Fairy Tail: Kyoka Suigetsu

Leviathan

'They wanted me to put the sea king monster into submission? ' I asked myself as I ride the train with port as destination. 'It's like a kid asking his father to have a wild lion as a pet.' 

I shook my head helplessly and put back the commissioner's quest in my own space storage. And let my head hit the soft headrest as I started to think about what I'm going to do next. 

"I needed to have a certain understanding of the quest first. This quest is quite close to S-Rank, but why did Leviathan ascend?" That's the biggest mystery in this quest; I will know it later on when I meet the commissioner and investigate things, but there's a possibility of them being misled or lying, or perhaps another conspiracy, such as the previous quest I took. That's why having a certain understanding of things before I proceed is considered mental preparation. 

Preparing yourself mentally so that in any circumstances you will not lose your cool and make a wrong judgment. 

"Leviathan, I've heard about things called sea kings. It's common in the world of One Piece, but in Fairy Tail they said it never ascends. Yes, never; even if it happens, it's rare. Because it resides on the middle surface just above the deepest level and not on the surface, things won't happen without a reason. Besides, Leviathan is a monster with high intelligence, no different than an octopus. Although it's an animal and not a beast, they said octopus is a descendant of Kraken." 

Originally, octopuses were the size of a big ship, but over time it devolves into a smaller one until it shrinks as small as a coin. But was that really the case? 

Octopus species aren't limited to one. It's a common misconception. Just think about it: a dragon isn't limited to fire; they have sky, metal, coal, etc., and those are just element types. They have different sizes as well as characteristics for the element, so why did they assume the octopus is just a Kraken that devolved? Besides Kraken is what you call a giant octopus, and you call an octopus an octopus. Also, octopus is a general term; they have different types, such as common octopus, California, Caribbean, etc. 

Therefore, the Kraken is what you call a giant octopus. Similarly, Leviathan is also a name bestowed upon a giant sea snake. Also, Krakens are also kind of sea kings; they were called sea kings because they stand out more compared to others. If there's a giant eel or stonefish, it will be called a sea king. What a useless thought... 

Having said that, Leviathan must have a reason for ascending. I already have a few guesses in mind, yet I needed to hear about details first and investigate to confirm my suspicion. After a long travel, I finally arrived at the port. This is a capital for trading seafood. The commissioner is the owner of the fishing pond. It's not difficult to find him. Where can you find a fisherman? Of course on the sea. Can you find it on the moon? (Well, yes). 

I approach a lone man standing on the fishing bridge. He patiently waits for a fish to take the bait, although he is fishing; it's more on like waiting since his attention wasn't on the lake but somewhere far away. I approach him as I introduce myself. 

"Hello, are you the commissioner?" 

He got startled by my presence and narrowed his eyes slightly. "A kid...?" 

'Whoa, calm down. I might look like a kid, but I'm technically older than you and your ancestors.' I silently retort, then remove the black gloves on my hand and show off the Fairy Tail emblem. 

"I might look like a kid, but I'm still a powerful wizard and swordsman. Besides, the president of our guild won't send me here if I'm not capable. So can you tell me more about the commission?" 

"Fair enough..." 

He reeled the bait by gently rotating the bail. I observed it from my position and found out that there's no bait on the hook. 

'Fishing without bait? Sure enough, it was only to kill time.' 

I waited patiently until he got over his work and started talking about business. 

"Actually, a few weeks ago, every day and night, a sea monster appeared and attacked continuously, destroying the boat and port." He started, "Although there's no casualty in human, it affects our harvest heavily. Some fishermen decide to move away, and some fight for their territories." 

"So the destruction of the port causes business to fall, and when the fishermen no longer have an environment to fish, they invade someone, causing an internal conflict. They don't have a choice since they have family to feed." He gives me a nod of approval. Then I continue. "You commission me to subjugate the Leviathan. I say it's not going to be easy. The rank of this mission is A-rank, but with the strength of the Leviathan, it is not an exaggeration to call it S-rank; it might as well be SS-rank." 

An earthquake occurs on his pupil, and his expression turns hopeless. "Is there nothing you can do about it...?" he asked. "I'm willing to pay anything; please do something about the sea king..." 

He even goes so far as to beg me on his knees. I just tap his shoulder lightly and say,. "Don't worry; I have already taken the commission, and it will only fail once I'm dead. So as long as I'm alive, I will definitely do something." 

He slowly lifted his head and looked at me with teary eyes... "Thank you." 

"Having said that... Can you list the location of the destroy port?" I analyze the location of the destroy port and reach a certain understanding. In the business world, in order to increase the income, or should I say succeed,. 

There are at least two ways: develop a better product, which in a way is defined as innovation. The other is not complicated and more practical; you only needed to decrease the number of competitors. 

At first I thought this was some kind of conspiracy of those big shots, but the location is mainly targeting small to mid-sized ports. What I'm trying to say is it's like spending thousands of dollars just to get one dollar. It's a losing business, so the idea of a businessman conspiracy has been disregarded. 

Why would the big shots target the small-timer? Besides, according to the report, their business didn't decrease despite having many competitors; it's stable and increasing over time. 

'So what's the motive behind the destruction of the port? 'Well, I can figure out the answer once I arrive at the port. I arrive at the nearest location; according to the report, it was attacked 3 days ago. The destruction wasn't that big, but everything was put into ruins. Although you can still rebuild it, assume you have a budget. I ignore the building and head towards the fishing pond. 

'Bingo...' 

I found something interesting; it's an unknown substance. "As I suspected, someone must have been deliberately destroying the fish pond." Although it has different branches, this is all connected to the sea and flows from branch to the center. 

Yes, by putting substance in here where the water flows towards the center, the Leviathan, which is likely a guardian, will notice potential danger and likely deal with it. I retrieve the map of town and check it carefully, not missing a single detail. 

"No, factory, huh..." At first I suspected the cause was factory dumping chemical waste here, but to my surprise, there's no factory at all; in fact, no buildings that produce harmful substances can be found anywhere. 

"The businessman likely takes actions and prevents the creation of it." Then... It's either man-made or magic. I tried to detect the traces of magic. It's faint, but there's something left. 

"So that's how it is, huh..." Someone is deliberately causing trouble here, likely a wizard. But why would they be targeting small-timers? 'The possibility of not being able to deal with big shots is extremely low considering the quality of this magic.' They are not stupid, but although there's a security here, it's very unlikely for outsiders and insiders to cause trouble. 

And considering the power of this wizard, I think he is capable of poisoning those big shots and leaving quietly. I headed to other locations and confirmed that it was done by the same person. 

"This is going to be difficult." 

I sigh helplessly. I just finished fighting someone. She is capable of long-distance bombing, and it's destructive. Not only that, she can also teleport and is cautious. I barely won against her, and now I'm fighting some wizard with a powerful poison ability. 

"One thing after another. Although it's difficult, it's not impossible. First I needed to deal with Leviathan." 

I head back to the port and make some real preparations. 

Few hours later

While we were floating near the bridge, I asked him a question. "Are you familiar with proverbs?" 

"Pro birds? Is it some kind of profession in flying?" he asked. This person is also an owner of the fishing pond but just a small timer. The reason why I head in here is because it's the cleanest place. It's just a mere deduction; if the preparator is deliberately causing havoc, he might target this place, so I'm waiting patiently. The possibility is not high, but it's likely. Of course I already explained the situation to him firsthand and got his approval. 

I chuckle in amusement at his reply. "Proverbs are traditional sayings that express a perceived truth," I said.Proverbs were often metaphorical and based on common sense or experience." 

I jumped off the boat and headed towards the fishing pond. Choose a random fishing rod and attach a bait on it. It didn't take a long time to get a catch. I successfully fetched a random fish and gently lifted it up as it struggled from the rod. 

"Assume that you are experiencing hunger. What are you going to do?" 

"I'm going to eat... (obviously)." He looks at me as if I'm an idiot. I simply ignore his mocking gaze and continue. 

"It's certainly a good choice... But can you get food anywhere?"I asked him as I removed the hook from its mouth, then put it back into the pond and watched it swim away. 

My question made him ponder. I didn't wait for his answer and proceeded on talking. "You cannot find food everywhere; even if you can, it's limited." Even in this fishing pond. 

"Besides, are you sure the food you pick up is edible? Remember, food isn't limited to human consumption." 

"So what are you trying to say...? "He asked seriously. There's no longer mockery in his gaze; it took a wild turn into curiosity. 

"Assume this fishing pond is your property. Do you have a problem with me fishing in here?" 

"No, after all, this is a fishing pond for everyone who wanted to fish. It also generates income, which helps me live; if I don't let you fish, what's my purpose then?" 

"Certainly... But..." I pause momentarily and throw a fishing rod in the pond. He frowned but refrained from saying anything; instead, he observed and analyzed my behavior, hoping to find deep meaning in it. 

'How admirable...'

I silently give him a praise. "Assume that the fishing rod I threw is garbage that destroys your fishing pond. How does that make you feel?" 

"I feel upset, of course! Why would you do something that destroys the fishing pond!? If there's no fishing pond, then—" He yelled, but I simply smile as I gaze into the sea. 

"There's a well-known proverb... Don't bite the hand that feeds you." 

The words I called a proverb made his eyes go wide open; his pupils shrank at the same time it shook violently. 

"Basically, your... No, to be honest, it doesn't include you, but other people's actions here are the cause of sea king attacking this place."

"Can you elaborate more? I don't understand..." 

"I told you the food in the sea is limited, but it doesn't mean it will all be gone by tomorrow. However, the fish need to breed in order to increase their population just like us humans. I'm sure you understand it best as a businessman. 

And what you created here, called a fishing pond, is an environment for fish to eat and breed, also to be eaten. This is a good thing; you are also taking care of them, but what about other environments?"

I asked without expecting any reply, "If we drove them into extinction, then there will be no longer edible fish in the sea. On the other hand, not only do we plunder, we also destroy their natural habitat." 

I turn my head and look at him, then ask seriously, "What do you think will happen if the sea is destroyed?"

He shivers in terror. "I... I don't want to think about it." 

The destruction of the sea spells nothing but disaster. Leviathan wrecking havoc is already terrifying enough, but what of its Poseidon, the god of sea descent here to punish them?

I simply smile at him. "I will repel the sea king away, but you need to closed the fishing pond for the time being as I clean up the person thrashing the sea." 

He gives me a nod of approval, then I continue. I put emphasis on my next words, hoping he could take this situation a bit more seriously. "The food sea kings eat is not edible for humans. The reason why it ascends is because someone is sending a poison that kills not only fish humans consume but also his food. Additionally, the poison lasts longer, which destroys the sea. Although Leviathan is enraged, it won't harm humans because its role is not only to prevent other sea kings from ascending but also to prevent humans from causing trouble." 

Yes, Leviathan is also considered a guardian. "He wanted to deal with the preparator but couldn't leave, so he chose to destroy the port, hoping you humans could understand his message." 

"Don't bite the hands that feed you." 

"ROAR! " 

Just when I finished explaining things, we heard a loud roar not far from our current location. 

"Looks like my calculations were slightly off." 

Our conversation was interrupted by the ear-piercing roar of the invading sea king. 'It's finally here... Leviathan.' 

I run full throttle to the port where Sea King is wreaking havoc. 'Sure enough, it's only here to scare them.' 

Leviathan is an intelligent creature, and I'm sure it's smart enough not to eat disgusting humans that will give him diarrhea. 

Although it doesn't kill anyone, it still causes damage, so I needed to put up at least a fight. It's unnecessary since we can probably converse, but for formality, it's needed. I jumped from one boat after another in order to get close to him. I didn't use any magic, just pure physical strength. When I landed at the top of his head, I threw a solid punch, but... My fist was numb. 

"Certainly, your skin is as thick as my sister's face." 

Leviathan, as if he understood my words and intention, gives me a wide grin before shaking his head. I lost my balance and got thrown away in the port. 

Crash! 

I landed violently and destroyed another market facility, but I'm fine. Other than my right hand, I didn't suffer any major injuries, just a few scratches. I stand up from the ruins of the building and rush towards him again. This time I didn't aim at the top of his head; instead, I targeted his jaw. 

"Humph!"

I jumped vertically after finding the right position beneath him and threw a solid left uppercut when I was close enough, but the part I hit is much harder than the previous one. 

"S-H-I-T!"

I definitely broke my fingers with that punch. As I landed safely, I glanced at Leviathan; he was looking at me with a sly smile, showing his white, sharp teeth. 

"Your scales are truly hard."

My fingers were twitching violently. 'Did I become an invoker now?' I sigh helplessly at myself. 'I wish I could become one spamming those cool skills...' 

Leviathan didn't choose to respond, and instead he retreated slowly. "Being decisive, huh...?"

His purpose for ascending wasn't to devour and kill humans but to warn. If he really wanted to, I couldn't do anything about him. But he knows that I'm here to deal with the problem, so there's no point in staying any longer. 

"Killing Leviathan is one way to solve this problem, but once he dies, it will lead into another big problem..." There will be war. Not on humans but on the sea itself. Sea kings will fight among themselves over who will sit on the throne.Even fish have their own n hierarchy." 

"Besides Leviathan on the surface? It's obviously acting as a guardian, preventing others from ascending but also for humans to descend. Perhaps they had a mermaid and merman down there?"

I've never seen a mermaid in the Fairy Tail world in real life; it's only a myth, but you can find a lot of so-called beautiful women dressed in one. 

I chuckle in amusement and head towards the top of port light. I already have a first aid kid in my space and treat myself while waiting for Leviathan to come back. As for why I was certain it would come back? I already investigated. 

There are two types of attack that happen in the morning and then during the night; as for the location, it's basically the same: once the place was attacked, the place next to it is the next target. 

Also... 

"Criminals always return to the crime scene." 

"It's time for the hunt!"

I muttered out loud while looking at a certain person from a distance.