The moving island slowly disappeared behind the Sea Fortress.
Lin Chen stood alone on the command deck.
The coordinates of the Diamond Chest were already marked on his map.
After collecting three clues, the location had finally been revealed.
The Three-Tide Sea.
Even the name sounded mysterious.
Unfortunately, the distance was enormous.
According to the map, it would take several days to arrive.
At the same time, the Monster Tide event was approaching.
Only seven days remained.
Lin Chen had a feeling that everything was connected.
The Diamond Chest.
The Monster Tide.
The increasingly powerful monsters.
The game seemed to be pushing humanity forward.
A Team Chat notification appeared.
[Su Yao] : Did you leave the island?
[Lin Chen] : Yes.
[Su Yao] : Good.
[Lin Chen] : You found something?
Several seconds passed.
Then a reply arrived.
[Su Yao] : My Talent gave me a warning.
Lin Chen immediately became serious.
[Lin Chen] : About the Diamond Chest?
[Su Yao] : Yes.
[Lin Chen] : What did it say?
[Su Yao] : The chest isn't unguarded.
Lin Chen laughed.
That wasn't surprising.
Nothing valuable in this game came easily.
[Lin Chen] : What kind of guardian?
[Su Yao] : I don't know.
[Su Yao] : But it's stronger than the Rare Boss on the moving island.
The smile on Lin Chen's face disappeared.
Stronger than a Level 30 Rare Boss?
That was concerning.
Very concerning.
...
Three days passed.
The Sea Fortress continued traveling toward the Three-Tide Sea.
During that time, Lin Chen focused on leveling.
Every monster encountered became experience.
Every battle increased his strength.
His level gradually rose.
Level Up
Level 5 Reached
His attributes increased once again.
The improvements weren't dramatic, but they accumulated over time.
More importantly, he gathered large numbers of Monster Cores.
The Core Crafting system continued unlocking new possibilities.
One evening, while studying the crafting menu, a new blueprint appeared.
Core Turret
Automatically attacks nearby monsters.
Requires:
50 Monster Cores
500 Steel
100 Energy Crystals
Lin Chen's eyes lit up.
Automatic defenses.
That would be extremely useful during the Monster Tide.
Without hesitation, he crafted four of them.
Soon, powerful turrets stood at the corners of the Sea Fortress.
Its combat power increased significantly.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the region...
The Sea Wolf Alliance had grown even larger.
Their membership now exceeded one thousand players.
Inside the alliance headquarters, Zhao Feng sat at the head of a meeting table.
Several core members stood nearby.
[Wang Jie] : Membership surpassed one thousand.
[Zhao Feng] : Good.
[Liu Kang] : More survivors are joining every day.
Zhao Feng nodded.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Then another member stepped forward.
[Chen Bo] : We found traces of another top-ranked player.
The room became quiet.
[Zhao Feng] : Evidence?
[Chen Bo] : Unusual trade records.
[Chen Bo] : High-level monster materials.
[Chen Bo] : Extremely large resource transactions.
Zhao Feng smiled.
For the first time, genuine interest appeared in his eyes.
[Zhao Feng] : Continue investigating.
[Zhao Feng] : Eventually everyone leaves footprints.
Unfortunately for him, the player he sought was Lin Chen.
And the Sea Wolf Alliance remained far from discovering the truth.
...
The fourth day of travel.
The Core Radar suddenly reacted.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Lin Chen immediately checked the display.
A massive signal appeared nearby.
Not a monster.
Not an island.
A player.
His eyes narrowed.
This was the first time he had encountered another survivor physically.
Normally, the ocean was simply too large.
The chances of meeting another player were extremely low.
Yet here one appeared.
A large upgraded raft floated several kilometers away.
The player clearly noticed Lin Chen's Sea Fortress as well.
Both sides stopped.
Neither approached.
The atmosphere became tense.
This was unknown territory.
No one knew how first contact would proceed.
A private communication request appeared.
Lin Chen accepted.
[Unknown Player] : Interesting ship.
[Lin Chen] : Interesting raft.
Several seconds passed.
Then another message appeared.
[Unknown Player] : You're strong.
[Lin Chen] : You too.
The stranger laughed.
[Unknown Player] : First time meeting another survivor.
[Lin Chen] : Same.
After a brief conversation, both sides remained cautious.
Nobody revealed personal information.
Nobody revealed Talents.
Nobody revealed resources.
Eventually, the stranger sent one final message.
[Unknown Player] : Be careful near the Three-Tide Sea.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.
[Lin Chen] : Why?
The answer arrived immediately.
[Unknown Player] : Something lives there.
Then the communication ended.
The player's raft changed direction and disappeared into the distance.
Lin Chen stood silently.
Something lives there.
The warning matched Su Yao's information.
Whatever guarded the Diamond Chest was becoming increasingly mysterious.
...
The following morning, another Team Chat notification appeared.
[Su Yao] : I discovered something important.
[Lin Chen] : About the Diamond Chest?
[Su Yao] : Yes.
[Lin Chen] : Tell me.
Several seconds passed.
Then the message appeared.
[Su Yao] : The chest isn't the real reward.
Lin Chen frowned.
[Lin Chen] : Explain.
[Su Yao] : My Talent showed fragments of information.
[Su Yao] : The Diamond Chest is connected to a hidden inheritance.
Lin Chen's heartbeat accelerated.
Inheritance.
In survival game novels, inheritances were often more valuable than treasure itself.
[Lin Chen] : Any details?
[Su Yao] : No.
[Su Yao] : Only that the chest is the key.
Lin Chen looked toward the horizon.
The situation had become even more interesting.
...
Late that afternoon, the ocean suddenly changed.
The waves became violent.
Three different currents collided together.
The sea surface twisted unnaturally.
The Core Radar began flashing continuously.
Destination Reached
Three-Tide Sea
Lin Chen stepped forward.
Finally.
After days of travel, he had arrived.
The location revealed by the three clues lay before him.
The atmosphere felt strange.
Dangerous.
Ancient.
Even the sea itself seemed different.
Then the radar detected something.
A massive life signal.
Far larger than anything he had previously encountered.
The signal rested deep beneath the ocean.
Motionless.
Sleeping.
Waiting.
A cold feeling spread through Lin Chen's body.
The guardian.
He had found it.
Or rather...
It had found him.
The water suddenly trembled.
A gigantic shadow moved beneath the waves.
For a brief moment, Lin Chen saw part of its body.
Scales.
Black scales.
Each one larger than a human.
Then the shadow disappeared once more.
His grip tightened around the Thunder Spear.
The battle for the Diamond Chest was approaching.
And for the first time since entering the game...
Lin Chen wasn't certain of victory.