快喵新版官网入口

Chapter 93

Within the Sea Orc Den, which had a Rank C size, it had taken Leonard and his team over three hours to reach the core even with the shortest route. Simple calculations indicated that exploring a Rank B space would take a minimum of fifteen hours and could very well stretch over thirty hours.

“Moreover, the Abyss of the Demon Octopus has poor visibility, and its treacherous terrain is ideal for monster ambushes, which significantly slows down the exploration. You’d need to stay there for over a week to explore it properly,” Frances explained.

“However, a larger Rift doesn’t always mean just disadvantages.” Her tone shifted. “There are several benefits too.”

“Like having more resources to mine because of the larger space?” Esther guessed.

“Oh? That’s also true.” Frances nodded. “High-yield Rifts are almost always Rank B or above in terms of size. Their ecosystems must exceed a certain scale to function properly,” Frances agreed.

“But our objective isn’t to mine resources,” Frances went on. “Let me tell you about the advantages that will aid us in investigating and sealing this Rift.”

Larger Rifts naturally had wider entrances. For Rank B and above, the Aquamarine could actually follow the expedition team into the Rift, making for a significant advantage. This was only possibly because Aquamarine was the nimblest ship among the Four Masterpieces. If the Aquamarine was slightly larger than medium-sized ships, the other three were undoubtedly large ships.

“The colossal Zaratan and the large Moby Dick and Golden Hind can only enter Rifts of Rank A size and above,” Frances elaborated.

“...Is taking the Aquamarine along with us such a big advantage?” Ninian asked.

“Of course!” Frances replied instantly, almost in a shout. “We won’t need to set up rescue teams or reinforcements based on a time limit like with the Sea Orc Den. In case of emergencies, we can send a signal with the ship immediately, and if within range, Aquamarine’s firepower can provide cover! Plus, we can regroup quicker too!”

Leonard, who had previously witnessed the Aquamarine’s destructive power, nodded first. The ship had used a Class 6 wide-area spell, Freezing Ray, on a swarm of monsters. Its attack and defense capabilities could match or even surpass a Master.

What if they could use Aquamarine’s power on the core itself?

We might not even need to step in. Aquamarine could defeat the Rift Guardians and successfully seal the Rift, Leonard speculated, but he quickly realized it was unlikely.

Rifts were fundamentally structured like strategic facilities, meaning their cores would never be exposed to invaders. Even in the case of the Sea Orc Den, its core had been located too deep within the cave for Aquamarine’s bombardment to reach.

Moreover, it was very likely that Demon Octopuses that could even use otherworldly magic would have established a defense system beyond that.

“All right!” Frances clapped her hands, breaking Leonard’s train of thought. “Everyone, let’s go to the control room to feel the thrill of plunging into the Abyss of the Demon Octopus! I bet it’ll feel different from entering on foot!”

With curiosity and anticipation, everyone followed her.

Only four days after departing from the Central City, the Aquamarine Expedition Team was set to explore their second Rift.

* * *

Unlike the calm waters around the Sea Orc Den, the Abyss of the Demon Octopus was located in a rocky area surrounded by turbulent currents. The strong winds and waves, intensified by rocks protruding through the water’s surface, created a hostile environment that would crush any incoming vessel.

The adventurers in Aquamarine’s control room turned pale as they witnessed the scene.

“...Are we really supposed to go there?”

“Even the sea orcs wouldn’t last long in there. They’d be crushed to pieces against the rocks.”

“No wonder almost no one explores this Rift. The external and internal environments are both terrible.”

Despite everyone’s reactions, Frances smiled confidently and placed her hand on the ship’s crystal orb. “True, ordinary ships wouldn’t last ten seconds here, but my Aquamarine isn’t ordinary at all.”

The ship, responding to its captain’s resolve, advanced into the swirling currents. To the untrained eye, it seemed like a suicide mission.

“These rocks and currents are child’s play compared to the Sixth Sea District,” Frances declared boldly. “We’re going straight through!”

“What?!”

“I won’t accept any objections! Fire the Disintegration Cannon!”

As soon as she gave the command, several magic circles on the ship’s bow glowed yellow, amassing their power.

The Class 6 physical spell, Impulse Wave, was an offensive spell that could be considered a superior version of Shock Bound or Shock Wave, capable of obliterating all matter with its shockwave.

Even rare metals like mithril and orichalcum would bend and shatter when struck head-on by Impulse Wave.

Boooom...!!

The shockwave shattered every rock in Aquamarine’s path. Its power was several times stronger than a regular mage’s, demonstrating the true might of a Masterpiece vessel. Even Jack Russell, who was usually indifferent, couldn’t help being impressed.

Befitting a ship regarded as one of the Four Masterpieces, Aquamarine’s energy source was far beyond what a single mage could produce—a spell’s power and range would be far greater if unleashed by the ship.

“Full speed ahead! Deploy the Stagnate Field!” Frances commanded.

The ship surged forward as a time-manipulating wide-area spell spread across the water. The waves caught within Stagnate Field’s range slowed down significantly. Unlike living beings, currents had no magic resistance, and even though the effect only lasted a few seconds, it was more than enough.

The ship, moving faster across the sea than a galloping horse on land, plunged into the center of the rocky area.

“We’ve located the entrance to the Rift! We’ll enter just like this!” Frances announced, steering the ship directly toward the hole in the center of the rocky zone.

Without slowing down, the ship plunged into the Abyss of the Demon Octopus, a Rift with a Rank A danger level. No one could try to stop or question Frances as the ship was swiftly sucked into the dimensional rift.

It felt almost identical to when they infiltrated the Sea Orc Den, but there was one key difference. This time, everyone on the ship could perceive their surroundings. Last time, Leonard and his comrades were perceived as separate entities, but now, it seemed that the Rift perceived the entire ship as a single entity.

This helped to alleviate everyone’s unease, allowing them to keep calm.

“Ah...”

“Huh...”

“Phew...”

Every crew member let out a sigh of relief as they emerged from the dimensional rift in just a few seconds; even the Class 7 Archmage reacted similarly.

“This is interesting. More than half of the magic formulas I had temporarily cast on myself were nullified. It seems that spells below Class 6 won’t persist through the dimensional rift, not even for a few seconds.”

“Are artifacts affected as well?” Leonard asked.

“Yes, it appears so,” Russell answered honestly, his voice barely above a murmur. “A few of my rings, which had support spells imbued in them, became inactive momentarily. While we’re in here, one-time use items like scrolls are probably unusable as well.”

“Only spells that can genuinely interfere with dimensions, those of Class 8 or higher, might work properly here. Perhaps to transcend the boundaries of Class 8, one must be able to wield the powers encompassing the laws of this world,” Russell speculated.

Leaving Russell to his musings, Leonard looked out the window of the control room. It was an eerily calm and dark space, like the depths of the ocean at midnight.

If we were deep in an ordinary ocean, we wouldn’t be able to breathe or withstand the crushing pressure.

Having trained in Water Arts at the Hainan Sword Sect, Leonard knew firsthand that diving even a hundred feet underwater exerted crushing pressure on the body.

He had managed to dive deeper than that thanks to his cultivation and internal energy reaching the Apex Realm, but at around three hundred feet, the cold qi and pressure were too much even for a seasoned martial artist like Yeon Mu-Hyuk.

Even the Cold-Heat Invulnerable Body State and a body impervious to blades would be utterly unable to withstand such extreme pressure.

“It’s so dark. We could shoot a flare... but that would attract a swarm of monsters,” Frances muttered to herself.

Russell, who had finished musing, replied, “Indeed. I’ve dissected a Demon Octopus before. They definitely have eyesight. While I’m not sure about their sensitivity to light, it’s likely stronger than that of land creatures.”

The creatures living in such a deep and dark environment had to be either completely blind or highly sensitive to even the faintest light—the Demon Octopus was the latter.

Grumbling about not being able to use flares, Frances added, “Even if a thousand Demon Octopuses swarmed us, they wouldn’t be able to damage Aquamarine, but it would still be problematic.”

“They’re an intelligent species. The moment they realize they’re at a disadvantage, they’ll retreat and assume a defensive position around the core. Even with supreme magic, breaking through in such a short period of time would be tough,” Russell agreed.

“They haven’t noticed us yet. Given that not many teams explore this Rift, they’ve probably become less vigilant for intruders,” Frances noted.

Unlike the Sea Orc Den, which had been frequently explored for resources, the Abyss of the Demon Octopus was largely unmapped near its entrance due to its elevated danger level and challenging entry conditions.

“Let’s stick to our initial plan,” Frances began. “Leonard, Russell, and Vivian, you three will infiltrate and complete the mapping of this area first—”

“I’ve thought of a more effective strategy. Would you hear me out?” Jack Russell interjected, offering a suggestion for the first time since joining Aquamarine.

“Huh? Please go ahead.”

Curious, Frances decided to see what he had in mind.

His proposal was brief but shocking.

“Are you serious?” she asked, her voice quavering slightly.

“Of course. With this strategy, we could seal the Rift in less than half a day. It will require some effort from everyone left on the Aquamarine, though,” Russell replied confidently.

“My ship won’t falter against a Rift of this level! But isn’t it too risky for only two people to infiltrate? If the monsters catch on, you’ll be surrounded without any support from Aquamarine,” Frances said worryingly.

“No problem. While we can’t move in and out of the Rift easily, we can still use teleportation magic to return to the ship instantly if needed,” Russell reassured her.

After a moment of contemplation, Frances turned to Leonard. “I’ll let you make the call, Leonard. Can you do this?”

“Yes,” Leonard said firmly.

The strategy, though unconventional and bold, didn’t seem too outlandish to him. It was essentially a combination of distraction and decoy tactics.

With the Aquamarine and Russell’s magic drawing attention from the monsters in the Rift, they could break through swiftly to the core. The idea of not wasting time on small fry was particularly appealing.

“Then it’s settled,” Russell declared.

With Leonard’s swift approval, the mission to conquer the Abyss of the Demon Octopus commenced.