Ren Isana looked with a strange expression at the blue-haired girl who had just fainted in front of him. He noticed that some black ink was slowly leaking out of the corner of her mouth.
Between her outfit and that ink, Ren Isana slowly recalled a moe anime he had seen a long time ago. *Isn't this freaking Squid Girl?*
"She's the Squid Girl, not a human. She comes from the deep sea and possesses the power to control the ocean. I've already talked to her—she'll help you for 300 Valis an hour. Any extra time costs more!" Natsuki's voice echoed in Ren Isana's mind.
Her words confirmed Ren Isana's suspicion. It really was her, Squid Girl... and 300 Valis an hour? *Is this girl working some kind of part-time job?* Ren Isana couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"Water... water... I need water..." After being unconscious for a while, the girl finally reacted. She began crying out for water. Seeing this, Ren Isana took a [Red Potion] out of his [Spatial Ring] and handed it over.
If she truly was the Squid Girl, then her being here shouldn't be much of a problem. After all, she really did have the power to control the sea, right? It was perfectly reasonable. In a world like this, it wasn't strange for anyone to have any kind of power.
Ren Isana unscrewed the cap of the [Red Potion] and shoved it into her mouth. Sensing the scent of fruit juice, she sat up immediately, grabbed the bottle, and started gulping it down.
The students in the class watched the little girl with bizarre expressions. *Is she really going to be okay?* Everyone couldn't help but feel skeptical.
It wasn't until the Squid Girl finished the [Red Potion] that she finally recovered. She slammed the empty bottle onto the floor and cursed in annoyance, "That damn Natsuki! She didn't even give me time to prepare before sending me over! How hateful! That woman did it on purpose!"
After her outburst, she stood up and scanned the people around her. Her gaze eventually landed on Ren Isana, and she reached out her hand. "Are you the one who hired me? Pay up first, then tell me what I need to do!"
Ren Isana looked at her self-righteous attitude and felt a bit of a headache. *Why does this little brat feel so trashy?* Despite his internal complaints, Ren Isana took out the prepared 1,000 Valis and placed it in her hand.
"Here is 1,000 Valis. I need you to do me a favor. Just part the sea for us!" Ren Isana stated the purpose of summoning her.
Hearing that Ren Isana was giving her 1,000 Valis, the Squid Girl's eyes instantly lit up. *How many shrimp can I buy with this?!* This trip wasn't a waste at all! Thinking this, her eyes sparkled, and she snatched the money without a second thought.
After counting it and confirming it was real and the amount was correct, the Squid Girl tucked it away. She patted her chest and guaranteed, "Fine, leave it to me! Anything related to the sea can be handled by me, no matter which world it is!"
With that, she ran to the window of the cabin and looked out. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the ocean below. "The humans in this world are truly too much. They don't cherish the ocean at all! It's so filthy!"
Even though she wasn't a squid from this specific world, she loved the ocean dearly. With just one look, she had a clear understanding of this world's sea.
The ocean was filled with strange creatures, and the sea itself seemed to be crying. Many of the marine life-forms in this world had been contaminated. The Squid Girl felt a pang of sorrow, but she was also relieved that this place wasn't her home.
"This world is infected by something called the Gastrea Virus," Ren Isana spoke softly, explaining the situation of this world to her, including how the virus had fundamentally destroyed the global ecosystem.
This included many marine organisms, which had all turned into ferocious Gastrea. As Ren Isana continued his explanation, the Squid Girl began to understand.
At the same time, she realized what her job was this time: to part the sea so Ren Isana could deal with the Tier 5 Gastrea at the bottom of the ocean. That creature was considered the strongest Gastrea on the planet.
"No problem. I'm an expert at controlling the sea. However, I won't help you fight! I'm not good at combat, and... I don't want to go into the water in this world. It's too dirty!" the Squid Girl stated her conditions.
To her, the oceans of this world were like a pond filled with trash. Unless someone could fish out all the garbage inside, she wouldn't go down there even if it killed her.
"That doesn't matter as long as you can control the sea. Should we lower the transport plane? Or should we find an island for you to stand on?" Ren Isana discussed the logistics with her.
The Squid Girl shook her head and said confidently, "There's no need for that much trouble. It's the same even from the sky. As long as we're over the ocean, I can control it!"
One should never underestimate her abilities! She was incredibly powerful, and the ocean was her home turf. Although this turf was a bit broken, she could still manipulate it!
Ren Isana felt a flash of surprise. *Is it really that ridiculous?* If so, then Ren Isana wanted her ability even more.
Having made up his mind, Ren Isana turned to Asagi Aiba. "Asagi, tell the pilots to speed up. We'll start the operation immediately. We'll finish this quickly, nuke this monster, and see if the other one is attracted to us."
Although he didn't know how long the Squid Girl's control could last, Ren Isana planned to end it fast. There was no point in dawdling. It was better to solve it early and go back—ideally by drawing out the second one as well.
"Got it!" Asagi Aiba nodded and immediately sent the command to the pilots, telling them to proceed at full speed toward their designated coordinates over the sea.
Not long after the order was sent, everyone felt a noticeable increase in speed. The scenery outside blurred as clouds whipped past. The transport plane flew over the sea at a terrifying velocity.
About half an hour later, Ren Isana and the others finally arrived above the destination. The cargo doors opened, and a fierce gale roared into the cabin, but it settled down in an instant.
This was because Ais and Asuna had acted, using their Magic Power to control the surrounding air currents and keep them stable. After attaching a safety rope to the Squid Girl, Ren Isana walked to the edge of the door.
He looked at the sea below and said slowly, "This is it. I'll leave it to you. Open up the sea below; our target is right down there."
After speaking, Ren Isana looked at Haruhime and nodded, signaling her to begin applying her magic to the weaker students so they would have the power to strike the targets below.
Otherwise, even if the sea was opened, with their current strength, even a full-power [Piercing Magic Bullet] might not be enough to hit the Gastrea at the bottom.
Seeing this, Haruhime immediately went into action. She had done this many times before, so she was well-practiced. This magic wasn't for Ren Isana and the others.
It was mainly for the new classmates. Ren Isana, Ais, and Asuna could still hit the targets below. Worst case, they could just fly down; it wasn't a big deal.
The Squid Girl looked at the sea below. After observing for a moment, she nodded. she could sense a big fellow sleeping soundly on the seabed. Since she had taken the money, it was time to work!
The Squid Girl raised her right hand, and a blue glow began to radiate from her body. Her blue hair started to flutter as she activated her talent. The previously calm sea below suddenly began to form a massive whirlpool.
Then, the whirlpool grew larger and more numerous. The surrounding seawater seemed to be wrapped by some force and began to spin. Even the ocean currents became a chaotic mess at that moment.
Ren Isana kept his eyes on the Squid Girl. Feeling the power she was using, he didn't hesitate to activate [Jianjigu] to begin copying it. Slowly, he began to understand exactly what kind of ability this was.
It was similar to the talents everyone else awakened, but the Squid Girl's ability to directly control the ocean was innate. Ordinary people couldn't learn it. Even if she tried to teach it, no one else would be able to grasp it—but that didn't include Ren Isana.
Once Ren Isana understood the nature of this power, he decisively copied it. He also discovered that this talent, besides controlling the ocean, allowed one to soar freely and breathe underwater without being rejected by the sea.
It even included the power to manipulate water currents. It was as if he were a child of the water, or rather, a child of the ocean. Ren Isana silently learned the Squid Girl's talent.
The whirlpool below grew larger and larger. In the blink of an eye, it expanded to several kilometers, and the speed of expansion was still increasing. A patch of darkness began to appear at the bottom of the whirlpool.
Because sunlight couldn't reach the bottom, everyone's expressions turned solemn. Students with deep-sea phobia didn't even dare to look, as the pitch-black void felt like the gaping maw of an abyss.
Ren Isana's gaze, however, was fixed on the depths. In the heart of that darkness, several pairs of crimson pupils snapped open. A massive, conch-shaped Gastrea had awakened.
"Is that Aquarius?" Looking at the giant sea snail, the first thing Ren Isana thought of was the evil god Gatanothor. They were both giant snails, though this one was covered in blood-red eyes.
The whirlpool controlled by the Squid Girl grew even wider, and slowly, sunlight began to reach the bottom. The seabed was gradually revealed to everyone, allowing them to clearly see the massive Gastrea.
Ren Isana sensed the situation below. He immediately took out his staff and cast a spell. A massive [Protection Barrier] enveloped the entire transport plane.
Aquarius moved. Having been suddenly awakened, it was extremely displeased and had a massive case of morning crankiness. Under its control, the seawater in the ocean shot out like cannonballs toward Ren Isana's transport plane.
However, the enemy had no hope of hitting them. The pilots in the cabin had already pushed the plane to its maximum speed, circling above the sea. The attacks were dodged before they could even catch up. Ren Isana's barrier was just a precaution.
"If you're going to do something, do it now!" the Squid Girl shouted. She had also noticed the appearance of the giant snail and felt a strong dislike for it. Now, she wanted to see it dead as well.
Upon hearing her words, the students who had been buffed by [Uchide no Kozuchi・Magic Mallet] began to launch their attacks. Ren Isana and the others jumped out and used [Flight Magic] to begin their assault on Aquarius.
The main attacker was Ren Isana. The others began releasing their magic in mid-air, raining down [Piercing Magic Bullet] after [Piercing Magic Bullet]. In an instant, a massive explosion erupted below.
The attacks didn't stop. To prevent their initial strikes from missing, everyone was already preparing their second and third shots. Otherwise, once Ren Isana acted, they wouldn't even get a chance to touch the target.
Ren Isana raised the staff in his hand. A massive [Piercing Magic Cannon] Magic Circle was rapidly drawn in the air. The moment the circle formed, Ren Isana's Magic Power began pouring into it as if it cost nothing.
In just a heartbeat, Ren Isana poured all of his Magic Power into it. The [Piercing Magic Cannon] fired—a beam of light thicker than any he had ever released descended from the heavens.
To ensure a one-shot kill, Ren Isana had poured all the Magic Power he possessed into this strike. This was his strongest attack.
After the cannon fired, Ren Isana quickly controlled his body to retreat. The others had already moved back before him. Having killed so many Tier 5 monsters with Ren Isana, they were used to his patterns.
When Ren Isana attacked, you ran as far away as possible. You couldn't let yourself get caught in the blast, or the rest of the class would laugh you to death. Imagine surviving a fight with a Gastrea only to be injured by the aftershock of Ren Isana's attack? That would be pathetic!
The Squid Girl watched the magic Ren Isana released and couldn't help but swallow hard. *Mommy, is it really this terrifying? Does this guy's Magic Power cost nothing? How can he have so much? This is way too scary!*
The sheer density of the Magic Power Ren Isana condensed made her tremble. She almost lost control of the whirlpool. Fortunately, she reacted in time; otherwise, the vortex would have collapsed.
Of course... the subsequent explosion directly caused the whirlpool to cave in anyway. she could only increase her output to keep widening it. *This 1,000 Valis is not easy to earn!* she grumbled internally.
BOOM! A terrifying explosion detonated a thousand meters below the surface. This time, however, the shockwave was confined within the whirlpool. The terrifying aftershocks nearly broke her control over the vortex.
If it had failed, the seawater would have rushed back in, causing total chaos. It was thanks to her power that such a disaster was averted.
The explosion consumed Aquarius and simultaneously alerted Pisces in the nearby waters. A double-headed fish, over a hundred meters long and looking like a killer whale, opened its crimson eyes.
It felt the mourning of another Gastrea and the distress signal it had sent out. Without a second thought, it charged forward. However, the currents were so chaotic under the Squid Girl's control that it was forced to leap out of the water and head toward Aquarius's location.
Ren Isana looked at his handiwork. He felt his Magic Power, which had already recovered by one-tenth, and nodded with satisfaction. In a few minutes, he'd be able to fire another one. This recovery speed was fantastic!
As the aftermath of the explosion slowly faded, Ren Isana was the first to dive into the sea. He needed to handle the things in the water as quickly as possible. The other students were already used to this.
No one else intended to go down. Ren Isana would be back up soon, so there was no need for them to dive. Everyone's faces were filled with joy because the Excelia had already arrived, making them all a bit stronger.
This feeling was simply too great. Now there was only one left. They wondered how much Excelia they would get after solving that last Pisces, and how much the progress bar would increase.
Many were already looking forward to it. At the same time, they were curious about what Ren Isana would bring up from the seabed. Was this Gastrea once a child? The answer was yes.
Arriving at the bottom, Ren Isana saw a soaking-wet little girl in a swimsuit curled up in the mud. Just like the children from before, she appeared after Aquarius had been vaporized.
Ren Isana went over to collect the dropped materials. Then, without minding the grime, he picked up the child from the mud. The next moment, a stream of water appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around the little girl and instantly washing away the filth.
Holding her, Ren Isana didn't linger. He immediately began to swim upward. Just as he was about to break the surface, a hundred-meter-long double-headed killer whale suddenly burst out of the whirlpool the Squid Girl was maintaining.
It opened its massive maw and lunged directly at Ren Isana. The appearance of this orca gave the Squid Girl, who was maintaining the vortex above, a massive fright. She shrieked and immediately stopped maintaining the whirlpool, her whole body trembling.
After all, the thing the Squid Girl feared most was a killer whale. Seeing a double-headed, enhanced version of one was even worse. It was a miracle she hadn't fainted on the spot.
With the Squid Girl terrified, the ocean whirlpool lost its stability and collapsed. Seawater began to pour in violently. Pisces appeared right in front of Ren Isana, looking as if he were charging straight into its mouth.
Seeing this, Asuna's expression changed instantly. Without the slightest hesitation, she charged forward to rescue Ren Isana. She squeezed every drop of Magic Power from her body and launched her ultimate attack!