Cold!

  Bone-chilling cold!

  A freezing liquid, paired with a nasty stench, frantically gushed into Elara’s stomach and lungs. She coughed violently, her limbs growing colder and weaker from the lack of oxygen.

  “What the heck is happening to me?”

  Elara freaked out, using every ounce of strength to lift her head out of the water.

  Coughing nonstop, she spat out that salty, fishy water.

  Then she took big gulps of air!

  The air felt so sweet to her, even though it carried a thick moldy smell and the scent of rotting wood.

  Though her body was still cold and weak as heck, Elara finally managed to open her eyes and take a good look at her surroundings.

  She realized she was lying in a leaky, beat-up wooden boat, covered in patchy dark green mold everywhere.

  The boat rocked, and she could hear the sound of waves.

  This boat was tiny—tiny enough to feel like a freaking coffin.

  Everything around her was pitch black; the sky looked like it was draped in a black cloth, not a single star or speck of moonlight in sight. Looking out, there wasn’t even a flicker of light on the sea.

  It was like Elara had been swallowed by endless darkness.

  The only light came from some scattered crystal stones in the boat, glowing with a faint green shimmer.

  These crystals looked like moss or parasites, embedded in the rotten wood of the boat.

  Holy crap!

  Where the heck am I?

  Wasn’t I just chilling, watching anime and simping over my waifu?

  How did I end up somewhere else after just blinking?

  But right now, more importantly, Elara noticed—this junky boat was actually sinking!

  The water under her feet was already deep enough to soak her pant legs.

  If this kept up, she’d probably have less than ten minutes before she drowned!

  Looks like there’s nowhere to run. If she didn’t want to drown, she’d have to fix this boat.

  Sweat beaded on Elara’s forehead as she hurriedly grabbed a glowing green crystal from the water and found the hole at the bottom of the boat.

  The hole was about the size of a thumb, and cold, stinky seawater was gushing out like a fountain.

  Elara thought for a sec. The green crystal she was using as a light was just the right size. She carefully stuffed it into the hole, and the leak slowed down a ton.

  And then, something totally unexpected happened.

  The green stone started giving off a faint flash and fused perfectly with the surrounding wood. Now, not a single drop sprayed out.

  Elara was stoked! She quickly picked up a silver cup from the water, scooped up some seawater, and dumped it overboard.

  She wanted to clear the seawater out of the boat.

  But as she looked up, Elara froze.

  How did this coffin-sized junk boat suddenly get bigger?

  The boat had at least doubled in size, and right in front of her, a pitch-black wooden door appeared.

  There was a new cabin on the boat!

  And on the door hung a little wooden sign that said “Treasure.”

  Was there some good loot inside?

  *Knock knock knock!*

  Elara politely tapped the door, but sadly, there was no response from inside.

  She excitedly pushed the door open and stepped in.

  “Where’s the treasure… What the heck are these weird things, lol?!”

  “The so-called treasure is *this* stuff? A bunch of boxes full of women’s underwear—lace ones, striped ones, plus petticoats, maid outfits, and all kinds of lolita dresses!”

  “Bruh, even a bottle of cola would’ve been better. I’m starving and thirsty here, you dumb boat!”

  Elara poked at them with disdain and noticed some of the clothes even had a warm, fragrant smell.

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  WTF, were these clothes just taken off by some chick or something?

  Desperately shoving some weird thoughts out of her head, Elara decided to rummage around—maybe there’d be something else in here.

  But just as she was about to start, she suddenly noticed a huge mirror in the room.

  Standing in front of it, she couldn’t help but gape.

  In the mirror was a different person—she didn’t look like this before crossing over.

  Right now, the reflection showed a red-haired little loli with pale skin, delicate features, and big, expressive eyes that carried a hint of shock and panic. She looked so pitifully cute you’d wanna protecc her.

  “I turned into a little loli?!”

  Elara tugged at her adorable cheeks, suddenly kinda getting it. Were all these clothes in the room meant for her?

  Right now, she was wearing a tattered, soaked old linen shirt. Sure, she still looked cute as heck in it, but it wasn’t exactly comfy.

  How about… trying them on?

  It took a while to change, but eventually, Elara sat fully dressed on the stool.

  In the mirror, her tiny, rosy feet were tucked into pure white stockings, her slim legs hidden under a pink-and-white petticoat—so freaking cute!

  But what really stole the show was her tender, charming little face—pale, round, and so pinchable!

  Elara couldn’t help but squeal, “Whoa, I’m so pretty!”

  After a little self-admiration sesh, Elara clutched her stomach, feeling kinda bad. She was probably hungry.

  But in this dump, there wasn’t even a cola. Where was she supposed to find food?

  Elara bent over, digging through piles of pink-and-white panties, striped thigh-highs, and random stuff, and actually found something in a corner trash heap.

  A pink net!

  Looking at this mesh thing in her hands, Elara started to wonder.

  Sure, it kinda looked like a toy—maybe one of *those* naughty ones—but it was a net, and it seemed sturdy. Maybe it could catch fish!

  No time to waste! Elara shuffled over with her little steps, sat on the edge of the boat, and tossed the net into the water.

  After waiting a grueling hour, there was finally some action.

  And judging by the wild splashing on the surface, this fish wasn’t small—it was huge!

  It might even be bigger than her, this red-haired loli.

  Maybe because she was so hungry, or maybe she was secretly a stronk loli,

  Elara actually managed to haul that indescribable net up.

  But when she took a closer look, she was dumbfounded.

  What she pulled up wasn’t a fish—it was a white-haired, purple-eyed girl in a black dress! She was young, but her chest was pretty big…

  The white-haired girl struggled to sit up in the net, her cute face full of wariness. Her eyes locked onto Elara with a mix of shock and fear.

  “Are… are you a monster? Or some high-level familiar?!”

  The white-haired girl was tense, her small hand pulling an ancient-looking longsword from her waist and holding it across her ample chest.

  That sword looked crazy sharp!

  Elara pointed at her own pale, adorable face, feeling kinda speechless inside.

  Me, a red-haired loli like this, looking like a monster? A familiar? Come on!

  Judging by her vibe, she seemed super on guard, like she thought Elara might hurt her or something.

  The one holding a sword is *you*, okay?!

  Careful, that thing’s sharp, yo!

  “Is there a monster that looks *this* cute? Chill out, big sis!”

  Elara helplessly spread her hands

  The white-haired girl sized her up and down a few times, starting to believe her a bit. After all, the monsters of the lightless sea were usually hideous and freaky—like pigs covered in eyes, rats with straw-like tongues, or weirdos with oozing sores on their necks.

  “You’re not a monster? Looks like you’re a hunter who drifted into the lightless sea, just like me?”

  The white-haired girl guessed. She observed closely, confirming the tiny girl in front of her had barely any supernatural aura—either a normie or super weak.

  Elara nodded eagerly. “Yeah, yeah! Put the sword down first, and let’s talk this out nicely.”

  The white-haired girl nodded, her serious yet slightly derpy face saying, “Come here, little one. Stick by me—I’ll protect you!”

  “You gotta be careful. The lightless sea is full of dangers everywhere!”

  “The air here is laced with black poison mist. It floats around, and if you’re exposed too long, you could die.”

  “Every single thing on this boat—try not to touch it. It might carry a deadly curse. One slip-up, and you’re toast!”

  “See that silver cup on the floor? That could be a vampire clan’s ritual item. Pinch its edge lightly, and a banshee’s scream will rip out, shredding your eardrums and stealing your sanity!”

  The white-haired girl rambled on endlessly.

  Elara listened, kinda zoning out. Was this boat really *that* dangerous?

  To her, it felt pretty safe—cozy, even.

  According to this white-haired big sis, this junky boat was freaking terrifying.

  But Elara had been on this boat for almost an hour and hadn’t run into any danger. Honestly, it felt kinda safe.

  Poisonous black mist? Wasn’t the air here sweet as heck?

  And that silver cup thing? Didn’t I just use it to scoop water out of the boat? It’s trash-tier—I wouldn’t even give it a second glance. How’d it turn into some vampire ritual item in her story?!

  “Is she just a chuuni, or am I the weird one here?”

  Elara couldn’t help but wonder.

  “Hahaha, really? This place is *that* dangerous? Guess I’ll have to rely on big sis to protect me!”

  Elara laughed it off, masking her thoughts, then asked, “By the way, big sis, why were you in the sea? How’d I net you up?”

  Hearing her question, the white-haired girl looked totally confused. “What do you mean ‘how was I in the sea’? Didn’t you come up from the water too? In the lightless sea, humans can only survive underwater—even hunters aren’t exempt! But your net—what even is that thing? I was fighting a target underwater, and then this huge net swooped down and nabbed me!”

  “Uh, well…”

  Before Elara could answer, the white-haired girl’s expression shifted. She yanked Elara into her arms, staring warily at the sea.

  Whoa, white-haired big sis’s hug is so soft!

  Elara’s cheeks flushed a bit.

  But her hands were total pervs, wrapping around the girl’s slim waist and burying her face in that big, soft chest—so squishy and fragrant!

  “Look! Something’s coming up from under the sea!”

  The white-haired girl didn’t even notice Elara’s sneaky paws, her face tense as she spoke.

  Elara caught her nervousness and quickly looked too.

  Sure enough, the water around the boat was churning hard, and a faint glow pierced up from the depths.

  *Boom!*

  The water exploded, and a green-skinned monster with a fish head and human body leapt out.

  Its skin was covered in scales, its claws razor-sharp, and its mouth full of long, pointy teeth.

  “Watch out! That’s a C-rank Deep One! I was hunting it earlier, but now it seems to have another opponent.”

  The white-haired girl shielded Elara, stepping back a few paces until they were almost at the boat’s edge.

  Right after she spoke, an even wilder ripple hit the sea’s surface, and a pitch-black figure burst out.

  At first glance, it looked human-ish but was freakishly huge—over three meters tall.

  And weirdly, its head was disproportionately tiny, like an upside-down triangular metal chunk.

  “Crap! That’s an Executioner! Way worse than a Deep One. In the hunter guild of underground London, Executioners are listed as one of the last monsters you’d ever wanna face—nicknamed ‘Hunter Killers.’ Its attack comes from its mouth…”

  White-haired big sis treated Elara like a newbie hunter, explaining patiently.

  She sure knew a lot.

  But her pretty face went pale as a ghost.

  Clearly, the Executioner’s appearance freaked her out big time!

  “Executioners have this thing—they radiate a strong aura of terror. Us veteran hunters call it the ‘Madness Field.’ If your strength’s too low and you get near one, your mind goes hazy, your vision blurs, and eventually, you lose it completely…”

  “For newbie hunters, if you enter certain zones and start feeling dizzy, you gotta get out fast—no lingering!”

  “Right now, that thing’s super close. Even I’m feeling my vision twist a bit. If you’re dizzy, your eyes are blurry, or you feel like puking, close your eyes ASAP and focus your mind.”

  White-haired big sis sounded like a dedicated teacher, tirelessly explaining.

  Elara listened, kinda dumbfounded. Sure, this thing was a bit ugly, but a Madness Field? For real? Why didn’t she feel *anything* off?

  If anything, it felt kinda… friendly to her.

  And while they were chatting, after the Executioner hit the surface, that metallic upside-down triangle head suddenly split open.

  Out popped a ton of tentacles—each three or four meters long—wriggling like Medusa’s hair!

  Those gross tentacles moved crazy fast. The Deep One trying to flee got snagged by its legs, yanked back with a *squelch*.

  *Splatter!*

  The greenish Deep One was ripped to shreds in an instant. The Executioner skewered the bloody chunks with its tentacles and shoveled them into its mouth like it was eating kebabs.

  Its head might be small, but its appetite? Huge. It downed that big Deep One in a few bites—faster than Elara eating snacks.

  After finishing the Deep One, the Executioner’s gaze snapped to the boat. But weirdly, it didn’t attack—just roared low, like it was saying something.

  “Little sis, stay right here and don’t move. I’m gonna take it on. If it looks like I’m about to die, dive into the water and swim as far as you can!”

  White-haired big sis didn’t even look back, her melodic voice firm with resolve.

  “Big sis, how about we just let it come over instead?”

  Elara sensed a chance to flex her bluffing skills… er, her brave spirit. She could tell from its roars—it was submitting to her, full of fear.

  It was a strange feeling. Their languages didn’t match, but she could clearly sense the Executioner’s intent. It was like a puppy caught snacking, desperately trying to please her!

  This big guy was scared of *her*. As a brave hero, this was her time to shine—no backing down! The less she feared it, the safer she’d be. And honestly, she wasn’t scared at all.

  “Let it come over? Kid, we’re hunters—humanity’s last blade. How can we give up so easily? You’re still young—you can run. But me? I have to face my fate!”

  White-haired big sis was dead serious.

  Elara rubbed her own little face, feeling a bit helpless. Sure, I’m young, but you don’t look much older—maybe sixteen tops!

  While Elara was lost in thought, white-haired big sis kicked off the boat, shooting toward the mountain-sized Executioner like an arrow.

  Her black longsword flashed with a blinding white light.

  “Hope Spirit Sword—Light Slash!”

  With a fierce cry, her stunning figure glowed even more beautifully under that sword’s radiance.

  In this pitch-black lightless sea, her sword light shone like the freaking sun.

  Sure, it was dazzling—but kinda weak.

  The Executioner just stood there, tanking her hit. Not only did it not get hurt, its skin didn’t even scratch—just a faint white mark on the surface.

  “Ahem, this Executioner’s way too OP.”

  White-haired big sis’s cheeks flushed red as she coughed awkwardly.

  In a few moves, she got smacked back, landing right where she started.

  Since Elara was there, the thing didn’t even go hard—just lightly swatted her back. That sealed it for Elara.

  This guy was harmless—at least while she was around. If it wanted to attack, it’d have done it a million times by now.

  When white-haired big sis landed back on the boat and saw Elara still hadn’t left, tears streamed down her face. She sobbed, “Wahhh, you dumb little girl, why didn’t you run?! Looks like we’re both gonna die here today… Mommy, I regret becoming a hunter…”

  “We’re probably not gonna die, right?”

  Seeing the Executioner carefully crawl over, Elara brushed off her petticoat, stood up, and took a few light steps forward.