Chương 406: Chapter 377: Good Design?

Thalion watched with wide eyes the ocean before him, but not like normal, where you looked across the surface from a beach. No, this was different. It was as if he stood kilometers beneath the sea, yet unlike any real ocean, it didn't grow darker the farther he looked. The water was crystal clear, a vast expanse of endless blue. After several kilometers, the water seemed to grow murkier, or perhaps Thalion simply couldn't see further.

He observed the sight for a moment, mesmerized, until the invisible barrier between the safe zone and the new stage vanished. A torrent of water came crashing down on him. Thalion reacted instantly, shifting into the form of the Tidecaller Serpent and activating Water Shield to protect himself from the crushing weight of the sea. But to his surprise, the water didn't strike with the force he expected. It was probably by design, otherwise many trial takers would have drowned immediately.

He dispelled his shield and let the cold embrace of the ocean surround him. This was quite an extreme stage. There wasn't even a surface to breathe at. For many, this could mean instant death by default. What would a heavy warrior in full armor do here? At E-grade, most could probably hold their breath for several hours, maybe even a day, but for an entire stage? Unlikely. Thalion twirled once in joy, his serpentine body spiraling through the water. This was his lucky day.

Few could match a true master of the depths. Camouflage of the Depths was already active, rendering him nearly invisible. He was a ghost here, unseen and untouchable, and it would give him plenty of time to practice his water control. Welcome to the Third Stage of the System Event The new rule applies only to this stage and is very simple Survive, and you will be rewarded 1, 000 leaderboard points for every Crystal of Elyndra you collect.

These crystals are scattered throughout the trial Each crystal grants five hours of oxygen Good luck Intriguing, Thalion thought. So he would be stealing the breath of other trial takers, quite literally, while only needing the crystals for leaderboard points. Not that he cared much. In theory, the others should survive if they had a healer or high vitality. Then again, he'd never tried healing suffocation before. Eating and drinking weren't issues for him, so maybe it was possible.

Regardless, this was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Most powerhouses would struggle immensely in an environment like this. The lack of air, the drag of water—it would cripple many. It was a bit annoying that this stage hadn't come later, when fewer remained, but it was clearly designed to eliminate the weak. And to be fair, Thalion found that perfectly reasonable. If you couldn't find a crystal, you still had enough time to retreat before dying.

Of course, that all depended on how strong and how aggressive the ocean's beasts were. With a flick of his tail, Thalion launched himself forward, eager to gather as many crystals as possible. He had already spotted a shadow in the distance and was keen to find out what kind of creature it was. The shape was massive, at least fifty meter long, drifting lazily through the water. Thalion caught up quickly. It was a colossal fish, its dark blue scales blending perfectly with the surrounding ocean.

Six yellow eyes darted about, scanning for prey. Its mouth gaped open as it swam, clearly not a plankton eater. He couldn't see its teeth, but instinct told him he didn't want to. The memory of the fishman being swallowed by the leviathan during the tutorial still lingered vividly in his mind. It wouldn't surprise him if this giant had a similar feeding skill. Fortunately, its massive body wasn't particularly sturdy. A powerful Aqua Lance should be enough to end this.

He only needed the right angle and to remain unnoticed. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Thalion slowed, creeping beneath the creature with precision. When he was about ten meters below it, he unleashed Aqua Lance upward. He had been charging the spell for quite some time. The concentrated torrent of magic sliced through the water like a blade, striking the beast cleanly and cutting it in half without resistance.

It felt incredibly satisfying when Thalion tilted his head to the side as the Aqua Lance tore cleanly through the massive fish. The creature hadn't even realized what hit it before the kill notification appeared in front of him. Out of curiosity, Thalion examined the form of the fallen beast, but after confirming that it held no unique or useful skills, he dismissed it and moved on.

Just to be safe, he switched to his human form and let the soul of the fish be drawn into his amulet, while the Sanguis Impera absorbed every drop of blood from the surrounding water, draining the corpse completely. To finish the cleanup, Thalion stored what remained of the body in his spatial amulet for leaderboard points. The kill granted him a single leaderboard point—hardly worth noting. Without wasting another moment, he shot forward through the depths.

The only solid structure nearby was the safe zone behind him, which extended downward like an endless pillar into the abyss. It was the only piece of ground visible in the entire area. Now came the question: should he move in a straight line or also search vertically? This stage had to be the largest one yet, most likely by design, to make encounters between trial takers rarer. Otherwise, anyone with water-related abilities would have wiped out the competition easily.

The sheer openness of the environment, combined with limited visibility of only a few kilometers, made navigation and hunting much more complex. While gliding through the water, Thalion practiced his water control and tried to sense the subtle changes in his body since consuming the crystal. His scales now felt sturdier, yet he cut through the water with even less resistance than before.

The scales of the Tidecaller Serpent weren't made to stop physical blows, but they excelled at deflecting attacks infused with mana—an ideal counter against spellcasters. Beyond that, he could feel a noticeable surge in overall power. When he checked his status screen, his stats were unchanged, but his race had evolved: the Tidecaller Serpent had reached celestial class. That made him pause. Was it easier or harder to reach a higher rarity as a human because humans weren't naturally powerful?

Perhaps an Uncommon dragon equaled a Mythic human. Considering how long it had taken the Tidecaller Serpent to get to such a high rarity, that might very well be true. His thoughts were interrupted by a faint ripple in the water. His head snapped to the right, eyes scanning the distance—but he saw nothing. Another ripple brushed against him a moment later, confirming it wasn't his imagination. Something large was moving out there, and the disturbance had to be massive to travel this far.

Without hesitation, Thalion changed direction and sped toward the source. It didn't take long for him to reach it. A group of orcs was fighting three enormous sharks. The sharks had fins that were far too large for their bodies and looked razor-sharp along the edges. Thalion guessed they used them to slice through schools of fish, injuring their prey with spinning attacks before moving in for the kill. The orcs, however, were floundering.

They had no idea how to move underwater and couldn't even communicate properly. If they had been on land, those sharks would already be dead. But here, the tide was against them. The sharks circled the struggling group, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Orcs weren't exactly known for coordination even under normal circumstances, and now, without the ability to shout orders, chaos reigned.

They had at least been smart enough to keep their mages and shamans in the center of the formation, though the latter weren't faring much better. Their magic sputtered uselessly underwater. Thalion had no idea what shamans were truly capable of; from what he'd seen, they could heal and occasionally wield strange green flames in combat. Now, however, they were just flailing their staffs with growing frustration.

Watching them angrily hammer their weapons against the water reminded Thalion of how he used to smack his old laptop when the screen froze. For him, the situation couldn't be more perfect—a pack of orcs and three sharks ready for the taking. The only question was the order of execution. The sharks were the biggest threat and the only ones who might flee, so they would die first. The predators were completely focused on the orcs, making it easy for Thalion to move into position.

He lined up the shot carefully so his Aqua Lance would also tear through as many orcs as possible. When two sharks passed directly above the orcs, Thalion released the spell. The Aqua Lance surged upward, splitting both sharks in half and slicing straight through the cluster of orcs like a blade through paper. Nearly half the group was killed instantly. Orcs were notoriously tough, but Thalion's fully charged Aqua Lance—strong enough to wound a leviathan—rendered that toughness meaningless.

The last shark took too long to react. Thalion flicked his tail, releasing a sharp water slash that bisected the creature cleanly. The same movement propelled him forward, granting a new angle on the surviving orcs. He was already charging another Aqua Lance. This one wasn't as strong as his opening attack but still more than enough to finish the job. Three more strikes later, the last of the orcs fell. Thalion quickly stored their corpses in his spatial amulet. He could drain their blood later.

If he had been able to detect this battle, others might be on their way too—whether beasts or other trial takers—and he preferred to be long gone by then. Ambushes suited the Tidecaller Serpent far better anyway. He flicked his tail again and sped into the open blue, determined to cover more distance and hunt down the crystals of Elyndra that would earn him those juicy leaderboard points at the end of the stage.