The appearance of the Ancient Abyss Beast changed everything.
Even after the colossal creature disappeared beneath the sea, the impact remained.
The Monster Tide continued.
Monsters still attacked.
Survivors still fought desperately for their lives.
Yet deep down, everyone felt it.
Something greater than the Monster Tide had awakened.
Lin Chen stood quietly on the deck of the Sea Fortress.
The dark waters of the Abyss Sea stretched endlessly before him.
Ever since the Ancient Abyss Beast surfaced, strange changes had begun occurring throughout the region.
Monster activity had become unpredictable.
Powerful creatures were migrating toward deeper waters.
Even the Core Radar occasionally detected strange energy fluctuations.
Whatever was happening, the Ancient Abyss Beast was at the center of it.
A notification appeared.
Monster Tide
Day 5
Time Remaining: 2 Days
The fifth day had begun.
The event was approaching its climax.
At the same time, another notification appeared.
Monster Tide Rankings Updated
Lin Chen opened the ranking screen.
As always, names remained hidden.
Only rankings were visible.
1. Anonymous
2. Anonymous
3. Anonymous
4. Anonymous
5. Anonymous
The second-place survivor had almost caught up.
The gap between first and second was now incredibly small.
Lin Chen narrowed his eyes.
For days he had wondered about this mysterious competitor.
Who were they?
How had they become so strong?
Most importantly...
Were they friend or enemy?
A Team Chat notification appeared.
[Su Yao] : Looking at the rankings?
[Lin Chen] : Yes.
[Su Yao] : Thinking about Rank Two?
[Lin Chen] : You too?
[Su Yao] : Everyone is.
[Lin Chen] : Found anything?
Several seconds passed.
[Su Yao] : Very little.
[Su Yao] : They work alone.
[Su Yao] : No organization.
[Su Yao] : No teammates.
[Lin Chen] : Similar to me.
[Su Yao] : That's exactly why I'm worried.
Before Lin Chen could ask what she meant, another message arrived.
[Su Yao] : Strong people eventually meet.
The message lingered in his mind.
Strong people eventually meet.
Perhaps she was right.
...
Several hours later, the fifth day monster wave arrived.
The sea exploded with activity.
Hundreds of monsters surged toward the Sea Fortress.
Unlike previous days, however, Lin Chen noticed something unusual.
Most of them seemed distracted.
Their movements lacked coordination.
Their attacks felt disorganized.
Almost frightened.
As though something else had captured their attention.
The battle itself wasn't difficult.
The Ocean Emperor's Trident swept through the battlefield.
Gigantic waves rose and fell.
Lightning illuminated the dark sea.
Core Turrets fired continuously.
One monster after another died.
Experience points flowed steadily.
Monster materials filled the inventory.
Yet Lin Chen's attention remained elsewhere.
The Core Radar.
A new signal had appeared.
Not a monster.
Not an island.
A player.
A powerful player.
The signal moved rapidly across the ocean.
Far faster than any ordinary raft should be capable of.
Lin Chen became interested.
The signal continued approaching.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Then it stopped.
Only a few kilometers away.
A communication request appeared.
Lin Chen stared at it for several seconds.
Then accepted.
For a brief moment, neither side spoke.
Finally, a message appeared.
[Unknown Survivor] : Interesting ship.
Lin Chen laughed.
The exact same opening line used by another survivor long ago.
[Lin Chen] : Interesting speed.
A few seconds passed.
Then the reply arrived.
[Unknown Survivor] : Fair enough.
Silence returned.
Neither side seemed eager to reveal information.
Eventually the stranger spoke again.
[Unknown Survivor] : You're Rank One.
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.
[Lin Chen] : What makes you think that?
The reply came almost immediately.
[Unknown Survivor] : Instinct.
Lin Chen nearly laughed.
The exact same answer from before.
Then realization struck.
His eyes widened slightly.
The mysterious player from earlier.
The one who warned him about the Three-Tide Sea.
The same person.
[Lin Chen] : We've met before.
[Unknown Survivor] : Finally figured it out?
[Lin Chen] : You move around a lot.
[Unknown Survivor] : The ocean is big.
Several seconds passed.
Then a new message appeared.
[Unknown Survivor] : You're stronger now.
[Lin Chen] : So are you.
The stranger didn't deny it.
That alone was enough.
Lin Chen had a suspicion.
A very strong suspicion.
[Lin Chen] : Rank Two?
Silence.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Then—
[Unknown Survivor] : Maybe.
Lin Chen smiled.
That was confirmation.
The mysterious survivor ranked second had finally appeared.
...
Neither side attempted to attack.
Neither side attempted to recruit the other.
Instead, an unusual conversation developed.
Two of the strongest survivors in the region.
Two players who had reached the top through completely different paths.
[Unknown Survivor] : You entered the Abyss Sea.
[Lin Chen] : You know about it?
[Unknown Survivor] : I've been there.
That surprised Lin Chen.
Few players could survive the Abyss Sea.
Even fewer would willingly explore it.
[Lin Chen] : Then you know about the Ancient Beast.
A longer silence followed.
[Unknown Survivor] : Yes.
[Unknown Survivor] : That's why I contacted you.
Lin Chen's expression became serious.
[Lin Chen] : Explain.
The reply appeared.
[Unknown Survivor] : Something is wrong.
[Lin Chen] : With the beast?
[Unknown Survivor] : With the game.
The answer was unexpected.
Before Lin Chen could respond, another message followed.
[Unknown Survivor] : The Ancient Abyss Beast shouldn't have awakened yet.
[Lin Chen] : According to who?
[Unknown Survivor] : According to every clue I've found.
Lin Chen's interest increased immediately.
This person clearly possessed information he didn't.
[Lin Chen] : What clues?
Several seconds passed.
Then the reply arrived.
[Unknown Survivor] : Not over chat.
[Unknown Survivor] : Too dangerous.
Lin Chen frowned.
Dangerous?
A conversation shouldn't be dangerous.
Unless...
The information itself was important.
Very important.
Unfortunately, the mysterious survivor refused to elaborate further.
[Unknown Survivor] : Just be careful.
[Unknown Survivor] : The Sea God Inheritance isn't the only inheritance.
Those words shocked Lin Chen.
Not the only inheritance?
That meant others existed.
Powerful inheritances.
Perhaps equal to the Sea God.
Perhaps even greater.
Before he could ask more questions, the communication ended.
The signal on the radar began moving away.
Within minutes, it disappeared entirely.
The conversation had been brief.
Yet it left behind countless questions.
...
A Team Chat notification appeared.
[Su Yao] : You met someone.
Lin Chen blinked.
[Lin Chen] : Are you spying on me?
[Su Yao] : My Talent reacted.
[Lin Chen] : That's still suspicious.
For the first time, a rare response appeared.
[Su Yao] : Maybe.
Lin Chen laughed.
[Lin Chen] : Rank Two.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
[Su Yao] : I know.
[Lin Chen] : You know?
[Su Yao] : My Talent confirmed it.
[Lin Chen] : Of course it did.
The conversation continued for several minutes.
Eventually Su Yao revealed another piece of information.
[Su Yao] : The Ancient Beast moved.
Lin Chen immediately became serious.
[Lin Chen] : Where?
A map appeared.
His eyes widened.
The Ancient Abyss Beast was heading deeper into the Abyss Sea.
Toward an area completely covered by black fog.
An unexplored region.
A forbidden region.
[Su Yao] : There's more.
[Lin Chen] : What now?
[Su Yao] : Something appeared on its back.
Lin Chen froze.
A temple.
Exactly as she predicted.
The hidden temple had finally emerged.
...
Several hours later, the Monster Tide intensified once again.
King-Class Monsters appeared repeatedly.
Entire fleets of sea creatures attacked simultaneously.
The Sea Fortress fought continuously.
Experience accumulated rapidly.
Rewards accumulated rapidly.
By evening, Lin Chen reached another milestone.
Level Up
Level 9 Reached
His strength increased again.
Yet surprisingly, he felt less excited than usual.
His thoughts remained focused on the Ancient Abyss Beast.
The hidden temple.
The mysterious Rank Two survivor.
And the warning that something was wrong with the game itself.
For the first time since entering the survival world, Lin Chen felt as though he was seeing only part of a much larger picture.
A much older picture.
One involving gods.
Ancient inheritances.
And continent-sized creatures sleeping beneath the sea.
The Monster Tide was merely the beginning.
A trial.
A selection process.
The real game was only starting to reveal itself.
Standing on the deck of the Sea Fortress, Lin Chen looked toward the distant darkness.
Somewhere beyond the horizon, the Ancient Abyss Beast continued moving.
And upon its back...
A hidden temple waited.
Soon, he would go there.
Soon, he would uncover the truth.
Whatever that truth might be.