National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

That day, they achieved a dream they never even dreamed of.

Get rich quick!!!

When the net made of strong bio-fiber was hauled onto the deck,

Anyone with trypophobia would probably faint on the spot.

Hundreds of jellyfish of all sizes

Like a pile of Xizhilang (a type of liquor), stacked there in layers.

The deck instantly transformed into a jellyfish party, and the few people present were the party's VIP guests.

With so many jellyfish, you could easily poke them with a weapon and get several evolution points.

After Klaus and Aurora each tapped a few times and obtained more than 30 points, the remaining points were directly decomposed by anyone due to the large number of points.

His heart raced as he looked at the quantity of [Transparent Biofilm * 367] in the warehouse.

This time, it's more than enough to evolve [Deep Sea Shadow]!

The gains in evolution points were also very encouraging.

Randomly scored 127 points, while Ivan, as the main force assisting in the capture of jellyfish, received 63 points.

Filled with the joy of a 'harvest,' the ghost bone boat continued its journey north.

Modern ship upgrade materials,

Aside from evolution points, all that's left is the [Deep Sea Crystal], which isn't particularly rare but whose acquisition depends entirely on luck. There's no rushing it, so Ivan occasionally goes underwater to see if he can reach the bottom.

The ship resumed its daily routine of eating, fishing, and collecting evolution points.

Until that night...

Renyi was in the captain's cabin reading "The Unidentified Sailor's Log," which Klaus had just finished reading.

They tried to find clues about "Gaia" between the lines.

He asked Ivan and Klaus.

When the Ocean Era was launched, it was not explicitly stated that it would be an elimination-style tournament for champions.

Furthermore, when they first entered the game, they were referred to as "Pioneers"...

Therefore, fighting amongst themselves is not a wise choice before determining the specific way to win the game. So why did the Dragon Kingdom suffer such heavy casualties?

suddenly,

A pale blue light screen enveloped him, forming a separate space.

[Dragon Kingdom Command Center requests communication, is it connected?]

"Yes."

It seemed as if some strange force was isolating him from the outside world, and Aurora, who was praying nearby, was also pulled into her own space.

The blue eyes on the shelf moved slightly.

It seemed to be spying on the uninvited guest, but was suppressed by something and obediently returned to its sleeping state.

A timer appeared at the top of the screen: 3:00.

An elderly man with completely white hair appeared opposite, dressed in a neat uniform with a shining star emblem.

He looked at Renyi with a slightly relieved gaze.

"I am Pei Canghai, we finally meet."

He casually dropped his usual pretense, and straightened his back slightly.

He sensed a familiar quality in the old man—

The spirit of soldiers who would rather die than retreat in order to defend the last line of defense.

"Anything."

"Let's get straight to the point..."

After explaining the progress, abilities, and approximate positions of all the highly competitive and special contestants, there were 1 minute and 25 seconds left on the countdown.

After General Pei finished giving his final instructions,

"...That's the situation. Do you have any further questions?"

"Yes," Renyi asked, "What year is it now?"

Although the question seemed abrupt, Pei Canghai did not hesitate at all.

"2077".

Arbitrarily not caused by pupil dilation,

It was probably about twenty years earlier than the world he lived in!

In that world, in 2075, the struggle for resources reached a fever pitch, and conflicts of all sizes began to erupt...

This laid the groundwork for the eventual collapse of order.

The world is heading down the same path...

But the [Ocean Era] is a brutal variable!

"Regarding player alliances," Ren Yichen began, "I believe that given the unequal distribution of resources..."

"You did the right thing."

As if knowing what he was about to say, General Pei interrupted him with a kind expression.

"It's not scarcity we should worry about, but inequality; if we enjoy it all to ourselves..."

"Sizzle—"

The screen flickered violently, the image of General Pei on the other side swayed into pixelated blocks, and the sound turned into static.

The timer stopped at 00:07.

The screen shattered into flowing blue data fragments, but Renyi did not return to the captain's cabin.

He fell into a blue... exactly like the one he had seen when dismantling objects.

It has no boundaries above and no physical form below.

The system panel was completely gray and could not be opened. The close connection between him and the ghost bone ship was also severed.

He was suspended in it like a speck of dust.

【……forerunner. 】

It was I who summoned you from that withered world.

"Who are you?"

[...Hydra.]

Your "system" is a part of me... Find the others—zz—they will help you...

[Zi—a scam, a sacrifice...]

Hydra's voice began to become unstable, as if it were being subjected to some kind of strong interference.

[...to stop Nyarlathotep...to awaken Zi—]

The sound grew increasingly indistinct, and the pure blue space began to distort and vibrate violently.

[Watch out... Nyarlathotep has already affected Lan... Zi—]

Before the words were finished, an irresistible and enormous repulsive force came.

The blue world before my eyes was like a shattered mirror.

"Bang!"

Renyi felt as if he had fallen from a height of 10,000 meters, and finally his back slammed heavily against the back of the chair.

He opened his eyes, and his vision was once again filled with the familiar captain's cabin.

"Mr. Arbitrary?"

Aurora had just ended her communication with her own country and was startled by the random noise.

"It's alright, go to sleep. I'll go check on Klaus and the others."

reassure Aurora,

Randomly picked up the diary, turned around, and went out.

Hydra...Nyarlathotep?

Doesn't the game 【Ocean Era】claim to be based on the will of Gaia?

The diary says Gaia is a fake.

So they were caught up in a war between two gods?

Do not......

That still can't be explained.

Hydra sent him to stop Nyarlathotep.

And what about the word "awaken"? Does it mean he should awaken something or stop Naya from awakening something?

"......" Riddler, so annoying ヽ(●-`Д´-)ノ!

However, one thing I do know is—

His system is not a sequence assigned by the game.

It is, in fact, part of the Hydra.

He used to think the system had a bit of a sense of humor, but now, looking at it again, he realized it was all about the sarcastic, cynical tone and the way it seemed to enjoy making things worse…

Ok,

This is a chatterbox who's been banned from speaking and can only vent through typing!

on deck,

Ivan is inspecting the salt produced by Jiro Sato today.

Upon seeing Renyi, Sato Jiro flinched, his eyes clearly darting away.

There's a situation that needs special attention.

"Hey, boss, finished the call?"

"Hmm, did you give any instructions?" Ren Yi replied casually.

Ivan's face immediately lit up with joy.

"General Maxi only said one sentence!"

"I'll listen to you!"

That's really... simple and crude... what's there to be happy about?!

But that saves trouble.

"And you?"

Meeting Sato Jiro's gaze, she asked, "Mr. Sato, what did you talk about with your 'family' just now?"