NOVEL NEXT Chapter 167: Ash of Feier
*Sizzzle*
The first thing the players saw was the steaming water all around them. Rather than the sea, it was almost as if they were teleported to a gigantic boiling pot.
The environment was more extreme than anywhere else in the third zone. To top it off, the system wasn't nice enough to let them be accustomed to the new area.
*Whoooop*
A white jet of steam erupted from the sea and flung entire longboats into the sky. It was only thanks to their discipline that the players were still maintaining their composure.
Besides, Zyrus's words were still ringing fresh in their ears.
'No matter what happens, don't get separated.' The captains gave commands in that split second and sent ropes to the boats that were crashing down.
Neither the boats nor the players were left unguarded. And in the next second, their caution was proven correct.
A school of grey fish surrounded the boats that were damaged by the jet. They didn't look much different with their grey skin and common black stripes, but there was one thing that stood out– their jaws.
It was easy to guess that their rounded teeth were capable of chewing through the boats. The players' fate would be tragic if they were left alone in the water.
"Don't kill them unless they're alone. They're called Black Drum or drummer fish. While they're excited or in danger, they can release a unique frequency to call their members."
"Got it. Any weakness?" Ria asked Zyrus after she relayed his commands.
"Nothing that's too obvious. They prefer living in salty water, so dealing with it might be helpful," Zyrus answered her without taking his eyes off the seawater.
Even he was unable to predict where the steam would come from, and this was just the boundary of the Boiling Sea of Kiama.
He was aware of the reason behind this phenomenon. Blowholes were formed all around this region due to a volcanic eruption that happened millions of years ago. The same volcano that was called the Huodao island.
However, there was no seafloor in the third zone since the entire ocean was located in the sky. Where did the heat come from then? The answer was both simple and absurd.
The seawater was boiling due to the flowing lava at the bottom.
There was a thin layer of crust between the lava and the seawater. This allowed life to exist in this region.
The heated seawater near this layer created high pressure inside the blowholes on the crater. Once they reached their limit, the high-temperature steam would shoot up into the sky. There was no fixed pattern to it, and yet, the creatures living here had developed a special sense to detect the eruption.
"Left flank, move to 7 o'clock."
"Central fleet, either slow down or turn 60 degrees on either side."
Zyrus observed the black drum's movement and notified the players. Hardly anyone had eyesight as good as his, but it wasn't like there were no alternatives. Some used their elemental seeds while some relied on detection skills and talismans. It didn't take long before the players got the hang of it and moved on their own.
*Whoooop*
Zyrus deliberately let one of the jets hit the dragon of war. Just as he had predicted, the black drums surrounded the ship with their hungry jaws.
<I'll check the situation below>
*Splash*
He informed Ria and jumped into the boiling water. The heat was barely noticeable when it passed through his scales.
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[Arcane lance]
[Curse of Oblivion: Quantum Erasure]
-1000,-1000,-500,-1000,-2000…
*Eiiiiiiiiiiiiii*
Exp +3K
The fish let out ear-piercing screams as the blue spears struck them down. Even so, not even sound was spared from the fate of oblivion.
Zyrus's control over his latest curse of void had improved by a great margin. By using the 99 points of his body, he was able to create a quantum vacuum and trap the fish within.
Their blood, flesh, and dying screams were erased by the imaginary particles generated in the quantum vacuum.
Of the 72 fish that surrounded the dragon of war, not one was left alive.
[Level Up!]
[Strength +1]
[Agility +1]
[Intelligence +1]
[Mana +1]
The familiar sensation spread across his body after a long time. No matter how many times he experienced it, it didn't stop to amaze him how easy it was to progress via the system. He was even more aware of it after he started working on creating a new subclass.
'I'm not going up before I level up a few times.'
The players were no longer the weaklings of the past. Almost every player had used an elemental seed that gave them an additional ability or two. The ones who were more talented and hardworking were able to further research on the runes and create formations that suited themselves. Zyrus had gone through hundreds of formations created by the players, and as such, he knew their powers better than anyone else.
Except for the final stretch of this journey, his presence wasn't needed.
*Sparkle*
'And there it is.'
Zyrus swept his tail and moved down towards the source of light. The ocean was at most 200 meters deep, so there weren't any issues in going down except for the increasing heat.
It was true that the players were stronger with the elemental seeds and formations that were available in the faction shop, but still, there was one more thing they needed to take down the final obstacle.
And it was none other than the weed in Zyrus's hand.
[Ash of Feier]
[Seaweed born from the fire elemental energy and volcanic ash. Possesses remarkable fire resistance]
[Note: Contains high amount of flame toxins. Direct contact is not advised]
While Zyrus could ignore the toxin and directly touch the Ash of feier, the rest of the players weren't as monstrous as him.
It was fortunate that the faction storage was usable in the non-event areas. How to use this weed for increasing the players' fire resistance wasn't something Zyrus had to bother himself with.
Rather than that, he had to collect as many resources as possible and reach lv 50. The sea was the best treasure trove of various materials and exp.
The fleet moved at a steady rate while Zyrus and some players with water elemental seeds searched the ocean.
Apart from the ash of feier, they discovered two additional materials on the next day.
[Fragment of Nar]
[A rock filled with high concentration of fire attribute mana. It becomes unstable upon coming in contact with the air]
The orange colored rocks were perfect for making cannonballs. Once they improved their technology, it wouldn't be far-fetched to make arrows and even bullets out of it.
The second material was something Zyrus himself discovered near the edge of the crust.
[Bone dust]
[Traces left behind by a once mighty existence. They are useless in the hands of some while invaluable in the eyes of others]
Even Zyrus didn't know where this came from. He was in the former category since the white dust was useless for him. Still, he didn't pass on the opportunity and collected any he came across.
Days passed by in a similar manner as the players continued grinding their levels. They had to reach lv 50 unless they wanted to be left behind. This shouldn't have been an issue after all the hard work they had done so far, but it was- 'thanks' to Zyrus's interference.
The players had additional mouths to feed when it came to elemental seeds. Even if some were reluctant to use their points on them, what could they do when Zyrus sold the first rune formation at the price of an elemental seed?
Such a pricey first deal made the players want to spend even more with subsequent purchases. Since they had already paid the hefty price, it would be foolish to not learn more formations by using contribution points.
It was a vicious yet beneficial cycle. Rather than being wary, the players charged at any isolated school of fish like hungry beasts.
Close to a month passed by in such manner. Only when they reached the center of the Boiling Sea of Kiama did they slow down their leveling speed.
"It's finally within our sight," Zyrus remarked as he looked at the faint silhouette of a mountain. Even though they were dozens of kilometers away, he could sense the searing heat emitted from its boiling top.
Huodao- the island that represented the element of fire. It was the most merciless place on their entire third zone. Unlike the other islands which had thousands of natives living on them, this was different.
There was only a single tribe that lived on this mountain. And before Zyrus faced them, there were two more hurdles in his way.
"Get ready for combat. We'll reach the enemy territory in less than an hour."
"Roger that."
"Roger that."
All of the cannons were raised at the distance. The ballista and torpedoes were also loaded with ammunition, ready to launch a barrage at a moment's notice.
They were about to face the strongest field boss across the entire Pisces archipelago, and before that, Zyrus had one last thing to do.
'Status,'
The familiar grey screen opened at his thought. It was time to use the SP he had saved thus far.