Chapter 614: Chapter 614 - 614. Letting Go To Return The Favor

Jack spent some time dueling the lone Stinging Eel. He could have finished it fast using magic as he did with the first two, but instead, he insisted on melee. Fighting melee against the water denizens was extremely difficult. Jack could see now that melee players were seriously handicapped for battling underwater. He did not give up though. He was not a good swimmer, but he still knew the basics. Even though the underwater breathing mechanism in this game world was unrealistic, the movement was real enough. Most of the time when he wanted to change position, it was done using kicks. His high strength and dexterity stats allowed him stronger kicks to move faster, but they were difficult to control. He couldn't stop or change direction anytime he wanted to. While fighting, he found it was easier to just stay still and only slashed when the opponent came at him. Of course, since he was still getting used to it, he missed most of the time and ended up getting bit by the eel. But after many tries, he started to get the hang of it. He disliked staying at a spot when fighting, it made him feel passive. He tried several times propelling himself forward with a strong kick and slashed, but attacking using this method had scored him zero hits. Probably this could be done when fighting a larger and slower opponent, but against this small and agile eel, it was impractical. He continued practicing until the eel's HP was critical, then he intentionally missed to not kill it, simply because he still wanted to continue practicing. Then he saw another red dot coming from behind. 'Uh, perhaps I have played too long,' Jack said. He waited for the eel to come again and deliver the killing slash. The eel's damage was too small. Even without Peniel's boost on his passive recovery, Jack's HP bar still recovered to full during his underwater practice. Jack turned back as a large shadow was enclosing. It was fast, Jack thought. He kicked to the side to get away from the shadow's trajectory, but the shadow changed direction to follow him. Visibility was poor underwater, but his Dragon Eye gave him better clarity than it should be. The red dot soon came into view. It was a very large fish. The ugliest fish that Jack had ever seen. It opened its mouth and rows of sharp teeth filled its mouth. This mouth was coming at Jack, fast. Jack made an inspect as he crossed both his swords in front of him for a parry. Giant Sawteeth Coelacanth (Elite monster, Aquatic), level thirty-five The beast slammed onto him. Its teeth clanged with Jack's two swords. Jack was helpless as he was dragged by the fish's momentum. The fish tried to clamp its mouth but Jack's swords prevented it. It shook its head around fiercely until Jack was thrown to the side. It then swam away before turning around for another charge. Jack decided to not play around this time. He used his magic staff and cast Magic Weapon, before firing a Mana Beam. The fish was agile enough to dodge the beam, but Jack easily swung the beam following the fish's movement and hit it. Jack then fired Mana Bullet and Energy Bolts before continuing with standard range attacks. The fish tried to dodge a few times before it lost patience and decided to just tank through those range attacks, coming at Jack. Jack tested a spell that usually only appeared on the ground, Myriad Ensnaring Chains. What happened when there was no ground? Instead of a circle on the ground, the spell now created a sphere floating in the middle of the water. The twelve chains shot out from this sphere, binding the fish. Jack then tested another spell with similar requirements, Arcane Turbulence. It also created a sphere from the center of where Jack aimed at. The torrents of energies rampaged around this sphere, causing damage to the fish while it was still immobile by the chains. Done with his experimentation, Jack decided to just finish the fish. He sent Wind Slash and Sword of Light at the bound fish, as well as non-stop shooting standard range attacks. By the time the fish was free, its HP was low already. When it still insisted on coming at Jack with its sharp teeth, Jack wait for it to approach and executed Devouring Cross, finishing it. The fish disintegrated, leaving some coins and mana cores floating on the water. Jack picked them up and decided to no longer dilly-dally underwater. What if a stronger monster appeared? His movement was not that fast to allow him a quick escape. It was better to not take further risks. He swam to the riverside before resurfacing. He looked around and saw no players around, so he got out from the water. Peniel only reappeared after Jack was on land. Jack checked himself on the map. He was amazed to find that he had actually swum rather far from Death Associates' headquarters. Now that he was no longer in danger, he had time to check his messages. There had been several messages sent by Jeanny after his communication was blocked. Mostly asking him what had happened? Why couldn't he receive her messages? Her last message told him to hold out, they were rushing as fast as they could. Jack sent her a message, "Abort! Mission abort!"