Chapter 151: The Sea (HELL)

My sense of taste was... sweet. Sickeningly so.

This happened just before we set out for the [Oceanus of the End Sea], a Mythology Dungeon located deep beneath the waves. I stood on the dock, clutching my stomach and trying to fight off the lingering sugar high that was currently ravaging my insides.

Lumia Asmodeus.

She claimed to be my maid, and her skill with confections was nothing short of divine. But there was a catch—her sweets were so intensely sugary they bordered on the lethal.

"There. I am satisfied," she said, her voice as expressionless as ever. "It has been quite some time since I last had the pleasure of serving Master."

I gave her a flat, sideways glance before turning back to the rest of the group. Unlike me, they had managed to consume a sensible amount of sugar and looked ready to move.

"So, we’re heading out by boat, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," one of them replied. "The owners said it’s about an hour’s trip from here."

"It’s a fairly large vessel. Apparently, it’s even reinforced for combat if things get ugly on deck."

That was a relief. We had no idea what to expect on the way to the dungeon, and I preferred to reach our destination without wasting all our energy on random encounters. The three girls had already made themselves at home inside the cabin, having finished their greetings with the woman who would be acting as our captain.

"[Summon]: Belphe Phoenix, Baal Wild Hunt."

The dungeon boss we were facing bore the title of Envy, one of the strongest of her kind. Since she was a pillar of the Seven Deadly Sins, I figured it was only appropriate to counter her with those who held similar titles.

Baal only possessed Gluttony as a secondary aspect, but he had the knowledge we needed—and more importantly, he’d volunteered for the job.

"I’m counting on you two," I said.

"Sure thing, Reima," Belphe chirped. "I’m just glad to see your wounds are healed up."

"I shall fulfill my duty, Master... though it seems the incarnation of Lust over there is looking particularly smug."

"Well, of course," Lumia replied. "I have just finished my service, after all."

My mana was currently sitting at sixty percent of its peak capacity, thanks to that Golden Apple Levi-san had forced down my throat. It was a strange feeling—having enough mana to sustain three major summons at once—but given the scale of the fight ahead, I didn’t have the luxury of complaining.

"You're actually dressed for the occasion today, Belphe," I noted.

"I suppose so. A T-shirt didn't feel right for this... and besides, I'm actually a little pissed off."

The last time I’d summoned her for a barbecue, she’d been wearing a ridiculous shirt with 'Phoenix' printed on it in phonetic characters. Today, she was draped in ritualistic robes. She was in her 'serious' mode.

"Alright, let's get moving. Stay sharp, best friend," I told the others.

"Right back at you."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Baal laughed. "We go to claim victory, my friend!"

We shared a brief, tense laugh to steady our nerves. My summoned beasts prepared themselves, taking on human forms and drawing their weapons. With our preparations complete, we boarded the ship, gave the captain the signal, and set sail for Oceanus.

"This is basically an Encroachment-type!" Shiki yelled over the wind.

"I wasn't expecting this many of them!" Ayane shouted back.

"Fighting in the air right out of the gate is a pain!"

Shiki was grumbling, Ayane was holding the front line, and Laura and Kaiser were busy intercepting threats from the sky. We were barely an hour into the voyage, and we were already being swarmed. The culprits were Harpies—monsters with the heads of women and the bodies of predatory birds. They clearly viewed anyone approaching Oceanus as an intruder to be eliminated.

"Tch. [Sleep Resistance Granting]!"

I scanned the surroundings and spotted movement in the shadow of a nearby reef. It was a creature with a woman’s torso and a fish’s tail. It was starting a chant. The moment I saw it, memories of a previous encounter flashed through my mind, and I immediately threw up a defense against status ailments.

"Lumia! Handle the Lorelei!"

The Lorelei were water spirits known for luring sailors to their doom with enchanted songs. If we fell asleep in the middle of this chaos, it was game over.

Lumia used her mana to create solid footholds in the air, sprinting toward the spirits. She leveled her spear and went to work. Within seconds, the cluster of Lorelei was silenced for good.

"Baal, support Ayane and the others! Clear them out!"

"Orders received! I'll make this quick!"

Baal shifted into his beastly form before snapping back into the shape of a knight in full-plate armor. He galloped across the sky on his spectral steed, conjuring a localized storm that tore through the Harpy swarm in a straight line. The monsters kept coming, but fortunately, we were simply stronger.

Still, I couldn't afford to be complacent. I kept my detection skills active, monitoring the perimeter for any new threats.

"We’re coming up on Oceanus!" Shiki called out from his vantage point.

I looked ahead. A massive gate stood alone in the middle of the ocean. It’s an Otherworld-type. I could tell just by looking at it. The structure looked so divine it could have been the entrance to heaven itself.

We braced ourselves to charge through, but in that split second, the sea began to churn. Massive shadows surged beneath the surface—vibrant, angry red shapes that I recognized all too well.

"Are you kidding me? Krakens?"

The legendary monsters of the deep. They were the guardians of the sea, massive cephalopods known for sinking entire ships and eating whales for breakfast. Dealing with one was a chore; seeing more than ten of them at once was a nightmare.

"This is it, people!" I shouted. "We win this together!"