novelraw Chapter 44: Deep Sea Water Spirits
Chapter 44: Deep Sea Water Spirits
After the Old Hunter left, the crowd was filled with sighs.
Red Wolves were no weak monsters—capturing them alive was an incredibly difficult task.
Add to that the ever-present threat of an attacking Old Hunter, plus the mysterious Supervisor—the Floral Witch...
How the hell were they supposed to play this rift?! It was unplayable!
In a flash, the nature of this rift had shifted from a hunting game to a survival game.
Some had already chosen to find a place to hide and survive the three days.
Chen Qi was also preparing to leave, when suddenly, he sensed a dangerous gaze.
It came from the Black Rabbit Gang—
Under Scarred Rabbit’s signal, the gang members had already drawn their guns and were ready to engage.
For Chen Qi, the biggest surprise in this rift was becoming a Supervisor.But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
The Black Rabbit Gang’s true goal in entering the rift was the hidden treasure.
To claim it, they needed not only to defeat the Old Hunter but also obtain a Supervisor’s map.
Obviously, they wouldn’t dare try and get one from the Floral Witch—that was suicide.
So Chen Qi had clearly become their number-one target.
“Hunted by rabbits, huh...”
Chen Qi sighed internally.
It was his first time being targeted by so many people with such hostile intent.
He pulled out the Black Blade from his Backpack Card.
The Black Rabbit Gang preferred agility and used compact submachine guns.
The current terrain was open and lacked cover—perfect for firearms.
His greatest strength lay in close combat with the Black Blade.
But facing a barrage of gunfire from dozens of enemies—even if he activated Burst to temporarily boost his power and defense—there was still a high chance of getting overwhelmed.
This place wasn’t suitable for a fight.
Chen Qi shook his head and strode away. Inside the dark forest, his advantage would grow.
A gang member whispered, “Boss, he’s leaving... do we move...?”
Scarred Rabbit gripped his gun and replied grimly, “Now’s not the time. We wait—for the forest. When he’s alone, we strike.”
He was biding his time.
If they attacked now, they might get hit by a terrifying tag team of the Floral Witch and Chen Qi.
But then—
They all froze.
Chen Qi was walking toward the forest—
But the direction he was heading... was toward the Floral Witch.
That was a witch!
A legendary high-tier Transcendent!
Wasn’t he afraid of getting turned into fertilizer?!
The Floral Witch tilted her head—curious yellow question-mark flowers blooming atop her head. Did he have something to say to her?
Her flower crown twitched, and she looked at him expectantly.
“……”
He had nothing to say. Just heading that way.
Chen Qi silently walked past her and entered the shadowy forest.
“Eh?”
The Floral Witch blinked in confusion.
She’d made such a graceful entrance and thought for sure he’d say something.
As he left, the gang members and the Floral Witch also made their way into the forest, each pursuing their own goals. The hunt had begun.
…
…
Moonlight filtered through the leaves.
Chen Qi carefully parted the undergrowth and followed a narrow forest path to the entrance of a cave.
“According to the Inspiration Revelation and the map markers, this should be it.”
It had taken him quite a while to locate this cave.
Unlike the others, his primary goal was the Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure.
Sure enough, inside the cave was a massive deep-sea creature.
What kind of treasure could possibly be labeled with “Body Part Difficulty – Finger”?
“Whew... Based on the revelation, it’s a deep-sea-type creature. Should be fine...”
Chen Qi pulled out a lantern from his Backpack Card and cautiously entered the cave.
Drip. Drip.
Water dripped from the stone walls.
The cave wasn’t big—just a short walk brought him to the end.
There were no skeletons here. No visible rift lines.
Only a calm, still pool of water.
Something felt off... Chen Qi crouched and peered closely.
He spotted bubbles... and what looked like two blue “eyes.”
He recognized the creature.
A Pool Dweller—an imitation beast composed primarily of water. When still, it looked like an ordinary pool.
When active, it became a massive slime-like water orb.
If any creature entered its territory, it would lash out with tentacles from the water and swallow them whole.
To defeat it, one had to destroy the core hidden within the water. Otherwise, the Pool Dweller would endlessly regenerate tentacles.
It was a pretty formidable monster. At this size, it could swallow fifty bears in one go.
Even the rift’s hidden boss, the Old Hunter, probably wouldn’t be its match.
Gurgle... Gurgle...
Sensing Chen Qi’s presence, the Pool Dweller stirred—water gathering in midair to form a massive sphere.
It ballooned to ten meters wide, nearly filling the entire cave!
On the surface of the sphere, two huge blue eyes opened.
The eyes turned, locking onto Chen Qi.
Yep... just like a giant slime.
“Hello there...”
Chen Qi smiled politely.
In terms of intimidation, this creature couldn’t compare to the Blood-Eyed Wall or the Near-Sea Overlord.
And visually, it was way cuter.
The Pool Dweller bounced happily at sensing his aura.
Then—Chen Qi’s eyes lit up.
Floating inside the watery sphere was a small treasure chest.
The Deep Sea Hunter had hidden it inside the creature!
Normally, one would have to fight the Pool Dweller in a brutal battle to get that chest.
But all he needed to do... was enter its body briefly.
“Should be fine... just a quick touch...”
Chen Qi swallowed nervously.
To the Pool Dweller, water was its skin.
Entering its body... was basically touching its skin.
Worried, he reached a hand inside.
No problem.
Feeling safe, Chen Qi held his breath and slid his upper body into the water sphere.
He stretched out and grabbed the tiny chest—then quickly pulled himself back out.
As he did, the Pool Dweller let out a soft “Ah~” of pleasure.
It wobbled up and down, its blue eyes turning a bit pink—it clearly wanted another round of petting.
“Got out safely...”
Chen Qi took a step back, a little creeped out by the creature’s affection.
He sat near the lantern and examined the palm-sized treasure chest.
A treasure chest rated “finger” difficulty couldn’t be expected to contain anything too amazing.
Still, without hesitation, he opened it.
What he found inside wasn’t a weapon. Not armor. Not a consumable.
But seven tiny water orbs—each the size of a fingernail.
“???”
Chen Qi was stunned.
What the heck was this?
They reminded him of a childhood toy—those expanding “water spirits” that grew when soaked.
Then a prompt popped up before him.
【Deep Sea Water Spirits
Element: Heart
Description: Slumbering beasts of the deep sea. Place them in the ocean for a while to awaken their true forms!
Note: They contain potent deep-sea power!】
They were pets!
Chen Qi never expected the Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure to be... special pet beasts!
“Heart” represented emotion, bond, and was closely tied to beast-taming.
In the Goldenfinch Kingdom, exotic beasts were plentiful, and many players followed the Beastmaster path.
But in the Bay Kingdom, using pets as a primary combat force wasn’t common. Players there preferred bulky steam mechs and blue-flamed Gatling guns.
As someone whose main account had been a pet trainer, Chen Qi could tell right away—
These seven little pets were high-grade!
Normally, acquiring them would require Tier 3 strength at minimum.
This was great loot!
For a “finger-difficulty” rift, finding rare pets this easily was a fantastic reward.
Chen Qi clapped his hands and stored the spirits in his Backpack Card.
But just then—he heard low, growling sounds echoing faintly from outside the cave.
“That’s a wolf’s growl—”
Hungry Red Wolves, drawn by the scent of human flesh.
With the treasure secured, it was time to turn back to the rift’s main mission!
Chen Qi glanced outside the cave.
This place was near the forest center.
Foot traffic from both people and beasts would be common.
The Pool Dweller wouldn’t attack him—but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t attack others.
A thought burst into his mind!
If he teamed up with the Pool Dweller... this could be a perfect ambush zone!
Aside from the Floral Witch, he’d be nearly unstoppable!
Even if the whole Red Wolf pack charged in, plus the Black Rabbit Gang, and the rift boss Old Hunter himself—
All of them together might not be enough to win!
Chen Qi smirked slightly, picked up the Black Blade, and stepped out of the cave toward the wolves.
This place... might just be the perfect “fishing spot.”