The sky over the entire sea was thick with dark clouds, yet it was daylight.
The dense clouds spiraled, as if the sea was brewing a monstrous storm.
The monstrous spiral seemed to be threatening to suck the sun down from the sky.
An overwhelming amount of magical power had gathered here, forming a spiral that involuntarily stirred the surrounding elements into a state of agitation.
Powerful bolts of lightning struck the dark sky one after another, and a fierce wind gathered.
For a moment, it was unclear whether this was a vortex of magical power or a true storm brewing.
Or perhaps both were interacting, creating an even more monstrous marine disaster.
Amid the storm, the Voice of Dawn remained steadfast. The surrounding water had formed into enormous waves, enveloping the Voice of Dawn like a bucket.
"Isn't this outrageous?" Jason shouted, lowering himself slightly and firmly atop the Voice of Dawn's armor.
The thunder and the storm had severely restricted the transmission of sound.
And because of the swirling water curtain, they couldn't even see what was happening outside.
A diamond-shaped gem, the size of a head, hovered above the Voice of Dawn.
It was the source of the storm, absorbing an inordinate amount of magical power. The entire storm and the surrounding natural disasters were caused by it.
If it weren't a treasure, it's hard to imagine any material capable of withstanding such an influx and conversion of magical energy.
From beneath the diamond-shaped gem, a circular beam of light with a diameter of two meters emanated.
It wasn't actually radiating light, but rather a concentration of excessively pure magical energy, creating a barrier to the outside world.
The magic within the beam seemed to have completely transformed into a liquid state, like a water tank. Within this beam, Arka sat cross-legged, frantically absorbing the concentrated, liquid magic, allowing it to rapidly flow into his body.
The most absurd thing was that this liquid magic seemed insufficient. It merely balanced Arka's absorption, leaving the liquid magic within the beam at only about half.
Everyone was a bit surprised by Jason's shout.
They hadn't imagined that merely advancing from Stage 6 to Stage 7 would create such a dramatic spectacle on the sea.
It had become a natural disaster.
It was fortunate they were aboard the Dawn's Voice, a powerful organism no longer considered a ship.
Otherwise, the ship would have been capsized and ripped to pieces. Even a ghost ship wouldn't have been immune to such outrageous waves.
The Dawn's Voice appeared to be resting steadily on the surface, but a glance below would reveal that countless long, thin roots had sprouted from its bottom, extending far into the ocean.
And because of a strange power, these roots didn't just drift in the seawater. Instead, they took root directly into the surrounding water elements and the surrounding space.
It was this firm rooting ability that allowed it to remain unshaken even in such a storm.
Providing a sufficiently safe platform for everyone.
Suddenly, a slender object, resembling an octopus tentacle, emerged from the water curtain and lashed out at the people on the armored platform.
A grayish-white electric light danced through the air, instantly reducing the octopus tentacle to ash. The incredible damage caused the attacking sea monster to slip away.
"Can't you see we're busy right now? You're such a fool." Watching the massive sea monster fleeing through the water curtain, Pororo cursed in frustration.
It wasn't convenient right now, otherwise he would have rushed over and ripped the sneaking sea monster to shreds, turning it into their own food.
But this one sea monster's attack seemed only the clarion call for more to come.
Various sea monsters, at the third and fourth stages of strength, began pouring in from all directions.
The excessive amount of magic power drawn here was causing these magic-feeding sea monsters to gather there.
And that magic power was officially concentrated on the Voice of Dawn, making it the target of these massive sea monsters' attacks.
A monstrous sea creature's massive head peeked out from the water curtain, its ungainly appearance making one frown.
Thick lips studded with sharp fangs opened, and a stream of concentrated venom was released in the direction of the ship.
The concentrated venom was condensed and bottled as it flew over.
Several thick vines shot out, binding the monster within the water curtain and then twisting it tightly.
The monster's head was severed, its massive head, even larger than the figurehead of the Dawn Voice, falling to the ground and instantly devoured by the other sea monsters hidden within the water curtain.
All that could be seen was a red hue in the surrounding water curtain. "Roar!"
Ululius suddenly transformed into a dragon, its mighty might radiating outward.
Its aura was at full force, mingled with a rare aura of fury and a bloody thirst for prey.
The pressure from the top of the carnivorous chain instantly frightened the surrounding sea monsters. Their urge to prey was instantly overwhelmed by their instinct for survival.
They fled in droves, and the surrounding water curtain finally quieted.
"Those annoying creatures are finally gone."
The reason for their irritation was that they were using their own strength to stabilize the surrounding storm, preventing it from spreading further.
He was controlling the surrounding storms and the forces of nature, preventing them from further interfering with Arka's ascension.
At this moment, Arka was entwined in a dense mass of magical energy.
The inflated spirals within his body were madly compressing.
The number of spirals had reached thousands.
Thousands of spirals squeezed together, forming a single group.
In stark contrast to these thousands of spirals squeezing together, a single, newly formed spiral, like a strand of hair, emerged from the outside, forming a separate group.
When this spiral was born, Arka officially advanced to the seventh stage.
As the level was complete, Arka opened his eyes, and the meditation stone above him immediately ceased functioning.
The storm that had already formed was no easy task; inertia had already set in.
Observing this, Arka put away the meditation stone.
He stretched out his hand, clawing through the air.
The swirling storm shattered in an instant, the force of the raging wind dissipating under Arka's control. In an instant, the rain cleared up.
Only raindrops remained, falling from the sky.
Arka dispersed the lightning bolts caused by the collision of the gathering dark clouds.
Just as the swirling, exaggerated waves threatened to crash down, Arka once again extended his hands and pushed them open like a door.
Under Arka's control, the waves subsided instantly, slowly merging into the sea's surface.
The surrounding sea level rose instantly, keeping their altitude consistent with the surroundings.
The sun shone down.
Now, only the gathering dark clouds overhead hinted at what the scenery had been like before.
Ulrius streaked across the sky, its shimmering wings fluttering.
The dark clouds dissipated in an instant, leaving only a cloudless blue sky above them.
From the moment Arka completed his promotion to the moment the rain stopped and the storm dissipated, only a minute had passed.
Reaching the seventh stage, while not as dramatic as advancing to the even-numbered stages, still foreshadowed the immense growth in Alka's power.
He was now able to control and even suppress natural disasters through the power of his treasures.
"I... can't sense any fluctuations in your power?" Sofia couldn't help but wonder, looking at Alka before her.
In her perception, Alka now looked like an ordinary person. It was completely impossible to believe that he was a seventh-stage powerhouse.
Hearing this, Alka smiled and said, "After leaving the sixth stage and advancing to the seventh, while my overall strength hasn't increased dramatically, my control has almost reached its peak.
Now, even without intentional control, I can completely internalize my power... just like the internalized nature of a treasure."
Alka described his own transformation.
Simply put, advancing from the sixth stage to the seventh brings increased control over every part of the body, including control over treasures.
Alka clenched his fist in front of everyone, then extended his right hand and slammed it heavily into the air.
A sound like a shattering mirror echoed, and cracks appeared in the air.
Arka's punch had actually struck space, creating a crack in it.
Everyone could see that this wasn't an attack using magic; after all, Arka was a treasure with spatial properties. Instead, Arka had unleashed the treasure's power solely through physical strength.
This was accomplished without any magical power.
"It's like...it's like a divine creature!" Simon muttered to himself as he watched the scene, offering a relatively accurate classification.
Divine creature.
The greatest characteristic of a divine creature is their innate divinity, the inherent treasure they possess from birth.
This means the treasure's power has been absorbed into their bodies, like an instinct.
This has been demonstrated throughout the Ulrius era and later, through their fusion with the Lucelia body they created through manipulation.
This means they can unleash the same power of a treasure simply through their physical bodies, without the need for mana.
For example, the power of the Ulrius crystal is a power inherent to the Crystal Dragon.
For example, after acquiring a new body, Lucelia's scarlet element and the ability to replicate and distribute her power to her subordinates seem innate.
This power requires no mana consumption at all, and even if she runs out of mana or becomes dizzy, it cannot prevent the power from fading. At Simon's analogy, Alka couldn't help but smile and nodded.
"That's right... At the seventh stage, the treasure becomes like an arm, as if woven into instinct."
As Alka spoke, he raised his hands, and the water on either side of the ship suddenly jutted upward, like a pair of arms.
Alka waved his hands, and the arms formed by the massive currents on either side of the ship followed suit.
Suddenly, Alka's hands formed into claws, grabbing forward. The two arms formed by the massive currents instantly transformed into icy claws that swung and slammed into the sea.
This seemed perfectly normal, with no extraordinary display of power, yet everyone saw it clearly.
It was Alka's effortlessness, as if he was operating it instinctively, with no previous delays.
It felt smooth, like the power of an arm.
It might seem like a minor improvement, but the degree of improvement in combat and ease of use was unimaginable. This also demonstrated a heightened control, allowing for even more uses of the treasure.
As Alka advanced to the seventh stage, the roots of the Dawn's Voice, which had been embedded in space and the water element, began to retract. Once retracted, the Voice began to sail in its predetermined direction.
On the deck, Alka came to the central tree.
Looking at the tree before him, Alka stretched out his hands and placed them against it.
Treasures emerged from him one after another, infusing the tree with a strange power.
The entire tree, and indeed the entire ship, was undergoing a transformation.
The three tall masts perched atop the deck were being devoured and vanished.
The observation room vanished with them, its furniture and sails held captive by vines.
In their place, branches continuously spread upward.
The tree grew, its branches weaving and spreading, forming a canopy.
The canopy enveloped the ship beneath it.
It was as if the entire ship had opened an umbrella.
With the three masts gone, only the trunk of the central flowerbed remained. The deck suddenly became unusually wide.
The trunk of the entire tree had completely replaced every component of the ship, and now it was a tree grown like a ship.
Every part of the ship became the tree's roots, trunk, branches, and leaves.
At the stern of the ship, the vine structure condensed into four structures that resembled tree holes.
The power of the wind gathered there.
Then it erupted.
The entire ship instantly gained speed, soaring off into the distance.
Crystals, one after another, dangled from the branches.
Each one was the size of a palm, each containing a different color.
Upon closer inspection, there were six colors, representing the six elemental cards of Arca.
The ship's overall shape remained unchanged.
But now, changes to its appearance could be manipulated almost at will, as long as they so desired.
Then, lines of elements and an unknown force began to converge at the intersection of the branches.
A bird, formed from the elements, appeared there.
The bird's shape mirrored the ship's prow.
One could sense the energy radiating from it.
"Arka, Arka."
A clear, birdlike cry emanated from its mouth, and with a flutter of its wings, it landed in Arka's palm.
"The Voice of Dawn?"
The bird nodded, repeating Arka's name as usual.
Now it seemed to know only one word.
Then, the bird fluttered its wings and flew back and forth beside the group.
The entire ship underwent a complete transformation, drawing everyone's attention.
"Has this World Tree accepted your power?" asked the Sofia Observer.
Arka nodded. "You could say that. After all, it was enlightened by my original treasure, wasn't it?
It naturally and easily accepted the power of my treasure. Before, it could only gradually gain influence, but now I have absolute control over my treasure's abilities and can share them with it as I wish."
This is why this ship has changed so much.
The Voice of Dawn has gained the power to control the elements. Empowered by the wind element, the entire ship soars across the sea like an arrow.
Now, it's hard to find a ship that can match the speed of the Voice of Dawn.
Besides this, there's also control over other elements.
But this was only a large tree, and while it had begun to develop a true human-like intelligence, it still needed to learn.
Suddenly, a curtain covered the entire sky, plunging it into darkness.
Strange stars and galaxies hung high above.
And the crystals that had once dangled from the tree's branches like nuts now emitted a soft glow, illuminating the armor.
"This transformation is truly remarkable."
A melodious song began to play, and Julia, holding a harp, began to play.
The Sound of Dawn also began to play along with the music, a sound like wind chimes could be heard.
It was the rhythm of instruments created by the collision of crystals.
Elemental birds, like elemental life forms, fluttered their wings and soared above the armor, singing with bird-like voices.
Several puppet girls also pulled out their instruments and joined Julia in the performance.
Just as some puppet girls enjoyed cooking, many also enjoyed music.
A cheerful atmosphere suddenly enveloped the ship.
They hadn't felt this way for a long time.
This was a celebration of their long-awaited return to the ship, a celebration of Arka's growth, and a celebration of the transformation of the Sound of Dawn.
Seeing this, Juanlu waved his hand, and a golden liquid gathered in his hand, transforming into a grill.
Ingredients were piled nearby. Seeing this, several puppet girls immediately flew over and began to assist Juanlu in the grilling.
It was clear that tonight would be a barbecue feast.
Aromatic fruit wine flew from the bottle, and then wine glasses appeared in everyone's hands, filled with wine.
The first banquet of Return to the Sound of Dawn had begun.
After the feast, the food, and the cheerful music,
It was already late at night.
The noisy, cheerful atmosphere gradually faded, and the ship was now engulfed in silence.
The mess on the armor had been cleaned up.
Some of the puppet girls had taken to sleep in the trees.
Dawn's Voice thoughtfully used soft branches to create hammocks, one after another, and affixed them to the branches.
The hammocks, visible through the vines and covered with soft leaves, were suspended beside red crystals.
The red crystals represented the element of fire, and their surroundings naturally radiated a warm aura.
Not only could they protect against the cold, but they also brought warmth, making them the perfect place to rest. "What are you thinking about?" Sofia walked over to the side of the boat and sat next to Alka.
Alka exhaled and looked out at the sea.
Looking at the sea reflecting the starlight in the sky, the boat's trajectory was unusually stable, controlled by the current, without a trace of turbulence.
Lucelia, now a spirit of normal size, also came to his side.
"Your soul exudes worry... What are you worried about?"
Hearing this, Alka didn't know what to say.
Advanced to the seventh stage.
Compared to the others, Alka had another improvement.
That was his eyes, which could see through secrets.
Although he had already reached the seventh stage in his dream, he had long been able to see more in his dreams.
However, in his dreams, he couldn't see the problems in reality.
After reaching the seventh stage within the time limit, he began to see some problems.