The water wasn’t exactly murky, but the view was still hazy—partly due to the lingering darkness of the sky, but mostly because of the water itself.

No, more accurately, it was definitely the water.

Human sight relies on light passing through the cornea, entering the pupil, traveling through the vitreous body, and landing on the retina.

For an image to be clear, the light must not be distorted—but underwater, refraction bends light, making it impossible for the retina to form a sharp image. That’s why vision becomes blurry underwater.

Didn’t we all learn back in grade school that light changes direction when it passes through substances with different optical properties?

That was it.

Glass, salt, diamond, water—they all refract light.

Which meant that because of the distortion, I couldn’t clearly make out what the thing in the water actually was.

But it’s not like I can’t see anything at all.

Still, would I have tried to identify the creature underwater if I had no way at all?

Even though the image was blurry, I had a method to roughly figure out what it was.

And that was: get closer. The farther away it was, the blurrier the image. The closer, the clearer.

I might not be able to see it perfectly, but I could at least make out its outline or color.

So, the solution was to close the distance. I immediately asked Cho to charge straight toward the creature.

『“Cho, forward! Head straight toward that thing!”

– Chrrt! (Okay, Daddy.)』

It was already heading straight at us anyway, so I knew we’d soon have it in view.

But it might suddenly swerve once it saw us—so I had to make sure Cho closed the distance directly and matched its movement.

If it was a fish, it would be used to turning in water. That meant we’d need to mirror its movements to stay close.

Suddenly, I felt the current shift.

Responding to my command, Cho shot forward toward the oncoming creature like a dart.

What the hell is that thing? Let me see your face already!

I forced my eyes open against the pressure of the water crashing against my face.

The water stung my eyes as it seeped between my eyelids, but I gritted my teeth and focused—determined to get a look.

Then it happened: a sharp, piercing sound rang out.

– Zzzrrr!

It must have been a creature adapted to life underwater, because the sharp sound spread rapidly through the lake, using the water as its medium.

It was just like the sonar of dolphins or whales.

Maybe it was all my experience communicating with kids—but I could almost sense an emotion in the sound, even though it was the first ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ time I’d heard anything like it.

And the feeling I got from it? Surprise. A tinge of startled confusion.

No doubt about it. The creature had noticed us, too.

Could it be a dolphin spirit beast?

That high-pitched sonar-like sound made me wonder if it was a dolphin—a spiritual beast based on the Baiji, the Yangtze River dolphin.

In my past life, they’d gone extinct, but here in the martial world, creatures based on them were still around. It was a possibility I couldn’t ignore.

After all, ultrasonic communication is the hallmark of aquatic mammals—whales, dolphins, even certain sea lions use it.

The reason underwater mammals rely on ultrasound is because, while sound travels through air, water transmits sound much faster.

But because water molecules are denser and move less freely than gases, they dampen the amplitude of sound, making it harder to hear unless it’s intense.

That’s why aquatic mammals evolved to use short-wavelength ultrasound—it travels faster and farther in water.

Still, dolphin or not, I was starting to worry.

A dolphin spirit beast? If that’s true, Seol is definitely going to want it...

Dolphins were hairless and undeniably cute—and since I already had Sunbaek and Baekbaek, the pangolins based on the White Armor species, I figured I’d probably have to hand this one over if Seol asked.

I felt a pang of regret but resigned myself to it. If it’s a dolphin, I’ll give it to her.

Just then, the current in front of me suddenly reversed with a splash and flipped.

No time for that.

The priority right now was to identify what we were dealing with.

I could worry about who it would belong to later.

Right at that moment—just as I was about to catch sight of it—the creature vanished from view.

– KRSHHHHH!

And then a tremendous current slammed into Cho and me.

It must’ve swerved just as it reached us, and the resulting current spun our bodies underwater like laundry in a machine.

『“What the—!? Where’d it go!?”

– Chrrt! Daddy! Below!

“Below!?”』

Just as I was regaining my orientation, Cho’s voice called out, and I immediately shifted my gaze downward.

A rushing current passed just beneath us.

At that very moment, as if the sun had finally broken through the clouds, light poured into the lake—like a giant spotlight flicking on. The water below lit up.

Beams of sunlight pierced the surface, illuminating the lakebed in dazzling clarity.

Nice!

Now I’d definitely be able to see it.

As expected of the absurdly lucky man—Spicy Fabre.

Jackpot!

And yet... even though I’d just felt a strong current surge below, nothing came into view.

There was nothing there.

Even the rippling current quickly dissipated.

Whatever it was—it had vanished. As if it had evaporated into thin air.

All I could see in the murky water was the lakebed.

White sand... and scattered black stones. That was it.

What the...? Where the hell did it go?

Damn ghosts, I swear.

***

I looked around for a long while, but the spirit beast had vanished without a trace.

I had no choice but to surface for air.

“Puhah!”

As I rubbed the water from my eyes, the scene along the riverbank came into focus. The water bandits had anchored their boats and climbed up into the reeds.

The ones we’d rescued earlier, plus the ones Yeondu had pulled out afterward, and the rest of the gang—all of them were now on the riverbank or perched among the tall grass.

They must’ve docked their boats to avoid being swept away or caught in another sudden attack.

Huh. Maybe Sagong Won didn’t win his commanding authority by playing rock-paper-scissors after all.

From what I could see, he’d been giving out calm, effective orders suited to the situation. Looked like this had been his call.

With that, I could set aside my concerns for the water bandits.

Just as I was about to dive back in for another look, the light above my head dimmed.

“Hm?”

I looked up to see Yeondu circling overhead, her voice filled with worry as she flew toward me.

– Shaaa. 『Are you alright, So-ryong-nim?』

“Yeah, I’m fine! Cho, let’s dive again!”

Maybe because I’d been underwater, her voice carried a hint of concern.

I answered quickly to reassure her, then turned to Cho and asked him to take us back under.

I wanted to make one last dive before it got too late. I just couldn’t accept how the creature had vanished right before my eyes. It didn’t make any sense.

– Chrrrt! 『Okay, Daddy!』

In the next instant, our bodies dropped below.

I took a deep breath, and once again, we were underwater.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but since the sun had risen a bit more, visibility was slightly better than before. Still, all I could see was the pale sandy bottom and scattered black stones. Nothing more.

『“Where the hell did it disappear to? Cho, it just vanished all of a sudden, right?”

– Chrrt. (Yeah, Daddy. It was swimming down beneath us, and then it just disappeared.)』

We’d been moving away from the riverbank the whole time, so the water here wasn’t even that deep. There was no way it had simply dived far below.

And yet—it was gone.

Did I miss it? Do I just have to wait for the next chance?

It seemed pointless to keep looking for a creature that had simply vanished, so I decided to focus on figuring out what it was.

My guess was dolphin, but I needed something more concrete.

I didn’t see it—but maybe Cho had.

If Cho had caught a better glimpse, I could get him to describe it, and I might be able to deduce what kind of spirit beast we were dealing with.

That would definitely make it easier to deal with it the next time we crossed paths.

『“Cho, did you get a good look at it? What did it look like?”

– Chrrrr. (I didn’t see it clearly, Daddy.)』

Figures.

I’d asked hopefully, but Cho’s voice faltered, his antennae twitching from side to side in hesitation.

Disappointingly, he admitted that he couldn’t make out much either.

I’d had high hopes since Cho’s eyes were structured differently from a human’s—and he even had antennae—but apparently, just like me, he couldn’t identify the thing.

Maybe even spirit beasts process vision similarly?

Troublesome.

As Cho and I floated there underwater, exchanging confused looks, something popped into my head.

That sound it made—the sonar-like noise.

We hadn’t seen it, but sound carries information too. I immediately asked Cho about it.

『“Oh, right! The sound! Cho, did you understand what that sound meant?”』

Spirit beasts, regardless of species, could often understand each other’s cries.

Even though normal animals and spirit beasts were different, those under the same spiritual classification could usually grasp each other’s intent.

I asked urgently if he’d understood the meaning of that cry we’d heard earlier.

This time, Cho nodded without hesitation.

『– Chrrrt! (Yeah, it was like, ‘Wh-What the!?’ That kind of sound.)』

“So, do you have any idea what kind of spirit beast that voice belonged to?”

Judging from the words, it had clearly been surprised—either by me, or by Cho. Spirit beasts don’t usually get startled like that unless they meet another of their kind unexpectedly.

But Cho didn’t have an answer for that follow-up.

『– Chrrrr. (I’m not sure, Daddy. I’ve never heard that voice before.)』

Sigh... what is this thing?

A mystery that wouldn’t unravel.

As I sat there in thought, rubbing my chin, Hwa-eun’s voice drifted into my ears. She must have been listening the whole time.

『“So-ryong, did it run away?”』

She’d likely been quietly waiting until the tension died down before asking what had happened.

『“Yes, Hwa-eun. It disappeared right in front of us.”

“Disappeared?”

“Yeah. It swam right up to our faces and then just... poof. Vanished into thin water.”

“Really?”』

Even as I explained it, the feeling of frustration didn’t go away.

And then—

– Grkrrr.

The feeling wasn’t from the mystery—it was from the fact that I was still underwater and couldn’t breathe.

Damn, I’m really something... thinking about spirit beasts so much I forgot I was still submerged.

I quickly asked Cho to take us back up.

Cho, surface—now!

– Chrrrt!

– SPLASH!

Bursting out of the water, I gasped for air.

“Khuhh... Haaah... Haaaah...”

I’m not even a fish—how the hell did I forget I need air?

As I lay floating at the surface, catching my breath, Hwa-eun’s voice came again.

『“Ah, So-ryong, did Geumdo arrive? I sent him just in case.”』

“Geumdo?”

I tilted my head, confused.

It sounded like she had sent Geumdo on his own.

In our group, “Geumdo” referred to both the creature and the boat, depending on context—but usually, it meant the boat we used.

“Yes, I separated the boat and only sent Geumdo. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt if something happened.”

So I hadn’t misheard.

She really had sent just Geumdo—detached from the boat.

– Brgrrr.

Just then, I heard the familiar rumble of Geumdo’s voice.

I turned to look. Though I didn’t see him directly, there was a disturbance on the water’s surface heading our way.

Trying not to draw attention, Geumdo was gliding just beneath the surface with only his nose poking out.

Faint golden flashes shimmered beneath the water as he approached swiftly.

He came to a stop in front of us and let out a low, gruff cry.

– Brgrrr.

“Oh, hey Geumdo. Good to see you.”

I had just opened my mouth to greet him when he turned his head, glancing toward one of his rear legs.

– Brgrr?

– Chrrt? 『Something under your back leg? Something’s moving?』

“What’s moving?”

Just as Cho and I turned to check below Geumdo’s hind leg, something fluttered beneath it.

No way. Did we just catch it by sheer luck?

Whatever was flapping under Geumdo’s leg—it had to be the creature we were looking for.