"Be careful! Our map isn't exactly showing where we are!"
An interference with their location. Maverick and the other two regrouped but it was impossible for all of the remaining Entrants to rendezvous, considering the dark surroundings and almost zero visibility. Thanks to glowstones and luminous life forms on the floating biome, navigating their way to safety became easier.
"Are any of you hurt?" Moruel asked through the voice communicator. They were not completely empty-handed. All of them were equipped with a communication device, which allowed them to safely converse with everyone.
"Just a little out of oxygen..." Lim clutched his mouth, covering it to not let
any water go into his lungs.
"Air bubbles." Maverick pointed at the barely visible floating air socks. "We need to find an air vent to replenish our oxygen, otherwise we'd be goners."
Swarming with unknown monsters while also dealing with the lack of air to stay alive, the challenged individuals traverse the deep waters with nothing but themselves and their ability to hold their breath longer than in real life.
"This biome is huge."
"Yeah, no wonder it's home to monsters."
Lim reached for the air bubbles and restored some oxygen he was missing. He sighed in relief but the need for air did not stop there. As seconds passed, they were constantly losing oxygen, and the deeper they descended the heavier the pressure became. Like a crushing boulder being pressed on their chest and back, squeezing their lungs dry of air.
"I can see a light!"
Through the voice comms, one of the Entrants sounded hopeful.
"It's... moving?"
Lim and Moruel, immediately realizing the threat, quickly warned the Entrant.
"Do not approach it! Run!"
"Eh? Why? It's producing air bubbles! Good grief! I'm almost out of oxygen. What a great timing!"
Despite the warning and concern in Moruel's and Lim's voices, the Entrant did not listen and still went towards the light, which consumed the darkness around him, thus turning him into food as his scream of agony sent distortion to the voice comms.
"Damn it! What a stupid gamer!"
[Special Mission!]
A sudden notice rang in their head and the window system popped up in their eyes.
[All of you, newcomers, have been chosen to take part in a new game feature! In the new patch, the game developers came up with the idea of adding a scenario, which would pop up every now and then. Lucky you, you are chosen to be a part of it! Survive for ten minutes or kill the biome's boss and you shall be rewarded prettily!]
"What great luck!" Moruel sarcastically laughed.
Maverick, on the other hand, stayed silent as he cautiously watched their surroundings for possible monster attack. And he was not wrong when he decided not to talk because a gush of sharp rocks was rapidly approaching them. It was noticeable due to its color and type of stone.
"Incoming attack!"
The three dispersed in all directions to avoid getting hit by the assault. Using the normal means to not get struck, which was to swim, was a no-go, thus prompting them to horizontally position each other and place their feet against each other to then propel themselves away.
"Look out, Maverick!"
In the direction he went approached a grotesque fish-man with an unequal size of eyeballs and a fairly flat nose whilst holding a trident.
Its gills flapped and duck-like feet swayed against the water, giving the monster a big boost in movement.
"I can still turn away!"
Maverick pulled himself and flipped over to stop himself from further swimming towards the monster. He then began to swim against the current that was pulling him back.
"No... I can't. I'm being pushed back!"
The monster's kin showed up to where Moruel and Lim were, not just to Maverick. They had them completely surrounded when yet another blasting scream occurred in their head and in their ears, for a guttural sound came from the heart of the biome.
"Another Entrant had died!"
Tremors in the biome shook the core of those present in it. Not only did it stop everyone, but it also saved Maverick and the other two from the imminent danger wherein the monsters went to the source of the disturbance.
"What happened?!"
Clueless as to what caused the interference, the trio did not waste any time pondering, they swam away to salvage themselves from an immediate elimination.
Faint sounds of destruction occurred instead of loud ones because the water suppressed the sound from traveling faster than it should. The walls of the biome and pillars that were holding it together started to crumble, and the continuous shaking of the ground they were stepping on reminded them of an earthquake. Not long after everything, the group of monsters who hastened inside the biome were scattering in every direction as though running away from something.
"They are panicking! It's our chance to intervene and take their weapons away!"
Unaware of the impending threat carefully approaching them, the monsters were too preoccupied with the roaring cry of the unknown entity in the heart of the biome. The luminous crystals and bioluminescent algae just lost their vibrance, eliminating what little light they were delivering to the Entrants. Now, it was complete darkness but thanks to their enhanced vision, the Entrants could barely see in the deep waters. Their eyes can still detect movements and silhouettes but not a clear view of what's ahead in a few feet away.
"Save what little oxygen you have! Air bubbles are limited because of the tremors and it's impossible to find any air vents now!"
While the monsters were busy focusing on the commotion, the trio sneakily swam their way and hastily grabbed the weapons. However, they didn't exactly snatch the tridents and sharp rods away from the monsters' grips. The latter held onto their weapon, caught off guard by the sudden surprise attack where they felt a stinging pain in their stomach as Maverick, Lim, and Moruel all kicked them in the guts.
"Tch! The power wasn't enough! The water pressure decreases the force!"
Moruel did not let his persistence end there, and so did the other two. They battle it out—the monsters struggle to maintain possession of their weapon while the trio does every possible action they can do, resorting to whatever means possible.
"Poke their larger eye!"
All three simultaneously did and the amount of anger the monsters shed as they immediately clutched for their eyes was incomprehensible. Eventually, they let go of their weapons and thought of retaliating but the trio grabbed a hold of their weapons, thus resulting in an unfortunate fate for the monsters' group where the trio hunts down the remaining members of the circle.
[You have slain a...]
Before they could finish reading the notification in front of their eyes, the roaring cry continued and eventually the biome collapsed. Entrants who were inside were either buried alongside as it sank or lost oxygen.
"Quick! Swim-up!"
As they were struggling to ascend and not get dragged down by the pressure, they felt something held onto their legs.
"Something just grabbed me!"
They all looked down and saw large tentacles that stopped them in their tracks. Instantly, they were pulled back.
"Argh!"
"What the hell?!"
"Its skin is too thick! The trident can't do a damn thing!"
Relentlessly poking at the unknown monster's tentacles, even if it does something, the suction power of the tentacles was too powerful to let go of their legs. So, they were quickly dragged deeper into the ocean as they fought for their survival. Ultimately, the trio, who were low on oxygen, met their demise in the tentacles of an unknown monster.
[You have died.]
[You failed to survive the special event.]
[Don't be disheartened! You managed to kill a monster on your first try!]
[You will be rewarded based on your performance! Consider it a beginner's kit.]
Captivating bright lights welcomed them as soon as they opened their eyes. It was so radiant that they needed their vision to adjust to it first before having a clear look at where they were.
[Welcome to Atlantia!]
[Your reward has been sent to your inventory! Please find the nearest store to claim your prize!]
Once their eyes had fully adjusted to the luminescence and their ears got rid of ocean water, loud chattering, and a busy market overwhelmed their senses.
"Mesmerizing..." Lim uttered.
Maverick was in awe, "I just saw a mermaid in a water bubble!"
"This world is amazing! A mix of science and fantasy! A sci-fan!"
Maverick and Lim looked at Moruel with utter disgust as though it was the corniest thing Moruel came up with.
"What?! I am right, though!"
~