The Sea Spider

Aside from their weapons, the three changed into swimwear suitable for underwater combat. 

Long had gathered various clothes from the twenty or so households on these three floors, including numerous swimsuits for both men and women. Millie also had several stylish swimsuits in the bags she brought. When she emerged in her swimsuit, the eyes of the two men couldn't help but brighten.

Millie was not only beautiful but also had an enviable figure, standing close to 1.7 meters tall with a slender waist, long legs, and a perfectly sculpted figure. Her bare, pale legs were a sight to behold, causing Simon and Long to steal glances and swallow hard.

Faced with such allure, it was impossible not to have any thoughts.

Millie noticed their gazes but remained composed. "Let's go," she said calmly.

"Uh, right, right." Long, somewhat dazed, was jolted back to reality by her words and quickly nodded, leading the way.

Simon found it amusing, thinking that despite Long being almost forty, he had less self-control around a beautiful woman than he did.

Descending to the thirtieth floor, Long asked, "Simon, Millie, how long can you hold your breath underwater?"

Millie replied, "I've reinforced my lungs once, so I should be able to stay underwater for four to five minutes."

Simon glanced at her and said, "About the same for me."

"Alright, let's set it at four minutes. As soon as four minutes are up, we head back up," Long instructed. He had advanced lung capacity, allowing him to hold his breath for over ten minutes, but Simon and Millie lacked this ability.

"I'll go first." Long, holding his steel shovel in his right hand, gripped the edge of the balcony with both hands and vaulted over, slipping into the water.

His swimming skills were excellent; as soon as he entered the water, he took a deep breath and submerged, scanning the underwater surroundings.

Simon and Millie followed closely, diving over the balcony into the water.

Although it was daytime with a temperature around twenty degrees, the water was still chilly, even in their swimsuits. Fortunately, their physical fitness was several times that of ordinary people, significantly enhancing their cold resistance, so they didn't fear catching a cold from the water.

The three kept close to the wall as they descended. The water was murky, limiting their visibility. They could see the submerged twenty-ninth and twenty-eighth floors, but beyond that was a blur. At this moment, no corpses or monsters were visible in the water, only some floating debris.

The three could not converse underwater. Long gestured towards the others and descended first.

Simon and Millie followed closely. Simon noted Millie's excellent swimming ability; she moved gracefully like a mermaid, effortlessly catching up to Long with a fluid motion that seemed even more adept than his own.

Simon thought to himself that among the three, his swimming skills were undoubtedly the weakest. While he considered himself a decent swimmer, compared to Long and Millie, he was clearly outmatched.

Simon brought up the rear as they swiftly reached the balcony of the twenty-ninth floor below. According to their plan, they intended to enter this floor and search for any salvageable items.

Long and Millie halted at the balcony of the twenty-ninth floor, peering inside as if they had spotted something astonishing.

Simon, slightly behind, also descended and glanced inside the balcony, momentarily taken aback.

Inside this balcony on the twenty-ninth floor, they observed several floating human corpses.

These bodies were covered in fluffy white fur, their faces swollen and pale, unmistakably all corpse beasts.

Simon activated his "Scry Glyph" and observed that these were all low-level corpse beasts. Their heads were intact, indicating they were not dead, yet they floated motionless as if in deep slumber.

Simon mused to himself, "So, these creatures also need rest. It seems they are the opposite of humans, likely resting during the day and active at night. They've turned this twenty-ninth floor into their lair."

The three merely observed from outside, unsure of how many corpse beasts were inside. Currently, they seemed undisturbed by the sudden appearance of the three.

Long glanced at Simon, gesturing towards the balcony and then downward and upward, silently asking whether Simon wanted to enter the balcony of the twenty-ninth floor to investigate further, continue downwards, or retreat.

He made subtle movements, careful not to disturb the corpse beasts. Although they appeared to be low-level, no one knew if there were hidden higher-level ones among them. Considering their considerable number, stirring them all up would indeed be troublesome.

With the twenty-ninth floor now occupied by corpse beasts, revisiting for salvage was clearly impractical. Simon pointed downward, indicating to Long and Millie to proceed and assess the situation on the twenty-eighth floor.

The three became even more cautious, silently descending further until they soon observed the situation on the twenty-eighth floor.

Similar to the twenty-ninth floor, this level was also teeming with creatures. However, these were not corpse beasts but large spiders with black and white stripes.

These spiders were clinging motionless to the walls, each about the size of a basin. Like the corpse beasts on the floor above, they appeared to be in a state of rest, undisturbed by the arrival of the three.

Using his "Scry Glyph," Simon immediately gleaned information about these spiders.

"Species: Sea Spiders. Rank: Tier 3. Common among spirit-source beasts. Unable to produce silk, they rely on sharp mouthparts to attack and paralyze prey with neurotoxic venom. Sea Spiders dwell in colonies, with a massive matriarch overseeing each colony. The matriarch is a leader-class spirit-source beast of immense power, unlikely to appear unless the entire colony faces a serious threat."

Upon sensing this information, Simon felt a chill run down his spine.

It wasn't the Tier 3 common Sea Spiders that he feared; after all, he had slain Tier 3 beasts like the Sea Crested Monitor Lizard before. Moreover, he was now a Tier 3 spirit-source practitioner himself. What concerned him was the mention of the matriarch.

"I've encountered only ordinary and elite types of monsters before. The ordinary ones pose little threat, and the elites are formidable enough. But this matriarch, as a leader-class creature, is undoubtedly far more terrifying than any elite. It would be troublesome if we were to alarm it."

Simon pondered silently, relieved that the information indicated the matriarch would not likely appear unless the Sea Spiders' colony faced a severe threat. This reassured him somewhat; otherwise, he might have considered retreat by now.

"It seems this entire building has likely become a nest for monsters. During the day, these creatures probably rest in these nests, only to become active at night."

Simon mused briefly before gesturing downwards, signaling to Long and Millie to continue their exploration further down.