Ignoring Yuki's panic, Lior stepped forward—
—and jumped into the lake.
Yuki could only stand there, frozen, watching as Lior disappeared beneath the surface.
Beneath the Lake…
Lior swam deeper into the vast underwater world.
"Jujutsu."
The moment he activated the skill, his breathing stabilized. He could now move freely underwater.
He continued descending.
Deeper… and deeper…
Soon, the sunlight from above vanished completely.
Darkness swallowed everything.
"Jujutsu."
A second activation—
His vision shifted.
Night vision.
The pitch-black world lit up in shades of dim clarity.
And then—
"…What the hell is that?"
Countless creatures filled the depths.
Strange fish… massive aquatic beasts… things that didn't even resemble normal life.
"Up to two kilometers, there wasn't a single beast…" Lior muttered. "I thought this lake was empty… but the moment sunlight disappeared—these things showed up?"
His eyes narrowed.
"...So they're creatures of the dark."
As he descended further, more bizarre beings appeared—
Skeleton-like fish with hollow bodies…
Glowing squids radiating eerie light…
Jellyfish mixed with crab-like forms…
The deeper he went, the stranger the ecosystem became.
Then—
He saw it.
The bottom.
"…Finally."
Lior increased his speed—
But suddenly—
Something grabbed him.
"—!!"
His body jerked violently as he struggled to break free.
"What the—?!"
He twisted around—
…and froze.
A massive entity stood before him.
It looked like an underwater forest—50 to 80 meters tall. Dark green and black vines extended outward like limbs. Its leaves were sharp like blades, and at its center… a glowing core pulsed faintly.
"…A beast? No… a monster…"
The creature let out a low growl.
"Grrrr…"
Its grip tightened around Lior.
"—Aaagh…!"
Lior tried to force himself free, pushing against it—but it wouldn't budge.
Then—
The creature began pulling him closer.
"Damn it!"
In one swift motion, Lior summoned his sword from his pocket dimension—
—and slashed.
A clean cut.
The vine holding him snapped.
Lior broke free and quickly distanced himself.
Now what…? he thought. I'm underwater—I'm at a disadvantage. This thing owns this environment.
The monster attacked again—
Multiple vine-like limbs shot toward him.
"!!"
Lior dodged and began swimming toward it instead.
But suddenly—
From the creature's body—
Sharp leaves exploded outward in all directions.
The surrounding beasts scattered instantly.
Lior was too close—
He was hit.
A violent underwater shockwave formed—
A vacuum-like blast.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
The bubbles cleared.
Lior stood there—
blocking every incoming blade with his sword.
"…Hmph."
Without hesitation, he rushed forward again.
If I don't end this quickly… I'll be the one who dies.
"3rd Step."
His speed surged.
He moved at an explosive pace—closing the distance in seconds.
"Swing Dust—"
But before he could complete the attack—
Something changed.
At the center of the monster—
One of the leaves disappeared.
And in its place—
A flower bloomed.
Purple.
Grotesque.
It expanded rapidly—
Then began pulling in water.
A powerful suction force.
"—What the hell?!"
Lior was dragged toward it.
The flower opened—
Revealing rows of sharp teeth.
He tried to resist—
But the force was overwhelming.
Then—
A tongue shot out.
Green. Slimy. Fast.
It wrapped around him—
—and in an instant—
He was swallowed.
Silence fell across the water.
Everything… stopped.
Then—
A voice echoed from within.
"Blue Blood."
BOOM.
The monster's body swelled—
Then exploded.
One section… then another—
Until the entire creature burst apart.
Fragments scattered across the water.
Green blood spread everywhere.
And from within—
Lior emerged.
Completely unharmed.
Floating calmly.
His sword glowed faintly… with a green hue.
"…What a waste of time."
His eyes were cold.
"With skills like Blue Blood and Chinja… it doesn't matter what I face."
"…I'll kill it."
He turned toward the lakebed.
The Artifact
Lior landed on the ground below.
"…Now where is it?"
"Jujutsu."
He activated his sensing ability.
A faint signal appeared.
"There…"
He moved toward it.
After walking nearly 500 meters—
He found it.
A chest.
Covered in kelp and sea grass.
Lior stepped closer… and opened it.
Inside—
A glowing golden bracelet.
Its shape was irregular, almost twisted—
And at its center—
A silver crystal shimmered.
"…So this is the artifact."
He picked it up.
Without wasting time, Lior turned and began swimming upward.
The True Danger
After some distance—
The water suddenly began to shake.
"…?"
Then—
It started flowing violently in one direction.
Lior frowned.
"What's going on—?"
He increased his speed.
But then—
A distant sound echoed through the depths.
"MAAAY…"
Lior froze.
His instincts screamed.
Slowly—
He turned around.
And what he saw—
"…!"
A massive shadow.
Rushing toward him.
A shark-like beast—
At least 100 meters long.
Its mouth opened—
And the surrounding water began getting sucked inside.
Lior was dragged along with it.
"…Tch!"
The creature was about to swallow him whole—
"Water Shooter!"
Lior thrust his hands forward.
A high-pressure jet of water blasted out—
Propelling him backward at extreme speed.
He narrowly escaped—
The shark's jaws closing just inches from him.
The massive creature passed right in front of him.
Compared to it—
Lior looked like nothing more than an ant.
"…What… is that thing…"
For the first time—
Lior stood still.
Shocked.