Aqua
Okay then. So this is not how I expected my afternoon to go.
I frown as I idly float through the water while munching on a ration bar. Making sure to refill my stomach before I enter any battles.
Because I have no idea how to fight. Much less underwater.
Despite my half-hearted preparation in watching dozens of Pioneer broadcasts just in case I actually ended up becoming a Pioneer one day, I never actually expected it to happen. So I didn’t take any combat classes.
Not that I’d be able to afford them even if I did expect this.
As an orphan without any parents, and a Class V Citizen without identification – hence the Fallen last name – I only barely lucked into getting a part-time job at the convenience store thanks to the cranky grandmother running it. And even though I’m pretty sure she pays me more than I’m supposed to be paid, it’s only enough to get by. Not enough to splurge like that.
Fortunately orphans are actually treated rather well on Equeter. So there’s that.
But if I have Bloodlines… having one of them could mean that I somehow managed to awaken it on my own. But having two means I have to be descendant of at least someone with a Bloodline.
Specifically the Abyssal Orca Bloodline.
People can’t just go awakening already existing Bloodlines without being descendant of it.
That’s just not how it happens.
The Kraken Bloodline can be excused by the fact that the Bloodline is supposedly extinct, but not the Abyssal Orca Bloodline.
I let out a sigh, making some bubbles float up in the water in the process.
After finishing my ration bar, I finally think about opening my status. Making several words form in front of my vision.
[REQUESTING STATUS: USER AQUA FALLEN]
[STATUS RETRIEVED]
[Name: Aqua Fallen]
[Level: 1]
[Mana: 10]
[Strength: 16(11)]
[Dexterity: 12]
[Constitution: 10]
[Magical Strength: 12]
[REGEN: 10]
[Free Points: 0]
[Traits: Physique of the Abyssal Kraken, Apex Predator of the Depths]
[Skills]
[END STATUS]
Alright. So since a ten is an average stat for a level one, that means my stats are all either average or above average. With strength being incredibly high.
My thoughts return to the Physique of the Abyssal Kraken skill as I notice the parenthesis in my strength stat.
Guess my strength should be eleven when I’m outside of the water. But it’s almost one point five times higher when I’m in the water.
So that’s nice.
I focus on the skills section, but no skills appear. Meaning I don’t have any System Skills yet.
Guess I’ll have to level up for that.
Some people start out with skills, but it looks like I’m not one of them.
I close out of the status before opening my still-dry backpack – thank the Abyss for the enchantments on it – and grabbing the armor core first. Then, without any hesitation, I crush the thing. Activating the core and making a set of armor suddenly appear over my clothes.
The armor core is an item made by the System itself that makes a set of armor suited perfectly to the individual who crushes the core. Meanwhile the armor itself is pretty random on what it gives benefit-wise. Except for certain cores, like this one.
With the only restriction on normal cores being the level of the armor being restricted to the level of the core.
And this core was a level 10 core. So it should be strong enough to last me for a little while out here. Especially with the mana repair function.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
When I look down, I find the armor to be entirely black in color. The armor is a mix of metal and leather, with armor plating on my vital spots, including my chest, stomach, back, and more armor over some of my joints like my shoulders and elbows.
The armor itself is comfortable and isn’t tight in any place. At least, not tighter than it should be.
So after a few seconds spent inspecting it, I go ahead and pull out the weapon core next. And I crush it too.
Unlike the armor core, the weapon core forms a large weapon held in my hand. Stretching on for longer than I was expecting.
And when it finishes forming, I find myself feeling a little uncertain.
Because it’s a trident.
Was not expecting this…
A brief feeling of relief fills me at the fact that I was never able to afford weapons’ training. Because I wouldn’t have trained with a trident regardless. So it would’ve been a waste of money.
I try to swing around the trident, only to surprisingly find that it moves rather freely down here underwater. And so do I. But that’s probably because of my new trait.
After swinging it around and trying some practice thrusts with the thing for a little bit, I finally move on and begin swimming out of the cavern I’m in. Starting my exploration of the rest of the cave system.
And within less than a minute of leaving the cavern, I find myself faced with my first enemy.
Some sort of fish monster. One spanning half a meter in length.
I identify the thing as it turns to look at me.
[Deepsea Delfish – Level 1]
The fish has gray scales with a single twisted horn on its head and fins on the sides of its body. All with a mouthful of sharp teeth.
And it’s currently rushing straight at me.
I hurriedly move to the side in the water, dodging the thing before swinging my trident at it. Only to miss the fish rather badly since I’m not exactly combat trained.
Then the fish charges at me once more, and I dodge it again.
And again.
After dodging and attacking it three times, I finally manage to cut it with the three spears atop the trident, tearing a gash along its side. But thanks to that the creature also pushes me back a little, into one of the tunnel walls.
I grunt at the pain of the impact, but it’s not too bad. So I pull my trident back to strike again, only for the back of the trident to ping against the tunnel wall, reminding me that I literally have my back against the wall.
Shit.
The fish, despite its wounds that are bleeding bluish red blood into the water around us, manages to charge at me again and latches its jaws onto my arm that I use to block it. Digging its sharp fangs into my armor bit by bit. And while they aren’t sharp or strong enough to pierce through my armor, the pressure still hurts. Badly.
But I push through it and bring the trident around to stab straight into the top of the fish, instantly making the pressure on my arm decrease before the thing eventually dies.
Giving me two System Messages in the process.
[You have killed a level one Deepsea Delfish. EXP has been granted accordingly.]
[You have killed a creature underwater. Apex Predator of the Depths has been activated, increasing your REGEN stat by one.]
I let go of the trident in the fish’s body before grabbing the fish’s jaws and easily prying them off my other arm. Then I look at my arm to check it for damage. Only to find that beneath my armor it has several bruises where the fish’s teeth were, but nothing more than that.
I let out a sigh of relief.
And thanks to that kill, my natural regeneration should be a little bit faster.
Considering that a ten is the average, that should mean I will be regenerating about ten percent faster than the average human. Which is a nice boost, especially from just a single kill.
A faint smile spreads across my face at that thought before I go ahead and pull the trident out of the fish’s corpse.
The fish monster itself isn’t one I recognize, and I have no idea how to properly prepare fish. So keeping it for food is a waste of space when I don’t know if it’s poisonous to eat or not.
With that in mind, I leave the corpse behind and continue making my way through the tunnel.

Alan Pioneer News
“Hello everyone, I am Alan, and I’m here to bring you the latest Pioneer news!” Alan says with a grin on his face as he faces the camera from behind a large counter. “And today’s news is shocking! You won’t believe it!”
“What’s the news today, Alan?” Alan’s co-host, Rodrick, asks with a frown on his face. “It can’t be that shocking, can it? This batch of Pioneers only just arrived on their planets.”
“C’mon Rodrick, you already know the news! So why are you asking?” Alan asks while frowning at Rodrick.
“Well, you said I wouldn’t believe it, so…” Rodrick responds with a shrug.
“I meant the viewers!” Alan retorts, his voice raising a little in exasperation. “But I’m being serious. Today’s news is going to shock you all!”
“Well, you’re not wrong there, my friend,” Rodrick adds with a faint grin.
“Let’s start by giving everyone a brief rundown of this particular Pioneer and how their run began before showing the clip!” Alan says before pulling up a picture of a girl with long brown hair and brown eyes wearing a hoodie and slacks while standing on the stage of one of the Selection stadiums. “This young woman, chosen as a Pioneer by the System, is known as Aqua Fallen. She is twenty years old and is an orphan from the world known as Equeter. One of the Class V planets of the Alliance. We haven’t been able to gather as much information about her as we would’ve preferred, but we do know that she was working at a convenience store part time before the Selection, and that she only just turned twenty a mere month before the Selection!”
“Yep, yep, she’s a young one alright,” Rodrick says while nodding his head. “Probably one of the youngest Pioneers we’ve ever had!”
“You’re right about that,” Alan adds as the screen changes to show the woman appearing in the middle of an underwater cavern before beginning to drown. “But that’s just the start. When young Aqua was teleported to the newly initialized world known as Oceana, she was instantly dumped underwater in a cavern to drown! Of course, most of the people viewing her at that point began to drop off. After all, who would want to watch a beautiful girl drowning without even being given the chance to fight for her survival?”
Rodrick nods his head multiple times as if agreeing with him.
“Then it happened!” Alan exclaims while spreading his arms out to point at the screen, of which begins to show the woman beginning to scream underwater, making bubbles float up towards the ceiling. All while her hair slowly changes color from her previous warm brown to a deep blue, almost black. Following which a single white streak emerges on her bangs, and her eyes turn into a deep glowing blue. “This little Pioneer went and awakened a new Bloodline!”
“After that, we see young Aqua calming down before beginning to breathe and even move around normally under the water, proving that the System’s decision in sending her there wasn’t wrong,” Alan continues as the screen shows everything he just said happening. “We’ve seen a lot of things happen, but I’ve never seen a Pioneer awaken a Bloodline in a situation like that! What Bloodline do you think it is?”
“Not sure, but it’s probably similar to General Orcayne’s Abyssal Orca Bloodline based on appearance alone,” Rodrick answers, keeping the flow going. “They have the same colored hair and even the same streak in their hair. The only difference are her eyes, which almost seem slit sometimes. Like her pupils narrow when she narrows her own eyes, or when her adrenaline is running. Like right here.”
Rodrick points at the screen as it shows her dodging the large fish monster. At which point her eyes narrow into near-slits before returning to normal.
“Do you think the General’s family will take interest in her?” Alan asks while tilting his head a little and watching the woman finish off the monster while panting underwater, sending bubbles upwards to the ceiling.
“Absolutely,” Rodrick states with a firm nod of his head. “I’d be shocked if they don’t.”
“True,” Alan says before facing towards the camera again. “Well that marks the end of the news on our new aquatic beauty, so how about we move on to the next subject? He’s a famous professor and scholar from the world of Equeter who made his name known through various research papers at the young age of twenty! And now he’s a Pioneer at the age of twenty-five!”