Chapter 1 The Sounds of Battle

The sounds of battle echoed throughout Devil's Island. It wasn't just the Dawnbreaker Mercenary Group; many other mercenary groups were also engaged in combat with the undead monsters.

The [Sea King Drake] hadn't appeared, undoubtedly having returned to his lair to guard his divinity.

According to Pandora, the ancient sea god Hime-no-Wava buried here was a high-ranking deity who likely possessed more than one divinity, possibly even the divinity of "Prophecy." The [Sea King] had absorbed a portion of her faith and gained some prophetic abilities. However, he hadn't been able to locate them directly, suggesting his prophetic abilities were rudimentary at best.

Now that Suren and the others were going to stir up trouble for him, the more focused their intentions, the greater the chance of him foreseeing it.

Therefore, they had to be extremely cautious.

Before long, a black raven circled high above the dense forest of Devil's Island.

On the ground, Suren sprinted through the jungle, his eight-armed spider spears deployed. He held a black umbrella in his left hand, and Pandora, eyes closed and brewing a powerful spell, in his right.

Until she took action, Pandora would try to conceal her aura as much as possible. Otherwise, like when she sensed the [Sea King]'s power of faith, he would easily recognize her as a "god," and a large number of high-level monsters might intercept them.

The black umbrella's wraiths concealed their auras, and with the raven's help, they proceeded smoothly.

Suren's goal was clear.

He had previously used the stone tablet to locate and deduce the three possible locations of the altar (tomb). Upon finding the second location, he was certain they had found the right place.

From afar, they gradually discovered stone tablets inscribed with Celramic script, along with massive stone pillars and sculptures partially buried in the jungle. Long ago, there must have been magnificent structures standing above ground.

By deciphering the inscriptions, Suren confirmed that this was indeed a "tomb where a god was buried."

...

Devil's Island had a rainforest climate, with very tall trees and a constant drizzle in the air.

Two figures cautiously navigated the dense forest, approaching the divine tomb.

However, the battle erupted suddenly.

Without warning, Pandora's eyes snapped open.

A flash of blade-like sharpness appeared in her eyes, which resembled red moons, and she shouted, "They're here!"

As she spoke, she abruptly retreated, leaving "Suren" alone.

Almost simultaneously, a trident descended from the sky, striking "Suren" with lightning speed.

The [Sea King]'s long-prepared ambush was unavoidable. "Suren" was pierced through the chest by the trident. Before blood could even flow, he was drained into a desiccated corpse, devoid of life.

At the same time, a faint chanting seemed to echo in their ears, and an abstruse yet awe-inspiring incantation was completed: "Divine Art: Sea Burial Barrier!"

In an instant, a blue barrier lit up within a thousand-meter radius, sealing off the space like a massive "glass fishbowl."

Then, a surge of water poured in, conjured by the spell.

In the blink of an eye, Pandora and the vast forest were submerged, creating a world within a tank.

Pandora retaliated fiercely, unleashing an indescribable aura, and the illusory form of the Tsukuyomi Great God materialized behind her.

As she fell into the sea, the spell she had prepared was released, her hands forming a seal: "Shinto: Tsukuyomi Domain!"

The strand of Shinto power distorted the light, swiftly coalescing into a crimson moon behind her. The eerie red moonlight bathed everything in a blood-red hue, even tinting the seawater. More unsettlingly, a dazed expression appeared in the eyes of every creature within the barrier, indicating they had fallen into a "illusion."

Pandora changed her spell once more, her crimson eyes gleaming: "Divine Art: World of Pain."

As the spell took shape, the surrounding red seawater transformed into various bizarre monster forms, like fiery clouds at dusk. Oniwaban, Great Tengu, High Yama, Slit-Mouthed Woman, Blue Woman, Lantern Ghost... It was the Hyakki Yagyō of Yamium.

Upon witnessing this, [Sea King Drake] immediately realized his opponent was a "god" like himself. He brandished his trident, his fish-scale tattoos radiating a faint blue light, instantly pushing back the blood-red world.

The seawater within the barrier was now divided into two opposing halves, one blue and one red.

The clash between divine arts created an unbelievably exaggerated spectacle.

...

While Pandora and the [Sea King] were locked in a fierce battle, something intangible was carried by the surging waves towards the depths of the divine tomb.

It was naturally Suren, wrapped in the [Shroud of the Oz Ice Man].

The one killed by the trident earlier was just a substitute animated corpse.

Earlier, while in the jungle, Suren had identified the raindrops as being infused with psychic energy, and he knew that their movements had been exposed to the [Sea King]'s senses.

From the very beginning, he had suspected that the [Sea King] might foresee something like "two enemies."

Simple concealment alone might not be enough to fool him.

As a precaution, Suren had made some preparations.

By killing a "Suren," he could hide better and more safely.

Just like now.

Under normal circumstances, even with the shroud, Suren would likely have been discovered.

However, Pandora's deliberate and exaggerated divine power had successfully drawn all of the [Sea King]'s attention, allowing him to remain hidden.

Battles at the level of "gods" were unlikely to be decided in just a few days.

This wasn't Pandora's home turf, and although her alchemical body prevented her from being defeated quickly, victory was almost impossible.

In reality, from the start, the key to victory hadn't been on Pandora, but on Suren.

Pandora appeared to be fighting, but her real goal was to deliver Suren to the core area of the tomb.

Under her seemingly unintentional guidance, Suren gradually moved away from the heart of the battlefield and floated towards the location of the divine tomb.

...

This was a true "battle of gods," and Suren held his breath, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

It was also the first time he had witnessed combat at this level.

He didn't quite understand everything, but he noticed that their spells seemed to bypass some of the limitations of the laws of the world. This wasn't within the realm of alchemy...

Fortunately, Pandora was strong enough, and Suren hadn't encountered any unexpected events.

The surroundings were now a vast ocean, but that wasn't a problem for an alchemist.

[Underwater Breathing Potion] was an advanced alchemical product, and Suren happened to have one prepared.

This potion didn't allow someone to breathe underwater like a fish. Instead, the special ingredients compensated for the oxygen needed for breathing, creating an "internal cycle."

Suren drifted along like seaweed.

Then, he saw the true form of the "divine tomb."

It was an exquisitely beautiful crystal palace!

The entrance was in the forest, inside a sinkhole. It was originally meant to be submerged in seawater, and the water here was crystal clear, emitting a faint blue glow.

Before this, Suren had thought of himself as someone who had seen the world.

But now, looking at the incomparably luxurious crystal palace before him, he wanted to say: No, I'm just a country bumpkin!

Poverty limited a person's imagination.

Suren found it difficult to describe the shock he felt upon seeing the crystal palace.

It was simply beyond mortal comprehension.

The crystal pillars that made up the palace were each hundreds of meters tall and several meters thick.

A simple appraisal showed that their quality was that of [Flawless White Crystal]. In the alchemy market, a palm-sized piece of crystal with this purity was worth thousands of Sol.

This was just the most common "stone" used to construct the palace. Within the palace were pure-colored [Blue Crystal], [Amethyst], and [Red Crystal] that were extremely rare in alchemy...

"Damn, are gods really this rich?"

Suren's eyes lit up.

Even if he just took a few pillars from the palace, it would be enough for an ordinary person to squander for several lifetimes.

Not to mention anything else.

As he floated into the crystal palace with the current, his shock grew even greater.

The palace was filled with countless treasures.

Gold and silver coins from various ancient civilizations were piled up like mountains, along with pearls, agates, corals, mithril, crowns, scepters, pure gold sculptures, swords, ancient armor, and utensils inlaid with various precious stones...

These treasures filled every corner of the palace.

Although the passage of time had covered these treasures with a layer of decay, it couldn't hide the blinding "light" of the treasures.

Seeing this, Suren finally understood why treasures could be found everywhere on Devil's Island.

It was because the palace couldn't hold everything, so it had been scattered everywhere.

Moreover, there weren't just treasures and precious materials, but also many magical items.

[Omniscient Magic Sphere], [Azera Invisibility Cloak], [Dwarf's Ring of Pain], [Soul-Draining Crown], [Giant's Shield]...

Although most of the magical items had lost their magical power over countless years, these things were still priceless even if they were dismantled into materials.

Suren felt like a rat in a granary, able to eat his fill with just a little!

These treasures were all funerary objects offered by countless sea god worshippers over the years...

"This time, I'm really going to get rich..."

Suren never thought he had the mindset of a nouveau riche.

But looking at the massive amount of treasure, a thought immediately popped into his mind: the mechanical golem legion was within reach.

Each high-level mechanical golem cost hundreds of millions to produce, and the super-large combat mechs and mechanical beasts he had envisioned would cost an unimaginable amount.

With money, everything became possible.

Moreover, as he looked around, Suren saw an alchemical item emitting red, blue, yellow, and blue lights in an open treasure chest.

[Four-Colored Elemental Heart (Slightly Damaged)]

Detailed explanation: A treasure left behind by the ancient gnome civilization, a super-powerful multi-element hybrid power core forged from 'Rainbow Stone' from the elven secret realm. It can automatically absorb aura to recharge, providing 0.013% automatic energy recovery per second; has full elemental conversion capabilities, storing 8556 alchemy units, with an s+ energy conversion rating; this is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient gnome civilization, one of the most perfect energy cores;

"So it was here!"

Suren's eyes immediately locked onto it upon seeing the appraisal.

Only those who understood energy cores knew how ridiculously exaggerated the attributes of this thing were!

The best energy core Suren could currently make was the [Monochromatic Spatial Elemental Heart] installed in the gargoyle's body, storing 421 alchemy units, with a C+ energy conversion rating. Apart from using the [Teleportation] skill relatively smoothly, he could hardly use other elemental spells, otherwise the energy consumption would be frighteningly high.

And that was already at the "master" level on the market.

Compared to the core in front of him, the difference was more than ten grades!

Moreover, this [Four-Colored Elemental Heart] could automatically accumulate energy. Once used up, it would automatically recharge in a few days.

This would save countless energy crystals and magic crystals, which were all pure money!

Most importantly, if installed on the gargoyle, Suren could inscribe more spell functions on the gargoyle: earth, wind, water, fire... various spells.

Then the gargoyle could cast [Dragon Flame Breath] with every breath, and [Gale Rip] with every claw...

The gargoyle's silver body could withstand a lot of modifications without collapsing, making it a perfect match for this [Four-Colored Elemental Heart]!

...

"Hiss... I'm rich this time."

Suren's eyes sparkled as he looked at the treasures all around him.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to pack up those treasures.

Without killing the [Sea King], no one could take these things away alive.

What he needed to do now was find the object that Pandora had mentioned, the one that contained the power of faith.

It was the source of the [Sea King]'s power.

Suren ventured deeper into the crystal palace, and the aftermath of the battle outside couldn't reach him. He was like a transparent sea fish, wagging his body and swimming in the water.

He swam into several side halls of the crystal palace, circling through the mountains of treasure.

Soon, he made a new discovery.

Suren noticed that the more valuable the treasure, the more conspicuous its location.

He didn't find the divinity he was looking for, but at the very top of a pile of gold coins, he saw another golden treasure chest.

Inside was a fragment that resembled a bronze serpent.

[Ouroboros Fragment]

Detailed explanation: An incredibly precise alchemical fragment, probably only half of the original; the name of the dwarven divine craftsman 'Isweito Ironhammer' is inscribed on it; besides the aura of primordial matter, you see more incomprehensible **** information;

"Is this what the 'Frost Moon Princess' wanted to trade with the Sea King?"

Suren's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw this.

Just looking at the tiny snake scales on the fragment gave one an indescribably mysterious feeling. It didn't seem to be artificially forged, but rather naturally formed.

Suren's knowledge reserves and experience were already extraordinary, but he still saw incomprehensible information. This meant that the grade of this fragment was frighteningly high.

"Could it be that the legendary 'Pirate Emperor' Drake was hunted down by a ninth-order powerhouse because he stole this treasure from Marfa?"

Suren recalled some rumors about the [Sea King]'s past life, and guessed that this fragment might have come from the Marfa Empire's royal family.

But... what was this thing used for?

Suren couldn't figure it out.

But it must be a treasure.

He thought that if he could leave the Sea Ruins, he would definitely take this thing with him, and he would have plenty of opportunities to figure it out slowly in the future.

Suren didn't linger, and continued to swim towards the depths of the palace.

As he went deeper, he also discovered that the palace complex where the treasure was stored was only the entrance to the divine tomb.

After a corner, the view suddenly opened up.

It was a huge pit.

Then, Suren saw a scene he would never forget.

In the pit, a massive golden door rudely crashed into his vision.

...

"This... This is too exaggerated!"

Suren thought he was seeing a golden land, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a giant golden door that opened downwards.

This giant door was a full kilometer long and wide, with exquisite reliefs depicting a female sea god battling various monsters... From the first glance, the golden door seemed to bloom with the most dazzling golden light in the world. The blazing golden light shot out, isolating a golden light domain, and allowing people to hear the sounds of heaven and earth resonating. In a daze, a domineering, majestic, sacred, and indescribable aura emanated from it...

The god probably didn't welcome disturbances from living beings, and there was a divine seal barrier on this golden door.

Fortunately, Suren had been using only [All-Knowing Eyes] to observe, but even so, he still felt slightly dazed. If he had looked directly, he would have instantly been lost in the golden light.

"The pressure of a god! This is truly a high-ranking deity!"

Suren's expression was extremely solemn as he looked on.

It gave him a feeling similar to when the will of the "God of Nature" descended in the Dalu tribe.

Even though she had already fallen, the remaining aftershocks were terrifyingly unbearable.

Seeing this, Suren had no intention of exploring what was behind the golden door.

He avoided looking directly at it and looked elsewhere.

Just then, his gaze fell on a baroque-style crown on top of a pile of gold coins illuminated by the golden light.

The gold base had flower and wave scroll patterns, with flawless crystals and pearls inlaid between the patterns. A gold ball engraved with mysterious runes and a silver-white cross rested on the arched crown.

Seeing this crown made one think of a king holding great power.

[Pope Frailey's Crown]

Detailed explanation: This was originally a magic tool from the later Aquvia civilization, symbolizing power and status. It was forged from metal that could bear faith and had some special effects. As a burial object for tens of thousands of years, it absorbed a trace of faith power leaking from the divine tomb. It has now become the vessel for Francis Drake to condense a 'pseudo-divinity';

"Found it!"

Suren was overjoyed to see this.

Another person might have overlooked a crown in a crystal palace full of treasures. Because there were at least eighty or a hundred such items here.

Moreover, the front of this golden gate was the best place to hide treasures, so there was no need for guards. Ordinary people who came here would immediately face the leaked pressure from the fallen god's tomb, and would probably lose themselves instantly.

Suren saw the item and slowly swam towards it.

But soon, he discovered a trigger-type rune barrier hidden near the crown.

Invisible to the naked eye, imperceptible to the senses, and only revealed upon contact.

But Suren was different. His fourth-order job fusion was the [Imitation of the Primordial Rune], and he was now exceptionally sensitive to runes.

He realized upon approaching that the ripples were not normal seawater flow, but a very complex layer of runes!

Suren stayed in place, looking and pondering for a while, without much emotional fluctuation, but muttered, "A thirteen-layer Runic lock, hidden enough for early warning, but unfortunately not complex enough. The 'Joseph Diesel' master's loop solution should be able to unlock it."

A pseudo-god was still a pseudo-god. Perhaps the laws of the world would elevate him to a level that Suren couldn't currently understand.

But knowledge was something that one had to accumulate on their own.

The [Sea King]'s level of runes wasn't too high.

Seeing this, Suren's mind raced. Since triggering the trap would lead to being discovered, he couldn't try to activate it. He could only deduce it in his mind. Mysterious symbols rotated, overlapped, and intertwined: ᛇᛗᛘᚱᛟᛯᚭᛊᛔᚠᚯ...

This method of cracking was like playing blind chess, and the difficulty was extremely high.

He had to analyze and crack the trap layer by layer, and also remember what he had cracked. The amount of calculation was enormous.

However, this couldn't stump Suren. His brain development and the ability to multitask were perfectly suited for this situation.

No one else in the Dawnbreaker Mercenary Group could do this. It had to be him.

After about half an hour, Suren's eyes suddenly lit up: "Unlocked!"

He looked at the rune restriction in front of him, verified it again to make sure there were no errors, and decided to act immediately.

Suren removed the shroud wrapped around his body. The moment his body was exposed, a powerful will suddenly swept over.

Knowing that he had been discovered by the [Sea King], he didn't hesitate to conjure a ball of light in his hand, also filled with runes, and then reached out.

Because he had completely cracked the restriction in his mind, Suren successfully grabbed the crown.