I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature-Chapter 20

Chapter 20. Coming of Age
It's already been almost three years since the promise with Ian.
Yul's body had grown rapidly-his days as a young orca were long gone, and in just two years, he had reached the size of a full-grown adult.
Considering that an orca's juvenile stage usually lasts about ten years, it was an incredibly fast rate of growth.
With the coming-of-age ceremony approaching, Yul began wondering how long he was meant to live as an orca.
‘If I keep evolving, I'll eventually ascend into another species. But if that's the case... should I continue living as an orca?’
Traveling alongside Nugh's family was fun, but Yul knew deep down that one day he would ascend into another form of life.
Then... was it really fine to keep living like this?
Just as he was lost in thought, he sensed a tail strike coming for his head.
-Tuania, you tried to hit me again, didn't you?
-You've gotten pretty strong.
Yul had become accustomed to the Stealth Form and could now perceive Tuania's presence.
-But you can't beat me!
Thwack!
Yul noticed that Tuania's tail suddenly appeared not from the left but from the right. He could've sworn it came from the left side.
-How are you doing that?
-Figure it out yourself. But really, what were you daydreaming about this time? You didn't even notice me coming.
-Just... thinking about stuff?
-I always tell you, your head's too full of thoughts. If you want to get stronger, you need to clear your mind.
Yul didn't particularly care about becoming stronger, but Tuania seemed obsessed with the idea.
-Were you maybe thinking about what job you'll take, Yul?
-Something like that.
When orcas came of age, they each received a job. Following Nugh's suggestion, Yul was to undergo his own ceremony this time—mainly because he had grown to be nearly the same size as Tuania.
In the Orca Tribe, there was the scholarly class known as the “Recorders”.
The “Warriors”, who protected the tribe from dangerous species.
The “Practitioners”, who trained before the stone tablet, in hopes of ascending into a new species.
The “Merchants”, few in number, who made trade their livelihood within the village.
There were even some rather odd jobs, such as the ”Breeders”, who focused solely on reproduction to increase their offspring.
What Yul was trying to choose belonged to the miscellaneous category as well.
-So, what do you plan to become?
-A patroller.
It was similar to a warrior's role, but instead of moving in groups, a patroller worked alone.
They patrolled their assigned regions and kept watch for external threats, roaming along the borders between the Orca Tribe's territory and the Outer Ocean.
It was a solitary life, but one with immense freedom. Unless a formal summons was issued, even a patroller could do whatever they wished—no one interfered.
-What about you, Tuania?
-I'm going to follow my grandfather and join the Warrior Corps. I'll take on the missions bestowed by the great beings.
Within the village, warriors held the highest honor.
They lived communally and carried out tasks entrusted to the Orca Tribe.
Many lost their lives in the process, and that was why being a warrior was regarded as one of the most honorable jobs of all.
-A mission, huh.
Yul knew that they were receiving orders from the Deep King Tribe, the beings they communicated with.
For instance, the recent sealing of the Syrendron had all been carried out under the commands issued by the Deep King Tribe.
It was said that the Deep Kings had ordered the orcas to maintain the Syrendron's seal, and they had been carrying out that duty for hundreds of years.
-It’s a busy job—we have to make sure the Syrendron's seal hasn't been broken, check whether the 'Dark-Bubble Scallop' near the underwater volcano is rampaging, repel any invaders that rise from the deep-sea through the Starlight Gem Cavern, and if a monster shows up in the Outer Ocean, we've got to drive it back. Sometimes the Turtle Kingdom stirs up trouble, too, so we've got to deal with that as well.
The Warrior Corps functioned much like an army. Because they lived collectively, there were many restrictions, making it far from appealing in Yul's eyes.
-Sounds exhausting.
-You'll have it harder, won't you? You'll be all alone out there.
Yul's chosen role as a patroller was the opposite—he was to monitor things coming from other seas rather than from the deep-sea.
For example, he would patrol places like the Outer Ocean, where it bordered the Great Azure Ocean, or around the Archipelago Ocean.
-Still, I prefer that. Better than being tied down somewhere.
Yul found solitude comforting. Traveling around with this nomadic family felt... inconvenient, even stifling at times.
‘Because of that, I haven't even evolved yet.’
He had already gathered enough experience to trigger his Second Evolution, but he hadn't dared attempt it—afraid someone might witness it.
‘There are already orcas who worship me like some divine creature. If they saw me evolve right here, it'd be chaos.’
Especially the faction known as the Practitioners, who spent their days meditating before the sacred stone tablets—they were the most fanatical of all.
The number of incidents that had happened since Yul returned to the village was beyond counting.
Those orcas who lingered before the stone tablets behaved like crazed fans at an idol concert, leaving Yul utterly bewildered more than once.
-Sometimes, you look like you're always ready to leave for somewhere... at any moment.
That hit home. He flinched.
Tuania had struck a nerve, though she didn't press any further.
-Anyway, it's tomorrow. Think carefully about it. I'm heading home first, okay?
-Yeah. I'll just grab something to eat.
-Don't get caught by those Ascension fanatics.
-Got it.
In the Orca Village, they still traded with a form of currency—fish sealed within giant clams or gem-like minerals were commonly exchanged.
-Trading fish for gems... what an inefficient system.
If he compared it to the human world's exchange rate between fish and gems, it was absurdly overpriced. But still, that was the standard here.
On his way back from shopping, Yul spotted an orca blocking his path.
‘Again?’
There were two factions in the village—the Traditionalists and the Ascensionists.
The Traditionalists treated Yul like a sworn enemy, while the Ascensionists idolized him. Either way, both sides were equally troublesome to deal with.
Thankfully, Nugh's faction belonged to neither.
Still, even within the Ascensionists, there were the kinds of orcas Nugh and Tuania had repeatedly warned him and Yul recognized this type all too well.
-Greetings. You must be Yul, right?
This orca gave off an eerie presence. His jet-black body was covered in white tattoos, and his eyes glowed with an unsettling orange hue.
-Who are you?
-I'm a practitioner who wishes to become one of the Deep King Tribe. You may call me Ogh of the Rising Tide.
A practitioner? Yul remembered that Nugh had repeatedly warned him not to get involved with such people.
-Ah, hello. I, uh, have some things to do, so...
-I heard you're coming of age soon. Do you know about Mantra?
Hearing such an interesting topic, Yul glanced back at him.
-Mantra?
-It's magic that grants power transcending the flesh. Don't you want to obtain it?
As Ogh said, Yul did have a longing for Mantra.
However, Nugh once told him that he would naturally gain Mantra upon becoming an adult anyway.
-Look at my body. Everything engraved here is a Mantra.
Ogh's whole body was covered in tattoos.
Originally, orcas had white bellies and black backs, but Ogh's entire body was black, inscribed with white markings.
Yul knew that Mantra was a kind of magical engraving etched onto the flesh.
Ian said that Mantra was a higher form of human magic, but I'm not sure. Isn't it more like a side-grade?
Mantra was a magical engraving technique that could manifest instantly with thought, but whether it truly surpassed magic was hard to say.
-If you declare during your coming-of-age ceremony that you'll walk the path of a practitioner, I shall pass on to you my Mantra and all the visions I've accumulated.
-But I'm going to be a patroller.
-The Mantra acquired by a practitioner and the one bestowed by the Matriarch to a patroller are of completely different dimensions.
-Hmm.
-It seems you've learned a physical technique called Stealth Form, but such petty skills are nothing compared to Mantra.
Ogh spoke with confidence. Perhaps he was right. But surely, it couldn't be without cost.
-So what do I have to do in return?
-Nothing much. You just need to read the stone tablet. The one in the center of our village.
-I told you, I can't read it!
Every time Yul visited the village, there were always requests for him to read that tablet, but he had consistently maintained that he couldn't.
This was understandable because none of the orcas could understand the writing on it in the first place.
Even the oldest and wisest among them had no idea, so it was an undecipherable monument.
Read it for them? With the kind of fanatics around these days, who knows what kind of trouble that'd stir up.
‘And even if I read it, I wouldn't understand a single word.’
It wasn't even some kind of prophecy—it just rambled about light, the heavens, and other cryptic nonsense. If it hadn't been written by one of the Deep King Tribe, he wouldn't have bothered looking at it at all.
-I see.
Ogh didn't speak again, like other practitioners would. Instead, he only stared at Yul with strange and profound eyes.
Yul felt as if those orange eyes were piercing right through his soul.
-I understand.
'Ugh, that gave me chills.'
This practitioner was creepier than any he'd met before. There was something grim about him—he looked like the kind of guy who'd stab you in the back in some dark alley.
* * *
A few days later, the village held the coming-of-age ceremony together with the appointment ceremony.
Countless orcas that were reaching adulthood that year had gathered here.
‘Didn't know there were this many orcas in the tribe.’
Once they came of age, each orca would state the job they desired and receive the blessing of the Matriarch, Lancia.
To Lancia's right floated a massive crystal orb.
‘Hmm. So that's the one.’
Yul recalled what Tuania had told him. That artifact was said to be crafted by the Deep King Tribe.
It was within that crystal orb that a fitting Mantra would be bestowed upon each orca according to their role.
-Duki, come forward.
-Yes.
-What job do you wish for?
-I wish to join the Warrior Corps.
-Hmm. It seems that won't do. The orb rejects you.
When Lancia placed the crystal orb upon Duki's forehead, the light began to glow but then quickly faded—a failure.
-It can't be helped. Then, make me a Recorder.
-Here is the 'Mantra of Memory,' suitable for a Recorder.
And in this manner, each orca received one Mantra suited to them.
-Tuania, come forward.
-I’ll join the Warrior Corps.
-Alright. You are now a warrior of our Orca Tribe. Here, take the ‘Mantra of Resolve’.
Each Mantra was said to hold a special power, though Yul still didn't quite understand how.
-Yul, come forward.
-I wish to become a patroller.
Yul was granted the job of patroller.
-You are now a patroller of our Orca Tribe. I bestow upon you the ‘Mantra of Communication’.
For Yul, who preferred a looser connection to the Orca Village, it was the perfect fit.
He had worried it might not work out, but it fit just right. He had no idea what the criteria were, though.
Light burst from the crystal orb, and a strange white marking appeared on part of Yul's broad forehead.
Then, a status window appeared.
【Awakening】
【Mantra of Communication: Allows communication even across great distances. You may specify a target and convey your thoughts directly. This ability is not restricted by spatial limitations.】
Not bad.
If Transmission of Thoughts was a short-range ability, then the Mantra of Communication seemed to work over long distances.
Yul thought he might even be able to contact Ian later on.
Since the ceremony wasn't over yet, Yul waited a while longer.
A few female orcas who had received the Breeder job were wagging their tails at him flirtatiously, but Yul shuddered and desperately averted his gaze.
‘No, I'm not an orca. I'm not an orca…’
When the ceremony ended, the Matriarch called Yul separately.
There was another patroller orca present when he arrived.
-This is Borgin, a former patroller. He will tell you what your duties are.
At the Matriarch's words, Yul looked toward Borgin—a scarred warrior whose entire body was marked with old wounds.
He had a couple of tattoos across his body, and his left tail fin was completely severed.
-Greetings. I'm the patroller of the western waters. I'll teach you the duties you'll be responsible for.