Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

The man nodded repeatedly. ”Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

The black-robed man watched him depart. Beside the black-robed man, a burly giant covered in blood-red markings had been standing silently all this time.

The giant now spoke, ”Why recall the blood slaves we’ve dispersed?”

Hearing the giant’s question, the black-robed man visibly composed himself. ”Because we’ve failed,” he said. ”Those people are remarkably lucky.”

”My god demands more slaughter and blood! What we have now is far from enough!” the giant declared, his eyes glowing red, his expression crazed.

Hearing this, the black-robed man frowned and glanced at him. ”Since you desire slaughter, all the fear generated shortly will be yours to claim. Whether you can meet the requirements is your own affair.”

”That would be perfect!”

With that, the giant hefted the Giant Axe from his shoulder and strode out.

Watching the giant’s retreating form, the black-robed man muttered, ”What a mindless brute. The god he worships is a lunatic too.”

He then turned and walked towards the rear.

「...」

”East Sector 6: a colossal blood-red monster is on the move. The same is happening in North Sector 3. All four of them are heading towards the convergence point of fear. All monsters are gathering there.”

Gazing at the information appearing on the Mirror Surface, Alka’s brow furrowed deeply.

Jason and Jilenna have already rushed there.

These colossal blood-red monsters were all at the Fourth Stage of power, making them the strongest among the monstrous ranks.

It’s just as we anticipated, Alka thought. The enemy’s advantage stems from their larger numbers of Third Stage entities—about thirty in total—supplemented by some Second Stage individuals transformed into monsters through special means, along with undead-like creatures, all to resist our soldiers.

However, with the Puppet Girls joining the fray and their own special deployments, the enemy hadn’t gained a significant advantage. In fact, due to Alka’s group’s control over the overall situation, the enemy was rapidly falling into a disadvantageous position.

Still, sacrifices and deaths were unavoidable.

The area around the plaza altar had harbored the most monsters, but Alka’s forces had already cleared them out.

Surveying the surroundings, Alka noted a melodious song echoing in everyone’s ears. As it enveloped them, it seemed to instill infinite courage in their hearts. It was precisely because of Julia’s inspiring song that this, the most crowded place, paradoxically generated the least amount of fear.

After a moment of consideration, Alka ordered, ”Juanlu, Julia, you two remain here and coordinate the defense with these soldiers.”

”The rest of you, with me! We’ll catch up to Jason!”

Several of them quickly set off in the direction Jason had taken.

”What’s happening?” Chadite asked from nearby.

Alka replied, ”The enemy’s remaining forces are converging on the focal point of fear. They’re likely preparing for one final, desperate push.”

Our sudden appearance has already signaled the failure of the enemy’s operation, Alka mused. We’ve only been at the House of Fragrance for a few days, whereas the enemy must have been preparing for a very long time. Regardless of whether anyone noticed their preparations initially, many of their plans are now too far along to be altered significantly in response to us. The destruction these monsters have caused so far is limited, but their investment wasn’t small. They’ll definitely want to inflict more damage before it’s all over.

It wasn’t just their group; several soldier squads still in good condition were also heading in that direction.

Alka then said to Chadite, ”Go on ahead and scout it out.”

Chadite nodded, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the enemy’s converging Array, a Puppet Girl squad was stealthily concealed in a dark corner.

”Is this where the Energy converges?” Er asked, turning her head.

San nodded. ”I can feel it. The power of all that fear is converging here.”

”Should we go in?” San then asked.

”Go in? Why wouldn’t we?” Er replied.

Xuan extended a hand and waved, enveloping the small group in pink Energy. They vanished instantly.

”Be careful,” Er added. ”We can’t afford any mistakes.”

With that, the small team crept out from their hiding spot. Leveraging their small stature, they slipped through a narrow crevice that ordinary people couldn’t possibly enter.

Meanwhile, Jason and Jilenna were leading a squad of soldiers, racing towards the same location. The Crystal Dragon soared above, keeping pace with them.

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed beside them, coalescing into Chadite.

”Chadite? What are you doing here?” Jason asked, surprised.

”Alka sent me,” Chadite explained. ”They’re right behind me. All surviving enemy forces are converging on this position.”

Hearing this, Jilenna, who was beside Jason, frowned deeply. The intelligence she had been receiving confirmed that most enemy units across various sectors were indeed on the move.

”Quickly! We need to pick up the pace!” Jason urged.

A sense of foreboding settled over them all.

「At the enemy’s current location」

This place had once been a grand hall adorned with floral motifs, one of the city’s finer restaurants. Now, however, its inhabitants had long since been slaughtered. Fortunately, not many residents had remained in this particular area.

In the center of the hall, a vast pool of blood had coalesced, forming a circular Array. Intricate, nausea-inducing esoteric patterns swirled within its design. A crimson orb, constantly pulsing as it expanded and contracted, floated above the Array.

The black-robed man stood towards the rear. Beneath the Array stood the burly giant, his skin etched with blood-red markings.

”How much longer?!” the giant bellowed impatiently.

”Don’t be hasty,” the black-robed man replied calmly. ”It will be ready very soon.”