Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 288: Lurking in the Sand Sea

Ten days had passed since we established our base on the boundary between the gravel desert and the sand sea. Although our base was complete, the construction of blocks continued. This was because we have now started farming to secure our food supply.

We have started growing the field of potatoes that Lappy had discovered and it seemed that small animals had been targeting this very field. A barrier made of blocks was essential to prevent intrusion. After all, we couldn’t afford to have the food we had worked so hard to grow taken from us.

“Hmm… It really looks like a sea, but the sand sea carries no scent on the wind.”

“The wind doesn’t leave you sticky, but instead, it fills your clothes with sand!”

However, today I had delegated the block-making to others and ventured into the sand sea by boat. This was not for me to have some fun…. but to escort the children who wished to go there.

So far, there have been no accidents in the sand sea. The fishing boats had returned safely each time, bringing back a sufficient amount of sand fish with them. We were also steadily accumulating know-how for outings to the sand sea. Fishing could indeed be described as successful.

However, there were reports of seeing part of a giant sandfish. It seems that it was only seen once, but since everyone on the boat said that they had seen it, the likelihood of a mistake was low. It was certain that giant sand fish lurked in the sand sea.

“Really, it’s all sand! So dry and loose!”

“Hey! What if you fall?”

“Ptui! Ptui! I got sand in my mouth!”

“…That’s why I told you not to take off the cloth wrapped around your face.”

The children were noisy and lively. While Nana scolded and Mia looked exasperated, they generally seemed to be enjoying themselves. Apparently, bringing them along had been the right decision.

Since arriving in the desert, the children have been busy not only with their studies and martial arts training but also with tending the fields and various chores. It’s a pitiful fact, but most demons knew only fighting. While they could handle different kinds of chores, they knew nothing about farming.

And it goes without saying that I, who was a scorpion, and Tigar and the others who were Atonement Soldiers had nothing to do with agriculture. Chris had been a slave forced to do chores around a noble’s mansion before she became a warrior. And despite their different statuses, Marcellus, Decius, Julius, and Ariel had lived in the urban parts of the Empire and had never worked in agriculture.

Although Lorenz was a merchant who traded in crops, he had never grown them himself. For Asumi and the others, the daytime temperatures were so high that movement was severely restricted, so there was nothing they could do. As a result, only Chirik’s orphan friends had any farming experience.

I had thought it was enough to just dig up the soil and plant the potatoes, but Nana who came from a farming background and others like her scolded us severely. As a result, the fields were developed under her guidance.

For now, though, we were only growing the potatoes we found in the gravel desert. I decided to hold off on growing the plants the “Forest God” had given me until we assessed the environment of the oasis. It was too early to settle here before assessing the conditions.

“Are you having fun at least?”

“Hey, boss. Can we see the sand fish swimming?”

“That sounds fun!”

Magna, who answered my question with a completely unrelated one, was curious to see sand fish swimming. He always had a knack for making outrageous requests.

But at Magna’s suggestion, the other children looked up at me expectantly, including Woodsorrel and even Chirik, who was almost invisible among them. All right, all right. I’ll see what I can do.

“Can’t be helped. Tigar, Chris. I’m leaving this in your hands.”

“Ooh!”

“Good luck!”

With the two of them cheering me on, I removed the twin swords that would be in the way at my waist. Considering how annoying it would be to get sand all over me, I also took off all my clothes except my underwear. If anyone else were in such a state, they would surely get burned by the sun.

After checking with my compound eyes behind me as Chris retrieved the twin swords and the clothes I had taken off with a smile on her face, I jumped into the sand sea in one breath. To satisfy the unreasonable demand to see the swimming sand fish, I had to drive the sand fish to the surface without the help of any nets or tools. I had to chase the sand fish from the sand sea itself.

That’s where I came in. Diving into the sand sea was actually my first time doing so…. but since I was skilled at sand spiritual arts, I figured I wouldn’t drown. I felt a stronger resistance than when falling into the sea as I dove through the sand sea.

“I can breathe by manipulating the sand. As for swimming… it’s hard to do in the same way as in the sea.”

The surface of the sea of sand sea was as smooth as water, but the resistance increased slightly as I dove deeper. Even without moving, I would sink just as I did near the surface, but the pace was much slower. It took considerable strength to move my body.

Lorentz had said that all sand fish were shaped to meet little resistance. So it seems that the sand sea is not a place for creatures with more resistant forms. I experienced this firsthand.

This did not mean that swimming was impossible. I specialized in a tactic of turning the ground into sand, burrowing underground, and moving quickly for surprise attacks. The sand of the sand sea was very thin, which made it easier to swim than usual.

“However, I never expected that beneath the surface is louder than above.”

The sand sea was filled with a tremendous noise that was different from what I had imagined; it was all due to the sand currents. The sound of moving sands rubbing against each other drowned out all other sounds. It seemed that hearing was useless in the sand sea.

While my hearing may have become useless, I could still detect vibrations. Fortunately, the sand currents moved at a consistent speed, and their vibrations were steady as well. Based on these, if I sensed any anomaly…

“I’ve found them.”

I was able to locate the whereabouts of the sand fish. I spotted a school of them and began swimming toward them. However, it seemed the sand fish noticed me too. They started to flee at once.

That turned out to be convenient. I increased my swimming speed and moved to position myself beneath the sand fish. If I then increased my speed further, the sand fish would burst forth to the surface… What’s this?

“Something from below… It’s huge! Not good!”

Suddenly, a deep resonant vibration thundered up from the depths of the sand, and something huge surged up with tremendous speed! The spiritual power I felt was not overwhelming, but the fighting spirit was immense; it easily surpassed my own. I was completely unaware of it, perhaps because this thing was deep underground, but it was clear that this creature was inherently powerful.

The distance between this giant entity and me was considerable, yet its speed far exceeded my swimming speed. There was absolutely no way I could escape. If escape was impossible, the only option was to defend. It was unfortunate that I had left my weapons with Chris when I dove in. If I had them, retaliating might have been an option… no, probably not.

“Ugh… ooooh?!”

After a brief escape from reality, I quickly solidified the surrounding sand into a spherical shell around me. Almost immediately, an incredible force began to pull at the shell, causing it to creak. I had no choice but to endure desperately so that I wouldn’t be crushed.

As I clenched my teeth and held on, I experienced the sensation of floating from the bottom up. Suddenly, the pressure I had felt on my back disappeared. I must have reached the surface. This was my chance to escape. I deliberately released the shell on its back and jumped out from there.

“…So this is it.”

Having burst out, I understood what had happened. In front of me, a fish so large it could be mistaken for a small island had just crushed the sandy shell I had escaped from. It seemed that such monstrous creatures lurked in the deep parts of the sand sea.

The sand fish was streamlined with small fins, and its head made up a third of its body. It had a mouth that could open wide vertically, and inside were flat-topped teeth similar to human molars, which it had used to crush my shell.

At the moment, I was standing on a sand platform I had created in the air while trying to escape to a higher position. Even if I threw myself into the air with great force, I would eventually stop and fall. My next step was to regroup with Tigar and the others and hurry away from this place.

“Wh-What?!”

But the sand fish, which should have lost its momentum in the air, suddenly accelerated and chased after me! The method it used was amazing; it was not some kind of spiritual art. Surprisingly, it was a powerful technique in which it expelled a large amount of air mixed with sand from its gills.

I was worried that the wind pressure might have capsized the boat, but it appeared to be safe despite being rocked heavily. Feeling relieved, I decided to take down this sand fish. Its tenacity was clear since it had pursued me.

“Surprisingly, it can fly… but does this fish really think it can beat me in an aerial battle?”

I looked at the sand fish with a hint of ridicule. It was certainly impressive that it could fly by expelling air from its gills. However, just before the air was expelled, its gills would expand significantly, making its timing obvious, and it could only move in a straight line.

Meanwhile, I could control the platform I was standing on freely, so dodging was not difficult. While dodging, I formed sand pincers and hit its belly, causing its scales to shatter and fall off with a clatter. Oh? It seems to have tremendous fighting spirit, but it doesn’t know how to use it effectively. If that’s the case, there are plenty of ways to handle this.

“Boss! Use this!”

“Thanks!”

And I wasn’t here alone. What Tigar threw with a loud voice from below was the great sword that he usually carries on his back. It was a replacement for the great sword he had handed to Leo, but this one was imbued with lightning and it pierced the belly of the sand fish. I immediately grabbed the handle and moved downward along with the platform, slashing deeply into its belly.

Although the sand fish seemed to have no vocal cords, it twisted its body in agony, clearly in pain. There was no doubt that it was effective, and now was the perfect opportunity to finish it off. I let the pincers sink into the wound and ruthlessly thrashed inside its belly.

The sand fish wildly sprayed sand from its gills into the air in a desperate reaction, but after a while it stopped moving completely and began to fall. I hastily conjured a large amount of sand and shaped it into a giant hand to catch the sand fish. This moment marked my first catch in this sand sea.

“Mmm, it’s heavy… but I’ve managed to secure a large amount of meat by chance.”

“Well, you would say that in this situation, wouldn’t you?”

“Big brother, the boat rocked a lot.”

“Ugh… covered in sand…”

“I-It’s huuuuuuuge!”

“Amazing! Boss, that’s amazing!”

While I floated the sand fish in the air and returned to the boat, the children’s reactions were divided. One side expressed dissatisfaction due to the aftermath of the fight with the sand fish, while the other praised the defeat of the gigantic creature.

I returned the great sword to Tigar with a wry smile, and together we rowed the boat back to our base. The enormous sand fish we brought back was dismantled and ended up filling our bellies.