The ocean was the largest component of Earth, after all, yet most humans, Su Ming included, had no particular interest in the sea.
Maybe it was because the deep sea was pitch-black and unbearably lonely? Or maybe land creatures simply found it uncomfortable to be completely surrounded by water?
In any case, the strange sounds heard beneath the vast ocean and the bizarre deep-sea creatures one saw made it feel like another planet, so why not just go to an actual alien planet instead?
Still, catching some fish for Strangle to sample was not bad. There were no useful genes to absorb, though; it was purely a snack.
The two continued deeper into the ocean, now more than a thousand kilometers from land. The water grew deeper and deeper, and accordingly, creatures from the Mystic Side gradually began to appear—things with spell-like abilities, commonly known as magical beasts.
Magical beasts were very rare on land. As far as Su Ming knew, there were some on Paradise Island and some in the rainforests of South America. A few occasionally appeared elsewhere, but most had been dormant since ancient times and were awakened only after people dug them out of the ground in modern times.
The sea was different. Many sea magical beasts had survived since ancient times. They were far larger than land creatures, and some were fairly intelligent.
The two had now encountered one. Its enormous tentacles looked somewhat like those of a giant squid, but its upper body resembled a seahorse. It was indescribably grotesque.
It had likely lived for a very long time, because its body was covered in a thick layer of barnacles. They made it look anything but sleek, leaving it pitted, bumpy, and ugly as hell.
By rights, this thing should never have been considered