16 DEADLY TREASURE HUNT (3)

IN JUST a few minutes, Zirkus found himself alone on the ship deck.

When all hope was lost, he considered jumping off of the sinking cruise ship. And then it happened.

A single yet friendly tap on his shoulder gave him life.

"Zirkus?"

Zirkus immediately turned around and clasped his hands together as if he was praying. "Noonim!"

Yes, Yelena didn't leave yet.

Or perhaps she went back for him because he looked pathetic– er, helpless?

"It seems like Enzo didn't tell you anything about the treasure hunt, Zirkus."

"It's also kind of my fault for not doing my research, Noonim," Zirkus said while scratching his cheek from embarrassment. "I totally depended on Enzo."

[That backstabbing bastard…]

"I like that you admitted your mistake," Yelena said, smiling at him. "Unfortunately, even if I want to, I can't carry you on my back. Hunters are allowed to bring teleportation spells to reach the Treasure Island. But we are forbidden from helping each other. If we arrive together, both of us will be disqualified."

Ah, so that was why Enzo probably left him.

[But how does he expect me to reach the island if he didn't warn me in advance about the first trial?]

"Noonim, I don't want you to get disqualified because of me, so please go ahead," Zirkus said, smiling. "I'll figure out something on my own."

Yelena's smiled again, then she pulled her necklace until the chain broke. After that, she dropped it on the floor. "Ah, I lost my favorite necklace," she said while staring at the necklace with a small conch seashell as a pendant. "What a shame. It happens to be a Holy Artifact."

His eyes opened wide a bit.

[Don't tell me, Noonim is…]

"It's a shame that I lost my favorite necklace. If you use the pendant as a trumpet, then a sea creature that can speak the human language will come to your aid," Yelena said, still staring at the necklace while pretending to be talking to herself. "That certain sea creature is a bit picky, but if he happens to like the person who summoned him, then maybe he'd agree to bring that person to the nearest island here?"

Zirkus let out a gasp.

Now he was certain.

[Noonim is helping me!]

"But I have to warn whoever picks up my favorite necklace," Yelena said, then she raised her head and meet Zirkus' eyes directly. "The sea creature that would get summoned could be violent. So I hope whoever picks it up has some great convincing power."

[Oh, I definitely have that. After all, I'm someone who managed to convince Enzo to keep me alive even after I "bullied" him.]

"Noonim, it's a shame that you lost your favorite necklace," Zirkus said, putting a hand over his chest. "But I have a feeling that whoever picked up your necklace would return it to you later."

Yelena smiled at him. "See you later, Zirkus."

***

<"ARE YOU really going to use the Mermaid Princess' necklace? Do you trust her that much?">

"It's not like I have another choice," Zirkus said while holding the conch shell in his hand. "The cruise ship is sinking faster than it did earlier."

And she was already alone on the deck of the sinking cruise ship.

The abilities that he received from the rude System wouldn't be able to save his life.

<"Good luck. You need that. Kekeke!">

Heh.

Zirkus smirked after analyzing Blob the System's reaction.

Even though he was in a slightly dangerous situation, the System was teasing him as usual.

[They made it clear before that they need me to save this world, and I can tell that I'm the only one who can do it. Hence, if ever I find myself in a very dangerous situation, I bet the System will save my dying ass.]

Satisfied by that conclusion, he didn't waste time more than he already had.

Zirkus blew used the conch shell like a trumpet.

And his eardrums almost exploded.

He didn't expect that the small item would produce a loud sound that was probably enough to disturb the sea creatures below.

To be honest, he expected to encounter a tsunami or something close to that.

But instead of that, the sea creature that he was waiting for appeared inside a semi-transparent FISH TANK floating right in front of him.

Zirkus' eyes opened wide in shock as he took a step backward. "A dolphin?"

It looked like an adult dolphin, but it seemed to be on the small side. If his calculations were correct, then he'd say the dolphin was around seven feet in length?

[It's only a foot "taller" than Zirkus Huxford… and it looks like a gangster dolphin.]

He said that because the dolphin had a large 'X' mark on its left cheek. And it gave off delinquent vibes as it gave him a sharp look.

<"Are you the bastard that Yelena asked me to help?">

Hmm?

He was a bit surprised when the dolphin began talking to him in human language.

[Pfft.]

He did his best to hold back his laughter.

Even though the dolphin looked intimidating, its voice sounded really cute. He couldn't tell if it was a male or a female, though.

<"My name is Lovely, the third princess of the Dolphin Clan. But feel free to address me casually.">

Ah, so it was a lovely delinquent princess.

"It's an honor to meet you, ma'am," Zirkus greeted the dolphin politely. "My name is Zirkus Huxford. Yelena and I take our Elective Class together."

<"…">

He gulped nervously.

[Why is she looking at me like that? Does she think I don't deserve to be Noonim's friend? Is she not going to help me…?]

<"Finally.">

"Huh?"

<"Yelena finally got a handsome friend!">

WHAT?

<"I love Yelena with all my heart, but that child has terrible taste in men! I don't understand why she keeps hanging out with ugly humans like Rivo Creswell and Enzo Fenton.">

"Ma'am, you think Rivo Creswell and Enzo Fenton are… ugly?"

<"Yes, and that's me being nice since those two are still Yelena's friends.">

Zirkus pointed a finger at his face. "And you think I'm handsome, ma'am?"

<"You are! To be honest, you actually remind me of my handsome sheepshead fish friend under the sea.">

Sheepshead fish were considered handsome by other sea creatures…?

<"BWAHAHAHA!">

Of course, it was Blob who was laughing like a maniac.

Zirkus ignored the rude System and smiled awkwardly at Lovely, the dolphin princess. "Thank you?"

<"Come, I'll bring you to the Treasure Island in a jiffy.">

Zirkus suddenly screamed out of shock when his body floated in the air and was sent flying. He could only shut his eyes tight while cursing internally while Blob, that useless System, kept laughing like crazy.

[What the fuck? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!']

PLOP.

Hmm?

The next thing he knew, he was already sitting on something that felt smooth and rubbery. Plus, his legs were soaked deep in water.

Huh?

Zirkus opened his eyes, then gasped when he realized he was riding on the dolphin's back as if he was riding on a horse.

[When did Lovely get in the water?]

He instinctively grabbed Lovely's dorsal fin when she moved a bit. "Ah, sorry…"

<"It's alright, Zirkus Huxford,"> Lovely, the dolphin princess, assured him when he was about to let go of her dorsal fin. <"You should hold on to my fin tight because this is going to be one hell of a ride!">

HuhAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Zirkus spent fifteen minutes of his life screaming at the top of his lungs.

***

PLOP.

Just when Zirkus thought his vocal cords would finally snap from screaming loudly, Lovely suddenly stopped and threw him in the air when they were already near the Treasure Island.

Yes, the dolphin princess threw him as if he was some sort of baggage.

The next thing he knew, he was already plopped down on the sand– soaked from head to toe– while two familiar (and annoyingly beautiful) faces were looking at him with two completely different expressions.

"What a shame," Enzo, who had his arms crossed over his chest while looking down at him, said in a disappointed voice. "You made it in the nick of time."

Zirkus beamed, his irritation melting away quickly. "Really? I made it?"

"You did, Zirkus. Congratulations," Yelena said, smiling at him. "And they asked us to group ourselves into three, so I stole Enzo away from everyone who wanted him on their team."

Enzo glared at the Mermaid Princess. "I don't want to be on the same team as an idiot like you."

Yelena cupped her right ear with her hands while tilting her head to the right side where the waves were hitting the shore. "The waves are too loud for me to hear anyone's complaints~"

Hmm?

Zirkus looked back and forth between Enzo and Yelena.

[Are they friends?]

That was not mentioned in the original novel, though?

***

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