Chapter 380 - Atlante (3)

The Underground Island, Atlante.

Located in the far eastern waters of Grandrock, it was where I could obtain my second core Essence after [Gigantification]. Getting there wasn't particularly difficult.

A ship capable of sailing to Grandrock. An ability that allowed you to dive freely into the ocean depths, whether through magic, spirits, or skills. And most importantly, the perseverance to keep grinding through repetitive work.

With those three things, finding the Underground Island, Atlante, wasn't particularly difficult.

'Time to start grinding.'

Having entered Grandrock, we carefully steered our ship around the reefs and searched the surrounding area. There was something we had to do before we could reach the Underground Island hidden beneath these far eastern waters...

"Might I ask where our destination is...?"

As we wandered around, the navigator finally gave in to his curiosity. After a moment's thought, I answered him. There was no point keeping it secret now.

"Pardon? A red rocky island...?"

The navigator tilted his head at my answer.

"Yes. It should be big enough for about twenty people to stand on."

Each time the Labyrinth opened, three red rocky islands spawned at random locations in Grandrock. Only after completing the unlocking events on all three would the hidden Underground Island reveal itself.

"... Understood."

Surprisingly, the navigator didn't question my instructions.

"So that's where you're headed."

Apparently, he knew about the Underground Island event. A surprising number of people didn't, so he must have quite a few years of navigation under his belt.

"Then I'll plot the most efficient search route possible."

"Right. I'll leave that to you."

Now that he knew my objective, the navigator took a more proactive approach to steering the ship. On the fourth day, we found the rocky island we were looking for.

SPLASH.

The flat rocky island was submerged in ankle-deep water. I headed to its center and checked a crevice, where eggs the size of ostrich eggs lay neatly arranged.

"Eggs? What do we do with these now?"

Erwin, who had followed close at my side, asked curiously. I chuckled.

All the hidden elements in [Dungeon and Stone] worked the same way.

CRUNCH!

If something looked suspicious, you smashed it first.

That's what exploring was all about, right?

* * *

「The character has destroyed a Murmel nest.」

* * *

How long had it been since I smashed every last egg?

"Looks like we're finally getting a reaction."

"What?"

"Prepare for battle!"

No sooner had I shouted than sea monsters began emerging from beneath the rocky island.

Hmm. Could you really call them sea monsters?

SPLASH.

I looked the trident-wielding monster glaring at us up and down.

For one thing, it walked on two legs and had almost human proportions. But its blue skin had a scaly texture, and glowing tattoos covered its sleek surface. It also wore cloth over its private parts, and each one had its own distinctive hairstyle, unlike monsters that all looked exactly alike.

Well, their intelligence wasn't much different from other monsters'.

[SKREEEEEE!]

A savage howl without the slightest trace of language.

At that cry, the creatures surrounding us lunged at us in unison.

And...

「You have defeated a Murmel. EXP +3」

「You have defeated a Murmel Warrior. EXP +3」

「You have defeated a Murmel Archer. EXP +3」

「You have defeated a Murmel Shaman. EXP +3」

「You have defeated a Murmel Champion. EXP +4」

With so many different troop types, fresh EXP kept rolling in.

The battle itself wasn't particularly difficult. Hundreds of monsters attacked during this event, but their average rank didn't even reach six.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

I increased my Threat stat with [Gigantification] and held most of the aggro, so the hunt ended smoothly without a single injury.

Had the sight impressed them?

"To think we tried that against monsters like these... No wonder we ended up like that."

The mage muttered dejectedly, and the navigator nodded in emphatic agreement.

Honestly, no matter how soon you regretted something, it was already too late.

"Mage, if you've got time to stand around, collect the magic crystals."

"... I will."

After the battle, I put the mage to work gathering the magic crystals scattered everywhere.

"An Essence dropped. What should I do with it?"

"Leave it. It won't sell for much anyway."

"..."

A Murmel Essence had dropped, but I didn't bother taking it. We had a mage and the test tubes he'd been carrying, but it just wasn't worth it.

I couldn't waste one of our only two test tubes here—

RUMBLE.

What?

Why was the ground suddenly shaking?

"Mister?"

"Hold on."

We had been about to board the ship, but stopped to see what was happening. The tremors traveling across the water continued for about a minute before stopping as if nothing had happened.

But I thought I knew what had caused them.

「Somewhere deep beneath the sea, an underwater city reveals itself.」

I hadn't expected someone to have already cleared the other rocky islands.

Didn't that mean we could skip wasting time searching for the other two?

"I'm not sure whether to call this lucky..."

I couldn't quite decide what to make of the situation. Cutting down on the grind was good, but the fact that the other two island events were complete meant only one thing.

Somewhere out there, we had competitors aiming for the Underground Island.

Of course, it wasn't a hundred percent certain yet. Someone might have simply cleared the events while passing through and gone elsewhere.

But...

'I'll find out when I get there.'

I decided to revisit the issue later. I had no intention of changing my plans just because we might have competition anyway.

'Now, who should I take...?'

I gave it one final thought, but concluded once again that taking everyone was best. If an Essence dropped that we couldn't absorb, we'd need to put it in a test tube, so bringing the mage was nonnegotiable.

The same went for Erwin, who would solve our underwater breathing problem, and Amelia, whom we needed to find the Underground Island.

Well, we didn't really need the navigator, but...

'I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone either.'

"Mage, you said you could cast diving magic, right?"

"I did..."

"How long can you keep it going?"

"For how many people?"

"Three, including yourself."

[Spirit Form] took care of water pressure and breathing for Erwin and me, so he only needed to cover the other three with magic.

The water spirit could handle Amelia's breathing too, but it was better to minimize resource consumption if we were going to keep [Spirit Form] active.

"If I cast no other magic, four hours at most."

"Shorter than I expected, but that should be enough. Get ready, everyone. We're all going down together."

"..."

At my instructions, the navigator and mage swallowed hard and nodded.

They were taking this far too solemnly. It wasn't as if they'd have to fight.

SPLASH.

Once we were ready, I jumped into the water first. My [Spirit Form] link with Erwin, who followed right behind me, was already in place, so I felt no discomfort underwater at all.

Even seeing was as easy as if I were wearing goggles.

My barbarian body, which naturally sank in water, plunged swiftly toward the ocean floor without my even needing to swim.

Looking up, I saw Amelia descending after me. She had tied ropes around the navigator's and mage's waists and was holding them like reins.

Oh, and the navigator had heavy steel shackles fastened around his ankles.

THUD!

After sinking for more than ten minutes, my feet hit the seabed with a heavy thud. I waited a little, and Amelia's group soon arrived too.

CLICK.

It was so dark that I could see practically nothing, so I activated a Light Gem and fitted it into the groove in my helmet.

The reason I hadn't turned it on earlier was simple. Diving with a light on would attract monster attacks even during the descent.

Light spilled out, illuminating a much smaller area than it would on land.

Being able to breathe didn't mean I could speak aloud, so I waved my hands to signal that we should get moving.

We were in the dark ocean depths, where even compasses didn't work. Still, finding our destination wasn't particularly difficult.

After all, we had Amelia, a Guide, on our team.

「You have defeated a Deep Diver. EXP +4」

「You have defeated a Sea Worm. EXP +3」

「You have defeated a Shell Armor. EXP +4」

「You have defeated a Madclopter. EXP +5」

「You have defeated a Marimore...」

After about two hours of traveling and killing the various sea monsters drawn to our light, our destination appeared.

A submerged ruin, corroded and broken.

As we stepped inside, the pillars that still retained their shape began to glow, flooding the surroundings with light. A gigantic temple at the center emerged from the darkness.

["Wow..."]

Erwin, the only member of our party who could communicate freely, let out a gasp of wonder. I couldn't make a sound, but I felt much the same.

'Seeing it in person instead of in 2D really makes it look majestic.'

For the first time in ages, I truly felt as if I were exploring. Had I stumbled upon this place without knowing anything about it from the game, it would probably have been even more thrilling.

After stopping briefly to admire the distant temple, I waved us onward. We crossed the deserted ruins, climbed the stairs, and entered the temple.

And...

["Huh...?"]

In a small room at the top of the pyramid-shaped temple, Erwin's eyes widened with wonder.

["It's a portal...?"]

Oh, hadn't I mentioned it?

I'd assumed they'd have some idea from the moment I put Amelia, our Guide, in the lead.

Unable to answer anyway, I simply shrugged and stepped into the portal.

「The character has entered Atlante.」

Please, let the Essence drop on the first try.

* * *

The Underground Island, Atlante.

A hidden island reachable by clearing the rocky island events and diving into the ocean depths.

Unlike ordinary islands, you entered through a portal, but that didn't make it a rupture. Most importantly, no Guardian appeared here. Drop rates were the same as outside, too. With no Guardian, there were no Rupture Stones or Numbered items to be had.

That was why I usually called places like this hidden fields.

Prime examples included Larukaz' Maze, where I'd first encountered that Dragonslayer bastard, and the Otherworld, which I'd entered through a mirror obtained by killing a Millar Rodent on the fifth floor.

「Field Effect - Atlante is applied.」

「Status condition [Hyperventilation] is applied.」

「You are unaffected by water, but all resource consumption is increased twofold.」

「Status condition [Challenger] is applied.」

「Once combat begins, you cannot flee.」

As was typical of special fields like this, things changed the moment we entered. A red aura rippled across the ground beneath my feet.

'That must be the Challenger effect...'

[Hyperventilation] had no visual effect, but it should already be working. The fact that I could speak properly now was proof enough.

"You can release [Spirit Form] now."

Whew. That was a relief. Having to communicate entirely through hand gestures had been driving me crazy.

["What? But..."]

Erwin trailed off, then flinched.

["Huh? Mister, did you just speak underwater?"]

"That's why I said you could release it."

["What a strange place..."]

Once Erwin released [Spirit Form], the mage glanced at me and dispelled his diving magic too.

"This feels very unfamiliar. I can clearly feel that I'm underwater, yet there's no discomfort at all. Even moving feels no different from being outside."

As always, Amelia began checking her condition the moment her surroundings changed.

"So this is the Underground Island, Atlante..."

"I've spent over ten years on the sixth floor alone, but this is my first time coming here..."

The mage and navigator voiced their impressions with a touch of excitement.

But perhaps a belated sense of unease had set in?

"Um... What should we do now? We won't be any help in battle..."

The navigator cautiously asked for my instructions. I chuckled and gave them.

"All four of you, wait here for five minutes, then follow slowly."

"... Pardon?"

The navigator tilted his head as if he'd misheard, while the mage merely frowned.

And...

"Schuitz, didn't you say monsters here go up to rank three?"

"Yes, that's right. Even you shouldn't go alone, Mister..."

Amelia and Erwin expressed their concern. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction. The Underground Island ranked among the hardest places on the sixth floor. The sheer number of monsters meant it was normally tackled by an expedition force.

But...

"Enough. Listen to me. When have you ever seen me do anything dangerous?"

"... I have."

"I think it'd be harder to find a time when you haven't."

... Way to embarrass a guy.

"Anyway, I'm saying there's no need to worry. Just because we can breathe and talk normally doesn't mean we're not underwater."

"True... You have a point."

"If you're in any danger, call me right away! Okay?"

Once I gave them a sound reason, Erwin and Amelia let me go without further argument.

Okay, that took care of convincing them.

I slowly walked down the stairs from where the portal stood.

And the moment I stepped onto the last stair...

WHOOOOSH!

Dozens of red eyes flashed in the darkness beyond the Light Gem's reach.

They belonged to Sea God Stones, monsters found in Atlante's opening area. Rank five, incidentally.

They were stationary tower-type monsters with high Physical Resistance and slow but powerful ranged attacks...

I came to a stop right in their midst.

There was no need to draw a weapon. This was far more efficient than hitting them myself.

「30% of the damage taken is reflected back at the enemy.」

「30% of the damage taken is reflected back at the enemy.」

「30% of the damage taken is reflected back at the enemy.」

「Natural Regeneration is at its maximum due to the Passive Skill [Origin].」

「Powerful Luck.」

「150% of the damage taken is reflected back at the enemy.」

[GRAAAAGH!!]

「You have defeated a Sea God Stone. EXP +5」

Now then, shall we put this on easy mode?