The location was a tall cliff overlooking the Emperor Bone Sea. Here, a small one-story building was present. Only a single old woman resides here. The rest who passed through its doors were merely travelers.
Today, two of such travelers arrived in her residence. After seeing to it that they were safe, she watched them leave without a change of expression.
Most likely, she'd never see those two again. The Emperor Bone Sea was too perilous for people of their strength level.
Naturally, the two travelers the old woman met were Damien and Zara. Currently, they stood at the precipice of the tall cliff and looked down at the Emperor Bone Sea, taking in its demonic majesty.
The air above the sea was filled with thick killing intent that almost coagulated into a fog. From various locations, structures of rock and minerals jutted out of the sea's waters. From above, it was hard to see any signs of life within.
After all, the Emperor Bone Sea was pure black in color. This wasn't due to the color of the water itself, but due to the sea's terrifying depths. It was hard to imagine the abyss that hid below.
"It was said that the sea's nature was influenced by an Emperor Beast who died in its depths. According to the rumors, that beast's skeleton still rests at the bottom, and some of these strange protrusions we see are actually broken pieces of that skeleton." Damien muttered.
"Mm, if possible, I want to know if those rumors are true. A beast that was able to gain the title of Emperor Beast, even a portion of its skeleton will be of great help to my training." Zara continued.
The two stood for a few moments staring into the deathly sea. Damien's sigh was the first thing to break their silence.
"We've prepared as much as possible. While it would be a lie to say I'm not feeling hesitant right now, I guess there's nothing else for us to do here." He finally said.
Their mission was simply to scout. Anything else that took place in the Emperor Bone Sea could only be considered training. As much as Damien wanted to stand on this cliff and organize his thoughts, he knew there was no point in doing so.
"Are you ready?" He asked lightly.
"Always," Zara responded with a smile.
Together, the two stepped off the cliff, allowing their bodies to plummet into the sea below.
***
Crash!
An eruption of blackish-blue water shot into the air when the two hit the sea. Their bodies immediately submerged within as if weighed down by something.
Kacha!
Without hesitation, they coated their bodies in mana and isolated themselves from the surrounding water.
They'd already been exposed to the Emperor Bone Sea's first danger: the water itself.
Even after isolating themselves with mana, the two could feel a black sludge-like substance sticking to their bodies. This sludge was the water's residue, and contained both poisonous and illusory properties.
Damien began seeing terrifying images of his own cruel death. Depictions of him being tortured and humiliated, of him losing those he loved only to be betrayed by his last strand of hope, depictions that could alter any normal person's mental state beyond repair.
But to Damien, these illusions meant nothing. He easily shattered their influence. Especially after experiencing the Challenge Gate, he felt that most illusions became lackluster.
The poison, on the other hand, truly did its best to ruin his body. Because of Damien's strong bodily defenses, this small amount of poison couldn't even enter his system. However, his skin was melted off in countless places where the poison tried to invade.
Damien wasn't the strongest, but he wasn't weak. Developing countermeasures against the Emperor Bone Sea's waters was the basic requirement one needed to meet to explore it.
When he finished dealing with the water's effects, he looked over at Zara just in time to see her do the same. Unlike him, she willingly absorbed the poison and used it to further her Laws.
"It looks like you'll gain a lot more from this place than I will." He said with a smirk.
"Then you'll just have to work that much harder to catch up to me," Zara replied without hesitation.
"Oho? When did my little Zara become so bold?"
"Hmph! I'm not little anymore!"
"Alright, alright."
The two smiled at each other before glancing deeper into the sea. Their objective was to travel farther not deeper, but if they wanted to face the Emperor Bone Sea's reality, they needed to reach its depths.
After exchanging nods, the two used mana to propel themselves through the water. Their bodies shot through the sea like torpedos on a downward slope, traveling deeper and further at once.
Their first 1,000 kilometers were easy. This much was bearable at their level.
However, 100 contribution points were only enough to reserve an hour of time at one of Arcadia's training centers. It wasn't even close to enough for them.
Still, the two didn't move on immediately. First, Damien used spiritual intent to mark a jade slip with information about the depth and distance they'd traveled, along with the organisms and dangers they'd seen along the way.
After adding a second marker to specify his current position, he put the jade slip away and began moving once more.
But it was like they hit a wall. The second they crossed the first 1,000 kilometers, the mild Emperor Bone Sea they'd been experiencing vanished, replaced by a place befitting of its rumors.
"Zara, behind!" Damien yelled.
Zara moved without thinking, turning into a shadow and reappearing hundreds of meters away. Just as she did so…
OOOOH!
A bellow spread through the water around them, rattling their eardrums. As Damien and Zara watched on, a mystical scene occurred.
The glistening silver body of a massive creature filled their vision. Tens of kilometers were covered in its breadth, but when they observed it, they could only see characteristics of a regular fish species.
The creature swam past the two as if they didn't exist. Its body agilely cut through the water, moving at speeds that didn't match its size at all.
The creature suddenly made an arc. Its mouth opened wide and an immense suction force was emitted into the space a few hundred meters from Damien and Zara!
In their eyes, this creature was simply drinking water. But as their awareness spread, they found countless organisms in the blackness that the creature was devouring. These fishes blended perfectly with the surrounding water to the point where their visages were entirely concealed even from Damien, yet that creature was able to find them instantly.
In that moment, Damien felt like he got a glimpse into the sea's ecosystem. A glimpse into something humans hadn't yet explored enough to adapt to.
But just as he marveled over that creature, blood splattered from its neck and painted the blackness red.
A pale gleam flashed near the creature's body. There, a much smaller but far uglier being sat concealed.
Xiu!
The sound of its body cutting through the water was piercing. With every movement, it causes another gash in the large creature's body. Chunks of flesh floated away, only to be devoured by the smaller beast.
Within seconds, the large creature had been wholly devoured without an ounce of resistance.
And with the smell of blood polluting the waters, things were sure to rapidly become hectic.
