Chapter 172 6. Match (Part 1)

*Ding*

[The next match is ready to begin. Do you want to join?]

''Finally here. ''

Raydon was getting antsy as he waited for the beginning of his next match when he got the system message in that voice that sounded like music.

He didn't give it a second thought and accepted the invitation, which caused a sudden clouding of his vision.

*Splash*

''Blurb… Blurb'

Raydon lost his vision shortly after accepting the invitation to the match, and while he was waiting for it to return, he suddenly found himself in the water.

He quickly swam upward from the direction he had fallen into the water, bringing his head out.

''Cough… cough… D-Damn, I wasn't expecting this. '' He came up for air and, in a startled moment, coughed up the water he had just ingested.

It looked very different from the previous matches he had played in, in which he had unexpectedly found himself in a difficult environment.

''Well, obviously this is a sea region, right? ''

As Raydon looked around, he could see nothing but an endless expanse of blue.

The ocean stretched out before him, as far as the eye could see, with no signs of land in sight. The sun beat down mercilessly, casting a blazing heat across his face and making the air shimmer. The water was calm and clear, with small waves lapping gently against his skin as he floated.

Despite the beautiful scenery, Raydon couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He had faced a similar match region before, but this time he had no land to step on, and probably the mobs of this match were also in the water.

After a moment of searching, he found three of his teammates doing the same. From the looks on their faces, it appears that they lack the necessary skills and experience for this region.

''And one of them has died already, huh? Hahahah''

When Raydon realized that he was missing one of his teammates and could only see three, he naturally assumed that the fourth had died already.

''Why are you laughing? Do you have anything that might be of use to us? '' When one of the men heard Raydon laughing out loud, he frowned and asked.

He also realized that one of his teammates was missing, and the idea of an item holder simply drowning in water didn't seem very believable to him, so he was feeling pretty anxious about the situation.

''Nothing. '' It took Raydon a while to realize that he was laughing aloud.

''Hey, something touched my foot. ''

''Water Shield. ''

''Gaagghhblurgblr… ''

''Hey, what was that? ''

''Escapguhblub… ''

Raydon watched impassively as, one by one, his teammates were attacked by whatever was lurking beneath the surface of the water and dragged them under.

''Hmm. It seems the first one was killed by them as well, '' Raydon concluded.

He stood by and watched as his teammates were killed in quick succession, all the while contemplating how he could best put his skills to use in such a difficult region.

In the meantime, Raydon was able to think so calmly because the bubbling water all around him and the smoke coming from him prevented the mobs from disturbing him and his train of thought.

He had turned on the body enchantment's side effect and was now observing how it worked. Having the ability to incorporate the burning effect into his skills was a distinct advantage, and it sparked yet another idea for him. He could turn this weakness into an advantage by learning to use his own body as a weapon, and this sea region would be an ideal testing ground.

Raydon had his plan ready after he had thought about it for some time and gathered the items his fallen teammates had left behind.

''Death Sense. ''

He used his newly acquired investigative skill, one of the two skills he replaced with the old ones.

When he activated his sill, he did not experience the same changes in his eyes as when he used his despise skill, nor did he feel disgusted for the living.

"This skill is unquestionably much better. ''

[60/60]

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[60/60]

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[60/60]

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[60/60]

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By looking at the ocean's depths, Raydon said.

Around him, he could make out countless green numbers that extended up to an average distance of 600 meters. The best part, apparently, was that this skill could also ignore obstacles while locating creatures, allowing Raydon to detect even mobs in the depths of the ocean that his eyes couldn't see.

''Rusty Chain. ''

This time, he used his other newly gained skill, and a black chain measuring one meter materialized in his hand.

'Let's find out how effective the elongation feature is when attacking underwater. ' He pondered before diving into the water.

This chain normally only moves in the direction of Raydon's swing, rather than leaping out of his hand and traveling in a straight line like his previous hook skill. Therefore, he intended to utilize the chain's elongation feature, as he did not believe he had the strength to effectively swing the chain underwater.

He first activated the burning effect on the chain and on his body, at which point black flames appeared on the chain even while it was submerged in water and began to scorch and evaporate the surrounding water.

He then threw the chain at a nearby mob that measured one meter in length and resembled a piranha.

The chain jumped out of Raydon's hand and began to move straight ahead, gaining momentum from the boiling water. After a while, it began to stretch and accelerate, and before the fish realized what it was, it boiled from the heat the chain was emitting before the chain even touched its body.

[Lv.1 Irontooth Razorfin(F-Rank) has been killed.]

[Your team gained 1 point.]

[You gained 20 experiences.]

As he predicted, the vulnerability of the fish to the fire element played a significant role.

''Ni-blub… Ce-blub. ''

He realized his attack had worked exactly as planned, and he tried to shout his satisfaction, but since he was underwater, all that came out of his mouth were meaningless sounds and bubbles.