Underwater Treasure Chest

The temperature variance here is striking. Even though night has not fully set in and it's merely dusk, a noticeable chill is already in the air.

As if to compound matters, a torrential rain arrives unexpectedly, just when it's least desired. The soft patter of the rain pours down from the heavens, with the gentle sound of raindrops on leaves filling the air. It has to be said, the combination of cold and damp is truly insufferable. Amidst the brutal and unforgiving wilderness, where menacing creatures lurk at every turn, the environment takes a toll, slowly breaking one's spirit. This is only the first day entering the 'Blood Jungle', and the dangers faced have already pushed them beyond their limits.

Leng Yun's face is increasingly turning pale. She's cold, hungry, and frightened. Never in her life has she felt so vulnerable.

"The rain will wash away our scent, making it harder for the creatures to track us. So, in a way, the rain is a blessing in disguise," Zhang Mu says as he wipes the rain off his face. He pulls out some chocolate and a box of compressed biscuits from his backpack and hands them to Leng Yun. "Eat."

A glimmer of hope sparkles in Leng Yun's eyes. "Thank you for saving me," she says, grateful for the mysterious and capable man beside her.

Zhang Mu gives a slight smile. "We're in this together."

Leng Yun, moved by his words, nods emphatically.

Suddenly, her cheeks turn a shade of pink, betraying a hint of discomfort.

Zhang Mu, sensing something amiss, inquires, "What's wrong?"

Leng Yun, lowering her gaze and speaking in a whisper, admits, "I... I need to pee."

With a slight chuckle, Zhang Mu suggests, "You'll have to use a tree for that. Hurry up, and I'll go deliver food to Qin Min and the others."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Leng Yun murmurs, "Thank you."Not far away, fatty and Sun Bing were perched on the same tree. fatty's backpack had fallen into the water, while Sun Bing's bag had been torn as they maneuvered through the dense forest, causing most of their food to fall out. Still, there was enough for one meal between them. Meanwhile, Qin Min was with two strangers. They were without food since their backpack had been abandoned in the woods. Fortunately, the trees they were on weren't too far apart. Zhang Mu ingeniously tied his backpack to a vine and swung it over to Qin Min's tree, providing them with food.

When Zhang Mu returned, Leng Yun had just finished some business, her face slightly flushed. Zhang Mu didn't find the situation awkward. He had spent the whole day exerting himself and was ravenous. He quickly took out some chocolate and sausages from his bag to satiate his hunger.

Leng Yun, upon noticing the diminishing supplies in the bag, remarked with a furrowed brow, "We don't have much food left, just enough for two or three days at most."

"Indeed, the food situation is problematic," replied Zhang Mu, munching on a couple of chocolate bars. He then gazed at the water surface, rippled with concentric circles, and added, "fatty's backpack sank to the bottom, and there's a lot of food inside. I'll dive down and retrieve it."

Leng Yun exclaimed in alarm, "But there are creatures in the water!"

Zhang Mu confidently responded, "Don't worry. The Fear Fish will deter the nearby creatures. Besides, the rain will distract them; they're less likely to notice me."

While everyone else wanted to steer clear of the water, Zhang Mu was willing to dive into it. Was this bravery or sheer madness?

Leng Yun looked intently at Zhang Mu, his drenched appearance somewhat disheveled. Yet, on his ordinarily handsome face, his deep, black eyes radiated wisdom and calmness. They were like a bottomless, cold pool, irresistibly drawing one in. Leng Yun felt her heart skip a beat, and the words she intended to say to stop him were caught in her throat.

"You stay on the tree," instructed Zhang Mu as he selected several vines, testing them one by one. He picked the sturdiest feeling one, about as thick as two thumbs and with a rough surface to ensure a firm grip.

Leng Yun simply whispered, "Be careful."Taking a deep breath, Zhang Mu mustered all his strength and leapt, his feet leaving the tall tree behind. His silhouette painted a graceful arc in the pouring rain before releasing and plunging into the waters below.

The underwater world was tranquil, almost as if all his senses had been stripped away. The water was cool and murky, obscuring distant objects from view. The riverbed was littered with driftwood, and a good amount of aquatic plants thrived. Zhang Mu's calculated jump into the water had been spot on. Within moments, he located his backpack, dived to retrieve it, and was ready to depart. Yet, something else caught his attention.

There it lay—a black iron chest, submerged at the bottom. This chest was slightly larger and far more intricate than the one he had opened a couple of days ago. Zhang Mu realized the distinction; the previous chest was just an ordinary black iron one, but this was a fine-crafted black iron chest. Although both were made of the same material, the latter held a higher chance of containing skill books or special items.

"Finding a treasure chest underwater, I must say, that's some incredible luck!" he thought.

Sensing no immediate danger, Zhang Mu swiftly swam towards the chest—ten meters, five, three... Just as he was about to reach it, he felt a sudden current. A massive shadow swam into his field of view.

The terror fish—the damned beast was approaching!

Aware of the imminent danger, Zhang Mu wasn't deterred. Instead, he cautiously swam closer to the chest and gingerly opened it. Inside were several bottles of red life elixirs, a handful of gold coins... But two items in particular caught his eye: a thumb-sized red gem and a skill book!

He found another book!

Before Zhang Mu could revel in his discovery, the terror fish whipped its tail, generating a powerful current, and charged right towards him.

"Oh no, the terror fish has spotted me!" he thought in alarm.The water was six meters deep, making it almost impossible for anyone to surface quickly. Zhang Mu, clutching his backpack, swam backward, seeking refuge. Just as he squeezed into an area tangled with tree roots, a terrifying fish, its fearsome face filled with sharp teeth, raced towards him. These tree roots, thick as a man's thigh, and numbering in the dozens, interwove into a formidable barrier. As the monstrous fish bit down, the force was so intense that it snapped about a third of the entangled roots, sending fragments scattering throughout the water.

Inside that colossal maw, Zhang Mu could clearly see the barbed tongue. If the creature could fully close its jaws, it would be the end of him.

The monstrous fish attempted to bite through the thickets of roots three times, but couldn't sever them all at once. Zhang Mu was running out of air; his lungs felt like they would explode. He couldn't wait any longer; if he did, he'd surely suffocate. With a burst of courage, he maneuvered sideways and started swimming towards the surface. Spotting this, the fish, with its menacing mouth full of sharp teeth, darted towards him. Just when it seemed like Zhang Mu would be torn to shreds, a radiant multicolored glow burst from him, repelling the nearly ten-meter-long beast.

A-class skill: Divine Blessing!

Using the momentary invulnerability this skill granted him to repel the creature, Zhang Mu felt a surge of strength. His limbs powered him faster, and he finally broke the water's surface. Without pausing for breath, he scrambled up a tall tree. A massive splash sounded from behind; the monstrous fish leaped out of the water, roaring. Zhang Mu quickly dodged behind the tree trunk, just as the fish's head crashed against it, causing the entire tree to shudder. The beast's massive teeth tore off a chunk of bark before it plunged back into the water.

With relief, Zhang Mu climbed higher, narrowly escaping a grim fate. But below, the discontented roar of the fish echoed as it continued to prowl the waters, frustrated at losing its prey.Zhang Mu grasped a vine, swinging over to the tree where Leng Yun was. She reached out and gave him a hand, pulling him up effortlessly.

"Are you okay?" Leng Yun asked with concern.

Catching his breath, Zhang Mu replied, "I'm alright... that was a close call!"

The onlookers widened their eyes in amazement, deeply impressed by Zhang Mu's daring bravery. They whispered among themselves, "Is he even human?"

From a nearby tree, a chubby man yelled out, "Man, boss! You really pushed your luck there! How could you mess with that monstrous creature?"

Having caught his breath, Zhang Mu snapped back, "Who's to blame? If you, clumsy oaf, hadn't tossed the backpack into the water, would I have had to dive in?"

The chubby guy, not the least bit offended, responded with excitement, "Wait, my backpack? Hey, boss, I've got a favor to ask. There were some sausages in there, my absolute favorite. Promise you won't eat them!"

Everyone thought: Seriously? Even at a time like this, he's worried about his sausages?

After ensuring his safety, the first thing Zhang Mu did was check the skill book and the red bead.

"Explosion Bead" - Rank FF. A special item. Activate with 10 magic points to cause an explosion. Blast radius of 1 meter, inflicting at least 30 damage points. There's a 50% chance to stun the target for 2 seconds. It's a one-time use battle item.

"Ice Arrow Spell lv1" - Rank F+. Max level: lv3. Range: fifty meters. Inflicts 10 points + 100% magical attack damage, 50% mental bonus damage. There's also a chance to reduce the target's movement speed. Consumes 5 magic points and has a cooldown time of 30 seconds. This is a spellbook for elementalists.

Zhang Mu sighed in disappointment. "Darn, it's not my book!" His gaze fell upon the faint silhouette of the fearsome fish in the water. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded, "Perhaps, we can take this creature down!"Leng Yun was taken aback upon hearing this. "This creature is a Level 9 Bronze Elite monster, way more powerful than the Terrifying Claw Dragon. Can we, with our current abilities, really defeat it?"

The Dreadfish is an incredibly formidable elite creature. However, from a brief encounter, Zhang Mu discerned its vulnerabilities. Even though it's massive, it lacks agility. Moreover, it has a violent nature and tends to attack blindly. This Dreadfish is likely what was once known on Earth as the 'Deng Fish.' The fact that they were eliminated from the evolutionary chain, allowing smaller, weaker sharks to reign supreme in the oceans, surely had its reasons. As Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change." The Deng Fish's downfall in evolution was primarily due to its lack of flexibility.

"We definitely have a way," Zhang Mu said, handing over a skill book to Leng Yun. "I unlocked a chest underwater and found this Elementalist's skill book. Go on and learn from it."

Leng Yun knew the value of such a skill book. Throughout her life, she hated being in anyone's debt. But now, it seemed her debt to Zhang Mu was growing ever larger.

Zhang Mu added, "The Dreadfish is a Level 9 Bronze Elite. If we manage to defeat it, the experience reward will be substantial. But first, we need to regroup."

The trees around were tall and many stood close together, allowing passage from one to another through their branches. Using a combination of branches and vines, and exerting considerable effort, fatty, Sun Bing, Qin Min, and others finally converged. In addition to Zhang Mu's group of five, there was an additional pair, a man and a woman.The young man appeared to be in his high school years. He was half a head shorter than Zhang Mu and was very skinny. His eyes were slightly sunken with dark circles beneath, giving him a somewhat awkward look. His features were rather plain, fitting the stereotypical image of a homebody. The woman, on the other hand, seemed to be in her early thirties. She had an oval face, was tall and slender, with fair skin. Both her looks and demeanor were quite charming.

Having been quite startled earlier, both of them were still visibly shaken.

"This is our team leader, Zhang Mu," Qin Min introduced. She pointed to the pair and said, "This is Liu Yao, and the lady here is Chen Ling."

What Zhang Mu truly cared about were their levels and skills.

Both were at level 3. While not high, it was decent.

Liu Yao was a rogue, and his initial skill was "Charge." Surprisingly, it's a skill usually associated with swordsmen. Much like Zhang Mu's glide ability, it allows for a straight-line assault with a short cooldown, making it useful for both attacking and escaping.

Chen Ling, on the other hand, was a swordswoman. Her starting skill was "Quick Step," a common F-level skill for professions like assassins, rogues, and archers. Upon activation, it significantly boosts the user's movement speed for a short duration.

No wonder they were able to run so fast. They had speed-enhancing skills to assist them.