Lukey stared out at the gray world from inside his room. He had already gotten up early and got dressed in what was left of his armor. It had been roughly four days since his meeting with Adran, and he had been waiting for when the conditions were just right to test out his new tonfas.

  I guess this is what Adran was working on.

  According to the blacksmith, creating the tonfa was his first time ever infusing a trait into a weapon. In fact, Adran didn’t even have the ability to infuse traits before making the tonfa. Apparently, after making this weapon, he began looking for a way to improve it. Thus, the blacksmith got to work taking elements from his other arts to create [Infuse Trait: Hammer Force]. Considering it was his first time, it didn’t turn out too bad.

  Hopefully Adran would find more of a use for the new art, allowing him to continue absorbing aether and leveling up.

  Maybe he could make Saphina a new club? I’ll have to try referring him to others in the future.

  Lukey kept poking his head out the window, hoping for that blessed first rain of the season to fall. The sky was gray and lifeless, casting a shade over beaches and jungles. A soft wind was rustling through the trees, but they only shook listlessly, as if they had entered a severe state of depression upon the coming of the season. To many, this state of the world brought about terrible sadness, but to those who could take advantage of the new state of things, it was a blessing.

  Come on… give us a shower today… please?

  Then, as if he had made it happen, a drop of water fell from the sky. It was then followed by several more drops until finally, a light drizzle had begun.

  Finally! Now, by the time I get to Claw Cove, it should be flooded with water.

  Lukey left his room and ran to the kitchen, only stopping upon seeing his mother in a depressed state.

  “Um, are you alright?” Lukey asked with worry.

  “Fine,” Leah sighed, one arm propped up on the dining table. “Just worried about what I’m going to do. Some guild leaders from Thousand Acre are heading to the island, and I’ve been so busy with the town I don’t have anything to show them.”

  “So, I’ve heard.” He responded. “You know, if you need any ideas, maybe you should ask those Luxen girls. Maybe they could help?

  Leah grimaced.

  “Yeah, that might not be a good idea…” she said while looking away. “I mean, they’re from Novus, and the guild leaders are probably going to be from Vetus. They’ll look down on anything that the people from Novus come up with, especially if it has to do with fashion, like what the luxe are obsessed with.”

  “Seriously?” Lukey groaned. “Why is there such a tension between the two continents? I’ve never understood why people, even from the same order, can’t get along.”

  Leah sighed even deeper.

  “It’s complicated, but suffice to say people from Vetus see Novians as a bunch of terrorists obsessed with overthrowing the natural order, while people from Novus see Vetans as a bunch of archaic Neanderthals who do nothing but oppress their people. There’s always been tension ever since the terror of creation blew up half the continent and staged an exodus.” She explained.

  Lukey raised an eyebrow at that.

  “Terror to creation?” he asked quizzically.

  “The Demolist sovereign,” Leah dismissed. “Never mind all that. Didn’t you say that you’re planning to head into Claw Cove again?”

  “Yeah, I am. Pretty soon the labyrinth will be flooded, but I have some time before then,” Lukey explained. “I just wanted to say bye and maybe grab some breakfast before then.” Then Lukey began taking some rice from the pot over the clay stove, along with some fish he had smoked and preserved from the previous day.

  Then, his mother said something that made him freeze.

  “Are you okay? ” Leah asked from behind.

  There were many things on his mind. Lukey's brand, the new weapon, tyrants, and the possibility of the island being attacked again by even stronger forces. All of these things had culminated in making Lukey ten times more determined to push himself harder. He pushed himself to work faster when he was with Kiran, and he began consistently bringing in bigger hauls of fish. Lukey had even spent every tin and copper he had building new tools. The most expenditure was his tonfa, which had ended up costing him an additional twenty bronze after it was done.

  He was consistently improving himself, far faster than any ordinary person should, so why did he still feel like he was still falling short?

  “I’m fine,” Lukey lied. “Everything’s working out great with the guild, and now the new guys have some better equipment, so they don’t have to get killed fighting monsters.”

  Leah stayed silent for a while as Lukey ate his breakfast, keeping his face impassive all the while.

  “Alright,” Leah said. “It just… looks like you’re pushing yourself a bit too hard these days. You recently killed a tyrant, didn’t you? Maybe you should continue to rest a bit more?”

  Lukey mentally groaned.

  “I didn’t,” Lukey mumbled.

  “Sorry, did you say something?” Leah asked.

  He wanted to explode at her right then and there. Instead, he stifled it and stood up suddenly, holding a downcast gaze.

  “I’m sorry, I should leave now if I want to be back before nightfall.” Lukey said, then made for the front door.

  “Oh… alright then, see you tonight.” Lukey heard from behind.

  I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m really getting sick of hearing that.

  …

  The rain continued to pour down on Lukey on the way to Claw Cove. Fortunately, Lukey was wearing his wetsuit, so there was no problem if he got wet. He simply let the water roll off him as he strolled down the trail on the western side of the island.

  In his arms he held the two tonfa. Adran had Ginny create some leg holsters for him to function as a sheath for the tonfa, but Lukey wanted to hold the tonfa in his hands to get used to the weight. In addition to his weapons, he had multiple seashell chests hooked up to his belt to store everything he’d need.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  After a short walk, he finally arrived at the beach where the cove was located. Of course, it didn’t look much like a beach right now, because the entire area was flooded with water. It covered the entire beach and even reached up to the trail that connected to the main path.

  Lukey dipped a foot in the water and initiated [Ripple Sense +]. It caused a ball of ether to form before him, shortly before bursting and revealing everything in the water in clear detail.

  [Alert! A labyrinth has been discovered!]

  [Claw Cove]

  So, the entire labyrinth is flooded? Good. It makes me wonder what new enemies are in there.

  The notification was courtesy of [Ripple Sense +], which had been upgraded to feature elements of both [Tyrant Sense] and [Labyrinth Sense]. [Ripple Sense +] would serve him well going forward, as the art would reveal any enemies that hid inside as he progressed. Lukey jumped in the water and began swimming toward the mouth of the labyrinth. As he did, he activated [Aquatic Nature] to ensure he could breathe and entered the mouth of the cove, embedded in the side of the cliff.

  The second Lukey passed the threshold, the unfamiliar energy that marked the labyrinth's territory took hold of him once more. Looking around, Lukey was amazed to see the labyrinth in its current state. With the caverns flooded, the glowing microorganisms were permeating the water, illuminating everything with a clear light. The urchins and little fish that once lived inside the tidepools now swam freely about and floated past as Lukey used a frog stroke to make his way through the tunnels. Since there were no enemies around yet, Lukey placed his tonfa in the holsters and began making his way further in as he kept swimming.

  It was surprisingly calm in the labyrinth. The only things around him were the cavern walls and the sandy bottom. Indeed, it was quite serene as Lukey slowly made his way down the tunnel. He had hoped this would be the case, because he had three goals going in here.

  Lukey thought back to his quest log.

  Personal Quests

  -Upgrade Fishing Rod

  -Reach Lv. 80

  -Document Neptune’s Legacy

  -Document Neptunian Script and teach it to others

  -Find a new weapon

  -Help out in the Searing Seas

  -Go on a date

  -Test new weapon

  -Acquire better armor

  -Practice underwater combat

  After spending the last week and a half in Leviathan’s Rest, he had gotten everything he wanted to do done. His fishing rod was upgraded, what he learned in the mystic reef was documented and given to Roman for analysis, he had acquired these strange tonfa, and the less said about the incident during the party at Bum’s Break the better.

  His level has also risen considerably after making many fishing rods and fishing baskets for the guild which resulted in picking up a few levels and even some titles.

  [Lukey (Beginner Trapper) Lv. 47]

  Unfortunately, Lukey’s rope-lure did not count as a trap, perhaps because it was just a rope with a hook and didn’t require any finesse to use, thus Lukey’s triumph over the Ogoronia did not count. He only obtained [Beginner Trapper] after deploying his rod to fish for creatures in the ocean. Using all those special materials boosted Lukey’s level considerably. Unfortunately, after a while the energy he obtained began to wane, which meant that it was time for the grind to continue.

  Test my tonfa, get better materials for armor, and practice. Simple enough.

  That final task was very important. Practice. Lukey had very little experience in underwater combat. From what he knew, he would have to rely on his stance to propel him through the water. This was also why Lukey had waited so long to modify it. Anything Lukey did to his stance would have to reflect underwater combat, so it was best to experience it now before he modified the art. If he modified it before experiencing this, then the stance might turn out broken and unusable underwater.

  As Lukey was thinking to himself, the first chamber came into sight. A quick [Ripple Sense +] was cast, which revealed one aquaclaw nestled into the sand.

  Just one? Really? It can’t be that easy.

  Lukey let his body fall to the ground, then peeked inside the room and focused [Insight] on the creature in question.

  [Shell-Bearer Aquaclaw Lv. 21]

  Confused, Lukey stepped into the chamber with his tonfa at the ready, holding a defensive stance as he cautiously approached the solitary aquaclaw. It immediately sensed him nearby, and Aquaclaw quickly rose to its full form as it too took on a defensive stance. It was at this moment Lukey realized what made these aquaclaws different from the others.

  Weapons… This thing knows how to use weapons.

  Getting a good look at the aquaclaw, Lukey assessed its body. First off, instead of the regular red shells, the Shell-bearer Aquaclaw had a deep blue shell. That wasn’t all, as a variety of kelp and seashells decorated its top. It reached Lukey’s chest in height and held a seashell shield in one claw. The other claw, meanwhile, was an oversized thing that was roughly as long as the aquaclaw's body and looked like equal parts precise and agile. The last thing of note was a set of flippers on its back, which it used to immediately charge down Lukey.

  Surprised, Lukey immediately braced himself as the aquaclaw charged him down, placing his right arm at eye level and keeping his left close to his chest. Determined to fend off the attack, Lukey began charging up his right arm; it was time for his tonfa to prove their worth.

  Wait for it…

  Lukey watched carefully, and the second the claw was about to reach his face, he unleashed his strength on it. His right arm shot to the side, shoving the tonfa into the claw and throwing the aquaclaw off balance. Lukey didn’t have a counterattack planned in advance, unfortunately, so he quickly took both arms and threw himself to the side as he was waiting for it to correct itself.

  Interesting… It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be. I can push the water with both hands to dash in any direction, and if I use the fisherman’s stance to change myself up, I can go even further. Though… even if my body glides with [Aquatic Nature], I still have to push against the water to launch my attack. If I want to destroy this thing, I’m going to need some extra force.

  The aquaclaw readied itself for another charge, and Lukey donned a defensive stance once more. This time, however, he flipped out the tonfa in his left hand, extending it outward to deliver a follow-up attack. Lukey charged both arms with aether, and after parrying the claw with his right, his left shot up to bash the shell-bearer’s underbelly. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan, as his counter was blocked by the shell-bearer’s seashell shield.

  Impressive. Even if this thing is weaker than me, that doesn’t mean it can’t fight. Better watch myself from here on out.

  The fight continued with the aquaclaw charging and Lukey parrying, only to have his left arm blocked at every attempt. It wasn’t fruitless, however, because Lukey was slowly gaining a sense of how the tonfas were meant to be used. After gaining a bit of confidence, Lukey decided to get a bit more creative with the next attack.

  Instead of using his right arm to block, Lukey used the extended arm on his left; it shot up and met with the underside of the claw before continuing its motion and throwing the aquaclaw on its side. Now, the shell-bearer’s underbelly was exposed, and Lukey quickly charged up a thrust with his right, shoving the butt of the tonfa into the soft shell.

  Lukey didn’t think he was using too much force, but upon making contact with the shell-bearer, his arm went into the underside and through it, splitting the shell-bearer in two as his arm continued into open water.

  Lukey’s eyes widened as a trickle of aether was absorbed into his body.

  Wow… I didn’t think I was that strong. Well, I guess I am still over-leveled for this place. It looks like as long as I strike their exposed underbelly, they should go down easily.

  Lukey swam over to inspect the remains while detaching one of his seashell chests to begin loading it up. Looking at the makeshift shield, it seemed to be an ordinary shell that had been broken in a way that turned the back into a handlebar. Inspecting the shell-bearer’s chitin, Lukey could tell that it was certainly of better quality than what he had before, but not nearly strong enough to justify bringing it along.

  Lukey started to give up on collecting these materials, but before he did, he glanced over at the shell-bearer’s head, where the kelp and shells sat as decoration. Nestling within the makeshift locks was something Lukey didn’t expect to see.

  It’s money! I guess this thing must have scavenged some coins that washed up near the island and decided to decorate its shell.

  Counting it up revealed that it only amounted to a few tins, but that wasn’t what excited Lukey. What really excited him was the potential prospect that there were more aquaclaws like this, potentially with even more money that he could take off their shells. These things were free wealth and potentially a major money maker.

  One thing did worry Lukey. The shell-bearer had figured out how to make a shield by breaking apart various bits of shell to form a handlebar. It certainly made him wonder what exactly waited for him if he chose to progress through the labyrinth. If an aquaclaw could pick up money and make its own weapons, what else could it potentially do?

  Oh, well. There's only one way to find out.