Chapter Forty-Three: The Sunken Ship Cavern (1)

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“I was truly happy today. Thank you for your gift.” Elle, her long ponytail tied with a golden flower-shaped ornament, looked at Zhao Tianhe, tilted her head, and waved at him.

“Mm.” Zhao Tianhe, looking utterly dazed, waved back.

As Elle slowly vanished, a wave of disappointment flooded his heart...

Back at the hotel, Pixie stared at the utterly dejected Zhao Tianhe, frowning. “What now? Yesterday you swore to work hard and prove men succeed by their own abilities. How have you ended up like this today?”

“I’m in love...” Zhao Tianhe sprawled on the bed like a dead dog, his eyes vacant and tongue hanging out. “But I don’t dare confess...”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Pixie asked, clearly puzzled.

“If I confess, I’ll die.” Zhao Tianhe forced a bitter smile, eyes brimming with tears.

“That serious... Well, then your life is more important...” Pixie patted his hair and sighed. “After all, you’re the most important ‘heir.’ Though I still haven’t remembered why you’re so important...”

The night passed wordlessly. Having seen Elle’s swimsuit queen form, Zhao Tianhe was awake almost all night, his mind filled with images of her snowy thighs, bare waist, and her face.

The next day, when Jeros saw Zhao Tianhe in this state, he pinched his brow and asked what was going on.

“It’s nothing. I just practiced magic a bit late yesterday...” Zhao Tianhe summoned a level-zero water ball to wash his face and perked up.

“Let me be clear: I’ll follow you invisibly, but even if you’re gravely injured, I won’t show myself. I’ll only save you at the brink of death,” Jeros advised earnestly. “Your fighting style relies entirely on your heroic spirits. Without them, you’re just a decent scout, which is far too dangerous. You must learn some survival skills. But your talent for magic is abysmal... In any case, do your best. After you move into the Hero’s Dorm this afternoon, I’ll arrange a magic instructor for you.”

“I know. I figured things out yesterday. Let’s start now.” Zhao Tianhe nodded in agreement.

Jeros nodded as well and faded into the sky. Zhao Tianhe could still sense him by sound, but once he moved beyond a hundred meters, Jeros left no trace at all.

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This was one of Zhao Tianhe’s weaknesses: against opponents who approached by magical stealth from the air, his detection range was still lacking.

‘A sixth sense is crucial. Otherwise, facing a powerful mage like Jeros, I’d be killed from afar before I could react.’ Zhao Tianhe sighed, resolving to hone his sixth sense whenever possible.

Entering the cavern, Zhao Tianhe surveyed his surroundings, then summoned Elle directly.

The Sunken Ship Catacombs had two floors, but spanned a vast area, with rugged terrain divided into numerous zones. The entrance was in a downhill section.

Elle appeared. Zhao Tianhe looked at her expectantly, but to his disappointment, she was still in her formal gown mode.

“Um, can’t you wear the swimsuit?” Zhao Tianhe asked hesitantly.

“Huh? The swimsuit? It does look nice, but in battle mode I can only wear my fixed spirit attire,” Elle replied with a smile. “If you like it, I’ll wear it for you this afternoon!”

“Mm-hmm!” Zhao Tianhe’s nostrils flared. Just recalling yesterday’s scene nearly made his nose bleed.

But he hadn’t forgotten his purpose. Pointing ahead, he said, “Fifty meters ahead, a puddle of water.”

Elle obeyed, launching her spear straight at the puddle. Unexpectedly, the seemingly ordinary water climbed up the spear and transformed into a translucent water elemental bristling with tentacles.

Seeing this, Elle’s spear instantly turned crimson as she invoked the power of the Scorching Temple’s Meslamtaea. Bubbles streamed from the weapon, and the water elemental thrashed as if boiling, its body exploding into fragments!

This was the active effect of Elle’s intrinsic treasure: it inflicted a blend of soul and thermal damage, which was especially devastating to elemental creatures. And this foolish thing had wrapped itself entirely around the spear—swallowing a bomb whole, so to speak—resulting in its own immediate destruction.

But that was not the end.

“One hundred forty meters ahead, rapidly approaching, altitude fifty meters, descending.”

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The spear, having just burst the water elemental, shot skyward and impaled a scaled, winged sea serpent.

Though frail and low in health, these creatures could fly with remarkable speed, and their attacks were venomous—making them troublesome foes.

Yet what would have been an unpredictable aerial assault to most was trivial for Zhao Tianhe. From four or five hundred meters away, he could hear the enemy’s approach, lock onto its position as it neared, and direct Elle to dispatch it instantly.

Monsters in C-rank dungeons were formidable, but differed from those in lower-ranked dungeons in one key way: they no longer charged blindly. The expanded space was one reason, but more importantly, they possessed a degree of intelligence, enough to value their own lives and avoid reckless attacks.

The water elemental just now had been lying in ambush. It would have unleashed a spell and ensnared anyone who approached, but its disguise was flawed.

The difference between a puddle of dead water and one that slowly writhes is obvious!

There had been experiments: monsters in C-rank dungeons, having gained intelligence, would not rush out at random even if left alone for days. Instead, they would form a ‘society’ within the dungeon, amassing strength and establishing rules before launching offensives. The mutated slime cave had been an exception, as those monsters had retained the low intelligence of lesser dungeons and thus surged out.

Higher-level dungeons, if left unchecked, could even evolve into ‘civilizations,’ forming nations and armies—there was precedent for this.

After all, these monsters were, in essence, no different from the sapient beings of the Infinite Expanse; both were spawned from primal life pulse energy. The dungeon system itself was designed to weaken and suppress these nascent species, like installing a virus on a computer to prevent normal function. However, the stronger the life pulse energy, the weaker this interference became, allowing these new species’ power and intelligence to emerge—they were no longer mere monsters.

Another challenge of C-rank dungeons was the regular appearance of dungeon bosses: at least one would spawn each week, ranging from D to C rank in strength. In lower dungeons, bosses appeared only once or twice a month, and unpredictably at that.

Still, the newly spawned monsters in a C-rank dungeon were only moderately clever. Against Zhao Tianhe’s almost cheat-like detection skills—like a seasoned single-player gamer with a map overlay—and Elle’s overwhelming firepower, they were hunted down one after another.