To address the situation and prepare themselves for later exploration, Axel bought two types of items from the shop.

The first was a special accessory called Mermaid's Breath, a bracelet that allowed the wearer to breathe normally underwater. With it, there would be no fear of drowning anymore.

The second item was not an accessory, but a consumable.

Magical Eye.

It was something like a big, bloody eyeball the size of an apple that, upon consumption, allowed the user to "see" everything—whether in complete darkness, blinding light, or even the invisible fluctuations of mana or miasma in the air.

Although eating it took quite some guts, it was the "cheapest" and most effective option in the shop. The water below would definitely be dark, after all.

They needed to see, at the very least, or else it would be extremely dangerous.

That was why he bought it.

After putting on a bracelet himself, Axel made a disgusted expression as he took large bites of the Magical Eye. It tasted like fresh strawberries—sweet and sour—belying its appearance.

Soon after, Axel's vision brightened.

As if the cave had been lit by the sun, he could see every single detail clearly.

"As expected of an item that costs one million Colts each…" he whispered to himself, convinced it had been a wise choice.

After that, he swam over to the still-panicking Nina, grabbed her arm forcefully, and fastened the bracelet onto her wrist.

Then he turned to Fenrir and gave a thumbs-up. "Sink her down!" he commanded.

"Yes, Master!"

Fenrir didn't doubt his words.

Without a hint of hesitation, she pushed Ethernina's head below the water, keeping her down despite her thrashing around.

"I'm drowning! Help! Fenrir is killing me…!" Nina shouted in panic as she tried her best to resurface.

"You…"

Axel sighed, lowering himself underwater.

Although he automatically held his breath as he did.

Even though he knew he should be able to breathe normally with the bracelet in effect, instinct still kicked in, making him stop breathing—until he forced himself to inhale. He expected water to flood his lungs, but instead—

"Hoh… This is amazing."

He felt no strange sensation, as if he were aboveground, breathing normally. Not only that, he could even speak properly.

After adjusting to the weird feeling of breathing underwater, he moved over to Nina and grabbed her cheeks, forcefully turning her face toward him.

"Calm down," he said. "You're already underwater, and you're breathing normally. Didn't you realize? Look."

"H-Huh?"

Hearing his words, her eyes darted around as she looked at every corner. She took a few deep breaths as if testing it. Her pale expression slowly but surely returned to normal once she realized she wasn't drowning.

"I… I'm sorry for panicking, Sir Axel," she apologized soon after Fenrir released her. "It seems I have caused you trouble."

"Not that I mind, but keep your wits about you," Axel shrugged. "Next, you need to eat this and gain the ability to see in this near-pitch-darkness."

"T-This…?"

Axel extended his hand, revealing the Magical Eye—a large eyeball shrouded in a red, mist-like fog of blood that drifted in the water. Just looking at it sent goosebumps up Nina's arms. The thought of eating it was so outlandish that she couldn't even imagine it!

Still, when faced with the warning of being left behind, she closed her eyes, held back her gag reflex, and took a large bite.

When she realized its fruity flavor, she finished it in one go, sighing in relief.

"Oh… I can see!"

Sure enough, the eye's effect kicked in a moment later.

Now, all three of them were wearing Mermaid's Breath, and two had eaten the Magical Eye—Fenrir didn't need it, as her vision was already clear even deep underwater.

"Alright, since we're done cleaning up the dead bodies, let's begin our search."

The three split up to search their respective areas.

Although Nina didn't know how to swim, without fear of drowning, she could still move around by mimicking Axel and Fenrir's movements. Her puffy dress had to go, however, as it hampered her mobility underwater. She had to strip down to her underwear just to stay able.

Axel did the same, storing all his clothes in his inventory except for a pair of short pants.

Fenrir, who was wearing hot pants and a thin summer dress to begin with, didn't need to bother lightening her load. Even if she wore something as heavy as Nina's dress, her strength would make it a non-issue anyway.

As the three spread out, their search progressed quickly.

About an hour later, they regrouped in the middle.

"I couldn't find anything," Axel said, shaking his head.

Although he did collect some pretty stones from the bottom and sold them for a decent sum, he couldn't find an exit on his side.

"Same here," Nina sighed. "Other than some rare underwater herbs I harvested, there was nothing else worth mentioning."

The herbs were quite valuable, of course, but Axel held off on procuring them for now. There was neither time nor place to start trading.

"I… think I found the exit, at the very end," Fenrir said hesitantly. "Though I wouldn't call it an exit—more like a crack in the wall."

"A crack?"

Curious, Axel asked her to lead the way.

When they arrived, Axel nodded. "Yeah… it really is a crack. A gigantic one."

Along the wall stretched a massive, thunderbolt-shaped fissure. At its narrowest, it was no wider than a finger, while at its widest, it was large enough for four buses to pass through.

At the same time, he understood Fenrir's uncertainty.

The crack didn't run straight—it bent sharply to the right a few meters in, making it impossible to see where it led from the entrance.

"I swam inside earlier to check," Fenrir explained. "The path seemed to continue for quite a distance. Do we proceed, Master?"

Axel paused, hesitating for a moment.

He knew that this path was the one the giant sharks used to come here. In short, it was connected to "somewhere" at least. But where that place was, they had no idea.

"…Let's proceed."

In the end, they had no other choice.

Returning the way they came was impossible, leaving this path as their only gamble.

Whatever awaited them at the other end, they had no way of knowing just yet.

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