The business of magical girls is none of your concern!

[But you’re not in transformation mode right now. In other words, you’re not a magical girl at the moment, and you don’t have support from the Null Power Barrier to assist your breathing.]

The business of squid monsters is none of your concern!

Clara gave up on trying to think about such meaningless things.

The seawater was remarkably clear—most likely the result of a water-type ability user or a powerful magic professional’s handiwork. Whether in Central City or at any major station, the presence of such people was always indispensable.

The ecosystem here was as rich as a rainforest, teeming with countless fish both big and small. Among the seaweed below, shrimp and shellfish hid themselves, and there were even octopuses, which Clara felt a sense of kinship with, lying in ambush on the seabed.

Although octopuses and squids were only distantly related, the bumpy, rough skin of the octopus simply couldn’t compare to the delicacy of a squid’s.

When she tried to get a closer look at the octopus, it triggered its predatory instincts. Suddenly, its tentacles, hidden in the sand, shot out and wrapped around Clara’s body. They were cold and slippery, slipping under her swimsuit and trying to bite her with its central disk-shaped mouth.

Clara’s small tentacles struck back, wrapping around the octopus’s limbs and forcefully prying it away from her.

She was a monster, after all—she had at least this much strength.

If a transformed monster could be eaten by an ordinary animal, wouldn’t that mean all that modification was for nothing?

Clara saw shock in the octopus’s eyes. Once the red fellow realized the difference in strength, it quickly chose to flee.

[Octopuses are very intelligent. Maybe you can try communicating with it.]

No way, that’s simply impossible, isn’t it?

Swimming freely along the seabed, Clara soon lost track of time. This place was like a giant fish tank.

And there were never any rabbits in a fish tank. Fran’s guess really was a little too outrageous.

Although there were sea hares, but that was another thing entirely.

[It’s still too early to jump to conclusions.]

Nyx’s navigation issued a reminder.

[50 meters ahead, there’s an underwater cave.]

A cave?

Caves are formed when limestone is eroded by seawater over many years, creating large hollows.

…It’s not strange for there to be a cave beneath a natural island. In fact, it’s almost inevitable after years of seawater erosion. But this was an artificial island, even the ocean here was man-made—how could a natural cave have formed here?

[That is precisely the problem.]

Nyx seemed to have some kind of answer.

[Besides eating anything and reproducing endlessly, the Moon Rabbits have one more special skill.]

Hmm, they’re very good at digging tunnels.

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The deeper she went into the cave, the less sunlight reached from the dome above.

Luckily, her big squid eyes were built differently—she could see even in darkness and ink clouds.

Could I beat those rabbits underwater?

Clara couldn’t help but wonder.

[If a squid can’t handle rabbits underwater, Nyx suggests you start over.]

That’s harsh! Was that really necessary?!

[Remember, your mission isn’t to wipe out all the remaining Moon Rabbits. As long as you confirm the location of their warren—even if you encounter just one rabbit—you can turn around and run.]

That’s true…

[Running away is your specialty. Are you telling me you’ve lost your confidence, even in that?]

Well, I do still have confidence in that!

Nyx knew Clara was timid, and that in this dim, confined underwater environment, she could easily break down. That’s why Nyx purposely made relaxing remarks to help relieve her stress.

Clara understood the intention, and it was working.

But just then, Clara’s nose caught the scent of blood. The deeper she swam, the stronger it got, until even the seawater was growing redder.

[There’s an exit ahead.]

Nyx’s scan brought fresh news.

Even Clara could see the light underwater through the darkness.

[The other end of this cave leads up to the surface.]

Is it the sea’s surface? Or a cavern?

So, those rabbits don’t spend all their time underwater. It’s more like penguins—they dive to hunt for food, but live (and breed) on land.

The batch she took care of at noon wasn’t all of them. To keep reproducing, there had to be survivors—Clara figured she’d just about found them.

She’d swum quite a distance under the island through this cave, and finally saw an exit.

“Phew!”

Clara popped her head out of the water, but she was still underground.

“…A cave?”

She climbed ashore. It was a low-ceilinged cavern, but with her height barely reaching a meter and a half, it didn’t get in the way—at least she didn’t have to squat down.

The air reeked of blood, even worse than underwater, making Clara nauseous. But she had no time to dwell on it.

“Chii chii!!”

Because, from the depths of the cave, a wave of Moon Rabbits rushed out and surrounded her.

But… they didn’t attack?

[Mission complete. You can run now.]

[Nyx will contact Fran and have her report the situation to the Sigma Series.]

Nyx said this, but Clara shook her head.

“Wait. Why aren’t they attacking me?”

[Isn’t that a good thing? Would you really want to fight all these little things in such a cramped space?]

“And also, where did these kerosene lamps come from?”

There was light in the cave—some kerosene lamps hung from the rock walls.

That’s where the glow Clara saw underwater came from…

Moon Rabbits shouldn’t have the ability to make tools, and these things didn’t look like anything the island’s staff would use—they were far too outdated.

The Moon Rabbits still didn’t move, just stood across the cave, glaring at Clara.

[These Moon Rabbits are experimental creations of the Fourth Calamity. Maybe they’ve been granted some basic command and can make simple tools?]

That would be a little too scary.

“Where did you come from? What are you trying to do on this island?”

Clara spoke up.

It was odd to try talking to rabbits, but she did it anyway.

To keep up the intimidation, Nyx even gave her a gas mask—covering her expression was enough to make the other side feel threatened.

“Dao!”

The Moon Rabbit really seemed to be saying something, but Clara couldn’t understand at all.

The sound didn’t belong to any language, and even Nyx couldn’t translate.

[Still not running?]

This time it was Nyx who began urging her to flee.

Clara replied, “They’re blocking my way, that’s why they aren’t going all out to attack. There’s something deeper in the cave—their job is to guard it…”

[The smell of blood is even stronger further in. Nyx thinks it’s their larder.]

It wasn’t just the smell of blood—even the ground beneath her feet was red and muddy.

This blood flowed from the depths of the cave out to the sea, dyeing even the water in the cave.

Clara wanted to run.

But her reason kept tugging at her.

Puchu, puchu, puchu, puchu–

[Run, their main force is coming!]

Even more Moon Rabbits surged through the tunnel.

No idea how many, but Clara smacked her lips and turned, diving back into the water.

Maybe the “truth” really was right in front of her eyes—

But it wasn’t worth risking her life for.