novelraw Chapter 47: The Submerged Update (2)
Chapter 47: The Submerged Update (2)
Swimming through the temple, Verso realized that although the entire layout of the place remained the same, the atmosphere had shifted completely.
The rows of stone benches were still there alongside the massive pillars and the high ceilings but now that they were under water everything had a blue hue around it.
He paused as he glided past the statue at the far wall, the massive coiling leviathan.
Its eyes which were previously dull grey stone, were now glowing with a sharp piercing blue light.
It felt as though the statue was tracking his movement at all times, watching him with an ancient but predatory curiosity.
"Well, that is a little creepy..."
Verso didn’t waste any time lingering around.
He pushed off a pillar, his body cutting through the water with effortless grace.
It didn’t take him long to realize that this was because of [Son of The Seas] as he wasn’t just swimming in the water but rather he was flying around.
Every kick and stroke propelled him forward with a speed and fluidity that would be impossible for anyone who shared the same stats as him.
He reached the massive golden doors with the mysterious symbols and drifted out into the streets of Atlantis.
Looking around, his breath hitched or rather, the rhythmic flow of mana in his lungs stuttered.
"That is insane..."
The massive ghost town he had visited before was completely gone. In its place was a thriving yet terrifying ecosystem.
Massive Iron Crabs walked along the seabed, their shells looking like reinforced tank armor.
Further out, in the darker reaches of the water, he could see the silhouettes of Sea Serpents and Leviathans patrolling the ruins.
With the dome now gone, the city was no longer a bubble of air but instead it had completely became a part of the ocean.
Verso looked up, wondering if he could finally see the surface.
But just as he did, he completely froze. His blood running cold.
"What the fuck..."
Above the city, blocking out whatever light filtered down from the surface, was a creature of such sheer, incomprehensible size that it did not even look like a beast but rather looked like a continent.
He couldn’t see the creature’s head or its tail. He could only see massive, mountain sized coils of its body that spiraled over the entire city like a cage of scales.
’H-how do I even describe this.’
It was something way beyond the realm of his understanding. This creature was a tier of power that made the Serpent that had killed him previously look like a common earthworm.
A lump formed in Verso’s throat.
He wanted to turn back.
He wanted to wake up in his hotel room and forget he ever saw that thing... but he couldn’t.
This realm was literally his only chance to find an edge before the exam.
He forced his gaze away from the monster above and noticed a movement to his left.
He saw a lone Sea Serpent, roughly fifteen feet long, was gliding toward him.
Its eyes were already locked onto his glowing body with unmistakable hunger and bloodlust.
"Looks like I’ve already offended the residents." Verso muttered.
He opened his summoning space, targeting a point between him and the Serpent.
"Goliath!"
The grey particles swirled in the water and right after a twelve foot stone giant materialized.
But the moment it appeared, the laws of physics asserted themselves. Without the Son of the Seas talent, the golem was just a massive pile of heavy rocks.
It did not even try to float before beginning to sink like an anchor, its arms flailing uselessly against the water in hopes of trying to swim.
"This is bad..."
Verso realized his mistake instantly. Almost all of his summons were ground creatures that did not have the ability to swim.
This meant that he could not rely on them unless they were standing on the ground.
Making a change to his plan, he quickly dove toward the seabed, trying to reach it before the Sea Serpent could catch up to him.
But even before he could make it halfway there, a dark shadow appeared above him.
He looked up just as the Sea Serpent had reached him with its jaw unhinged, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
"Not again!"
Verso did not want to experience dying to the Sea Serpent again, so he made his brain go in overdrive trying to come up with a solution.
In a desperate move, he summoned a second Giant Golem directly between himself and the serpent’s open maw.
CRUNCH.
The impact was deafening as the serpent did not just bite the golem, it literally tore through the enchanted stone as if it were wet cardboard.
The twelve foot Stone Golem shattered into a thousand fragments instantly unable to even fight back.
[Summon ’Stone Golem’ Dead.]
The shockwave of the strike sent Verso spinning into the ruins of a nearby building.
He scrambled to find his footing as the serpent blitzed right past him, its scales shimmering with a dangerous light.
Verso’s eyes were wide with shock.
His Stone Golem was a completely maxed out Mutant beast. It literally had the highest endurance of anything in his arsenal and it had just been erased in a single strike.
"It’s... an Elite."
The realization settled in Verso’s mind as his heart suddenly dropped.
He looked around the water again, trying to re evaluate the size and strength of the creatures he had seen.
That was when he understood that none of them were Mutants.
The update had not just changed the geography of the realm but it had also scaled the difficulty.
He watched the Serpent circle back for another chance at him, its movements sleek and terrifyingly efficient in water.
Despite the fear he felt, a new sinister spark appeared in Verso’s eyes.
Not only did he have the ability to come back after his death, but he also had an underwater talent.
"Can I get my hands on this guy before the start of the exam...?"
Like a child that had find a new toy to play with Verso’s smile spread wide.