Before anyone from the people who had noticed their arrival could make their way over, Skyler quickly scanned the deck and headed for the nearest edge of the ship.
The others exchanged puzzled glances before quickly following behind him. He stopped at the vessel’s outer railing and looked out over the vast ocean. Endless dirty waters stretched in every direction.
Scattered across the sea, many colossal ships drifted silently on the murky waves.
Some vessels were close enough to make out their outlines, while others appeared as distant shadows on the horizon. Every ship seemed to carry its own group of people.
Skyler’s gaze swept across the surrounding ships calmly before he turned to the others.
"I can’t see any boundaries separating us. But the ships around our ship most likely belong to those from different realms or planets. Let’s avoid interfering with them."
Isaac glanced over the edge.
The water below was dark and murky, its depths impossible to see. Just looking at the endless sea made his stomach churn.
"Ugh, I don’t like this place. Then tell me, what exactly are we supposed to do?"
Without answering immediately, Skyler stepped forward and grabbed the ship’s railing. Under everyone’s gaze, he jumped onto the ship’s edge, standing above the railing. The mermaid followed him, as if such a thing was completely normal. Only then did Skyler glance back at the group.
"We’re going to jump into the ocean."
The statement left everyone stunned.
Yuris’ voice rose unconsciously.
"Just like that?? No preparations?"
Skyler continued calmly.
"The challenge of this level and the gate leading to the next are both in the ocean. The next nine levels are all like this. With our current strength, traversing them isn’t hard. We should be able to fight our way through them without much difficulty."
His gaze drifted toward the waters.
"The only real obstacle is the 30th level. There’s a half Water Dragon waiting for us. Defeating that lizard won’t be as easy as the creatures we have encounter so far."
A grin appeared on Skyler’s face.
"That’s it. We’re diving in."
The next second, he jumped from the ship with Riruru, and the mermaid followed right behind them. The mermaid looked happy at the sight of the endless water around them. After all, beneath the surface of such a big ocean, she no longer had to hide her tail.
Yuris’ voice rang out from above.
"But the ocean water is so dirty! You bastard! I just changed into new clothes!"
Skyler’s sudden actions also shocked the people watching the group. They stared in disbelief as someone casually jumped into an ocean filled with dangerous flesh-eating creatures without any kind of preparation or hesitation. Before those who saw the scene could even shake their heads or lament the loss of a young talent due to his arrogance, Yuris and the others, cursing him, followed after him and jumped into the ocean too.
Amidst the loud splashing water sounds, someone on the deck suddenly shouted.
"Stop them! Pull them back!"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone nearby rushed toward the railing where the newcomers had just jumped into the ocean. A middle-aged man leaned over the railing and looked down at the waves, only to shake his head moments later.
"I can’t see them... It’s too late."
The sudden commotion quickly attracted the attention of even more people who had been too far to notice anything. Confused speculations spread across the entire deck as word traveled from person to person.
Amidst the sudden uproar, someone suddenly spoke up with a guess.
"Wait... was that group of youngsters the same youngsters who have been climbing the Battle Royal and appearing in the news across Eldoria? I just returned to this level, so I know what’s been happening outside."
Her companion patted her shoulder.
"No matter who they are, we should inform the Lights from the guilds stationed here so they know about all this. After all, from this level onward, aside from some exceptions, most battle parties are organized by them."
The instant the news was delivered to the nearest Lights camp stationed on the ship, it was immediately first relayed to the Elven Continent, the home of that group of Lights. From there, the information spread rapidly, soon reaching the entirety of Planet Eldoria.
The many Dark Lights hidden across the ship were also shocked when they caught wind of the strange rumors going around.
***
When the Queen of the Human Continent—Skyler’s grandmother—received the report, she was completely dumbfounded. Turning toward her son, she asked for the third time, unable to believe what she had just heard.
"What did you say?"
Alistair Thorne wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression complicated.
"It seems Skyler and the kids who entered the Battle Royale with him have somehow reached the 21st level..."
Elizabeth tightened her grip on the armrest of her throne. For a while, she just stared at Alistair quietly before whispering to herself.
"Impossible..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"I knew they were causing quite a stir in the Battle Royal, but how did they get that far in such a short time in my absence? Just how much time has passed since they vanished from the academy? Not even three weeks."
She paused, her eyes fixed on Alistair.
"So how have they already gone so far? Even our strongest guilds needed years to achieve it. Some never made it at all. Yet those kids are already at the 21st level?"
The more she thought about it, the more absurd it sounded. It was so unbelievable that, had the report not come from Alistair himself, she would’ve treated it as a joke.
Elizabeth tapped her fingers against the armrest, her blue eyes turning thoughtful.
"I met Skyler. I thought he had already left the Battle Royal. Did he go back in there? I was too overwhelmed at the time to focus on him. But one thing is for sure, I failed to sense his power. Just what is he doing?"
A faint frown appeared on her face.
"He must have something. Some kind of powerful treasure... or perhaps someone far beyond our strength is assisting him."