Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Several figures swam swiftly upward through the deep sea, leaving strong wakes behind them.

They passed through an opening in a layer of vines, and with a splash like an explosion, Pororo leaped out of the water, cradling the completely weakened and trembling Alka in his arms.

”GASP... WHEEZE... COUGH! COUGH!”

Alka knelt on the deck, coughing frantically and gulping the fresh air.

A faint layer of Frost still clung to his body, a chill that had frozen him from the inside out.

”A miscalculation... damn that... accursed Evil Spirit,” Alka stammered, his teeth chattering.

The three spheres, already somewhat drained, returned to swirl around Juanlu. They had been frozen into ice sculptures, also covered with Frost. However, they hadn’t been attacked; rather, they had consumed something they shouldn’t have.

He had unexpectedly been immune to the deadly soul attack. Instead, it was the seemingly insignificant Frost Attribute—nothing compared to the soul attack—that had caused him such severe damage.

A real miscalculation.

Matilda also climbed onto the ship from below and began to check Alka’s condition.

”His soul is unharmed, but he has severe internal frostbite.” The thin needle embedded in Alka’s body was already starting to counteract the Coldness spreading from within him. Wave after wave of warmth flowed from the needle into his body.

Meanwhile, Matilda gestured to Juanlu. ”You have some, don’t you? Lava Chili?”

”Yes,” Juanlu replied, quickly taking a long, red, carrot-shaped chili that emitted an astonishing heat from his Pocket Ring and tossing it over. He always stored such seasonings, or rather, precious ingredients, in his Pocket Ring. Some he had obtained from islands found adrift at sea. Once it’s gone, I might never find another one in this lifetime.

Matilda caught it and crushed it into fragments. Her hands were enveloped in a thin membrane of flowing water to prevent the chili fragments from scorching her palms. Even so, the membrane of water sizzled, emitting steam. This demonstrated the chili’s incredible heat.

”Open your mouth!”

Hearing this, Alka opened his mouth; his brain was already somewhat numb from the cold. He then felt something like molten lava, intensely hot, enter his mouth. This searing heat traveled down his throat to his stomach, feeling as if it had settled in his very core, before a scorching flame began to erupt from within him.

Alka’s face turned bright red, and even his lips became slightly swollen.

”Water! Water!” he choked out.

A large quantity of clear water materialized out of thin air, cascading onto Alka’s head like a waterfall. The Frost on Alka’s body had long since vanished, and the clear water landing on him paradoxically emitted an astonishing amount of steam. Alka, now flushed crimson, radiated an almost palpable heat.

After some time, Alka finally began to recover. The redness of his skin eventually subsided. He gazed at the sky, still panting heavily.

He had underestimated those Evil Spirits—underestimated the sheer hatred they unleashed when on the verge of obliteration. It was as if they had foreseen their own deaths. That hatred had bored directly into his body and detonated within him. Although it hadn’t harmed his soul, the shockwaves from the Evil Spirits’ self-destruction were suffused with an intense Coldness. It had nearly frozen Alka solid right there in the deep sea.

Fortunately, this time Alka had cleverly coordinated with Hochal Meira’s Spiritual Body, managing to retrieve her corpse and bring it out.

Julia placed the corpse she was cradling onto the deck of the ship.

The group gathered around, looking at the corpse with curiosity.

”Has this person really been dead for tens of thousands of years?” Jason asked, examining the corpse.

The most striking thing was that, although the corpse was deathly pale and incredibly stiff, it showed no signs of decay. Her original features were almost perfectly preserved. She must have been a great beauty in life. Even now, dead for so long, her form still bore traces of that beauty, despite its deathly pale, faintly bluish hue. Aside from the Armor she wore and some grime tangled in her hair, it was difficult to believe this body had been dead for tens of thousands of years.

Undecomposed for ten thousand years?

”Has it really been tens of thousands of years?” a weak, ethereal voice arose.

The group immediately tensed, becoming alert.

A faint, weakened Spiritual Body floated out from the corpse and addressed Jason.

Seeing this Spiritual Body, everyone understood.

This corpse’s soul is actually still intact?

What kind of incredibly resilient soul could have persisted for ten thousand years in such an environment?

Nonetheless, Jason nodded and replied, ”If you indeed perished during the Divine War, then it has been thirty thousand years.”

”Thirty thousand years?” the Spiritual Body murmured, her voice filled with an ancient sorrow and wistfulness. ”Truly... an unimaginable span of time.”

Then she looked towards Alka, who was resting against the ship’s railing.

”Thank you. You seem to have a connection with my goddess. If it’s possible, could you allow me to see her one last time? I will give you my entire legacy as a reward for saving me.”

Looking at the faint Spiritual Body before him, Alka nodded.

”No problem. I’m not sure if you can sense her, but the Flower Fairy is not far from here.”

As he spoke, Alka pointed in the direction of the lingering, sweet fragrance.

The Spiritual Body looked towards the direction Alka indicated.

She gently shook her head. For a moment, her soul solidified, allowing everyone present to glimpse her complete, former appearance from when she was alive.