The remaining cultist did not wait for another invitation to die.

He charged forward with his rusted cutlass raised high above his head, letting out a desperate battle cry that echoed through the cavern.

Kai watched the clumsy swing approach and calmly stepped to the left.

He ducked under the rusted blade because the man had terrible footwork and zero balance.

Kai brought his elbow up hard under the cultist’s chin, snapping the man’s head back with a loud, sickening crack.

’These guys fight like drunken sailors,’ Kai thought to himself, stepping smoothly over the falling body.

’But the big boss in the kelp dress is still channeling that massive spell.’

He looked past the fighting and saw the High Priestess raising her pale green hands toward the ceiling.

The water pooling around the bottom of the stone stairs began to rise at an alarming speed.

A massive wave of freezing ocean water surged upward, threatening to wash the entire party back down into the sunken tunnels and drown them in the dark.

"Eliza, blind her," Kai shouted over the deafening roar of the rising tide.

Eliza raised her hands and unleashed a flash of holy light directly at the stone altar.

The sudden brightness cut through the gloom and made the High Priestess flinch.

She looked away for just a split second to protect her sensitive black eyes.

That tiny window of distraction was all Kai needed to turn the tide.

He closed the distance to the heavy stone altar in three long strides and pushed his physical stats to their absolute limit to gain the necessary leverage. He jumped off the slab to gain height and launched himself directly at the screaming Priestess.

He tackled her right around her waist and drove her hard into the ancient stone wall behind the altar.

The impact knocked the breath completely from her lungs, causing her dark magic to sputter out instantly. The rising wave of water lost its magical support and collapsed harmlessly back down the stairs, washing over the boots of the dead cultists and draining into the cracks of the floor.

Kai pinned the struggling Priestess against the cold wall.

She thrashed wildly beneath him, but his strength stat was far too high for her to break loose.

He raised his blessed dagger high in the air, keeping his grip tight on her green kelp dress so she could not slip away into the shadows.

"You cannot kill the ocean," the Priestess hissed. She showed her jagged teeth in a bloody, arrogant smile.

"The deep always claims what belongs to it."

"I don’t need to kill the ocean," Kai replied coldly, staring right into her completely black eyes.

"I just need to kill you."

He drove the steel straight down into her heart. The blessed blade burned through her corrupted flesh with a loud sizzle.

She let out one final, gurgling sigh before her physical form lost all its shape.

Her body dissolved entirely into a puddle of foul water that splashed across his boots and drained away into the stone floor.

[Boss Defeated: High Priestess of the Deep]

[Experience Gained: +1500 EXP]

[Level Up: Level 50 raised to Level 70]

[Stat Points Available: +5]

[Loot Acquired: Pearl of the Abyss]

[System Notification: Faction Standing with Drowned Gods has reached Hostile.]

Kai stepped back from the foul puddle and wiped his blade clean on a dry piece of his trousers.

He read the floating blue text with a highly satisfied smile.

’Reaching hostile status with a group of crazy fish cultists is definitely a badge of honor,’ Kai thought, dismissing the system windows with a mental command.

He turned around and looked across the ruined sanctum.

The remaining cultists were all dead on the floor.

Lora stood over the last one, pulling her steel bolt out of his shoulder with a smooth jerk.

The aura of the large room was rapidly fading away, replaced by the clean, salty smell of a normal ocean cave.

Gina sat on the wet tile floor near the altar.

She rocked her crying older sister back and forth in a tight, desperate embrace.

Clara was fully awake now and sobbing loudly into Gina’s wet shoulder.

Eliza walked over and placed a comforting hand on the rescued girl’s back, whispering soft words to calm her down after the terrifying ordeal.

Lora walked up to the stone altar and leaned her back against the slab.

Her wet silk shirt clung tightly to her skin, making her look incredibly tempting in the dim light of the blue braziers.

She reloaded her hand crossbow with a satisfied smirk and looked right at Kai.

"That was a very exciting morning," Sera noted dryly, resting her weapon on her hip.

"But I think we should probably get out of this cave before the actual tide comes back in and traps us down here."

"I agree," Kai nodded, putting his dagger safely away in its sheath.

"The sea cult is dead, and another part of the coast is safe again. It is time to find a hot meal and a soft bed to properly celebrate our victory."

Eliza looked up from the two sisters and narrowed her bright eyes at Lora. She walked away from the girls and moved to stand directly beside Kai.

She possessively rested her hand on his hip, letting her thumb brush right against his stomach.

"He is definitely going to need a soft bed after doing all the heavy lifting," Eliza agreed.

Her voice dropped to a confident tone that echoed slightly in the large cavern.

"But his stamina is already fully booked for the evening, Lora. You are just going to have to wait your turn in line."

Lora laughed softly and bit her bottom lip.

She let her purple eyes drag slowly down Kai’s chest before meeting his gaze.

"I am a very patient merchant, Eliza. I know how to wait for a high-value investment to pay off."

Kai chuckled because the lingering adrenaline from the boss fight mixed perfectly with the sudden, competitive heat radiating from both women.

He wrapped his arm around Eliza’s waist to pull her close, but he kept his eyes locked on Lora’s wicked smile.

’The system is definitely rewarding me today,’ Kai thought, feeling the warm friction of Eliza’s body against his side.

’I survived a giant sea serpent, leveled up, and now I have two beautiful women arguing over my attention.’

"There is no need to argue," Kai smiled, looking between the two confident fighters. "I have plenty of energy to keep everyone happy tonight. Let’s get these girls back to the surface safely, and then we can figure out our exact sleeping arrangements back at the tavern."

Gina helped Clara to her feet.

The young water mage looked at Kai with adoring eyes.

She was still holding her mother’s heavy grimoire tight against her chest, but the terrible fear was entirely gone from her face.

"Thank you, Kai," Gina whispered.