A Comprehensive Network: An Endless Adventure Begins as a Wanderer

The group arrived deep into the bay; it was already late at night.

The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and the sea was as black as ink, with only the occasional white waves rising between the rocks barely outlining the coastline.

A massive cave came into view, nestled among the hidden rocks.

Cheng Yi walked at the front of the group, his Observation Haki silently spreading forward. The interior of the cave was much larger than he had expected, but there was only the presence of one living creature.

The four filed into the cave.

At the end of the cave is a huge circular space with a ceiling so high that the top is not visible, and the outlines of stalactites can be vaguely seen in the darkness.

In the center of the void is a pool about ten meters in diameter, the water emitting a ghostly blue light. Columns of water rise from the pool, swirling and intertwining in the air, finally converging into a water elemental core suspended above the pool.

The eel-man rain summoner stood at the edge of the pool.

It was even thinner than the Calamity, and its skin was covered with silver lines that looked like wounds.

The eel-man rain summoner held a staff made of coral and bone, with a fist-sized pearl inlaid at the top, inside which blue liquid flowed.

The rainmaker is chanting.

His voice was deep and hoarse, like an echo from the deep sea.

The water column in the pool swirled more and more rapidly with the chanting, and the light from the core of the water element grew brighter and brighter.

"What is it summoning?" Ignatius's usual frivolous tone took on a hint of seriousness as his fingers rested on the strings, ready to pluck them at any moment.

"Whatever it is, we can't let it come to fruition." Alice gripped her longsword tightly.

Karen has already raised the holy emblem.

The oak grain began to glow, and a golden ray shot out from the emblem, heading straight for the Rainmaker—

Optical guide arrow.

The golden light struck the Rain Summoner.

It let out a sharp screech. The water jets in the pool instantly went out of control, splashing everywhere.

The light from the core of the water element began to flicker erratically.

"Much weaker than the calamity of the eel people."

Ignaz's fingers plucked the strings rapidly, and a sonic wave struck the Rainmaker in the abdomen, sending it flying and crashing into the rock wall behind it.

Alice charged forward.

Her longsword, imbued with the golden flames of the Holy Slash, cleaved through the Rain Summoner's chest in an instant.

The battle ended cleanly and decisively.

"It's weaker than I imagined."

Ignaz put away his lute, walked over to the Rainmaker's corpse, and kicked it with his toe.

"It seems this guy poured too much power into that core."

Cheng Yi stood at the back of the team and enjoyed a victory without lifting a finger.

He didn't even have to lift a finger; he just watched as his teammates cleanly and efficiently ended the fight.

Cheng Yi walked to the corpse of the eel-man rain summoner, squatted down, and extended his right hand. Transparent threads emerged from his fingertips and pierced the corpse.

The thread pulled a semi-transparent, bluish substance from the corpse. It condensed in Cheng Yi's palm, turning into a thin, scale-like crystal.

Invisible Scales

Type: Skill Crystal

Quality: Blue

Description: You gain +2 innate armor rating and 25% damage reduction against non-magical physical attacks.

Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow. This was a passive buff, somewhat similar to the defensive bonus of dragon scales, but more subtle.

This is exactly what he needs.

The Wanderer's defense has always been a weakness. While the Darkscale Armor is good, it can't cover the entire body. With this, even if attacked at close range, there's an extra layer of protection.

He directly slapped the crystal into his body, and a cool sensation swept over his skin, as if countless tiny scales were spreading out under his skin before disappearing.

"Is it over?" Ignac asked.

"it's over."

----------

Moonlight spilled across the sea, making it shimmer. The Annabelle Lee of Shara was moored at the dock, its lanterns swaying in the night breeze.

Cheng Yi and the others led Little Ralph, Erling Hearst, and the captain's unfortunate crew out of the cave.

"Get on board!" Shara shouted, a cigar dangling from her lips and her hands gripping the helm.

Lucian stood to one side; the lighthouse keeper had been waiting at the dock for some time, his grey eyes appearing particularly deep in the moonlight.

His face was expressionless as he pulled out several small gray cloth bags.

"Thank you all. I don't have much savings, only some small items I've collected as payment."

The group thanked the crew, went up to the deck, and the sailors untied the mooring lines, allowing the ship to slowly sail away.

The cave entrance behind us was no longer visible; all that remained was a pile of collapsed rubble.

Ralph huddled on the deck, soaking wet and shivering. Karen crouched down and used her magic to conjure a few berries for him.

The child took it and wolfed it down.

"Eat slowly," Karen said. "There's still plenty left."

Cheng Yi leaned against the ship's railing, gazing at the distant lighthouse. The lighthouse's beam slowly rotated in the night sky, as if guiding their way.

The instance is about to end.

Alice stood by the railing, facing the sea, her hands resting on the hilt of her sword, like a statue.

Karen was treating the wounded sailors, and the oak emblem shone brightly again and again.

Ignats sat down on the edge of the deck, took out his lute, and played a lighthearted tune.

The sound of the piano drifted on the sea breeze, mingling with the cries of seagulls in an unexpected harmony.

Cheng Yi stood at the edge of the dock, watching the eastern sky turn a pale white. Seagulls circled overhead, emitting sharp cries.

"Add me as a friend?" Ignatius walked over, tapped his fingers a few times in the air, and a semi-transparent panel popped up.

Cheng Yi glanced at him, then opened his own network panel and accepted Ignatius's friend request.

Alice and Karen also sent friend requests. They all added each other as friends.

"Take care of yourself."

Cheng Yi nodded. "Take care."

He didn't say anything more.

The future is uncertain, and he was never the kind of person to say things like "we will definitely meet again".

But he knew that as long as they were still in the network, they would meet again.

Sunlight streamed onto the deck, dispelling the last vestiges of night. Cheng Yi opened the control panel and chose to return to reality.

A feeling of dizziness washed over me.

The noise of the crowd, the salty smell of the sea breeze, and the sound of the lute all seemed to have been soaked in water, becoming blurred and distant, and then disappearing completely.

When Cheng Yi opened his eyes again, he was standing in the living room of the old house.

The curtains were drawn, but sunlight streamed in through the gaps, drawing a thin golden line on the floor.

He went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and let the warm water wash away the blood and fatigue from his body.

Outside the window, a new day has begun.

P.S.: Thanks to GOD/神, CC而不腹黑, 灵魂仔, XHEI, and 沙漠月泉 for correcting the errors in this book these past few days. I've been a bit out of it while writing lately, so thank you all. I'm adding an extra chapter as a small apology.

Orz.