Chapter Seventeen: Journey Beneath the Waters

Touch of the Murloc King (Spray)
Quality: Level 1 (Blue/Ornamental)
Attributes: +1 Constitution, +1 Spirit
Usable by: Mage, Assassin, Priest, Warlock, etc.
Required Level: 1

Fang of the Murloc King (Dagger)
Quality: Level 1 (Blue)
Attack: 3-6
Attributes: +1 Agility, +1 Constitution
Usable by: Rogue, Druid, Assassin, etc.
Required Level: 1

Staring at these two blue items, ten green items, and a pile of white gear, Liu Zong was at a loss for words. This time, luck had not favored him; the loot was once again of little use.

However, the real gain came from dismantling the fishman village. The wood and water plants salvaged from the houses were converted into about fifty crates of standard supplies, including seven green crates and one blue crate—no less valuable than what he’d gotten from combining equipment and corpses after the last boss.

After stowing away the supplies and gear, Liu Zong turned to look at the hunters. By now, they had finished processing all the fishman corpses.

Since every corpse was to be used as a sacrifice for the hidden boss this time, Liu Zong hadn’t touched a single one; all had been frozen into blocks of ice by the shaman, stowed away in some unknown space.

With that done, the hunter pulled Liu Zong aside to explain the plan for tomorrow’s battle. Unlike before, there would be no chance to hide as he had in the last two encounters—this time, Liu Zong would have to stay right behind the hunters, with the safest place naturally being near the shaman.

But even beside the shaman, there was no guarantee of absolute safety during a fight; Liu Zong would have to dodge attacks along with the rest. When facing the boss, he would need to evade as well—not necessarily avoiding everything, but at least making sure not to redirect attacks toward the hunters.

Liu Zong had no issue with these requirements. He’d played the bait before and knew how to look after himself; surviving even troublesome situations was never too difficult for him. The real challenge lay in coordinating with the hunters, as Liu Zong realized he had his own rhythm.

The shaman and others prepared the camp and gathered food for the evening, making use of whatever was at hand—mainly the salted fish hanging from the houses. The shaman simmered a thick fish soup and grilled several skewers of fish, a meal far better than yesterday’s.

Fish Soup Rations: Restores 100 health and 100 mana over 3 minutes. If consumed leisurely over 5 minutes, all combat skill cooldowns are refreshed and sleep effectiveness is increased by 15%.
Grilled Fish Rations: Restores 100 health and 100 mana over 3 minutes. If consumed leisurely over 5 minutes, health is increased by 15% after sleeping.

At dawn, the druid was the first to plunge into the water.

The hunter and shaman guarded Liu Zong, while the rogue brought up the rear this time. Before diving in, they went over the main points of the operation: they would only need to swim underwater for about ten minutes, so swimming skill was not a concern—what mattered was what came after, in the cave.

Once underwater, the hunter didn’t immediately lead Liu Zong into the cave section of the dungeon. Instead, he pointed out the herbs needed to find the “Aquatic Murloc Flower.”

This murloc flower was a symbiotic plant, growing underwater and thriving by absorbing the fluids of murlocs. It had a long flowering period and eventually bore fruit, which the murlocs used to coat their scales, strengthening themselves.

For most, the murloc flower was known for its hardening and skin-piercing properties—making it a common quest item. This time, the required quantity was modest. With no one having harvested them for a long while, they grew in thick clusters. The only difficulty was reaching this area between the second and third bosses.

With a guide, Liu Zong easily completed the second dungeon quest, the last one being tied to the third boss, the Cyclops of a Hundred Eyes.

Herb gathering finished in less than three minutes, and the hunter was about to lead Liu Zong deeper when the shaman suddenly gestured toward a certain direction.

Following the shaman’s indication, the hunter spotted a small vein of ore on the riverbed, a few rubies glinting within—a rich gem mine.

The hunter took something from his belt and signaled with it. The druid, who was scouting ahead, swiftly swam back.

After a glance at the indicated spot, the druid transformed into an orca, nodded, and headed for the vein, while the hunter drew Liu Zong back to observe from a distance.

As the druid approached, a small water snake, ruby-red in color, shot out and lunged at him.

But underwater, the orca-form druid was the strongest among them. The moment the snake appeared, the druid bit down, shook its head, and slammed the snake hard against the riverbed.

With a deft twist, the druid’s dorsal fin, sharp as a scalpel, sliced the water snake cleanly in two.

Treating it as a trivial matter, the druid tossed the remains aside and began mining.

This was a rich gem vein, the gems of high quality. For every three stones mined, they automatically combined into a supply chest, each chest engraved with decorative patterns and the word “Gem.”

The vein yielded five chests in total. As agreed before entering the dungeon, these would be split evenly between the hunter’s group and Liu Zong.

Liu Zong took the only green supply chest and one regular chest; the rest went to the hunters.

After dividing the loot, they resumed their underwater journey. Perhaps encouraged by the find, they proceeded more slowly, scrutinizing their surroundings with greater care.

No more veins turned up, but they did discover some deeply hidden minor monsters—mainly water snakes and predatory fish, all quickly dispatched by the druid.

After skirting a patch of water grass, the hunter made a hand signal to Liu Zong. Following his gaze, Liu Zong saw a large underwater rock cave behind the grass.

This was the entrance to the Black Hand Syndicate’s tunnel network. Originally, it was a natural underwater cavern, home to sea giants or giant lobster men.

After the Black Hand Syndicate discovered it, they made modifications: posting a Hundred-Eyed Giant as a boss guard and planting masses of entangling water weeds at the cave mouth.

These weeds would ensnare anything nearby when disturbed. If caught, it would take at least half an hour to break free.

Most people—even players—needed to breathe underwater, and too much time would lead to oxygen loss, health drain, and potentially death. So, to enter the underwater cavern, a party needed someone with underwater breathing abilities to lead the way, fighting through as they went.

Of course, this risked alerting the Hundred-Eyed Giant guarding the cavern. If they were too slow, they might be attacked while still in the water.

Fortunately, the druid was swift. As they surfaced and entered the cave, the roar of the Hundred-Eyed Giant echoed around them.