Holding the Map of the Endless Sea, Shi Ming searched for his next target.

’The nearest A-rank sea beast is 298 nautical miles from here. That’s not too far.’

’This is a good opportunity to test out the other skills from Descent of the Titan.’

’Even though I’ve fully mastered the power of the Titan Bloodline, I still haven’t drawn most of the twelve Titan skills. I need to get familiar with them beforehand so I don’t end up at a disadvantage against an enemy because I’m not proficient enough.’

The twelve skills obtained through the S-rank skill, Descent of the Titan, were derivative skills. Only by using them could he truly understand how they manifested, their specific abilities, and their corresponding repercussions.

"Man, the atmosphere in this Sea of Yellow Sand is incredibly wild!"

The sun blazed down as the drifter sailed upon the Sea of Yellow Sand, making it feel like crossing a real desert. In less than an hour, the deck temperature had already soared past 40 degrees Celsius. And this was just the edge of the region. Farther south lay the Hot Sea and the Boiling Sea, where the temperatures were truly terrifying. Even an ordinary Awakened would find it uncomfortable.

"Captain, we’re approaching the designated coordinates, but the Sea Patrol Radar is detecting a number of life forms up ahead."

"Oh?"

He took the radar display.

Sure enough, there was one extremely powerful life form and four or five others that appeared to be human, all clumped together. It looked like they were fighting.

’A battle?’

’Has someone already laid claim to that A-rank sea beast?’

"Continue onward."

He had already come all this way, and he wasn’t far off now. He decided to go check it out. If the sea beast was already dead or severely wounded by the time he arrived, he wouldn’t make a fuss. Sea beasts belonged to no one. He could only blame his own bad luck and find another one.

But if the fight was still at a stalemate, then it would be a test of skill.

...

...

...

The A-rank sea beast, a Mad Desert Sea Insect, spewed torrents of sand and water as it rampaged, easily pummeling the pitiful drifter, the *Obelisk*, as if it were a mere toy.

"Nia, just hold on a little longer!"

"We’ve already sent a distress call to Lord Ptolemy! He’ll send someone to rescue us right away, right away!"

"Father, it’s too strong!"

A brown-skinned, barefoot young woman struggled with an iron staff in her hands, fending off the attack of a Sand Worm.

She dodged left and right across the deck, her exhaustion clear. The massive drifter was tossed about by the Sand Worm’s attacks, and the sand-heavy seawater spewed by the Mad Desert Sea Insect had completely clogged the ship’s propulsion system, leaving them with no means of escape.

Despair had settled over nearly everyone on board.

Ptolemy’s ship, the *Pharaoh*, was over two hundred nautical miles away. Even if they received the distress call and set out at once, it was impossible to know how long they would take to arrive.

Bronze-colored mystic runes rippled out from the young woman’s iron staff, forming a circular shield that struggled to hold back the surging torrent of sand.

Now, all they could do was fight to the death.

’The longer I hold on,’ she thought, ’the greater the chance the repair crew has to fix the drifter. Maybe we’ll have a chance to escape.’

’I can’t give up.’

"Dammit!"

"These damned sea beasts!"

The iron staff in Nia’s hands glowed as she desperately held back the Sand Worm’s sandy deluge!

CRACK! Fissures appeared on the circular barrier.

"Father!"

"I’ve done all I can!"

Nia screamed. Her right arm, adorned with a Lotus Pattern Armlet, was raw and bleeding from the raging sand. Standing barefoot on the sand-covered deck, she was so exhausted she nearly collapsed.

BANG!

The iron staff shattered.

Her B-rank defensive skill was no match for the onslaught of an A-rank sea beast.

The raging sand swept in like a funeral shroud. Nia was struck by the cascade of sand and flung back several meters, slamming hard against a cabin door. Her nose, ears, and mouth filled with sand and seawater, the salty, gritty sensation enough to make her cry.

She slammed into a bronze statue of a Pharaoh, knocking it over.

With the young woman defeated, there was nothing left to stop the Sand Worm’s massive body. Its hideous maw lunged toward the center of the ship.

"Nia!"

In their terror, the few other low-level Awakened and ordinary people on board simply closed their eyes, ready to greet Anubis, the god of death. In their panicked despair, they didn’t even notice that a seemingly unremarkable drifter had sailed into the vicinity.

An ear-piercing sound of crackling ice filled the air.

A sudden chill, sharper than the sand, swept over them, causing everyone on the drifter to shudder violently. They clutched at their exposed skin and began to tremble.

What was this feeling?

Cold?

Was this the legendary "cold"?

The people who lived on the Sea of Yellow Sand had never experienced such a sensation. They felt an indescribable pain shoot through their skin and muscles, which then slowly went numb. But mercifully, they were still alive.

Meanwhile, the Sand Worm that had been attacking them seemed to have shifted its attention elsewhere.

’Has Lord Ptolemy’s aid arrived?’

The old man, the crew of the *Obelisk*, and Nia, who was forcing herself to sit up on the deck, all saw it: a halo of light, more brilliant than the sun, rising from the west.

A human silhouette was visible within it.

"The Sun God, Aton..."

The name appeared in the old man’s mind, unbidden.

...

...

...

TICK. TICK. TICK.

Behind Shi Ming, the hand of a phantom clock swung just three times before coming to a stop.

The Titan Runes that had appeared on his body from using Descent of the Titan began to glow, becoming as dazzling as miniature suns etched into his very flesh. His black hair shimmered like the morning stars, as brilliant as the light of dawn.

’Not bad luck this time,’ he thought. ’I drew a second-tier prize.’

Radiant Body.

The crew of the *Grand Fortune* watched their captain rise into the air, and were so dazzled by the light they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

’What is this skill?’

’Did the captain just turn into light?’

Radiant Body. A very special skill.

[Transform body into light, increasing speed to an unimaginable degree. Can phase through any penetrable object. Can instantly appear anywhere visible within 1,000 meters. Difficult to target or injure. However, cannot be enhanced by buffs, cannot use weapons, and cannot use other skills.]

The duration was also 50 minutes, and the state could be ended early, but doing so would incur a proportional "repercussion."

WHOOSH!

With a mere thought, he appeared above the head of the Mad Desert Sea Insect.

His speed was incredible—it was almost instantaneous!

He threw a punch, and his right arm passed straight through the Mad Desert Sea Insect’s head. There was no sensation of impact at all, as if he’d punched thin air!

The Sand Worm froze for a second, a searing pain erupting in its head, as if a portion of its brain cells had been scorched away by the intense light. Its body convulsed in agony, thrashing in the sea like a giant, tormented eel.

This was Radiant Body’s only offensive ability: phasing through objects with its body of light to inflict radiant damage.

’Percentage-based damage!’

’A single strike deals roughly 10% localized damage, and that value is increased or decreased depending on the target’s Defense Power.’

’But it deals a minimum of 1% damage. And it’s hard-countered by mirrors.’

’Got it!’

Shi Ming blinked back and forth.

To the crews of the *Obelisk* and the *Grand Fortune*, all they could see was a solid pillar of light strafing and piercing back and forth across the sea. The once-terrifying sea beast was now like a helpless snake being toyed with. Before long, the tantalizing aroma of roasting meat began to drift across the water.

A moment later, only a corpse remained.

Its skin was crisp and its meat fragrant—truly mouth-watering.

Shi Ming hovered in mid-air.

The crew of the *Obelisk* stared, utterly dumbfounded. Then, with tears in their eyes, they fell to their knees on the deck.

"Praise be to the Sun God!"

"Are you a child of Aton?"