Rogue Villain-Chapter 180: Seaweed Breath

Someone who hadn’t smelled the breath of a sea lion would compare that to the breath of someone who had used the Seaweed Breath. Someone who had smelled a sea lion wouldn’t agree, but they would understand.

The green Seaweed Breath pills didn’t smell in their conserved state. But once they were plopped in a mouth and took effect, the user’s mouth would start reeking. Thankfully, the user wouldn’t sense it.

"Huergh!"

...Unless they had an extremely sensitive nose.

Ackster’s Keen Senses trumped the Seaweed Breath’s nose-numbing effects, and he felt the brunt of the stench right up his nasal canals. Not even Iron Stomach could block his initial reaction, and he retched in disgust as Mio hopped to the other side of the boat in a hurry.

At least he didn’t throw up.

With Seaweed Breath in his mouth and in his inventory, Ackster jumped into the water so Mio wouldn’t have to suffer any longer. The next part was also a little tricky.

Ackster had to get comfortable with the idea of breathing water. But displeasure and discomfort didn’t faze Ackster after all he had gone through, and he was ready to start scouring the bottom of the ocean for traces of the Sea God Temple.

’Ugh, couldn’t there have been mentions of any landmarks in the original story?’

There weren’t any landmarks above the surface. But under the water and at the bottom of the ocean, tons of irregularities, stones, corals, plants, and crevices could identify a specific location.

Ackster tilted his head as he swam around, keeping the boat’s location in the back of his head.

’Maybe not.’

The Kraken put up quite a resistance against The Hero, and the entire oceanic ecosystem took a hit after the fight due to how badly the Kraken had stirred up the ocean floor. The ecosystem quickly restored itself, and the temporary decrease in activity was better than the prolonged trouble the Kraken caused for fishermen.

But the ocean floor wouldn’t look the same now as it would have done after the clash between man and monster.

’Whatever.’

At least the water was unpolluted and clear enough for him to see far and wide.

Ackster swam for several hours, occasionally replenishing the Seaweed Breath when necessary. But he was getting hungry, and he didn’t want to stray too far from the boat in case he lost track of it or the anchor got loose.

Ackster took a detour back to the boat so he didn’t scout the same area twice, not that he found any traces of what he was searching for. But then again, he hadn’t expected to find it that quickly.

In the first place, looking for the underwater ruins was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. Ackster knew it was a long shot. But it was also the only one he had. However, The Hero had found the Temple’s ruins with barely more than a glance in the midst of a tumultuous battle.

Ackster was confident he could find the grand temple ruins with nothing to disturb his Keen Senses and Darksight. Ackster didn’t know what he had expected from Darksight other than it helping him see in darkness. But he hadn’t heard of the skill before, and it seemed a little different and better compared to something like Night Vision.

But it was a great help when peering through the water far away and at the deeper parts of the ocean that didn’t get as much sunlight. It even let him take minor trips during the night, which was a great relief since he didn’t have to waste time sitting around doing nothing just because he couldn’t see in the dark.

However, Ackster still mostly swam underwater during the days and moved the boat during the nights since the ocean, especially underwater, was like an entirely different world from what it was during the day. It made it difficult to recognize and keep track of where he had already been.

Surprisingly enough, Ackster wasn’t as unsettled by the ocean at night, whether that be during day or nighttime. It could be because it wasn’t as dark as he had feared, thanks to Darksight. It could also be because he had Mio’s company.

Ackster gazed out over the vast ocean and peered into the deep while munching on raw fish he had picked up on his way back to the boat.

But unlike when he was cursed, and Mio’s smell comforted him, Ackster didn’t feel the same kind of comfort from Mio’s presence. The boat’s swaying in the waves kept Ackster’s troubled mind at ease, at least compared to how chaotic it had been before and after his stop at the Habitat.

Ackster didn’t think too much of it. It wasn’t like he had to be intimidated by the vastness of the ocean or anything. He gratefully accepted the calm as he kept diving and looking for the Sea God Temple.

After the meditation session that earned him Last Stand, Ackster also realized that he had a lot to gain from knowing his skills more personally and not just using them like simple tools. They were a part of him, and knowing how to use them properly and to their full potential, regardless of rank, could be the difference between life and death.

Not all skills were as easy to comprehend on a deeper level as Limit Breaker had been. But Ackster did his best with everything, especially his core skills like Strong Body, Monster Muncher, Keen Senses, Battlesight, Pain Tolerance, Stubborn Well-Being, and now Last Stand, in addition to Limit Breaker.

He trained his skills as best he could during the times he took a break or when he was waiting for the boat to drift or the weather to turn. But Ackster still spent most of his time underwater.

Maybe it was due to his diligence, or he was lucky, or it could simply be fate. But after only a couple of weeks at the sea, Ackster found what he was looking for. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He was surprised for multiple reasons. He hadn’t expected to find it this quickly. Considering how much he stood to gain from getting his hands on the Sea God Manual, Ackster had been willing to offer a month of searching. Since he would be training at the same time, it wasn’t a complete loss. But it wasn’t efficient progress, so it was still a demerit in Ackster’s books.