Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Hearing this, Juanlu nodded. There wasn’t much else to say.

”Alright, you’ve successfully passed the challenge. Under my guidance, you’ve met my requirements. Now, claim the reward for your challenge; it should be something suitable for you.”

Upon hearing this, Juanlu stood up. Golden lights appeared above the space. A spherical metal object floated down, its surface intricately engraved with fine patterns.

An emotionless voice spoke once more. ”Congratulations, Trial Taker. Your challenge has embodied the spirit of advancement, surpassing your former self. Your performance has been deeply admired. Claim your reward.”

Juanlu raised his hands slightly, allowing the floating metal sphere to settle into his palms. As it touched his palms, the sphere split open like a blooming flower, revealing its contents: an orange-red orb emanating a hungry light.

”Oh, it is indeed this. You should be very grateful to me,” the instructor said with a smile, looking at the item. ”I personally hunted this. It’s the essence of the first offspring of the Gluttonous Demon—an extremely powerful Divine Beast, almost on par with its father.”

”A pity... Unlike its somewhat rational father, this child, though powerful, was full of madness and wildness. We had to hunt it to prevent it from harming more places.”

The instructor seemed to reminisce, rambling on. He also explained the item’s origins to Juanlu, indicating its close ties with him.

”Alright, close the box. Find a good place outside to open it. This can’t fit into that small ring of yours, so be careful.”

Juanlu nodded. The petal-like iron pieces that had opened automatically closed, and he cradled the sphere in his arms.

”Although this last part made me extremely sick, credit where credit is due: you did help me a lot before this. Thank you,” Juanlu said to the instructor before him.

”Haha, at least you have some conscience! But don’t thank me. Thank the Advancer. Thank him for letting us meet.”

”Of course. But don’t let me catch you.”

”Hahaha! If there’s a chance.”

The instructor, no longer lingering, waved at Juanlu and vanished. Juanlu nodded where he stood and softly said, ”Praise the Advancer.”

...

When the blue light appeared on the Teleportation Platform, Juanlu successfully returned.

The crowd waiting nearby immediately stood up and surrounded him. Matilda swam over, checking Juanlu’s condition.

”...Not injured? And in good condition—very good. But why is there a stench?” Matilda asked after checking him, frowning and wrinkling her nose.

”Is it still there?” Hearing this, Juanlu carefully sniffed himself; the stench clung to him. This smell seems impossible to wash away. When he came out, he had rinsed himself thoroughly in the Tower of Trial. He’d even tried to wash out his stomach, but he could still smell that phantom odor.

”We don’t smell anything,” Jason and Simon said, sniffing the air around him, but they couldn’t detect the odor.

”I only sensed it within you during the check-up. It’s not on the outside, so rest assured,” Matilda said.

Juanlu finally felt at ease.

”So, did you succeed?” Jason asked curiously from the side.

Juanlu nodded. Then he turned to Matilda and asked, ”How is your instructor? I mean, is his personality awful?”

”He’s great, a very nice person,” Madeleina replied, recalling, though she was puzzled by Juanlu’s question.

”Is that so? That’s good. Although the challenge trial is very difficult, it’s something that can be successfully cleared at this stage if you try your hardest.”

Hearing Juanlu’s words, Matilda nodded. Her tension eased slightly, and she slowly approached the Teleportation Platform. She repeated Juanlu’s previous actions, placing her right hand on the red stone and disappearing.

After watching Matilda leave, the crowd turned back to Juanlu. ”How was it this time? How did the challenge feel?”

Hearing this, Juanlu sighed and sat down on a nearby piece of rubble, recalling his challenge experience.

Looking at Juanlu’s state, everyone could tell that what he had experienced was clearly disproportionate to his current condition; he was extremely uncomfortable.

He placed the iron sphere he was cradling by his feet, patted it, and said, ”This is the reward. As for my experience... it wasn’t pleasant. I probably won’t want to eat anything for a while.” He looked at his hands. ”I might have even temporarily lost the ability to cook.”

Matilda had already checked him; his body and mind were fine. Yet Juanlu spoke as if they weren’t. There must be a psychological issue, they thought.

Thinking this, no one said much more. They just nodded encouragingly from the side. It seems this challenge isn’t just about testing one’s strength.

”If you want to hear, I don’t mind recounting it.”

”The levels before the one that matched my strength could be passed as long as I was serious enough and willing to pay a small price. But the difficulty of that final level, the one that matched my strength, soared instantly. It presented me with a scene I least wanted to face, a scenario I least wanted to fight in.”