Either way, their shield was still strong around them. And the attack washed over it. The monster was surprised and wanted to go for more attacks, but they didn’t give it the chance.

Azaroth connected with the shield and he moved the right hand and tried to crush the monster with an open palm, but the monster was fast and it avoided it.

Azaroth frowned and then tried to get hold of the monster with his shield hand, but the monster avoided him while it sent more tornadoes at them.

"You have to be fast," Stallus muttered. "We can’t take that many hits before we use up our essence."

Right, Azaroth thought. The monster came closer again this time, and Azaroth signaled to the team. They collapsed the left shield hand and sent all its power into the right.

Then they themselves scattered. Not entirely, because they had to be close to maintain the shield, but they now shadowed the right hand as it ran after the monster.

Staying together in one place would be like pointing a target at their heads. Now, they ran after the right shield hand while the hand itself chased the monster.

It was something Azaroth came up with for when they only fought single opponents because it left them open for other attacks. The monster sent more blasting winds, and they deflected all of it with their shield.

Azaroth nodded and then he stopped; the rest of the team stopped with him. What he was also doing as they chased the monster was gathering his will and the team’s power.

With that ready, he sent the shield hand forward and it covered the distance to the monster in a flash, and the shield hand closed around it in a fist, crunching the monster.

They felt the essence settle on them as the monster was eliminated.

They hadn’t used up all their essence this time, but it was a close thing.

"What type of weapon is this?" Alex said as he bent over the monster’s big hand fan. He lifted it with his two hands and raised it; he brought it down as if he wanted to fan something.

But nothing happened. Alex scowled and put his remaining essence inside, but still, the weapon was useless. "Is this made only for monsters?" He threw it away.

Azaroth went to pick up the big weapon. It was taller than him, but he didn’t try to use it. Ever since he heard that even simple weapons made by the crypt were usually expensive out in the real world, he had been storing them. They might prove useful later.

They soon left the crypt behind and also left behind the rolling hills region.

"This...won’t be an easy region," Stallus said.

They stood at the edge of a large body of water that spanned as far as the eye could see. Azaroth wondered if this was what was called the sea or the ocean.

They could see portals hanging on the rolling ocean like fruits on a tree. Azaroth agreed with Stallus. This wouldn’t be an easy region to hunt crypts from.

"How are we crossing this?" Catena wanted to know. There was no way they could obviously cross it with their own power. Maybe if they were in the really advanced rank with vast amounts of essence, they could find a skill to take them through.

Azaroth looked around, but he couldn’t see him. Still, he knew Crypt Master was watching them. The man might even be having a laugh at them right now. It was something he would do.

"Why will there even be a region on the sea?" Stallus grumbled. "It’s not like we can swim through it or something."

It didn’t take long for Crypt Master to show his hand. He didn’t show himself, but they all knew it was him that did it. Alex noticed it first because he was looking up.

A small black dot filled the sky, getting bigger as it descended. Alex pointed. "What is that?" And when they turned to look at it, it was too late.

The large boat slammed into the water with a mighty splash that sent the waves up and down, covering them in salty water. They sputtered and moved back.

The boat was wooden, big, and long. It was painted a bright white and gold. On both sides were images of the Crypt Master laughing. It couldn’t have been more obvious.

"Well," Alex said after he freed himself of water, "the way to cross it is now clear for all to see."

The boat was also far from the edge, and they had to swim to get to it, soaking wet as they climbed into the boat. It was a strange thing, and this was the first time that Azaroth was getting on one.

"A ship this big should have a way to get into it. To go below! Crypt Master, why do you do this?" Alex shouted. The ship had no below deck, so they could not hide from the elements. It must have been intentionally done like that to discourage them from hiding. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

At the helm of it was a tall, narrow platform where one of them could inject their essence and steer the ship. Stallus claimed it after explaining that she was the one with the better sight.

The waves lapped gently against the ship and rocked them. It was unstable and strange. Catena vomited, and Stallus and Alex turned green.

Azaroth himself was feeling nauseous from the constant movement. No way they could move forward like this. No way they should move forward.

And since it was enchanted and wouldn’t move from its spot no matter how many times the waves rocked it, he decided that they should spend the rest of the day and night adjusting their bodies to the new environment.

And they did just that. They brought out food and cooked meat and drank. And each did as they liked for the rest of the day. Azaroth harvested essence and trained.