Sinner System

Chapter 589: Avoid Provoking Them

"So, this thing apparently isn’t from the world of the Monsters. In which case...do you think the intense Mana concentration in the oceans are causing sea creatures to evolve?" I suggested with a frown.

"Well, that’s not alarming at all. If you’re right, then...the increased Mana concentration on land could possibly result in land animals evolving too. While the majority of animals were driven to extinctions decades ago, and a handful of species only existing in the zoos and wildlife preserves within the Sanctuaries, there are still some creatures that live underground, not to mention birds and insects," Responded Lachlan grimly.

"I suppose we’ll find out sooner or later. Is there any way we could reduce the Mana concentration?" Inquired Aria hopefully.

"Yes, there is...theoretically. With the Dungeons gone, we can’t mine Mana Crystals anymore...at least, that’s what we thought at first. But the increased Mana concentration is resulting in Mana Crystals forming in some areas.

Our research department is working on a way to harness the Mana concentration so that we can produce Mana Crystals in a controlled, deliberate manner.

But, frankly, with how much the Mana concentration has spiked, it’s likely that’ll be little more than a drop in the bucket. On the bright side, we’ve now got an effectively endless energy supply to tap into. But on the other hand, if animals start evolving into Monsters, we’ll have a whole new problem to deal with."

"It’s probably a good idea to stay away from the oceans entirely. The fact that these creatures haven’t appeared on land could mean that they’re aquatic...but it could also mean that they simply haven’t bothered to venture out of the water. So, we should avoid provoking them and giving them a reason to do so," Suggested Aria with a grimace.

"Um, yeah, I definitely agree with that," Nodded Cleo in response.

"Same here. And, to be blunt, I don’t want to have to fight again for quite some time, and I’m willing to be I’m not the only one who feels that way," I stated.

"Hm...hey, I have a thought. Miss Isla, when you saw this giant snake thing, did it target you at all?" Jaden asked her.

"Huh? Uh, no, I don’t think so...it did spot me, I clearly saw myself reflected off its eyes. But, given the sheer disparity in size, eating me wouldn’t have been worth the effort, I’d probably have been worth less than a grain of sand to it. Or maybe, since I was dropping so many Monsters over it, it didn’t eat me because it thought I was feeding it?" Suggested Isla uncertainly.

"I hope not, that would suggest a level of intelligence to this creature," I frowned warily.

"I wonder...I don’t think it’s the first of those possibilities. If it was ignoring you just because you’re too small to be worth eating, it wouldn’t have bothered going after the Archdemons either.

So, what do Archdemons have that you don’t? Or, to make it broader, what do Calamity Level Monsters have that you don’t? Mana and power...they possess a lot more Mana.

So...what if this creature targets prey based on how much Mana they have? Yeah, what if it goes after creatures that have higher amounts of Mana, rather than flesh? Given that you were using your Magic constantly through the battle, you would’ve been getting weaker and weaker each time you teleported.

Even after you switched to targeting Critical Level Monsters, the Monsters probably had more Mana than you did, so it went after them. And yeah, maybe the fact that you were supplying it with food also contributed to it not targeting you," Reasoned Jaden thoughtfully.

We were all silent for a moment as we considered the possibility, mulling it over grimly.

"You might be onto something there. And if so...the fact that these evolved sea creatures haven’t ventured out to land, either means that they can’t, or they don’t need to. Maybe there’s adequate prey for them within the oceans.

And assuming that’s the case, that’s a food chain we absolutely don’t want to disrupt. We don’t want them expanding their hunting grounds and venturing out to land to find new prey," I responded, breaking the silence.

"Hm, we’ll pass along these theories to our research teams and analysts. Given enough time, they should be able to verify and confirm the exact details of the situation," Remarked one of the HUC members.

"We need to handle this delicately and cautiously. While the situation with the Mana Currents is stabilizing, it hasn’t fully settled just yet. Particularly in Sanctuary Alpha."

"Huh? What does that mean? What’s going on in Sanctuary Alpha?" Inquired Aria hesitantly.

"Oh, it shouldn’t be anything to be concerned about. The area in which the Final Dungeon appeared, it’s still unstable. The space is distorted and fluctuating, but that said, the distortion is shrinking, bit by bit. We estimate it’ll completely stabilize by the end of the month.

But, until it’s fully stable, we won’t move the residents of the Sanctuary back there, we aren’t going to take any chances. So, Sanctuary Alpha has been cordoned off for the time being, and we’re monitoring it closely."

"Yeah, for right now, we’ll be primarily focusing on aiding the rebuilding efforts that are set to start soon."

"Let’s hope this doesn’t become a problem, either the distortion in Sanctuary Alpha, or the nightmare fuel brewing in the oceans. I mean, seriously, we only just got done fighting off a full-on invasion of Monsters from another world. What’s next, aliens? Give us a break," I sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah, never thought I’d say this, but I’d rather not fight again for a while myself. Still getting used to not having legs, after all," Grinned Jaden sheepishly.

"Mhm, seems we’re all feeling pretty burnt-out right now. And after everything we’ve been through, we’ve earned at least, like, a decade of peace," Nodded Aria with a wry smile.

"Yeah, um, and not to mention that our lifespans are a lot longer now, especially with you two being immortal," Chimed in Cleo.

"Oh, right...I keep forgetting about that," I responded with a bemused chuckle.