After making sure Akeno understood the basics of the training—the way to calm her breathing, sense the flow of nature, and distinguish between wild lightning and lightning that obeyed one's will—Jun did not push her any further.
He knew the limit.
That scripture was not something that could be mastered in a matter of days, especially not by someone who had only just stepped onto the path of Senjutsu. Forcing progress would only damage the foundation that had just been built.
So Jun left the rest to time.
Akeno departed a few days later, carrying the scripture with her, with a promise—unspoken, yet palpable—that she would return stronger.
And just like before…
Jun was alone again.
Summer vacation began. Kuoh grew livelier, filled with laughter and talk of holiday plans. Yet Jun's small world remained the same: a cabin in the middle of the forest, the wind, the trees, and Maw lazily rolling across the wooden floor.
There was no friend inviting him to go on vacation.
The total number of people he could call "close friends" did not even reach double digits.
And strangely—he had long since grown used to it.
"Haah…" Jun let out a quiet sigh as he gazed at the sky from the cabin's terrace. "If this keeps up, I'm going to get rusty."
So his choice fell on the one thing that was always available.
Tower Babel.
He stood up, prepared what little equipment he needed, then opened access to the tower without much thought. This time, it was not because of great ambition. Not because of a drive to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
But simply because… he was bored.
Yet the moment he entered the tower, Jun immediately realized one thing.
Time inside was irrelevant to the real world. One day outside could mean dozens of days inside—or the opposite. And the type of quests he received now was different from before. No longer just simple battles or tests of strength.
More complex.
The total number of people he could call "close friends" did not even reach double digits.
And strangely—he had long since grown used to it.
"Haah…" Jun let out a quiet sigh as he gazed at the sky from the cabin's terrace. "If this keeps up, I'm going to get rusty."
So his choice fell on the one thing that was always available.
Tower Babel.
He stood up, prepared what little equipment he needed, then opened access to the tower without much thought. This time, it was not because of great ambition. Not because of a drive to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
But simply because… he was bored.
However, the moment he entered the tower, Jun quickly realized one thing.
Time inside was irrelevant to the real world. One day outside could mean dozens of days inside—or the opposite. And the type of quests he received now was different from before. No longer just simple battles or tests of strength.
More complex.
At that moment, without much consideration, Jun pressed Yes on the invisible window floating before him. The instant the decision was made, the space around him distorted.
A pitch-black sphere formed, completely enveloping his body.
In an instant—
He was teleported.
Jun's vision spun violently before suddenly snapping open. Wind slammed into his face, his clothes and hair whipping wildly. His body was floating… no, falling.
Free fall.
Jun reflexively stabilized his breathing. When he looked down, all he could see was an endless expanse of water. A vast ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, faintly shimmering beneath the gray sky.
"..."
Jun clicked his tongue softly.
Before he could fully process the situation, a glowing window appeared right in front of him, perfectly stable despite his rapid descent.
[The Tower has issued a Quest: Stop the actions of the Deep Ones in releasing Jormungandr]
"Haah…" Jun let out a long sigh, his voice nearly drowned out by the roaring wind.
"Of all the possibilities… why does it always have to be something troublesome."
He glanced down once more. The surface of the sea was drawing closer, the air pressure shifting, and the salty scent beginning to reach him. The wind that had been raging now swirled along with his falling body, as if the ocean below had already sensed his presence.
Jun slowly adjusted his posture, turning his free fall into an upright position. Qi flowed calmly into the soles of his feet and along his back, preparing a technique to land—or rather, to enter—the next battlefield.
The Deep Ones.
That name was not just a random term. Jun had read about them long before he was dragged into the supernatural world—long before the tower, the system, and battles beyond reason became part of his life. In the works of H. P. Lovecraft, especially in The Cthulhu Mythos, the Deep Ones were depicted as ancient beings dwelling in the depths of the sea.
Half human, and half something far older than civilization itself.
Creatures that lived in sunken cities, allied with cosmic entities, and worshiped gods that humanity was never meant to know. They were neither demons nor gods—merely remnants of an age when the world had yet to submit to its current laws.
Jun drifted slowly in the water, his eyes sweeping over the scenery around him. Massive stone pillars rose from the seabed, covered in faintly glowing green moss. Beyond the darkness, he could see silhouettes moving—slender bodies with limbs too long, fine scales shimmering faintly, and eyes reflecting a cold light.
"However…" Jun murmured softly, his brow furrowing, "why are there Nordic beings here as well?"
The vibrations in the water returned—stronger this time. This was no small ritual. Something big was involved.
Jörmungandr.
The World Serpent. A creature from Norse mythology said to encircle the world, biting its own tail, maintaining the balance of the cosmos. The child of Loki, the trickster god, and the giantess Angrboda. In legend, Jörmungandr lies dormant in the deepest seas, waiting for Ragnarok to rise and drown the world in poison and destruction.
"Deep Ones… and Jörmungandr," Jun murmured quietly.
His brows knit together, his thoughts racing.
'Why is an Earth-based supernatural here?I thought Jörmungandr existed on Earth… and still exists even now. If a being that massive truly vanished, the world should have fallen into chaos long ago.'
Or…
'Or this isn't Jörmungandr from the DxD world?'
That possibility made his chest feel slightly heavy. The Tower never played fair. It could summon replicas, fragments of existence, or even alternate versions of the same mythology—powerful enough to trigger disaster, yet not "real" enough to shake the outside world.
Without realizing it, his body had already drawn closer to the ocean's surface.
The wind stopped. Sound vanished.
And in the next instant—
He plunged into the water.
Jun's body pierced the surface without excessive splashing, as if the ocean itself accepted him. There was no violent impact. No choking sensation. His Qi naturally enveloped his body, adjusting to the pressure, temperature, and currents around him.
He opened his eyes.
The sight before him made him pause for a moment.
This sea… was beautiful. Far different from Earth's oceans.
Blue-green light radiated from freely drifting organisms like stars in the night sky. Massive spiral-shaped reefs rose from the seabed, covered in glowing plants and strange creatures swimming leisurely, as if this world knew no concept of haste.
In the distance, the silhouettes of ancient stone structures could be seen—a sunken city with architecture from an ancient civilization.
But behind that beauty…
Jun could feel it.
A subtle pressure weighing on his consciousness. Faint whispers that did not come from any single direction.
"So this is Floor 42…" he thought calmly.
Deceptive beauty.