I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature-Chapter 38

Chapter 38. The Penguin Kingdom and the Sorcerer King
I mined the Krelsite and neatly packed it into shells. While I was at it, I started stuffing in some gemstones and energy corals, wondering if there was anything else worth selling—and then a question suddenly hit me.
-Wait, I’m just an evolved nonhuman creature. Why do I even need money?
And then, a famous saying came to mind.
Why do we make money? Because… the money is there.
Well, even if I’m something other than human, having money isn’t exactly a bad thing, right?
If someone like King Kong or King Ghidorah were holding corporate shares worth a quadrillion won, wouldn’t humanity have reconsidered its stance on those monsters?
Maybe King Kong wouldn’t have kidnapped a woman and climbed the Empire State Building illegally.
Anyway, that’s nonsense. There’s actually another, more practical reason—a quest.
-Gold is desire. Gather one ton of gold.
I’d forgotten about that. I was bored and happened to open my status window again, and there it was. A quest to gather gold.
So… if I convert the money I’ve earned into gold, would that count? Or does it only register as complete if I stash it all in one place? Would splitting it up disqualify it?
As I was mulling it over, someone suddenly appeared and spoke.
-Not doing your Patroller duties and just slacking off again, huh?
-Huh?
It wasn’t a voice in my head. It was someone else’s voice.
I jumped in surprise—there’d been no presence at all. But then I realized it was Tuania’s voice.
-Tuania?
-Down here.
I looked down and found Tuania, her whole body cloaked in an ominous violet aura.
-Huh? You’re wrapped in some kind of aura now?
-Wait, you can see this?
What the hell? Don’t tell me she’s a Stand user now? But no, her appearance really had changed quite a bit.
(T/N): Lol didn’t expect to see a Jojo reference here.
-You look bigger. And your scars seem to have increased, too?
-A lot has happened.
She even looked a little taller than me now. Must’ve bulked up after joining the Warrior Corps.
A muscular, towering, beautiful orca girl...
‘Focus, idiot.’
This was all Ogh’s fault for corrupting my thoughts.
-I have a reason to get stronger, and I actually have.
-It looks that way. An aura is coming from around your body.
-I met the Master of the Stealth Form in person and received their teachings directly. Once I mastered everything, this aura just started forming around me. Anyway, Yul, quit slacking and come do some work with me.
-Ehhh, no thanks.
Smack! Smack!
Invisible slaps rained down on me, and I freaked out.
She’d just playfully tapped me, like old times, but the Stone of Authority nearly activated.
-Ow! What the hell? That hurt!
-Oh, really? You’re tougher than I thought. I might’ve used too much force. Sorry about that.
She’d gotten so strong that even a joke could turn dangerous. Terrifying.
-Anyway, whether you like it or not, you’re coming. This is an order from the Matriarch, passed down through my grandfather. She said to take one Patroller with me.
-A job, huh? Well, can’t refuse that. Where to?
-You remember, right? The penguins we led south from the Arctic?
-Ah, those guys.
I recalled them—the southern penguin tribe refugees who’d escaped the Sorcerer King’s attack and made a deal with Nugh. The warriors had gone off to fight, as I remembered.
-We got a request to send the refugees back north now that things have settled down.
-Can’t you just give them directions and let them handle it?
-The location’s tricky to pinpoint. And in the ocean, penguins are kind of… weak.
-Hmm…
It might sound odd, but in this world, penguins thrive better on the Arctic land than in the sea.
They don’t waddle like normal penguins—they walk more like bipeds. And if you look closely, their flippers even have finger-like joints.
The tradeoff is that they’re much weaker in the water.
-I see. So I’m basically on escort duty?
-Exactly.
-Fine. Let’s go then.
I’d been thinking about visiting the Arctic again anyway.
That was after my deal with the Sun King.
I provided Krelsite to the surface, and in return, I received magic stones. During that process, I thought, Why not establish a long-term trade route?
I travel alone for now, but once I leave the Orca Tribe, I could use other methods.
‘I could hire humans to run the trade, or just rent ships for transport.’
A sailing ship, of course, could carry cargo dozens of times what a giant clam could.
That means a regular trade route would be needed, and if it’s the Arctic, where the penguins live, it might just work.
After all, rumors say those penguins even founded their own kingdom.
* * *
Heading north across the Great Azure Ocean, there were two large islands.
Originally, neither island had a name. But Yul, needing something to call them, gave them temporary ones: the slightly larger one he named the Castaway Island, and the smaller one, the Penguin Exile Island.
At the Penguin Exile Island, Yul went to meet the penguins.
He thought it best that he take the lead rather than Tuania, after all, Tuania was currently radiating a ferocious aura that made her look more like a demon than a warrior.
A young penguin, busy drying fish along the shore, hiccupped when he spotted Yul.
-Wh-w-who are you?
-Ah, don’t you remember me? I’m the orca who ferried you all to this island.
-I… don’t think so.
-Then call your mother.
The little penguin dashed off, and a few moments later, a group of penguins waddled toward the beach. At their head was an elderly penguin whose feathers had turned white with age—clearly the village chief.
-You’re one of the orcas who led us to this island.
-Glad you remember me. I was a bit smaller back then.
-The white markings above your eyes are slightly different, but recognizable enough.
Hmm. So that’s how they tell orcas apart.
-Anyway, I came to let you know the situation’s been resolved. You can all return home now.
-Truly?
-That’s what I’ve heard.
Yul repeated what Tuania had told him.
-The Sorcerer King has been defeated, and now another one rules in his place. A penguin named Adol.
He explained that one of their own had become a hero, defeated the enemy, and asked that the refugees be returned to the Arctic.
For a brief, silly moment, Yul imagined that if Adol just added one more letter to his name, he’d sound like a dangerous mustachioed penguin. But his idle thoughts vanished as the penguins on the island broke into cheers.
-Adol won?!
-We can finally go home!
Penguins dropped their baskets and tools, shouting with joy at the thought of returning.
Still, not all of them shared that excitement. Some had even been born here on the island.
-It’s a blessing that we can return, but some penguins have grown fond of life here. They wish to stay.
-Stay behind?
Yul turned to Tuania, who shook her head firmly.
-No.
-Well, she says no. The order is to return all penguins to the Arctic. If they really love the island, they can come back later.
-Hmm… understood. We’ll begin the preparations.
Though troubled, the village chief gathered everyone—including those who wished to remain—and began readying for departure.
Meanwhile, Yul asked Tuania,
-Why can’t they stay?
-The newly crowned King Adol wants all his people back.
-Didn’t they used to be a tribe, not a kingdom?
-Adol founded a kingdom after his victory and became its king. Rumor has it he’s even become a Sorcerer King himself.
-What?!
-He fought the Sorcerer King… and in doing so, became one.
Astounding. What in the world was happening up north?
-Isn’t becoming a Sorcerer King dangerous?
-When one faces the Abyss… one eventually becomes the Abyss.
A perfect metaphor. After all, sea creatures lived their entire lives staring into the deep.
The matter moved quickly. Yul and Tuania began leading the penguins north toward the Arctic once again.
Along the way, they encountered various sea creatures living in the polar waters.
A massive humpback whale—harmless, since it fed mainly on krill.
The real danger came from the polar shark, a species that preyed primarily on penguins. It couldn’t use magical signals or ultrasonic waves, which made it a monster among sea creatures—a half-sentient beast.
The shark, rising from the cold depths of the deep sea, was swiftly taken care of by Tuania.
-Die!
Without a sound, Tuania darted forward and swung her tail like a blade, slicing the shark’s head clean in two as if cutting a cigar.
While she handled the extermination, Yul shielded the penguins, positioning himself between them and any threats. They advanced in that formation, slowly but steadily, until several days later—
-We’ve finally reached the Arctic.
-Someone should already be waiting for us.
Just as Tuania said, a structure resembling a port had been built at the Arctic coast.
Though no ships came and went, the inlet served as a kind of natural harbor. As soon as they arrived, the penguins leapt from the sea with graceful flips, landing neatly on the ice.
And there, waiting to greet them, was the penguin Sorcerer King himself—Adol.
Even at a glance, it was obvious who he was. On his head sat a magnificent crystal crown, unlike anything Yul had seen before. Embedded within it were three distinct gems, each radiating an overwhelming magical force.
One was dark blue, the color of a midnight sky laced with streaks of silver.
Another was a quivering azure sphere, trembling like a living core, held in a silver frame.
The last was a milky-white gem shaped like an eye, exhaling frost and mist.
-So you’re the king? That’s a hell of a crown.
-Indeed. Greetings, Orca Tribe. This Extreme Ice Crown was taken from the despicable Sorcerer King Crocken. It is adorned with Polar Night Stone, the heart core of the Frost Wyrm, and Eternal Ice Stone.
Crocken—the name of the penguin Sorcerer King who had once driven their people to the brink of extinction.
The crown itself was anything but ordinary. Its aura pulsed with power, and simply looking at it inspired an involuntary sense of authority.
-This crown is what sustains my royal dominion. In any case, thank you for returning my subjects.
-Hmm. You're welcome.
As Yul spoke with him, he could sense a certain unyielding will and deep ambition radiating from Adol.
He couldn’t help but wonder:
‘Was Adol always like this? Or did becoming a Sorcerer King change him?’
Before he could dwell on it, Tuania stepped forward.
-At my grandfather’s request, we’ve completed the task you desired.
-Good. Is there something you wish for in return? Nugh instructed me to reward those who helped return the people.
-I want Rahendal’s Shell. My grandfather sent me to retrieve it.
-What’s that?
When Yul asked, Tuania explained.
-The shell of a creature called Rahendal. It’s said to be a part of a conch whose sound echoes even in the deepest seas.
-Does something like that really exist?
-Grandfather wants it as a signal artifact for the Warrior Corps.
-Of course it exists. I once told Nugh about it. After I drove out the Sorcerer King, I claimed his vault, and inside were countless artifacts from ancient times. Among them was Rahendal’s Shell.
Adol had apparently told Nugh of its existence, and Nugh, in turn, told Tuania to retrieve it.
-I’ll give it to you. But you, the one beside her, what do you desire?
-Me?
Yul blinked. He’d only come along as an escort, but if he was getting a reward just for showing up, well… he wasn’t about to say no.
-Honestly, there’s nothing in particular I want. But… does the Arctic have any specialties? If possible, I’d like permission to conduct exclusive trade.
-Hmm. You mean you wish for commercial rights normally reserved for tribes, granted to an individual?
-Exactly. I need a personal license.
-Huh?
Tuania gave him a look that said, What the hell are you up to now?
-Well, that’s no difficult matter. Granted.
-Great. But the goods I’m planning to trade won’t be ones made by orcas, they’ll be crafted by… other beings.
-…?