Darkness engulfed the sky as the clock went past six. The bright moon hung alone on the black canvas, lighting the ocean in a murky white radiance.

  Such a scene would have been beautiful if seen from a city, but on this ocean, it gave one an unsettling feeling.

  “Get ready, activate all illuminating spells and look out for any abnormality.”

  Zyrus’s voice acted as an anchor that held back the player’s fears. They were by no means weak or inexperienced. But even the mightiest of warriors would cower beneath the nature’s might.

  ‘Well, it should be fine as long as they hold up their shields.’

  Zyrus didn’t plan to fight with them to begin with. Compared to the monsters they were about to face; the current atmosphere was nothing.

  “Found anything?”

  “Nope, but it’s close enough.” Franken looked down into the ocean as he had sensed the unique presence.

  “I’m sure it’s in the lair then,” Zyrus stated as he folded his map. This time, he was 100% certain that he was at the right place.

  It was only a matter of time before they ‘descended’ on the ocean.

  *Plop*

  However, someone else had a different opinion on the matter.

  “Long time no see, Mr. Zyrus Wymar,”

  “Long time indeed,” Zyrus replied to the golden mountain that floated above their ship.

  Or rather, the golden slime that resembled a mountain. Unsurprisingly, none of the players had noticed its presence.

  “I assume you know why I’m here?”

  “Naturally. Few things could compel Lord Matope to project in this backward place,” Zyrus shrugged at the fifth ring’s administrator.

  The being in front of him was the ruler of all slimes in the sanctuary. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that the administrator in charge of this area would be this slime.

  Out of all the administrators, Matope was the most hardworking and prudent. Dealing with it would be a pain in the ass.

  “Are you cursing me?”

  “Who wouldn’t? Your stinginess is second to none.”

  “Ahem…let’s get back to topic then,” Matope was rather thick-skinned for a slime.

  “Go on, about time I receive my pending rewards.” Then again, the scales of a Sylvarix weren’t to scoff at either.

  The rewards for the six-month ranking, the changes that should have occurred in the flag after defeating Nuckelavee, the rewards for conquering the second island…Zyrus was eager to receive all that was due. There was just one issue, and a quite big one at that. His actions had caused irreparable damage to the sanctuary.

  “Long story short, there are two ways we can go with this. One, we proceed as per the previous incident to maintain the balance. Your strength will be sealed once it crosses the threshold, and then you can take part in other minor events with the rest of the players.”

  The so-called minor events were faction battles and pvp between top players. They were a series of non-lethal events that took place once a year. Apart from developing the players and building a competitive atmosphere, it served as a political gathering between different powers.

  The sanctuary wasn’t stingy with the rewards either. Each time the players were given satisfactory rewards for their performance.

  “What’s the second option?”

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  “As I thought, you’re not interested in participating in them.”

  “Why would I? The auction would be interesting but I can just send a proxy.”

  “…”

  Matope was speechless. Indeed, why would Zyrus waste his time in thrashing a bunch of noobs? It was fine if he wanted the rewards, but a majority of the rewards were related to territory development and stat boosts. He could just buy the former with money, and what was the point of temporary stat boosts if his power would be sealed anyway?

  Zyrus was sure that in a couple years at most he would reach the maximum stats allowed by the second ring. Unless it was something that improved him on a fundamental level, he couldn’t care less about some buffs.

  “The second option is rather special. You can use all your strength as long as you don’t bully other players or destroy the whole ecosystem. Also, in both cases, you’re forbidden from using your future knowledge to cause inflation or any such things by using the shop. You can, however, use it to empower your troops.”

  “That’s a given. If anything, I hope they develop the continent well so I don’t have to waste my time on it.” Zyrus replied with a cruel grin.

  Matope sighed at his remark. It felt like Zyrus was a farmer who was waiting to reap a harvest on the Kyros continent.

  “Fine. There are some other conditions in the flag march as well. Under special circumstances, you can’t access the function via status anymore, but the class and the skills will be given despite that.”

  Zyrus raised his eyes at the somewhat unwilling slime. The present situation was like a high-up government worker was using a backdoor to sign a deal with a private corporation. As long as it was hidden from the public eye, everything was fine.

  “That’s a bit too convenient, no? What do I have to do in return?”

  Although it would be annoying without the system tab, it’s not like he needed them to function. Compared to not losing his power this much inconvenience was acceptable.

  “Fight. We’ll notify you at the year's end.”

  “No problem. Just deliver the rewards to my subordinates,”

  “Just this once….”

  *Boom*

  “Activate the barriers,” the ships fell down into the ocean at the same moment Matope left. Noone seemed to have noticed the mountainous slime since all administrators could stop time at will.

  Besides, there was a bigger issue. The ships were falling down.

  A deep chasm had appeared below the dragon of war. It was as if someone had taken a bite of the ocean below them.

  *Crrrk*

  *Splash*

  The players didn’t even know what happened before they were surrounded by dark walls of water. If not for the seawater sinking below their ship as well, they would have died from the crash alone.

  [Ding! You have discovered Lair of Nidhogg]

  [Warning! The current area is too dangerous for your current level. It is advised that you return before venturing further]

  [Congratulations! You have obtained an achievement: Deep sea explorers(E-)]

  [SP +2]

  The bright floating screens illuminated the dark area. No one had a clue as to how they sank into the ocean, or why were there walls of water around them.

  “Alright, close your status and don’t make a fuss. Keep your shields ready and sail ahead.”

  “A-ahead?”

  “Yes, or what? You want to ram into the walls?” Zyrus replied to the shield warrior who was trembling in fear.

  Apart from the dark path in front of him, everything else was surrounded by sky-high walls of water. They could even see the fish swimming around them without a care. It was almost as if they didn’t exist in their eyes.

  “Alright,” the leading shield warrior replied with firm resolve and moved the ship forward. Since there was no air or water current in this stagnant chasm of water, they had to rely on the engraved spells to move the dragon of war.

  “Don’t hold back on your mana. We’ll reach the shore soon enough,” Zyrus’s calm and confident voice resounded in the dark environment.

  *Splash*

  ‘This place hasn’t changed one bit.’

  Zyrus recalled the first time he had come to this place. He was in the third ring back then. Apart from him and a couple of his subordinates, more than a thousand players under him were wiped out in this journey.

  ‘But this time, I don’t plan to lose a single life.’

  His reptilian eyes darted around the approaching shoreside. Just like the previous him, the players were unable to see what was ahead.

  But since he was now a Sylvarix, things were different. In front of them was a pitch-black cavern without a single source of light.

  If not for the full moon above, even he would have failed to notice this place without ramming their ships into it. After all, which sane person would expect to find a cavern in the middle of the ocean?

  “Stop the ship and prepare to depart. Take all the rations with you, we won’t be coming back for a while.”

  *Shlk*

  Before the players could ask anything, he jumped down and landed on the cavern’s floor. Only now did the players realize that there was a gigantic structure ahead of them.

  [Ding! You have entered the inner region of the lair of Nidhogg]

  ‘Tch…were they watching a horror movie while creating this place?’

  The cavern’s protruding stalactites and glistening black walls made it look like the mouth of a colossal beast. Zyrus didn’t like the unnecessary creepy vibe this place had. And the fact that he felt comfortable in this sticky and humid environment annoyed him even more.

  “Watch your steps, the mucus on the wall is corrosive.”

  “Got it,” The shield warriors replied in unison.

  “Jacob,”

  “Here.”

  “Throw fireballs in all directions. Shield warriors, don’t attack and just keep your shields up.”

  “Wouldn’t that attract all the monsters here?” Jacob asked as he channeled his mana. His curiosity didn’t stop him from following the order.

  “It’s pointless. They’ve surrounded us from the start.”