MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Chapter 1681: Beyond the Depths

”They did it...”

”They actually did it...!”

Watching the two head deeper into the Ocean of Crystallized Truths once more, the Director had a look of astonishment on her face, only for it to then turn into that of excitement and relief.

”5,000 years... it’s been 5,000 years since I’ve been appointed as the Director of the Ocean of Crystallized Truths,” murmured the woman to herself, closing the screen she brought up as she felt her emotions slowly settle down.

Falling into a strange sense of tranquility, she then said to herself, ”Now, with the inheritors of his legacy found, my duty and purpose has finally been fulfilled.”

Leaning into her chair, the Director closed her eyes for a while, savoring the freedom that had been given to her now that her duty was over.

However, not even a couple minutes into savoring this newfound sensation, negative emotions began to creep within her.

”Wait... now that I’ve fulfilled my purpose in this place, where would I go now?” asked the Director to herself, her eyes wide open as doubt and anxiety began to linger in her mind.

”Am I permitted to stay here even after accomplishing my duty? And if I weren’t, would I have to head back to the Zeihardt Clan?”

As the name of the clan she came from left her mouth, a slight shudder ran across her body. ”It’s already been 5,000 years since I last left the clan... would I even recognize anyone in that place?”

”...Would anyone even recognize me as a member of the Zeihardt Clan?”

Just as the doubts and worries continued to pile up in her mind, all of those eventually came to a grinding halt as a familiar voice echoed throughout the room.

”What are you worrying about all of a sudden?” asked the calm voice to her as it let out a slight chuckle. ”Are you worrying about where you’d head to now that your duty is fulfilled?”

”Progenitor, I...” Feeling a wide sense of relief the moment the voice echoed within her room, the Director’s expression soon turned into embarrassment after she realized what kind of situation the voice had caught her in.

”Relax, will you?” The voice let out a chuckle. ”As the one that had assigned you to this position, it only makes sense that I’ve already taken into consideration where you shall head now that the position has been made obsolete.”

”Of course, before transferring you there, aren’t you interested to see what kind of person would be able to inherit his legacy up close?” it continued, a smile evident in its tone.

”...” Remaining silent as she processed the voice’s question, the Director eventually looked in the direction of where the voice was coming from, only to then give a faint nod of approval in response.

”Well, well, well...” said the voice, letting out a peal of laughter. ”Color me mildly surprised.”

”And here I thought you’d want to head out instead.”

Feeling her ears slightly redden in response to the voice’s words, the woman soon felt energy manifest around her, only to then envelop her as she disappeared from the room not long after.

”It’s been a while since I’ve last seen him.”

”I wonder how he’s doing?”

Whoosh!

...

’How much deeper do we have to swim?’

Continuing to wrap himself in the energy of his concepts, Ataraxia sent a question to his other self through their connection.

After receiving an instruction from the voice to head to the ocean’s deepest depths after declining the offer to take an additional risk, the two went ahead and did so without hesitation.

Feeling a bit of excitement and anticipation towards the rewards that awaited them, the two forcefully dove deeper and deeper into the Ocean of Crystallized Truths, enduring the physical and mental pressure placed on them as best as they could.

Wondering when they’d arrive at the place where the voice and the rewards could be found, the two eventually dove 2,000 meters deep into the ocean, immediately feeling that the difficulty of diving any further had arrived a zenith of some sort.

Spending a bit of time breaking past this seemingly insurmountable wall, the two soon broke past the 2,000 meter mark, quickly noticing that the difficulty of diving had begun to reduce the more they moved away from their current mark.

By the time they got to a depth of 3,000 meters, the difficulty of diving had reached a level where it was comparable to the ocean’s 1,500 meter mark.

Then, by the time they got to 4,000 meters, the difficulty was further reduced, reaching a level where it was comparable to the entrance to the layer of True Depths.

Eventually, once they reached a depth of 5,000 meters, the two felt as if all of the challenges they’d faced in the ocean thus far had disappeared without a trace.

At that moment, the two felt as if they’d returned to the Shallows, with the only challenge they needed to endure at that point was the need for air.

However, even though most of the difficulties they’ve experienced up to their current point had disappeared, both Valyr and Ataraxia still understood that they were at a depth unfathomable to even themselves from before they delved into the ocean.

After all, aside from the pull they first felt from the True Depths being at least a hundred times greater than before, they also sensed the dense amount of insight and knowledge that surrounded them.

Yet, even though they felt incredibly compelled to stop at their current depth and make the most out of the situation, the two decided to ignore their urges and continued to dive deeper.

Then again, it wasn’t as if they weren’t allowed to enter the Ocean of Crystallized Truths a second time.

Whoosh!

’We’re already nearing 10 kilometers.’

Pushing his movement skill to its utmost, Ataraxia glanced at the water ahead of them, getting the feeling that they were finally closing in on where the voice resided.

’I can sense it,’ said Valyr in response, noticing that the pull he felt was beginning to give him a general direction.

Deciding to follow the direction the pull was giving him, the two eventually arrived a certain spot beyond the 10 kilometer mark, only to find that the water they were swimming through earlier had disappeared all of a sudden.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Unperturbed by the sudden change, both Valyr and Ataraxia deftly cushioned their fall with a series of movements and skills, allowing them to land at the center of a small yet somewhat barren island.

Looking around for a bit to see if they arrived at the correct location, a voice familiar to the two resounded behind them, prompting the two to turn around before being greeted by the sight of a tall middle-aged man.