Chapter 59 – The Hills Have Slashers

The Sun had barely crested the horizon when Professor Jacopo started patrolling around Placid City. 

Initially, he went for a walk to check the shipyard of the place. 

His boots crunched on the path that wound its way along the sandy outskirts of the city. 

This had been the eleventh time that he had been here since the catastrophe. 

His heart ached when he realized that no matter how much support he had provided to the city out of his own pocket, Placid City still seemed dead.

It seemed like everything he had done so far had only bought a little more time to a corpse that was already starting to rot.

When he finally got to the shipyard, he extended his senses into the water.

Placid City was in the South Deep, and although unlikely, the monsters from the outside could potentially come ashore. 

However, as he slowly made his way onto the waters on a mana board, he felt a disturbance.

He extended his senses below and with a simple, neutral circle of mana powered by his Primary Mana Channel, killed three torpedo snappers in a half-mile range.

"Torpedo snappers?" he muttered, his voice barely audible over the crash of waves. "How?" 

The presence of torpedo snappers outside the confines of the Placid Cave was troubling. 

I’ve made sure they couldn’t escape anymore. Sure, the guards here should be able to take care of them, but… where did they come from? 

He came here every two years to make sure that the Catastrophe wouldn’t repeat, to make sure that the first-year students who joined his course would be up to the harsh life of being a Water Rider. 

Most importantly, he came here to obliterate every nesting inside the Placid Cave and to avoid that those Torpedo Snappers would turn into their much more dangerous counterparts: Drakes. 

"This doesn't make sense," Iakopo said to himself, frustration evident in his voice. "The cave entrance is too far away from the nest. There's no way they could have..."

He trailed off. 

Had someone deliberately released the creatures? 

Was there a breach in the cave system that they had overlooked? 

Iakopo really wanted to go check the Placid Cave, but the fact that Mayor Boro had begged him to clear the surroundings of Placid City from stragglers now made sense.

Someone must have encountered Torpedo Snappers while going about their day. 

And considering how weak the average inhabitant of the island was, excluding their small military force, it was very likely that any civilian would have perished facing these creatures. 

He had to make sure that there was no real threat in sight.

***

Twenty years prior

The streets of Placid City bustled with activity as Iakopo made his way towards the city center. 

The sun beat down mercilessly, and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead beneath his official Water Rider uniform.

"Iakopo!" a familiar voice called out. He turned to see Yalena jogging towards him, her white hair gleaming in the sunlight. "There you are. The mayor's waiting for us."

Iakopo nodded, falling into step beside her. 

"Any word on the Placid Cave situation?"

Yalena's expression turned serious. 

"It's worse than we thought. The local Water Riders haven't been able to keep up with the monster population and the nesting hasn’t been kept in check for years. They're requesting our help to clear it out—one big push, they say, to exterminate all the Snappers inside."

As they walked, Iakopo couldn't help but notice the admiring glances Yalena drew from passersby. 

Her reputation as a prodigy had preceded her, and even here, far from the Academy, people recognized the rising star of the Water Riders.

They arrived at the mayor's office, a modest building that belied the importance of its occupant. 

Inside, they were greeted by a portly man with a receding hairline and a nervous demeanor.

"Thank the Deep you're here," the mayor said, wringing his hands. "The situation in the cave... it's getting out of control."

Iakopo listened as the mayor explained the details of their mission. 

Clear out the Torpedo Snappers, assess the overall threat level, and ensure the safety of Placid City. 

It seemed straightforward enough, but something about the mayor's anxiety set Iakopo on edge.

After the briefing, as they prepared to head to the cave, Yalena pulled Iakopo aside. 

"Before we go in, there's something I want to talk to you about," she said, her voice low.

Iakopo raised an eyebrow. 

"What is it?"

Yalena hesitated.

“I can’t sense the Dark Water Well. I’ve taken a look inside the cave, too. There’s magical interference.”

Iakopo looked at her with a frown.

“Cultists?” 

Only an enormous quantity of Abyssal Magic was nasty enough to be able to interfere with Yalena’s Star Water.

“I fear so,” Yalena said. “I think they might have done something to the monsters. The Mana inside the cave… it’s a suffocating presence. You might have to use your real spells if things go south.” 

“Sure,” Iakopo said, frowning.

That might have sounded like an harmless statement to anyone else but those who actually knew Iakopo.

Unlike every scion of the Kane Family, the man had neither mastered nor learned Azure Lightning Water. 

Having been a rascal from a young age, Iakopo had found a mention of a forbidden Affinity that no one practiced because of its terrifying aggressiveness.

However, he had sincerely believed that mastering it would have given him the greatest chances of one day completely obliterating the Kraken.

But he had underestimated how destructive his own spells would become.

His love for Yalena sprung, at least in part, from the fact that the woman wielded Star Water, one of the greatest Affinities—more specifically, the Affinity with the greatest sealing and defensive power there was. 

The white-haired woman by his side was one of the very few who could contain his magic in such a way that would allow him to unleash his full-power without hurting all the people around him. 

That’s why they had gravitated toward each other during the years.

Without her, Iakopo wasn’t able to unleash his magic unless completely alone, far away from any ally or civilian.

“As long as you’re by my side, everything will be fine,” Iakopo said, bringing Yalena in for a kiss. “I couldn’t imagine a life without you. Nor fighting without your Star Water, anymore.”

“Maybe that’s why you chased me,” Yalena smiled mischievously. 

“Perhaps,” Iakopo smiled. 

“We have to find the well, though,” she said, putting her hand on his chest. “That’s the most important thing.” 

“Sure, we will,” Iakopo smiled. “Let’s kill these monsters and… yeah, we’ll find it.” 

***

The Present

The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting sharp, defined shadows across the landscape. 

She had tried to find Professor Jacopo in their lodgings, but he wasn't there. This made her feel free to explore on her own.

Talia squared her shoulders and pressed on. Whatever challenges lay ahead, whatever truths she might uncover about herself and her abilities, she would face them head-on. 

She had to—for her own sake, and for the safety of those around her.

The hills grew closer with every minute, their slopes standing tall and stark against the midday sky. 

Talia’s grip on the Star Glaive tightened as she approached, her senses alert for any sign of danger. 

But more than any external threats, she feared what lay inside herself—the hunger that had nearly consumed Keanu’s life force behind the Star Glaive’s Skill.

As Talia trudged up the sandy slopes, her mind raced with questions about the Star Glaive and its newly revealed power. 

The weight of the weapon felt different now, as if it had taken on a sinister quality that she hadn't noticed before. 

She couldn't help but focus on the memory of Keanu's pale face, the fear in his eyes as she inadvertently drained his life force.

"How is this possible?" she muttered to herself, examining the glaive's gleaming surface. 

The weapon had been a gift from her mother, unlocked by her father. 

This was supposed to be the same noble instrument her mother used to protect innocents from the horrors of the Deep. 

But now? 

Now it felt tainted, corrupted by what flowed through her veins.

Talia's steps faltered as a terrible thought struck her. 

Had her own Affinity somehow corrupted the Star Glaive? 

"No," she said aloud, shaking her head as if to physically dispel the notion. "That can't be right. That’s not how Soul Weapons work, right?” 

And yet, the doubt lingered. 

As she crested the first hill while keeping [Eyes of the Abyss] active to follow the Mana trail she had spotted the night before, Talia paused to catch her breath and survey her surroundings. 

The landscape stretched out before her, a patchwork of sandy dunes and scrubby vegetation. 

In the distance, she could make out the dark mouth of what appeared to be a cave entrance.

"That must be where the Mana trail comes from," she murmured, squinting against the bright sunlight.

Before she could take another step, a flicker of movement caught her eye. 

Something was stirring in the sand just ahead, disturbing the otherwise still surface. 

Talia tensed, her grip on the Star Glaive tightening instinctively.

With a burst of sand, a creature erupted from beneath the dune. 

Talia's eyes widened as she recognized the distinctive shape of a Slashing Cruster, its blade-like appendages glinting in the sunlight.

[Slashing Cruster - Level 10]

"What the-" Talia began, but her words were cut short as the Cruster lunged at her with frightening speed.

She hadn’t felt its presence with [Eyes of the Abyss] for some reason.

Nonetheless, she made quick work of it. 

[You have slain Slashing Cruster Level 10!]

She quickly absorbed the corpse with [Blood Siphon] and then move forward toward the cave.

[You have absorbed the Level 10 - Slashing Cruster’s Life Force.]

[+0.9 to your Primary Mana Channel (4.82/20 to Level Two)]

[+0.5 to your Agility (5.7/6 to 1 Agility)]

The Mana trail grew stronger as Talia approached the cave, her senses tingling with the intensity of the energy. 

The Star Glaive hummed softly in her hands, as if responding to the heightened Mana concentration. 

With each step, the pull became more insistent, drawing her towards the yawning entrance of the cavern.

Just as she was about to step out from behind a large boulder, something made her pause. 

A flicker of movement at the cave's mouth caught her eye, and she instinctively ducked lower, pressing herself against the rough surface of the rock.

What she saw next made her blood run cold.

Emerging from the shadows of the cave entrance was a Slashing Cruster unlike any she had encountered before. 

This beast was massive, easily three times the size of the ones they had fought on the beach. 

Its carapace gleamed with an otherworldly iridescence, and its blade-like appendages looked capable of cleaving a person in two with a single swipe.

[Slashing Cruster (Boss) - Level 17]

Talia's heart hammered in her chest as she watched the monstrous creature. 

It moved with intelligence, its compound eyes scanning the area around the cave entrance. 

It was clear to Talia that this was no ordinary Abyssal Creature - this was a guardian, a sentry placed here to protect whatever lay within the cave.

"Dammit," she whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself. "What is this thing doing here?"

She knew, with a sinking certainty, that she was no match for this creature. 

Even with her recent power boost and the Star Glaive, taking on a Level 17 Boss monster alone would be suicide. 

But more than that, the presence of such a powerful creature so far from where it should be raised alarming questions.

As she watched, the Boss Slashing Cruster retreated slightly into the cave entrance, positioning itself in a way that would allow it to ambush any unsuspecting visitors. 

Its behavior was too organized, too purposeful to be natural.

Even the giant Abyssal Scuttler had just been mindlessly looking for herbs.

Instead, this Boss just looked around and stood guard in front of the cave. 

A chilling thought crept into Talia's mind. 

Could this be the work of Cultists? 

The strategic placement of the creature, the unnatural concentration of Mana, the secrecy surrounding Placid City - it all pointed to something far more sinister than a simple monster infestation.

"I need to tell Professor Iakopo," Talia decided, slowly backing away from her hiding spot. 

As much as she distrusted the man, this was beyond her capabilities to handle alone. 

The presence of Cultists on the island would explain much of the mystery surrounding their trip, and it was too dangerous to ignore.

With one last glance at the cave and its monstrous guardian, Talia turned and began making her way back towards Placid City. 

If Cultists were indeed involved, it meant that the danger to her fellow students - to all of Placid City - was far greater than anyone had let on.

As she hurried back, her thoughts turned to her classmates currently in the Placid Cave. 

Were they walking into a trap? 

Had Professor Iakopo known about this all along? 

Talia's pace quickened, her feet kicking up small clouds of sand as she ran.