Mermaid??

Jokes aside, it was just as Po Kong had said—Xia Duo had no way to use her bow and arrows to fight underwater. If she were limited to using only two short blades, her strength would inevitably be significantly compromised.

Even Starlight spent the whole journey considering how he would fight back if they encountered danger on the seabed. Fire and wind magic were definitely out of the question; they simply couldn’t be used underwater. Light magic would be distorted by the water, making it far less effective than usual. Unless they were fighting directly on the seabed, earth magic wouldn't be able to summon stones or sand out of thin air in the water.

This meant that only water magic and... Starlight subconsciously glanced at the elemental mark on his wrist, thinking it would be better not to use it casually.

The only one who remained largely unaffected was Moen, as using the Power of Nature to strengthen her physical body was basically independent of the environment.

“Let me see... based on the distance, we should be almost there. The journal says the entrance to the underwater current should be very obvious,” Xia Duo’s voice echoed in their minds, tinged with a hint of thought.

The four of them had been inside the ruins for a while now, and aside from swimming fish and swaying seaweed, they hadn’t discovered anything that shouldn't be there. The terrifying ghosts Moen had mentioned hadn't appeared either, which put Po Kong much more at ease. He had already reverted his great shield back into a longsword, using it to cut through the seaweed blocking their path.

After another few minutes, Xia Duo still hadn't found the correct route. Underwater, both sound and vision were vastly different from on land, severely interfering with her five senses. The lack of a proper weapon also made her feel quite irritable.

Just then, Po Kong, who was walking in the lead, stopped and reached out to hold the others back. “Come look at this. Is that a person behind that clump of seaweed?”

The three of them immediately looked in the direction he was pointing. Behind a massive clump of seaweed, a small head was visible. The head that had suddenly appeared had features similar to a human’s, looking roughly like a child of seven or eight. However, its skin was a strange iron-grey color, and it was impossible to tell if it was a boy or a girl.

At that moment, the owner of the head clearly noticed the four of them as well. It tilted its head slightly, staring fixedly in their direction.

“A child? How can there be a child on the seabed?” For a moment, both sides were locked in a standoff, neither making a move. Starlight asked quietly through the mental link.

“That’s no ordinary child. Look at its ears!” Xia Duo was the first to notice the anomaly. Amidst the hair swaying in the water, she could see the child’s faintly visible pointed ears, which were exactly like those of an elf.

“That’s not right. Even if it were an elven child, they shouldn't be here! Could it be... that this is... a ghost?!” Po Kong’s voice carried a hint of a tremor.

“No, that’s not an undead creature. It has a life force!” Before Po Kong could finish, Moen immediately refuted his idea. She could clearly sense the vitality radiating from that small figure; it was definitely not an aura that an undead creature could emit.

“How about we get a little closer and see?” After the four of them exchanged glances, they carefully approached the figure.

The figure didn't hide as they approached; instead, it stayed quietly in place. When they were only a few steps away from the child, its body suddenly twisted and it ducked back behind the seaweed.

“Wait! Hold on!” Seeing the child disappear, Po Kong immediately swam forward and yanked the seaweed aside.

The figure hiding in the seaweed was then fully revealed to them. Just as they had seen before, the child’s upper body was like that of a human or elven child, with similar arms and a chest, but its lower body was a long fish tail that was gently swaying in the water.

“A... mermaid?” Starlight was momentarily stunned upon seeing this creature that usually only appeared in fairy tales and stories, and he subconsciously asked aloud.

Even Po Kong stood frozen in place after seeing this legendary creature, unsure of what to do for a moment. He then imitated the gestures one would use to soothe a child, waving his hand at the little mermaid to show friendliness.

The little mermaid seemed to understand his gesture and began to slowly approach him.

“Come here... good child, come to big brother! This little guy is actually quite cute!” Po Kong’s voice carried a hint of pride.

But just as he confidently reached out to pat the little mermaid’s head, Moen’s warning suddenly rang out in their minds: “Don’t touch it! Watch out!”

“Wha—? Ow! That hurts!” Before Po Kong could even finish a word, he was jolted by a sharp pain in his hand.

Two large slits suddenly tore open on the mermaid child’s cheeks, revealing a gaping maw filled with sharp fangs, which clamped down hard on Po Kong’s arm.

Stung by the pain, Po Kong flexed his arm, and pale yellow battle qi erupted from his body, blasting the mermaid child several meters away.

Although he quickly used his muscles to seal the wound on his hand, that bite had genuinely caused him injury.

One had to realize that his solid muscles could withstand weapon attacks from ordinary people, yet he had actually been bitten and injured by a child.

“Damn it! What is this brat doing?!” Po Kong glanced at the fine bite marks on his arm, cursed, and then looked at the mermaid he had blasted away.

He had thought that a strike against the mermaid’s seemingly frail body would have at least knocked it unconscious for a while. However, the mermaid child wobbled as it stood back up, completely uninjured. Instead, it stared at them with a chilling gaze.

A flash of blood-red light suddenly crossed the mermaid child’s round black eyes, and it charged at Po Kong again with lightning speed.

With the first experience as a lesson, a prepared Po Kong naturally wouldn't let the mermaid succeed again.

He twisted his body in the water, attempting to dodge the mermaid’s charge. However, he had forgotten one thing—they were currently dozens of meters deep underwater, and the immense water pressure made it impossible for his movements to be as agile as they were on land.

The mermaid child’s sharp ten fingers were like two steel forks, directly stabbing into Po Kong’s side. Even with his battle qi protection, Po Kong felt a sharp sting of pain.

“You annoying brat! Take this!” In a fit of rage, Po Kong stopped holding back and threw a punch directly at the mermaid child’s face.

Po Kong put at least seventy percent of his strength into this punch, landing it squarely on the mermaid child’s face. The massive force even pushed the surrounding water into a circular ripple.

Unable to dodge in time, the mermaid child was sent flying a long distance by the blow, crashing heavily into a piece of coral. Several of its sharp teeth even snapped off.

However, this strike only injured it and was far from fatal. Instead, it incited the mermaid’s ferocity. The mermaid child opened its large mouth again, and the two long ears on the sides of its face suddenly unfurled, taking the shape of fish fins. It tilted its head upward and let out a shrill roar.

Immediately, a dense wave of sound erupted from its mouth. The originally calm seabed was disturbed by an invisible force, creating layers of ripples. The nearby marine life seemed startled and instantly fled the area.