Nexha woke up that morning with a strange discomfort. He had enjoyed the new experience of forging, but that day, his mind was elsewhere. There was something he had wanted to do for a while, but he always held back.
He grabbed a bottle of milk from the shop and handed it to Lilay, who was still yawning as he picked Jasper up.
— Ah, where are you going so early? Gonna forge? — Lilay asked, his voice heavy with sleep.
— I'm going hunting. — Nexha replied simply.
Lilay raised an eyebrow.
— Are you gonna steal someone else's catch again?
— I've never stolen anyone's catch! — Nexha snapped, irritated.
— Sure... — Lilay smirked. — Good luck. And try not to get hurt like the last times. Dad gets worried, you know?
— Okay, I'll try. — Nexha huffed and swam away.
He headed to the mother-seaweed plantation, where fish were abundant. However, something caught his attention: the seaweed was bearing fruit. Lilay had already mentioned that some were ripening, but Nexha hadn’t expected the sprouts he had planted to be so full of fruit so quickly.
He stared at the golden, tomato-shaped fruit and shuddered at the memory of the awful taste from the first time he had tried one.
— I know it brings luck, but… it’s terrible. Maybe in a soup, it’d be better. — he muttered.
Shaking his head to clear the distraction, he turned his attention back to the fish. He ignored the smaller ones and searched for a bigger prey. Unfortunately, nothing seemed promising in terms of experience, so he decided to hunt the largest ones he could find.
Once he caught his first fish, he sat down to eat and rest for a bit.
— I'm not a fan of raw food, but I’m in the middle of a hunt... Cooking isn't an option. — he murmured, chewing with distaste.
As he ate, he observed the ecosystem around him. The fish fed on the fruits, smaller predators chased unsuspecting prey. Everything seemed peaceful... until something caught his eye.
A blue fin cut through the water at an alarming speed.
Nexha held his breath.
— Swordfish… — he murmured.
Unlike other predators, this one showed no interest in him. It moved fast, devouring fish effortlessly. Nexha gripped his knife tightly and pondered.
Stolen novel; please report.
— Am I really ready to face a swordsman with just a knife? — he thought aloud.
The swordfish was even faster than a barracuda. If it realized it was losing, it would flee, and Nexha wouldn’t have a chance to capture it.
— I need a harpoon to catch one of these… When I'm stronger, I'll try again. — he decided, sighing.
He watched as the swordfish swam away, satisfied after its meal. He was about to get up and search for another prey when he felt something terrible.
Sharp teeth sank into his tail.
Before he could react, he was violently shaken from side to side, like a toy in a dog’s mouth.
Panic took over his body, and his instincts kicked in before his mind could even process what was happening. His scales automatically hardened, turning darker and more resistant.
Only then did Nexha see his attacker.
It was a shark... but not like any he had seen before. Its orange coloring gave it a strange, almost alien appearance.
Dizziness and nausea started creeping in. The beast kept shaking him as if trying to tear him apart, but it couldn’t pierce his defense.
Nexha gripped his knife tightly. He waited for the right moment, and when one of the shakes brought him close enough, he drove the blade into the monster with all his strength.
The shark twisted, trying to flee, but Nexha didn’t hesitate. He pushed the knife even deeper, feeling the water around him heat up as the metal both tore and burned the enemy’s flesh. Bubbles rose from the wound as the blade slid in further and further.
The shark stopped moving.
Still in shock, Nexha panted heavily.
— Damn shark… — he spat before throwing up everything in his stomach. The violent shaking had left him dizzy.
Suddenly, a familiar sound echoed in his mind.
{Congratulations! You’ve reached level 8! Check your status to see the changes.}
{Congratulations! You’ve reached level 9! Check your status to see the changes.}
— What?! — Nexha’s eyes widened. — It was still alive?!
He looked at the knife in his hand, feeling a chill run down his spine.
— This… This is stronger than I expected… I better not use this around strangers. I don’t want to be called a witch or get robbed… — he murmured, unsettled.
He sat down for a moment, trying to catch his breath, then checked his status.
[Crystal-Scaled Mermaid]
Name: Nexha
Age: Baby
Status: Normal
Lv: 9 | XP: 5,120/300
HP: 30/60 | MP: 50/50
Attack: 9 (+1) | Defense: 38 (+1)
Intelligence: 18 (+1) | Luck: 7 | Beauty: 30
— What?! That thing took that much of my health?! — Nexha turned and saw his injured tail, with crushed scales and even some of the shark’s teeth still lodged in his skin.
A cold shiver ran down his spine. He had never been this hurt before... and he hadn’t even noticed during the fight.
Cursing under his breath, he carried the shark’s corpse back home.
As soon as Krahs saw him, his face went pale.
— Nexha?!
Without hesitation, Krahs grabbed him and rushed him inside, starting to treat his wounds.
— What happened?! — his father’s voice was filled with worry and anger.
— I was eating… Then that ugly thing ambushed me and shook me around! — Nexha pointed irritably at the shark.
Krahs took a deep breath, trying to contain his frustration, then wrapped seaweed medicine around Nexha’s tail.
— This is exactly why I don’t let you hunt with me! Reckless—if you were in a group, you could have gotten someone killed, or worse... Do you even realize you could have died?!
Nexha shrank under his father’s stern gaze.
— No hunting for you until you recover. — Krahs declared.
— What?! But I’m fine! — Nexha protested.
— Every time you go hunting, you come back injured! If you don’t learn to be more careful, you’re not going out again. A hunter can’t be this reckless! — Krahs scolded.
Nexha remained silent, sulking, but deep down, he knew his father was only worried.
And this time… he really had a reason to be.
