In the deep waters, a squad of five diving Pujis descended cautiously.
Suddenly, they shifted sideways, swimming dozens of meters before continuing down.
Moments earlier, a nearly invisible fish had lurked ahead—almost transparent—but exposed by [Echolocation].
And before long, another monster appeared: one of those creatures with a thirty-meter-extending maw.
A Puji unleashed [Infrasound Attack]. It didn’t do real damage, but it made the beast uncomfortable enough to leave.
When a massive jellyfish swept in to engulf the squad—
The rear Puji broke formation, charging at it.
Boom—
The muffled explosion tore the jellyfish apart, leaving it crippled.
Self-destruct!Lin Jun had added [Self-Destruct].
This was already the third batch of diving Pujis.
After the first group’s annihilation, Lin Jun had reflected and decided to equip them with it.
As expected—none of his creations escaped their destiny.
The skill had even been leveled from LV5 to LV6, the blast stronger than ever.
The seventh floor proved tougher than he’d thought. The biggest problem: giant monsters.
Perhaps deep water favored massive growth?
Either way, size meant higher stats and thicker health at equal levels.
Like the earthworms before—two of them, under level 50, had wiped out Lin Jun’s expeditionary force.
Had they been spiders or minotaurs instead, they’d have been slain with ease.
So too in the water: these leviathans overpowered the already weak Puji swimmers.
Not unbeatable, but wasteful to fight.
Lin Jun’s goal was exploration, not conquest. Best to avoid where possible.
Thankfully, monsters had patterns. After three waves of testing, he had learned them well.
At last, four Pujis reached the sandy, ruin-littered bottom.
Perhaps because hiding places abounded, the leviathans stayed away. It seemed safe…
Until a claw shot up from beneath the sand, snapping one Puji’s tail.
[Infrasound Attack LV6] ×4
Defense-piercing vibrations shattered the crab monster’s insides, forcing it to release its grip.
Two more crabs hidden nearby were caught in the shock, dying as well.
The injured Puji bled heavily, barely able to move—perfect as a vanguard.
It struggled ahead while the three intact ones followed.
This time, Lin Jun had them float five or six meters above the seabed, out of reach of ambushes.
The ruins below crawled with small monsters, unseen above.
Crabs in the sand. Fish lurking in wreckage. None strong enough to dare attack a squad.
Swimming through the crumbled stone, Lin Jun wondered what this place once was.
A residential district? No—the architecture was too grand.
Temples? Palaces? Assembly halls? Perhaps. But there were no statues, no ornamentation, no divine symbols.
Too “clean.”
Shouldn’t underwater ruins hold corroded iron, treasure chests, relics?
Here—only stone.
Adventurers? No. This place was far too dangerous. And if they’d come, they’d have taken valuables, not left it stripped bare.
Most likely… there had never been treasure here.
Exploration dragged on for nearly two hours, surprisingly without disaster. Even the injured Puji still lived.
No major finds. But also no sign of fissures. That, at least, was something.
Then—it happened.
A Puji brushed a hook hidden among seaweed.
The hook jerked, yanking both weed and Puji down.
A spike impaled it instantly.
Dead.
Lin Jun froze the others in place.
Looking closely, he saw it—dozens of hooks. Not natural growth, but tied in place.
Each connected to a crude but clever mechanism, designed to reel prey onto spikes.
Even fish and monsters hung skewered there.
Clearly—intelligent design.
So the seventh floor had sapient beings?
Merfolk?
No. Mermaids sang above, luring adventurers. Living down here on scraps would be too pitiful.
Lin Jun ordered more caution.
Half an hour later, the Pujis hadn’t found any people. But they did uncover a stone switch in a ruin wall.
A treasure room?
Two worked together to turn it. Grinding echoed, and a sloped passage opened.
Not like a treasure chamber at all. Those were tidy single rooms with a chest at the center.
This—felt like a new region.
Lin Jun hesitated only briefly. Then he sent the remaining 2.5 Pujis forward.
Along the tunnel, crystal sconces lined the walls. In one, the broken remains of a light crystal still lingered.
There were symmetrical branches, but with so few Pujis, Lin Jun kept them straight.
At the end lay a great hall.
A headless stone idol with writhing tentacles loomed above. At its feet sat three stone platforms. On the walls—eroded murals, too worn to read.
A temple?
At that moment—[Echolocation] revealed movement.
Living things. Closing in on the hall from all directions…