Chuck remembered a common trope from many games he played and novels he read as a kid.
The protagonist sets out from the starter village, braves countless dangers, crosses mountains and rivers to reach the end, only to find that the guardian there isn't the fabled Big BOSS, but merely the second-to-last one.
The true final stage was actually right behind him, back where he first set foot out of the starting zone.
In RPG games, this kind of plot point is a classic staple for players to experience, and seeing it play out on this deserted island—which felt more like a game every day—Chuck had to admit that while it was a cliché, it was clever.
At the very least, the Chuck who first woke up on that beach would never have imagined that the place where everything would finally end was the very ocean at his back.
He and Valentina made their way through the jungle, past the southern beach, and once again passed the cave where Chuck and Julia had first settled. Eventually, the pair arrived back at the pier he had built with his own hands.
The bench, the sunshade, and the glass jars for bait had already been moved into the nearby cave by Kaoru.
Right now, the sun was shining brightly, the sea breeze was cool, and the jungle behind them smelled of fresh earth after the rain.
Everything that needed to be said or felt had been repeated countless times over the past few days.
Chuck and Valentina exchanged a look. There was no need for idle chatter; they went straight into combat preparations.
First was the diving suit. Since everything was about to happen underwater, Chuck didn't just wear part of the suit like he did with the crocodile; he suited up completely, including the mask and oxygen cylinder.
Valentina did the same. Although her primary duty was backup and rescue, they couldn't rule out the possibility of her needing to dive in at a critical moment.
Next, just like at the volcanic summit, they secured a metal rod into the sand. Since the beach was much softer, the rod they prepared this time was longer and sharper. Once fixed, they tied the pre-woven hemp rope around Chuck's waist.
The hemp rope made this time was much longer than the one used for the mountain, exceeding 150 meters. It was the result of days of painstaking weaving by Yitong and the other women, ensuring Chuck could dive all the way to the seabed without issue.
Finally, of course, was the water.
Before the rope was secured to Chuck's waist, Valentina wrapped it around the pier's wooden pilings several times. Then, dressed in her own diving suit, she stood at the edge of the pier, gripping the rope with both hands.
"OK, I'm going in."
"Be careful."
Before entering the water, Chuck turned and gave a thumbs-up, nodding to Valentina through the diving mask. She responded with a calm expression, just as she had for every mission in the past.
Splash.
Water sprayed as Chuck dove successfully, slowly swimming toward the deep sea.
Toward the deep sea, but not yet into the depths.
Despite his outward calm, Chuck was well aware of the weight and importance of this battle. Caution came first.
Therefore, he didn't dive recklessly and waste the oxygen in his cylinder. Instead, he floated on the surface, moving bit by bit toward the area directly above that eerie light he had seen before.
Although Chuck had crafted a full set of diving gear and practiced diving for over a month, he was, at his core, a land creature.
If a battle could be fought on land, it was best not to enter the water. If it could be fought on the surface, it was best not to dive deep.
If he could lure the hidden underwater entity to the surface, Chuck could fight without the limitations of oxygen, and Valentina could support him with her sniper crossbow from the shore. After all, crossbow bolts only lost their lethality when fired underwater.
This was Chuck's strategy this time—simple, practical, and adaptable.
The seawater was clear with a faint blue-green tint. Sunlight pierced the surface, casting shifting patterns of light around him. The long hemp rope at his waist tugged gently as he swam. Chuck moved slowly on the surface, catching his breath occasionally while observing the surroundings through his mask.
However, after swimming forward about two hundred meters, arriving directly above the spot where he had observed the strange glow from the shore, he still found no noteworthy signs.
the biggest trait of a Lord-class BOSS was that they would attack the moment Chuck invaded their territory. Since the enemy hadn't appeared, it meant Chuck's initial plan had failed.
The surface of the sea was not its territory.
To fight it, Chuck had to dive.
It was an unavoidable reality he had to accept. He adjusted his breathing, took a deep breath, and signaled to Valentina on the distant pier before plunging downward.
Seeing this, Valentina's expression tightened. She quickly pulled her phone from her pocket and hit the start button on the countdown timer.
Her heart began to race.
The deep-sea zone was like the summit lake; the further Chuck dove, the dimmer the light became.
But the difference was that the water temperature here was bone-chilling.
Thirty meters.
Fifty meters.
Eighty meters.
The light blue water turned to deep navy. The schools of fish vanished, and the world became unnervingly quiet, as if even the sound of his own heartbeat was being swallowed by something.
Eerie.
The freezing water made the chill down his spine even sharper. Two minutes had passed since Chuck entered the water; he had already begun using the air from his cylinder.
Just as he reached a depth of nearly a hundred meters with still no results, planning to surface for a breath before reconsidering his options...
A thick tentacle covered in suckers lunged out of the darkness below without warning. Like a giant python that had been lying in wait, it instantly coiled around Chuck's waist!
"!!!"
Chuck was horrified. A massive force instantly began dragging him downward!
He instinctively tried to swing his halberd, but another tentacle was faster, wrapping around his arm. The sharp blade of the halberd traced a useless arc in the water before coming to a halt.
His chest and abdomen were squeezed tight by the tentacle. The air was instantly forced out of his lungs. His ribs let out a tooth-aching "crack-crack" sound, nearly snapping under the pressure. Chuck struggled desperately, but he could only watch helplessly as he was dragged into the deeper darkness.
What the fuck is this! A sea monster?!
It was at that moment, finally, amidst a dim yellow glow, that he saw the thing's true form—
It was a massive, repulsive mass of soft flesh. Eight thick tentacles danced like living pythons. In the center, a pair of cold eyes emitting an eerie yellow light stared directly at him, devoid of any emotion.
The next second, a massive circular maw lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth snapped open, swallowing Chuck and his halberd whole in a single gulp.
On shore.
Valentina gripped the hemp rope with white knuckles, her eyes darting to the countdown. Just as she was preparing to pull Chuck in, a terrifying, massive force suddenly surged through the rope, nearly dragging her forward!
Her expression changed instantly. Her feet slammed against the edge of the pier, every muscle in her body tensed to the absolute limit as she tried to resist. But the rope continued to slide rapidly through her palms. The coarse hemp fibers instantly shredded her skin, blood trickling through her fingers.
"Dammit!!!"
She gritted her teeth, her silver hair shaking violently as a sense of despair began to take root.
What the hell was happening?!
The wooden railing fixed to the pier snapped instantly. The entire hemp rope stretched taut. The metal rod secured on the distant beach let out a low, vibrating hum. The massive force caused the pier's wooden boards beneath Valentina's feet to shatter, and she was yanked directly into the sea.
No.
Wait.
Is the design of these last two BOSSes actually fucking reasonable?
Isn't this difficulty spike a bit much!
Before being swallowed whole, Chuck only had time for that one complaint to flash through his mind.
But immediately after, as his body was enveloped and squeezed by slimy, revolting tissue, Chuck didn't feel despair. Instead, a wave of shock and euphoria surfaced.
After being swallowed, his vision didn't go dark; it actually became brighter.
The truth behind that yellow glow was finally revealed before his eyes.
Slimy, pulsating walls of flesh contracted and squeezed him like a living tunnel. And in the center of that tunnel, an oval crystal emitting a brilliant yellow light was embedded.
It was the yellow crystal Chuck had guessed! The final piece missing from the stone platform!
This goddamn thing swallowed him whole, never expecting he'd find the critical key inside its own body!
He just had to get this thing and get out! He might not even have to kill this terrifying sea beast.
The surrounding tissue was constantly crushing Chuck's body. He could feel sharp scraping and stinging on his legs. Chuck had exhausted the last breath of oxygen in his cylinder.
It was clear this disgusting tentacled freak from the abyss was trying to crush him into a meat patty before chewing him up.
In a split second, Chuck didn't hesitate. He grabbed the yellow crystal, yanking it out from the center of the revolting flesh-wall. Then, he struggled to pull out his halberd and drove the tip with all his might into the surrounding tissue.
Instantly, a massive volume of seawater surged in.
Chuck couldn't hear sound underwater, but if he could, he was certain it would have been a scream of agony.
Chuck felt his body being blown away by a powerful gust of force. The next second, he was back in the freezing seawater.
His mask had been scraped off by something. Chuck immediately stashed the crystal in his storage space. Then, he abandoned his steel halberd entirely and began to swim upward with everything he had.
At this moment, he had finally found the way to clear the game and understood the true meaning of this final challenge.
The conclusion he had drawn from Liu Siyao's failed escape was entirely correct.
The purpose of this sea monster was to prevent anyone on the island from leaving.
Chuck had guessed this, which led him to believe the sea monster was the final BOSS to be defeated for the right to leave.
But he had been wrong about one thing.
Precisely because the island could not be left, the sea monster—as the final BOSS—was designed to be this powerful.
The reason for its existence... was to be unbeatable!
The purpose of this final battle was simply to obtain the yellow crystal and find a way to escape!
Chuck headed upward. The light grew brighter, but his bitten legs were losing blood continuously, and the surrounding water felt increasingly frigid.
Just as he was on the verge of despair, a sudden upward pull came from his waist!
Chuck, near the edge of oxygen deprivation and shock, felt an instant surge of hope.
It was Valentina!
Good girl! Pull!
But just as his body began to accelerate toward the surface, a violent sensation of crushing and entanglement coiled around his ankle once more!
Chuck looked down, and his heart turned to ice.