Chapter 102: The Sea Competition 9
At her words, Shane Rhodes and the other two tactfully dropped the subject.
Moira Lynch’s task was complete. Now, only the Isle Turtle remained.
However, Hugh Finch, the one whose task it was, didn’t seem worried in the slightest. "I did a divination for myself before the competition," he said. "It predicted great fortune."
Moira Lynch added, "The Cetabeast doesn’t know where the Isle Turtle is, but it promised to take us to where it was last seen. We can go over there and try our luck."
After dark, the ocean seemed especially quiet and menacing.
The temperature was dropping, too. They had been in the water all day, and their clothes were sopping wet. A cold gust of wind made them shiver uncontrollably.
Moira Lynch took out the White Ginger water she had prepared in advance.
"Come on, drink it while it’s hot." Catching a cold out here was no joke.
After finishing the White Ginger water, they took out the thick clothes they had packed. They peeled off their wet outer layers, which they would need to wear again the next day.
Moira Lynch brought out dinner and began to eat under the overhead light.
"Moira, I’ve been meaning to ask... is that a bucket of water behind you? It looks like there are stones inside."
Moira Lynch swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "This is something I found underwater. It’s called a Water Bomb."
Hearing the word "bomb," the three of them immediately grew wary, their eyes wide as they stared at the bucket behind Moira Lynch.
Seeing their reaction, she continued to explain, "This Water Bomb is just an ordinary rock in the water. It only turns into a bomb after it comes into contact with air. I wanted to test its power first."
Her main goal was to test the time between exposure to air and detonation. If it exploded instantly, she’d need to figure out another way to weaponize it.
Perhaps because they had used so much energy swimming, they hadn’t felt it while in the water. But as soon as they were out, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed down on them.
The desire to sleep was particularly strong after they had eaten and drunk their fill.
Moira Lynch yawned but forced herself to stay alert and test the power of the Water Bomb.
The good news was that the Water Bomb didn’t detonate the instant it left the water. The bad news was that its blast wasn’t very powerful—nothing like a real bomb.
Moira Lynch was still quite satisfied with this result, however.
Furthermore, when the Water Bomb exploded, it released water—incredibly salty seawater, at that.
The seawater sprayed onto their faces, making them grimace in agony from the intense saltiness.
It felt like a block of salt had been shoved into their mouths.
"Oh, right. I also found this on the seabed."
Moira Lynch took out the Salt Stone. "They say one Salt Stone is equivalent to a ton of table salt."
After tossing the Salt Stone to Shane Rhodes, Moira Lynch yawned again. She wasn’t in the mood to meditate today, so she found a comfortable spot and started to sleep.
The day had left her utterly exhausted.
She didn’t sleep well that night. Her clothes were still damp, and the air grew colder as the hours passed.
In the latter half of the night, after being jolted awake by the cold, Moira Lynch simply took out a small, portable pot and an Extremely Hot Mushroom and began to cook some soup.
After the soup was ready, she shared some with Shane Rhodes and the other two.
After drinking the soup made from the Extremely Hot Mushroom, they finally felt alive again, escaping the fate of shivering all night in the cold wind.
However, while they had Moira Lynch with her seemingly unfair advantages, the other players weren’t nearly as lucky.
To make matters worse for the other players, who were already suffering stomachaches from eating raw, cold food, they now had to huddle together just to stay warm.
At a time like this, no one cared about the propriety between men and women. Nothing was more important than survival.
Now they finally understood why it was a team competition—it was probably to prevent contestants from freezing to death if they were on their own.
As soon as it was light the next day, the group, having not slept soundly, were up early and ready for action.
After a brief communication with the Cetabeast, the group found the invasive species that Weston Jennings was looking for.
"We’re here. This is the place," the Cetabeast said to Moira Lynch, flicking its tail.
"Thank you for showing us the way."
At her words, the Cetabeast seemed a bit bashful. After a moment, it said, "If you’re going to fight the Gigas Hornstars, you must be careful. They’re even nastier than the Sea Thorn Balls. The Sea Thorn Balls only eat plants, but those things eat everything. Plus, their horns are incredibly strong and very agile."
"On top of that, they’re incredibly resilient. Even if one of their horns is broken off, it will grow back. And the broken-off piece can grow into a whole new Gigas Hornstar."
Moira Lynch nodded. "Understood." She thanked the creature again.
After the Cetabeast left, Moira Lynch explained the situation to Shane Rhodes and the other two.
"No matter how tough they are, they’re not tougher than us," Kai York said confidently.
"Still, we should keep our distance. Otherwise, the Gigas Hornstars won’t be the only ones caught in the blast," said Hugh Finch.
Moira Lynch pointed to a reef not far away. "Let’s go over there."
After rowing the boat near the reef, Shane Rhodes held a Sea Pearl in his mouth and jumped into the water.
Moira Lynch and the others on the reef didn’t stay idle either.
This reef, like the one they encountered yesterday, was covered in sea ears. While waiting, they began to search for Sea Pearls.
With the help of her spiritual power, Moira Lynch’s search was unerringly accurate. She also took the opportunity to stash a good number of sea ears in her storage space.
A flash of purple light on the water’s surface told them that Shane Rhodes had begun his attack.
After waiting another two or three minutes, Moira Lynch stowed the boat, and the three of them dived into the water to help.
"Patience, are Gigas Hornstars edible?"
[No one in the galaxy has ever eaten a Gigas Hornstar, but they are non-toxic.]
’As long as they’re not poisonous, that’s fine. If it’s not poisonous, it’s edible.’
Once they reached the seabed, they saw massive, brightly colored starfish scattered below.
Some were buried in the sand with only a small portion visible, while others were completely exposed, their five arms spread wide.
’They were actually kind of beautiful, in a strange way.’
The three of them quickly spotted Shane Rhodes. He was wielding a shovel, trying to strike at the horn of one of the Gigas Hornstars.
Unfortunately, the Gigas Hornstar’s surface was covered in an extremely hard outer shell.
To complete the mission quickly so they could get back to searching for the Isle Turtle, Moira Lynch chose the most direct and efficient method.
"Patience, what’s the Gigas Hornstars’ weak point?"
[Gigas Hornstar: An invasive species with a voracious appetite and immense Life Energy. Spends most of its day foraging. Its entire body is covered in hard armor, with its only weak point being the seam at the base of its arms.
PS: Any attempt to find this seam will be met with a fierce attack from the Gigas Hornstar.]
’Got it.’
Moira Lynch took out her shovel and signaled the other three to watch her.
She approached a Gigas Hornstar, located the seam at the base of one of its arms, and thrust her shovel down hard. The arm snapped right off.