Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

This truly was something else.

There were current preparations done from the moment that they arrived. It was an act of repelling individuals from drawing anywhere closer here without them even noticing it. It was the act of putting up barriers that kept the rest of the people out, and it was perfect from preventing other things from leaving either. 

This was the art of preparation and possibly standard procedure.

It came with the job as one might have already noticed, or failed to do so. Something like this was not strong enough to be fully noticed by those who functioned at a higher wave that might have alarmed them. Yes, these talismans and charms used by the cultivator didn't even register at all. 

But it didn't mean that their presence stayed unknown.

They looked down at the being that smelled of the oceans and the deep. Of a world that was far different from his own. A scream pierced through the surroundings—and it only took moments for Han Jing to spring up to his feet and run out of their hotel room.

"Odele!" Maybe he shouldn't have let her go out all by herself?!

Both Faeran and Jilanya looked at each other in shock, silently questioning if it really was Odele and what caused her to do so, before the two of them warily followed after Han. If something or someone was enough to cause the Mermaid to scream, then a Human wouldn't be much of a help.

And that still referred to Han Jing, even if the person had leveled up already. There was a wordless agreement between them. For now, even Jilanya would help if something were to occur between all of them.

Han Jing ran down into the lone beach, where not a singular person happened to be. He searched for the Mermaid and found someone in front of Odele who was currently kneeling in the sands. He had come here practically weaponless and the realization he might need one only came upon him now. 

But there was no turning back, his hands were clenched into fists as he looked up and figured out the intruder.

It was… Dai Song Lan? 

Yeah, he'd recognize that sanpaku dead eyed-look from anywhere! "What gives?!" Han Jing caught up to the two of them and gave Dai Song Lan an unimpressed look. "Are you trying to cut me as the middleman and go right ahead to the supplier? That's not cool."

He might have pushed Dai Song Lan aside and done something else, and yet he only stood beside the Mermaid and gave the much taller man a nasty look. This guy had an interspatial ring and a spear as far as Han Jing was concerned—wait, he could get one from this guy!

Perhaps his thoughts were visible and nearly apparent to anyone who paid attention to his face properly, and Odele just happened to be staring up at him with a silent look. It was enough for him to finally notice. Han Jing glanced back at her and asked, "Are you alright by the way? You should have blasted this guy into the ocean or something."

"Uh huh," Odele said and shook her head. "This guy shook me, but instead of coming all the way here in order to save me—you immediately assumed he was trying to get pearls from me."

Han Jing cleared his throat. "Not at first, really—but what else would this guy be here for?"

"There's a disturbance in the air," Dai Song Lan said. He glanced around at their surroundings, and frowned deeply. "I think it was coming from the sea, or from her. I'd like to think she might know it… or the rest of your friends." He glanced behind Han Jing.

Han Jing caught the sight of the Demon Lord and the Wood Elf. He didn't think they'd actually go out of their way to follow him, but then again, it was for Odele and not him that they moved. He wondered how great Dai Song Lan's perception was of the rest of them.

"Heave ho, son of man—what appears to be the situation?" Faeran glanced around their surroundings and then finally crossed his arms. The Wood Elf had been distracted with the thoughts of festivities, but now paid attention to how not only the waves, but even the wind howled at them. "Is it in the air? West or east?"

Jilanya only kept her silence and watched their surroundings with a sullen and even forlorn look. This place was not her jurisdiction, and her own subordinates that might have around the vicinity could not give an answer that didn't actually concern the daily lives and affairs of men.

Han Jing grimaced and finally stared at them. "This is what happened last time, hasn't it? Something's coming up because we're all gathered here, isn't it? Is it too late to back out or anything at a—"

A large wave heaved into the sands of the beach and drenched the entirety of them in the freezing cold waters of the sea. Han Jing recoile, fought back against the pressure of the waves but then realized it was all over.

He and the rest of them hadn't been pulled into the sea by some kind of aquatic sea monster or by the god of sea himself. And though he was drenched and shivering like a wet dog, the man still found himself on the relatively dry sands. "Was that a freak wave? What had just happened—" 

"There." Dai Song Lan already had his spear pulled out and pointed at a … clam?

"Huh?" Han Jing stared at the mollusk that was regular sized and had arrived at the beach. He shared a confused look with both Jilanya and Faeran, the two of them unfamiliar and surprised at its appearance and even Odele seemed a bit shaken.

Wait, shaken?

Dai Song Lan spoke first. "Get out of the way—" 

Han Jing immediately ducked and only felt the sinuous sensation of something slimy pierce through his hair as he reached the sand. Once he looked behind him, the vision of the ordinary clam shifted back and forth between small and dinner-sized clams, to one that was as large as a car.

Its shells had already opened and revealed its soft body inside of it, the color of something dark and resembled something that he wouldn't touch at all. Numerous grotesque tube-like siphons swirled around in the open air, one of those that had swiped at him earlier. 

It looked like some weird tentacles—Han Jing quickly rolled out in the sand and jumped back. He dodged the rest of the siphons dug and struck through the sand like muscle spikes.

"What the actual fuck is that—" Han Jing looked back and dodged another one of its tendril-like appendages, before it heard a loud squelsh erupt and squeal in his ears. Until, a quick slash of Dai Song Lan's spear had brought one of its siphons down.

"Certainly not dinner, as far as I'm aware." Faeran concentrated for a moment, and an invisible lash of wind struck at it and tumbled the clam for a moment. It temporarily shut and clamped its mouth, another screech coming out from the recess of its mouth. "Jilanya, the honors please?"

The Demon Lord threw the Wood Elf a look, "I'm not so good with fire here as in the Otherworld, but very well." She flicked her fingers and lashes of fire spun out of her fingers and attacked the large clam monster.  contemporary romance

Odele was only watching in a mild mix of horror and trepidation. 

"Watch out!" Han Jing shouted. Odele moved out from the clam and ran closer towards them, whilst Dai Song Lan threw his spear once again and caught one of the tendrils into the sands again. Another beastly screech emerged and sounded. It was almost unfair at this point, with only one clam creature alone and with the three of them—it was as if it was getting ganged up at this point.

And yet, all of them decimated the clam on the spot.

The sea creature finally gave out at last, and finally flickered out to its true form. The now giant, but dead mollusk lay on the beach with a charred appearance. Han Jing resisted the urge to barf, which was all well and good because Odele was the one who was doing it right now. 

Instead, Han Jing threw a look at Dai Song Lan first. "What the heck was that?"

"It was a Shen or Chen, a type of giant clam monster—that one was actually still in its growing stage." The cultivator explained and planted his spear on the sand. "If it was allowed to grow more, then it would have metamorphosed into a dragon." This was the longest sentence that Han Jing ever heard from this guy.

"Hah, this country's monsters are a bit weird, aren't they?" Faeran laughed. "It even had the capacity to have mirages and illusions. It fooled me for a second, that I will acknowledge."

"You guys practically beat this one up—why haven't you done this in the game? Er—you know, somewhere else." Han Jing bit his tongue, but otherwise thought it wasn't that too life-threatening to speak about the Creators' World now.

Dai Song Lan was actually checking out the mollusk.

"As I've told you before, the ones chosen to participate in the Creators World are far more experienced individuals. Leaders in their own way, and because of that, more powerful—while it also helped that the creature wasn't that too difficult of a beast." Jilanya snorted.

—-—-

Author's Note: Ah yes, a tiny bit of recognition for the mythological creatures in ancient China. Otherwise known as Shen/Chen. Google it, I say! Thanks for reading!

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