Alistair glanced at the Queen, stunned.
"You met Skyler?!"
Elizabeth nodded calmly.
"He came here to take Riruru."
She slowly stood from her throne.
"Let that group of youngsters continue doing whatever they are doing. Right now, we need every powerful individual we can gather. If they have truly grown stronger and can return, then it is a good thing."
She paused for a moment, her gaze growing distant.
"Damien warned me before that we don’t have much time left. He repaired the sky, but that does not mean he alone can stop the enemies making their way toward us."
Elizabeth sighed softly.
"He hasn’t been willing to speak with me since he woke up. Go and see your father. Perhaps he will tell you something more."
Alistair turned to leave; however, after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
Elizabeth noticed his hesitation.
"What now?"
Alistair rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Well... there is one more thing."
"Then say it."
He cleared his throat before speaking.
"I just received news from the Underworld. A massive bounty has been placed on the heads of Skyler, Isaac, Yuris, Austin, Charles, and Zack by the Dark Lights. It seems the villains have already dispatched many of their powerful members to capture them."
"The villains seemed very serious."
"We should do something about this."
Elizabeth raised a brow. Then, a smile appeared on her face as she recalled the question Skyler had asked her when he suddenly appeared to take Riruru away.
"Skyler has reached the 21st level. That means your nephew is far from weak."
She sat down, her expression calm.
"I said to let them continue doing whatever they all are doing. That also means leaving them to their own fate. There is no need for us to interfere any longer. We already have more than enough problems on our plate."
"After all, a great war is coming."
***
Meanwhile, after Skyler and the others who were following behind him jumped into the ocean, they found themselves surrounded by a strangely illuminated world beneath the surface.
Despite the murky waters, countless tiny leaf-like creatures drifted silently through the depths, their bodies glowing with a soft light that painted the darkness in shades of blue and green.
The deeper they descended, the more surreal the underwater landscape became.
Strange aquatic plants swayed with the currents, while massive shadows moved through the gloom in the far distance.
Fortunately, breathing underwater posed no problem for them. Having already reached the peak of the mythic tier, they could go for extended periods without needing air.
However, barely a minute into their descent, trouble arrived.
From the darkness, hordes of hand-sized clam shells surged toward them. Austin frowned and instinctively kicked one away.
But the moment his foot touched it, the shell moved and snapped shut around his leg. A groan burst from his lips, echoing through the water amidst a trail of bubbles.
"Ughh...!"
Zack immediately turned around.
"What happened?"
His eyes narrowed when he saw blood spreading through the water. Frowning, he immediately rushed back toward Austin and grabbed the clam shell, forcing it open with brute strength.
To his surprise, the creature didn’t shatter under his grip. Its shell remained intact despite the force he exerted.
But what happened next was even worse.
When the shell finally released its hold, a chunk of flesh was torn from Austin’s leg along with it. Blood instantly clouded the surrounding water.
Austin’s face twisted in pain.
Zack’s frown deepened. He had read the novel, so he recognized these creatures.
They were known as Ironshell Devil Clams—the troublesome hand-sized monsters that had caused Max and his teammates the most headaches while climbing from the 21st level of Battle Royal to the 30th level.
According to the novel, these creatures were notoriously difficult to deal with. They seemed incapable of feeling pain, and their shells were so durable that destroying them was nearly impossible. What made them truly annoying, however, was their behavior. Once they latched onto a target, they refused to let go until they had torn away a piece of flesh.
As a result, the protagonist’s group had eventually come to a simple conclusion:
The best way to deal with Devil Clams was not to fight them at all.
It was to avoid them.
Seeing countless more hand-sized clam shells rushing toward them from every direction, Zack’s expression changed.
"Avoid the clam shells!"
He shouted toward the others.
"They’re dangerous!"
At that moment, another voice came from the front. It was Yuris, staring at the huge shadow ahead of them with a dazed look.
"Guys... I don’t think avoiding the shells is our biggest problem. Look what’s in front of us."
Zack and Austin turned in his direction, only to see a two-story-tall dark-horned shark opening its fang-filled jaws toward them.
Charles grabbed Yuris’ collar and, using his wind element, rushed in another direction.
"RUN!"
His shout jolted Isaac into running as well.
Only Skyler, the snake resting on his shoulder, and the mermaid beside him remained still. Skyler glanced at the massive shark, clicked his tongue, and then looked toward his fleeing teammates.
"What are you all doing? Why are you running instead of fighting?"
His voice remained calm.
"We don’t have time to waste. The shark may be large, but it’s only at the peak of the Epic tier. You are running from it like you have seen a ghost."
He glanced at the swarm of clam shells around them.
"The only real problem here is the clams. Everything else is easy to handle. Stop running around and making so much noise. You are only attracting more monsters."
With that, he made a slashing motion toward the shark, sending several razor-sharp wind blades tearing through the water.
With one smooth strike, the shark’s massive body was cleaved apart, its momentum coming to an abrupt halt as dark blood dispersed through the surrounding water.
Charles and the others came to a halt.
For a moment, they simply stared at the scene before them. How could they have forgotten the countless battles and the brutal training they had endured in the Realm of Stillness? They were no longer the same people who had entered the Battle Royal. Their strength had grown to the point where they could stand against even the strongest individuals in Eldoria.
It was just that they had instinctively run after seeing a monster. It was all because of Skyler and their master in the Realm of Stillness, who had constantly made hordes of monsters chase them. They weren’t sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, but one thing was certain: it had become something that was second nature to them.