The Achievement Junkie - 643 Dive! Dive! Dive!

Once Jack plowed through a couple of plates, he let loose a long sigh and gave each of the women a hug and kiss goodbye. After reassuring them of his imminent return, Jack teleported away.

Reappearing elsewhere in the restricted area of the Leisure Guild, Jack smiled and knocked on the door before him. Immediately, Jack’s hand was grabbed and the hero was dragged inside.

“Big Bro, are you ready now? Did you finish your armor?”

“Of course I did!”

“Then let me see it! Why aren’t you wearing it?” asked Lina.

Jack replied, “Because it’s special armor for special occasions. Until a necessary moment arrives, I don’t want any foes knowing of its existence. A surprise would be best for me.” That’s when Jack spotted Lunara sitting at the table, calm yet unexcited. “Is something the matter, Mom?”

Sighing, Lunara put down her morning tea and asked, “Jack… How far down have you gone?”

“You mean underwater?” assumed Jack. The hero took a moment to think, stating, “A few hundred meters, I think. How deep is Coral Crypt?”

“An ancient dungeon like Coral Crypt has nothing on the depths that we’ll be traversing…” answered Lunara. “Coral Crypt is only seven hundred meters below the surface. Where we’re going, it’s more than ten times that depth. After two hundred meters, the sunlight begins to weaken. At one thousand meters, all natural lighting will have vanished. This is why even the gods have rarely explored the depths of the ocean…”

“What about Kylon? I thought she was known for that?” asked Jack.

“That’s why her people found me when I was young and on the run. That led them to discover the trench that leads to Glacier Reef, but Kylon and the Flood Dragons have never dared to enter that place.”

“Then, how are you going to find it?”

“It will take time, but I’ll be able to sense my way back.” Lunara explained, “Coming from there, I’ll be able to sense the currents and search accordingly. We’ll find it in time for the opening of Glacier Keep.”

“And I’ll get to see more hydras too!”

“Calm down, Lina. That’s not a priority, though I do think it will do you good to join us. You’ve never experienced the wild of the ocean floor. That makes you the only hydra to not know of its dangers and cruelty, something you need to learn,” stated Lunara.

“I wouldn’t count on that…” Lunara sighed and finished the last sip of her tea. “I wasn’t accepted long ago and neither was my birth mother… I’m not sure how the other hydras would react to learn of our existences, Lina.”

“Well, we’ll find out real soon!” laughed Lina, not backing down from her excitement.

“What if I make a light beyond a thousand meters?” asked Jack, returning to the original topic.

Lunara shrugged and stood up. “We’ll be fine, but it will attract unnecessary attention at first. For me, I’ll be able to make do without it but I’m also fine with it if you want to be able to see the underwater world for yourself. Just expect a few attacks or a swarm of sea life to be attracted the moment you light it.”

“Anything we can’t handle?” Jack asked sarcastically. Yet when Lunara seriously considered the question, Jack was astounded.

“We’ll be fine, but Lina won’t be allowed to use her hydra form.”

“WHAT?! Then why–”

“That’s that! Unless you don’t want to join us,” argued Lunara. “I was beyond lucky to survive when I left there, and that’s because I was fleeing toward the surface. Now, we’ll be doing the opposite and at lv. 71 you’re still not strong enough to face everything down there. Having two full-sized hydras will attract more attention and I don’t want that. Understood?”

“Fine… But I’ll be asking again after we dive!” stated Lina, sticking her tongue out.

Jack laughed, “Then, we’re ready to go, right?”

“Yes… we’re both ready,” answered Lunara, stepping closer to Jack. At the same time, Lina threw her arms around both Jack and her mother, anticipating Jack’s next move.

The three figures vanished from the courtyard and reappeared far to the east of Kartonia, on the edge of the map. They felt the cold wind brushing over the chilled sand of the Aazoon shore.

“WHOA!!!”

It was Lina’s first time seeing the ocean, proving just how out of depth her understanding was. Despite being one of the most powerful and well-known species among water-dwelling beasts, Lina had less experience underwater than Jack.

Without hesitation, Lunara shifted into her behemoth Nine-headed Glacier Hydra form. “Climb on and hold on tight. I don’t want to waste any time.”

Jack complied and Lina took a few more moments to pull her eyes away from the oceanic view. She admired the view all the better from high up on her mother’s back, left speechless as her instincts filled her with anticipation.

“Now, we dive.”

A three-word warning was all Jack and Lina got as Lunara dove into the waters heads-first at a breakneck pace. They clung to Lunara’s scales, finding the ridges on her back to have the best grip and hiding behind some of the larger scales that acted like hundreds of “small” dorsal fins. This gave Jack and Lina a place to sit and allow the water to pass without much resistance. The small, family party was on its way to the deepest parts of the world.