Chapter 58:
Chapter 58:
Chapter 58
After she let out a shout, Yoon Bom covered her reddened face with both hands. It was understandable because Seo Gangrim was in the middle of taking off his clothes.
【Gangrim, why are you suddenly taking off your clothes?】
【Let's calm down!】
【Hey, did you bulk up a lot?】
As the gods had said, Seo Gangrim's body had gained a lot of muscle compared to the beginning. Although he had trained extensively in his previous life, his body was still much stronger now than it had been in years.
Yoon Geoul also looked at Seo Gangrim and admired, "Wow, Master, your body looks amazing. Can I touch it?"
"...No."
"But why are you suddenly taking off your clothes?"
"Because I need to go underwater to find my snake," Seo Gangrim said as he smoothed his disheveled hair. Yoon Geoul looked a bit perplexed.
"Don't snakes usually live in the ground?"
"Usually, yes. But snakes that aspire to become dragons often undergo a thousand years of training underwater."
The basic attribute of a dragon is water. The fact that the Dragon King lived in a dragon palace under the sea was proof of that. Therefore, snakes who aspired to become dragons would usually train underwater for a thousand years. Only occasionally would they come out to the surface to feed.
Yoon Bom, who was still covering her face, asked in wonder, "How do you know all this, Master?"
"I read it in a web novel. Dokgo Jun probably knows too."
【Wow, web novels are so informative!】
【I should read one sometime.】
【I wonder what kind of web novel Dokgo Jun writes.】
After casually mentioning Dokgo Jun, Seo Gangrim removed his shoes and began to stretch his body lightly.
Looking at Linnie, he said, "Linnie, can you follow me?"
"Woong!"
Linnie energetically nodded and followed Seo Gangrim's example of stretching.
Yoon Bom still looked worried. "Master, are you sure it's okay to go alone? Should we come with you?"
"Stay here. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, Seo Gangrim took a deep breath and, although the water was still a bit cold, he jumped into it without hesitation.
Splash!
In an instant, Seo Gangrim disappeared underwater. Amidst the churning waters, he opened his eyes and looked around.
'There are more creatures than I thought.'
He hadn't realized it from above, but there was a dizzying array of tree roots beneath the water. In between, fish with sparkling scales swam gracefully through the clear water. While this might have been considered a fantastic sight for ordinary people, Seo Gangrim didn't have time to be captivated by it.
[Due to the effect of 'Water Polarisation,' your movement speed is reduced by 30%!]
[Due to the effect of 'Water Polarisation,' your defense is reduced by 20%!]
[Due to the effect of 'Water Polarisation,' your breath duration is reduced by 20%!]
The moment he entered the water, he felt as if countless ghosts were gripping his body, making it difficult to breathe. The penalty notification tone was ringing painfully in his ears, but Seo Gangrim remained calm.
'It's a good thing I stole the Water attribute last time.'
[The elemental attribute is changed to 'Water'!]
[The penalty from 'Water Polarisation' is lifted!]
[With the 'Water' attribute, your breath duration increases by 20%!]
As soon as he changed his attribute, he could feel that his body had become significantly lighter. Unaware of what had happened, the gods were busy chattering amongst themselves.
【Isn't fire Seo Gangrim's element? He must be feeling quite uncomfortable.】
【Why did he foolishly jump into the water? He could have just searched on land.】
【He's just showing off because he read it in a web novel.】
【This is how dangerous web novels are.】
Seo Gangrim sneered at them inwardly. They were gods, yet they couldn't see what he had done. Considering the events that would unfold, he wondered what kind of comments they would make in the future.
'Linnie... Good, she's adapting well.'
Linnie seemed completely at ease underwater, as if it were just another land for her. She strolled through the water comfortably, breathing naturally.
[The ability 'Water Manipulation' is activated!]
When 'Water Manipulation' was activated, a blue light flowed from Linnie's body, illuminating the surroundings. Seo Gangrim slowly approached Linnie. Then, the blue light began to spread toward Seo Gangrim as well.
["Seo Gangrim" receives the effect of "Water Manipulation"!]
[Movement and breathing underwater become unrestricted!]
Just like when on land, or even more so now, his movements became lighter. As he breathed, the refreshing and clear air filled his lungs. Seeing Seo Gangrim enveloped in the blue light, the gods looked puzzled.
【What's going on? Why does Seo Gangrim suddenly look relaxed?】
【Re-laxed.】
【Did the Qilin do something?】
【Kya, it's definitely the spirit beast.】
【Those guys who called Seo Gangrim stupid earlier have all disappeared, right?】
Watching the gods' reactions was amusing, but Seo Gangrim soon ignored them. There was work to be done.
'Now, all we have to do is find it.'
Looking around, he saw numerous fish swimming gracefully. Among them, there were some fairly aggressive-looking demon beasts, but when they saw Linnie, they panicked and swam away.
'It seems like they instinctively sense the difference.'
Of course, Linnie had no intention of attacking those demons. However, the instinctual perception of the difference in power was a sensation that couldn't be ignored. Hence, thanks to Linnie's presence, the search became much easier. Seo Gangrim, along with Linnie, began to dive deeper. As they descended through the dark currents, Seo Gangrim suddenly noticed a snake passing through the water grass.
【Ah! There's a snake!】
【Hey, hey, it's over there! Seo Gangrim, catch it quickly!】
The gods also noticed the snake and became excited. However, Seo Gangrim ignored their words and started swimming in a different direction. Meanwhile, the snake, startled by the light from Linnie, hastily concealed itself.
【Huh? Did he not see it?】
【Don't tell me he doesn't know it's a snake?】
【Hey, Seo Gangrim! Not there! The other way!】
【Hey hey hey, it's not there!】
Of course, Seo Gangrim heard the gods' words very clearly. However, the snake he was looking for was not there. Swimming away from the snake he found earlier, Seo Gangrim headed deeper into the darkness. And as the surroundings grew darker, the blue light surrounding Seo Gangrim and Linnie became even clearer. Now, they were at a depth where sunlight barely reached. In the midst of the dark currents, a shadow suddenly disappeared. When Seo Gangrim spotted a creature with cyan scales, his eyes narrowed fiercely.
'There it is.'
Even though it was dark, his 'Senses' allowed him to follow the shadow's trail.
He swam through the strong currents, quickly pursuing the shadow. Then, at a certain moment, the shadow abruptly stopped in place.
'It noticed me.'
In the darkness, a pair of eyes stared at Seo Gangrim, full of hostility. It was neither quite a snake nor a dragon. It was smaller than a dragon but larger than a snake. Its facial features were also different from those of a snake. It looked somewhat like a small dragon.
'It seems to be close to the level of a 'Imugi (Lesser Dragon)' due to its considerable size.'
A snake becomes an Imugi after many years of training, and after a thousand years, it becomes a dragon. The older it gets, the closer it gets to becoming a dragon, growing stronger with time. As evidence of its age, the Imugi exuded an intimidating aura that was closer to that of a dragon than a snake.
-Ssshiik...!
The Imugi seemed to recognize Seo Gangrim as an enemy, and its mouth opened wide, threatening to bite his neck. Seeing this, the gods urgently spoke.
【Hey, isn't that an Imugi?】
【No, why did he go to catch a snake and end up fighting an Imugi?】
【Gangrim, you can't defeat that. It's stronger than most demons, even if it's not a dragon!】
As the gods said, the opponent was formidable. Even with Linnie's assistance, the Imugi lived in the water, giving it a natural advantage. Nevertheless, while he didn't have confidence in winning, Seo Gangrim showed no signs of retreating.
'I don't have the confidence to win, but there's no need to win.'
He slowly untied the Token of Friendship that he had tied to his waist. And at the same time, Seo Gangrim concealed himself along with the surging waters.
*Splish*
Suddenly, Seo Gangrim disappeared from view, leaving the Imugi bewildered. Likewise, Linnie couldn't see Seo Gangrim and started to search around. However, neither of them could locate Seo Gangrim.
[The ability 'Invisibility' has been activated!]
The conditions for 'Invisibility' to activate were to hold one's breath. Currently, with the 'Water' attribute bonus, his breath duration had increased by 20%. Seo Gangrim held his breath effortlessly and moved behind Imugi.
*Swoosh...!*
However, the moment Seo Gangrim moved, the Imugi reacted quickly, sensing the change in the water's flow.
*Squaaa...!*
The Imugi opened its mouth wide, and within it, a whirlpool began to churn. It was a water bullet. The attack was precisely aimed at Seo Gangrim's body.
【He's been noticed! He's done for!】
【Oh no, Seo Gangrim is going to die!】
【Can he even stop that?】
Seo Gangrim had no means to block the water bullet. Furthermore, even if he was free underwater, he couldn't move faster than the water bullet. Realizing the attack, Seo Gangrim twisted his body, but it wasn't enough to avoid the water bullet.
*Squaang!*
The water bullet was fired at Seo Gangrim like a cannon. It was clear that if it hit his torso, he would die instantly. At that moment, Linnie desperately activated her ability.
[The ability 'Water Manipulation' has been activated!]
Another whirlpool rapidly formed in front of Seo Gangrim, and the water bullet accurately hit the center of the whirlpool. With that, the water bullet was drawn into the whirlpool's flow, and it soon dissipated into nothingness.
*Swoosh*
Due to the interference, the Imugi quickly shot up towards Linnie. Its plan seemed to eliminate Linnie first and then attack Seo Gangrim. However, this was a mistake on the Imugi's part, and Seo Gangrim didn't intend to miss the opportunity.
*Grrr...?*
Feeling something unusual, the Imugi looked down at its own body. Suddenly, it found the 'Token of Friendship' on its neck. After this, Seo Gangrim exhaled, his presence became visible.
[The item 'Token of Friendship' has been used!]
Upon using the 'Token of Friendship,' a bright light enveloped the Imugi's body. Despite the Imugi's struggles to shake Seo Gangrim off, the 'Token of Friendship' had already been activated. Imugi's body began to radiate with a bright light.
[Imugi attempts to resist the 'Token of Friendship'!]
[Imugi's resistance failed!]
[Imugi's hostility is diminishing!]
The Imugi attempted to break free from this compulsion, but it was in vain. In the end, the Imugi's movements became docile. It now looked at Seo Gangrim with slightly annoyed eyes.
[The 'Imugi' submits to 'Seo Gangrim'!]
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