Undersea Exploration, Supernatural Toxin

Late at night.

"Anna, open the door. What's wrong with you?"

Having barely cleaned some of the filth off himself, Arthur hurried over in a panic and knocked on the beauty's door.

He was wrapped in a black Robe, its hood pulled tightly over his head.

Even as Arthur knocked, his eyes scanned the surroundings, seemingly searching for traces of the other Wizard Freshmen.

After receiving preliminary treatment, his wounds were no longer life-threatening. The missing patches of skin on his face and scalp were extensive injuries, and once scabbed over, they made him look even more ferocious.

Leaning sideways with his head lowered, Arthur waited a long time without receiving any response. His unease gradually turned to panic, then impatience and irritation. Perhaps the next moment, he would be unable to resist forcing his way inside.

At last, the door still did not open, but Anna's cool voice came from within. "Arthur, I think we need to have a proper talk."

"Anna, as long as you're willing to speak to me and see me, that's enough. I'll do anything you want."

Arthur hurriedly replied, pressing his cheek against the door as though trying to hear more of Anna's voice.

This was absolutely not the proud Arthur of the past, the one who always held his chin high.

Who knew how many fresh faces from the Wizard Exchange Meeting would be dumbstruck if they saw him like this.

"Enough, Arthur. Go back first. I'm not feeling well tonight. Let's talk on the deck the night after tomorrow."

There was a hint of impatience in Anna's voice.

Arthur clearly failed to hear it. He forced out a smile. "All right, then I won't disturb your rest. Be sure to take care of yourself."

Although the Automated Restaurant had stopped working, there was still plenty of ice in the cold storage.

Wang Ya reckoned that if the ice he had moved into his room lasted seven days without melting completely, that would already be quite good.

He could only take things one step at a time. Wang Ya desperately wanted a Wizard Artifact that could store items. Otherwise, why would everything be so troublesome?

Harak carefully tapped on the window with his pointed beak. Once Wang Ya let him in, he released what he had been carrying in his beak.

Several White Scale Fish, still alive and kicking, flopped about on the floor.

Quite a few Wizard Freshmen had died in the Thorn Sea Beast incident, leaving many rooms vacant.

Wizard Tuta would not concern himself with such trivial matters, so Wang Ya found a clean, undamaged room to stay in.

"Good job, little fellow. Looks like that bit of Spiritual Power you gained wasn't for nothing."

After patting Harak on the head, Wang Ya found some water and quickly cleaned up the late-night snack.

At this time, the other Wizard Freshmen were probably still going hungry as they endured this long night.

The new rules would take effect tomorrow. There was not a scrap of food left in the Automated Restaurant. Of course, some freshmen were willing to gnaw on ice for One Night.

Starting a fire was not difficult. There was a fireplace in the room that had long gone cold. He pulled several logs out and lit them.

Wang Ya skewered the White Scale Fish with knives and forks. He was not bad at grilling fish. The last time he remembered doing it had been back in his ordinary days, when he had secretly grilled fish in the Royal Palace.

The fire crackled and hissed. Perhaps reminded of something, Wang Ya's pupils reflected the flames as he drifted into a daze.

He soon recovered, pulling the wooden box from inside his clothes. He rubbed it silently as he continued grilling the fish.

Crash!

Massive waves surged dozens of meters away as the Wizard Ship docked with tremendous commotion. Driven by the internal gears and steam pressure, the hull began to transform. One side tilted down into the water, allowing people to enter the Endless Sea steadily from the deck and return to the Wizard Ship by following the steps and slope.

On the first day the new rules were implemented, every Wizard Freshman stood on the deck, their faces filled with eagerness—and, more than that, a craving for food.

Although Wizard Tuta did not appear, everyone obeyed this new rule.

Particle energy granted the freshmen physical qualities beyond those of ordinary people. As for the meaningless question of whether they could swim, with their powerful Spiritual Power, learning balance, floating, and breathing techniques came very quickly.

Every Wizard Freshman was comparable to the strongest among ordinary people.

Splash!

At last, the first Wizard Freshman tried entering the water. He was somewhat awkward during the first minute, but soon moved through the water like a fish, diving with ease.

Then one Wizard Freshman after another entered the sea. Some lucky ones even caught several fish right in front of them.

The more they harvested, the more food they would receive.

Of course, this rule was flexible. They did not necessarily need to hand their food over to the Automated Restaurant.

But expecting the Wizard Freshmen to cook and prepare food themselves? The vast majority would probably obediently hand their catches over to the Automated Restaurant system.

"I wonder if I can catch enough food for Kobik and me."

As Gray entered the water, his face still carried a sorrowful look. He held a Steel Fork in his hand, and his hair remained as messy as ever.

Wang Ya nodded slightly in encouragement before plunging headfirst into the seawater.

Catching food was simple for him. What he wanted more was to see the lifeforms within the Endless Sea.

Wizards were always possessed of cautious curiosity.

He had never seriously observed the Endless Sea before, partly because the Wizard Ship had been constantly sailing, and partly because he had been focused on studying Wizard Knowledge.

With Wizard Tuta aboard the Wizard Ship, there probably would not be any especially powerful Sea Beasts within a hundred meters—perhaps even a thousand meters. This was a good opportunity.

This stretch of sea was exceptionally clear. The moment he opened his eyes, he could see lifeforms swimming through the water.

There were Herbivorous Sea Beasts covered in hard shells, Blue Kelp Jellyfish that occasionally swam around him, and small schools of fish that came close before drifting away again. The little fish had peculiar tiny wings. Blue fragmented light flickered in Wang Ya's pupils as he recorded the information and data one by one. None of them were Supernatural Lifeforms, nor did they pose any threat. They were even somewhat shabby as food.

Wang Ya could withstand diving pressure roughly ten times greater than that of an ordinary person.

He descended sixty meters. The water pressure gave Wang Ya some slight strain, but posed no great difficulty. The surrounding visibility had become somewhat dim. Looking upward, faint arcs of light shifted with the waves on the sea surface, appearing dreamlike—just like rays of hope being pursued.

The surrounding marine life grew larger, and their senses became sharper. Upon detecting the particle energy aura around him, they instinctively moved away.

He descended another twenty meters, reaching a depth of eighty meters. Visibility here was nearly murky. When he looked upward, the light from the surface had dimmed.

Suddenly, Wang Ya seemed to notice something. He focused his gaze and saw palm-sized fish with reddish scales drifting about leisurely.

Prompt: Supernatural Property detected. Analysis complete: Scarlet Scale Bigfin. Between a Supernatural Lifeform and an Ordinary Creature. Its teeth contain a small amount of Supernatural Toxin, capable of posing considerable harm to Low-level Wizards.

Wang Ya's eyes flickered. Perhaps he could...