… So much for being fearless,  What did you say it was? A rem… remah–


    [It is a giant remipede.]


    <div>


    [Identification Complete]


    <div>


    Marisol saw the word ‘sea serpent’ on the status screen that popped up next to her head, and she felt she understood why people could confuse the two of them; stuck on a tiny ship, surrounded by eerily calm waters, the shadow of the giant remipede did


    nothing


    [... Just to clarify before you get any funny ideas: this giant remipede is not something that can be beaten head-on at your level, or even by most trained Hasharana,] [It may not be on the level of a Mutant or a Lesser Great Mutant, but in leviathan terms, it is quite the titanic bug. It will not be possible to slay it the same way you did the fairy shrimp. Its chitin is immensely thick from the outside, and unlike the fairy shrimp, its abdomen on the underside is armoured as well. You do not possess a weapon sharp enough to cleave through its chitin, and that is that.]


    Is it a zero percent chance of victory?


    [It is a one hundred percent chance of defeat.]


    … Okay, Alright. Got it. I ain’t keen on fighting something like that, either, so what’s the strategy here? What’s it even want with me, anyways?


    [I believe it is patrolling this particular strait intercepting any and all ships trying to reach the Whirlpool City,] [Please look up. I believe I saw something quite interesting in the fog enshrouding the warship.]


    were all


    [Indeed, something is afoot with the great blue,] [Both the attack by the fairy shrimp and the appearance of this giant remipede are extremely abnormal situations. I do not believe you are being targeted explicitly, but… perhaps something is spurring these giant bugs to action. It may be headed in the same direction as you are, therefore–]


    How much time do I have left?


    [–eight minutes,] [There are no rowboats on this warship. Disembark the warship and skate towards the wreckages. If you can hide and survive until dawn, the giant remipede may forget about you and return to the lower depths; then we can think about how you will proceed towards the Whirlpool City from there.]


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    [As I mentioned, the giant remipede’s chemosensory antennae are very keen. It will be able to detect you if you rush towards the wreckages even in this heavy rain,] [Just to play it safe, you should aim to get a thousand metres away from this warship without it noticing you leaving. That nearest pallet would not do as the destination. Aim for the furthest pallet, far and deep into the fog.]


    And just how can I possibly skate without making any… vibrations…


    …


    devoured


    This technique… it’s–


    “To el borde Vellamira, Marisol, my only little rascal.”


    “If you’re reading this on the tenth page of the diagrams, it means you just skipped my letter on the first page because your eyes are too excited. You wanted to get right into the technique without bothering to hear what I have to say, hm?”


    “You little rascal.”


    “I knew you would skip the first page, so I’m writing my letter here instead, knowing your eyes will catch on my words if they’re interrupting the flow of the diagrams.”


    … Tch.


    You really got me, huh?


    You reading my mind or something?


    [... One minute, Marisol,] [A fair word of warning: your mother’s technique appears to be untested. There is no guarantee that it will work on the sea. You must be prepared to make a break for safety should it fail–]


    Mama’s techniques are never wrong, Archive.


    If Sand-Dancers can fly, do you think we can’t crawl?


    dare


    Alright.


    Good landing.


    But now…


    extremely


    “... If you’re reading this chapter, you must already be two months deep onto the great blue.”


    “I don’t know if you’ve reached the Whirlpool City yet, but by now, I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of the leviathans that roam the sea we call the ‘Deepwater Legion Front’—and while I may have imparted on you the War Jump meant to demolish all walls that stand in a Sand-Dancer’s way, the truth is, there are some walls that are simply very, very difficult to overcome.”


    “The leviathans of the Deepwater Legion Front can be such walls.”


    “So, if you ever find yourself facing a wall you cannot kick your way through with brute force alone, mama is here to teach you yet another old Sand-Dancer’s technique—because after learning how to destroy others with the ''War Jump'', you must learn how to protect yourself with the ''Silent Step''."


    "This is but the natural progression of a Sand-Dancer."


    “This technique begins by standing on your tiptoes, feet pressed together. You take one step forward, press the inner edge of the forward feet against the sand, and then push off the sand with your back foot as you slide with your forward foot. Perform every motion on the inner edge of your feet with your body hunched over, palms hovering right above the ground—almost as though you are walking on all fours, moving by dragging the ground past you instead of you moving along the ground.”


    “The head is always the heaviest part of a Sand-Dancer’s body, and it is like an iron ball attached to a string that is your torso. When you dance and turn normally, it is as though you are swinging that iron ball, and you must keep that swinging momentum constantly fast lest you lose your balance and fall.”


    “However, perform the ‘Silent Step’ correctly, and that iron ball is constantly swinging low, slow, and close to the ground. You will not make a sound. You will not disturb the desert gods. As long as you maintain focus, you will be all but invisible to any giant bugs that burrow beneath the sand."


    "The old Sand-Dancers trudged across the desert like this, and while it is a mostly useless technique in new sand-dancing routines, it is a technique that measures your rhythm."


    "How well can you control how fast you skate, and how long can you do it for?"