Chapter 68: The New Offer*
As Roseus stood there, unfazed by the attacks, he was overtaken by a sense of disbelief.
Although he had seen the new power appear in his supreme system, telling him that he would temporarily be immune to these creatures, he still struggled to believe it.
He had clearly been struck by five different bolts of lightning, and yet he felt nothing at all. If anything, he seemed to gain some sort of satisfaction instead.
Crash!
The bolts struck again, blinding Roseus once more, but not bringing him any pain. Still, the creatures charged up and prepared themselves again.
It was then that he realised that the creatures didn’t seem to have any true thoughts. It was as though they had been told to simply strike whatever beings they could sense. It was no wonder they presented such dangers to the Islanders.
After the third bolt got him, Roseus finally drew his Greycloud Longsword. Using his agility, he dashed forwards and cleaved his sword in a horizontal arc.
He didn’t activate the lightning effect of the weapon and instead let it naturally cleave through all five of the bolts with just one strike. Their bodies sparked violently before fading away into nothingness.
[You have defeated: Thunder Remnant]
[Fodder Soul Absorbed (5)]
[The Ocean Beckons You...]
Only fodder? But the force of their strikes was much stronger than a fodder creature’s strikes.
Could it be because they lack intelligence?
Roseus decided to keep his sword in his hand as he continued past the small crater made by the lightning and continued up the hill.
His guess was that he would eventually run into more of these creatures, and his guess was right.
The closer he got to the peak of the mountain, the more frequently they appeared.
Still, each time he cleaved them down with ease, reaping their fodder souls.
It was only then that Roseus had an idea.
Instead of continuing directly to the mountain peak, where Rai’zac had told him to go, he decided that he would spend some time waiting for the Thunder Remnants to appear before cutting them down.
Although they offered a very small amount of rank progression, he knew that if he killed them in large numbers, they might offer him some benefit.
Using his Greycloud Longsword, he cleaved down twenty more of these creatures before he received a warning from Rai’zac.
[That is enough.]
The words sent a chill down Roseus’s spine. He knew that he was pushing his luck and decided to feel grateful that the sea god had allowed him to go so far in the first place.
His progress through his rookie rank was now at 83%, and his progress through his pact with Rai’zac was at 60/100...
After hearing these illusory pleas, Roseus continued up the rest of the mountain.
Soon, he came to the peak.
...
His legs were aching as he arrived at the surface of the mountain peak. The wind blew heavily up here, and he couldn’t hear his own thoughts over the sound of the constant aggressive storm.
Atop the mountain peak, there was another crater. One so large that it made the mountain look like a volcano. It was as though lightning had continuously struck the same place for decades, eroding the stone until it created a cavity.
In this cavity was a body of water, where rainwater from the storm had filled it.
This water was filled with viscous electrical currents. The waters rippled aggressively as the lightning continued to strike them.
Roseus walked over to the edge, shielding his eyes from the blinding lights.
Once there, he heard Rai’zac call out to him once again.
[You have arrived. I can sense you, and the sword.]
[Yes, I am here. What now?]
[Now, you must baptise yourself in my water. Afterwards, you will receive my new offer. Then you can decide whether you wish to accept it, and strengthen our pact.]
Roseus looked down into the waters, hesitant.
Rai’zac’s powers mentioned nothing about saving him from the currents of the water, only the creatures. Surely doing such a thing might be dangerous.
However, when Roseus considered the scenario, he concluded that there was likely no danger in this. If this sea god had wished to kill or deceive him, he had already been presented with many opportunities.
So, Roseus slowly undressed himself. Once only in his undergarments, he stood at the edge of the vicious waters. The aggressive winds blew against him, forcing him to brace himself.
He took in a deep breath.
I have no understanding as to why I needed to come here, or who Rai’zac truly is. Yet I still came. That’s because I’ve seen the dangers of the sea and know that I need power if I wish to be a captain who can protect his crew.
All the dangers that they had faced flashed through his mind, as well as the dangers that were soon to come.
Then, he dove into the water headfirst.
Immediately, he was attacked by the electrical currents in the water. They made his hair stand up on end, and his body shook violently. The pain was insurmountable, and at that moment he wondered if he had made another mistake that would now cost him his life, or perhaps something even worse.
Captain Roseus tried to struggle, but it was to no avail.
He opened his eyes and tried to look around. That was the most movement he was able to make.
Then he saw something swimming through the water. It seemed to have a slightly humanoid form, but he couldn’t make out many of its features. All he knew was that it swam with blinding speed, leaving a yellow trail behind it.
The being swam around him, eventually moving so fast that he could no longer even see its blur.
The voice called out to him then.
[Rai’zac’s Temporary Offering]
[You Receive: Significant control over the storms of the second ocean, as long as they are within this sea god’s domain]
[You must: Help Rai’zac breach into the Third Ocean. Contact shatters once this goal is completed.]
[You Lose: Storm Divination]
