“God-Chosen Ones, what are you all doing gathered here?”
Everyone turned around to see Lilith walking over, holding Shiruya's hand. Her gorgeous, holy priestess robes swayed gently in the wind, and her golden eyes were filled with confusion.
“Miss Lilith, we can't get out for some reason.”
“Yeah, yeah! It feels like there's an invisible, transparent barrier in front of us. We can't pass through at all.”
“Could this game have a bug?”
The players chimed in one after another.
“You can't get out?” Lilith was slightly taken aback.
But then she realized that the God-Chosen Ones didn't know the incantation to deactivate the defensive barrier. They must have gathered here because of this.
Lilith pondered for a moment and decided to simply open a gateway in the defensive barrier to make it easier for the God-Chosen Ones to go in and out.
Stepping forward, she faced the invisible barrier and chanted a rhythmic, melodic incantation.
As the incantation ended, the players were surprised to see the transparent barrier suddenly ripple into view. Then, a two-meter-high passage, just large enough for a person to walk through, appeared in the seamless barrier.
“Hiss... So there actually was a barrier!”
“No wonder we couldn't get out. I thought it was a bug.”
The players suddenly understood. It wasn't a bug after all.
Lilith turned around, looking seriously at the eager group of God-Chosen Ones. She earnestly cautioned them, “God-Chosen Ones, if you are going to see the sea, please make sure to stay on the shore and don't wander too far. The shallow waters near the coast are relatively safe, but further out, powerful sea beasts occasionally appear.”
“Got it, got it!”
“Understood, Miss Lilith!”
“We'll just splash around on the shore! We definitely won't run off!”
While the players agreed verbally, their necks were already craned as they peered outside.
Lilith thought for a moment and added, “Also—if you see any mermaids, please do not startle them. They are very kind-hearted creatures.”
Hearing this, the players instantly grew excited.
“Holy crap! There really are mermaids?!”
“Then we definitely have to go check it out and have a nice chat with them!”
With these thoughts in mind, they eagerly agreed:
“Don't worry, Miss Lilith! We definitely won't scare them!”
“That's right! We're super friendly!”
Lilith nodded gently as she looked at their well-behaved expressions.
Although the God-Chosen Ones were usually lively and erratic, they had always been reliable and obedient when given serious instructions, so she was quite at ease.
Having finished her warning, Lilith took the well-behaved Shiruya and walked ahead toward the seaside. They planned to go to a more secluded spot to call for Belise.
Meanwhile, the players could no longer contain their excitement and rushed out through the barrier's passage in a swarm.
Soon, their vision cleared.
An endless blue sea stretched out to the horizon. Clear water lapped against the soft, fine golden sand, and a sea breeze carrying a hint of salty moisture brushed against their faces.
The blue sky, the azure sea, and the golden sand intertwined into an exquisitely beautiful painting. This was the legendary—Endless Sea!
“Holy crap! This is too beautiful!”
“I finally get to see the ocean! My life is complete!”
“Stop dazing off! Charge! Let's play in the water!”
“Hahaha! Ocean, here I come!”
The players cheered and leapt with joy, running barefoot into the shallows. They splashed around, took screenshots, and checked in. The entire beach was instantly filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
Hao Bai's party also shed the fatigue of grinding monsters and leveling up over the past few days, relaxing completely.
Right now, Little Star had already stepped into the seawater, kicking up high splashes. “Hahaha! It's so cool! This is awesome!”
Momozi followed behind him, lifting his leg in disgust to dodge the flying droplets. “Fine, splash around, but don't kick it toward me!”
“Just stand further away then!”
“I'm standing far enough! You're kicking it too high!”
“Then stand even further!”
“Kick water at me one more time and see what happens!”
The sound of their bickering drifted away in the sea breeze.
The Priest girl in the team was crouching at the water's edge, gently playing with the water with her hands. She watched with curiosity as the small waves rolled up and receded time and again, leaving white foam that slowly dissolved among the grains of sand. She looked up, her eyes sparkling:
“So this is what the ocean is like! It's so pretty!”
Her game ID was Mengmeng.
Little Star had sneaked over at some point. Scooping up a handful of seawater, he poured it down her back. With a splash, the ice-cold water trickled down the back of her neck, soaking a large patch of her Priest robes.
“Ah—!” Mengmeng jumped up. Turning around, she saw Little Star doubled over with laughter. Pouting, she gritted her teeth and bent down, using both hands to splash a large wave of water back at him.
“Hehe! A sneak attack? You're still too green!” Little Star dodged to the side, but Mengmeng's splash was fast and accurate, hitting him square in the face anyway.
“That's what you get for sneaking up on me!”
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay?!”
“Too late!”
The two of them began chasing and playing in the shallow water, splashing everywhere.
Momozi stayed far away, crossing his arms with an “I don't know them” expression on his face.
The Mage player in the party stood on the shore, smiling softly as he watched his teammates playing around.
Seeing this, Momozi immediately walked over.
Although the guy had a cold and aloof temperament, he was actually just shy.
“Sigh, Brother Canghai, don't just stand there!” Momozi grinned and pulled him into the water. “Since we're already here, let's play for a bit! Grinding monsters every day is exhausting.”
The Mage player was caught off guard and splashed with water. He dazed for a moment before replying shyly, “Okay.”
His game ID was Canghai Xuemu.
Only then did Momozi nod in satisfaction, subsequently joining the chaotic water fight.
Hao Bai watched this scene, and his lips curved up slightly.
It really was time to relax. Fighting monsters every day was indeed tiring.
However, this lighthearted and comfortable moment did not last long.
While they were enjoying their happy time, a series of startled cries suddenly echoed from the nearby beach:
“Holy crap! That's a huge fish!”
“Quick, quick, quick! Don't let it escape!”
“Flank it from that side! Over there!”
“That direction goes straight into the ocean! Are you going to swim to catch it?!”
“I'm a good swimmer!”
“Even if you're a good swimmer, you can't outswim a fish!”
Hao Bai looked over in the direction of the noise and saw several players chasing a large, completely blue fish that was nearly a meter long in the shallow water.
The fish darted nimbly through the knee-deep water, gliding far away with a single flick of its tail. The players scrambled to corner it, lunging and scooping, but they couldn't even touch a single scale.
“Are you guys useless or what?! Let me do it!”
“Go ahead, go ahead! If you catch it, I'll take your last name!”
“If I catch it, you have to call me 'Dad' from now on!”
“Fine! What if you don't catch it?”
“Then I'll call you 'Dad'!”
“Deal!”
Then, right in front of the two of them, the fish slowly flicked its tail and swam right between their legs.
The two of them turned their heads simultaneously, staring at the leisurely departing fish tail, falling into a long silence.
“...How about we change the terms?”
“Heh.”
Hao Bai's lips twitched slightly at the sight, and he shook his head helplessly. These people really caused a ruckus wherever they went.
Retracting his gaze, he turned to look toward the vast, boundless deep sea, intending to quietly enjoy the ocean view.
But suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “What's that...?”
Not far away, about a hundred meters out, the originally calm blue sea suddenly rippled unnaturally.
Concentric ripples spread outward from a central point, as if something was slowly rising from below.
Immediately after, over a dozen tall figures emerged from the water.
They had the appearance of half-humans, half-serpents. Their upper bodies were human torsos covered in fine, deep-blue scales that glinted coldly in the sunlight.
Four thick, powerful arms extended from the sides of their shoulders, each ending in sharp claws.
Giant, blue-green serpent tails rested quietly beneath the water's surface, stirring up whirlpools with every slight movement.
Their faces were coarse and cold, their cheeks covered in scales, and their slitted, reptilian eyes swept icily over the players on the beach.
“Everyone, on alert.”
Hao Bai's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in his party heard him clearly.
“What's wrong, Captain?” Momozi immediately stopped playing around upon hearing this.
“What's the situation?” Little Star also looked in the direction of Hao Bai's gaze and was instantly dumbfounded. “Holy crap! What on earth is that? Don't tell me those are mermaids?”
Momozi's lips twitched violently as he complained ruthlessly, “Are you blind? Do mermaids look like that? Forget about being beautiful, they'd rank high among the ugliest fish.”
Mengmeng, who had been full of anticipation for beautiful mermaid ladies, instantly deflated with disappointment. “Aww, how could that possibly be a mermaid?”
Hao Bai locked his gaze onto the largest, leader-class creature at the very front of the water and instructed Canghai Xuemu beside him, “Use Appraisal.”
Canghai Xuemu nodded. “Alright, Captain.”
He immediately raised his staff to cast the spell.
Following the release of Appraisal, the information panel of the unknown creature instantly popped up:
【Race: Naga】
【Alignment: Lawful Neutral】
【Description: From the Naga Kingdom of the Endless Sea】
【...】
The information was sparse, but it was enough.
Canghai Xuemu said quickly, “Captain, they're Nagas. Hmm... they should belong to an intelligent race. As for their strength, the leader is Silver Rank high-stage, while the remaining dozen or so are only Bronze Rank.”
“One Silver Rank high-stage... and a bunch of Bronze Ranks.” Hao Bai frowned slightly.
This lineup wasn't particularly strong, but it wasn't weak either.
Meanwhile, the players on the beach also noticed the group of Nagas.
“Holy crap! What kind of monsters are those? Are they snake-men?”
“Could be, they look a lot like them.”
“Idiot, do snake-men live in the water?”
“Then what do you say they are!”
“Probably Nagas! I've seen them in lore videos!”
Rate on N.U.
