Chapter 70: Encountering the Unbelievable

“Alright, the Second Regiment gathered the intel accurately this time, but their actions were still a bit reckless. Now that we know he’s a professional player, they shouldn’t have underestimated his vigilance.” Master Hong gazed at the surface of the lake, disappointment flashing briefly in his eyes before he continued, “Have the Second Regiment deploy along the shore. He won’t hold out for long; he’ll have to come ashore on this side eventually.”

Grasshopper listened and questioned, “But what if he swims to the opposite side? Even if he can’t make it across, what if he reaches that island in the middle of the lake? We’d be powerless then.”

Master Hong smiled faintly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “Swim to the opposite side? That would be perfect. This lake is crawling with monsters and bosses. We’d save our strength that way.”

As a top-tier treasure hunting team, Master Hong had already sent people to explore this area. However, the underwater world was far too dangerous, teeming with colossal beasts, some level thirty or even forty, so they had abandoned this map altogether.

Upon hearing this, those nearby nodded in understanding and began to spread out along the lakeshore to set up.

Master Hong’s expression remained aloof, his gaze fixed on the tranquil water as he thought: Kid, the Flame Demon Sword is not something you can afford to offend. Accept your misfortune.

“First Regiment, Grasshopper and the other two rogues stay behind. The rest of you come with me to hunt monsters.” Master Hong waved his hand, issuing his command.

Soon, the crowd along the lakeshore vanished, and in the shadows, every dozen meters a player hid among the reeds by the water, monitoring hundreds of meters of the riverbank.

Meanwhile, beneath the water’s surface.

The lake was crystal clear, sunlight dancing beneath the waves and casting shifting, beautiful columns of light. Lu Kuan gulped down a bottle of underwater breathing potion, navigated through dense water plants five or six meters tall, and swam steadily toward the center of the lake.

The underwater world was even more vast than it appeared from above. Schools of large fish darted everywhere, and as Lu Kuan drew closer to the heart of the lake, massive creatures began to appear within his field of vision.

When the enormous, undulating silhouette of a serpentine creature appeared ahead, Lu Kuan cursed inwardly, dove sharply to the bottom, and carefully hid among the underwater grass.

It was a giant crimson-scaled water anaconda, with a vivid red stripe running from its head all the way to the tip of its tail. Its thickest point was twice the width of Lu Kuan’s waist, silently gliding through the water.

Lu Kuan hid directly beneath it, close enough to see the pale blue giant scales on the creature’s belly.

At such proximity, the waves stirred by the anaconda’s massive body buffeted Lu Kuan left and right. He clung desperately to the thick water plants, barely daring to breathe, silently praying the creature would hurry away.

Fortunately, the crimson-scaled anaconda did not notice the small ranger hiding below. Its enormous form drifted slowly off into the distance.

“Well, what luck—first thing underwater and I run into this monster…” Lu Kuan’s nerves were frayed, but having come this far, he could only steel himself and press on.

He carefully observed the terrain, referencing his fading memories, and gradually made his way forward. After more than ten minutes and a second bottle of underwater breathing potion, a vast dark shadow finally appeared ahead.

It was an underwater mound, rising from the lakebed, roughly thirty to forty meters in height and width. The area was surrounded by drifting strands of aquatic plants, resembling a colossal, shaggy bun.

Lu Kuan’s face broke into a smile: He’d arrived—this was the place!

After confirming the absence of monsters nearby, he edged closer to the mound, patiently circled it, and soon found a person-sized entrance at its base, yawning darkly, exuding an intangible sense of dread.

He swallowed hard, rallying himself inwardly: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. There are no sea serpents in here, no tentacled horrors—just a simple stone cave. Nothing to fear…”

Muttering, Lu Kuan felt along the edge of the cave, inching his way inside.

Though he’d prepared himself, the sensation of groping forward in utter darkness was far from pleasant. On land, he’d have confidence in his ability to handle emergencies, but underwater? His bow was useless, his short sword only good for emergencies, and his heart thudded rapidly with every step he took.

Guided by touch, Lu Kuan soon discovered two forks in the cave and chose the correct direction.

Time seemed especially slow in the darkness. Just as Lu Kuan began to grumble about the length of the passage, a faint glow finally appeared in the distance.

He let out a long sigh of relief and checked the system clock—only five minutes had passed.

A few more steps, and Lu Kuan finally left the narrow, dark tunnel. He felt his body grow heavy, a warm breath wafted toward him—beyond the cave, there was no water, only long-lost air!

What unfolded before him was a room five or six meters square, the walls etched with neat magical arrays, likely responsible for sustaining this underwater space.

By the light of magical flames, the entire small chamber was revealed. Most conspicuous was the enormous shell, half a meter in diameter, resting at one end of the room!

Lu Kuan grinned: At last, he’d found it.

He shook water from his hair, strode up to the shell, drew his short sword, and sliced sharply into the seam. Then, bracing himself, he exerted all his strength.

A series of crisp cracks sounded, and a faint golden light seeped silently from the shell’s gap.

Lu Kuan squinted, taking in the contents within.

It was a dead river mussel, its flesh long since removed. In its place was a dense cluster of pale gold pearls, each the size of a cherry, perfectly round and translucent—well over a hundred, each radiating an enchanting luster.

Among the pearls lay a milky white, walnut-sized round gemstone. Light and shadow danced across its surface, casting a sacred white glow over Lu Kuan’s face. On closer inspection, the gemstone seemed hollow within.

Lu Kuan’s pulse quickened. He gently picked up the gem, and its properties appeared before him.

“Sanctified Cage (Excellent)
Curio
Weight: 3
Durability: 100%
Poison Resistance +20
Holy Infusion (Passive): Removes toxins from the character’s body at a rate of 1 point per second; effectiveness doubled against animal toxins. If the toxin level is too high, the removal speed slows accordingly. Can stack with similar effects.”

There was no slot specified for the item, meaning its effects would activate simply by placing it in his backpack—a fairly common trait for curio-type equipment.

Neither the Sanctified Cage nor the pearls inside the shell were of much use to Lu Kuan; selling them for gold suited him just fine. And there was no need to worry about finding a buyer—many NPC merchants in Lava Fortress specialized in pearls.

Lu Kuan estimated roughly: selling them should net him more than two hundred gold coins, no problem.

Now he understood where the top players in his previous life got their wealth—if you discovered a few of these treasures, you could simply buy blue or purple gear outright.

Lu Kuan bent down to collect the items, but just then, a splash echoed from the entrance!

He was startled, reacting instinctively by drawing both swords, and turned sharply to look.