A different world game? A different world game!

A huge fleet of ships sailed on the ocean.

Even though each ship is enormous, they appear so small when viewed on the ocean.

The voyage was slow and boring, so much so that it could be described as sticky and viscous, like the dark green seawater cut through the hull of the ship.

The seawater used to be azure blue.

But I don't know when it turned dark, becoming this dark green color.

Some powerful individuals and special races with exceptionally keen magical perception had already realized that they had entered a new sea area where the magical energy was even more chaotic.

This suggests that they may be nearing their destination.

For two months, amidst the daily sound of the waves, life on the ship became a small world of its own.

Adventurers of different races and backgrounds became acquainted in the small but stable space.

Of course, friction is inevitable.

However, when conflicts arise, it's best to consider whose territory you are. Once you understand this, conflicts will naturally decrease.

Each giant ship resembled a small town.

The main deck has become a temporary social hub.

Near the bow of the ship, a group of dwarf youths and human craftsmen occupied a simple "workshop".

To be honest, they would prefer to stay in the lower decks or learn about the ship there, but the watchmen don't allow them to go into the areas where the ship operates.

Curious people will inevitably touch and rub the ship, affecting its operation.

Durek, an apprentice of the dwarven blacksmith Bono, and several human companions were disassembling and maintaining a damaged winch.

We always need to find something to do, right?

Even if it's working for free.

He forcefully unscrewed a rusty bolt and complained, "This saltwater is even more toxic than the water in Lake Cordoba. Good heavens, the oil I just applied rusted through in less than three days."

"Uncle Bono is right. The wood used for the Night's Watch ship is ingenious, but the metal parts still need improvement!"

Only dwarves have the right to say that.

Ella, a young human rune craftswoman practicing carving runes on a piece of scrap wood, looked up and interjected, "Durek, how about trying the anti-corrosion grease from my hometown? It's a bit pricey, though..."

The Night Watchmen recommend secondary professions to some adventurer groups, and this Ella is a sculptor.

“Great! As long as it lasts for half a month, it’s worth it. It saves me from having to serve this old man every day.” Durek immediately perked up.

Another dwarf, Balin, was polishing a shiny black ore fragment, his voice low and mysterious: "Hey, guess what this is? I bought it on the black market before boarding the ship—a fragment of the 'Earth's Core'! Once we're on Taril, we'll find a place with a strong fire..."

Before he could finish speaking, Durek rolled his eyes: "Come on, Balin, it's that ley line dream you're having again. If we could actually dig that up, would the Night's Watch have sent us?"

Not everyone believed in the Night's Watch's good intentions, not even the dwarves who had a very good relationship with them.

After all, before the Night's Watch, no matter what power it was, it had never left a good impression on these people at the bottom.

It is common to view others with contempt.

The Night's Watch's ship was enormous, which resulted in a very large deck area.

These artisan enthusiasts don't take up much space.

The more spacious area in the middle of the deck became a showcase for physical strength and skill.

The young werewolf warrior Wolf became the center of attention, proudly displaying his superhuman strength to the onlookers, human sailors, and several burly orcs.

He was easily tossing and twirling two heavy training weights like dumbbells, his bare upper body muscles bulging.

Adventurers live on the edge, constantly risking their lives. Demonstrating strength earns the respect of others; this is the underlying rule.

Not to mention that they were on an expedition, and many adventurers hoped to make friends or like-minded companions on board.

"Well done, Wolf!" a sailor shouted.

"A few more!" another urged.

Hogg, an orc with huge fangs, leaned against the ship's railing, holding his beloved giant axe. He watched Wolf show off with disdain on his face, but a hint of competitiveness lurked deep in his eyes.

How can you be more in the limelight than your great-uncle Hogg?
He snorted in a rough voice, "Stupid dog! With that kind of energy, you should go to the Night Watchman's magic training dummy on the battleship. I guarantee you won't be able to lift your claws tomorrow."

Wolf wasn't afraid of Hogg; the two weren't even from the same tribe, and they had even competed for some commissions in the Orcish Empire's Adventurers' Guild before.

It wouldn't be accurate to call it hatred, but there were certainly some conflicts.

Panting heavily, he put down the stone lock, grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and said provocatively, "Hogg! All talk and no action, come and try? Don't bring out that rusty axe you used to chop down trees and embarrass yourself."

A commotion immediately erupted around them.

Immediately, some people started to stir up trouble; adventurers are professionals at fanning the flames.

"Hogg! Go!"

"Wolf! Show him the power of a wolf!"

"Hey, the market's open! The market's open!"

Just as the two were about to clash, a chuckled voice came from the side: "You two warriors, how about trying our halfling 'nimble games'? We guarantee it's more fun than stones!"

It was the clever halfling Kirk who had somehow acquired a colorful, intricately designed leather ring-unraveling toy, which he deftly flipped between his fingers.

A burly orc next to him picked him up and threw him out.

"Get out of here, you swindler! There are no customers here, so don't come in. If you try to squeeze in, we might accidentally trample you into a meat patty."

The people around immediately burst into laughter. They couldn't give this unscrupulous merchant any face; they had to ridicule him mercilessly.

Kirk scoffed dismissively, not caring at all, and this time quietly moved closer, wanting to watch the show.

As long as he doesn't open his mouth to promote his annoying products, everyone can tolerate him.

The place quickly became lively.

However, the two orcs at least had some sense of propriety; instead of actually fighting with weapons, they wrestled shirtless.

The night watchmen on patrol turn a blind eye to these patrols, and sometimes even watch from the sidelines.

The quiet corners near the premium cabins, on the other hand, feel like another world.

Because there is magic here, outside noise will be filtered out.

The tall elven mage, Lia, sat elegantly in a folding chair, with a thick, yellowed ancient book, "On the Geographical Distribution of Magic Nodes in the Kingdom of Taril," open in front of her.

This is clearly a work of humankind.

Because there is no ancient kingdom for elves.

Her compatriot, the elderly elven scholar Elron, stood to the side, gazing at the boundless sea, his voice low and worried: "...History has been shrouded in mist for too long, Lya. These fragmented records cannot explain why the traces of civilization were so thoroughly erased. That 'silence' itself is the greatest mystery."

He glanced at the intricately drawn ancient map in the book in Leah's hand. "I hope what we've found isn't just another abyss of despair."

The elves' former stronghold on the continent of Taril fell very suddenly, and this time, they took advantage of the east wind of the expedition to go and check it out.

Lia raised her azure eyes, her gaze clear and resolute: "That's precisely why we need to personally unveil the fog, Professor Elron. With our eyes, with our hands."

She noticed a silent descendant of a stone giant sitting in the shadows not far away; his enormous body seemed out of place yet exuded power.

The giant noticed her gaze, merely nodded slightly, his eyes still fixed on the distant horizon. He now resembled a scholar more than a warrior.

"Hi! Master Lia! Teacher Elron!" A lively voice rang out; it was the human female ranger Martha.

She had just finished training, beads of sweat still clinging to her forehead, and rushed over like the wind. "You guys are studying those profound classics again? Did you hear? Someone from the 'Blazing Flame' crew said yesterday that they thought they saw something glowing in the sea last night! A ghostly green, like a ghostly jellyfish!"

Judging from her appearance, Martha is not a pure human. She has slightly pointed ears, fair skin, and a very well-proportioned figure.

While you wouldn't call her a half-elf, she certainly has elven blood.

The elves who could be adventurers, and the elves who could gather here, were not arrogant or haughty, so they didn't look down on each other; on the contrary, they got along very well.

Lia frowned: "Bioluminescent creatures in the deep sea are not uncommon, Martha."

“I know! But everyone says it’s different here. Maybe it’s some mysterious ancient guardian beast? Or a harbinger of a sea monster?” Martha stuck out her tongue, her face full of gossip and excitement.

She looked very young; her rare elven bloodline wouldn't allow her to live long.

Therefore, her appearance proves that she is not very old.

The small circles on the ship were influencing and exchanging ideas with each other.

Occasionally, one could hear dwarves mocking humans for not making flavorful cured meat, while humans retorted that the dwarves' baked cookies looked like whetstones.

When the elves occasionally participate in discussions about the characteristics of plants on a certain continent, the orcs will chime in, saying, "As long as it's edible, it's fine."

Even that descendant of the stone giant was surrounded by several curious young humans one evening, who bombarded him with absurd questions like, "Can stone giants really grow by eating stones?"

This somewhat rough but vibrant network of communication, gradually woven from shared journeys and common goals, is the force that sustains us through these two months of tedious travel.

This will also form the basis for mutual support when we finally reach shore.

At least that's what the Night's Watch wanted to see, and they were intentionally guiding it.

The Night's Watch prefers competition to excessive conflict.

However, just as this daily familiarity and communication reached a delicate balance, and many people even began to get used to this way of life.

Woo——! ! !
A deep, metallic whistle, unlike anything ever heard before, seemed to strike the heart directly, like the roar of a behemoth from the abyss, suddenly erupted from the depths of that steel wolf-like flagship.

It instantly shattered all the conversations, laughter, arguments, and reflections on the deck, like a massive torrent of ice water being poured down.

Time seemed to stand still in that instant.

Immediately afterwards, like thunder after a long build-up, the lookout's furious roar from the high lookout tower of the foremost ship ripped through the brief silence with a piercing, tearing voice:
"Land!!! We've arrived! It's Taril!!! I can see the coastline!!!"

Clearly, it wasn't just him; lookouts on every ship roared in anger.

After a brief, almost suffocating silence, it erupted like a volcano!
"Tarril!!!"

"Oh my god! We're finally here!"

"We made it!"

A huge, deafening cheer suddenly erupted, soaring into the sky, and the deck instantly erupted in cheers.

The adventurers rushed to the ship like madmen, the short ones standing on tiptoe, the tall ones craning their necks, each face filled with unbelievable ecstasy, relief and eager longing.

The dwarf Balin nearly threw the ore he was holding into the sea.

Wolf and Hogg forgot their confrontation and excitedly slapped each other hard on the shoulder, though the loud slaps showed they meant no harm.

Lia and Elron also stood up involuntarily, their eyes fixed intently on the increasingly clear gray coastline in the distance.

Even the silent descendant of the stone giants stood up straight, and for the first time, excitement appeared on his usually calm face. Martha was so excited that she shouted and jumped up and down.

Everyone was pointing and whispering, loudly confirming the continent that had been silent for a thousand years and had finally appeared at the edge of their sight.

A wave of ecstasy swept over every ship, drowning out all the fatigue and boredom of the past two months.

Life at sea is too tough.

Boredom is the most torturous thing.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have become familiar with each other so quickly.

But this euphoria did not last long.

Just as the deafening cheers reached their peak and countless fingers excitedly pointed to the outline of the shore, the elven mage Lia's expression suddenly changed drastically.

Her bright blue eyes, which had just been filled with joy, suddenly widened, staring intently at the seemingly calm, deep green sea to the right of the fleet. Her pointed ears twitched uncontrollably, and a strong sense of dread, originating from the depths of her blood, rushed into her mind.

She cried out, "No! The ocean... the energy in that area... is churning wildly!"

"Down there! There's something down there! Something extremely... extremely huge and violent is awakening!!"

At the same time, the Scaled Sentinel Kula in the corner suddenly opened his vertical golden eyes, and the short spear in his hand began to hum without warning!

His scales bristled, pointing in the same direction as Lia, and a threatening hiss came from his throat.

However, the Night's Watch reacted a beat faster than these keenly perceptive beings.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep—!"

The urgent, cold, and emotionless siren blared like a death knell, exploding at the highest decibel level in every corner of every ship.

It drowned out all the cheers.

In an instant, all the Night's Watch warriors on the ship seemed to be manipulated by invisible threads, entering their battle positions with astonishing synchronization.

The cold, impersonal command rang out seamlessly through the ship's communication system: "Battle alert! Deck personnel, take cover at the nearest available location. Logistics personnel, immediately seal off the lower decks."

"All shipboard turrets unlocked! Energy cores enter combat output mode!"

"Maximum shield charge! Turn and evade!"

"Deep-water detection magic activated at full power! Report the target's exact location!"

"..."

The revelry on the ship froze instantly, replaced by bewilderment and a suffocating feeling of being gripped by immense fear!

The euphoria on people's faces hadn't even faded before it was replaced by horror. Countless eyes instinctively turned to the sea, searching for the deadly threat.

Right now!

Boom boom boom——!!

The direction that Lia and Kula pointed to, about one kilometer from the right flank of the fleet, saw the once deep green sea suddenly and violently bulge up without warning.

The sea surface was no longer the sea surface, but rather resembled a huge, boiling mound of water violently pushed up from the bottom by a tremendous force.

The dark green seawater churned with a deathly aura as pale as foam, revealing an enormous, light-blocking, terrifying shadow covered in dark, slippery scales and countless twisted bone spikes, its exact form indistinguishable.

Like a nightmare come true, it bursts forth from the depths of the ocean.

The resulting massive waves crashed against the surrounding ocean like collapsing mountains!

The moment that colossal creature burst forth from the water, it carried with it a nauseatingly salty and pungent stench and a pure, savage ferocity capable of crushing the soul.

Its massive, thick limbs, covered with ring-shaped suction cups and with sharp, battering ram-like ends, tore through the air like the weapon of an evil god.

The seawater, carrying billions of tons of destructive power, exudes an aura of annihilation.

The Night Watch exploration ship, slightly smaller than the one in the fleet and still sounding its alarm, slammed down with brutal, unparalleled ferocity! (End of Chapter)