How do I get the treasure in the Waterways secret section of Aquan Ruins(3-7)?

Question

Having braved deadly lava pools and spooky silent churches, I would have never thought that I would find myself stuck in the waterways crawling around in search of treasure, yet here I am.

I bought myself a hint and it told me that I should...

"Be merciful. This time."

However, I've tried killing only the ghosts without inflicting any harm on the poor hedgehogs that run around throughout the whole level, since killing them is not required to complete the level. This is how I interpreted the hint, and yet this seems to not be the solution since I haven't gotten the treasure.

I've also tried fishing around the Waterways but that seems irrelevant to the hint and nothing special seems to happen.

How do I find the secret treasure here?

Answer 1

Your objective is to not hurt any enemies, and consequently go to the exit. Not even skeletons are fair game. Furthermore, if a hedgehog falls into the water, its death also counts against you. You simply need to reach the raft at the exit without letting any enemies get hurt, and the treasure is yours to claim.

I find the best way to do this is to just use Speedboots and run along the railing on the side of the Waterways that you begin on. You will be far enough from the water to not let any Hedgehogs drown, but you won't be crashing into Ghosts or Skeletons. Note that once you do claim the treasure, your only recourse to get back and actually clear the stage is to take an unceremonious dive into the depths. As this is a Time Trial stage, make sure to set the rest of your equipment as needed to dispatch your foes.

Your prize is useful, though.

The prize is the Coin Emblem, which gives you the powers of CAPITALISM to increase the amount of coins that enemies drop. It is an Emblem, so you can only equip one Emblem at a time, but the Cat Statue is not an Emblem, allowing you to equip both for a nice combo if you need money.