Chapter 352 - 947-954

Chapter 947: Targeting All of Them

"It has finally begun," Krune muttered, dragging a large bag with him as he ran through the forest. Using a full-powered Sonic Radar, he managed to get a glimpse of everything that happened in one part of the Primary Landmass.

As for everything he managed to sense, Krune took around a minute to process all of it, soon coming up with a plan for a scenario that he had already accounted for. After all, his prime mode of attack was to rely on the traps.

So, no matter the plan, only the arrangement of his traps differed. Now, upon seeing that both the first and second villages were gearing up for war, Krune darted through the forest, collecting most of the traps he had set over the months. 

The number of combatants in each village numbered around 300, a tenth of their total population. At this moment, they were geared up from head to toe, brimming with bloodlust to tear their opponents apart. Their primary weapon was still their fishing rod. But now, they had also sharpened their fangs and jaws while holding in their mouths something that seemed like a pouch. 

As for what it did, he was unaware. Though, upon seeing all the Monster Geckos hold one in their mouths, he judged that it was a potent item. There was a straight path from the first village to the second. It was the widest path in the forest terrain.

Because they were marching forth with an army, they were bound to use this path. Otherwise, they would lose their advantage in numbers. So, Krune carefully waited to see their approach, instantly sprinting forth with all his speed towards the center of the path.

Calculating the collision point based on their speed of march and their time of exit, he approximated a place where the forces from the two villages would clash with each other. With that, he dragged the bag of traps with him, immediately setting them up in the approximated place of the battle. 

This way, the inflicted damage would be maximum. That was Krune's plan all along. He quickly set things up, sweating along the way as he was pressed for time. After that, he sprayed the rock powder over the traps to assimilate them into the surroundings. 

Krune inspected the terrain using his Sonic Radar, noticing that the position of the traps wasn't evident. After all, they were just tiny spikes that one wouldn't even notice at first glance, looking no different from the rock that formed the ground. 

They weren't sharp enough. So, their efficiency also wasn't much. Then again, he made up for that with their numbers. 

As long as his targets were attacked, he would be satisfied. 

Once he finished the setup, Krune left the area, heading far away from the battlefield as he hid behind a large tree. From there, he hummed with a low tune, spreading his voice into the surroundings as the sound waves reflected back to him eventually, allowing him to perceive the entire place clearly. 

Krune continued to do that as he activated his Ocean Heart, supplying more energy to his throat, which increased the power behind his Sonic Radar. Through this, he increased its range and precision, also making it more difficult for the monster elites to detect his position. 

Over time, the sound waves he continued to emit resonated with the land as Krune's eyes shot open, muttering to himself, "This is the land's resonant frequency."

At a particular frequency of the emitted soundwave, the land would resonate with it, allowing the sound wave to travel with almost no loss in energy. That was the phenomenon of resonance. The sound waves caused the land to mildly vibrate. 

Though, due to the difference in energy levels, the vibration of the land was negligible. Only if one was in a meditative state would one be able to sense it. As for Krune, this was a chance. 

After achieving resonance with the land, his Sonic Radar worked even better, allowing him to spot the two marching armies. Moreover, the Kings on both sides failed to locate him. He was spying on them using the land itself, so they were unable to pick up the traces through whatever method they relied on before doing so. 

Now, he could spy on them without any tension, watching twenty Monster Geckos on both sides carry their respective King. The Mutants of both sides took the lead, brimming with killing intent. 

Both sides were evenly matched in numbers and elites, so it wasn't possible to determine the victor among them. Soon, they were two hundred meters from one another, now able to see each other. 

The armies paused as the Kings gazed at each other with a frown, expressing anger as they felt betrayed. In their minds, the opposite King had let go of their pride as a King and went against their word. As such, they no longer had any intentions to talk.

Diplomacy was always the solution for peace in a war-strained situation. But if diplomacy was attained, and the situation remained the same as before, both sides would never be able to trust each other ever again. 

This was basically what Krune had achieved before when he unleashed a beam of light on both villages. 

Now, the two sides had no other choice but to duke it out until one of them emerged victorious. The two Kings bellowed a war cry, causing their underlings to do the same as both sides charged forth.

Among them, half of the troops sprinted forward while the other half limped a little while running. They hadn't managed to make a complete recovery yet. After all, even though the ocean water had a healing effect, it was way too weak. 

So, they needed more than a few months to make a complete recovery. Of course, Krune never gave them that time. 

Followed by a brutal roar that caused the nearby bone trees to shiver, the two armies clashed, brandishing their fishing rods to pierce into the hide of their opponents. A Monster Gecko pierced its hook into the eye of a far-away opponent, flicking its wrists to twirl the thread around the opponent's neck. When it pulled with all its might, its opponent's neck was cut open, causing it to bleed.

The opponent clutched its neck, failing to move as it eventually bled to death. As for its killer, it had just retracted its fishing rod when an opponent arrived behind it, spitting the pouch from its mouth. 

The pouch was like a sac that exploded the moment it touched its opponent. Surprisingly, spilling out from it was blood, the same one in their bodies. Through, this seemed concentrated, colder. The coldness in it caused the opponent to freeze up immediately. 

After that, the attacker followed up with a smack using its fishing rod, bashing in the opponent's head. Similarly, the Monster Geckos beat each other up nonstop, dwindling their numbers to half within a couple of minutes. 

Upon seeing the situation, the Monster Gecko King from the first village finally took action, getting off from its throne as it limped a little, gazing at the battlefield as it glanced at the Mutant under it. Followed by a nod, the two joined the battlefield, cutting down the numbers of their foes like a lawnmower cutting grass.

Seeing the situation, the two elites from the second village had also joined, clearing out the opponents from the first village along their way as they clashed at the center. Without saying anything else, they exchanged numerous attacks nonstop.

Krune's heart thumped as he watched the intense exchange, muttering, "Thankfully, I didn't do something foolish as fighting them head-on. I wouldn't have lasted more than 20 seconds in there." Well, Krune had never been a head-on fighter to start with.

He then smirked. "Anyway, it's time they sprouted."

Coincidentally, as he said that, a Monster Gecko screamed in pain as a bone tree sprouted from its feet, traversing up its legs as it continued to grow. The same situation happened one after another as the war stopped as abruptly as it started. 

Hearing the screams all around them, the elites frowned as their expressions paled. At the same time, they gazed at their feet, noticing small shrubs sprout like a thicket. Alarmed, they tried to pluck them out. 

"Now!" Krune sprinted out of his hiding and ran towards the battlefield as fast as he could. Each of his footsteps caused loud noises as he was currently wearing a pair of hard shoes that he had created using a mixture of leather, bones, and thread.

As a blacksmith, creating a simple pair of shoes was easy. Now, he didn't have to be afraid of becoming prey to his own traps. Without any hesitation, gripping the Whale Tooth Sword, Krune sprinted straight towards the Mutant closest to him.

As both their legs sprouted the bone tree saplings, they had to remove them one after another. After all, if they sat on the ground as is, the bone tree saplings would next grow out of their butts. 

As such, they were pressed for time. If they delayed, their lives would be forfeit. Unsurprisingly, this was the perfect time for Krune to attack. He wouldn't get a better opportunity to attack them. 

First, the moment he arrived at the battlefield, all eyes fell on him, disturbed by the intense sounds his footsteps created. Fortunately, this worked in his favor as Krune's body emitted intense light. It was further amplified by his Ocean Heart, so the intensity of the light caused his opponents to lose consciousness. 

All the normal Monster Geckos tumbled to the ground, instantly losing consciousness as their eyes bled. As for the two Mutants, they also lost their balance, falling on the ground as they barely maintained their consciousness. 

As for the Kings, they were still okay but had been blinded for a couple of seconds due to what happened. 

Krune slashed with his Whale Tooth Sword, severing the left arm of the Mutant first. He slipped past its unbalanced body, slashing apart its other arm as well. He then left it and attacked the other Mutant. 

Since they had been fighting, they were next to one another, making it easy for him to attack. But, when he targeted its arm, the Mutant lost its balance, causing its head to come in the way as he hacked it, killing it, unfortunately. 

'Don't mind, continue!' He mentally propped himself and had just planned to target the King next when it lashed out with its fishing rod in reflex. Krune barely managed to make his sword come into contact with it as the impact sent him flying, causing him to crash into a couple of trees before stopping, bleeding profusely.

Chapter 948: Low Success Rate

"Cough!" Krune coughed out blood as he felt difficulty in breathing. The impact was way too powerful for him to handle. On top of that, when he crashed into a couple of bone trees, some of the sharper objects managed to penetrate his defenses, lodging into his body. 

Gritting his teeth in pain, Krune hurriedly pulled out all the bone tree fragments in his body, quickly inspecting himself as he soon heaved a sigh in relief. He had pulled all of them out in time. Though, when he looked at a piece of the bone tree fragment, noticing the roots that had formed on it, he shuddered in fear. 

If he had been a couple of seconds late, the bone tree fragment would have lodged itself in his body. The only way to remove it would have been to cut a part of his body out and hope he would survive long enough until he finished healing. 

Ocean Heart! 

Krune activated his healing ability, barely managing to stabilize himself as he picked up his Whale Tooth Sword and sprinted towards the battlefield once more, unleashing his Neon Radiance at maximum intensity. 

He kept it activated, preventing the Monster Gecko Kings from being able to see. If they opened their eyes, they would be affected. Though, upon hearing the sounds of his footsteps again, they began to flail their fishing rods, intending to keep him at bay.

Even though he failed to attack them, he kept one of their hands busy, only leaving them one hand to pull out the bone tree sprouts. This caused them to waste time and allowed the sprouts to grow faster as they finally took root. 

The moment this happened, the sheer pain caused them to let go of their attacks and focus entirely on their legs. Krune took this opportunity and attacked with all his might, slashing the hand of one of the Monster Gecko Kings. 

Unfortunately, to his dismay, he noticed that his slash didn't even manage to sever its arm. It only managed to reach halfway through it, stopping after hitting the bone. The Monster Gecko King flailed its attacked arm, sending Krune flying away once again. 

After all, Krune was a bit above two meters in height. But as for the Monster Gecko Kings, they were both five meters in height. The sheer difference in their muscular power caused each of their attacks to prove devastating to him.

Coughing out blood, Krune got up, flinching at the pain as he could feel a lot of his bones had cracked. The pain was unbearable. But, he hadn't completed his task yet. 

With his every move, crunching sounds emanated from his body as Krune continued to move, delaying the Monster Gecko Kings from treating themselves as he hacked on another arm, this time retracting the Whale Tooth Sword before it managed to retaliate. 

This way, Krune kept up with his attacks, being sent flying at times. He barely managed to defend against the attacks, preventing himself from dying. A single mistake was enough for him to lose his life, especially against opponents who were way stronger than him. 

"Aargh!" Followed by a bellow, Krune slashed with the sword once more, severing the right arm of a Monster Gecko King. He then traced around, attacking the nearby Monster Gecko King, severing its arm as well. 

Unsurprisingly, the loss of an arm caused them to panic. They had to remove the bone tree sprouts from their legs while defending against his attacks. With one hand, it wasn't possible. Besides, the roots of some bone tree sprouts were slowly creeping up their legs, intending to burrow into their entire body. 

And just as they thought of that, Krune jumped up with all his might, bringing his sword slashing down, hacking off the second arm of the Monster Gecko King from the first village, incapacitating it first. 

Hearing its roars of pain and loss, the second Monster Gecko King pulled out the bone tree sprouts from its legs in a hurry, not caring about losing its flesh and foot bones in the process. Though, having figured its plans, Krune lunged forth with a thrust, piercing the sword through a cut he had caused before.

Inserting his sword into the cut, Krune lodged it deep into its arm, slashing down with all his strength as he severed it, mentally heaving a sigh of relief for a moment. Then again, before he could relax, the second Monster Gecko King turned around and opened its jaws wide, clamping on his right leg before grounding it into a pulp. 

"Aaargh!" Krune screamed in pain, plunging his sword into his ground leg, severing it right as the Monster Gecko King pulled its head backward. It planned to use its upper body to slam him into the ground and smash him into pulp. 

Thankfully, Krune acted decisively, severing his right leg. He then limped back as he watched the bone tree sprout in its legs, beginning to grow into a tree. The Monster Gecko King gazed at him and smirked derisively, causing Krune to scowl in response. 

'I shouldn't have been too greedy.' He mentally rebuked himself but was unwilling to leave it as is. The reason he didn't go for their heads immediately was to obtain their Blood Essence Crystal. Krune realized that if he absorbed their blood as is, he would only obtain a normal Passive Ability. 

But, if he did that using the bone trees, he would obtain a stronger one like the Ocean Heart. That was why he didn't even wish to kill the Mutant, intending to evolve them into a King. Unfortunately, he had killed one by mistake. And now that he looked at the second one, he sighed, seeing bone tree saplings sprout from all over its body. 

After he had hacked its hands, it crashed into the ground. Now, a bone tree was growing all over its body. 

Left with no other choice, Krune could only sever its head. He then limped on his left leg, watching the body of the second Monster Gecko King turn right as a bone tree grew from it entirely. Sighing, he hacked its neck, eventually severing it as he touched its blood with his hands. 

Immediately, his body burned for ten seconds as Krune could feel his body turning colder. Surprisingly, it didn't feel odd, but rather as if his body was now naturally cold like the Monster Geckos. 

Even though his vision spun from the blood loss, Krune couldn't waste any time, arriving before the first Monster Gecko King that could only helplessly stare at the bone tree that sprouted from its legs. It didn't even have any hands to do anything. It also couldn't reach its legs with its jaws, so it was unable to even clamp its legs. 

Krune soon arrived in front of it and hacked its legs immediately, taking numerous slashes before he managed to sever them, freeing itself from the growing bone tree. He looked around, watching bone trees grow out of all the Monster Geckos in the area. It seemed the place would soon become a thicket of bone trees. 

In a hurry, he summoned his tablet and placed it on the ground. He then barely managed to place the Monster Gecko King on it. Without its limbs, lifting its body was barely possible. Though, without his right leg, Krune also faced a lot of trouble, slipping on the ground at times before he had to hurriedly clean himself of all injuries and pull out the bone tree sprouts. 

Tying a rope to the tablet, he pulled it on the floor, preventing the Monster Gecko King from being damaged any further as he used his body weight to pull it. He then focused on stopping his blood from flowing out of his severed right leg, wounding it up with thread tightly. 

This did prevent the place from bleeding any longer. Plus, his healing ability slowly healed the area, stopping the blood loss. Though, as he did that, he noticed that the Monster Gecko King was on the verge of death due to blood loss. 

After pulling it away for a certain distance, Krune kneeled on the ground, placing his hand on the severed parts of its body, unleashing his Neon Radiance. But this time, he infused the healing effect into it, emitting a blue light that began to heal the Monster Gecko King.

Then again, this healing effect was only one-third as effective as normal. It was because he was using the Neon Radiance as a medium to unleash it. Though, as long as it did its job, Krune was satisfied. After patching up its wounds first using the rope he had brought, Krune used the healing light to barely stop its bleeding. 

He had attempted it a couple of times before. When the Neon Radiance turned blue, Krune knew that it was possible. That was why he went for their limbs in the first place. It was because he had the confidence in patching them up before they bled to their deaths.

Nevertheless, his plan consisted of capturing all four elites. In reality, he only managed to capture one King and even ended up losing his right leg in the process. Eating up the reserve of meat he brought with him and drinking the pouch full of water, Krune barely managed to prevent himself from fainting.

He then pulled the Monster Gecko King slowly, eventually reaching a cave as he placed it within. The moment he did so, Krune slumped on the side, fainting. He woke up after a long time had passed, feeling pain all over his body as he faced difficulty in even moving. 

In any case, his condition was a tad better than before as the Ocean Heart's healing effect had corrected some of his broken bones to their original positions. But when Krune looked at the Monster Gecko King, it noticed that it was barely alive at this point.

He then dragged himself to another cave and harvested the massive fruit from there, dragging it back to the cave as he placed it before the Monster Gecko King. "Eat!"

The Monster Gecko King looked at him but refused to do so. Instead, it seemed willing to accept death at this point than accept his help. Unfortunately, Krune had no intentions to allow that. So, he cut the massive fruit into pieces, propped open the mouth of the Monster Gecko King using a couple of tools, and kept it open. 

He then dropped tiny pieces of the massive fruit into its mouth. Even if it refused to eat them, its saliva would eventually get the job done. And in such a process, while he recovered, Krune made the Monster Gecko King consume the massive fruit. 

Chapter 949: A Second Hovering Blood Essence Crystal

Days passed in such a fashion as Krune did everything in his capacity to heal himself faster. He gorged himself with meat until his belly felt like bursting while making sure to keep his Ocean Heart activated all the time. 

Four weeks later, Krune was back in good shape, having regenerated his right leg. Sadly, he had lost three of his five energy rings in the process. Then again, as long as he accumulated energy in his body, he would recover it later. 

At the very moment he recovered fully, Krune directly infiltrated the first village and dragged out a couple of Monster Geckos. It was easy considering all he had to do was emit his Neon Radiance, and all the Monster Geckos would faint. 

Using this as an opportunity, Krune roamed around the village, trying to see if he could find anything that he could use. There were indeed a lot of items in the place. Though, most of them were derived from the ocean. As for Krune, they weren't exactly useful. If it had been him from six months ago, then he would have taken them all.

But now, he had crafted everything he needed, no longer interested in the tools used by the Monster Geckos. After roaming through the entire village, Krune checked the tents of the two Mutants, noticing that the items inside were of superior quality. 

But just as before, he wasn't interested in them, heading towards the King's tent before finally noticing a suffocating presence emit from the bones of the tent. At the moment he felt this presence, Krune could feel a mild itch in his throat, realizing the owner of the bones immediately. "This is from a Sonic Radar?"

"Damn, this Monster Gecko King actually managed to hunt a Sonic Radar?" Krune shuddered, thanking his intellect once again for not trying to fight against it head-on. After all, even after he had trapped them significantly and gave them a sense of urgency using the bone trees that grew out of their bodies, he was still significantly injured. 

And out of all the attacks, Krune didn't even take any direct hits. Even the ones that sent him flying were only reflex actions by the Monster Gecko Kings. If he had taken a direct hit, the bones in his arms would have broken into pieces then and there. 

Now that he looked at the bones of the Sonic Radar, Krune could determine the strength of the Monster Gecko King. He looked around, noticing the simplistic arrangement of the place. There was a throne in the center. In front of it was a tiny pool.

Judging by the traces of blood in it, the Monster Gecko King had been using it to heal its legs. Krune then noticed a certain box behind the throne. The box was made using the same material as their fishing rods.

He opened it to see a large yarn of the thread—used in the fishing rod. It was around a meter in diameter. In other words, the amount of thread in it was a lot. Upon seeing it, Krune smiled as he muttered, "I'll be taking this."

He was just about to return when he used his Sonic Radar subconsciously, immediately frowning as he could spot a faint line underneath the throne. Surprisingly, there seemed to be a stairway that led downwards. 

Krune pushed the throne sideways, toppling it with great difficulty as he noticed a slab. Once he pulled it up, he looked at a stairway proceeding deeper into the ground. Judging by the size, it seemed to have been frequented by the King.

Using his Sonic Radar, Krune scouted the interior first, descending through the flight of stairs as he muttered, "It doesn't seem to be too big."

Sometime later, he reached the bottom, staring at a small cave that only spanned a height of five meters, barely enough for the King to remain standing within. The floor was covered with slick mud that seemed to glow in the dark.

Krune then touched the cave walls, noticing that the ocean water was seeping through it, collecting in the cave. It was surprisingly similar to his cave. Though the most eye-catching thing in the cave was a tree growing in the center. But considering its height that barely reached a meter, it was only a shrub.

The moment he looked at it, Krune figured out the source of the thread used in the fishing rods. As for the shaft of the fishing rod, it was the shrub's stem. Krune noticed some holes in the area around the shrub.

Judging by the width of the holes, it seemed similar shrubs had been planted in the place. The shrub only consisted of a straight stem that spanned a meter in height. And hanging from its top was what seemed to be strands of threads, numbering in the hundreds. 

And finally, fixed at the top was a fruit. Upon seeing it, Krune could glean that by planting the fruit, he would be able to grow another of the shrub. 

"If I have this, I'll get a constant supply of thread. That's the most important thing out here," Krune muttered, plucking the fruit first to see if he could grow it normally. He then returned to the cave with the box, removing its contents before filling it with the soil from the ground. 

He then left the place, blinding all the Monster Geckos along the way as he arrived at his cave, placing it in his boat, Paddle. He then stored the yarn of thread in another compartment.

Planting the fruit in the box, he watered it, hoping to see how it grew. Along the way, he had placed the throne back in its original spot to ensure the other Monster Geckos wouldn't stumble into the place and damage the shrub. 

Done with the basic preparation, Krune muttered, "I'll call you the Rope Bush."

After that, he hunted the Monster Geckos daily, only targeting the two weakened villages. Though, Krune noticed a King accompanied by two Mutants on the battlefield, looking at the thicket of bone trees that grew in the place. 

They had been lured by the two massive fruits and one colossal fruit that were beginning to grow in the place. Krune decisively avoided the place, intending to work on his task first. He had yet to digest his gains. Plus, he had just begun to target the other three villages.

So, it wasn't the time to target them yet. 

With each passing day, Krune's reserve of Blood Essence Crystals continued to increase. He then arrived at the cave with the Monster Gecko King, glancing at its mouth that had been propped open by the tools he had fixed in place. 

Dragging an alive Monster Gecko with him, Krune slashed its neck and caused its blood to flow into the Monster Gecko King's mouth. When it was done, he dropped in a couple of fruits harvested from the forest.

By killing the other Monster Gecko King, Krune obtained the passive, 'Monster Gecko Blood.'

It wasn't anything impressive other than making his blood cold. If Krune extracted his blood, he could store them in capsules and use them as attacks to freeze his opponent. They were fairly potent. 

In any case, Krune wasn't satisfied with it. Rather, he wished to obtain another passive ability around the level of Ocean Heart. Even though he knew the likelihood of obtaining something like that was almost impossible, he still wished to try it. 

And now, he was planning to increase the concentration of the Monster Gecko's blood essence in the body of the Monster Gecko King. This way, any passive ability it granted would be stronger than Monster Gecko Blood. 

That was Krune's plan. 

He was able to judge what type of ability he would obtain as a passive ability. The Monster Geckos were able to remain still like rocks, can walk over cliffs like it was normal ground, can perceive heat, and had freezing blood. 

Among them, as the Monster Gecko King lacked limbs, Krune could determine that he wouldn't be getting the ability to remain still like rocks or walk over cliffs from it. The only ones he would obtain would be between heat perception and freezing blood. 

Among them, Krune had no liking towards heat perception. He already had the Neon Radiance to see with his sight and the Sonic Radar to perceive everything in his surroundings. On top of that, the range of Sonic Radar only continued to increase as his strength improved. 

So, obtaining another perception-related ability was only a waste. Instead, Krune was hoping to obtain a stronger version of the Monster Gecko Blood. At least, he would be able to set up nice traps using its freezing property. 

Moreover, if he ever drifted into cold currents in the ocean, he would survive. Thinking as such, Krune continued to feed the Monster Gecko King massive fruits from time to time, made it drink the blood of its brethren, and even fed it Blood Essence Crystals occasionally. Thanks to its robust body, it was able to handle everything he stuffed into it.

To ensure he wouldn't obtain thermal perception, Krune blinded the Monster Gecko King, increasing the chances for him to obtain the Monster Gecko Blood ability. 

As days passed in such a fashion, Krune noticed the Rope Bush had begun to grow in his boat. He also sneaked into the second village and robbed the box with the yarn from there. He also brought the soil and Rope Bush fruit that was in the cave under the throne. 

This way, he could grow two Rope Bushes in his boat, enough for all his needs. 

As for the situation between the three other villages, Krune had no luck. Since they were positioned closer to one another, his risks were too great. On top of that, he couldn't affect them too much in the time he had left. Sighing, Krune just focused on obtaining more Blood Essence Crystals. Moreover, he also had to recover his expended crimson rings before he returned to the ocean.

Eventually, when he felt that there were only around ten days of his stay left on the Primary Landmass, Krune made an incision on the Monster Gecko King's body and connected it to a wilting bone tree. This time, the moment the wilting bone tree came in contact with its blood, its wilting almost stopped. 

It hadn't stopped completely. Rather, the wilting process had paused until it finished absorbing everything in the Monster Gecko King's body. It had to be attributed to the sheer density of energy circulating in its body. After all, if it had retained its limbs, it would have become a Monster Gecko Emperor by now. Krune had fed it too much that its body had begun to emit a suffocating presence. 

After absorbing its body, the bone tree wilted after a day, turning into bone powder. Krune then dug through it, failing to notice anything on the ground. Realizing something, he smirked, brushing the bone powder at the top as he saw a tiny gem hover before him, emitting a cold white radiance. 

Chapter 950: Hello Friend

The gem emitted a gentle white color, frigid to the touch. The moment Krune grabbed hold of it, he could feel his hand turn slightly numb. This was considering he already possessed Monster Gecko Blood, being immune to even freezing conditions. 

"Success!" Krune bellowed in joy and pocketed it. He swiftly ran through all the other caves and collected the Blood Essence Crystals that had been produced. After that, he sprinted back to his cave, calculating all his gains.

Everything of value, he placed in the boat. Then, he arrived at the pool and plunged into it, taking in a deep breath as he swallowed the white gem. In an instant, his body turned numb as even his exhales began to frost over, turning into small ice spikes on his nose. He could feel something in his body block the process. After all, his limit was only five passive abilities. 

Krune hurriedly summoned his tablet and noticed a prompt asking if he wished to replace the new passive ability with one of the five in his possession. 

He hurriedly selected Monster Gecko Blood as the ability to be replaced with the new one, watching something from his body be expelled immediately.

Krune then plopped into the pool completely as the water began to slowly turn into ice. Nothing unexpected happened after that, as a couple of minutes later, the warm temperature caused the ice to melt.

Another minute later, Krune got up, breaking all the ice lodged on his body. He then noticed that he no longer felt cold. Though, he could sense that his blood had turned colder now, a weapon on its own. 

Using a needle that he had created, Krune pricked his index finger, watching a droplet of blood fall on the pool, the water turning into ice immediately. "That's incredible. The freezing effect has become even more potent now."

He then thought, gently unleashing his Neon Radiance through the palm on his right, hitting the beam on the cave walls where water was seeping through at an incredibly slow pace. He then closed his eyes and focused on his blood, causing it to connect with the Neon Radiance on the skin.

Unfortunately, nothing happened. Then, remembering something, Krune activated his Ocean Heart, noticing the image of five rings flash in his mind. The fifth ring hadn't fully recovered yet but had around half the maximum energy. 

His heart began to pump the energy through his blood, slightly amplifying his physical prowess. On top of that, since the energy was carried through his blood, as he concentrated, the energy began to interact with the coldness in his blood, eventually taking up that property. 

Krune then supplied the energy to his Neon Radiance, watching the light turn white. The moment it happened, he could see a faint layer of ice form on the cave walls. In any case, it was a slow process, not instantaneous as when he had dropped a droplet of blood. 

Nevertheless, the moment he saw it, Krune was overjoyed. "That's an incredibly strong passive ability."

He then began to practice with it, eventually muttering in the end, "The reason I can combine two passive abilities into one is thanks to the Ocean Heart that pumps energy into my blood. Since the blood interacts with everything in my mortal body, it allows me to do this. Without the Ocean Heart, I wouldn't have been able to create this effect."

He began to laugh in joy after that. "As long as I develop myself in this manner, I'll eventually be able to head towards the Tertiary Landmass and face against the Supreme Monster."

Krune then double-tapped his glabella, summoning his tablet as he gazed into it, reading the latest line. "Obtained Passive: Frozen Blood."

"As direct as always." He then punched the tablet, noticing a different message be displayed. "So, I have 7 Godly Points now. I spent seven Godly Points to visit here and have earned the same. If I consider in that regard, I have wasted a year. But in actuality..."

He smiled as he continued muttering to himself, "I got the Ocean Heart. Just that alone makes this trip worth it." He then stepped into the boat, looking at the pile of Blood Essence Stones he had accumulated. "On top of that, these are bonuses that would help me in my future hunts."

Adrift on the ocean, he wasn't able to prepare himself. But after being on land for a year, he was able to create everything that he would be needed in the future, allowing him to be ready for whatever he faced next. 

For the next couple of days, Krune didn't leave the boat, afraid that he would be teleported out when he wasn't with the boat. He then gazed at the parchment that would send him back when ripped, smiling at his silliness. 

Instead of waiting for the next few days in worry that he would be teleported at the wrong time, he might as well leave on his initiative. After all, there was no chance for him to affect the other three villages or reap any Godly Points. 

Besides, the thicket of trees caused by the war between the first two villages would eventually produce a ton of massive fruits. After all, all the bone trees had grown by absorbing blood from Monster Geckos that were alive. So, if Krune thought about it, at least 600 massive fruits would be produced. 

If even only one in a hundred survived eating that, around six Mutants would be birthed. Besides, two bone trees were growing from the blood of Mutants. So, they would produce the colossal fruits that, when a Mutant consumed it, would cause it to become a King. 

On top of that, there was a bone tree that grew by absorbing the blood of a King. As for what it would produce, even Krune was unaware. Besides, when he was trying to birth Mutants, he only used whatever Monster Gecko he could get his hands on.

As for the three Monster Gecko Kings that remained on the Primary Landmass, they would precisely be able to calculate what to do with the massive fruits and allocate them to whichever Monster Gecko had the greatest success rate of becoming a Mutant. So, their success rate would be many times higher than him. 

Krune looked around, noticing that he had placed everything of value in his boat, sighing as he looked at the cave he spent a year in. "Alright, I should leave now."

He then bit a part of the boat while using a couple of ropes trailing from it to tie himself up, making it seem as if it was something he had worn over his body. He still wasn't completely sure if it would work. After all, he had only been teleported once. So, he had to work with the limited info. 

As such, prepared with everything, he tore the parchment, noticing his vision blur before he had to squint his eyes at the bright surroundings. Krune immediately looked at the ground to see that he was still in his boat, screaming with joy, "It worked!"

…

The moment he left the place, a group of Monster Geckos entered his cave, looking around as he observed the status of the cave. They then reported everything to the King that stood at the entrance in thought. 

Similarly, another King stood at the entrance to a certain cave, kneeling automatically when it sensed the suffocating presence that had permeated in the area.

The final King stood before the thicket of bone trees, smiling as it saw the numerous massive fruits that grew, focusing on the two colossal fruits in the center, finally gazing at the special fruit that caused a desire in it. It seemed that the three Kings had allied themselves to make sense of the situation in their lands.

…

Krune sensed something amiss, turning around to see a group of people gazing at him in shock, suspicion, fear, and greed. The myriad of gazes slammed into him, someone who had been devoid of human contact for more than a year. 

For a moment, Krune forgot how to even react when seeing others. Though, after noticing that his boat was above the Checkpoint Turtle, he sighed in relief, remembering that he had returned exactly after a year had passed. 

That meant that it was time for the Checkpoint Turtle to appear once again. And with a casual glance, Krune noticed almost one hundred people on the Checkpoint Turtle. 

Surprisingly, there seemed to be a queue that had formed to enter inside. It seemed only one would be permitted to enter at a time. Krune also noticed a couple of squids go around while instructing the people. 

They didn't seem capable of speech but seemed intelligent enough to convey their intentions to the people. Upon noticing his arrival, a squid arrived before his boat, gently pushing it from the Checkpoint Turtle until it landed on the ocean water. 

As the upper half of the boat was in contact with the ocean above, it was easy to push it. Once it was done pushing, the squid looked at Krune and pointed at the queue, prompting him to join it if he wished to buy something. 

Krune nodded, deciding to wait and see first. He didn't wish for someone to steal his hard work while he waited in the queue. After all, he couldn't see the raft he was relying on a year ago. So, someone had definitely taken it in the meantime. 

Plus, judging by what the Octopus had said before, it seemed the Checkpoint Turtle would only remain for two days before vanishing. The moment he had this thought, Krune shuddered, beginning to sweat immediately as he muttered inwardly, 'My calculations were wrong. It seemed I snapped the parchment when my time was almost up. Thankfully, I did it. Otherwise…'

He dared not imagine being unable to bring the boat with him after putting all his efforts into its creation. He would have probably gone mad if that had been the case. 

So, he thanked his luck that he took action right when he did. At the same time, he noticed a man exit the interior and approach the end and rip out a parchment. Immediately, a boat materialized before him. 

It was wide enough for him to sleep and had a small compartment to store some tools. Moreover, it had a fair degree of comfort and had a sleek, efficient design that allowed one to row better. It was worth two Godly Points that Krune had been disinclined to buy before. 

And now that he looked at it, even though the bone boat was incredibly efficient, allowing one to row it easily through a variety of means, it didn't have a lot of space. In comparison to that, his Paddle was many times better since it had a larger floor space and numerous compartments for a variety of uses. 

Still, it seemed the man was happy as he jumped into it and rowed away from the place, intending to go wherever he pleased.

But just as Krune was contemplating what to do next, a group of people approached his boat, eyeing it greedily. They were a group of ten, and judging by their healing scars, they seemed to have been in considerable battles recently.

Among them was a man with a large build, sporting a considerable presence as he looked at Krune, asking, "Hello friend, may I know how you obtained this large boat?"

Chapter 951: Krune's Cultivator Mind

"Hello friend, may I know how you obtained this large boat?"

Upon hearing the man's statement, Krune wasn't even concerned about his motives, rather pleased to strike up a conversation with a fellow human. He smiled in response, stating honestly, "I made this during the year I spent in a Primary Landmass."

"A Primary Landmass…" The man frowned, muttering, "That costs five Godly Points."

Only then did he notice that Krune was actually sitting in the boat. Even then, he possessed a massive frame, causing the man to feel slightly fearful. He then noticed the Whale Tooth Sword hanging on the boat wall, frowning at its sheer size and quality. 

A glance was all he needed to realize that it was way better than the weapon he obtained in the bundle—termed the Bone Arsenal in the Checkpoint Turtle—that cost two Godly Points. So, he could determine that Krune was a tough individual. 

Thus, he immediately changed his stance, no longer intending to kill Krune to obtain his boat. He then cupped his fists as he said, "Boss, my name's Strinker. We're going around as a group to ensure we survive this place."

"My name's Krune." Krune faced a bit of awkwardness in showing formality as he hadn't done that for a year now. Though, the familiarity of the interaction allowed him to continue, making a sweeping glance around the Checkpoint Turtle. "There's a lot of people here this time. There was none when I visited it last year."

"Last year?" Strinker blurted out in shock, muttering, "Sir, were you part of the first batch?"

"The first batch? What do you mean?" Krune frowned when he recalled the scene he had witnessed during his second month of stay in the Primary Landmass.

After a confused look, Strinker thought of the time Krune spent on the Primary Landmass, speaking immediately, "Every month, around 10 million people are dropped in this layer. Eventually, we started to call them as batches."

He pointed at himself and the people behind him, "I'm part of the fifth batch while the rest range from the seventh to the tenth batch."

Krune's eyes widened in surprise as he thought it was time to satiate his curiosity and the feeling of oddity he had sensed long ago. "Then, which continent are you from?"

"I'm from the Zukra Continent," Strinker replied.

'Never heard of it.' Krune frowned before continuing to ask, "Then, how long ago did you arrive in this Sub-Realm? Where was its entrance?"

Hearing the question, Strinker frowned as he responded, "As I said, I was part of the fifth batch. Also, I didn't see any entrance or anything. One day, I was chasing after a group of people when something hit all of us. Before we realized it, we were already in this place and had turned into mortals."

'I see, so they hadn't started from layer 4.' Krune nodded in understanding, 'It seemed he was just forcibly dropped here.'

"Then..." Krune looked at the others behind Strinker, asking once more, "How did the lot of you arrive here? Did everyone appear in this place first?"

"I fell from a cliff. When I thought I would die, I fell into this ocean. By the time I managed to reach the surface, I noticed that my cultivation had disappeared."

"I was just sleeping when I suddenly drowned. Next thing I knew, I was here."

"I was just talking with my family when my surroundings changed all of a sudden. I was here before I noticed it."

Upon hearing all their claims, Krune determined that they were all forcibly dropped in layer 3. Unlike those from the Zamuria Continent, they hadn't voluntarily arrived at the Sub-Realm.

It was Strinker's time to question as he frowned. "You said this was a Sub-Realm? Then, are we no longer in the God Realm? I thought a spatial anomaly had sent us here. At the very least, that's what all of us had been thinking."

"No, this is a Sub-Realm created by a God since he was bored. To entertain himself, he placed a lot of treasures in this place. Upon seeing these treasures, we had entered it through its entrance," Krune replied, noticing the faces of others convulse.

"Fuck! So, we're trapped in a goddamn Sub-Realm!" Strinker cursed, clutching his head in anger. The others also had the same reactions, vexed at the situation. All along, they had been assuming that a spatial anomaly had sent them in this danger zone where they had regressed to their mortal selves. They thought that as long as they traveled in a direction long enough, they would eventually exit the danger zone.

But if it was a Sub-Realm, everything changed. As mortals, they wouldn't be able to leave the Sub-Realm. 

Seeing their reactions, Krune pointed at their foreheads, having noticed the tiny dot on their glabella before saying, "The lot of you have the tablets with you. You can leave this place using them eventually."

"In the end, that seems to be the only option." Strinker sighed. "I thought we would have been able to leave this place as long as we rowed in one direction."

"Even if you reach the boundary, your mortal self wouldn't be able to even scratch the Sub-Realm's barrier," Krune replied, sensing the Checkpoint Turtle flinch once, causing some waves while making the people on its surface groan in response.

Upon seeing the expression of the people in the queue, Krune felt confused as he asked, "What's happening?"

"The items in the Checkpoint Turtle are limited. This reaction would happen the moment at least one item on the list is sold out. From what that damn octopus had said, it would leave the moment this happens." Strinker scowled. Though, it wasn't because the Checkpoint Turtle was leaving, but rather at the fact that the place he assumed as a Danger Zone ended up being a Sub-Realm.

As for the Checkpoint Turtle's items, he had already bought his fair share. He didn't have many Godly Points to begin with, so all he managed to buy was a Bone Arsenal and a Water Essence for emergencies. 

Upon noticing that the Checkpoint Turtle was about to disappear, Strinker spoke in a hurry, "Boss, if you don't mind, can we follow you on our boats?"

"Sure, I don't mind." Krune waved his hand casually, rather pleased at the company. With some people around him, he wouldn't become insane. 

"Then..." Strinker looked at his group and nodded, speaking to Krune, "It's for the best if we leave right now. The moment the Checkpoint Turtle vanishes, this place would become rowdy as everyone would try to steal the treasures of others."

"Hmm, that seems lively." Krune's eyes lit up at the sound of that. Having been along for a year as a mortal, he had only fought against Monster Geckos. Now, it would be a nice change to see a fight between people. 

Then again, he had no intentions of taking part in it. His morality wouldn't allow him to harm another person for no reason. Only if they tried to kill him would he retaliate. As for the rest, he would rather pull his punches or just be content being a spectator. 

It was odd since the moment he began to converse with Strinker and the others, his values as a cultivator began to return as if the mental state he had exhibited for the past year was a lie. Since he didn't wish to become a bloodthirsty individual, Krune welcomed the change, turning more and more into his usual self as time passed. 

Like an island that was sinking, the Checkpoint Turtle retreated deep into the waters, disappearing from view the moment it sunk to a depth beyond 10 meters from the surface. As the light couldn't reach beyond that, its figure had vanished in the darkness. 

In the meantime, all the people on its top scrambled to their respective boats or whatever that floated, alarmed at the chaos that would result. Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few people that didn't have anything to rely on to float on the ocean waters. 

As for such people, they sprinted towards any vacant boats they saw to row with it first. After all, they couldn't fight in the presence of the Checkpoint Turtle. If they did, the Checkpoint Turtle would punish them.

Just the sheer presence it exuded was enough to suffocate them, not to mention when it attacked them. So, that was the reason no one tried anything while it was there. But, the moment it vanished, it was a free for all battle.

Krune noticed a group of people jump into a boat and begin fighting with each other as they tried to push others out into the water. Some of them flailed whatever piece of bone they used as a weapon to injure their opponents. 

Among them, quite a few had been eyeing Krune's massive boat. Considering its size, more than ten people could seat themselves on one side. On top of that, there were two sides to take a seat, so it was sizeable property.

Upon seeing a group of people swim towards his boat, Krune glanced at Stinker and the group, noticing that they had three boats. Two people sat on each while the three boats were connected to the carcass of a rather large fish. Seated on the fish were the remaining four people. 

They had used the tough nerves of the fish to create a rope and harnessed its carcass to the three boats. Due to the healing properties in the water, the rope wouldn't even snap from wear and tear as its damage would be healed constantly. Krune noticed that Strinker's group was observing his actions. If he failed to show any strength worthy of his large property, it seemed they also planned to take control of his boat.

Krune then looked back at the group swimming towards his boat, facing his palm towards them as he unleashed his Neon Radiance, causing them to flinch as they shouted.

"Ack!"

"My eyes!"

"It burns!"

They hurriedly opened their eyes while underwater, surfacing after a couple of seconds as they had completely recovered. Though, when they tried to swim towards Krune, the Neon Radiance struck their eyes once again. 

Even though Krune didn't use the Ocean Heart, with the improvement in his physique, the intensity of his Neon Radiance was harmful to the eyes, especially since the surroundings were dimming as the night approached. 

So, the potency of his ability was great. Every time they tried to approach his boat, Krune caused them to flinch and cover their eyes in pain. Even though they weren't injured, they were unable to close in on Krune.

Seeing the scene, and especially the ability Krune displayed, Strinker and his group shuddered. There was slight fear in his eyes as Strinker gazed at Krune, stuttering, "N-Neon Radiance?"

Chapter 952: Trouble Strikes as Usual

Neon Radiance. It's a rare ability only a select few among the first batch possessed. Those that possessed this passive ability were all strong. After all, it meant that not only did they survive through the First Wave, they also killed the Neon Radiance King to obtain the ability. 

Those with the ability were ranked in the top hundred of Layer 2. Considering the fact that around ten million people were brought into the place every month, it meant that competition was getting tougher with each passing day. 

With tougher competition arose figures that stood above the rest, making up the Top 100. Every person in this ranking was tremendously powerful, despite only being mortals. It was because of the passive abilities they had obtained, as well as their fighting methods. 

Normally, the passive ability one possessed was random since the two oceans were vast. Nevertheless, the only widely known passive ability was Neon Radiance. It was because this ability could only be obtained during the Waves. 

Once the First Wave ended, all the Neon Radiance Fishes vanished. Hence, it was impossible to obtain that ability again. And since everyone with that ability was among those in the top 100, it was widely known.

Even the group of people that were trying to head towards Krune's boat stopped after trying for a couple of seconds, realizing the ability they were facing. Even if they were unwilling, they no longer had the guts to approach his boat. 

Then again, despite that, they didn't wish to let go of any chances, slowly floating on the ocean waters as they drifted a fair distance away from his boat, following him. After seeing their intentions, Krune didn't mind their actions. 

Instead, he felt that it would be fun since he would no longer be bored. Krune took out the rope he had and tied it on one end on one of the four pillars forming his boat. He then threw the rope towards the group of people, saying, "Hold it so that you won't drown. I won't allow anyone to board my boat. With that said, I hope you don't annoy me too much."

The moment he threw the rope, the group of people scrambled to grab hold of it as sounds of relief resounded amongst them. Even though their conditions weren't great as they had to remain on the water, at least the rope would prevent them from drowning. 

Strinker and his group watched Krune's actions, unable to guess the thoughts that ran in his mind. If they judged based on appearance alone, Krune looked like a monster thanks to his skin armor. As the Monster Gecko skin armor covered his entire body, face included, it made him look like a bloodthirsty individual.

This was the reason Strinker hadn't made a move on Krune yet. He was deterred by Krune's appearance and stature. If it was the old kind-looking Krune, he would have definitely tried to take control of his boat.

'Just who is this guy?' Strinker thought as he double-tapped his glabella, summoning his tablet to pull up a certain page. It was the list of those who were in the top 100. From the first rank to the hundredth, Strinker looked through it completely, failing to find anyone by the name of Krune. 

Eventually, he was unable to rein in his curiosity, facing Krune as he asked, "Sir, what is your rank?"

"Rank? What's that?" Krune frowned as he asked in response, unaware. Seeing his reply, Strinker was caught off guard. He wondered if Krune was actually from the first batch, as he had said. Within a couple of seconds, numerous scenarios flashed through his mind as he noticed how Krune had never displayed any bloodthirst. 

His cruel appearance was the only thing going for him. Beyond that, he hadn't shown any offensive nature. Even for the group of people that tried to take his boat, he lent them a helping hand, even if it was just throwing them a rope to remain afloat.

It made Strinker assume that Krune was actually weak and was just putting up a front. He didn't have it in him to fight against others and was just making up an excuse to save himself. Thinking as such, he displayed the contents of his tablet to Krune, saying, "This is the ranking."

Krune unleashed some light as he brightened up the area, allowing him to stare at the tablet better. He then frowned as he asked, "Since when was such a list introduced? Anyways, how did you pull up that list?"

"When I tap five times on the tablet, this information pops up. The information displayed on the tablet changes according to the number of taps." Strinker replied, wondering how Krune managed to survive without even knowing about something so basic. 

'Strange.' Krune frowned, wondering if he had attempted that in the past when he was experimenting with the tablet. Soon, he realized that he wasn't clear about what he had experimented with. All he knew was that he didn't get anything from the tablet. 

Thinking as such, he summoned his tablet and tapped on it five times, immediately watching a stream of data be displayed. 

[Double Ocean: Godly Point Rankings]

[Rank 1: Princess Zamuria (142 Godly Points)]

[Rank 2: Hrook (127 Godly Points)]

.

.

[Rank 27: Cultivator (87 Godly Points)]

.

.

[Rank 100: Daelleur (64 Godly Points)]

[Rank 798: Krune (34 Godly Points)]

Only the top hundred ranks were displayed. Beyond that was his rank. Upon seeing that he was way below his expectations, Krune was disappointed for a moment. Then, he smiled a moment later as he muttered inwardly, 'It's only interesting this way. With my advantages, I'll soon catch up to them.'

"Well, it seems I'm pretty far behind," Krune muttered. Upon hearing his casual tone, Strinker was unable to judge the emotion Krune was actually feeling. He hoped Krune was just putting up a strong front and wasn't actually unfazed by everything. 

After forming his thoughts, he asked, "May I know your rank?"

"Sure." Krune nodded casually as he replied, "It's rank 798."

'Not overly high, but still high enough.' Strinker controlled his urges, intending to take it slow and make a move only when the situation looked right for him. A cultivator had as many Godly Points as his strength dictated. 

The stronger they were, the more they hunted and accumulated Godly Points. So, their ranks were a clear indication of their strength. Besides, Strinker had observed a certain trend among those from the first batch. A lot of them had staggeringly high Godly Points.

But over the months, the number hadn't increased as fast as he had thought, considering their high initial numbers. So, he wondered how they accumulated that many Godly Points in the first place. 

After all, even after being in the place for seven months, he only managed to accumulate three Godly Points. Even that proved to be tremendously hard. If not for the fact two massive fishes fought each other and had sustained enough life-threatening injuries, he wouldn't have been able to land the final blow on them and reap the Godly Points. 

And only through that did he accumulate three passive abilities. Among his group, he was already the strongest. After all, only two others in his group had two passive abilities, while the rest only had one passive ability. 

Surprisingly, they were already considered an elite group because of this. As for the group holding the rope that Krune had thrown, none of them had any passive abilities. If they had been capable of killing a powerful fish, they would have at least used its carcass to build themselves a boat. 

Or, they hadn't been lucky until now to chance upon an injured fish that gave them a passive ability upon death, like Strinker. 

Krune had zero intentions of hunting fishes to give them passive abilities. He wasn't a saint. On top of that, it wasn't easy to hunt a fish that was able to give a Godly Point. Every hunt was life-threatening. 

Only if they had certain elements of luck, coincidence, the proper placing, and perseverance will they be able to destroy one, just like what Krune had done to the Sonic Radar. Thus, he only planned to think about himself. 

And just when he thought about it, a woman slowly paddled towards his boat. Just when he thought of using the Neon Radiance to prevent her approach, he paused, noticing that the woman barely retained her consciousness. She wasn't part of the group that held his rope.

She seemed to have been severely injured as a couple of bones the shape of knives had been pierced through her back, having injured her lungs. In other words, she wasn't even able to breathe. Moreover, the stretch of the ocean behind her had a long line of red due to the blood she had lost. 

She had lost her left arm while her legs seemed to have been riddled with holes. Held on her right arm, secured in her embrace, was a baby, barely a few months old. The baby was currently silent, its body covered with blood that bled from her.

It was currently still as its body was turning cold, a sign that it wasn't far from death. As darkness had set, the woman had been lost. And it was then she noticed a bright light far away, one that seemed capable of sending away the night at the owner's discretion. 

Using the last vestiges of her strength, she paddled towards the light source, noticing a figure that seemed even more vicious than the most vicious of monsters. But for some reason, she felt he was her final hope. 

"Please…my child…save him…" she uttered using the last of her breath, barely lifting her son's body as she lost all vitality. Her extended hand slowly fell into the ocean as her corpse floated on its surface. 

Krune frowned, immediately understanding that trouble had knocked at his doorsteps. As someone who had attracted trouble throughout his life, Krune had a sharp radar towards such situations. Seeing the extent of injuries riddled on the woman's body, he knew that she had offended someone too much that they acted so viciously against her. 

Then again, he didn't wish to involve himself with her, so he hadn't taken any action. The woman died before she reached him. Plus, the fact that she died despite being in the ocean with its healing properties meant that her injuries were life-threatening. In short, even he wouldn't have been able to save her. 

"…Guah!" Suddenly, the baby cried, stifling him as Krune scowled immediately, no longer able to remain a cold onlooker. He leaned over the edge of the boat and extended his hand, grabbing hold of the baby that had begun to drown in the water, lifting it up. 

He quickly inspected its condition, frowning for a moment as he placed his palm over its body. He then unleashed a blue radiance as he began to heal it. Coincidentally, at this moment, he noticed another bright spot moving in his direction at breakneck speeds. 

"Ah shit, here we go again."

Chapter 953: Defensive Battle

Activating Ocean Heart, Krune used its healing effect and transmitted it through his Neon Radiance, causing the light to turn blue. The light then enveloped the baby, barely instilling some warmth into its body. 

He quickly used some ocean water to clean the baby before wrapping it in some of the leather he had with him, warming its body up. It didn't seem to have been injured in any significant way. Though, if he didn't treat it enough, it was bound to die. 

Naturally, seeing the death of a baby would never sit well with him. So, Krune continued to heal it as he gazed at the source of light gradually approaching him. It was traveling rapidly, at least around 40-50 kilometers per hour. 

That speed was way beyond what any boat could hope to achieve through manual paddling. With that, Krune immediately thought of the ten items sold in the Checkpoint Turtle, muttering, "Someone bought a Motor Fish, huh. Well, that's extravagant." 

Judging by the way it headed straight towards him without any hesitation, Krune judged that one of the people in the boat had a passive ability related to tracking. Using that, they were able to track the woman that had died just now. 

As the source of light began to arrive closer, the numerous boats in the place began to paddle away in fear, as if they knew the person that was approaching. It hadn't been long since the Checkpoint Turtle vanished. So, a lot of the boats were still in the area, only maintaining distance from one another.

Right now, they hurriedly began to paddle with all their might to escape. Krune turned around and noticed that the group holding the rope had begun to swim away in fear, deserting the place. 

As for Strinker, he too seemed to agree, quickly turning around as he tried to escape. In his eyes was fear, judging by his hurried posture. 

Krune shouted towards him, "Strinker, who's that?"

Upon hearing his question, Strinker didn't even turn around to answer, just urging his group to paddle faster as they escaped. 

Krune didn't follow him, though, as it wasn't possible for him alone to paddle and escape. Besides, it was apparent that the target was approaching his boat. It seemed that they were able to track both the woman and her baby.

So, as long as Krune didn't abandon the baby, they would come for him. Besides, he wouldn't be able to paddle and escape from the chaser that was using a Motor Fish to move through the waters. 

So, Krune had no other choice but to face them head-on. Because he had been in numerous situations like this one, he wasn't even mad at the woman. He just sighed, noticing her corpse float on the water beside his boat. 

The area lit up as the enemy boat arrived at the place. It was a rather large boat because they had followed a similar setup as Krune. Then again, their boat didn't seem like a single construct. Rather, it was a series of boats that were joined together into one. 

All the boats were those obtained from the Bone Arsenal. At present, there were five boats on each ocean surface. So, whoever it was, they had spent 20 Godly Points on this alone. Though, judging by the way everyone scurried off, it seemed that their ship hadn't been created by expending their own Godly Points but by pillaging it from others. 

Five boats were joined together to form a base on each ocean while a thick mast stemmed from the boat in the center, connecting the two rows of boats together. In fact, this was only the main boat. There were numerous double boats—created by joining two boats from the Bone Arsenal together—trailing right behind it, numbering six in total, three per ocean.

Trailing further behind them were individual boats, numbering 18 in total, nine per ocean. All of them were connected to one another in a triangular formation. Overall, it was a collective force as Krune could spot at least 30 people in it. At the front of the main boat were the Motor Fishes, two per ocean.

There was a total of four Motor Fishes propelling the entire construct, costing a staggering amount of Godly Points almost in the three digits. It seemed that they had been raiding a lot, considering they had chased after the place where the Checkpoint Turtle had been until now.

As people would have arrived there to exchange their Godly Points for treasures, pillaging them would be the easiest ticket to power and wealth in the place. But this time, it seemed that they weren't just here because of the treasures, as they didn't even target the boats that were paddling away.

The construct stopped ten meters before Krune's boat as a man stood at its front, staring at Krune as he observed him. Upon seeing that Krune's body was also emitting a gentle neon glow, he was startled for a moment, cursing his luck to come across someone from the top hundred. 

Nevertheless, he wasn't scared. Even if the other party was from the top hundred, he was just a single person. They had more than thirty people on their side, and their boss was also someone from the top hundred. 

So, he wasn't the least bit afraid. He then focused on his senses, trailing towards a dead figure in the water before Krune's boat, smiling. "So, she's finally dead. Good riddance."

"Then, what about her baby?" He then focused further as he frowned, sensing the baby in Krune's boat. He turned around, looking at his boss, telling him, "Boss, the baby's still alive."

The boss was a man with a large stature, possessing thick arms that were equivalent to a regular person's legs. He was seated on a comfortable chair, overlooking everything. On top of that, there was the handle of a sword placed before him.

Though, it was in reverse, with the blade lodged into the boat above. The tip of the handle stopped right at his forehead. He possessed scaly eyes that maintained a permanent frown. With that, he gazed at Krune, noticing that the other party was alone. 

He then observed Krune's boat, speaking, "He has an incredible boat. It seems to have taken considerable work to complete something of such scale. He probably did that while in a Primary Landmass or something."

The boss then looked at Krune, shouting, "The baby in your hand belongs to me. Return him!"

"What will you do with him?" Krune replied, frowning as he noticed some of the people among the group jumping into the ocean and swimming through it, circling his boat first.

'It seems a fight is unavoidable.' He sighed, bending as he picked up his Whale Tooth Sword. As for the Whale Tooth Daggers, they were already hoisted around his hips. In the case any fish might attack him, he was always ready. 

"That's for me to decide." the boss replied with a grunt, observing that Krune was calm all along. He then acted politely to make Krune let go of his guard, saying, "Let's introduce each other first. I'm Gajor, the boss of this little force. What are you called?"

"I'm Krune," Krune replied as he hoisted the Whale Tooth Sword on his shoulder. "Let's cut the chatter, shall we? It's best if pirates like the lot of you remained in character."

"Fine then." Gajor laughed, waving his hand to his group as he coldly commanded, "Kill him."

No sooner did he give the command did the people in the ocean accelerate and jump out like fishes, heading straight at Krune. 

For a moment, Krune didn't know if they were humans or fishes, considering the incredible manner in which they jumped. 

They had sharp weapons in their hands, resembling knives and picks. As they were about to touch his boat, Krune smiled as the intense sound of his heartbeat resounded in the place. He gently placed the baby on his bed, taking action instantaneously.

Ocean Heart!

Neon Radiance!

The intense light he emitted elicited screams from them as their eyes bled from the intensity. At the same time, Krune lashed out with the Whale Tooth Sword, hacking their heads, killing four people easily. 

"Tch!" Gajor scowled as he lost four men. It had taken him a lot of effort to grow them over the month, so it was a major loss when they died. He then shouted, "Ram his boat! We'll deal with him once he's in the water."

The Motor Fishes then flapped their fins, causing the construct to accelerate towards Krune's boat, intending to ram into it. But, the moment they approached closer, Krune grinned, crouching low before jumping out of his boat, heading straight towards the Motor Fishes, intending to kill them first.

Seeing his choice of action, Gajor frowned as he pulled out his sword in a hurry and jumped forward, meeting Krune's blade. Though, at the moment they clashed, he grunted, almost being overpowered by Krune. 

Followed by the slash, Krune let go of his Whale Tooth Sword, pulling out his two Whale Tooth Daggers as he swiped at Gajor's legs, drawing out blood. 

But when he tried to close in on him, Gajor emitted the same Neon Radiance, causing Krune to grunt as he stumbled. To protect himself, he had also unleashed blinding light, brightening up the entire place. 

The intensity of the light was to the extent those fleeing from the area noticed their surroundings light up like it was the evening. All of them turned around simultaneously, noticing the brightly lit ocean. 

There were two sources of Neon Radiance, their rays apparent like sunlight that shone in from a room's window. But suddenly, one of the lights, the stronger one, turned white as everyone felt an intense chill. 

Krune grabbed hold of his Whale Tooth Sword and slashed horizontally, making a wide sweep. He wasn't able to see much, so all he could do was make wide attacks. He then faced his back towards Gajor, noticing a couple of people try to enter his boat.

Krune leaped from the place and slashed out with his sword, killing one of them. He then pulled out his Whale Tooth Dagger and plunged it into the leg of the other, causing him to scream in pain as Krune pulled the dagger downward.

Followed by a long laceration, the man was pulled into the water. But immediately, he slipped out and escaped like a fish. Cursing, Krune climbed aboard his boat, noticing that the baby was fine. It seemed to be on the verge of crying but hadn't uttered any sound yet.

"Tch." Krune grunted as he looked at the people surrounding his boat. It seemed that all of the pirates had an ability that allowed them to move faster in the water. That was why he was facing so much difficulty in landing a decisive attack on them. 

Chapter 954: The Seamstress Appears Again

Even if he wished to deal with the pirates, Krune couldn't leave the baby alone. Without it having protection, it could be killed mid-fight. After all, the pirates had impressive mobility in the water. Observing their actions, he determined that they weren't even swimming through the water.

There was a mysterious force that generated currents around their bodies, propelling them forward. But thanks to the light he emitted, and due to the high-tension battle, Krune's attention span was magnified. 

He immediately noticed that the Motor Fishes also moved in the same manner, thinking to himself, 'So, all of them have a passive ability related to the Motor Fishes? Hmmm...they're only worth 7 Godly Points in the Checkpoint Turtle, while I had to spend 20 Godly Points to buy Underwater Breathing. So, did they figure out a method like what I did with the Monster Geckos?'

"What the heck? It's freezing all of a sudden!" The pirates cursed all of a sudden as they retreated into the water, using the warmth from the water to shield themselves from the cold. The source was Krune, who activated his cold blood and transmitted the freezing effect through his Neon Radiance. 

Of course, its effect wasn't that intense as he had directed it everywhere. Not only that, but since the ocean waters were warm, as long as the pirates jumped into it, they would be okay. Besides, Krune couldn't freeze up part of the ocean. Even if he had recovered his cultivation base, it would be a difficult feat, not to mention now. 

He quickly retracted the freezing effect and deactivated his Neon Radiance, relying on Sonic Radar as he began to breathe rapidly in quick sessions using his mouth. Through this, he emitted weak sounds that allowed him to perceive the entire surroundings. 

Krune then pulled out a fishing rod and slapped it out, causing the hook to plunge into the nose of a jumping pirate. He then tugged it with all his strength, causing the pirate to scream as part of his nose was torn off. 

He continued to scream while moving within the ocean. Upon seeing that they had a greater advantage due to their mobility in water, Krune took out the fishing rods, using them to hook his foes. Upon seeing his adaptability to the situation, Gajor frowned. 

'This guy is good, but how come I don't remember seeing his name on the top hundred rankings?' Gajor thought as he called out, "Heuk, can you sense any weakness in him?"

"I can't find any," Heuk observed Krune's fighting style as he responded. "He seems too attuned to a defensive battle as if he lived with shields all his life. Then again, this guy isn't normal, boss."

"I feel the same." Gajor nodded. "Well, let's probe his strength first before making any other moves. It is a loss, but most of them are disposable anyway. Might as well put them to good use."

As his subordinate, Heuk nodded and instructed his men. Gajor then gazed at Krune, watching the other party flash a smile his way before turning off his Neon Radiance. For a moment, Gajor felt like his heart would leap out of his chest, sensing danger from Krune. 'Very few are able to make me feel this way. This guy is definitely a monster.'

'But!' He smiled. 'If you were still a cultivator, it might have been a different issue. Sadly, you're just a mortal. Your stamina is limited. You will tire out soon enough and won't be able to rely on any passive abilities. But on my side, those pirates are just disposable pawns. Once I weaken you enough, I can easily finish you off.'

But just when he chuckled, one of Gajor's passive abilities activated, warning him of another incoming danger. This was a danger-sensing ability that he managed to obtain after spending three months chasing after a certain fish. Only after he had obtained it was he able to roam around as a pirate and manage to survive up till now. Everything was because of the danger-sensing passive ability he had obtained. 

At the moment he sensed the danger, Gajor commanded Heuk immediately, "Retreat!"

Heuk, too, was privy of the danger-sensing passive ability his boss possessed. So without asking any questions, he shouted for them to retreat, confusing the pirates for a moment before they hurried off to retreat. 

And right at this moment, a figure swam through the water at breakneck speeds before slashing the cage with a motor fish, severing it from the pirate construct. Gajor jumped forth with his sword and slashed with all his might as the entity within lightly parried his attack before making another slash on the second Motor Fish cage, severing it as well from the pirate construct. 

The blade that severed it emitted intense heat even though its texture resembled a coral. Upon seeing the signature blade, Gajor hurried his men while shouting, "Damn, it's the Seamstress! Retreat! Retreat!"

Their pirate construct quickly sped away as the remaining two Motor Fishes worked harder. While they were escaping, the heated blade flashed a couple of times, severing some of the boats from the construct. 

The pirates on those boats quickly jumped from the boats, carrying with them the items they had pillaged. They climbed aboard the other intact boats and watched as the construct sped up, throwing off the entity that was chasing after them.

After all, with two Motor Fishes, they were capable of moving at speeds beyond an individual was capable of, despite relying on related passive abilities. Thus, the entity called the Seamstress was no longer able to give chase. 

Once they had disappeared far away, a figure surfaced, slightly exhausted. Sporting a look like she was in her late twenties, the lady's blue hair was highlighted by the Neon Radiance she emitted at a weak intensity. 

She then swam through the water before pulling the couple of boats she had severed, attaching them to the two Motor Fish cages. She then climbed aboard them before slowly paddling towards Krune. She then spoke when they were nearby, asking, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Krune replied while carrying the baby, using his healing effect to heal it. When he had set it aside while fighting, its condition had worsened. With that, he had to heal it further so that it wouldn't die. 

Unfortunately, despite having wrapped it in the leather blanket, its body was getting colder. The moment she noticed the baby's condition, the Seamstress moved closer until her boat touched him. She then extended her hand, touching the baby's forehead before frowning. "The baby is losing its body heat."

"I'm already healing him. Do you have a better solution?" Krune inquired, not wary of the other party. He heard Gajor's shout as they tried to escape. He addressed the lady as the Seamstress. Surprisingly, that was a name even he had heard about. 

After all, when they were traveling towards the Four Sectors' Border Region, Cultivator had informed him of some of the interesting people he met. Since he was the type of person to only care about nature and almost never about people, when he called someone interesting, they were bound to be unique individuals. 

With that, he had described the Seamstress as a mad woman that still followed the ideals she had when she was a five-year-old. In order to instill peace upon the land, she went around using her Spiritual Incarnation to convert all the bandits and other notorious figures into selfless individuals who wished to bring peace to the world.

She instilled in them a sense of innocence while granting them power, subtly changing their mindset to make them better individuals. Even though bringing peace in the God Realm was impossible, she was making an effort through her own strength. 

Thus, she had accumulated considerable fame because of that. Surprisingly, the number of followers she had was staggering, almost enough to rival the armies of a couple of cities combined. That much power in the hands of an individual that wasn't even an immortal was an astounding feat. 

On top of that, she was a smart lady, capable of scheming when necessary. But despite everything, she stubbornly wished to uphold the ideals she had as a child and strived forth accordingly. As the one who said this was Cultivator, Krune wasn't averse towards the lady before him.

And since Cultivator had also shown him her appearance, he could recognize her. 'But, she looks very young now. As a cultivator, she seemed to be in her sixties, but now, she looks like she's only in her twenties.'

"I can help," the Seamstress said, retracting her hand lightly as she could feel the essence of the ocean in the blue light Krune emitted. She then focused as her hand emitted a gentle heat, selectively wrapping around the baby.

The heat was warm, soon instilling some vigor in the baby. Simultaneously, Krune's healing effect instilled more and more vitality in the baby. Soon, the baby began to make crying sounds. The moment they heard it, Krune and the Seamstress beamed at each other with a smile. The baby had survived. 

"Is he your son?" the Seamstress looked around, trying to find the mother of the child. Judging by his age, she wondered if the mother had delivered him while in the Sub-Realm.

"No, she gave him to me before dying." Krune pointed towards a floating figure on the other side of his boat. "For some reason, those pirates had been chasing after her."

Following his gaze, the Seamstress noticed the stabbed figure of a woman floating on the ocean water. The water currents caused her body to hit Krune's boat every once in a while. The moment she noticed the vicious manner in which he was stabbed, the Seamstress fumed in anger. 

Nevertheless, she quickly controlled herself, taking deep breaths as she calmed down before performing a prayer to the lady. "May your vitality flow into the ocean and birth new life."

She then turned around, cupping her fists to Krune as she told him, "Then, I'll take my leave."

Saying so, she just turned around, intending to command the Motor Fishes when suddenly, Krune raised his hand, asking her, "Please wait."