Hal stared into the endless darkness of the southern seas, hearing the unsettling crashes of the waves on the rocky edges of the Great Carralis Canyonlands.

After ambushing a sleeping, semi-aquatic monster of unknown species with the help of [Shadow Walk], he was able to claim a small natural alcove on one of the nearest canyon walls.

He also made sure to cast a [Spatial Distortion Barrier] and leave a few traps outside to ensure a serene night for himself.

Hal found it difficult to sleep. He couldn't help but think about Loki.

The wolf companion had razor-sharp senses, was extremely fast and nimble, and had powerful jaws.

There should be very few creatures Loki couldn't handle.

Even if he encountered one he couldn't deal with, there's a high chance the wolf would be able to escape.

'Please be fine, Loki...' was his prayer, and strangely, he was addressing it to Primordial Chaos instead of the well-known gods and goddesses worshipped by the Imperium.

With this and the thought that clearing the trials of the temple would allow him and Loki to reunite, Hal was able to drift into a relatively peaceful slumber.

The sun had already risen by the time he woke up.

Of course, without the nightly veil, the sound of waves isn't so unsettling anymore.

Hal wasn't in the mood to roast meat.

So, he simply purchased a hearty meal using the system points he earned by killing the semi-aquatic monster with thick lips, webbed feet, hands, and ears.

Grilled chicken, rice, veggies, fruits, and a hot chocolate drink were certainly a good way to start a bad, uncertain day.

Pondering while resting, Hal formulated a plan.

The first thing he needed to do was face the vast and unsettling Southern Seas.

He needed to familiarize himself with the limits of his [Mana Fins] and his underwater combat prowess.

'Phew...let's do this...'

Steeling his resolve, Hal left the alcove, activating [Glide].

He had already explored what spells he could and could not use yesterday night.

It seemed that he was allowed to use [Mana Flight] in the Great Carralis Canyonlands but not in the Southern Seas.

Perhaps this was a clue?

Landing near the edge, Hal looked down with a determined face.

He then dove without hesitation.

But then, just before his body made contact with the surface of the water, his eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat.

A monstrous maw was wide open directly beneath, waiting for him.

'Sh*t!' Hal cursed inwardly, [Blink]ing away and plunging on the seas some distance away from whatever the aquatic creature was.

Thanks to [Breathing Room], he could easily see underwater, and what he saw made him frown.

It was obviously a fish.

A huge, tuna-like fish with a crimson dorsal fin, two pairs of horizontal caudal fins, and two pairs of blue and crimson pectoral fins.

The moment it sensed the disturbance behind it, it quickly turned to look.

It naturally saw Hal, whose size was a perfect meal for the massive fish.

With cold, eerie, unfeeling eyes and not a hint of hesitation, the aquatic beast shot at Hal, opening its maws and revealing rows of sharp teeth with a pair of fangs at the forefront.

Luckily, its speed was easily manageable for his goofy yet efficient Aethersight Goggles.

Hal pointed at the fish and fired a [Piercing Light].

As expected, its speed wasn't affected one bit by the fact that he was underwater.

He naturally wouldn't use spells like [Fireball].

The huge fish was quick, but it wasn't able to dodge the projectile smoothly.

One of its pectoral fins was destroyed by the projectile.

Still, it didn't give a crap and resumed its charge.

'Tch,' Hal clicked his tongue, clumsily swimming to the side to dodge.

He quickly realized how bad an idea this was, as he only managed to escape due to the damage he had done to the fish beast.

Hal made a mental note not to attempt to outmaneuver a fish whose fins are still intact.

A dodge was a dodge, however, and he quickly fired back, shooting a dozen glowing needles at the aquatic creature.

More than half struck and embedded themselves deep into the fish beast's body.

But like earlier, it didn't have any reaction and only turned to charge at the prey again with voracious abandon.

Hal was already accustomed to the aquatic creature's attacks, though...

His gaze merely turned colder as he waited for the four-finned tuna to arrive.

Then, at the perfect moment, he shot another [Piercing Light] at it, forcing the aquatic creature to dodge.

It naturally didn't expect that the light-elemental spell was nothing but a diversion.

Before it even realized, a crackling thunder spear was already bolting its way, piercing deep into its head and frying its brain.

The fish beast then stopped moving a few moments later, flipping and floating to the surface.

[Congratulations! You've obtained 300 Chaos Points!]

'Nice!' Hal remarked inwardly.

He hadn't expected it, but these scrap points would help him significantly in surviving the wilderness while he's looking for a way to complete the trial.

Hal didn't know whether the fish's meat was edible, but he planned to store a small amount in his inventory.

So, he pushed it towards the land with a [Knockback] before he himself left the water.

It didn't take long for him to find the massive fish.

Hal quickly harvested a huge portion, kept it in his inventory, and used [Knockback] to send the carcass flying back to the sea.

Of course, he ensured that it wouldn't land anywhere near his location, since it might attract larger beasts or even a party of monsters.

There was no guarantee that there were no monsters in the sea, after all.

It was safer to throw the carcass in another area.

Hal waited for his used spells' cooldown before diving again, hoping to explore the waters around his base of operations first before extending outwards.

Unbeknownst to him, a distance away, the carcass of the tuna finally entered the sea once more, and another beast detected it, its predatory eyes quickly opening after sensing the disturbance in the waters around its lair.