Chương 155

The sleek Siren boat cut through the dark red waves. It had been a few hours since they left the pirate island. The sun was starting to set, casting long, dark shadows across the water. The sea breeze was warm, but the air felt heavy. Rudra sat cross-legged at the front of the boat. He was peeling a basic potato with a small iron knife. He was still practicing his pure cooking. He wasn't using any magic tools or system assists, just his own hands. Kratos lay flat on the wooden deck next to him.

The half-gold, half-black lion looked completely miserable.

"I'm bored," Kratos groaned. He rested his heavy chin on his paws and sighed.

"And I'm hungry. And my fur smells like dead fish. Why are we still on this tiny boat?"

"Because we have temples to clear," Rudra said. He tossed a perfectly peeled potato into a wooden bucket and grabbed another one.

"Stop complaining. You didn't even do anything on the last island."

"I guarded the soup," Kratos argued, lifting his head.

"That is a very important job. Someone could have stolen a carrot." Rudra rolled his eyes. He wiped his knife on a towel and stood up.

"Are we close, Finn?" Rudra called out. The elite Siren scout steering the boat nodded. Finn checked the Siren King's map and pointed toward a rocky outcrop jutting out of the ocean a few miles away.

"Just ahead, Duke Rudra," Finn said.

"The coordinates match perfectly. The radar indicates a submerged ruin right beneath those black rocks. It should be the 69th temple."

"Good," Rudra said. He stretched his arms and grabbed his heavy black staff, Extortion, from the deck. The weapon was a masterpiece crafted by Grid. It was made entirely of a dense, dark legendary metal. Blue sparks of lightning crackled quietly up and down the heavy shaft.

"Let's get this over with," Rudra muttered. The boat slowed down. They pulled into the shadow of the black rocks. The water here was incredibly clear, but it was very shallow. The bottom of the boat scraped gently against a coral reef.

"I can't take the ship any further," Finn said, dropping the heavy metal anchor into the water.

"The temple entrance is right below us in the reef."

"Stay here," Rudra said.

"We'll be right back." Rudra jumped over the side of the boat. He landed in the waist-deep water with a loud splash. Kratos hesitated for a second, glaring at the ocean, before jumping in after him with an unhappy growl. They waded through the shallow water toward a massive, dark opening in the rocks. It looked like a flooded cave. Glowing blue moss covered the wet stone walls, providing a dim, eerie light. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

As soon as they stepped inside the cave, the system pinged. [You have entered the 69th Temple of the Ocean God, Asterion.] [The guardian spirits have detected an intruder!] The water around their legs started to bubble rapidly. A dozen ugly, frog-like monsters climbed out of the water. They had thick, scaly green skin and glowing yellow eyes. They held rusty tridents and croaked loudly. [Deep Sea Murloc Lv. 320] [Deep Sea Murloc Lv. 320]"I hate frogs," Kratos complained, shaking his wet paws.

"Then don't touch them," Rudra said. Rudra gripped the dark metal shaft of Extortion with both hands. He didn't bother using any of his legendary buffs. He just stepped forward and swung the heavy staff in a wide arc. Smack. The heavy metal hit the first Murloc right in the chest. Blue lightning exploded on impact. The monster froze instantly, paralyzed by the weapon's passive effect. A split second later, the blunt force shattered the Murloc into blue pixels. Rudra didn't stop to reset his stance.

He just let the momentum of the heavy staff carry him right into the next swing. He spun around, bringing the blunt end down on a second Murloc's head. Crack. Another flash of blue lightning. Another monster deleted. It was incredibly easy. Rudra just walked through the flooded cave, swinging the staff in a constant, lazy rhythm. He was treating the fight like a casual stroll. The heavy weapon did all the work. He bounced the attacks from one target to the next without breaking a sweat.

They reached the main altar room in less than five minutes. The room was huge. In the center was a massive stone altar covered in damp seaweed. Guarding the altar was the temple boss. It was a giant crab, the size of a small truck, with thick red shells and massive, crushing claws. [Armored King Crab Lv. 350] The crab hissed, snapping its claws aggressively at the intruders.

"Want me to bite its legs?" Kratos offered, baring his teeth.

"No, the shell is too hard. You'll chip a tooth," Rudra said. Rudra jogged forward. The King Crab lunged, swinging a massive claw right at his head. Rudra simply ducked under the slow, heavy attack. He stepped right up to the crab's vulnerable underbelly. He pulled his black staff back and thrusted it forward like a spear. Thwack. The blunt end of the dark metal staff hit the crab directly in the center of its chest plate. The blue lightning surged into the monster's body. The paralyze effect triggered instantly.

The giant crab froze stiff, its eyes twitching helplessly.

"Night night," Rudra said. He pulled the staff back and delivered three fast, heavy swings to the exact same spot. The raw physical damage piled up. The crab's health bar dropped to zero in seconds. It shattered into a massive cloud of gray ash and dropped a few gold coins and a low-level pearl into the water. Rudra ignored the loot. He walked up to the stone altar and grabbed the dusty pieces of parchment resting on top. [You have acquired "Forgotten Skill Fragments"] x 4 [You have cleared the 69th Temple!] [Progress: 69 / 113 Temples Cleared] Suddenly, a sharp pain spiked right behind Rudra's eyes. He dropped the parchments. He grabbed his head with both hands, stumbling backward into the shallow water.

"Rudra?" Kratos asked, his ears flattening. The lion trotted over, looking worried.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rudra couldn't answer. His vision went completely white. [Your title 'Legend of the Destroyed World' is reacting to the ancient energy of the ocean!] [You are witnessing a fragment of the Lost History.] The flooded cave vanished.