Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

”Not at all. We arrived later, so naturally, we should follow the order.”

Maru smiled and nodded to everyone in farewell, then left with his family members.

Watching these people leave, Chadite suddenly said, ”They truly believe in the Holy Mother. All the people they brought have the last name Tarutas, which indicates their entire family are believers. In that case, they must know the location of the Holy Mother Church’s Great Cathedral in the Endless Sea, right?”

Hearing this, Alka nodded. It was very likely.

It was strange; they had been in the Endless Sea for quite some time now. Only on Southern Cross Island had they learned of the existence of a Holy Mother Church. The problem was that the islanders didn’t believe in the Holy Mother, and her followers were extremely rare. The Holy Mother’s missionary work there hadn’t gone smoothly, and the Church was only located in the central city of the capital island. They had never been there, so they didn’t understand the Church’s situation in the Endless Sea, nor had they gathered any useful information.

Now, they had suddenly encountered an entire family that believed in the Holy Mother. Furthermore, according to Triangle, this family had clearly been in the Endless Sea for a long time.

As fellow believers, asking them about the Holy Mother’s church or main gathering places seemed relatively safe. Although, this would very obviously expose them as having come from the Four Divine Seas. After all, for a Saint of the Holy Mother to be unaware of the Great Cathedral of the Holy Mother Church in the Endless Sea would clearly indicate that very possibility.

”They’ll likely stay on the island for a while. Let’s not rush; we should observe them more first,” Alka advised.

It was never wrong to be cautious, even if the other party were fellow believers of the Holy Mother.

「...」

Meanwhile, Juanlu, who was undergoing challenges in the Tower of Trial, officially passed the third level.

Covered in blood and grime, he propped himself up, leaning heavily against the stone wall of the chamber. His lungs worked like bellows, heaving frantically and making a wheezing sound as he struggled to recover his stamina. His condition was clearly not good.

A severe laceration marred his thigh; the wound was so deep the bone was almost visible, and a large amount of fresh blood still flowed out. Moreover, he had suffered some internal injuries.

After applying a quick, simple bandage, Juanlu took a large leg of beef out of his Pocket Ring. Holding the beef leg, he wolfed it down.

The food he consumed quickly transformed into Energy within his body, which, under his control, surged towards his injured thigh. The thigh wound didn’t heal that easily, but strangely, the bleeding stopped.

For Juanlu, that was enough.

Seizing the opportunity, he immediately got up. Relying on the little stamina he had just recovered, he hurried to the stone door and pushed it with all his might. The immense force he exerted caused his wounds to bleed afresh, but he managed to push open a gap just wide enough for him to roll through.

As his body passed through the opening, a wave of power swept over him. The wounds on his body instantly healed, and even the blood and grime were washed away. His internal injuries also recovered, the pain replaced by a feeling of complete ease.

Completely refreshed, Juanlu stood up and let out a sigh of relief.

However, he didn’t immediately move forward. Instead, he sat down right where he was, took out a large amount of food from his Pocket Ring, and began frantically stuffing it into his mouth, chewing non-stop.

Eating so voraciously, he quickly consumed an amount of food that seemed to exceed his own body weight. He visibly grew chubbier, his entire frame expanding by a significant margin. Even his once flat, muscular abdomen had transformed into a round, slightly protruding beer belly.

Juanlu, now noticeably chubbier, finally stopped eating and let out a breath. He picked up a jug of water. GULP. GULP. He drank thirstily.

The Bat reappeared in his hand. It had long since been upgraded and modified, becoming extremely powerful. He found the weapon increasingly easy to handle the more he used it. Gripping his Bat, he walked forward.

The environment of this level resembled a swamp, filled with various strange plants that emitted peculiar odors. Underfoot lay mud pits and marshland of varying depths, all covered with dense vegetation that made it impossible to gauge how deep any given spot was. The entire swamp was rather dim, and the farther he advanced, the harsher the environment became, with extremely pungent odors beginning to assault his nostrils. These acrid smells mingled with even more disgusting stenches, so strong they made his eyes water.

A foul stench wafted towards him, heavy with the smell of decay. Juanlu’s expression tightened; the surrounding environment alone was already proving to be a significant challenge. Magic Power swirled around his face, helping him to repel the noxious air.

”That Lucy is truly disgusting. He’s so obviously targeting me, isn’t he?” Juanlu muttered.

Lucy was his instructor. This was the most crucial level; if he passed it, his performance would very likely enable him to obtain the Will to Advance. Moreover, it was clear that this level had been deliberately designed by his instructor to target his specific weaknesses.

As a chef, Juanlu had extremely strict requirements for his senses of taste and smell. He even trained them specifically to achieve exacting standards. This kind of environment was unbearable for him because his brain would involuntarily analyze the smells he encountered, trying to decipher their composition and understand why they had formed. This involuntary process made him feel nauseous and mentally drained.