Chapter 938 |
Chapter 938
A group of people racing across the sea at high speed appeared almost surreal, like phantasmagorical beings. This, of course, was the impression from afar; in reality, they were straining to the point of dripping sweat from their backs.
"Pant... Hah... Despite all the training we've done on water, this is no joke... We might have to do this all day long..."
"Unless you're carrying someone like I am, keep your mouth shut if it's not as hard..."
Hearing the grumbling of a team member gasping for breath, a fellow member chided them. To accommodate those in the team who could only use wind powers, the stronger water manipulators were either carrying or holding onto their teammates. Choosing to carry the wind manipulators, who could lighten their own bodies, was the best method, as it required less use of their powers than running on water together.
"Seeing how everyone's still chatty, seems like we're all still in good shape. But be careful, a moment's distraction, and you could fall right in."
Steiber, trailing at the end of the group, spoke in a relaxed tone. Even though he was carrying the wind manipulator Yergin Schiller on his back, he hadn't sweated a drop, maintaining a steady state.
"Steiber is truly remarkable... Seeing him on water, he seems even more invigorated. I'm envious."
A team member lagging behind expressed their envy, to which Steiber just laughed heartily.
"Ah... Yuder is an exception. How can we compare with him?"
Their gazes simultaneously shifted to Yuder, who was gracefully moving at the forefront, skillfully catching and releasing the water beneath his feet in sync with his speed. Manipulating water with such finesse was a delicate and challenging task, not achievable by all water manipulators.
Among the elite members of the Cavalry, none lacked this skill. However, moving on shallow streams or rivers was one thing; maneuvering on the sea was an entirely different story. In fact, this aspect had been the most challenging during their training for this mission.
"In shallow water, if you fall, you just swim out, so it's less worrying. There are no waves to face either. But this time, it's different."
Most of the Cavalry had lived their lives without ever seeing the sea. Steiber was among them. Born in the capital, he had spent 43 years there before moving to the south recently, where he saw the sea for the first time. Before seeing it, he had imagined the sea as just a very large river, but it was nothing like that. The sea tasted salty, as if salt was springing from the water, and was so deep that diving in, one could never see the bottom. Watching the ceaseless waves, frothing white, cover the land and disappear was almost frightening.
Before training in sea manipulation, he had even broken out in cold sweats, doubting whether he could truly handle such vast waters. Though he pretended to be unfazed in front of other members, inside he felt embarrassed, being the oldest among them.
But Yuder was different. Like Steiber, he was from the mountains and unfamiliar with the sea, yet his movements into it showed no hesitation. It wasn't an act, unlike Steiber. Yuder genuinely did not fear the sea.
In the seemingly endless sea, it seemed as if he could walk across it as if it were flat land, a testament to his tremendous ability. This confidence, an air of nonchalance towards everything, was evident.
His impassive face, unfazed and unflustered by anything, gave strength to Steiber and the rest of the team to move without intimidation even before the vastness of nature. Following such a leader made even the boundless sea feel trivial, allowing them the leisure to chatter.
Of course, if he said this out loud, that young man, as usual, would probably furrow his brow in mild annoyance and dismiss it as nonsense. 'And then he'll probably say it's because we lack skill and need more training. As always...'
Visualizing this, Steiber couldn't help but smirk.
It was then that Yuder slowed down and turned his head.
"Start the search in this area. Get ready."
"Oh, here?"
Looking around, there seemed to be no significant difference from the rest of the sea. But if Yuder had chosen this spot, it must be the right direction. The team members, without any doubt, began their preparations. They spread out at a reasonable distance, and those carrying wind manipulators on their backs passed them to nearby members.
Steiber too handed over Yergin, whom he was carrying, to another member. While Steiber was in the sea for the first phase, that member would carry Yergin. Conversely, when the first team completed their search and returned, their roles would switch.
This was what they had to continue doing throughout the day.
"Steiber, be careful."
"You too, be careful."
Amid the sudden surge of tension, Steiber stretched his muscles, feeling the stiffness. Twelve members, including Steiber, had gathered in a circle around Yuder. The rest waited on the water.
"We'll dive in on the count of three."
Yuder raised his hand. His fingers began to fold.
Three, two, one.
As his hand clenched into a fist, Steiber withdrew the support of the water beneath his feet. His body was smoothly sucked downwards.
'Gulp.'
The first time Steiber had submerged in seawater during their training, he noticed how different it felt from freshwater. To compare, if freshwater, like river water, felt like handling a soft, yielding dough of white bread, seawater felt like dealing with a hard, gigantic loaf of black bread, as if made for a giant's storage.
‘The only thing I can think of is this analogy because the only thing I’ve ever done in my life is bakery.’
Nevertheless, enduring the immense pressure underwater, Steiber wasted no time in exerting his power. The water wrapped around his body, comfortably allowing him to breathe.
When he opened his eyes, they didn't sting, and the currents couldn't recklessly approach his body. Despite being fully submerged, he felt no pain.
'This should be enough to last as long as during training.'
This was the second ability of outstanding water manipulators: the power to endure underwater for extended periods.
The more powerful the water manipulators, the longer they could withstand underwater. Steiber, during training, had managed to endure up to an hour, which was a record among the ordinary Cavalry members.
The term 'ordinary' was deliberately used because of the existence of an exceptional outlier like Yuder Aile. He had exceeded the limit by a wide margin and only emerged because he felt further endurance had no meaning. Therefore, no one truly knew how long he could last.
Surveying their surroundings, Steiber and his fellow comrades, now adapted to the water, exchanged glances as they effortlessly sliced through the currents. Yuder, confirming that all twelve members were in good condition, changed the hand signals.
‘Begin the search.’
Around Yuder, the water swiftly swirled, creating currents. He moved forward into the depths of the sea, swimming-like, and lightly adjusted a bracelet on his wrist. The magic bracelet emitted a bright light in response. Following him, the other team members also illuminated their bracelets, trailing Yuder in the same manner. Thanks to the current created by Yuder at the forefront, the rest of the members could move comfortably without exerting much effort. Yuder, however, faced greater resistance and used his powers more intensively, though he showed no sign of strain.
Steiber, following behind, couldn’t help but admire sincerely.
'Indeed, he’s remarkable… If someone like him ages and grows even more skilled, just how incredible will he become?'
As they ventured deeper under the sea, the surroundings grew progressively darker. Steiber looked around for any anomalies, feeling a sense of strangeness.
'It’s odd not to see any fish this deep.'
During their training in shallower coastal waters, they had often seen fearless fish rising to the surface. Diving deeper, the shadows of colorful fish swimming below were easily visible.
But now, not a single one was in sight.
It was as if something had frightened them all, sending them fleeing far away.