Whale's Back

"Is there another big guy down there?"

"Linsey, you're not kidding us, are you?"

After Linsey reminded him.

Wala Wala and Ala Song also turned their gaze downwards.

Although the seawater was pitch black, a few rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on it, illuminating the enormous figure.

The opponent was enormous in size, and its ascent speed was equally astonishing.

"There really is something there!"

Was Krullu really killed?

Wala Wala and Ala Song exclaimed in surprise.

But then, the nearby seawater was also pushed up by this behemoth, and the small boat under the three of them shook.

Splash—

The seawater surged in all directions, and the ships began to drift backward along with the dark waves.

Just as the boat beneath my feet was rocking violently.

Linsey suddenly stepped forward and stomped down hard.

Thump!

With a muffled thud from the top of the boat, Linsey's foot righted the nearly capsized vessel, preventing the three from falling into the sea.

The seawater continued to flow.

The already slowing vortex collapsed as a result.

In the blink of an eye, one after another, uneven hills emerged from the dark sea.

More land, reefs, and shoals gradually came into view.

An entire island rose from the seabed!

Linsey and his companions, whose small boat had been drifting downstream just a moment ago, were now stranded on the shore.

"This..."

Linsey steadied herself on the top of the boat.

His first thought was naturally of the two giant sea creatures that Wala Wala had previously warned him about.

Among them is the Abyssal Giant Whale Soroa.

In its usual dormant state, it is just like an island at sea.

At this moment, this huge Red Marker, which floated up from the seabed, perfectly matches this situation.

"Wala Wala, Ala Song, we..."

Linsey spoke immediately, but there was no response from behind her.

In that instant, Linsey realized that a crisis was imminent.

Just as he stepped onto the ship, a heavy, ancient aura quickly entered his body, immediately clashing with his Life Source Material.

This force was heavy and powerful, almost instantly suppressing Linsey's Essence, causing it to rise steadily!

"Ah?"

Linsey looked down at her body, her pupils contracting!

In just a moment, his feet, invaded by this aura, turned into rock.

Linsey turned her head again to take a look.

The Wala Wala and Ala Song, who were just discussing battle plans with him, have instantly turned into two stone statues.

"The statue... has turned to stone?!"

Linsey immediately realized what was happening.

In the time it took to make that one movement, the petrification zone on his body extended beyond his legs and rapidly moved towards his waist!

Just a few seconds.

I'll be completely petrified, just like Wala Wala and the others!

However, at this point, the petrification process can no longer climb even a millimeter further.

Because Linsey changed the magic runes on the back of her hand as quickly as possible.

[Herbal/Material: Mountains Crest]

[After equipping, it increases the user's petrification/stun/physical resistance; activating its active effect allows the wearer to pass through soil and rocks for 7 seconds, and also allows breathing in underground environments; it can also be used as a material to craft other items.]

[High-grade Earth Emblem, a special item with high value.]

"Call--"

Linsey breathed a sigh of relief.

He usually only uses the [Mountains Crest] as a tool for using Earth Escape techniques.

But as it turns out...

Items of high value always have their true worth.

The powerful force emanating from the magic runes immediately suppressed the petrification process.

That's not all; the powerful resistance was gradually dispelling the petrification. Linsey watched as her legs slowly transformed from stone back into flesh and blood.

He only stood on the boat for a little over a minute before his legs were free again!

"Wala Wala! Ala Song?"

Linsey didn't have time to get a medical check-up.

He turned around and rushed to his two companions, activating both the Management and Puzzle-Solving Module at the same time.

[Human male/female – turned to stone by the power of the Abyss Whale. Only by killing the Abyss Whale can the petrification be lifted.]

"..."

Linsey found it difficult to describe her current feelings.

He felt half nervous and half relaxed.

He was both worried about his companions being affected by the petrification and relieved that the petrification could be lifted.

"In short, it's a good thing that the petrochemical problem can be resolved."

"And it also avoids the outcome of a complete wipeout at the first meeting."

Linsey jumped off the top of the boat.

He intended to set off immediately to kill the Abyss Whale.

However, upon seeing the surrounding mountains and the vast island inhabited by strange plants, a sense of crisis from the unknown arose spontaneously.

Linsey looked back:

"No."

"I can't just leave you two here."

Linsey immediately took action, trying to fit Wala Wala and Ala Song into the [Personal Baggage], but even petrified, they still couldn't fit them inside.

Linsey had no choice but to open the shop, let the two of them into the backyard, and then pack up the shop and continue on her way.

"Kill this whale."

Linsey recalled what Wala Wala had told her earlier.

In the stories that circulate in the City of a Thousand Sails.

The protagonist crawled into the whale's mouth and stomach, eventually piercing its heart to end the giant beast's life.

"So I should replicate this behavior?"

"It would be better to be more direct and build a vertical mine tunnel down."

Linsey pondered deeply.

He simultaneously opened the map, expanding the reconnaissance area. The massive island was indeed shaped like a whale.

"The whale's heart, from head to tail, 1/3 or 2/5?"

Linsey's knowledge of biology did not include her knowledge of whales.

During his adventures, he did catch some fish and dismantle them to make various delicacies.

"But whales are mammals."

Is its body structure the same as that of a regular fish?

"..."

Linsey decided to take action first.

He reached about two-fifths of the way down the island and took out a pickaxe to dig downwards.

The islands on the surface of the Abyss Whale had some unusual features, but they were still within the rules of construction. Linsey dug a few times, and a vertical tunnel quickly dug downwards.

The earthen crust on the surface of the Abyss Whale's body.

Excluding the raised hills, the thickness of the base plate on a normal flat surface is estimated to be only three or four meters.

In just a few seconds, Linsey dug through it from top to bottom.

Boom!

With a muffled thud, Linsey's Meteorite Pickaxe bounced high into the air, the sensation of the excavation rules being broken in his hand:

"Okay, we found it."

Linsey's face showed a fierce expression.

Thinking of his two petrified companions, his fierce gaze turned into a cruel smile:

"Next, it's time to go inside and cause a ruckus!"

brush--

The red lava flow instantly lit up the bottom of the pit.

Linsey aimed at the rough skin beneath her feet and stabbed down hard.

Boom!

In an instant, a powerful jet of water gushed out from the ruptured wound.

Linsey was thrown backward by the current, but he managed to regain his balance, though his newly changed clothes were now soaked.

In that instant, the stream of water gushing from the whale's back disappeared.

Linsey looked down at her feet and saw that the wound she had just been pierced had completely healed after being hit by the water.

Not even a scar was left!

"..."

"Such a powerful self-healing ability?"

Linsey frowned.

Before he could try again, his keen hearing made him aware of the sounds coming from outside.

Several more clanging sounds were approaching.

If you listen carefully, it sounds like the rapid footsteps of a hard stone statue on the ground!