Aquatic plants in fantasy worlds weren't the same as real life versions. For one, the glowy seaweed had a texture like souffle after it was steamed, and the taste wasn't fishy at all. It broke apart easily and melted in her mouth, a delicacy that made her wish she could eat some of it every day.
There were also some fruit-like bulbs with skin that broke open like flowers once they were cooked. Their insides were milky white and cottony, emitting a light fragrance. The taste of them was slightly sweet and reminiscent of bread, but when she bit it, it was crispy, and the more she chewed, the softer it became until there was only a silky texture left behind.
Even without seasoning, the food tasted wonderful. And the best part was~
Ding! 'Side Quest: 'Natural Habitat' Complete!'
Ding! 'Hidden Quest: 'Ocean Forager' Complete!'
'Reward, Natural Habitat: 250 XP, Power Unlocked: Echokinesis'
Reward, Ocean Forager: 50 XP, Snack Pouch'
Ding! 'Conrgatulations! Player ID 'Ittygreenybitties' levelled up!'
'Level 3 Siren, {/ 10% }'
Catlen was overjoyed. Not only had she levelled up, she also completed quests without knowing!
The best kind of reward was a windfall.
Calten first checked out her snack pouch reward.
'Lvl. 1 Snack Pouch, ★★★'
'Some say snack pouches were invented by gluttonous fairies who liked to hoard food. The pouch preserves food in the same state it was put in, so hot soups stay hot, and cold drinks stay cold.'
Upon opening, there were ten empty slots in the pouch. The fact that it could be levelled up gave Catlen hope that she would be able to unlock more slots in the future. She felt incredibly excited to have received such a boon. Now, whenever she went on missions, she wouldn't have to worry about not having food to eat.
When she was done being happy about her snack pouch, she began to check out her new power. Beside the profile tab in the game menu interface, there was a new 'Powers' tab.
'Lvl. 1 Echokinesis, ★★★★'
'Aquatic animals communicate through sound, and they also defend themselves with sound. Echolocation and kinetic attacks are interchangeable. Range and precision expand with practice.'
Echolocation! Kinetic attacks!
Catlen was ecstatic!
Being able to have long-range scouting methods could be lifesaving. She had never dreamed of such a thing, and she had also never heard of it when she was playing the female protagonist's arc.
She did know that there were a range of powers in this game universe that were very diverse in range, but she had never explored deeper on what they were. All she knew was that they had been divided into categories.
For example, the female protagonist's power, perfect aim, was a psychic type power. Catlen's new echokinesis also seemed to be a psychic type power, considering the option of kinetic attacks. Echolocation was a power of sound. She wondered how her offensive power worked.
Catlen figured that she would have to find a time to practice.
There was also the star rating system, which she hadn't been able to see before. She figured it had something to do with her levelling up.
To test it, she pulled out the things she had found in the ship before, and sure enough, there were stars next to their names.
'Centralized Compass, ★★★'
It seemed like the more she levelled up, the more game functions she would unlock.
This was good. Since she'd been thrown into this dome, she had been bored out of her mind just swimming during the day and sleeping once it got dark. The ocean was a lonely place for her, and there was nobody to talk to.
Even the little mermaids had disappeared at some point. Now, she had something to look forward to. If even trivial things would bring rewards, maybe she would get a prize just by eating different things from different environments.
She'd have to try that.
Catlen was more than satisfied with her meal, which had inadvertently brought her such good luck. She filled her belly contentedly and kept some hot leftovers in her new snack pouch, intending to eat them for breakfast the next day. She thought that after she unlocked her mission rewards, she would gather some more aquatic plants and take them with her.
Finding a clean corner to make do with, Catlen curled up and slept soundly the whole night. When she woke up again, she had no idea what time it was, since being in an underwater cave wasn't exactly helpful for reading the sky. Still, she got up and ate some hot food, then set off to find the flowers.
She jumped into the pool and left the cave, swimming deeper into the vast waters again. With how deep below the surface she was at the moment, she wouldn't actually be able to see much if it weren't for the glowing aquatic plants.
The light they provided under such dark waters was minimal, though. There was only a faint blueish colour abovehead to dictate that it was daytime up above, and below, dark blue.
With limited visibility, relying on aquatic plants alone would take her forever to find the flowers, and her deadline didn't leave her any option to take her sweet time.
Faintly worried, the thought suddenly occured to her that it was the perfect time to try out that echolocation.
The game description didn't provide any insight on how her power worked, which meant that she would blindly have to master it on her own. Sigh...
Catlen thought for a moment and tried to make clicking noises with her tongue, but she had barely done anything when water flooded her nose, so that was a failure.
Considering the animals she knew who had echolocation abilities, she closed her eyes and envisioned what it would be like to have her senses spread out.
Instinct took over, tilting her head back a little, Catlen produced a high-pitched sound in her throat that travelled through her surroundings.
They looked like negative outlines, bringing their general shape and silhouette to her. Catlen's echo wandered out, like a whale call, but more musical in its quality. There was an eerie, almost melancholic tone to the echo she sang.
The sound travelled smoothly through the water, spreading forward for ten metres in all directions. Catlen's heart thumped excitedly as she followed the trails she could see, all the way to an unusual space that appeared.
In the vast darkness, a sprawling valley with a vivid glow sat quietly in the warm ocean. The magnificent sight was enough to take Catlen's breath away.
Red, orange and yellow combined into fist-sized flower heads, most of them bloomed, and some still tightly wrapped as closed buds.
From a distance, it looked like a valley of fire. Even the temperature of the valley was high enough that Catlen could feel its heat from where she was.
No wonder they were called Flaming Sea Flowers. The water, affected by the colour of the flowers, looked like swirling tongues of fire.
Catlen was stiff, not knowing what to do. Besides the visual stimuli that was delighting her eyes, her body was nearly in agony. It was too hot!
She had long noticed that something was wrong with her. Since she'd entered thermal waters, her stomach woke up, and her HP bar also filled up faster than before.
Besides that, her skin was constantly throbbing and it felt uncomfortable, and her internal organs squirmed from time to time.
Her only way to describe what she felt was like she was oversaturated.
If, for whatever reason, she was absorbing oxygen through her skin, by being in hotter waters, she was either absorbing too much of it, or not enough of it. Her condition made it seem like it was the former.
Also, her ability to adapt to hotter waters was terrible. She was like a fish, slowly boiling.
Catlen had expected some trials when gathering the Flaming Sea Flowers, but she wasn't expecting to battle against herself.
Lost in thought, she stared at the flowers for her mission, so close yet somehow so far. Her deadline was like a knife to her neck, and she didn't know or want to find out what would happen if she failed to complete the task.
What could she do?
Flaming Sea Flowers were supposed to be dug up with their roots.
The water behind her rippled while she contemplated. In her state of oversensitivity due to the temperature of the water, she noticed the slightest change immediately.
She turned her head, but there was only darkness. The depth of her current location couldn't even be considered deep sea, but the water pressure was enough to make people who needed to breathe feel heavy.
Even she was struggling a little after a prolonged time in such depths. It was her first time, after all.
Her eyes squinted as a faint blob moved in the distance. From there, it's tremors sent little waves through the water that reached her.
Catlen spread out her echolocation, but the creature moved away the moment she released her song, out of her range. She couldn't tell what it was.
She felt frustrated. Being low level, her range wasn't very far. There was nothing she could do if something lurked outside the periphery of her powers.
And while she was trying to detect things in the water with her powers, a powerful jet pierced through the water faster than she could react. Before she could even retract her song, it struck her in the chest, sending her careening straight toward the valley of Flaming Sea Flowers.
She tumbled, unable to catch her bearings from the spinning of her limbs. Catlen choked on the water that rushed in through her nostrils involuntarily. Bubbles erupted, dimming her vision, yet she caught sight of an outline floating toward her previous spot.
Her pupils shrank in horror. The tag that hovered above the creature left no room for error at all. Despite the scalding change in temperature, she only felt a chill spread through her limbs.
'Lvl. 5 Kraken'
She was doomed for sure.