Defense specialization and diving suit.

Having received the parts for everyone, Sally was able to dive deeper, and now rowed her boat toward the place she had marked.

"Maybe I'll have a jet ski made if it's manageable."

Boat travel was leisurely compared to riding horses in the Seventh Layer, and Sally wished for a bit more speed. While it suited her well enough for relaxed exploration with Maple, efficiency favored a jet ski. If she had even a modest DEX, she would prefer to switch.

"Ah, perhaps next time."

In any case, she was nearing her destination. For now, she set the jet ski aside until the next expedition. Sally donned her diving suit and plunged into the water immediately.

Beneath the surface, mountains of rock stretched in unbroken line, a landscape once ridge, now submerged. Sally viewed it as though from above, from the sky.

“Ugh… more extensive than I thought… somewhere here, I believe.”

The location marked on the map from the guild’s underground archives matched this place exactly. Now standing here, the terrain itself suggested something lay buried.

“Right. Can’t begin without exploring. I’ll dive in.”

Having observed from the surface, Sally kicked downward into deeper water. No monsters near the surface. But as she neared the mountainside, they emerged one after another.

“Aggressive, this place is.”

Sharks approached from the direction of Sally. She had fought sharks of similar appearance many times during the ninth event. But that had been on land, a battlefield favorable to Sally.

This time, the opposite. Even an opponent she recognized could not be underestimated.

While exploring safely alongside Maple, she had already confirmed that certain skills changed in utility underwater. For example, the skill [Ice Spire] extended ice pillars from the ground. In a place where the ground was invisible, far beneath the surface, it could not be used.

Yet Sally’s strength did not lie in her skills. She was relatively adept at underwater combat, and as long as she monitored her time underwater, she could manage with little issue.

“Hah! Yaaah!”

Avoiding the shark’s water breath, subtly altered in color for clarity underwater, she passes it by and strikes with her dagger. With Sword Dance boosting her attack power, and additional damage from Pursuit Blade, Fire Child, and Water Mantle, even a simple strike now carries a destructive force unmatched by the early underwater combat of the game.

“Skill synergy isn’t ideal, but it works pretty well!”

Fire is ineffective underwater, and water is no use against water-controlling monsters.

Yet it proves more effective than expected—likely due to maximizing Sword Dance’s attack enhancement. The stricter the conditions, the greater the gain.

Sally slices through the sharks, one after another. Water was no obstacle if she only had to breathe. The boss of the dungeon with the unique equipment had been far stronger than this.

“This is it… end!”

She kicks off the water, surges forward, and halts motionless in the depths, the last shark severed.

“Maybe moving underwater is smoother than expected—thanks to 【Water Manipulation】.”

Unlike Maple and the others, Sally has 【Swimming】 and 【Diving】 both at maximum level. She also possesses Iz’s underwater support gear and a diving suit exclusive to the eighth layer. No time limit applies, unlike when she first obtained the unique equipment.

Sally judged that as long as she could return straight to the surface, she would not drown. She plunges downward toward the mountain side before the weak monsters revive.

"Yo, there. Phew... now then."

The mountains long ago lost all living things. There was no chance of hiding in the woods and being overlooked. Swimming through spaces that would normally be in the air made cutting straight through the terrain a common practice.

"Would be nice if there was something. A dungeon, maybe."

Sally descended deeper along the mountainside.

She searched carefully, peering into crevices, hoping for a hidden cave. Her diving suit had been reinforced early. Several spots deeper than usual existed. No other players were nearby. She would have to find a place that felt like it might hold an event—alone.

The mark found beneath the guild pointed only to this place of mountains, not to a more precise location. Though Sally did not need to surface as frequently as others, efficiency was still limited by the vastness of the area to explore.

"Only rocks here... would anything show up if it were there?"

Sally swam through the mountain gaps, dispatching troublesome monsters along the way. She spotted a deep fissure midway up the mountainside. Approaching cautiously, she determined it extended further inward—possibly reaching the location marked by the sign.

"Good. Surface first..."

Sally did not enter the fissure immediately. She rose straight to the surface. Returning to air would restore her active time. She would face the challenge with full readiness.

"Phew... yes. Clear it in one go... try it. Whether it means anything or not, I'll see."

No players nearby at the moment. If that ahead was the dungeon, she might be the first to enter. Yes. The target is the second unique series.

Sally takes a deep breath, then dives straight into the fissure without delay. She is already far beneath the surface, but the water is naturally illuminated for comfortable exploration, and visibility within the fissure remains clear.

She moves deeper, flanked by rocky walls. The water is clear. No monsters visible, unlike earlier. With caution, she might spot any suspicious spots.

……There are things here. Many things.

The first thing Sally notices is the countless holes carved into the walls. She senses intuitively that one of them holds the true objective. She feels a monster likely lies beyond. Her focus sharpens as she examines the area.

Could it be a fish’s home?

With dagger drawn and ready for ambush, she enters each hole one by one. Ignoring Sally’s concern, there is no trace of a monster within. The holes vary—some extend deep, others end abruptly, some narrow, others wide. Each time she reaches a dead end, she turns back and moves to the next.

If no monster is present, it will be simple. Sally advances quickly, diving into each hole and scanning the surroundings.

After some time.

She peers into one of the holes. A blue light, like a beam, moves straight from the depths. Sally kicks water sharply and retreats from the entrance. Moments later, a blue mass—like a shark’s breath—passes by.

“Huh. Surprisingly easy to spot,”

A reaction distinctly different from before. Sally peers again into the tunnel’s end, certain this must be the mark.

“Not a monster… or did it flee deeper?”

The water remains clear. Nothing stirs ahead. Yet something hostile was unquestionably present. Considering the haze of Crom’s [Divine Concealment], she moves inward.

Swimming forward, cautious, searching for signs—whether shark or something else—Sally finds something unexpected.

“What is this… a machine? Something powered by magic?”

Protruding slightly from the wall is a device emitting a faint blue light. A trap for intruders? Near the muzzle-like end, traces suggest the earlier light sphere had been fired.

...Perhaps something truly remarkable lies beneath the water. There are even diving suits here... This firearm cannot be taken back. A pity.

Sally considers that what lies submerged may not be merely gold and silver. Just as the eight-tiered Town now stands atop the ruins of the old, nothing would be strange about every object born there having sunk as well.

Her interest sharpens. Sally moves deeper into the side tunnel. Then, once more, blue light flares from within. This time, multiple light projectiles streak toward her.

Yet if there is room to avoid them, and if their arrival is known in advance, Sally does not meet them. This holds true even underwater.

She stabilizes her posture underwater, twists her body swiftly to dodge the light bolts. Unlike Sally’s expectation, no shadow of a monster that had seemed to dwell in the water appears. She presses deeper, searching for anything else, as attacks continue to come from the light projectiles. As she moves, the narrow side passage opens into a larger space. Sally recognizes it—this is the ant-hive-like dungeon she has navigated before.

……Trash, perhaps?

The space, submerged to the ceiling, has the ground level of the surface now buried under piles of ruined mechanical parts. Among them, scattered like debris, are fragments of reinforced diving suits. But these are, fundamentally, objects that cannot be obtained.

Sally moves through the water with deliberate care. She searches every corner, clearing rusted fragments to avoid missing anything. Her hands gather what she can reach—reinforced diving suit fragments, salvageable parts. The passage ahead beckons.

This place, thought to be a fish’s habitat, proves to be a warehouse or refuse yard. Artificial structures cluster here. Machines still functional respond to her motion—firing light projectiles. She avoids them with practiced precision.

She considers the absence of living things. Possibly due to these mechanisms. She collects scattered diving suit pieces. Each one weighs heavy in her grip.

Deeper now. More parts lie scattered. Enough to justify the descent. No monster pressure. Light projectiles not fierce. Time is not a burden. She moves without haste. Her breath steady. Her hands sure. The water cold. The silence thick.

Yet this is a dungeon. If the door to the Boss Room comes into view, the matter changes. Focus must be sharpened. One attempt, one success—this is the goal.

Sally enters, seeking it. What is needed is new skill, new gear. Not a place for leisurely part collection.

"Hope it goes as expected...!"

Wishing for the Boss Room's presence, Sally dodges the flying light projectiles and swims deeper.