The icy, bone-chilling river water rushed towards Charles, jolting him awake. After taking a moment to adjust to the surroundings, Charles began to dive deeper into the water.
He had already applied some [beast-driving wine] to his diving suit, and it was starting to take effect. The restless piranhas, who were previously agitated, halted about ten meters away from Charles.
Glancing at the dozens of dark, hollow eyes surrounding him, Charles gritted his teeth and quickened his pace. The effect of the [beast-driving wine] dissipates rapidly in water, so he needed to hurry and complete his task.
The Nine Hell River was far deeper than Charles had anticipated. The surroundings were pitch black, with only faint glowing spots at the riverbed guiding his way.
A few minutes later, Charles discovered a sunken ship at the bottom of the river. The light was emanating from within it. He switched on his flashlight, revealing the iron ship, rusted and covered in river mud and aquatic plants, seemingly telling tales of its former glory.
The sight of the ancient ship strengthened Charles’ conviction—this might very well be an old ship that had once transported secret treasures.
Charles cautiously scanned the area, ensuring nothing was following him, and then carefully made his way into the ship.
After navigating through the long corridor of the ship’s cabin, a spacious storage room came into view. The ship was much larger than Charles had imagined, and beneath the layers of silt, countless treasures were scattered around.
In the center of this chamber stood a translucent crystal chest, emitting a ghostly blue glow—the very source of the light.
With his experience from the bloody pool tomb, Charles feared the surrounding treasures might be trapped, so he headed straight for the crystal chest in the center.
According to the system’s prompt, the [Heart of the Ninefold Abyss] was a golden-quality treasure. Although its purpose was still unclear, Charles guessed it was far more valuable than the ordinary objects around it.
Charles cautiously surveyed his surroundings once more, and after confirming there were no guarding ferocious beasts, he slowly approached.
As he drew near the crystal chest, the light from the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss grew so bright that Charles could barely keep his eyes open. He also noticed that the water’s energy in the area was abnormally abundant.
He focused briefly on the source of the water energy and discovered it all originated from the small, aquamarine spirit stone inside the chest!
Crack, crack…
A screech pierces the silence,A piercing screech echoed around him, like metal scraping against metal. The entire sunken ship began to tremble slightly.
Almost instinctively, Charles turned to look behind him. To his horror, a massive creature had completely blocked the entrance he had just come through.
As Charles stared in shock, a series of messages flashed across his system’s interface.
—[Giant Freshwater Crocodile]—
[Attribute]: Water
[Level]: 17
[Quality]: Gold
[Skills]: Wild Collision, Death Roll
[Mood]: Agitated
[Health]: Healthy
[Weakness]: Earth attribute
[Description]: This is an adult male Giant Freshwater Crocodile, which has claimed this sunken ship as its home. Your sudden intrusion has made it extremely agitated. It possesses a bite force of up to 50,000 kilograms, strong enough to snap steel.
Charles felt a wave of tension wash over him as he read the system’s warning.
A Level 17 creature, and it’s even a Gold-quality ferocious beast—this was the first time Charles had ever faced such a formidable enemy.
“Damn it, and of all places, it’s in the water. This is definitely the home turf of a water-attribute ferocious beast. Max and Mousie likely wouldn’t stand a chance.”
In the briefest moment, Charles abandoned any thought of fighting the Giant Freshwater Crocodile. After all, his goal was to retrieve the treasure at the bottom of the river, not to engage in a battle. If he could avoid a fight, he would.
Charles quickly opened the crystal chest, grabbed the Heart of the Ninefold Abyss, and stored it in his inventory space. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he swam frantically towards a damaged porthole to make his escape.
But the Giant Freshwater Crocodile was a creature of the water, with fins on its limbs and tail. With a mere flick of its tail, it propelled itself toward Charles at breakneck speed.
Lightning demon ape!
With a resounding crash, the Giant Freshwater Crocodile slammed through the rusted hull of the ship, charging directly at Charles. Its massive jaws gaped wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, capable of shredding anything in their path.
The creature was several times faster than Charles, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Its powerful jaws snapped shut, aiming to crush Charles between them—
Thud!
A sharp sound and a crimson sea.With a crisp, sharp sound, blood began to stain the surrounding river water.
“Damn it, this thing is nearly impossible to handle underwater!”
Charles cursed under his breath. The Ice and Fire Supreme Spear had managed to wedge itself between the two jaws of the Giant Freshwater Crocodile, with the spearhead already piercing into the crocodile’s upper jaw, causing blood to gush out.
The two beast cores embedded in the spear were glowing brightly, and the entire spear now radiated a ghostly blue light as it resisted the crocodile’s overwhelming bite force. After a tense standoff lasting nearly a minute, the Giant Freshwater Crocodile suddenly jerked its head, flinging Charles out of its mouth.
The blood streaming from its mouth only served to awaken the Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s primal instincts. After missing its initial attack, it quickly adjusted its stance and charged at Charles once more.
Charles immediately recognized that the Giant Freshwater Crocodile had activated its [Wild Collision] skill!
Its body was tougher than steel, and at this depth of nearly a hundred meters, being struck by it would be fatal for Charles.
“Max, Mousie, prepare for battle!” Charles commanded through Mind Communication.
At the same moment, Mousie was summoned from the Beast Mastery space, using its Mimetic Illusion to create an identical Giant Freshwater Crocodile, which then engaged in combat with the real one.
Meanwhile, Max launched ice spikes that, upon hitting the Giant Freshwater Crocodile, froze a section of the river water along with part of the crocodile’s body.
The Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s attack was thwarted by the illusion Mousie had created. At the same time, the areas struck by Max’s ice spikes began to stiffen.
To the Giant Freshwater Crocodile, Charles, with his much smaller stature, seemed like an easy prey—nothing more than a juicy morsel. But to its surprise, Charles proved to be as stubborn as a porcupine, blocking its attacks and even managing to wound it.
As its limbs gradually became numb and more blood poured from its wounds, the Giant Freshwater Crocodile grew increasingly enraged, its eyes beginning to glow a deep, blood-red.
Seeing the three figures swimming towards the surface, the Giant Freshwater Crocodile thrashed its tail fin, preparing to unleash its most powerful strike!
Up ahead!
Charles could faintly see the moonlight. With Max and Mousie buying him precious time, he had managed to reach the surface. He burst out of the water, with Max and Mousie following closely behind.
Shaking off the river water from his fur, Charles and his two companions sprinted towards the forest, running for their lives…
Behind them, the river surged as a massive form leaped out of the water. The colossal creature, nearly ten meters long, broke the surface and instantly blotted out the moonlight above Charles!
The Giant Freshwater Crocodile had caught up!
The moment it surfaced, Max and Mousie halted their retreat, determined to protect Charles. Despite being outclassed by three to four levels, they did not hesitate to engage the Giant Freshwater Crocodile in battle.
Max unleashed its [Bone-Achingly Cold] skill, igniting with a pale, ghostly flame as it clashed head-on with the crocodile in close combat.
Mousie projected an illusion of a double-headed tiger to assist Max in the fight.
Watching the intense battle unfolding behind him, Charles furrowed his brow slightly.
Being near the Nine Hell River, the area was saturated with water-attribute energy, which enhanced the Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s strength to some extent. Moreover, the water attribute naturally countered the fire attribute. With this dual advantage, the crocodile quickly gained the upper hand over Max and Mousie.
This was a formidable adversary!
It was undoubtedly the toughest battle Charles had faced since entering the Ferocious Beast Mountain Range.
“If this continues, Max will be defeated,” Charles thought, gripping the Ice and Fire Supreme Spear tightly. He prepared to unleash his most powerful attack, [Puncture Thorn]!
This move was a skill he had mastered during his battle with Bradley. Its extreme piercing power had been strong enough to break through the defenses of a Level 3 Beast Master like Bradley, so it would certainly be effective against a Level 1 ferocious beast.
Although this attack had significant recoil, Charles couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
He slowly raised his spear, taking careful aim at the massive creature before him. The surrounding ice and fire attribute energies began to converge into a swirling vortex. After a brief moment of gathering power, the spear shot from his hand with explosive force!
The Giant Freshwater Crocodile was closing in fast!
The moment it appeared, Max and Mousie ceased their retreat, determined to protect Charles. Despite the 3 to 4 level gap, they didn’t hesitate to engage the Giant Freshwater Crocodile in battle.
Max activated its [Bone-Achingly Cold] skill, its body igniting with a pale, ghostly flame, as it engaged in close combat with the Giant Freshwater Crocodile.
Mousie, meanwhile, projected an illusion of a two-headed tiger to support Max in the fight.
Watching the intense battle raging behind him, Charles furrowed his brow slightly.
Being so close to the Nine Hell River, the area was saturated with water-attribute energy, which amplified the Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s strength. Moreover, the water attribute naturally countered fire. With these dual advantages, Max and Mousie were quickly being overwhelmed.
This was a formidable opponent!
It was, without a doubt, the toughest battle Charles had faced since entering the Ferocious Beast Mountain Range.
“At this rate, Max will be defeated,” Charles thought.
He tightened his grip on the Ice and Fire Supreme Spear, ready to unleash his most powerful attack, [Puncture Thorn]!
This move was a skill he had mastered during his battle with Bradley. Its extreme piercing power had been strong enough to break through the defenses of a Level 3 Beast Master like Bradley, so it would certainly be effective against a Level 1 ferocious beast.
Though this attack came with significant recoil, Charles couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
He slowly raised his spear, carefully aiming at the massive creature before him. The ice and fire attribute energies around him began to converge into a swirling vortex. After a brief moment of gathering power, the spear shot from his hand with explosive force!
The spear shot forward at an incredible speed, carrying an unstoppable momentum. It wasn’t until the spear was mere meters away that the Giant Freshwater Crocodile realized what was happening. Its eyes widened in terror, pupils contracting into narrow slits as it faced the oncoming wave of lethal energy.
Thud!
A crisp sound echoed through the water, clean and decisive.
In that moment of absolute penetration, the Ice and Fire Supreme Spear pierced through the Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s skull, shredded its internal organs, and burst out from the other side of its body. The searing pain was excruciating. Despite its mountainous size, the crocodile could only thrash and roll in agony.
And in that very instant!
Max and Mousie struck in unison, their claws—wolf and tiger—slicing through the crocodile’s throat.
Blood gushed from the wound, and the Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s lantern-like eyes slowly dimmed as life ebbed away.
For over a century, it had roamed the depths of the Nine Hell River unchallenged, yet now, at the end of its reign, it had fallen at the hands of a seemingly weak human boy…
“We did it!”
Charles exclaimed in triumph, before collapsing onto the ground, gasping for breath.
The battle had been unbelievably perilous. If he had been just a moment slower in reaching the shore, he might have found himself inside the Giant Freshwater Crocodile’s stomach by now.
[You have defeated the ferocious beast [Giant Freshwater Crocodile] (Lv17, Gold Quality)!
[Mystical Beast Max] (Lv.14) Loyalty +1! Experience +500! Your pet Max has leveled up!
[Mystical Beast Mousie] (Lv.13) Loyalty +3! Experience +600! Your pet Mousie has leveled up!
[…]