Underwater Evolution- Infernal Depths

Sharks, attracted either by the explosion or the smell of blood, swam in their direction. Kyle saw an intense, vibrant red blob rapidly approaching, as if a storm was brewing in the water.

Without thinking, he gave in to instinct and swam with all his might, moving with an almost primal desperation toward the ruins of the city, his only possible salvation.

[(AGI): 9 > 14]

Without hesitation, he allocated his newly gained stat points to agility, to increase his speed, and launched himself into a frantic dash.

Despite his effort, he realized that he was slower than the creatures chasing him, beings adapted to their environment that seemed to merge with the water.

As the distance between him and the sharks grew smaller, the pressure in his chest grew, but he did not give up. He continued swimming, kicking with all his might, even dropping the remnants of his sword to use both hands.

Each stroke of his feet in the water was a cry of resistance, an attempt to escape that impending fate. Although his effort allowed him to close the distance a little, the stats were still insufficient to keep the sharks at bay.

However, the urge to keep fighting pushed him forward, each stroke a declaration of his desire to live, to find a place to hide, again that desire to live resurfaced and brought out the best in him.

His muscles burned, every fiber of his being screamed to stop, but he knew that would be tantamount to death. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, a drumbeat of adrenaline mixed with terror and determination.

[(AGI): 14 > 15]

The sharks were already within 50 meters of him. His speed had increased, but it was barely enough to maintain a slight lead. Not daring to look back, he concentrated all his energy on swimming, aware that any moment of distraction could be fatal.

Kyle could be imagining it, but he felt the pressure of the sharks so close it was tangible, almost choking him, which was ironic, since he literally could not drown now.

Kyle used everything he had to swim, he was never good and his newly gained stats during the tuna confrontation were all he had to fall back on. He regretted not taking swimming lessons, maybe then he would have had a better chance of escaping the now death in the form of a herd of cat sharks that was following him closely and closing the distance every second.

Finally, with only a short distance to go, the most advanced shark was a meter away from him, ready to give him one last push and close its jaws.

A chill ran through his feet, but Kyle ignored it. Lucky or not, Kyle didn't look back and didn't see how close he was to losing his footing. He concentrated 100% on swimming. He knew that the slightest distraction would be his sentence; he must not stop if he was to have a chance of survival.

"There, damn it, almost there!"

That's when he finally reached the ruined city and saw a fallen building, from which there was a hole through which he could squeeze through and hopefully it would be the deciding factor in getting rid of the dangerous herd that was chasing him.

In a last ditch effort, he darted towards what looked like a hole in the rubble of a collapsed building, looking for a small gap through which he could barely fit. That was his salvation.

But, to his misfortune, the catshark would not give him that opportunity. Like a machine perfectly designed to hunt underwater, it overtook Kyle, and its jaws were about to close over his foot. It was inevitable and Kyle would lose his footing before he reached the hole.

Kyle was only two seconds away from reaching the hole, but the shark only needed an instant to bite him. The moment it bit him, Kyle would not only lose his footing, but he would also lose his momentum and thus be surrounded and torn apart.

By this point it was decisive, it seemed to be the end of Kyle's fight. The shark only had to close its jaws and it would all be over. However, just as the shark was about to bite him and catch his foot, it suddenly spun around, barely grazing the tip of its tooth on the sole of Kyle's foot.

Kyle, who never looked back, didn't understand how close he came to losing his life. He didn't realize that his salvation came in the form of a person-sized octopus that appeared out of nowhere and leapt at the catshark, deflecting its bite and causing only the graze on Kyle's foot.

That interruption was enough for the predator to lose its prey, which was almost in its teeth, and Kyle's life was saved.

Ignoring the imminent danger, Kyle rushed into the hole, barely feeling the small cut on his foot from the adrenaline. He had no time to relax; everything was still a shade of red. Although he had managed to take shelter, he knew he was not out of danger, and his eyes made that clear.

Once inside the ruins of the building, he went deeper, aware that the sharks might try to follow him.

Bam, bam, bam.

As he had feared, the sharks burst in with force, smashing through walls and windows. But now the situation was different. He was no longer in a clear spot; now, in the middle of the ruins of the city, the terrain was more even for him.

Agilely, Kyle slipped through the remains of what looked originally like an office, finding a door that appeared to be an emergency exit. He quickly closed it behind him. The building was tilted horizontally, so instead of climbing up or down, he had to move sideways. Kyle needed to find a safe place where the sharks couldn't reach him.

Bam... bam... bam...

From the noises behind him, it sounded like the sharks were still following him without stopping. Kyle kept swimming. After making some progress, he found another door in the opposite direction from where he had come from and, as he had thought, it was on the other side of the building.

The windows were just as broken, so he quickly jumped out and continued on his way. The city was in ruins, there were plenty of places to hide: rubble, cars, smashed buildings, trains, houses... it was chaos. But that gave him several options; he had to choose correctly. The risk of being surrounded was high.

Kyle wondered if there would be an underground subway line or a large warehouse. Not knowing what city he was in, he could do no more than hope to find a safe place by coincidence.

"What's that?"

But when he looked closer, he noticed that there were several silhouettes that clearly looked like octopuses. They were all over the place, and Kyle again realized that he had gotten himself into a dangerous place. His possible hiding places were occupied, and these octopuses were the size of a person. They didn't look as dangerous as the sharks, but there were still a lot of them. Kyle didn't know if they would chase him, so he took the path with the fewest octopuses and followed. Luckily, none seemed to attack him or do anything to him. He wondered why, but then he remembered the pack of sharks chasing him. He figured those octopuses would attract more attention than he did, and he wasn't wrong. Eventually, Kyle made several turns and got into different spots. He could no longer hear the commotion behind. Finally, he turned and noticed that the pack of sharks was no longer chasing him. Still hesitating, he kept swimming, trying to find a safer place.

As he swam and dodged the octopuses as best he could, he saw a golden light coming from a small building that appeared to be a farm tool store.

Perhaps because it was surrounded by larger buildings or because of its solid structure, the place appeared to be relatively intact. The important thing was that it emitted a golden glow amidst the red of all the other places.

Without hesitation, Kyle swam over. If it was what he thought, he would once again have a chance to defend himself.

Once close, he noticed that the distinctive glow came from something inside the tent: a chest. This time, the chest was more elaborate, made of a dark, elegant wood, clearly of a higher rank. Kyle felt a spark of hope; such a chest might contain a better weapon. He opened it quickly and, inside, he found....