Dungeon: Aquarium, Hard Difficulty
Master Zhi Yin wore a solemn expression as he led the group through a pitch-black passage with low visibility.
They had already defeated the first two bosses and were now on their way to challenge the final one.
The passage looked as if it had been constructed in the deep sea. Transparent glass panels surrounded them on all sides—above, below, left, and right. From time to time, schools of fish swept past outside the tunnel, their shadows flashing by and easily making the players jumpy.
Only a few dim blue energy-saving lamps glowed along the ceiling of the corridor. They were probably meant to create a deep-sea atmosphere. In a normal aquarium, it might have been a nice design, but inside a dungeon, it only made things harder for the players fighting monsters.
The players couldn’t clearly see what was outside the tunnel. Even if a monster was pressed right against the glass, glaring at them, they wouldn’t notice it until they were almost face to face.
Master Zhi Yin walked alone at the front, carefully observing the surroundings. He had no idea where this tunnel led. He didn’t know whether the monster would be waiting at the end of the passage or would suddenly smash through the glass and rush in.
The girl named Lu Bai—who had run into He Wuning and the others when they fought the Seaweed King—was pushing Bai Yan’s wheelchair. Two members of the Combat Department stood beside them, surrounding Bai Yan in the middle so that if a monster suddenly attacked, he would still have time to use his healing skill.
Lu Bai suddenly whispered, “We won.”
“What?” Bai Yan, who had been tense the entire time, froze and subconsciously turned back to look at her.
Lu Bai glanced at him shyly. “Brother Yi and the others won! That event—I secretly checked the forum just now. It was a perfect victory! Everyone got five percent Administrator Fragments. We haven’t received them yet, probably because there’s a bit of delay while we’re inside the dungeon.”
Bai Yan’s expression relaxed slightly. “Is that so? That’s good.”
His ability was already one of the most powerful in the game, with very limited room for evolution. Five percent wouldn’t do much for him. But knowing they had won still made Bai Yan breathe a little easier.
He was the type of person who worried a lot. Perhaps it was precisely that personality that had once pushed him into a desperate corner.
He raised his eyes, hesitated for a moment, then quietly told Lu Bai, “Actually… I have a bit of thalassophobia.”
“Huh?” Lu Bai had clearly never heard this before and widened her eyes in surprise. “But… this is the last dungeon in the ocean region.”
Before this, Bai Yan had never shown any sign of it.
Bai Yan smiled helplessly. “Yes. I’ve been pretending to be strong. But someone told me… if you try telling others about your weaknesses, it might actually make things easier.”
“I’m trying.”
Lu Bai didn’t seem to fully understand, but she nodded seriously. “Don’t worry. I—I’ll turn on the communication device for you! It has a light too!”
At the very front, Master Zhi Yin suddenly stopped. He rummaged through his backpack for something and handed it to Bai Yan.
Bai Yan widened his eyes in surprise. It was an antique-looking candlestick, like the kind used for wedding candles. Since the master had kept it so carefully, it was probably some kind of special item.
Master Zhi Yin lit the candle, and Bai Yan immediately felt warmth spread around him.
“It has a slight enemy-detection effect, though it works better on ghost-type enemies. And if water splashes on it, the flame goes out.” Master Zhi Yin scratched his somewhat fluffy head. “But at least it gives some light. You hold onto it.”
Looking at the flickering candlelight, Bai Yan smiled gently. “Thank you.”
Master Zhi Yin returned to the front. After hesitating, Bai Yan spoke again. “I actually wanted to send you some hair before.”
He touched his smooth medium-length hair. “But Xue Xun said everyone was surprisingly enthusiastic about donating hair, so I didn’t join the trend.”
The master’s steady voice came from ahead. “The intention is enough. There’s no need to be bound by formalities.”
“You dared to face your fear, leave your safe zone, and enter the dungeon again. That alone is already admirable.”
Bai Yan suddenly felt as if he were being praised by a teacher. It was an extremely rare experience for him, and he couldn’t help smiling faintly. Just as he was about to say more, his expression suddenly changed.
The candle flame in his hand flickered violently, almost going out. He felt dampness near his shoulder and immediately warned, “Master! Above me!”
Master Zhi Yin moved without hesitation. The hardened black staff in his hand slammed upward. Although it didn’t hit its target, the glass tunnel trembled violently, and spider-web cracks spread across the surface.
“Ah!” Even with the “Fish Form” buff, Lu Bai couldn’t help letting out a startled cry.
Humans were land animals, after all. Descending into the pitch-black deep sea inevitably brought unease.
Master Zhi Yin frowned as well. Fighting inside such a fragile glass tunnel restricted him greatly.
They still hadn’t seen the final boss.
The candle flame suddenly shrank sharply. Bai Yan noticed moisture dripping from above and stiffened. “Master! Over my head!”
This time Master Zhi Yin caught the monster’s position. His staff thrust upward, and the black hair extending from it suddenly lengthened like the freely expanding Ruyi Jingu Bang(a magical staff that could changing size at will), striking the monster clinging to the tunnel ceiling.
The creature let out a painful howl and tumbled into the tunnel.
At last the players saw its true form—a gigantic squid with a massive cone-shaped head and ten thick, stubby tentacles.
Setting aside the scientific question of whether a squid could survive in air without water, Master Zhi Yin looked extremely wary. The creature was enormous. Earlier, it had restrained itself to avoid exposing its position, but now its heavy head slammed against the glass, making the already fragile tunnel look ready to collapse.
One of the combatants suddenly shouted, “It’s afraid of fire!”
His special ability allowed him to detect monster weaknesses with a 30% probability—an extremely practical combat skill.
Bai Yan glanced at the candlestick in his hand. No wonder the monster hadn’t reacted earlier. Only after the master gave him the candle had it begun revealing itself.
Bai Yan took a deep breath. “Master—attack.”
Master Zhi Yin glanced back at him. Seeing Bai Yan’s unwavering gaze, he nodded. Black hair surged wildly from his weapon, writhing like living tentacles as they wrapped around the giant squid.
Bai Yan knew the master had the “Fish Form” skill. Even if he had to fight in the deep sea, he would have no fear.
The real problem was Bai Yan himself. Even with the Fish Form skill, his legs couldn’t exert strength. With the wheelchair beneath him, if he entered the deep sea without someone pulling him, he would only sink straight down.
He prepared himself for the possibility of drowning. Taking a deep breath, he cast a healing effect on the master.
The black hair wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful in attack, but its binding ability was excellent. Within a few breaths, the giant squid was tightly restrained, only its head still thrashing wildly as it angrily smashed the glass tunnel.
Master Zhi Yin shouted, “Fire!”
Bai Yan immediately threw the candlestick in his hand.
Fire was also the weakness of the master’s ability. The moment the hair touched flame, it ignited instantly, spreading across the giant squid’s body. The monster rolled violently inside the tunnel, smashing the glass again and again. Cracks spread like a chain reaction.
But its health bar was already dropping rapidly. Its thick tentacles curled up from the heat, releasing a surprisingly tempting aroma.
Lu Bai subconsciously thought of barbecue stalls back in the real world and felt that the smell was only missing a sprinkle of cumin. Lu Bai instinctively used her ability, trying as if to absorb the rushing seawater and hold it back.
Finally, the glass tunnel could no longer withstand the battle’s shockwaves. It shattered with a deafening crash, and seawater surged in.
Bai Yan’s expression changed. “You—”
Master Zhi Yin ignored the flames still burning through his hair and smashed down with a fiery punch, accelerating the monster’s final drop in health. At last, the monster turned into a streak of light, leaving equipment scattered on the ground.
The master didn’t even check what had dropped. He quickly stored everything and pointed toward a whirlpool outside the broken tunnel—that was the dungeon exit.
Relieved, Lu Bai could no longer hold back the rushing seawater. She grabbed Bai Yan tightly and dragged him toward the exit with all her strength.
Bai Yan glanced downward. His wheelchair was already sinking straight into the depths, disappearing into the dark ocean.
Master Zhi Yin parted the water with both arms and rushed toward them with explosive force. Grabbing one person in each hand, he plunged straight into the portal without slowing down.
The five of them had just exited the dungeon when they realized there was no time to relax. The dungeon entrance itself was on the seabed, and even outside, monsters were still lurking.
Bai Yan suddenly grabbed the master’s wrist. In the direction he was looking, a giant devil ray with enormous wings was slicing through the water straight toward them.
The next moment, a flash of silver cut through the sea. The devil ray suddenly flipped belly-up, a thin line of blood spreading slowly in the water. It turned into a streak of light and dropped items that floated toward the surface—without ever seeing its attacker.
He Wuning casually tossed the silver broken blade in his hand. This was the new weapon Zuo Qianming had created based on Eclipse. It felt extremely smooth to use.
Seeing him, Lu Bai waved excitedly.
Bai Yan also let out a relieved sigh. He smiled helplessly—though in his current state it was impossible to maintain any dignity.
He Wuning was also using the “Fish Form” skill. Two faint gill slits had appeared on both sides of his cheeks, giving him a slightly eerie beauty.
With his naturally high agility, swimming through the sea made him look like a legendary, powerful sea demon.
He swam closer to help, lifting Bai Yan toward the surface. The milk tea boat was drifting leisurely there, colorful lights under the hull blinking like a signal and shining with a slightly ridiculous enthusiasm.
If real mermaids existed, they might even be attracted by something like that.
He Wuning swam toward the conspicuous lights and noticed a small silver object glinting beside them.
Curious, he steadied Bai Yan underwater so Master Zhi Yin could pull him aboard first, then reached out to grab the silver ornament.
With a splash, a powerful tug yanked him straight out of the water. Yi Luo stood on the boat holding a fishing rod, grinning at the stunned Q-chan. “See? What did I say? Jiang Taigong fishes—those who are willing take the bait.”
He Wuning: “…”
Damn his curiosity.
Yi Luo cheerfully untangled the fishing line wrapped around his finger. He Wuning’s face darkened. “You seem pretty relaxed.”
“Well, you wouldn’t let me go underwater,” Yi Luo shrugged regretfully. “I was just betting with Q whether we’d hook a mermaid here.”
He pointed at Q-chan accusingly. “He said there are no mermaids here, only piranhas. He was talking bad about you.”
Q-chan panicked. “What?! That’s not what I meant!”
He Wuning raised an eyebrow and sneered. “No, he’s not wrong. There are only piranhas here.”
Once the line was untangled, he grabbed the edge of the boat and leapt up, pinning Yi Luo against it. Yi Luo immediately said seriously, “Ahem. There are children watching. This isn’t appropriate.”
He Wuning met Lu Bai’s curious gaze peeking out from the cabin and slowly lowered his hand.
Grinding his teeth, he said, “Just wait.”
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The author has something to say:
Yi Luo: “See? A mermaid.”
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