Chương 30

Rudra slipped into the shallow sea cave, leaving the chaotic noise of the beach far behind him. The dark water sloshed against his boots. Faint blue coral glowed on the crumbling stone pillars leading deeper into the cliff. As he walked past the archway, a translucent window popped up. [Quest Updated: The Gathering Tide] [You have located the tenth temple. The source of the coastal wildlife's erratic behavior is directly ahead. Investigate and eliminate the threat.]"Investigate and eliminate," Rudra mumbled, wading deeper.

"If it's another giant crab, I am officially turning vegetarian." The narrow tunnel suddenly opened into a massive, flooded cavern. The ceiling was cracked, letting in thin beams of moonlight. At the very back of the room, sitting on a raised stone platform, was the altar of Asterion. But Rudra wasn't looking at the altar. He was looking at the massive, terrifying thing resting on top of it. It wasn't a crab. It was a giant, bloated squid.

Its slick, rubbery skin was covered in pulsing purple veins and jagged, black barnacles. A thick, foul-smelling slime leaked from its tentacles, polluting the clear blue temple water into a murky purple. [Corrupted Trench Horror - Lv. 85] Rudra froze. Level 85. That explained why thousands of crabs and murlocs had stampeded the town. They weren't migrating; they were running for their lives. This thing had crawled out of the deep ocean and stolen their nest.

"You are incredibly ugly," Rudra said, pulling his heavy oak staff off his shoulder.

"And you definitely don't look edible." The Horror heard his voice. Its massive yellow eye snapped open. It let out a piercing, ear-splitting shriek that made the cave walls vibrate. Three thick tentacles whipped through the air, ignoring the water resistance entirely, and shot straight at Rudra. Rudra didn't block. He pivoted hard to the right, fully expecting his speed to carry him out of range. Two of the tentacles smashed into the stone where he had just been standing.

But the third one corrected its path mid-air with terrifying speed. Smack. The thick limb clipped his shoulder like a whip. [-480 HP] Rudra stumbled backward, his boots sliding through the knee-deep water. He grabbed his shoulder, wincing at the sharp, burning pain. A massive chunk of his health was instantly gone.

"Fuck," he coughed, spitting out murky water.

"You're fast." The Horror shrieked again and pulled itself off the altar. The water rapidly rose to Rudra's waist as the massive beast slid into the pool. Tentacles lashed out from every direction. Rudra completely abandoned defense. He fought wildly. He ducked under a sweeping attack, swung his staff to deflect a piercing thrust, and fired [Minor Tidal Push] into the water just to blast himself out of a corner.

"Crushing Strike!" Rudra yelled, bringing his staff down hard on an incoming tentacle. The heavy iron-oak smashed into the rubbery flesh. The impact was solid, but the monster barely flinched. His damage was being heavily suppressed by the massive level gap. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Before he could pull his weapon back, a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and violently yanked him off his feet. He crashed into the freezing water.

Another tentacle slammed into his chest before he could even brace himself. [-510 HP] He was drowning, his health bar plunging straight into the red zone. The monster dragged him through the water, pulling him closer to its massive, snapping beak.

"Get off me!" Rudra choked, thrashing against the grip. He didn't have time to overthink it. He pulled up his interface right in the middle of the struggle. He dumped his entire massive reserve of hoarded stat points directly into his strength and speed. A sudden surge of heat exploded through his muscles. The freezing chill of the corrupted water instantly vanished. The heavy, desperate feeling in his chest was completely replaced by raw, surging power.

The thick tentacle dragging him suddenly felt incredibly weak. Rudra reached down and grabbed the slick flesh wrapping his ankle with his bare hand. He didn't use a skill. He just squeezed. The rubbery skin popped. The Horror let out a bubbly shriek and immediately let go. Rudra scrambled to his feet. He felt completely untethered. The water resistance didn't even register against his new speed. He dashed forward, effortlessly swaying through a flurry of tentacle strikes like he was dodging raindrops.

He didn't stop at the boss's face. He channeled mana into his boots. [Abyssal Step] He ran right up the slick, curved side of the cavern wall. He took three invisible steps into the empty air, completely clearing the monster's flailing reach. He looked down at the massive yellow eye.

"My turn," Rudra grinned wildly behind his mask. He dropped like a stone. He gripped the heavy oak staff with both hands, letting his upgraded strength and the heavy momentum of the fall completely take over. [Crushing Strike] The staff smashed directly into the center of the giant yellow eye. SQUELCH. The level penalty didn't matter anymore. The sheer, overwhelming blunt force completely shattered the monster's skull. The Horror seized up, its tentacles violently thrashing the water, before going completely limp.

It dissolved into a massive pile of grey ash and black coral. [You have defeated the Corrupted Trench Horror.] [Experience has been acquired.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] Rudra landed in the water, his chest heaving. His stamina was almost completely empty, but he was laughing. Pushing his limits always felt ridiculously good. He waded over to the ash pile and scooped up a few glowing purple scales, tossing them into his inventory. [Quest 'The Gathering Tide' has been completed!] [You have eliminated the terrifying predator that displaced the coastal wildlife.] [Please report back to Broc the Cook for your reward.]"Good," Rudra muttered, leaning on his staff.

"Broc owes me a very large meal for this." He turned his attention to the back of the room. The stone altar of Asterion was glowing with a warm, clean blue light. The foul purple slime had completely washed away. Rudra walked up the stone steps and placed both of his hands flat on the cold altar. A massive, golden system prompt descended in front of him. [The Hidden Quest 'The Legacy of the Submerged God' has been updated!] [Progress: 10 / 113 Temples Cleared] [You have reached a significant milestone.] [Asterion recognizes your unnatural persistence in seeking the forgotten depths.] [You have received: Asterion's Blessing (Minor).] [Asterion's Blessing (Minor)] [Passive] [The ocean embraces you as one of its own. - You can breathe indefinitely in any body of water. - All physical movement and attack speed penalties caused by water resistance are permanently removed.] Rudra's eyes widened. He read the text twice just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. No more drowning.

No more swinging his staff like it was stuck in wet concrete. He could fight underwater exactly like he fought on dry land.

"Hell yes," Rudra cheered, patting the stone altar affectionately.

"Asterion, you are definitely my favorite god." He turned around and waded out of the cave. He was bruised, starving, and his health was sitting at an uncomfortable twenty percent, but he felt incredible. It was time to get away from the beach, find a quiet place to cook, and finally get some rest.