I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Seeing that you ignored its "feeding," it let out a sad cry, conveying regret, and then, somewhat aggrieved, went forward and swallowed the remains in one gulp, before cautiously following behind you.

It dares not get too close to you, as if worried that you will be wary of it... yet it also dares not go too far away from you, as if worried that something will hurt you.

If you stop, it will stop too, and swim slowly while keeping its distance from you, gently swaying its tail fin to show you a friendly attitude.

[After repeating this process, you gradually reached the shallower waters. Sunlight refracted into the water, allowing you to see its full form... It was indeed an orca, seemingly nearly thirty meters long... Truly befitting a Honkai Beast! And its dorsal fin was shaped like a scythe, suggesting it might be female? But do Honkai Beasts have gender distinctions?]

Seeing that it was simply following you without doing anything else, you stopped paying attention to it and quickly went to the surface of the sea to greet the sunlight and fresh air again.

Then, you randomly chose a direction and manipulated the seawater, trying to create another "river" in the air that would allow you to move quickly... but you failed.

Once the water reaches a certain height above the sea surface, it becomes difficult to control, seemingly resisting you, yet also as if it simply wants to return to the ocean... You can't help but frown.

Fortunately, you can still barely construct a "river," though not as quickly as before, and you can no longer travel through the air using the "river." However, you can still travel on the sea.

Before leaving, you looked back at it, which had also come to the surface and was bobbing up and down not far from you, seemingly wanting to approach but hesitant. After a moment's hesitation, you gently waved goodbye to it and then walked into the "river" and quickly left... No matter where you are in the ocean now, as long as you keep moving in one direction, you will always be able to return to land.

As for that orca-like Honkai Beast... you don't know if it can understand your farewell, but... let's leave it at that. From now on, you will inevitably be enemies.

[After you left, it let out a soft cry, sounding somewhat lost. Its massive tail fin swayed gently, creating wave after wave of spray... Then, with a sudden flick, a stream of water shot out, piercing through a large, pale-colored jellyfish-like Honkai Beast that almost blended into the seawater.]

[“Eek—” It reluctantly ate the remains of the jellyfish Honkai Beast, swam around a few times, seemingly hesitant, before finally swimming in the direction you left.]

[Its enormous body undulates on the sea surface, and its speed is only slightly slower than yours in the "river"... It even swings its tail fin to manipulate the water flow to attack other Honkai Beasts it encounters, and then devours their remains.]

As for you, after an unknown amount of time, and even your body becoming exhausted from maintaining the "river" for so long, you finally saw a faint trace of land.

Just as you were trying to speed up and return to land, you suddenly fell back into the sea—the "river" you had created inexplicably stopped and could no longer be formed. The seawater was refusing to be controlled by you, as if there was some dangerous place ahead of you.

You try to swim towards the land, but after swimming for a long time, you find that you haven't gotten any closer, and are even getting further away... You can't even "vaguely" see the land anymore; it seems as if the seawater is dragging you back into the ocean.

You keep trying, but you find that when you reach a certain "boundary," the seawater begins to restrict your movements and pulls you back into the ocean... as if you are going to some very dangerous place, and the ocean is extremely resistant to your approach.

[Until finally, you were so exhausted that you could only lie on the sea surface, letting the waves carry you away to an unknown place.]

It seems we can only wait for rescue? But at this distance in the ocean, aircraft tend to stay above the clouds, making it... likely to be difficult to spot him.

Even if we wanted to control the seawater to create a distress signal, it wouldn't work... The colors are too similar, making it difficult for people on the aircraft to notice them, and they wouldn't know exactly where they are in the ocean, so it's uncertain whether they'll even encounter the aircraft.

Oh no... we're going to be trapped at sea...

[I barely survived, but I can't go back to them... It's terrible.]

What should I do next...? How can I get back? —You ponder.

Although I can't think of a good solution, I think it's best for you to find a way to recover now. At least you can't let yourself stay this weak. You haven't forgotten the terrifying number of Honkai Beasts lurking in the sea.

Although in the previous two instances, the Honkai Beasts in the sea regarded you as a "comrade" and did not attack you, and the orca Honkai Beast even showed you friendly emotions, you cannot guarantee that it will be the same in the future... You must have the ability to survive in the ocean.

Yes, that's right, you will survive.

[Having regained your strength, you begin to manipulate the seawater and try to sense the surrounding ocean as much as possible to avoid being ambushed by other Honkai Beasts.]

Then, in your perception, you notice that the surrounding seawater... seems a bit off; it's as if something is approaching you, but then again, it seems like there's nothing there.

[Just to be safe, you didn't dismiss the feeling as an "illusion," but instead quickly manipulated the seawater, attacking the spot that felt off, and then... you felt as if you had actually hit something.]

You had a bad feeling, so you manipulated the seawater to attack in all directions, but you felt the impact from almost every direction.

[You seem to be surrounded by some kind of Honkai Beast that can conceal its form... or perhaps the seawater brought you here.]

This type of Honkai Beast isn't particularly strong; its main strength lies in its excellent stealth, making it almost undetectable when blending into the seawater.

A sharp sensation assaults you, as if a hidden Honkai Beast has come to your side and is attacking you. The thorn-like feeling makes you instinctively try to dodge, but midway, a thin stream of seawater deviates from its original trajectory, leaving a thin wound on your arm, after which a slight numbness comes from the wound.

[Manipulating seawater... Yes, all the Honkai Beasts in the sea have this ability, and it seems that they can also apply special properties to the manipulated seawater because of the Honkai Beast's own body? Just like you.]

[For example, what you're facing now is a paralyzing toxin in the seawater... Although the effect isn't strong, even you can quickly get rid of the paralysis, but there seem to be a lot of them.]

You begin manipulating the seawater to attack your surroundings, trying to reduce the enemy's numbers as much as possible... but the attacks continue, and they are increasing in number.

Although you had anticipated the number of Honkai Beasts in the "Ocean Forbidden Zone," you were still surprised and found it challenging.

After a brief hesitation, you decide to construct a "river" to leave. Now you need to find a way to recover your condition... But just as you are about to leave, a somewhat familiar cry comes from afar.

[It—that killer whale Honkai Beast—seems to be catching up.]

The massive tail fin swayed, creating waves that crashed in from afar, only to stop right in front of you, gently pushing you backward and leaving a few ripples without causing much of an impact.

[But the Honkai Beasts surrounding you acted as a deadly warning, or perhaps simply sensed danger, quickly shifting from hiding and manipulating the seawater to escape.]

Only now can you observe that it is a Honkai Beast resembling a jellyfish, with a nearly transparent body that blends almost into the seawater. It can only be vaguely detected when it controls the seawater to move rapidly.

[It appears to be a Honkai Beast focused on stealth and ambush, and it also operates in groups.]

[But what about it...] You look at the orca Honkai Beast that is rapidly swimming towards you.

It seemed afraid you would run away again, so it kept a distance from you, slowly swaying its tail fin as it swam around you, radiating concern as if asking if you were injured.

Your expression is strange and conflicted... You don't know why it's being so friendly to you, and now... it seems like she's helped you again.

You start to consider whether or not to respond to it.

[“Eek—” It seemed to realize you hadn’t left immediately, and also showed some hesitation. It let out a cheerful cry, then stretched its head out of the water, tilted its head back gently, revealing its snow-white belly, as if to show you friendliness. It then slowly and gently rocked its body, creating ripples, as if expecting you to approach it.]

You hesitated for a moment, then cautiously moved a little closer to it.

You can feel its tail fin swaying beneath the surface, conveying a sense of joy, yet also a fear that you might leave, and it dares not make any sudden movements.

In the end, you didn't choose to approach it further; instead, you manipulated the seawater and gently touched its snow-white belly.

[“Eek—” it chirped joyfully, swimming around you for a short distance, its cheerful mood emanating from it.]

It's very happy.

Chapter 41 Survive, even if it means accepting the [Collapse]

Okay, considering it helped you again and was still friendly, you reluctantly accepted it. While keeping your distance, you responded slightly, manipulating the seawater to gently caress it as a gesture of goodwill.

"Is this enough...?" you thought, and then you tried to leave.

It just so happens that it stirs up a few ripples, blocking your path, as if it doesn't want you to leave.

You look back at it, only to find it manipulating the seawater, bringing back the remains of those jellyfish-like Honkai Beasts, and then pushing them in front of you.

You don't quite understand what it means...

[“Eek—” Seeing that you hadn’t moved for a long time, it cried out anxiously twice, swimming around you. Finally, it seemed to have thought of a way, snatching away the remains of a Honkai Beast from in front of you. Then, it swung its tail fin, and seawater turned into tiny water bullets that flew not far away, stirring up a small splash.]

Then it bit off a large chunk of the wreckage, and fired another water bomb, which struck the sea surface not far away, creating a large splash.

You probably understand what it means now.

[It must have sensed your weakness and therefore wants you to eat these Honkai Beast remains to recover... So, is this thing really food?]

[And can eating this stuff really restore health? You're human, after all, while it's a Honkai Beast; your diets shouldn't be compatible, right?]

[“Eek—” Seeing that you still hadn’t made a move, and even seemed somewhat conflicted, it let out a soft cry, then turned and submerged into the water with the half-eaten carcass in its arms, swimming away quickly.]

You didn't quite understand, but you didn't pay any attention to it. You simply picked up the Honkai Beast remains floating in front of you and examined them carefully.

[This nearly transparent jellyfish-like Honkai Beast has a gel-like texture; it's bouncy and soft, and you can easily crush it into pieces with a little pressure. It's somewhat similar to pudding… um, is describing it as food a bit inappropriate? Is this thing actually edible?]

[After all, in a sense, these Honkai beast remains are Honkai energy. Replenishing Honkai energy might activate the "Gabriel" gene within the body, and perhaps then the body could recover?]

[...Never mind, I have a feeling it's more likely to be a backlash.]

You temporarily abandoned that unreliable idea in your mind.

However, at this moment, the orca-like Honkai Beast returned, carrying a fish-shaped Honkai Beast remnant in its mouth. It manipulated the seawater to push the remnant towards you, letting out two cheerful calls, expressing its anticipation.

You squinted at the fish-shaped Honkai Beast in front of you, remaining silent... It seemed to think you didn't eat "jellyfish," so it turned around and brought you a "fish."

You rejected it and pushed all the debris onto it.

For some reason, it seemed a little aggrieved, pitifully eating the remains, occasionally letting out a whimper as it ate, and its mood became very low.

You always felt that it was a bit clumsy and dull... That's not surprising, after all, it's a Honkai Beast, it's surprising that it has intelligence, but its emotions are so vivid, it reminds you of "Gabriel" from back then.

Also... it has a huge appetite.

It swallowed a whole bunch of jellyfish and the remains of that "fish" in a few bites, finishing them off in no time.

Then it started circling around you again, occasionally stopping to flick its tail fin, creating small ripples, and exuding a worried expression. After a while, it manipulated the water, gently pushing you in a certain direction, while simultaneously swimming a short distance in the same direction, before stopping and turning back to look at you.

It seems to want you to go with it.

After a moment's thought, you chose to follow.

It swam quickly, and you followed not far behind, relying on the "river"... Ultimately, you were wary of it.

[Then, you'll encounter many Honkai Beasts belonging to the "ocean"... from large tentacle Honkai Beasts resembling squid, to manta ray-like Honkai Beasts that can briefly glide across the sea surface, to gigantic whale-like Honkai Beasts, and finally even see "shrimp" and "crabs" ten meters long. It takes you to know the various Honkai Beasts in the "ocean" and hunt them.]

Yes, hunting, it's guiding you through the "food" [path].

It seems to insist that you should eat some "food," and at the same time insists that the reason you are not eating is because you are "picky," so it is picking and choosing the "food" that you are willing to eat.

Although you ultimately refused, it expressed regret and sadness, making pitiful noises while eating all the "food" you didn't want.

Well... how should I put it... it does seem a bit goofy, and it can eat a lot. It didn't leave any of the "food" mentioned earlier, and it would quickly devour even the huge whale-like Honkai Beasts, as if its appetite would never be satisfied.

[You subconsciously think it's kind of cute... Damn, how could you even think that?]

You couldn't help but tap your head, beginning to doubt whether your perception had been altered.

However, in the process, you gained a general understanding of the situation in the "ocean"... The Honkai Beasts here largely continue the original "ocean" ecosystem. Apart from the fact that every creature has become a Honkai Beast, the "diet" of all Honkai Beasts has been expanded, and the limit of this expansion is all other Honkai Beasts in the "ocean".

Yes, all of them. You've even witnessed "shrimp that eats sharks, crabs that eat shrimp, and orcas that eat crabs" (the above food chain was personally demonstrated by a certain orca Honkai Beast). And when it eats other Honkai Beasts, its aura strengthens slightly, giving the impression that it has "grown up a bit."

Moreover, this process is immediate; with each bite, it strengthens slightly, without any "nutrient absorption" process. It feels like a smaller pool of water is absorbed by a larger pool, which then becomes an even larger pool.

The entire "ocean" feels like it's in a "battle royale" atmosphere, with Honkai creatures hunting each other. But the weak can't fight back against the strong, so the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker... oh wait, there's no chance of getting weaker, they'll just be eaten.

Therefore, living creatures often possess special abilities, such as the transparent jellyfish you encountered earlier.

As for water control, it is an ability possessed by almost every Honkai Beast belonging to the "ocean." At most, the amount of water controlled is affected by the Honkai Beast's own strength, and the "characteristics" bestowed upon the water will also be somewhat affected as a result.

[So it seems you really are a "comrade" of the "ocean" Honkai Beasts, after all, your abilities are almost the same as theirs... That makes sense, since you possess the genes of "Gabriel".]

[You're starting to consider whether or not to join this "ecosystem." Judging from the current situation, it seems that if you "feed" on Honkai Beasts, you might actually recover...]

Faced with yet another Honkai Beast wreckage offered to you, you hesitated.

[To keep up with it, you've maintained the "river" for several days in a row. Your physical strength is already depleted quickly, and coupled with your weakness... to be honest, you're extremely hungry now. Even fusion warriors need to eat.]

You looked at it again; the orca-like Honkai Beast was still slowly swimming around you, radiating an air of anticipation.