Chapter 420: Sorry, Can't Do That
How strong was a Minecrafter full-power punch? Honestly, even Steven himself couldn't say—mainly because he had never once encountered anything that forced him to actually throw one with all his strength.
But even so, that uppercut he'd just delivered was more than enough to one shot the first Fallingstar Beast that he fought in the mine.
As the vortex around him slowly calmed, a thunderous splash—like a bomb detonating underwater—echoed through the deep. Only then did the monster Steven had sent flying crash back down into the seabed.
The once-cool looking, crystal-armored scales centered around its head had completely shattered. And that head which took Steven's punch head-on was now reduced to… a neck.
Just a neck.
The rest had probably scattered across the surrounding waters like confetti.
Steven was about to walk over to start looting the corpse when something disgusting stopped him: from the mangled stump of its neck, slimy tendrils began to wriggle outward.
The amber Originium crystal in the monster's chest lit up like an overloaded lightbulb, while the tendrils rapidly intertwined. In mere seconds, they fused together into a brand-new head.
Not only that—judging from the new helmet-like crystal scales covering it and the bizarre shape of the skull—trying to uppercut it again would now be… quite a challenge.
And the changes didn't stop there. The fluids oozing from its body spread rapidly, turning the surrounding ocean into a glowing, viscous substance. Just moving inside it made Steven feel a heavy drag, like swimming through syrup.
"Hm… so this is the part your Seaborn half grants you? Strong regeneration, adaptation, and the ability to reshape the environment to your advantage. A troublesome combination indeed."
Steven muttered his analysis. Combined with the raw, violent destructive power inherited from the Fallingstar Beast side, this creature was practically a living slaughter engine. The only real flaw, perhaps, was its intelligence.
At least for now, if they were only comparing front-line combat ability… Steven figured this thing could probably force the three Abyssal Hunters he knew to team up. Only with that kind of specialized coordination might they take it down.
And that's assuming they could first find a way to break this ridiculous regeneration. Otherwise, the monster would out-heal their damage without even trying.
"What a shame though. You absorbed all those Seaborn made from converted humans, yet you still never managed to grow yourself a brain? Otherwise, why would you still think attacking me is a good idea?"
Barely suppressing his exasperation, Steven watched the creature release another thunderous roar before charging straight at him again. He simply curled his lips into a smirk and gestured for it to come.
Originally, he had considered crippling this rare hybrid and tossing it into a Pokéball. With something this unique, who wouldn't want to keep it?
But sadly, this thing was—technically—the one responsible for injuring Gladiia. That meant he had an obligation to kill it.
If it had a next life, it should really think things through before picking a fight. Maybe then it wouldn't end up in such a miserable state.
Of course, if the monster could hear what Steven was thinking, it'd probably feel deeply wronged. Yes, it had fought Gladiia—but it hadn't absorbed enough nutrients at the time, and all it managed was a shallow wound on her hand. Meanwhile Gladiia had punched a hole through its chest. If not for that, it wouldn't have had to flee into the deep sea in the first place.
Unfortunately, its brain still hadn't come online. The only thought filling its mind was the desire to rip apart the hateful human before it and devour his nutrients. It didn't notice at all that Steven had already tightened his fist again.
"Well then… I kinda wanna see whether your regeneration has an upper limit or not."
Smiling as the Seaborn charged at him, Steven swung his right fist in a motion so casual it looked like some back-alley street brawl starter.
But that ordinary-looking punch stirred the entire ocean like someone had thrown a nuclear depth charge into it. The water roared; a spiraling vortex formed instinctively in front of Steven, dragging the sea around it into violent motion.
And the moment the monster realized something was wrong, it was already too late. A massive force wrapped around it like invisible chains. Even though it wasn't quite in melee range, its body locked in place—frozen, forced to await its incoming death.
Steven, the one who unleashed the attack, simply held the punching pose for half a second—then vanished, reappearing right in front of the immobilized creature as if he'd teleported.
"Let it go, human. This is the ocean, and it belongs to the ocean."
Just as Steven's fist was about to land, a peculiar wave pulsed from the abyssal depths. It was as if someone had pressed the universe's pause button—every turbulent ripple in the water stilled instantly. Even Steven's arm halted for a beat.
That presence… He knew it too well. He'd felt it once before, back in the Ægir Border City. He hadn't expected it to seek him out on its own, though.
And judging from the voice, this being—likely a "god" wielding authority over the sea—was clearly taking the Seaborn's side, or it wouldn't have intervened like this.
Given that he currently couldn't enter Creative Mode, rationality suggested he should give this entity some face. After all, it only stopped his attack; it hadn't acted hostile. He could use this opportunity to get acquainted with whatever divine creature ruled this ocean and maybe extract some intel.
But after a short silence, Steven only exhaled quietly. When he lifted his head again, the usual careless grin had returned to his face.
"Sorry—can't do that. This thing hurt someone I care about. I came down here specifically to settle that debt."
Before the final word even faded, Steven's fist elongated into a pixelated cuboid—like it was built from Minecraft blocks. It snapped free from the ocean's constraining force and slowly descended onto the Seaborn's body.
A faint pop echoed—like a balloon bursting.
And the terrifying monster before him vanished in a puff of white smoke, leaving behind several flat, tablet-like items that hovered gently in the water like dropped loot.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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