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Tl: Sam

…

Ayakawa Rin, who had plunged into the sea, desperately moved her legs, chasing the Crystal Fish.

(I’ll definitely stop it. I won’t let a monster disaster happen again…!)

Rin had lost her parents and the town she lived in due to a monster disaster.
As a child, she had been very expressive, but ever since that incident, she had lost her expressions and become a taciturn girl.
However, by meeting Amatsuki and Tanaka, she gradually regained her emotions. Although her expressions were still stiff, she began to feel joy in living and was able to lead a happy life.
But even so, the trauma of the monster disaster had not disappeared.
The horrific sight of her parents being trampled by ferocious monsters right before her eyes was burned into her mind and would never fade.
She understood that no matter how happy a life she lived, this memory would never disappear.
That’s why she didn’t want anyone else to experience such suffering again.
Therefore, she was risking death to chase the Crystal Fish.

(Still fast. At this rate, it’ll get away…!)

Rin swam desperately, but the Crystal Fish’s swimming speed was incredibly fast, and it was pulling away.
The Crystal Fish poured its S-rank equivalent power into ‘transparency’ and ‘swimming ability’. Therefore, while its combat ability was low, its swimming speed was top-class among monsters.
It propelled itself through the water by ejecting compressed magic energy from the tips of its fins, reminiscent of a jet plane’s speed.

(I won’t give up. I absolutely won’t let a monster disaster happen!)

But Rin didn’t give up.
First, she discarded the small oxygen tank she was holding in her mouth. Then she discarded the two swords equipped at her waist, getting rid of all unnecessary equipment.
By doing so, she reduced water resistance as much as possible and increased her speed.

(I won’t think about the consequences. I’ll defeat it even if it means a mutual kill…!)

She exhaled all the air stored in her lungs, reducing her buoyancy as much as possible.
The decrease in oxygen in her body placed a heavy burden on her, but Rin ignored it.
Next, she adjusted the magic energy membrane covering her body to further reduce water resistance. She also used lightning magic to boost her muscle strength and increase her speed.
Pouring all of her remaining physical resources into her swimming ability, her speed reached more than double her usual.
By the time the Crystal Fish noticed her rapid increase in speed, she was already right beside it.

(I’ll stop it, right here, I…!)

Rin, closing in on the Crystal Fish, wreathed her right fingertips in lightning.
Then, aiming for the Crystal Fish’s gills, she thrust her five sharply pointed fingers into it.
That blow, very similar to a karate nukite (spearhand strike), forcefully penetrated the Crystal Fish’s body, severely damaging its insides.

『…! !』

And her strike succeeded in destroying the dungeon core that existed within the Crystal Fish’s body.
Feeling the sensation of the dungeon core breaking in her hand, Rin smiled in relief.

(I… did it…)

Watching the Crystal Fish die, Rin’s body stopped and drifted powerlessly in the water.
With that single strike, her stamina and oxygen were completely depleted. She had no strength left to even get out of the water.
Her consciousness faded. The word ‘death’ floated in her mind.
Until now, she had trained her body to stop monster disasters. Since she had accomplished that, she had no regrets about dying here.
However… there was just one regret.

(I wanted to spend more time… with Sensei…)

Slowly closing her eyes, she thought of the person she loved most.
And at the very moment her eyes completely closed, she saw a black shadow approaching at high speed from afar.

(Eh…?)

It was Tanaka, approaching with the speed of a torpedo.
He was in his usual suit, not a swimsuit. It was clear he had rushed to chase her, not even taking the time to change.

“Bluu-bluu, Rin! Bluu-bluu-bluu, I came to get you!”

Tanaka firmly grasped Rin’s sinking hand, pulled her body close, and embraced her tightly.

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