The waters of the ocean were cold and salty.

Luckily for Roseus, as he plunged into their depths, he was indeed buffed by the speed and agility boost granted to him by his father’s sword. As long as he kept the weapon tight in his grip, he could keep up with the fight taking place underwater.

It stung to keep his eyes open, but he had to. Strangely, he found that it was easy to see underwater. Perhaps this was a feature of the First Ocean.

He looked around while holding his breath.

That was when he saw it.

In the distance, with a trail of blood following behind it, Petyr was holding onto one of the wing-like fins of the Blood Shark as it swam viciously, trying to throw the man from its body.

Petyr used his fencing sword to constantly stab at the creature, causing more wounds to surface and more blood to spill. However, the numbing effect didn’t seem to be affecting the creature.

To his misfortune, Petyr was eventually flung off the fin due to the shark shaking its body in an unpredictable manner. In the process, the Blood Shark slammed its tail into Petyr, dazing the man slightly.

As Petyr floated in the water, completely exposed, the shark’s body turned towards him, seeking to take advantage of the situation.

Still wounded, it opened its jaws wide. Each tooth alone was large enough to inflict wounds that could easily kill a man.

With ferocity, it swam forward as fast as it could, looking to devour the dazed man.

Luckily, Roseus was already between them.

He thrust the point of his father’s cutlass into the upper gums of the beast. It tore through, and he dragged it downwards, opening a disgusting wound in the creature’s mouth. Two of its fang-like teeth fell free from its jaw, while another hung loosely by a bloody piece of flesh.

The creature withdrew its body, letting out a wail of pure agony. It wanted to escape, and began turning its body to flee.

Roseus almost contemplated letting it go.

He looked behind him and saw that Petyr had already begun swimming towards the surface to burst through the water and catch a breath. That left Roseus alone with the creature for the moment, and he too was starting to suffer from the effects of holding his breath for too long.

No... I can’t let it escape.

He remembered why he had come down there in the first place.

The Blood Shark might not have brought any treasures with it, but there was one thing that it had most certainly brought to the Redflower Crew.

Its soul.

Captain Roseus would reap it.

Before the shark could flee, Roseus grabbed hold of the creature’s tail with his left hand while keeping his weapon in his right.

The shark swam aggressively, dragging the captain deeper into the water. As it did, Roseus felt the strain beginning to take its toll on him.

He didn’t care.

Using the boosted speed and agility granted by his weapon’s positive effects, he positioned himself properly and drove the blade point down into the creature’s tail.

It immediately lodged deep into the flesh, and blood burst free, causing the shark to wail in pain and its swimming speed to slow down.

Roseus wasn’t done.

As he had seen Petyr do, he repeatedly removed his blade and thrust it back into the shark, opening numerous wounds across the creature.

He found much greater effect than Petyr. While the fencer had only been able to produce small wounds, Roseus’s weapon shape and skills allowed him to inflict serious damage upon the shark’s tail.

By the fifth stab, the shark stopped trying to escape.

It knew that if it wanted to get rid of this human, it had to kill him.

It twisted its body and tried to bite at Roseus’s arm, forcing him to let go of the shark’s tail.

For a moment, the two faced each other. He could feel the intent to kill in the shark’s demeanour.

That’s right, face me...

Slowly, his consciousness was slipping away from him. He had surely been underwater for over a minute now, which was close to his limit.

He had to end it in this next charge.

The shark swam forward once again, its bloody jaws spread wide as it prepared to devour its prey.

Roseus prepared himself, positioning his blade strategically. This clash would determine everything.

As the shark swam into range, Roseus thrust his blade upwards into the previously created wound in the creature’s gums. He felt the blade pierce deep. Much deeper this time, travelling into the shark’s head before emerging from its eye socket.

This time, the shark let out the loudest cry it could muster.

Yet Roseus wasn’t finished.

He withdrew his blade and positioned himself deeper within the creature’s mouth. Then, he thrust his blade upwards again.

He used all of his strength to ensure that it broke through the top of the creature’s gums.

It did, and he felt the blade strike something soft on the other side.

The shark’s body suddenly went limp.

It was a sign that Roseus had accomplished exactly what he intended to do.

Pierce the shark’s brain.

Suddenly, the creature’s body drifted lifelessly through the water, at the same moment that the seas spoke to him.

[You have defeated: Blood Shark]

[Greater Soul Absorbed +1]

[The Ocean Beckons You...]

He had no time to bask in the satisfaction of those words, as he found himself finally reaching his limit.

His body weakened, and his vision darkened further.

For a moment, he wondered whether he would die there in the depths of the ocean, right at the beginning of his journey.

Luckily for him, that wasn’t the case.

He felt a hand grab hold of his and begin dragging him towards the surface of the ocean.

Through the corner of his eye, he saw blonde hair flowing with the currents.

Then, he lost consciousness.