Chapter 939

Steber focused all his senses to catch sight of any fish—just in case.

But even after diving to a depth where the pressure was difficult to withstand, despite the protective force surrounding him, the sea remained silent and still.

How much deeper had they gone?

One of the Cavalry members, finding it hard to bear the crushing pressure, let out a stream of bubbling breath and moved his hand.

The water power from his hand condensed like an invisible hand and tapped Yuder’s shoulder.

Yuder turned and gave a hand signal—‘If this is your limit, don’t go any deeper. Search the surrounding area from here.’

Then he moved both hands again to convey the message clearly to everyone.

‘We split up now. But stay within sight of each other.’

The Cavalry members nodded, glanced at one another, and began to scatter.

About half of them remained at that depth, while the rest, including Yuder, dove deeper without hesitation.

Steber followed quickly behind him.

A few others did too, but as the light from their bracelets faded in the dark depths, they one by one stopped and hovered in place.

In the end, only Steber was able to keep following Yuder to the very bottom.

‘I’m starting to hit my limit, too... Is he really planning to dive to the bottom of the ocean?’

Even the faint light from their bracelets barely lit the area now.

It felt like they were being swallowed by a pitch-black monster.

It wasn’t the pressure or his limits that made it hard to keep going—it was the instinctive fear gnawing at him, whispering to turn back.

That was likely why the others had stopped.

Watching Yuder descend fearlessly like someone who didn’t even know °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° fear, Steber finally stopped as well.

This was already deep enough.

Going farther would only be youthful recklessness—empty pride.

He looked up.

Tiny flickers of light shimmered from above—the bracelets of the others.

Steber counted them and confirmed no one was missing.

Then he began to search the area more thoroughly.

The method was simple: spread his power as far as he could and look for the source of the strange vibrations.

‘During the planning session, the Commander and Yuder said we should call for them if we see anything even slightly suspicious.’

Slightly suspicious...

In a fishless sea, what would even count?

Maybe a strange crack in the seabed, like some of the others had mentioned seeing before?

An odd current? An unnatural reef?

Searching without a clearly defined target was always hard—especially in the deep sea.

‘Honestly, the thunder-like sound coming from beneath the sea is already strange enough. There must be ground under the sea, so it’s likely coming from there. In that case, someone with earth powers might be more helpful here.’

But those with only earth powers couldn’t dive this deep.

Those with water powers could reach this far, but couldn’t properly sense the land beneath.

So someone who could use both was ideal.

And there was only one person in the entire Cavalry who could.

Naturally, he was the one down there now.

‘Of course... That must be why Yuder went as far as he could. Only he can sense both water and earth.’

What would they do without him?

Steber shivered at the thought of being in charge of this mission.

He was truly glad Yuder existed.

He turned his gaze downward, toward where the young man with black hair had vanished.

Even at this distance, he could still faintly feel Yuder’s power thanks to his own abilities.

‘He told us to stay visible, but he’s going pretty far out there.’

Granted, Yuder’s power was far stronger than Steber’s.

From his perspective, he could probably still sense everything perfectly.

Still... Steber couldn’t help but worry.

Even if Yuder was the strongest in the Cavalry and possessed wisdom beyond his years, he was still just a young man—barely twenty.

The other members might see him as mature and unshakable, but in Steber’s eyes, Yuder still had rough edges and vulnerabilities.

‘The more dangerous the situation, the more he tries to shoulder it alone. He talks so little. Says nothing even when he’s hungry or hurt. A personality that begs to be misunderstood. And then there’s that... particular weakness...’

Steber remembered what Yuder had told him right before this mission when they had met privately to go over the plans.

Yuder had dropped a bombshell in his usual calm tone—startling him.

‘Steber. I have difficulty using my powers effectively against monsters. So if we encounter one out there, I’ll be relying heavily on your strength.’

‘H-Huh? What?’

‘It’s nothing to be surprised about. You have a weakness, too—your hands don’t work properly after using your powers too much. It’s the same for me.’

All Awakeners had strengths and weaknesses.

In Steber’s case, the more he used his powers, the more his hands and arms stiffened.

Luckily, water didn’t require weapons, so it didn’t matter much in combat—but it did make bakery work difficult.

He’d gradually stopped helping at the shop, only working on weekends now.

He’d thought no one noticed—he always kept it controlled during training.

But Yuder had known.

That was surprising enough.

Even more surprising was Yuder’s own unusual weakness.

He had trouble using his powers properly against monsters?

And yet he’d single-handedly taken down that massive creature in the west? Fought off countless beasts in the south—all without anyone noticing?

How was that possible?

Steber couldn’t begin to imagine the effort it must have taken.

But Yuder had brushed it off with his usual blank expression.

He said he was only telling him for mission purposes and not to worry.

‘Don’t worry. I won’t be a burden if things get bad. I just didn’t want you to be caught off guard if I act differently than usual.’

‘Got it. I’ll remember that.’

Steber had replied as calmly as he could.

Yuder nodded once and went right back to discussing logistics—as if he hadn’t just exposed a massive weakness.

He hadn’t even said, “Don’t tell the others.”

But Steber hadn’t told anyone.

Because he didn’t want to.

Maybe it was because he finally understood why he’d been excluded from strenuous tasks on the days Yuder pushed training unusually hard.

If Steber asked, Yuder would probably say it was simply the most efficient arrangement.

‘Man, it’s really true that you start overthinking when you’re surrounded by darkness...’

Still, nothing strange had appeared.

He was just debating whether to dive deeper or return upward—

When the sound came again.

— Rrrrrrrumble...

“......!”

Above the sea, it had sounded like thunder—ominous but faint.

But here...

It was entirely different.

Louder.

Longer.

It felt like the entire ocean, the whole world, was vibrating violently—screaming.

Like a crouching giant beginning to rise.

Like standing on the edge of a crumbling cliff.

A rush of terror made Steber dizzy.

He lost control of his ability for a moment.

‘Damn...!’

Instantly, he was caught in a whirlpool, spinning like a leaf in a storm.

The crushing pressure blurred his vision.

Bubbles spilled from his lips like screams.

‘If I lose consciousness, I’m done for...!’

Steber clenched his eyes shut, fought to hold his breath, and forced his power to its limits.

The water responded to his desperation, lashing out to grab onto something—anything.

And then—something faint brushed against his senses.

‘Huh...?’

He stilled, lowering his head.

In the pitch-black depths—

Something was creating a strange current.

Something invisible.

But definitely there.