Chapter 535: Deep Sea Jellyfish
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"You win." Blackgod’s face was deep like water as he coldly spoke.
Had he had any choice, Blackgod wouldn’t have admitted defeat like that. But now he was frightened; he had been pushed to his limit and he had reached his breaking point. If he continued fighting, he knew it wouldn’t be long before he was killed.
In Han Sen’s heart, he felt disappointed. His blocking skill was the last he would have wanted to cast. It was easy to break the Tornado Knife, but had he wanted to slay Blackgod, he would have had to rely on it. It was impossible to kill him with one swipe, so Blackgod had been given the opportunity to concede.
He watched Blackgod call for him and his men to depart, his face draped with sullenness. Li Xing Lun then returned the Snow-Lady and Inferno Bull to Han Sen.
"Brother Han, you have very impressive skills. I can’t believe your skills denied Blackgod the time to perform any actions," Li Xing Lun complimented him.
"My skills are ordinary - perhaps it was just Blackgod who is weak!" Han Sen laughed.
Blackgod was still in earshot and felt his face turn scarlet when he heard what they said. But he did not turn to speak, and continued to leave.
After the fight, all the people across the ice field knew the name "Han Sen". His fight against Blackgod quickly became renowned, a widely-spread tale that quickly established itself as the latest hot topic of discussion.
Han Sen did not have the time to hear what others were saying, for as soon as he received the Snow-Lady he returned to the Crystal Palace. He drove the Crystal Palace to the Goddess Shelter, so he could inspect the situation there. At the same time, he gathered a batch of meat from deep-sea creatures to sell.
On the way, Han Sen tried to get the Snow-Lady to possess his body. But all he felt was his body going cold and his face turning pale. His hair turned white and the structure of his body became significantly more feminine, compared to his previous masculine appearance.
Han Sen tested his speed, and noticed it had increased greatly. Although the beast soul only elevated his speed, the degree to which it had increased was truly significant.
The chill in his body allowed Han Sen to cast his Ice Skin skill with far greater ease. If it was an ordinary person taking advantage of the Snow-Lady, however, he feared their entire being would be frozen.
And now, with regards to the Snow-Lady beast soul, Han Sen was wholeheartedly satisfied with the results. He fed a black crystal to the Snow-Lady and evolved her into a Berserk variant.
Having returned to the Goddess Shelter, Han Sen delivered the flesh to Yang Man Li. He had been planning on venturing forward now to the Alliance, but Yang Man Li told him that Zero had not been eating enough recently – and she hadn’t eaten at all in the past few days.
"Why are you not eating? Is the food here not to your liking?" When Han Sen caught sight of Zero, she was sitting by a window of the tower. She watched the falling snow outside, seemingly lost in a blissful reverie.
Zero shook her head and said, "I am not hungry."
"You are not God; how can you not be hungry? Come, tell me what you would like to eat and I shall make it for you." Han Sen gently cuffed her head as he spoke.
"Can you take me with you, the next time you leave?" Zero turned gazing at Han Sen when she spoke, showing her wide eyes.
"Um... sure..."
Han Sen hesitated for a moment. Zero’s identity was rather mystical, and he did not want her to know much about who he was. But thinking of her, without any family, he was probably the only person she had a true connection with. He felt sorry for her, and so did not wish to reject her.
Zero’s face finally took on a smile. Although it was merely a raising of the lips, it would melt the heart of anyone who saw it.
"Come. Let us eat first. Tell me what you would like, and I shall make it. I’m not bluffing when I tell you that my cooking skills cannot be below those of a three-rank restaurant’s chef." Han Sen tugged at her to eat something.
Han Sen was bluffing: in truth, his cooking abilities were quite poor. The extent of his abilities spread to cooking stews and grilling meat. If the food he wanted to eat could not be prepared and served through either of those methods, then he would simply eat it raw.
For Zero, he grilled the freshest red-shell shrimp he had. She delicately supported her head with her tiny hands as she sat at the table. Han Sen diced the shrimp and after he grilled a portion, he delivered it directly to her mouth. Zero would open her mouth and quickly consume the entire spoonful of shrimp. Her eyes were shut tight in delight, as her face beamed with joy.
Han Sen watched her, and all of a sudden felt sorry. The clothes Zero was garbed in was the outfit he had bought her a long time ago. He then recalled it was the very same outfit he had bought her on their first meeting. It seemed as if he didn’t care much for her life anymore. He worried that she might have only have two sets of clothing, and that their color had long since faded, through the countless washes since.
After they had eaten, Han Sen decided to buy a few new outfits for Zero from the shops that populated the Goddess Shelter. He gave her time to return home and change into her new clothes. When she came back to reveal herself, she looked far prettier and youthful than she had earlier in the day.
"This is what a young girl should look like," Han Sen told himself.
Han Sen was not isolating Zero as much as he was previously because he really thought that she had no one else she could depend on. But that wasn’t the only reason, either. He knew how much stronger his own body had become, which gave him less reason to avoid her.
He brought Zero into the Crystal Palace, and they searched for a lonely deep-sea mutant creature together. They also tried to figure out the Dual sword skill. While Han Sen was content to freely travel in the nearby area, he did not dare to enter the shelter that resided on the seabed there. The creatures in those waters mostly travelled in groups, and their numbers were multitudinous. If he wanted to hunt a high-rank creature, he would have to find one that lived alone.
Zero quietly sat in a corner, with her hands firmly planted upon her jaw as she watched Han Sen practice the dual-blade sword skill. She had no interest in talking with the Snow-Charmers.
The boat had been sailing for a few days when Han Sen saw a jellyfish that lit up like a giant lantern, coursing through the water with great energy; it looked beautiful.
"It seems as if there are many jellyfish in the sea, but most of them are in a group. It’s rare to find one that is content to remain alone. Let us see if we can hunt it." Han Sen thought about what to do, and then summoned Golden Armor and a glyph. He then left the Crystal Palace and swam towards the jellyfish.
Though there were no other creatures around him, Han Sen was wearing armor and a glyph for protection. Even if the jellyfish was of the Sacred Blood class, Han Sen had the power to protect himself. It would not be difficult for him to escape and return to the Crystal Palace if he needed.
It was different being in the sea. Due to the flow of water, when Han Sen was swimming, it was possible for his presence to be detected by other creatures fairly quickly.
But the jellyfish that looked like a giant lantern seemed now to be moving quite slowly, remaining where it was, then rising up and down in the water. It seemed as if it did not notice Han Sen closing in on it.
"That jellyfish looks so stupid, there is no way it could be a high-class creature." Han Sen approached the jellyfish but did not summon the ghost-pawed claws. He simply got close and punched the semi-circular body of the jellyfish.
The Ghost-Pawed Claws were poisonous. Although Han Sen was not afraid of poison, the taste of the afflicted creature would be tainted by the substance. He therefore opted to use Yin Force to punch the jellyfish to death. It would taste better when they barbecued it later.
Han Sen punched the translucent, wobbling jellyfish and his fist and arm tore right through the body.
Then, all of a sudden, Han Sen’s face contorted. He felt as if his fist had punched through a mound of mud. He lost all strength, and the Yin Force no longer worked.
He wanted to bring his fist back, which was still lodged in the body of the jellyfish, but he realized that the creature was holding on from the inside and not letting him go. No matter what direction he pulled, the jellyfish followed and remained stuck to him.
The jellyfish’s tentacles then encircled Han Sen and tied him up. He felt electricity surge from the jellyfish, making his body convulse and cramp. Unable to control himself, his mouth opened to gulp in the seawater.