The sea shimmered as if filled with gems, sparkling with an otherworldly beauty. Staring at the emerald coastline, I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe as I gazed at the translucent water.

‘So, this is what an unpolluted sea looks like...’

In my entire life, I had never seen such a pristine ocean. Sure, I had seen videos on the internet or experienced simulations through VR, but none of those could truly capture the reality of it.

Earth’s seas had long been considered humanity’s trash bin. Every nation and corporation dumped their waste, from polluted water and plastic debris to radioactive materials, into the oceans without hesitation. The seas had become a global dumping ground.

There was a reason for this. On Earth, technology had been invented to purify polluted oceans with a simple push of a button.

‘On Earth, you’d only see something like this at a private beach.’

No matter how much pollution was dumped, it could all be restored with the flick of a switch. So, neither corporations nor governments hesitated to dirty the oceans. If they could clean it up afterward, what was the harm?

As a result, Earth’s seas were always polluted, except for the privately owned beaches reserved for the wealthy, isolated from the world. And needless to say, as a graduate student, I never had the money or status to even dream of visiting such places.

‘Of course, it’s not like this is completely unpolluted either...’

Just then, the analysis results of the seawater from my wrist detector arrived on my pad, taken earlier when Galm dunked me in the ocean.

The seawater’s composition was as follows: water, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, plankton, traces of ammonia, vitamins, and more.

‘So, someone definitely peed in the ocean, huh.’

It seemed that, whether on Earth or here, people had the same tendency to relieve themselves when no one was watching.

And then there were strange compounds like neochromium trioxide, cyclopectorin dihydrate, and hexafluoro xenonite. At first, I didn’t recognize these molecular structures, but I soon realized they were unique to this world.

I also figured out what their purpose was.

‘They’re probably making the ocean look more beautiful and cleaner...’

Obviously, this couldn’t be good for the human body. Like microplastics, the harmful effects were so minute they didn’t appear right away.

Galm wasn’t wrong to say something felt off about the water. It really was tainted with these strange substances.

“Hm...”

Realizing that either the city or local companies were using dangerous chemicals to maintain the ocean’s beauty, I pondered whether to expose this or let it slide.

One thing was clear: this wasn’t a decision I could make alone. With that realization, I decided to toss the issue to the boss.

I glanced over at Regalia, who had just finished her work and was now lounging in the sun, seemingly sensing my gaze. She responded immediately.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’ve caused trouble again...”
“...Should I tell you later?”
“No, tell me now. Don’t cause me headaches later...”

Regalia sat up, and though her young face was as stern as ever, the exhaustion was clear. When we first met, she hadn’t been this busy, but now, she had become like a worn-out office worker.

Of course, since I joined the evil organization, Eblis Corporation had doubled, tripled in size, yet the number of new recruits hadn’t kept pace.

This meant Regalia had been handling all the extra work herself, which explained why her face had transformed from that of a youthful leader to one burdened with responsibility.

“It’s nothing too serious, but I found something in the ocean water...”

I explained the strange findings from the water as calmly as possible, trying not to make it sound like a major issue. The last thing I wanted was for her to blow this out of proportion.

Thankfully, she seemed to take it lightly.

“Chemicals to keep the sea clean... the local companies or city government probably know about this. Let’s just move on.”
“Is that okay?”
“You said there’s no immediate harm, right? We’ll deal with it when we get back to HQ. We can use this data to pressure Ocean City later.”

Regalia assured me she’d handle it, asking me not to stir up any more trouble. Relieved, I nodded and set the pad down, turning my attention back to the beach.

On Earth, such unpolluted waters were the exclusive domain of the wealthy. Now, the sun glistened off this pristine sea, shimmering under the bright sky.

Gurgle, gurgle—!
Deep beneath the surface, the giant squid that ruled these waters bubbled with fury.

It was all because of the noise the humans were making above.

—Grrrrr...

Just like how noise complaints can lead to conflict, so could oceanic noise. The giant squid wanted nothing more than to rush to the surface and tear the humans to shreds.

But there was a reason it didn’t. The apex predators stronger than the giant squid had all tried to do the same and ended up as human food. Now, with them gone, the giant squid had ascended to the top of the food chain.

Its survival instincts told it to flee from the noisy humans, despite its growing rage.

—Gurgle...!

Yet, no matter how much it fled and suppressed its anger, it couldn’t fully shake it off. The fury only built up inside. It wanted to destroy those humans.

Just then, corporate motorboats sped by overhead, their engines roaring and spewing toxic chemicals into the water. Unfortunately for the squid, it was directly below them and got a full dose of those chemicals.

The very substances meant to keep the ocean looking pristine began absorbing into the squid’s skin. While humans might be able to tolerate the small amounts of toxicity, the same couldn’t be said for marine life.

As the toxins seeped into the giant squid’s body, it started to die. Was this how the ruler of the emerald waters would meet its end?

—Gurrr...!

But then, something strange happened. The giant squid’s survival instincts kicked in, triggering a superpower—one that enhanced its body in response to the threat.

The squid’s body, now adapting to the chemicals, began growing larger and larger, surpassing the size of a colossal squid, becoming a creature of myth. Maintaining such a massive body required an enormous amount of energy, but the mutated squid defied normal biological limitations.

Its gaze turned toward the beach, where there was plenty of energy to be had. It had all the justification it needed to attack the humans.

They had tried to kill it.
As the ruler of these waters, it had a duty to seek revenge.

Thus, the now-mythical giant squid charged toward the beach—only to meet its demise almost immediately.

"—Oh?"

Levi-tan, who had been swimming with great enthusiasm, sensed something approaching and turned her head. Nearby, Galm also seemed to notice, laughing quietly to himself.

Levi-tan quickly climbed out of the water, holding out her hand toward Galm. Understanding her intention, Galm extended his hand as well.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

Moments later, a winner and loser were decided.

“Damn it.”
“Looks like it’s my turn then~?”
“You sure you won’t let me handle it? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“If it gets too tough, I’ll let you have a turn~.”

Levi-tan grinned, biting down on her genetic enhancer. Seeing that, Galm realized she had no intention of backing down.

As the beastman sighed in frustration, a massive squid broke the surface of the ocean.

—Grrrrr...!

With its gaping maw bubbling ominously, the sudden appearance of the monstrous squid sent the beachgoers into a panic.

“Kyaaaaah—!”
“It’s an Awakened!”
“Call the heroes!”

At the mention of heroes, a few people on the beach flinched. Levi-tan, who had been bouncing on her heels in excitement, darted across the water before they could react.

With quick, precise steps, she avoided sinking into the sea as she charged at the squid at breakneck speed.

In an instant, Levi-tan unleashed a powerful kick, aimed directly at the monster’s face.

—BOOM!

A delayed explosion rang out, and a massive hole appeared in the squid’s head. The once-mighty creature collapsed into the ocean with a splash, and Levi-tan gracefully landed atop its body.

“Hmph—what a weakling.”

Smirking as if she hadn’t expected the fight to be so easy, Levi-tan waved playfully at Galm, who looked disappointed from afar.

Watching the entire scene unfold from my sunbed, the boss removed her sunglasses and sighed.

[Today, an Awakened creature caused a disturbance at Ocean City's Emerald Beach... Fortunately, no casualties were reported... The city has decided to award "Brave Citizen Honors" to Miss Le□□□ for her role in stopping the threat—]

A woman with similar bunny ear growths blinked at the mosaic figure on the TV.

She looked puzzled, as if she had no idea why she was there.