TSA Chapter 90

The battle must have been too intense—the rocky walls around the Bloodthirsty Crocodile’s corpse had developed numerous cracks. Water began seeping through, and the flow was only getting stronger.

What had originally been knee-deep water suddenly surged up to their chests. They were in an enclosed waterway—if the flooding continued, they would all be submerged. Even though they knew this was just a game, the realism was enough to make everyone panic.

“Don’t panic. You won’t drown,” Night Owl remained calm, already suspecting that this was the way to the next stage.

The water level kept rising until it completely submerged them. Fortunately, the game mechanics prevented them from drowning as long as they had enough stamina. However, before they could adjust, a powerful underwater current came out of nowhere, sweeping them down into the depths.

It felt like they had been tossed into a giant washing machine, tumbling uncontrollably. By the time they regained their bearings, they had been carried far away, now floating in the vast, endless ocean. The rocky island from before had already disappeared into the distance. But they could vaguely make out the silhouette of a large ship. Someone on board was waving a red flag in their direction—it seemed they had been spotted.

It looked like they had escaped their previous predicament. If they could just board that ship, they might be able to leave this sea dungeon.

“Is it over already?” Some of them were still in a daze.

“Probably not that simple.” Night Owl shook his head. The final bosses of Abyss dungeons were always powerful. That crocodile earlier hadn’t reached final boss level—there was no way they’d be allowed to leave so easily.

The ship drew closer, and NPC sailors threw down ropes to pull them aboard.

Before they could even thank them, the once-calm sea suddenly surged with waves. A massive shadow slowly emerged from beneath the water.

“Holy crap! What is that?! Why is it so huge?!” Everyone stared in stunned silence at the colossal figure rising from the depths.

Even Ran Qi took a deep breath. Although he already knew what the final boss of the Sea Abyss dungeon was, seeing it firsthand in full-immersion mode was still breathtaking.

It was an enormous Megalodon, measuring over fifteen meters long and weighing more than fifty tons. Its jagged, razor-sharp teeth had a bite force comparable to that of a T-Rex, capable of effortlessly crushing a whale’s bones. Its attack power and defense were leagues beyond the previous mobs—not to mention, it had an incredibly complex battle mechanic. This was going to be a brutal fight.

Before they could even prepare, the Megalodon charged at the ship with terrifying speed, ramming into the hull with full force. The impact sent the entire ship tilting violently. An NPC lost their footing and was thrown overboard—only to be instantly devoured by the shark. Blood dyed the deep blue sea red, sending the remaining NPCs into a panic. They all scrambled to take cover inside the cabin.

But hiding wasn’t an option for Night Owl and his team. The Megalodon was the final boss they had to face.

The moment the Megalodon appeared, a ship durability bar also popped up. It would increase by 1% every minute, and once it reached 100%, the ship would sink—wiping out all players. That meant they had to defeat the Megalodon before the ship was completely destroyed.

As the main tank, Four Seasons was the first to rush onto the deck. He activated [Shield Bash], hurling his shield straight at the Megalodon’s head, instantly drawing its aggro.

Enraged, the Megalodon slammed its tail into the water, creating massive waves.

“Hold onto the railing! Don’t fall overboard!” Night Owl shouted.

The towering waves came crashing down on them like slabs of reinforced concrete. Losing HP was one thing, but if they failed to grip the railing and got swept off the deck, they would likely meet the same fate as that NPC—devoured by the Megalodon.

Ran Qi grabbed onto a nearby flagpole while immediately casting a group heal. That wave had drained a significant chunk of the team’s HP.

“Feng Tian! This boss stacks a Weaken debuff on the tank! Keep an eye on it with me—once it reaches three stacks, you must cleanse it immediately! We can’t afford to lose the tank!” Ran Qi reminded Feng Tian.

As the main tank, Four Seasons was closest to the boss, taking the full brunt of its attacks. Just one hit had already knocked 60% of his HP away. The boss’s direct attacks also applied a stacking Weaken debuff, increasing damage taken by 10% per stack. If it reached three stacks or more, the damage would increase exponentially—enough to kill instantly, even without a critical hit. Purging it in time was absolutely necessary.

“No problem!” Feng Tian nodded in agreement.

“Is there an issue with the DPS meter? Why is it showing zero? Did I miss my shots? Are my skills not hitting the boss?” Smoke asked in confusion.

“I’m also at zero!” Blossoming noticed the same issue.

Night Owl glanced at the DPS meter and saw that he, too, was at zero. He frowned slightly and observed carefully before coming to a conclusion—when most of the Megalodon’s body was submerged in the water, it was immune to magical damage, meaning only physical attacks could harm it. However, when it surfaced with most of its body exposed, it became immune to physical attacks and could only be damaged by magic.

Fortunately, the boss’s movements followed a pattern. Every time it created a massive wave, it would first dive underwater. Then, when attacking the ship, most of its body would emerge. The magic and physical DPS alternated their attacks accordingly, gradually getting into the rhythm of the fight.

However, the boss’s attack power was overwhelmingly strong. Ran Qi and Feng Tian had to heal continuously while also removing debuffs, leaving them with barely any time to catch their breath.

Ideally, a team should have a balanced mix of magic and physical DPS to maximize efficiency. Though their party only had three magic users, Night Owl was essentially a walking artillery turret, ensuring that their magical damage output didn’t fall too far behind.

As the Megalodon’s HP dropped lower, its attacks became even more aggressive—first lunging and slamming at random targets, then ramming the ship and whipping its tail around, as if determined to tear the vessel apart.

The party’s HP bars were constantly fluctuating. If not for the two priests keeping up with heals, casualties would have already started piling up.

When the Megalodon’s HP dropped to 50%, it unleashed its ultimate attack. Like a whale, it began sucking in massive amounts of seawater, generating a powerful suction force that pulled all the players toward it while continuously draining their health.

The waves crashing onto the deck made everything slippery, and the ship had sustained serious damage from the repeated impacts. Several railings had already snapped, leaving them with very few places to hold onto for support.

Ran Qi slipped multiple times. If not for Night Owl keeping a close eye on him and protecting him the whole time, he would have fallen into the sea already.

Feng Tian was also being shielded by Soul Chaser and the others, so he wasn’t in too much danger. But Blossoming was struggling—being a girl, she didn’t have the same physical endurance as Smoke. At one point, her hand slipped, and the powerful suction force dragged her forward. She staggered a few steps before plunging headfirst into the ocean.

“Grab her!”

“Who has a rope?!”

Before anyone could react, Blossoming was already swallowed by the current, disappearing into the depths without a trace.

Just two or three seconds later, the system announced her death—she had likely been attacked by the Megalodon.

“Can we revive her?” Night Owl turned to Ran Qi. They only had three magic users on the team, so they needed to bring Blossoming back as soon as possible.

“Yes.”

Fortunately, Ran Qi had the Resurrection spell, allowing him to bring fallen teammates back to life. According to the game mechanics, the Megalodon wouldn’t consume a player’s corpse. Once dead, Blossoming’’s body simply floated to the surface, making it easier for Ran Qi to cast the spell.

Ran Qi began chanting, and a gentle white glow enveloped her body. A six-pointed magic circle appeared, radiating brilliant light. Moments later, Blossoming was back on the deck, standing once more.

“Everyone, be careful!”