The Sea Fortress sailed through the ocean at a steady pace.
The first island had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
Lin Chen stood on the command deck while watching the Core Radar.
Since obtaining the first Diamond Chest clue, he had become even more interested in the mysterious treasure.
Gold Chests were already powerful enough to grant Legendary rewards.
What kind of rewards would a Diamond Chest contain?
Even he couldn't imagine.
A notification appeared on the radar.
Unknown Location Detected
Distance: 217 KM
Lin Chen immediately focused on the screen.
At the same time, a Team Chat message appeared.
[Su Yao] : The second clue is there.
[Lin Chen] : Confirmed?
[Su Yao] : My Talent is reacting strongly.
[Lin Chen] : Another island?
[Su Yao] : No.
[Su Yao] : Something different.
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.
Not an island?
That was unexpected.
The Sea Fortress immediately changed direction.
The journey continued.
...
Several hours later, Lin Chen hunted monsters along the way.
A giant shark attacked.
The Thunder Spear pierced through its skull.
Experience increased.
A mutated sea turtle appeared.
It died after a short battle.
Several Monster Cores entered his inventory.
The more he used the crafting system, the more important Monster Cores became.
They were practically the fuel of future technology.
When evening arrived, the Core Radar suddenly reacted violently.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The signal became stronger and stronger.
Lin Chen looked toward the ocean ahead.
Then he finally saw it.
A massive structure floated above the sea.
His eyes widened.
It wasn't an island.
It wasn't a ship.
It was a ruined stone platform.
Ancient pillars rose from the ocean surface.
Broken statues surrounded the area.
The entire structure appeared extremely old.
A notification appeared.
Ancient Sea Ruins Discovered
Experience +200
Lin Chen immediately became interested.
This place clearly wasn't ordinary.
Jumping from the fortress, he landed on the stone platform.
The moment he stepped onto the ruins, a strange pressure filled the air.
The atmosphere felt ancient.
Almost sacred.
At the center of the ruins stood a giant stone monument.
However, before Lin Chen could approach—
ROOOOAR!!
A terrifying roar echoed across the sea.
The water exploded.
A huge monster emerged from beneath the ruins.
Its body resembled a giant crocodile.
Black scales covered every inch of its body.
Its golden eyes stared directly at Lin Chen.
Ancient Guardian
Level: 22
Elite Monster
Lin Chen's expression became serious.
This monster was stronger than the Island Tyrant Bear.
Without hesitation, he summoned the Thunder Spear.
Lightning flashed.
The battle began instantly.
The Ancient Guardian charged forward.
Its claws smashed into the stone platform.
Chunks of rock exploded everywhere.
Lin Chen dodged sideways.
The Thunder Spear struck.
Crack!
Lightning spread across the monster's body.
The Guardian roared angrily.
Its tail swept across the battlefield.
Boom!
Several ancient pillars collapsed.
The battle intensified.
For nearly thirty minutes, neither side gained a decisive advantage.
The monster possessed tremendous defense.
Fortunately, Lin Chen's Mythic armor protected him from most attacks.
Finally—
Crack!!
The Thunder Spear pierced through the Guardian's eye.
Lightning exploded inside its head.
The monster froze.
Then its enormous body collapsed.
Dead.
Experience +300
Level Up
Level 4 Reached
Golden light surrounded Lin Chen.
His attributes increased slightly.
At the same time, the monster dropped several items.
Elite Monster Core ×1
Ancient Scale ×3
Lin Chen stored everything.
Then he approached the monument.
The stone surface suddenly began glowing.
Words appeared.
Diamond Chest Clue #2 Obtained
Clue Progress: 2/3
A second message appeared beneath it.
The treasure sleeps where the three tides become one.
Lin Chen memorized the words carefully.
Now he possessed two clues.
Only one remained.
Once the final clue was found, the Diamond Chest's location would be revealed.
At that moment, a Team Chat message arrived.
[Su Yao] : Did you get it?
[Lin Chen] : Yes.
[Su Yao] : Good.
[Lin Chen] : Any sign of the third clue?
A few moments passed.
Then her reply arrived.
[Su Yao] : Maybe.
[Lin Chen] : Maybe?
[Su Yao] : My Talent can't locate it clearly.
[Su Yao] : Something is interfering.
Lin Chen frowned.
This was the first time her Talent had encountered problems.
[Lin Chen] : A monster?
[Su Yao] : Bigger.
[Lin Chen] : An island?
[Su Yao] : Bigger.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.
Something bigger than an island?
That sounded troublesome.
...
Meanwhile, far away in another section of the region, the Sea Wolf Alliance continued growing.
Their membership had already exceeded five hundred players.
Zhao Feng stood before a large group of members.
His authority within the organization had become absolute.
[Zhao Feng] : Resource reports.
Several members stepped forward.
One after another they submitted information.
Food.
Wood.
Monster materials.
Everything was increasing.
The alliance was becoming stronger every day.
Then one player spoke.
[Wang Jie] : We discovered a hidden team.
Zhao Feng immediately became interested.
[Zhao Feng] : Strong?
[Wang Jie] : Unknown.
[Wang Jie] : Very little information exists.
[Zhao Feng] : Continue investigating.
Nobody realized that the team they were searching for was Lin Chen and Su Yao.
The game's privacy system protected identities extremely well.
But eventually, players would find ways around that limitation.
...
Back at the Ancient Sea Ruins, Lin Chen returned to the fortress.
Two clues were already in his possession.
Only one remained.
As the Sea Fortress resumed its journey, he opened the rankings.
His position had improved once again.
The gap between him and ordinary players continued widening.
Yet he wasn't satisfied.
The Diamond Chest remained his primary goal.
Somewhere in the vast ocean, the final clue awaited.
And according to Su Yao...
Something enormous was protecting it.