Eric, Lyria, and Livy stood on a tiny boat and watched their horizon, which was filled with only water and more water—not a single island or rock in sight.
It had been a few days since all of them had broken through to the mid-stage Rank 1 Mystical Knight.
Since then, they had also done some experiments with their abilities and understood a few things.
For example, Eric could not blink together with either Lyria or Livy.
According to Riya's hypothesis, his stats probably needed to be higher than theirs by some margin to blink with them.
Eric felt that made some sense—in other words, it was impossible for him at this moment to kidnap one of the girls and escape.
During these last few days, Eric had also made a few new artifacts.
One of them was an instrument that functioned like a fathometer, approximately measuring the depth of the ocean.
So, all of them took the small boat—which Lyria and Eric had made using the training island's uprooted trees—and went toward the ocean to find a place more than 5,000 meters deep.
Finally, they arrived at their current location, where the device, which was also occupying space inside the boat, indicated a depth of over 6,000 meters.
Since it was always an estimated distance and not 100% accurate, Eric had to find a place with at least 6,000 meters to ensure they didn't drive all the way only to find it was barely 4,500 meters deep and then swim back pointlessly.
Riya had claimed that she could judge the pressure necessary for their breakthrough, so they didn't need to worry about the distance when diving down.
All three of them had started their journey from their training island at dawn, and now, near midday, they had finally found a perfect spot to enjoy a full-body massage.
They sat back on the small boat for one final discussion before diving down.
"Both of you, try your best to stick together. You probably won't be able to see much after 1,000 meters, which is why the 'Underwater Voice Transmission' artifact I gave you is no less important than the breathing one. It will help us stay in contact."
"If we separate, swim back to the surface and wait for everyone to regroup before trying again. I've also given you compasses. After surfacing, make loud noises—if we still can't find each other, swim north to the last island we passed. Any questions?"
Lyria turned to Livy. "Liv, can't you see or feel better underwater thanks to your element?"
Livy smiled bitterly. "I wish. I can barely 'feel' my surroundings a little better in water and maybe hold my breath longer, but I can't see as clearly as Brother Eric."
Lyria nodded. She understood that not all elements gave clear benefits like Eric's 'Darkness.' In fact, most barely provided any natural advantage.
She just hoped they wouldn't have to rely entirely on Eric—or become a burden. If Livy could see, it would have been better, but since she couldn't, that was that.
Livy raised her hand. "I think we should tie ropes between us to stay connected if we separate."
Eric nodded, then shook his head. "Not a bad idea, but impractical. Don't underestimate deep ocean currents. If opposing forces pull us apart, the rope could tear us to pieces."
He paused, then pulled out an enchanted rope—thin, soft, yet sturdy enough to withstand high pressure. He handed an end to each girl.
"Don't tie it—just hold it loosely enough to let go if needed. I'll trust your judgment."
Currently, they wore long jackets but were naked underneath, as Tier outfits would interfere with pressure resistance, and mortal-tier clothes wouldn't survive.
They could wear loose-fitting Tier outfits, but that would only hinder their swimming and diving, so they had to scrap that idea too.
Lyria raised her hand and asked, "How will we know when we've reached the right depth?"
Eric wanted to say—We won't! As they truly wouldn't have any idea, it was Riya who would tell him when the pressure was correct for their trial.
He shook his head. "Don't worry. After we reach the necessary depth, I will know and inform you through the Voice Transmission Artifact. Keep it always attached to your ears and mouth. Also, report every five seconds to check its functionality. If it fails, use spares immediately—discard the broken ones."
Lyria and Livy agreed.
Eric stood up while adjusting the artifacts on his head. "Let's go. The longer we wait, the more nervous we'll get. Use mana sparingly—if the pressure becomes unbearable, ascend immediately. Don't push yourself to death."
According to Riya, they could use mana to shield weak organs—though it wasn't foolproof. Mana was not omnipotent and could also burst if it was too much for it to hold. However, it did help with some extra protection.
After securing the essentials from the boat, Eric jumped into the water. Lyria and Livy followed, donning artifacts before stowing their jackets in their rings.
Both girls blushed—this was the most exposed they'd ever been in front of Eric.
Eric didn't even glance at them. As tempting as their curves had become, he didn't need to be a genius to know that his hormones would kick him 'hard', and even in freezing water, 'something' would turn rigid and hot. So he focused and dove without hesitation.
He had full faith in Lyria and Livy's capabilities. However, the current trial was quite dangerous, and by the time he rescued the other, it might be too late. So he was internally very solemn and cautious this time.
Soon, they crossed the 1,000-meter depth, and whatever Lyria or Livy could perceive through light was gone. Thus, now it was all up to Eric to guide them.
He had also checked and was relieved to find his Blink worked perfectly fine underwater.
His ability to see within darkness also proved invaluable at this moment, or else they all would have been blinded.
There were artifacts like Mana Lamps or just Luminous Stones that could help them light their way; however, that was the same as announcing to every entity within the ocean that there were three idiots who had come to enjoy a full-body massage. Thus, they avoided using them. Not to mention, those torches wouldn't be of much help further in depth. Sadly, Lysandra had left behind the least amount of knowledge related to Artisan; otherwise, there might have been better ways to take care of the current situation.
Eric had also noticed the atmospheric pressure was far higher compared to Earth's. No matter the reason might be, for now, the pressure was bearable with their Constitution.
During the journey, Eric didn't find that many fish around. The ocean floor was eerily empty; even the deep ocean currents were gentle, so they didn't struggle much and continued descending smoothly.
After they crossed a 3,000-meter depth, they finally felt the pressure that they had to try hard to resist, though this "little" difficulty was still nothing in front of their fierce spirit, so they continued without anyone mentioning anything about their strain.
"B-Brother Eric... The ocean is so dark. Can you see everything?"
Livy's nervous voice echoed inside their voice chat channel.
"Hm... Not too far, though. The deeper we're getting, the worse my eyesight is getting. For now, don't worry; make sure to keep your physical condition in check."
Lyria and Livy agreed verbally.
At this depth, Eric could barely see around 300 meters around him—beyond that, everything blurred.
The further he dove, the lower his eyesight also got. This made him realize that his eyesight wasn't as omnipotent as he had thought.
They kept driving down and finally passed the 4,000-meter depth. Riya kept informing Eric of her rough calculation on the distance traveled.
Eric felt this was as far as he could go, yet when he asked Lyria and Livy, they replied that they were fine and could handle the pressure.
What else could he do other than keep descending? Though, he also wouldn't give up that easily either.
Finally, after hours since they started, with very few minor inconveniences along the way, Riya informed Eric that they had reached the necessary depth and now needed to stay there for 10 to 15 minutes until they felt their breakthroughs.
Eric painfully relayed the news—both girls responded weakly with a small "Hmm."
He was worried for both girls, as he himself was barely holding on and felt his body might implode at any moment.
He swore that after this, they would go traveling everywhere, seek trouble with everything and everyone, or else each breakthrough was really bringing them closer to their graves.
Personally, he wouldn't mind risking death alone, but that privilege had been diminishing with each passing day while being surrounded by so many amazing people.
Though they were all girls, he was not gender-biased—as long as they won his heartfelt respect, he didn't mind extending his life for them as long as possible. Of course, he too didn't want to die for no good reason.
Eric could now barely see 10 to 15 meters around him—beyond that, only suffocating darkness remained.
Sadly, his blink didn't work with either of the girls, or else he would worry less, as he could then just carry them above with rapid blinks in case it became dangerous for them to bear the pressure.
Pulling out quickly from such atmospheric pressure was extremely deadly for normal humans, but as Mana Wielders, they had no such worries—they were built differently, almost like a different species or entity altogether.
Ten minutes passed—Eric's bones creaked under the pressure, yet Lyria and Livy endured, so he also held on.
At this moment, suddenly, all his hairs stood on end—a primal terror gripped him, almost as if he were facing certain death.
He rigidly turned his head toward his left, as his instincts were screaming at him to look that way.
And what he saw nearly made his soul fly off in horror.