Rhys nodded once. "Everyone ready?"

A chorus of "Yes."

They stepped into the water.

The charms glowed.

And they sank beneath the surface.

◇ ◆ ◇

Underwater

The world instantly transformed.

Blue light filtered down from above, shimmering like floating glass.

Schools of colorful fish darted past.

Tall seaweeds swayed like slow dancers.

Aria spun around. "THIS IS AMAZING!"

Her voice didn't echo—only small bubbles escaped her lips.

Rhys kicked his feet, surprised how naturally he moved.

The webbing helped him glide like a swimmer with years of training.

Caria pointed ahead. "Look. We can move faster than on land."

Sophia swam up beside Rhys. "Any idea what we're looking for?"

Rhys shook his head. "Lyra?"

Lyra closed her eyes for a moment, sensing the currents.

"There's a strong mana flow… that way." She pointed toward a deeper, darker trench. "Something old sleeps there."

Aria made a face. "Old and underwater usually means dangerous."

Puddle wiggled her tiny fish form. "I like dangerous!"

"Of course you do," Rhys muttered.

They followed Lyra downward.

The deeper they went, the darker it became.

The water turned colder.

Strange shadows moved along the rock walls.

Sophia lit a small orb of light, illuminating the path.

"Keep your eyes open," she warned.

Caria nodded. "Underwater monsters might blend in with the rocks."

They swam past coral arches, glittering stones, and glowing jellyfish drifting like spirits.

They swam deeper through the ruins, the blue light fading until only Sophia's glowing orb lit the way. Everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

Puddle suddenly darted behind Rhys, trembling.

"Master… something big is coming…"

Rhys glanced around. "Where?"

Before anyone could react—

WHOOSH—!!

A massive shape burst from the darkness.

A huge shark-like sea beast slammed into the coral wall beside them, sending rocks and bubbles everywhere. Its body was covered in dark scales, its fins spiked like blades, and its eyes glowed a cold, hungry blue.

Aria shouted, "OH COME ON—ALREADY?!"

The beast turned and charged straight at them.

Rhys thrust Runius upward, blocking its jaws.

The creature's bite force pushed him back several meters.

"Strong!" Rhys grunted.

Aria swam above it and slammed a heavy underwater punch onto its back.

THUD!

The beast barely flinched.

Sophia slashed its side with her Warden Blade. The blade turned solid right before impact, cutting a glowing mark across its scales.

The shark roared—bubbles exploding from its mouth—and whipped its tail like a hammer.

WHAM!

The attack sent Caria spinning backward through the water.

"I'm okay!" she coughed, steadying herself. "Just very dizzy!"

Lyra stayed at the back, calm and watching. She held her hands behind her, avoiding combat. If she used real power here, the entire dungeon could collapse.

"Focus on the glowing spots," she called. "Those are weak points!"

Rhys nodded. "You heard her! Aim for the glow!"

The beast circled around them at high speed, a blur of teeth and fins.

Sophia stabbed again—

Aria punched again—

Caria threw daggers that released small underwater bursts—

The beast shrieked, scales cracking bit by bit.

But it wasn't done.

It sped upward—

turned—

and dove straight at Puddle.

"MASTER!!" she squeaked.

Rhys grabbed her just in time and blocked the charge with Runius, sparks of mana shooting through the water.

Aria swam behind the monster and locked her legs around its tail.

"RHYS! HIT IT!"

Rhys swam up fast, gripping Runius tightly.

He slashed the glowing spot on the shark's side—

CRACK!

A long wound tore open.

The beast thrashed violently. Aria lost her grip and tumbled away.

Sophia swam in and delivered the finishing blow—

a clean sword strike right through the weak spot.

The shark let out a final, muffled roar.

Then it stopped moving…

…and slowly drifted downward.

Aria floated in place, panting. "Why are sea animals so aggressive?!"

Caria rubbed her forehead. "Probably because we're inside their territory."

Rhys steadied his breathing. "One down. Let's keep going."

Lyra nodded softly. "More will come."

They swam deeper into the ruins.

Every few minutes, another predator appeared.

A group of small, fast fish with razor-sharp fins.

A massive crab that swung its claws like clubs.

A long eel-creature hiding between stones, shooting lightning through the water.

Each fight slowed them down.

Each fight drained time.

Rhys kept checking the timer on his system.

1 hour 54 minutes left.

1 hour 22 minutes left.

54 minutes left.

28 minutes left.

Caria's voice grew tighter. "We're running out of time…"

Sophia wiped sweat—well, water—from her forehead. "We can still find it."

Aria floated with her arms limp. "Can it please be in the next room… please…"

Lyra searched silently, her eyes glowing faintly as she sensed mana currents.

But every time she pointed in a direction, another monster appeared.

Yet they kept going.

They reached the deepest chamber—a wide open underwater cavern filled with tall coral pillars and broken stone statues.

Rhys's timer showed:

11 minutes left.

Everyone panicked.

Aria screamed dramatically. "WE DIDN'T COME ALL THIS WAY TO FAIL!"

Caria searched faster. "There has to be one! Somewhere!"

Sophia swam to the far corner. "Nothing here!"

Puddle dove into cracks. "No shiny! No shiny anywhere!!"

Rhys's heart pounded. "…Come on…"

Lyra floated still.

Very still.

She closed her eyes.

Felt the waves—Felt the currents—Felt the mana around them—

Then her eyes snapped open.

"There."

She pointed at a collapsed coral arch near the cavern floor.

Rhys swam to it instantly and pushed aside debris.

Under a flat stone—

A small glowing orb pulsed softly like a heartbeat.

The Drop of Tidal Mana.

A perfect sphere of compressed water mana, swirling with blue and white light.

Rhys grabbed it, the orb humming in his hand with cool energy.

"Found it!"

Everyone cheered—bubbles exploding everywhere.

Aria spun in the water. "FINALLY!!"

Caria breathed out. "Thank goodness…"

Sophia let her arms relax. "Just in time."

Puddle hugged Rhys's cheek. "Master is amazing!!"

Lyra smiled faintly. "Let's leave before something else wakes up."

Rhys nodded firmly.

"Team, we got the Tidal Mana. Now—let's get back to the surface before our gills stop working."

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.