The Game Heroine's Cannon Fodder Leopard Cub - Chapter 40

The whale swam through the ocean for a long time, its massive body barely rippling against the water’s resistance. Suddenly, a violent current slammed into it head-on, jolting the whale and abruptly slowing its momentum.

Yi’an felt the tremor beneath her feet and instinctively braced herself against the whale’s inner wall.

Moments later, the whale’s mouth slowly opened, seawater surging through the gap and carrying a salty, damp scent.

“Are we there yet?” Nora asked.

Yi’an walked to the edge of the whale’s teeth, peered out, and saw only the same bottomless, dark seawater surrounding them. Above, however, a faint glimmer of light pierced through the gloom—the faint glow of the sea surface.

Normally, at this depth, the water’s visibility should have improved significantly, yet the surroundings remained shrouded in darkness.

Yi’an frowned, gently stroking the whale’s inner wall and asking what was happening.

The whale’s response startled her. She signaled for it to swim closer to the surface, so she could see more clearly.

The whale obediently closed its mouth, ceasing its upward ascent and instead gliding forward along the dark currents beneath the sea’s surface.

“The whale told me there seems to be a strange vortex beneath Colson Island,” Yi’an whispered to Nora, returning to her side. “Do you know anything about this?”

Nora frowned, equally puzzled. She shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Just as they were pondering the possibilities, the whale came to a halt again.

As its mouth slowly opened, the sight before them made them hold their breath.

A massive vortex hung upside down beneath Colson Island!

Spanning tens of kilometers, it nearly covered the entire island’s base. The vortex’s immense suction had eradicated all life in the surrounding waters, mercilessly devouring even floating debris like driftwood and scattered swords.

Only their colossal whale remained unaffected, though it couldn’t venture any closer.

“No wonder…” Nora murmured in awe.

“Hmm?” Yi’an tilted her head, noticing Nora’s sudden look of realization.

“Over the past few years, Colson Town has been reporting that their coastal fishermen can barely catch any fish. They’ve been requesting funding to build larger ships so they can fish in deeper waters,” Nora said, recalling the details.

“At first, my mother suspected the town was fabricating excuses to secure more funding. After all, every town in the Grand Duchy wants a larger share of the national budget. So she and Sophia… Mom personally came here to investigate. But all they confirmed was that the mayor’s claims were true. They couldn’t uncover anything else.”

“If we hadn’t passed through the seabed, we never would have imagined there was such a massive vortex beneath the island, and…” Nora paused, thinking for a moment, then exclaimed, “Colson Island is actually a floating island?”

Yi’an smiled, about to speak, when suddenly a faint tapping sound reached her ears. Before she could focus on it, the tapping grew clearer, forming a distinct rhythm, like… her own heartbeat.

An unprecedented intuition surged through her. She took a deep breath and said, each word deliberate, “Nora, I think we need to go into the vortex.”

Nora turned to look at Yi’an’s solemn expression, and a sudden realization struck her. “The soul fragment is inside?”

Yi’an nodded, slightly surprised that Nora had guessed her intention so quickly.

“Then we need to figure out a way to get in,” Nora said, her gaze fixed on the violent vortex. “Can your barrier guarantee we won’t be torn apart?”

Yi’an paused, considering the question, then shook her head. “I’m not certain.”

“Maybe we should…”

“No!” Nora immediately cut her off. “It’s too dangerous.”

Yi’an blinked, wondering how Nora had known she was about to suggest testing the waters herself.

She tried to reassure Nora. “My Sacred Beast Power has awakened. Normally, these natural phenomena pose no threat to me.”

“I said no,” Nora insisted, surprised that Yi’an would persist even after being interrupted. “What if it’s not a natural phenomenon?”

She paused to compose herself before continuing. “Now that we know the soul fragment is inside the vortex, how can you be so sure it wasn’t deliberately placed there?”

Yi’an understood perfectly well that a vortex of such immense scale, inverted beneath the island, was highly unlikely to be a natural phenomenon. But since they were determined to enter, they couldn’t avoid all risks. Even with Nora’s Ancient Green Bloodline, she was still human. With this in mind, Yi’an secretly resolved to protect her.

Yi’an put her arm around Nora’s shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, I’ll never put myself in unnecessary danger. Here’s what I’m going to do…”

Moments later, Nora sat alone within the whale’s mouth, protected by a barrier Yi’an had left behind.

She watched as Yi’an transformed into a lithe leopard, gracefully treading the seawater as she swam toward the vortex.

“Please come back safe,” Nora murmured, clutching a tuft of leopard fur tightly in her hand, silently praying.

As Yi’an approached the vortex, she felt the water’s vibrations growing increasingly violent.

She immediately reverted to her human form, planting her feet firmly in the water.

With her palms facing upward, she rapidly conjured solid spheres of water in her hands.

With a swift forward motion of her hands, she hurled all the water spheres into the rushing current. The spheres shattered in the turbulent flow, only to instantly reform, creating the illusion that they were frozen in place.

Yi’an leaped gracefully onto the first sphere, landing with perfect balance. She chuckled softly, leaned forward slightly, and sprinted forward. As if guided by instinct, the spheres materialized beneath her feet one after another, ensuring each step was firm and steady, as if she were running on solid ground.

As she closed the distance, the surrounding suction grew stronger, and the seawater churned impatiently beneath her feet. Yi’an could feel the powerful force trying to pull her into the vortex.

Immediately channeling the Sacred Beast Power, she conjured layer upon layer of water shields ahead of her. These shields clashed against the current, successfully neutralizing most of the suction.

Protected by the cascading shields, Yi’an steadily reached the edge of the vortex.

She cautiously tossed in a humanoid barrier to test the vortex’s strength.

However, the moment the barrier approached the vortex, the violent currents tore it to shreds, scattering countless fragments that vanished into the water.

Yi’an frowned. If they couldn’t force their way through the barrier, what could they do? She pondered, her gaze sweeping up and down the colossal vortex.

Apart from its inverted direction and immense scale, the vortex resembled any ordinary whirlpool or tropical storm she had seen on the surface.

Wait—tropical storm? A sudden inspiration struck Yi’an. She tilted her head back to carefully measure the diameter of the vortex at the island’s base. Strangely, it didn’t taper into a funnel shape like typical whirlpools; instead, it formed a massive, perfectly cylindrical column stretching straight up and down.

A daring hypothesis formed in Yi’an’s mind.

If there was a downward current, there must be an upward one as well. Since the vortex’s base connected to the island, its apex likely lay somewhere in the deep sea.

With this thought, water spheres began materializing beneath her feet, one after another. Yi’an’s speed increased exponentially as she raced along the vortex’s edge toward the seabed.

About fifteen minutes later, her prediction proved correct. A colossal vortex source materialized before her.

Beneath it yawned an unfathomable black abyss. On either side of the source, the water swirled violently, emitting a deafening roar.

Yi’an skirted the rushing water and positioned herself directly beneath the vortex’s origin. Looking up, she noticed the central current was indeed much calmer. An idea struck her: if she could surge upward from here, she might safely enter the vortex’s interior.

To test this theory, she released a hollow barrier, allowing it to drift slowly upward. As expected, the barrier smoothly entered the vortex and remained intact until it vanished from sight.

Elated, Yi’an turned decisively and retraced her steps, hurrying back the way she had come.

Meanwhile, Nora stood inside the whale’s mouth, her hands clasped tightly together, knuckles white with tension. Her heart raced faster with each passing moment as she paced anxiously within the cavernous space.

Every time the whale opened its mouth, she couldn’t resist peering out, hoping to catch a glimpse of Yi’an.

Then, during yet another anxious glance, her eyes suddenly locked onto a familiar figure!

The lithe figure sprinted toward her with astonishing speed.

Nora’s heart leaped wildly, then plummeted heavily. She rushed to the whale’s mouth, waving frantically at Yi’an.

“Yi’an!” she shouted, surprised by the raw emotion in her voice.

Hearing the call, Yi’an instinctively quickened her pace. She leaped forward with all her might, landing securely inside the whale’s mouth as the water sphere behind her gradually dissipated.

Before Yi’an could steady herself, Nora surged forward and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Yi’an instinctively opened her arms, catching the warm, soft body.

“I found a way in!” Yi’an gasped, still breathless but holding Nora tightly.

Nora released the embrace and gently cupped Yi’an’s face in her hands, her voice filled with concern. “How did you figure it out?”

Yi’an grinned triumphantly, looped her arms around Nora’s waist, leaned in close, and whispered her discovery into Nora’s ear, explaining every detail.

“…So, when the whale opens its mouth, we’ll surge upward with all our might…”

Nora listened, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. She hadn’t expected Yi’an to devise such a foolproof plan to find a way out. A relieved smile spread across her face.

Yi’an faltered, stammering, “What are you smiling at?”

Nora shook her head, not answering directly. Instead, she gently massaged Yi’an’s ears, murmuring, “Then we’ll do it your way.”

Nora’s technique for petting Yi’an’s leopard ears had become increasingly refined. Under her touch, Yi’an’s ears flushed slightly, and she instantly forgot what she was about to say. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she nearly purred in contentment.

Fortunately, the whale suddenly opened its mouth, and a surge of icy seawater rushed in, flooding around their feet and snapping Yi’an back to reality.

She reluctantly pulled Nora’s hand away, walked to the whale’s mouth, and gently patted its inner wall.

Understanding her signal, the whale began to descend into the depths.