Chapter 143 – The Fishermen Who Control the Water

The provocation to annihilate the fishmen must have angered Banner, and he glared at me with bloody eyes.

“Neonoom!! I’ll tear your limbs apart and throw them as fish food!”

No matter how angry he must have been, Banner didn’t change his cross-legged position.
He’s just sitting on a flat, wide rock and yelling.
At first glance, he seemed to have no desire to fight, but he was rather dangerous.
That posture with legs crossed is a means for fishmen to increase their concentration.
Instead of giving up on moving, it was a posture to focus only on the ability to manipulate water.

“Liquid ring.”

I plucked a wave from a nearby creek.
Likewise, Banner drew a mass of water from the valley water and pulled it toward his body.
Due to the spells and abilities of me and Banner, the valley water overflowed and turned the land into a sea of ​​water.

Chaaaaagh

“Kyaaak!”

Bella winced as the raging valley water rose up to her thighs.
I made the water on the side where she was standing still so that she wouldn’t fall.

“Miss Bella. You can’t get away from me.”
“Why, why? If I’m by your side, you’ll get in the way! Tribal chief Banner is stronger than most third-rate wizards! If you fight while protecting me, Mr. Luke will die!”
“I know. But Bella-san is right next to me.”
“Yes…?”
“Look. The fishmen have appeared.”

I pulled the waves around me and looked around.
Hannah said that there is a colony of fishmen on the lower side of the river. This was not only Banner, but also the living quarters of the tribesmen ruled by him.
As time passed, strange fishermen appeared around the valley one by one.

“Churururu! Chief Banner is fighting a wizard!”
“Kerrrr!! That’s a wizard who pours water! It’s obvious without even looking who will win!”
“Who wins?”
“Of course you’re Chief Banner, you asshole!”

Seven fishmen surrounded the valley and watched Banner fight with me.
He was full of trust in the chief, but he hadn’t tried to intervene in the fight yet. But you shouldn’t treat them as spectators and keep Bella at a distance. It’s possible that Bella became a hostage for no reason and the situation got twisted.

“Dreamer bastard! Are you taking the time to protect a woman while being only a third-rate wizard!”

However, Banner seemed to have misunderstood my attitude as being relaxed.
He has no intention of dispelling the illusion by talking at length.
I replied briefly to Banner.

“I’m not slacking off. It’s my job to protect Bella.”
“Haha! Are you saying that woman is more important than your own life?”
“…”

I don’t have any intention of playing heroic games to keep in shape while looking for a girl.
But because this is work.
It’s my job to protect Bugilma from all the dirty fishermen out here.

“Let’s get along well and drown in the water!”

Banner violently rotated a large amount of water pumped from the valley, creating a whirlpool.
A whirlpool the same size as my waves swirled on the ground. The water pressure was so strong that the ground at the bottom of the whirlpool was cut away.

‘It looks like it touched a drill made of water.’

Pasasasasak!
Banner’s whirlpool slashed the ground as it approached me and Bella.

“Cow, a whirlpool is coming! Mr. Luke!”

I fired a wave of magic towards the whirlpool.

Quaang! Waves and whirlpools with a width of 2m collided, and a loud sound resounded. My waves pushed the whirlpool hard while spray sprayed in all directions. It wrapped around the whirlpool with waves so that it couldn’t run rampant.
For an instant, Banner’s whirlpool lost rotational power due to the waves that wrapped around its body.
But the pause was only short-lived.

“Haaaaap-!”

Banner added more power to the vortex. The whirlpool, which added rotational force, ran wildly and tried to escape from the restraints of my waves. I raised my magic power and increased the water pressure of the waves.
The waves and whirlpools tossed and ate each other’s flesh.
I cast the next spell without any hesitation in the power confrontation.

“Stone Wall!”

A magic that builds a stone wall within 5 meters of the caster.
If it was close to the enemy, it was possible to attack by erecting a stone wall under the feet.
Of course, it was impossible to attack him like that because he was so far away from Banner.
I had to use it some other way.

Kugu Palace! Five stone walls rose above the ground to provide cover.
I ran between the stone walls, blurring Banner’s vision. The collision of waves and whirlpools makes it difficult to determine each other’s position due to splashing water. Banner rolled his fishy eyes, but eventually lost sight of me.

“Dreamer! Where are you hiding!”

Papapang! I shot Banner sitting on a rock with my magic sphere.
In the blink of an eye, eight magic spheres were fired from the palm of my hand like a rifle bullet.
The moment the first shot of the magic sphere reached Banner’s side, he called out for joy.

“Kwaaaaak!”

Kwaduk! The magic sphere was lodged in Banner’s torso.
But it was only the first step that got hit right.
Banner rolled on the floor and evaded the rest of the magic spheres.

“Dreamer! How dare you do tricks…!”

Banner, who had fallen off the rock, grabbed his side and pulled himself up.
Blood flowed from his side as his skin was torn apart.

‘If you’re human, you’re dead. He’s a fish man, so his body is filthy hard.’

Although he struck a decisive blow, Banner’s life persisted.
Banner stopped the bleeding by toughly damming his side with water. Banner, sitting cross-legged on the floor, shouted at the fishmen who were watching from afar.

“Brothers! Defend me!”
“Chief! Can we attack that wizard!”
“Even if I attack with my brothers skills, it won’t help! Stand still around me and act as a shield!”

Meat Shield!
That was the role that Banner had entrusted to his tribal fishermen.
It’s a bit absurd to ask the tribesmen you call brothers to stand up for meat shields.

“Hey, fish head! Are you going to kill all your brothers?”
“It’s sad, but it’s a sacrifice of a cow for the great.

The fishmen approached the tribal chief with a terrified expression and stood tall.
It was a crazy chieftain who generously used his own tribesmen as meat shields. However, the meat shield effect was clear, and my magic sphere did not harm Banner.

Phut!

“Kwaaaaak!”

The fishman tribesmen received the magic sphere with their bodies.

“That way!”

Banner counterattacked me.
He created another vortex and fired it at the stone wall I was standing on. The stone walls that were functioning as cover were smashed one after another when the whirlpool touched them.
I didn’t know if I was hit in the head by the big breakthrough pieces, I might die.

“Mr. Bella! Keep your head down!”
“Ouch!”

I got Bella down and called out a wave to block her breakout sides. A deafening explosion resounded as the whirlpool eventually collided with the waves that acted as a shield.

“Kuk.”

My head was dizzy from the detonation, and the waves I was steering were disturbed.
I bit my molars hard enough to bleed my gums and maintained my concentration.

It didn’t come to a conclusion quickly.
Because it is a confrontation with a fish man, it is not easy to injure him. Even if it hits halfway, the damage is reduced due to resistance to water.
As long as the decisive blow from the link between the magic sphere and the stone wall missed, this duel was destined to lead to a protracted battle.

‘It’s at a disadvantage if the fight is prolonged.’

I knew very well that I was at a disadvantage when it was a long game.
There is a colony of fishermen around this valley. If the fight drags on, Banner’s tribesmen will join us.
Banner had a group battle with dozens of fishmen, but I was alone. As the old saying goes, there is no business in front of Dagul.
I was trying to figure out how to deal with the banner somehow.
Bella, who was lying quietly on the ground, opened her mouth.

“Mr. Luke. The Blue Rake tribe all work as boatmen. The fishmen who live here work as boatmen at all hours of the day and night. Even in the dark of the night, when a customer arrives at the ferry, they give them a lift.”

Why is there a sudden explanation for the lack of fishmen?
What does it matter that those little fish were industrious workers?
Anyway, now they all turned into killers.

“…”

I listened to Bella silently without questioning.
Like a wise deputy guild master, I believed that he had some thoughts.

“Because I have to work at night. The fishmen who live here always wear a special necklace. It’s a magic necklace that emits light when the wearer wants it. Can’t Mr. Luke use it?”

Magic necklace.
The moment I heard that, I turned my head and looked at the fishmen beyond the waves.
The fishmen, including the chief of the tribe, Banner, all wore necklaces.
It was a magic tool that emitted light.

“Yes. I can use it.”

I increased the water pressure of the waves to collapse the banner’s whirlpool.
Banner created another vortex of water.
But this time, I had no intention of fighting halfway.

“Waterwork!”

I cast a spell and rode on the edge of the wave I created.
Soon the magic wave that carried me rushed furiously at Banner and the fishman tribesmen.
Banner’s eyes widened as he saw me rushing through the waves himself.

“Are you approaching us fishermen on the subject of wizards! Crazy!”

I’m sure I’ll look like a madman to Banner.
It’s because the wizard rushes directly to the place where the fishmen tribesmen are scattered. If we stick together and engage in close combat, even the most insignificant tribesmen can beat me to death. But now I was no longer afraid of the tribesmen.

“Suck.”

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air.
He raised his mana above the swaying waves. The mana accumulated in the navel area went up and passed through the neck and reached the mouth.

“Don’t stand still! Kill that dreamer!”
“Okay Chief!”

Following Banner’s instructions, the fisherman tribesmen rushed towards the wave I rode.
I opened my mouth and let out a cry so loud that the sound of the waves was drowned out.

“Wunjo!”

Runes Wunjo, meaning light.
The moment the letter was pronounced, the fishmen’s necklaces lit up brightly. As my voice swept around, the magic tools in the valley caused rune interference. Now I can manipulate the necklaces of the fishmen to my liking.

Wow!
Increased the brightness of the magic necklace to maximum. As if a flash grenade had gone off, the necklaces of the fishmen emitted light at once. Banner and the fishmen running towards me went blind due to the light emitted from each other.

“Aah! Who lit the necklace!”
“I-I didn’t turn it on!”
“My eyes! My eyes!”

The wave I rode on broke through the staggering fishmen at once.

“Kek!”
“Aagh!”

When I closed and opened my eyes to prevent the same blindness, the waves reached right in front of Banner’s nose.

“Keuuugh!”

Blindfolded, Banner blew a vortex to stop the waves.
Waves and whirlpools collided with the two masters right next to them. Up until now, they had only been keeping each other in check, but this time it was a life-and-death clash.
Waves pushed hard and whirlpools bounced.

“Even if you run away, I will win!”

Banner chose to run away at the last moment.
It must be because they trust the tribesmen who will come to support them in the colony. I saw a banner running away with my back turned.
But running away was a mistake.
Pushing waves shattered the whirlpool.
Breaking all obstacles, the waves chased after Banner at breakneck speed.

“Aaaaa!!”

The shadow of a huge wave began to slowly spread under Banner’s feet.
Banner let out a scream as the murderous waves clung to his back.
It is ironic that a fish is afraid of water.

Chaaaaagh
The magic wave greedily swallowed the fleeing Banner.
I reversed the wave and returned safely to where Bella was standing.

“Lou, Mr. Luke! What happened to Banner?”
“I’ve done it. Here’s the body.”
“Oh!”

Swallowed by the waves, Banner became a corpse and was still submerged in the waves.
It is like a fish in a water tank shaped like a wave.
Of course, by analogy, it was a dead fish. Because of the murderous water pressure, the body of the fisherman was crushed as if under a press.
Because the magic waves have stronger pressure than natural waves. If swallowed in this, the body will be distorted.

‘Originally, this is normal.’

The church paladin I dealt with last time strengthened my body and survived, but the fishman couldn’t.
I could see that the banner we were looking at now was the last of those who had been swallowed up by my waves for a long time.

“Shall we go back?”
“Yes…”

I took Bella back upstream.
On the way back, Bella made this suggestion to me.

“Are you thinking of being a bodyguard? You.”

Before he could answer anything, Bella added another word.

“Let’s get rid of the adventurers.”