Rhys tucked the Pure Pearl Essence safely into a small padded pouch.

Aria clapped both hands together. "YES! One down! Let's go get the next one! Easy!"

Sophia stared at her flatly. "Don't say that. You'll curse us."

Caria flipped her notebook open. "Next material is Hammer Coral Shards."

Puddle gasped. "Isn't that from the Hammer Claw monster?"

Lyra nodded. "Yes. The Hammer Claw Crab in the coastal dungeon cave."

Aria froze.

Sophia frowned. "That thing again?"

Caria cleared her throat. "Well… the shard we need only drops from the big Hammer Claw. And…"

She held up her notebook.

"Drop rate: 2%."

Aria's jaw dropped. "TWO PERCENT?! THAT'S—THAT'S—"

Sophia finished politely, "…a long grind."

Rhys sighed. "Alright. Where's this dungeon?"

Lyra pointed toward the far side of the island, where tall coral-like cliffs stood against the sea.

"The Coastal Dungeon Cave is over there. It opens during low tide for a few hours a day."

Aria slapped her face. "So we have a time limit AND a terrible drop rate?!"

Caria nodded grimly. "Correct."

Puddle whispered dramatically, "Master… this island wants us to suffer."

Rhys strapped Runius to his back. "Then we get started now."

They walked along the shoreline, passing quieter parts of the island until the coral cliffs loomed overhead. A large, shadowy cave entrance rested at the base.

A sign stood out front:

COASTAL DUNGEON CAVE

Hammer Claw Zone – Group Recommended – Loot Not Guaranteed

Aria pointed at the sign. "That last line is rude."

Sophia sighed. "Accurate, though."

They stepped inside.

The cave was huge—walls made of blue coral, glowing faintly with bioluminescent moss. Pools of seawater dotted the ground. Strange crabs and shell-creatures scuttled around.

Caria read the map posted at the entrance. "The Hammer Claw boss is deeper inside."

Rhys nodded. "Let's move."

After ten minutes of walking through twisting tunnels, they reached a large chamber.

A massive crab stood in the center—its claws shaped like blunt hammers, its shell thick like armor.

The Hammer Claw.

Its eyes glowed red the moment they entered.

Aria cracked her knuckles. "Alright you oversized dinner plate—DROP THE MATERIAL."

The crab screeched and charged.

Sophia raised her sword.

Caria prepared her daggers.

Lyra stayed back, monitoring the flow of mana.

Puddle yelled, "SMASH IT, MASTER!"

The battle began—

Rhys dodged a hammer-claw swipe and slashed its leg.

Aria punched its shell repeatedly, leaving dents.

Sophia slipped beneath it, cutting a weak point.

Caria threw a marked dagger that exploded on impact.

The crab rattled, shook, collapsed.

They all held their breath.

A faint light appeared…

Aria leaned forward—

"D-DID IT DROP—?!"

Caria bent down.

Then sighed.

"…No. Just normal coral."

Aria fell to her knees. "WHY DO YOU HATE US?!"

Sophia patted her shoulder. "We knew it would be like this."

Rhys shrugged. "Again."

They returned to the beginning of the chamber.

The dungeon reset.

Another Hammer Claw spawned.

Aria glared. "DROP THE SHARD."

They fought it again.

…No drop.

Again.

…Nothing.

Again.

…Still nothing.

By the tenth run, Aria was lying flat on the ground, face-first.

"Just… leave me here…"

Sophia wiped sweat off her forehead. "We'll get it eventually."

Caria calculated. "At this rate, statistically, we might need fifty attempts."

Aria let out a silent scream.

Lyra looked at Rhys, calm as ever. "We continue?"

Rhys took a deep breath.

"…Yes."

They lined up for attempt eleven.

And twelve.

And thirteen.

Still nothing.

Puddle cried dramatically. "THIS IS TORTURE!"

By the twenty-fifth run, Aria shook the crab corpse. "DROP. THE. SHARD!"

It did not.

Finally—

On the thirty-second run, something glowed faintly on the ground.

Sophia's breath caught. "Wait… that's…!"

Caria knelt and carefully picked up a small bluish-white shard, shaped like polished coral but heavy like metal.

She smiled in relief.

"Hammer Coral Shard… finally."

Aria collapsed. "THANK THE OCEAN GODS—WE ARE FREE."

Puddle twirled. "We did it!"

Lyra nodded approvingly. "Good work."

Rhys exhaled and wiped sweat from his brow.

"That's two materials down."

Caria checked her list.

"Last one: a living drop of Tidal Mana."

Sophia's brows rose. "Where do we get that…?"

Hearing that, Lyra pointed toward the sea.

Aria followed her hand and squinted. "Hmm… what are you pointing at? Another island?"

But Lyra shook her head.

"The drop of Tidal Mana is formed when a large amount of sea mana condenses in one place. So it's under the sea—most likely inside an underwater dungeon."

Rhys frowned. "Damn… how are we supposed to search underwater? I don't think I've heard of any underwater dungeons."

Lyra nodded. "We need something that can help you breathe beneath the water."

Rhys opened the player auction forums on his player system, scrolling through listings. After a moment, he found it.

"We can use these—Merman Gills. They're small charms we attach to the side of our necks. After that, for the next three hours, we can breathe underwater."

He bought the set quickly and handed each of them a small charm.

"Now we each have three hours. Let's get to work and find that underwater dungeon."

He pressed the charm onto his neck. A faint pulse of magic ran through his skin. Thin webbing formed between his fingers and toes, and his breathing felt lighter.

"Whoa," Aria said, staring at her hands. "Our hands and feet actually changed!"

Sophia nodded. "It feels strange… but useful."

Rhys flexed his fingers, getting used to the webbing.

"Alright," he said, looking toward the ocean.

"Let's dive and find that dungeon."

Rhys stepped toward the shore, the waves rolling in softly as if inviting them in.

Aria bounced on her toes. "Underwater dungeon, here we come!"

Caria checked her timer. "Three hours. After that, the gills stop working."

Sophia adjusted her gear, securing her Warden Blade across her back. "Let's hope we don't get lost."

Lyra moved beside Rhys, her voice calm. "Stay close. The sea is quiet today, but underwater ruins often hide living traps."

Puddle popped out from Rhys's shoulder, now shaped like a tiny fish. "I'm already ready! Let's go!"

Rhys nodded once. "Everyone ready?"

A chorus of "Yes."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.