Ocean Master

"I swear, guarding this laboratory is boring me to death". 

One of the guards complained, swearing loudly while sneaking peeks at the surveillance camera to make sure that he was not being seen.

"Chill, Gab, you complain too much".

"You know nothing Dammy, you're a good for nothing".

While these 2 bickered, the 3 other guards that were assigned to this chamber of the laboratory where Sebastian and the other test subjects were kept engaged in different leisure activities.

2 sat on a mechanical chair set-up, where they played a game of cards. This was different from the one on earth, the rules were vaguely similar, but the characters were far more different and varied.

Most of the characters in the cards were sea monsters, but some had human characters which in this term were Atlantian characters, while even fewer of them were of famous mythical gods like Poseidon and others.

These cards of famous gods being the rarest were called rare cards.

In this card game, each of the cards had different powers in importance. It was a mechanical set-up of cards, but also had magic mixed in to make it more interesting and life-like.

While these 2 played the special card game, the last of the guards was solitary. He sat on another mechanical chair at the corner of the chamber, where he held and operated a small electrical device like a smartphone.

Of the 5 of them, only the first 2 who were engaged in a pointless conversation were actually doing their job of watching the predators, the others were simply immersed in their own world.

This was the daily life of these 5 soldiers. Compared to others in the fleet, their work could be said to be much easier.

Originally, they thought this was going to be a tough assignment, but the Megalodon that was already famous throughout the fleet hardly threw a tantrum since the first day of its capture.

They were disappointed and speechless. This Megalodon was far more docile and cowardly than they thought, almost to the point of being embarrassing.

Left with no choice, they could only continue doing their job.

"Well, Gab, calling me a good for nothing just shows how shameless you are when you can simply decide to apply for another assignment in the fleet rather than to stay stuck here, complaining of the assignment being boring all the time".

"To be sincere, our job is the simplest in the feat. The toad was the stubborn one before, but now it's tame, making our work much easier".

"Easy work, steady money. Is there anything better than this?"

"Humph!" 

Gab snorted, unwilling to back down though he knew that his comrade was right. He was in the process of thinking of a counter in his head when another of his partner screamed, shocking him.

"Damn!" The guard with the smartphone exclaimed. "Lord Tinirim actually broke through again!"

The other guards were about to complain about his screaming but they stopped on hearing the name that was just called. "What? Did you just say Lord Tinirim?"

"He broke through?!" They all asked at the same time.

The guard with the smartphone revealed a smug expression on his face. "Yep, he fought and defeated the notorious Black Tier predator, Snow Tiger Max".

"What does that mean? It could only mean that he broke through to the Gold Realm. Sigh, Lord Tinirim is my role model. He did it again!"

"…" 

The other 4 guards were silent for some time as the information sank in before they erupted. "Damn! Lord Tinirim is awesome!"

"But he broke through to the Silver Realm just 3 years ago, what a talented freak he is. He is really blessed by the gods and King Orchestra".

"I wish I was like him. In fact, I wish I am him".

"So shameless, your wish is baseless". One of the guards that were bickering a moment ago sneered, not forgetting to jab at his companion. "Lord Tinirim is Queen Auralis's only son, your dogsh*t luck cannot compare".

In a moment, all the guards erupted with different emotions to show their awe and surprise as they surrounded the guard with the smartphone to watch the recorded battle against the Black Tier predator, Snow Tiger Max.

While all these happened, a pair of eerie blue eyes flickered, Sebastian watched in silence.

These 5 idiots were at it again. They were Sebastian's information vendors, with them, he slowly arranged the pieces of information like a master perfectly arranging the pieces of a strong puzzle.

Through these 5 guards, he already knew a lot about Oceania.

He knew of their Queen Auralis, and of course her son this Lord Tinirim. In the numerous information that he already got in the past month, one of the most important was about what these guards just mentioned again.

The Gold Realm.

After carefully arranging the pieces of information, he arrived at this. Unlike mutated beasts like him, Atlantians developed in the scales of an entirely different power system. 

Their power levels were divided into the Bronze Realm, the Silver Realm, and the Gold Realm. Queen Auralis was a pinnacle Gold Realm mage, now her son just became one from these guards' information.

After getting more information for comparison, Sebastian made some deductions. The power level of the Bronze Realm was the most popular, and most Atlantian mages were at this Realm.

A pinnacle Bronze Realm Atlantian mage could battle equally with a pinnacle orange tier predator. A pinnacle Silver Realm Atlantian mage could battle with a Red tier predator. And a pinnacle Gold Realm Atlantian mage could battle with a Black tier predator. 

Of course, they were numerous variables in every battle, but this was the basic scale that Sebastian came up with.

3 of the 5 guards that guarded him were mages at the lowest grade of the Bronze Realm, while 2 of them according to information from the guards were strength path practitioners.

About this strength part practitioners, Sebastian already had some ideas but without tangible information for evidence, he could not conclude.

"Weird, why is it staring at us?" One of the guards suddenly noticed something, Sebastian's stare was indeed too intense. 

For these guards, it was like having the sword of Damocles directly hovering above their heads, having such a terrifying predator stare fixedly at them which was terrifying but their reaction was surprising.

"Oh, I thought it was the toad, so it's that good for nothing Megalodon. It's all talk and no action, what a disappointment!"

The other guards laughed.

"To think that the Sergeant even suspected that it was the inheritor of the unique skill, what a farce!"

"Comparing this coward with the terrifying reputation of predators like the Necromancy King is like comparing the abyss realm to the myth realm, hahaha".

"This myth realm again". Sebastian's eyes narrowed but he kept silent.

This was not the second time that he's heard this term since he was captured, and the expression of awe, excitement, and fear on the guards' faces whenever they said it left him thinking hard.

"Where is this myth realm? What does it signify?"

"Ignore that piece of shit". The guards finally continued with their actions.

Sebastian did not give a damn to their words, he only listened to get useful information. But at this moment, unknowing to the guards, he was about to do something else.

Sebastian looked towards the opposite cage where the toad was kept. After so long, it was now docile, it finally accepted the cruel reality of fate.

To him, this was a good thing, this was the best time for him to act.

[You have activated skill: Sound Control.]

The game finally began.