The sea surface resembled a stagnant pool, without a ripple in sight.

The sea water appeared pitch black, resembling a kind of black sticky liquid at first glance, similar to some oil-based substance, and the surface emitted a foul stench, even stinging the eyes.

Josh slightly furrowed his eyebrows and instinctively held his breath.

Upon careful inspection, one would notice that the sea surface was strewn with floating carcasses of marine life; various dead fish, whales, dolphins, and small fish and shrimp, seemingly long dead, emitting an overwhelming odor.

Every now and then, bubbles would erupt in some spots, appearing on the brink of explosion.

A deep voice sounded from behind: "Do you know how long we’ve survived in this environment?"

Josh turned around and saw the statue behind him.

She slightly furrowed her eyebrows: "How long?"

The statue: "Hundreds of years."

"Since this sea lost its king, the water lost its purifying ability. The king followed in the queen’s footsteps and left this domain."

"At first, our days were relatively peaceful, but later, an underwater volcano erupted. The king returned to the sea and expended much of his Divine Power to seal the seabed in ice, hoping to protect us."

"He thought this would safeguard us, and soon left again. But later..."

"Humans destroyed the ocean’s ecological environment, global warming, glaciers melted. Humans discharged nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean for experiments, along with the original various man-made trash, quickly destroying the environmental balance, causing our bodies to undergo gene mutations."

"Without the king, we could only seek help from humans. But when humans first saw merfolk come ashore, they went entirely mad..."

"They began mass-catching marine life for experiments; the underwater life grew more bizarre, with many new species disturbing the ecological order on the seabed."

"Old and new species started to slaughter each other, and humans discarded the failed experimental subjects directly into the ocean. As the king’s subjects, merfolk engaged in a century-long battle to protect the other sea creatures from these monstrous experimental entities."

"Afterward, the sea became hell, with various man-eating fishes appearing, swallowing almost all underwater life."

Josh asked in puzzlement: "Can’t you escape? The sea is much larger than the land, you should be able to get away, right?"

The statue gazed deeply at her: "We could. But there was a traitor among the sea creatures. The octopus traitor executed by the king years ago was resurrected by humans with modern genes, genetically modified into a merfolk. It infiltrated the ocean, stealing the king’s second heart, the Heart of the Ocean. Under its summon, no marine creature could resist human capture."

"We exerted great effort to steal back the Heart of the Ocean, and in revenge against humans, we also wrecked two ships, a tourist cruise ship and a test vessel."

"The traitor was also trapped with us under the sea, sealed with the Heart of the Ocean."

Josh heard this and a knowing look flashed in her eyes; the Tentacle Monster she killed beside the Heart of the Ocean was indeed the octopus she had slain in her beginner dungeon.

So this instance was the beginner dungeon she had entered before!

Another new instance timeline had continued.

This was truly too eerie...

The statue looked at her, his voice becoming gloomier: "Do you know how much effort it took us to retrieve the Heart of the Ocean to the seabed?"

"If the Heart of the Ocean returns to the experiment ship and humanity gains its power, no marine life will be able to resist humans, and we will face certain doom."

"Human, do you still want to take the Heart of the Ocean?"

Josh looked at the statue, with a glimmer in her eyes: "Yes."

The statue fell silent.

Josh could feel the air around her pressing in relentlessly, like solid walls squeezing her forcefully toward the center.

The statue was enraged.

Josh said, "Is this the judgment of the gods?"

The statue: "No, the judgment of the gods lies in, if you take away the Heart of the Ocean, you must take responsibility for the sea creatures. Josh, should any marine life die because of your actions, the entire ocean will become your enemy, hunting you to the ends of the earth, until death."

"Even so, do you still want to take the Heart of the Ocean?"

Josh nodded: "Rest assured, I will be responsible for the sea creatures. And I promise you, if you let me take the Heart of the Ocean today, I will one day return to you a complete king."

The statue gazed at her, remaining silent for a long time.

Josh saw the surrounding scene shift.

She was back at the seabed, with her teammates nearby, each with eyes closed, sitting quietly as if in a meditative state, looking tranquil and composed.

Just as Josh was about to speak, her vision went black.

When she reopened her eyes, the scene before her had changed dramatically.

The voice of the statue sounded again, but it didn’t match the voice of the previous statue.

"Don’t be hasty in making a decision, I wish to show you something."

Josh nodded and relaxed her body.

The surrounding scene gradually brightened.

It was a place resembling a laboratory, immensely large, with numerous tanks of transparent blue-green liquid akin to fish tanks harboring submerged marine life.

Some were sharp-mouthed fish with multiple limbs, others seahorses with antennas on their heads, and various creatures bizarrely resembling pieced-together monsters.

Josh’s gaze moved forward, and the image inexplicably approached her direction.

Only then did she clearly see the object, something like an operating table, surrounded by humans in full white coats, fully armed.

On the operating table lay a female mermaid, an expression of terror and helplessness on her face, wearing a collar. Sharp metal blades embedded in the collar pierced her throat to prevent her from making a sound.

The nearby doctors in white coats were preparing something.

Josh’s gaze darkened, a foreboding feeling stirring inside her.

The doctor held two metal plates, similar to defibrillators, and as they contacted the mermaid’s abdomen, the mermaid began to thrash violently.

Josh’s abdomen suddenly joined in searing pain, a sensation seemingly erupting from inside, spreading from the abdomen throughout her body, even reaching her head.

She felt as if her body was being torn apart.

Josh groaned softly, instinctively crouching, clutching her abdomen.

Yet, aside from smooth skin, there was nothing there.

No wounds, no heat marks, no signs of discomfort.

The physical torment gradually faded, a fine sheen of sweat covering her forehead.

The scene before her shifted again, revealing a tall, upright glass column with two fish inside, appearing like a large and small pair of mother and child fish.

Josh barely prepared as a surge of electricity coursed through her body from outside to inside.

Simultaneously numbed by the shock, a sharp pain swiftly rose within her body.