Chapter 299

"Kumironi: Even if it might be a trap... you still want to go?"

Kanzaki Rei fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"...Yeah."

"Since I’ve already decided... let’s go."

Ansu’s voice immediately echoed in his mind.

"Kid, what exactly did you see?"

"This sea is far more terrifying than you think. Are you really going to throw your life away like this?"

Kanzaki Rei replied calmly, "If I truly encounter something I can’t handle... I’ll let you step in."

Hearing such a firm response—

Ansu’s tone sank slightly.

At the same time, it couldn’t help muttering inwardly.

This little brat is usually cautious to the extreme... why has he suddenly gone mad?

Could it be the influence of this month again?

...Forget it. If he runs into real danger, that’s actually a good thing. Once he faces something he can’t solve, he’ll naturally come begging me.

Though honestly... there aren’t many things left in this world that can kill him.

Every one of those thoughts—

Kanzaki Rei heard them clearly.

"...Let’s go."

His tone gradually steadied, maturing.

Then, he glanced back at Yelia.

Clink—

The seal binding her was released.

"You should understand by now—the situation in the Secret Sea has nothing to do with me."

"Whether you follow or stay... that’s your choice."

After saying that—

Kanzaki Rei and Kumironi plunged straight into the sea.

Whoosh!

They descended.

For combat classes, starting from Level 3, prolonged breathing was no longer necessary.

By Level 4—

most classes had their own methods of breathing underwater.

The "air" of this world wasn’t pure oxygen—

but something called vital essence.

As long as its flow was maintained, life could continue.

Ordinary people struggled to obtain it underwater.

But as class levels increased, one could draw it from more sources.

Which meant—

they could remain submerged for long periods.

Entering the Secret Sea once more—

the familiar sensation returned.

The water felt viscous, clinging to the body—

less like water, more like being submerged in a gelatinous fluid.

Kanzaki Rei expanded a faint barrier of light around himself.

This thin layer completely isolated the seawater.

Better not make direct contact this time.

ROAR!

The moment they entered—

monsters surged from all directions like sharks smelling blood!

Slash—!

Light flashed!

Golden radiance ignited into blazing holy flames, enveloping his body!

Kanzaki Rei only dealt with what was necessary—

and with Kumironi, rapidly descended into the deep sea!

Behind him—

deathly energy continuously radiated outward.

As they sank deeper—

golden flames spread through the water, burning any monster that dared approach.

Undead began forming one after another behind him.

It was as if he were releasing balloons along the way—

every monster slain was immediately transformed into an undead servant, joining their escort.

"I hear it... the call is getting stronger," Kumironi said, her voice filled with shock.

"Something is calling me."

The Secret Sea was pitch-black.

No light penetrated its depths.

Even perception was limited.

In places where normal senses failed—

vision became the only way to orient oneself.

But underwater—

even sight couldn’t reach far.

"...This distance..."

Kanzaki Rei tracked the destination through Hidden Origin.

The point labeled Earth—

was getting closer.

But the deeper they went—

the stronger the surrounding monsters became.

At this point—

every creature around them was at least Tier 7.

Each one rivaled the tree-like monsters of seventh-tier dungeons.

Some were even comparable to the Pure White Blighted Trees.

Suddenly—

his perception hit something.

A wall.

No—

not a wall.

The surface ahead was covered in scales and flesh—

this was a living entity, blocking his senses.

"Another monster?"

From the moment the Secret Sea had changed—

Kanzaki Rei had remained in combat state.

Which meant—

Apex State had been active the entire time.

At the same moment, Kumironi transmitted urgently:

"Kanzaki Rei! I’m sensing an extremely powerful lifeform!"

"...Yeah."

Boom!

The seawater beside Kumironi exploded—

and in the next instant, Kanzaki Rei had already appeared before the massive creature.

His body twisted—

holy flames surging wildly!

"Karmic Sin Incineration Style — Second Form: First Sin Punishment!"

Bang!

The blade struck—

cleaving into the massive, wall-like body!

A thin line of light appeared across its surface—

and in the next instant—

holy flames ignited along that line!

[Sword of Purifying Flame Judgment][This blade can sever all things below Tier 9.][Its strikes carry an eternal, inextinguishable holy flame.][Its fire burns all evil and purifies all suffering.][All light-based techniques gain amplification from Purifying Flame Judgment.]

This—

was the description of the divine artifact.

Whoosh!

The creature’s body split cleanly in two—

holy flames spreading upward and downward, consuming it entirely.

At the same time—

another undead formed behind Kanzaki Rei.

[Silent Sea Wall]

This monster resembled a massive living barrier—

one side covered in hardened scales, the other writhing with flesh.

Its tier—

Tier 7, Third Evolution.

Stronger than the Pure White Blighted Tree.

At Sixth Tier, Fifth Evolution, monsters reached Continental-class.

But for Seventh Tier—

this was only the Third Evolution.

He hadn’t even encountered Fourth or Fifth Evolution monsters yet.

And yet—

even something like this—

he could kill in a single strike.

[Apex State — 30 minutes]

His physical strength—

was now 30,000 times his normal state.

In a single instant—

he could traverse tens of thousands of kilometers.

With this level of power—

combined with the divine artifact—

even against an Eighth-Tier class user, he likely wouldn’t lose easily.

"Let’s speed up," Kanzaki Rei said to Kumironi, who had just caught up.

"...Alright."

Golden holy flames continued to burn—

illuminating the corpse of the massive creature.

Kumironi followed as they descended further.

But as she glanced back—

she seemed to hear faint echoes of crying.

The sound wasn’t clear.

When she focused on it—

it vanished.

She couldn’t tell if it was real or imagined.

It felt like humming a tune in your mind—

no sound actually heard, yet the melody lingered.

"Kanzaki Rei... do you hear... crying?"

"No."

Below them—

only endless darkness remained.

"Kumironi, did you notice something unusual?"

She shook her head.

"No... maybe it’s just my imagination."

"...Your imagination."

Kanzaki Rei didn’t dismiss it.

Instead—

he stopped.

"Where exactly did you hear it?"

Kumironi turned back, pointing toward where they had just killed the monster.

Without hesitation—

Kanzaki Rei immediately retraced his path.

Behind them—

a battlefield had already formed.

They had been descending continuously—

but the monsters had been chasing them.

Those monsters were slain—

then turned into undead—

and those undead began fighting the incoming monsters.

The result—

every place Kanzaki Rei passed became a warzone.

Monsters killing monsters.

And because his undead were slightly stronger than they had been in life—

and worked in coordination—

their numbers kept growing.

The more he killed—

the more he gained.

Soon—

they returned to the spot where the creature had been slain.

"Here?" Kanzaki Rei asked.

"...Yes."

"It felt like here... but now I don’t hear anything."

"It might not be anything real. Maybe it’s just... memories from what I went through recently."

Kanzaki Rei swept the area with his perception.

Nothing.

He used divination.

Still nothing.

"...There’s no anomaly."

"Let’s keep moving."

"...Alright."

As expected... Little Kanzaki Rei is still as cautious as ever.

Not long after descending further—

they encountered something else.

A patch of brilliantly colored "water."

But it wasn’t water—

it was a monster.

A Seventh-Tier, Fourth Evolution entity.

[Parasitic Sea]

Its body wasn’t liquid—

but pure color.

Its entire existence was parasitic.

Touch it even slightly—

and it would invade the body, assimilating the host—

or devour it outright.

Just how many monsters are lurking in this sea?

The number of Seventh-Tier monsters he had encountered here—

already exceeded everything he had seen in his entire life.

Is Earth really down there?

Could it be...

that the Earth I came from... is surrounded by things like this?