While teasing each other, and under Amy''s guidance, after walking nearly two kilometres, they appeared before a small cave entrance where only one person could fit. It was so well hidden behind bushes and tree branches that, without a guide, it would have been easy to miss.

    "This is quite a narrow entrance for a dungeon," Myne complained as he threw a few wind blades at the entrance, cutting away the bushes and branches blocking it.

    "I''ll go first. You two follow me. Remember to be careful—we don''t know when someone might attack us. Anything can happen in a dungeon," He warned Amy and Waffle before stepping into the cave. Thanks to his night vision, he didn''t have to worry about any surprises appearing from the darkness, making him the perfect candidate for scouting.

    After a ten-minute walk along a narrow path, they finally saw the light ahead. As they emerged, they found themselves in a cavernous hall, twice the size of a football field, made from shiny blue stone with unknown designs. The artificially modified walls gave off a metallic vibe. Rows of magic lamps hung on the walls, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

    Directly opposite them was a small platform raised a few inches from the floor, with a shiny blue crystal, about half a person''s height, floating in the centre.

    "Why is this dungeon''s entrance hall so big?" Myne frowned as he looked around the empty but grand hall. Compared to it, the previous dungeon of strength was no better than a peasant''s hut. There was no comparison at all; this hall alone covered half the space of that entire dungeon.

    "Amy, have you ever been here before?" Feeling something was off but unable to pinpoint the source of his unease, he asked Amy, who was looking around like a curious country bumpkin.

    "Sorry, I haven''t. But I''ve heard a lot of stories about this dungeon, though none mentioned such a large entrance hall," Amy replied, just as confused as Myne. However, unlike him, she didn''t feel anything was wrong.

    "That''s weird. Then who built—"

    "Ahem, MYNE!"

    Just as Myne was racking his brain while walking towards the teleportation crystal, which would send them to the first floor of the dungeon, Waffle''s nervous voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts.

    He turned to look at him but saw Waffle staring at the ceiling alongside Amy. Both of their eyes were wide with horror, trembling for some reason.

    Confused, Myne followed their gaze and was dumbfounded. A giant creature, probably around 150 meters in size and resembling a fish, was slowly descending from the sky towards them.

    Only now did Myne realize that the hall didn''t have a ceiling at all, and the top of the cavern was open as if someone had hollowed out the trunk of the world tree, creating a passage from the ground to the sky.

    Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

    As the giant fish drew nearer, Waffle, who had been shaking with fear, blinked in confusion and then screamed with joy.

    "It''s Aunt Cetus! I was scared for no reason. This is all your fault, Myne. Because of you, I thought we were being attacked by some ancient monster," Waffle complained, hitting Myne''s head with his paw to vent his anger. He felt his dignity had been destroyed in front of Amy because of Myne. How could a divine beast like him be scared?

    [ Name: Myne Fortuna

    LV: 143

    Race: Hume

    Gender: Male

    Age: 15 y/o

    Occupation: The Hunter, The Son-in-law of the Royal Augusta Family...

    Divine Protection of The World Tree: Nature Blessings

    Divine Beast''s Sacred Protection (Telepathy): Fenrir, Jormungandr, Leviathor Nightstalker, Ymir, Cetus (New) ]

    Still better than nothing. And with this, I''ve collected five of the protections so far. Halfway there before I''m acquainted with all the divine beasts. Fenrir also said that after I''ve received all ten protections, there will be an unexpected surprise waiting for me. I wonder what it is? Maybe then I can finally charm that beautiful lady? Myne thought happily. He still hadn''t forgotten the crystal lady divine beast he had a secret crush on (Chapter 513).

    "But as a troublemaker who stole Fenrir''s sleep, you''re surprisingly weak," Cetus remarked, her voice a chilling counterpoint to his thoughts. "I thought you''d be much more powerful. Where do you get the courage to wander through dimensional lands floating in the void and run around in other worlds with such pitiful strength? You truly don''t fear death, do you?"

    Each of Cetus''s words felt like poisonous arrows, hitting hard on Myne''s poor heart and making him vomit imaginary blood. It seemed Cetus had a good relationship with Fenrir; otherwise, she wouldn''t know Myne so well despite meeting him for the first time. Her assessment of his character was surprisingly accurate.

    "Anyway, it''s nice to meet you both. Though Waffle has already mentioned my name, I should introduce myself properly."

    "My name is Cetus, the one who governs the sea in our world. As you can see, I''m a whale Divine Beast, with absolute control over water elements."

    Cetus introduced herself, this time her voice sounding directly in everyone''s mind.

    "Whale? What''s a whale?" Myne scratched his head, exchanging a confused look with Amy. Clearly, they had no idea what a whale was.

    "Aah, so you don''t know what a whale is! I see. Have you ever seen the ocean? It''s a creature that lives in the sea. Of course, I''m different from those low-level creatures. You can also call me the Sea Goddess, though I prefer not to use that title, it sounded like I running some kind of dark cult thing. Those native to the sea call me that despite my refusal to accept the title. Well, whatever. Just remember, a creature that looks like me is called a whale, and it''s a marine creature."