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“I have to thank you for stepping in and taking out half of these troublesome teams.” 

A familiar, bright voice rang in his ears once again.

It was the “Deep Sea Abyss” team—the one that had made those threatening remarks earlier.

He hadn’t participated in the “ambush” against Qi Yu and his companion earlier, and the water magic cast moments ago didn’t seem to have affected them at all.

What caught Qi Yu’s attention was that the sea beast he was riding achieved its current speed by using wind magic to accelerate. Yet the sea beasts in their team were running just as fast as his own.

The man with dark golden eyes looked at them: “No matter which one of you is ‘that person,’ the strength you’ve demonstrated deserves respect.” 

“Remember your opponents—I’m from District 321, the Sea of Illusory Spirits.” 

His teammate standing beside him looked up at the sky, clearly embarrassed by his partner’s showy posturing. 

“Hello, I’m from District 108, the Moa Ruins.” 

After the opponent introduced himself, Dan Xingyu didn’t hold back either: “District 88, the Golden Desert.”

Qi Yu didn’t really understand this ritual—since they were opponents, wasn’t it enough to just defeat them?

Did knowing each other’s backgrounds somehow make it possible for either side to die with a bit more dignity? 

Perhaps this was just an Earth custom.

To fit in a bit, he followed suit and said, “Zone 01, Star Forest.” 

The gazes of the two opponents instantly fell upon him.

The player from the Sea of Illusory Spirits curled his lips into a cold, beautiful smile: “Very well. Once I’ve dealt with that troublesome group behind me, we’ll settle this once and for all.”

Without waiting for Qi Yu’s response, he turned around on his own and—surprisingly—headed back in the opposite direction, straight toward the group behind them.

Dan Xingyu was stunned: “It’s just a tournament match—why are there so many show-offs?” 

After he spoke, he noticed Qi Yu was looking at him. 

Dan Xingyu:? 

Qi Yu: “Should we keep going?”

Given his personality, seeing the opponent who looked the most formidable strangely turn back on his own, he would normally have immediately ramped up his wind magic, created some distance, and charged straight at them.

But he sensed that Dan Xingyu wouldn’t appreciate that. 

Dan Xingyu was his teammate, so he needed to ask for his opinion.

Sure enough, Dan Xingyu immediately said, “Walk? Of course not. When we were fighting that group just now, they were just standing around watching. Now, let’s find a spot with a good view and watch the show too!”

“Let me see just what gives this guy from the Sea of Illusions the right to be so cocky!”

【So Much for “Too Many Show-Offs”】

【That glance from the guy in the cloak—it was absolutely gorgeous.】

【Alright, alright, make it exciting—I love a good show.】

【The group behind them: “In the way? You mean us?”】

Since his good friend wanted to watch, Qi Yu decided to join him. 

Using the “Whisper of Nature” spell, he gave the sea beast beneath him a subtle cue to stop. He then quietly fed it a bit of mana as a thank-you. 

The player who claimed to be from the Sea of Illusions, riding his sea beast, blocked the path of the group chasing from behind.

Their conversation went unheard by the players behind them, so when they saw him walking back, the player at the very front of the group wondered:

“Did something happen back there? Why are you walking back?” 

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want to have a fair duel with the Game Gods, and I don’t want you guys getting in the way.” 

The players behind him: ???

“What the heck?”

“Another one with an over-the-top delusion?”

The player from the Sea of Illusory Spirits said coldly, “Of course, I don’t have much time to waste on you lot. I’ll use just one move. If you aren’t eliminated, just behave yourselves and settle in to watch my duel with the Game God.”

In full view of everyone, his dark golden eyes shifted to vertical slits, and scales began to cover nearly half his face. His hair began to grow, reaching almost to his calves, and its color turned a dark blue matching the sea’s surface. 

The sea, which had just calmed down, began to churn once more.

“Holy crap, what is this?”

“Is it a bloodline? How come in a survival game, some people aren’t even human anymore?” 

The comment stream was also startled by this transformation:

【Holy crap, what is this? A mermaid? A sea nymph? A merman? What on earth is this thing?】

【This show-off guy looks like he’s got some real skills. No wonder he’s so cocky.】

The players, having just been caught off guard once, dared not let their guard down this time.

In an instant, lights of every color flashed.

Some donned full sets of gear, others produced weapons, and one player let out a furious roar, his body suddenly shooting up by more than half a meter, transforming him into a “giant.” 

A player in the Sea of Illusory Spirits tilted his head back, and a piercing whistle—one that no human could possibly produce—rang out from his mouth.

The churning of the sea grew increasingly violent, and finally—a fish head covered in bony spines burst through the water, instantly impaling a sea beast! 

“Holy shit, what the hell is that?”

Everyone saw that the ferocious giant beast that had impaled the sea monster was composed almost entirely of bones—it was clearly no ordinary creature!

As this bone beast made its appearance, a two-headed black sea snake and a giant red turtle dripping with black venom followed…

All manner of bizarre sea monsters emerged and charged toward the crowd. 

【Holy crap, what the hell are these things? Did we just switch to a tokusatsu show?】

【So this is the No. 1 Arena? If I’d gone in there, I’d be dead a hundred times over by now.】

【So what exactly is this? An ocean summoner? A monster summoner?】

【It really is a survival game. At the beginning, I thought the ocean was so beautiful—who would’ve thought there were so many demons and monsters lurking beneath the surface? 】

Dan Xingyu was a bit surprised as well: “No wonder they’re so cocky—they’ve definitely got some skills.”

He didn’t hear Qi Yu’s reply.

From what he knew of Qi Yu, although he was a man of few words, he almost always responded whenever Dan Xingyu spoke.

Turning his head, he saw Qi Yu staring coldly at the scene over there, lost in thought. 

The smile faded from Dan Xingyu’s face: “What’s wrong?”

He realized Qi Yu was upset, even though his expression had always been impassive.

But Dan Xingyu could just sense it.

He thought Qi Yu had noticed something out of the ordinary.

In fact, he hadn’t. Qi Yu had merely recalled something from a distant memory.

It had only been a month since he’d entered the survival game, and his life had been so comfortable and fulfilling that he’d almost forgotten those days. 

He thought he’d never remember them again.

This group of hideously deformed sea monsters had finally stirred up deep within his memory the image of those contaminated, mutated monsters from the post-apocalyptic era. 

Disgust.

That player—who had awakened some unknown bloodline—really did keep his word; after summoning this group of sea monsters, he simply walked away.

He drove the sea beasts forward and, seeing Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu waiting not far away, nodded with satisfaction: “Now, it’s our turn to have a showdown.”

Dan Xingyu raised an eyebrow: “Are you going to summon these monsters to take us on too? Just a friendly reminder: that won’t be enough to take us down!”

“Those minions are just there to clear the way,” the player from the Sea of Illusions said with a cold smile. “Your opponent is this.”

The surrounding sea began to tremble—a disturbance far more violent than before.

Probing downward with his mental energy, Qi Yu suddenly shouted, “Er Shen!”

He only had time to shout a single character to warn his teammate. He didn’t even have time to use magic to communicate with the sea beast beneath him; a silver light flashed in his eyes as he directly took control of its body.

The sea beast swam swiftly through the waves with extraordinary agility, using the force of the water to leap repeatedly.

A thick tentacle shot out of the water at lightning speed, slamming down hard on the spot where they had just been.

【Shit… holy shit!】

【W-what a huge squid! There’s no way we could fit this in a single pot.】 

A massive shadow lurking at the ocean floor gradually rose to the surface.

This creature was truly astonishingly huge—even the group of players behind them, who were currently battling the sea monsters, were stunned.

“Holy crap, what the hell is this thing?”

“With a size like that, we’d have to call in Ultraman to fight it, right?” 

“What the hell are these monsters?”

A player from the Sea of Illusions said arrogantly, “The Deep Sea Giant is—the legendary mount of the King of Sea Demons. Now, it’s my pet.” 

Dan Xingyu: “So your current appearance… is that a sea demon?”

“You’re lying.” A calm, sunny voice reached everyone’s ears. 

The silver glow in Qi Yu’s eyes had yet to fade. 

“This monster’s sea of consciousness is a chaotic mess; its mind is still slumbering. You’ve merely forcibly awakened an empty shell.”

Qi Yu mercilessly called him out: “It’s just a bluff.”

The sea monster player’s expression darkened, and he said coldly: “Fine. You’re indeed the opponent I expected. Even if it’s just a sham, it’s more than enough to deal with you lot.” 

Qi Yu turned to his teammates: “Controlling such a massive empty shell—he won’t last long.”

The best strategy was to stall.

Unexpectedly, Dan Xingyu—who had been full of energy since they met—now wore a bitter smile.

He pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed, “I know stalling is the best strategy, but right now, I’m afraid we can’t do that.”

He leaned close to Qi Yu’s ear and complained in a soft voice, “I was planning to show you a big surprise when we got back.”

Qi Yu:?

He asked in confusion, “What?”

【??? What are you two whispering about? Is there anything the esteemed fans of this livestream can’t hear? I just sent you some little stars!】

【Planning a strategy? But why keep it from us? It’s not like we can burst through the screen and tell that giant squid over there what you’re up to.】

Dan Xingyu spread his hands in resignation: “Actually, I really didn’t mean to reveal it here, but this unexpected giant seems to have pissed off my little buddy.” 

【What little buddy? What’s Er Shen talking about?】

【What does that mean? Don’t beat around the bush—I—holy crap!】

“Roar!” A piercing, long howl suddenly rang out across the space. 

The players who were fighting the sea monsters were startled, only to discover that the sea monsters seemed even more terrified.

Some froze in place, trembling with fear, while others completely lost the will to fight—ignoring even the sea nymphs’ commands—and dived straight into the depths of the ocean. 

Qi Yu looked up toward the source of the roar.

A golden figure, even more brilliant and radiant than the sun in the sky, burst straight into his field of vision. 

Its form was graceful and fluid, its scales a magnificent, resplendent gold. 

Qi Yu’s eyes seemed to be tinted by this golden figure; they sparkled in an instant. 

What a beautiful beast. 

As if sensing that all eyes below were fixed on it, the little dragon, radiating the brilliance of the sun and gold, flapped its wings triumphantly, arched its slender neck, and let out another loud roar. 

【Is this… a dragon?】 

【Holy crap, Er Shen, you’ve really pulled off something big this time, kid.】 

【What do you mean, “kid”? Show some respect for my godfather! Godfather! Can I pet our Prince for a second?】