MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

[Welcome to the Mermaid Kingdom!]

As they were catapulted into this new world, they couldn't help but stare. It was so damn beautiful!

An endless sandy beach, colorful sea coral/anemone everywhere, unbelievably clear water, pearls glistering like a thousand stars, and small koi fishes happily swimming about.

Paradise, this was simply paradise!

"Woo!" (Amazing!)

The tiny creatures were already approaching the curious wolf, swimming around it. They were so cute that the latter couldn't help but want to play with them!

Their cuteness was so contagious that the eel was already playing with them, and even Jack found himself breaking into a smile. But then he froze, breaking into a sudden cold sweat.

Cute fishies? No, far from it! The cute creatures were nothing more than a trap, the deadliest of them all! The entire thing was a formation meant to stall would-be invaders!

That's when he remembered the few kois that had been swimming away after noticing them: spies! This meant those were way smarter than they looked!

At this rate, they'd end up as lambs to the slaughter!

"Here, give them this." Jack rummaged through his inventory, handing a secret weapon to his allies.

The two beamed with joy as they happily went to distribute the roasted pumpkin! Their hearts were menacing to melt from joy as the little ones crowded around them.

"Woo!" (Don't worry, there'll be enough for everyone!)

The little wolf reassured them, its paw held confidently in the air. By the side, its master was approvingly nodding, monitoring the creatures' reactions. By now, they loved them!

But then Jack mercilessly interrupted the joyful moment, dragging them toward a corner of the beach as he began to dig as if looking for a hidden treasure.

But what happened next confused them both. Why the hell was he burying himself in the hole he had just dug?! Was this a strange part of the human culture?

"What are you waiting for? Your turn!" His voice had an incredible feeling of urgency to it, but the two couldn't figure out why for the love of them. Yet they complied anyway, out of trust.

Three people were buried alive.

Three people were chilling under the sandy beach.

Three people found the whole experience very itchy.

But just as they were about to dig themselves out of boredom, Jack's solemn voice resounded. "Do not move, do not speak, no matter what."

A few minutes after he had warned them came the lullabies. There were songs, and yet they weren't. That's when they finally understood.

Mermaids! Their casual conversation tone was unbelievably melodic. It felt almost as if they were giving a show…not that was the case.

"♪♪ Are you sure there are humans here? ♪♪ "

"♪♪ Why would the little ones lie! Quick, tell us where the evil humans went! Don't worry. We'll catch them! ♪♪"

Those were obviously soldiers! Judging by the faint whispers, there were dozens of them! The surface had just turned into a complete death zone. The three held their breaths….but then:

— Blup! Blup! —

The kois simply acted cute!

Jack had been right! The fishes were smart enough to realize something bad would happen to the gentle newcomers if they snitched. More importantly, the food would be gone!!

"♪♪ Ah, did you guys play a prank on us? ♪♪"

The fishes that had tasted Pumpkin Girl's cooking all shook their bodies in agreement, covering for the "humans". The soldiers finally called it a false alarm, leaving.

.

.

.

"Gasp!" The three came out of the sand like cannonballs.

This had been so damn close! Anyone else would have normally been overwhelmed by the beauty of the scene, perhaps lazily strolling, only to get kidnapped as a result.

Now that they had avoided this hurdle, they had the advantage! No one knew they were here yet, and this would be the perfect timing to infiltrate the enemy!

Jack gave a very "warm" smile.

"I need a guide for this realm. Anyone wants to volunteer? Free food included in—" He had barely uttered food that he was literally swarmed, all wanting to be fed!

They settled on a few fishes that looked especially reliable, all of them leaving. Yet the atmosphere was quite gloomy, the eel and Moon Moon's heads hanging low.

"What is it?"

"Woo…" (We totally missed that…)

Pfft— Was that it? Jack chuckled, extending his hand: "Can you feel this calming current? Like soft wind, it's meant to put us at ease. It's normal to be affected the first encounter."

The three resumed their journey, bribing the place's natural sentries left and right. They'd often make detours, avoiding natural dangers of the area, for instance the shark reef.

But under the fantastic skills of their guides, they finally reached their destination, the Mermaid City.

[Found Historical Location!]

[Try Not to Destroy That One!]

They stood on a rocky cliff, a distance away. The sight was breathtaking and so different from anything they had seen in the human world:

- Buildings made of corals or even pearls

- Dolphin-like creatures being used as cattle

- Seaweed farms softly waving in the current

- Tons of sea creatures swimming all over the place.

- ….

The whole thing gave a feeling of peace…and yet something was wrong. In the city's periphery, there was a small annexed Town…with humans?!

"Humans here?! How?!"

"No, it's impossible!" The eel shook its head.

Not only was their presence odd, but that one area didn't have any water filling it. Who had even bothered creating such a hideout under the sea?!

"Woo! Woo?!" (So weird! Ah, is this one a trap too?!)

The little wolf might be on to something there. What if the "human district" was bait for them to approach? Either way, the residents didn't seem t be restrained in any way.

If anything, that district was perhaps a little less guarded. Everywhere else, there were plenty of mermaids with tridents, but none in the human area…why would that be?!

Perhaps a formation already protected it?

Perhaps there were hidden sentries?

Or perhaps…

"What if the humans we see are actually transformed mermaids?" Jack hypothesized.

"There's no way that's the case! It took me years to manage to craft my merchant form! Before that, I wouldn't have been able to trade one bit with the surface world." The eel contested.

"Yes, but what if they found a way somehow? What if all of them are transformed? Wait…what if they're currently training?!"

"Training? But they're just standing there and— oh, I see!" They weren't training their power, but their adaptability. They were getting ready for a mass land invasion!

Just as the eel was being enlightened, Jack sighed before actually rising. So what if this place was dangerous? He'd most probably find Pumpkin Girl there. He had to enter it!

"W-where are you going?!"

"Backtracking."

Jack simply stated, for he already had a plan. He retraced his steps, thinking back to that one area their guides had urged them to stay far away from.

It didn't take long for his companions to realize what he was planning to do, their faces turning white with worry. The merchant was incredibly distressed.

"Y-you, you can't be serious, right?!"

"Oh, but I am. See you soon if I survive…." A second later, Jack courageously (foolishly) entered the death zone where more than enough killer sharks resided.

Without hesitating, he cut his palm open, crimson blood floating out!

The others watched him stupefied. What was he even doing? But as his blood drifted away, they feared what was to come, urging him to flee with them.

That's when it happened.

— ROAR! —