TL: xLordFifth
ED:
Pachichichichichit——-!
Leeha felt a tingling sensation running through his arm, and his peripheral vision darkened, but he didn’t stop.
‘More, more, more!’
An attack that required sacrificing his HP underwater! But without it, there was no other means of attack!
‘Uwaaaa, it stings! More than I thought!’
Tingling, tingling, tingling!
Enduring the strange and painful sensation, when about 1/4 of his vision had darkened, the black hat gradually faded and disappeared from the purification pool’s surface.
Splash-!
Simultaneously, a fanfare rang out and a bright light illuminated Leeha’s body.
[Your level has increased.]
[You have completed the Purification Pool Cleaning quest.]
[The affinity with all mermaid NPCs in the Dawn Sea has increased by 100%.]
[You have achieved 100% affinity with all mermaid NPCs in the Dawn Sea.]
Splash-!
And once again, fanfare rang out. Leeha’s lips naturally split into a grin.
“Hehehehe, it worked, it worked!”
Unable to determine how much time had passed in the darkness, Leeha was certain it was less than 12 hours, making him even happier.
“Now, if I quickly grab some items from the Dragon Palace and teleport, my mission will be over!”
The purification pool should now be completely back to normal. Compared to just a moment ago, the heartbeat was noticeably slower and steadier.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
After briefly checking, Leeha immediately turned towards Anderson and Blaugrun.
Embracing the mermaid and the dragon, Leeha headed straight for the top of the purification pool. Smile never left his lips.
As they moved away from the purification pool, the light illuminating Leeha’s path gradually faded, and after about five minutes, complete darkness surrounded them again.
“Now, all I have to do is go up until the light from the Crown of the Sea God is visible. From there, grab what I need and get out—no, but if the purification pool is normal now, no more fishmen should be born. So, if the Sea God hasn’t awakened yet…”
Anderson and Blaugrun alone made it hard to swim upwards, but what about the massive Sea God? Even dragging it up was difficult.
Moreover, if the Sea God hadn’t awakened yet, what would happen when the fishmen, who were supposed to disappear like bubbles, remained?
“Is this unnecessarily causing a massacre? What if the fishmen make a final move—”
Ploploplorororok!
As Leeha ascended through the darkness, he suddenly coughed, shocked by a strange sensation on his face.
“What is this? What is this—”
“Hmm? Leeha?”
It was at that moment, when Drake’s Waterdrop Light gradually approached, revealing what was touching Leeha’s face.
“Waaaaaahhhh—!”
If it wasn’t Middle Earth, he would have fainted 100%”. Experiencing the touch of a White Serpent’s head was no easy feat.
Kuuuuuu—!
The castle gate shook, and the mermaids behind trembled. The last mermaids who could participate in the battle, the Dragon Palace Castle Defense Captain, the Sea Shingeun Guard, the remaining troops of the security guard, etc. were mixed in large numbers, but there were far more fishmen outside than that.
“Hehe, hehe, don’t human gates kick up dust every time they’re attacked? Aren’t we fortunate not to have that?”
“What nonsense?! Stay alert! If this gate is breached, our families inside will be in danger! We have to hold on until Captain Sea Bream returns!”
The mermaid NPCs had no room for jokes in such a critical situation. Although the Defense Captain of the Dragon Palace tried to rally the other mermaids, morale did not rise easily.
“Darn it, are we still talking about that? Even if he could barely repel the pursuit of the fishmen, where would he get anyone from… Do you think humans will help us? Even if they do, can they come this far?”
“Shh, didn’t we agree not to say such things aloud?”
The mermaids were already in a near-giving-up situation. The central figure and backbone of the mermaid combat, the Sea God, had disappeared with the news of transforming into a fishman. The Captain of the Guard who escorted him also vanished secretly for a mission, and there was no news from him either.
The mermaids’ expressions darkened, but in contrast, the onslaught from the fishmen became even more ferocious. If it weren’t for the mermaid’s power alone but also the inherent defense of the Dragon Palace, they would have been wiped out by now.
…
As the pressure from the fishmen intensified, the mermaids suffered. A fight with no chance of winning, the terror of doing nothing and awaiting death. Some fishmen even wanted to break out.
“Ugh, let’s fight! Even if it ends up like this, it’s better to fight fiercely and die as heroes, right?”
“We can’t do that! Now that the Sea God is missing, our entire Sea God Guard considers the remaining kin as the Sea God and will protect them! We can’t take the risk of endangering the tribe!”
“That’s ridiculous; those idiots who have already broken can’t do anything—”
“Well, what?! Dare to call those who’ve fallen apart like that—”
“Hm?”
Kyuuuuuu—!
“Fishmen…? It sounds like screaming.”
The mermaids held their breath and listened.
The screams of the fishmen were clearly heard in the waves carried by the seawater.
‘Save me Dalaki, run away!’ There was no way the mermaids would have missed the unique sound of gills trembling.
“Someone is… fighting against the fishmen.”
“Who… even the serpents are not under the control of the fishmen now—”
“What does it matter who it is? Let’s go. If someone is fighting against the fishmen, we should join them!”
“Who was it that just said not to go out?”
“The situation has changed! What do you think, Defense Captain?”
The vice-captain of the Sea God Guard asked anxiously, possibly because he thought it was Sea Bream fighting outside.
“Well, good.”
The Guard Captain of the Sea God, the highest-ranked mermaid, looked around and prepared himself. Opinions varied, but everyone agreed that staying here wouldn’t improve the situation.
“Let’s go. Open the gate, open it! Let’s join forces with those outside and have the final showdown with the fishmen!”
Ooooooo—
Regardless of who it was, they assumed it was Sea Bream and decided to open the gate. Even though they didn’t know for sure, it seemed urgent.
“Let’s go. Open the gate, open it! Join forces with those outside and have the final showdown with the fishmen!”
Ooooooo—!
Regardless of who it was, they assumed it was Sea Bream and decided to open the gate. Even though they didn’t know for sure, it seemed urgent.
And finally, the moment the gate opened!
Shaaaaaatttt—!
“[Hydro Cutter].”
“[Bubble Shot]! Where do you think you’re going, you slimy scoundrels!”
“I-I will help too, Captain Sea Bream!”
The black and white serpents, Drake, Sea Bream, and Anderson were seen dominating the sea, striking fear upon the fishmen.
The fishmen were helpless and could hardly resist. The reason became apparent quickly.
“Yo-young master?! The Guard Captain of the Sea God—he is—”
“Spirits tainted by the mana of the sea! Return to the spirit realm, become foam again, and be purified!” The fully restored Sea God swung his trident mightily. An incredibly powerful energy dispersed in a semicircle and any fishman touched by it was annihilated.
The mermaids were filled with astonishment and joy. They wanted to shout in celebration.
“-O King! Our king has returned- Aaack!?”
“Splish-splish… Splish?”
‘Hello, if you’re going to come out there, could I go in for a moment?’
If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of a human, they might have said something like that.
With an awkward smile, Leeha pointed inside the gate.
“Hehe… hehehe…”
Leeha lay in the guest room of the deserted Dragon Palace as if swimming, taking advantage of the fact that the Dragon Palace, being underwater, allowed for this somewhat strange way of moving.
“Much larger than I thought! And these ridiculous gems scattered around the Dragon Palace!”
He had heard about the special gems that only appeared around the Dragon Palace, but he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
“Because I’ve already picked some up! Haha, when I was fighting with the fishmen earlier, I put a few in my bag! If I give one to Bottleneck-ssi…”
He was thinking about how many more he could extract.
[Wamwamwam! Kyukyu! Kyukyukyu!]
“Is it delicious? Eat a lot. You must have used a lot of mana. Wipe off what’s on your mouth. Still, you’re a dragon hatchling so behave gracefully.”
[Kyukwang! Kyuwamwam-]
Without listening to Leeha’s words, Blaugrun nodded his head and plunged his face back into the feast.
It was a natural reaction since he hadn’t had proper food for over 20 days.
“Steamed Shield Lobster, boiled Kraken legs, Giant Shellnut’s fresh liver… Certainly, these are foods I can’t cook. I wonder if they are treated like special experience points?”
The underwater-cooked dishes and steamed dishes surprised Leeha a bit, but after all, it was just using fire and water simultaneously, so it was not impossible. Above all, it was delightful to see Blaugrun eating happily.
“Indeed, having leisure creates laughter. Ah! Shall I check the achievements now?”
With a smile, Leeha, who was floating in the guest room, finally opened the notification window and checked his achievements.
[Achievement: Resurrected Origin of the Sea (S-)]
Thank you! You have purified the ‘Origin,’ overseeing all water spirits reborn from the sea. Without you, all seas would have been dominated by polluted water spirits and demonic life. The water spirits will never forget your grace, rescuing their lives and territory.
Reward: 21 Stat Points, Blessing of the Elemental Spirits
You are the first registrant for the achievement of ‘Resurrected Origin of the Sea.’
The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and 200% of the existing effect will be rewarded.
Effect: 42 Stat Points
“W-wow! It’s S-rank!”
Leeha cheered as he read the description. He could also understand that what the mermaids referred to as the ‘Purification Source’ was the origin overseeing all water spirits.
“Well, it makes sense if pure water spirits are born as mermaids there. It’s like a womb that conceives water spirits.”
Leeha nodded his head.
He wanted to check the buffs first, but one more achievement remained.
[Achievement: Under the Sea (A+)]
Congratulations! You have achieved 100% intimacy with the previously undiscovered fantastical race, the mermaids! These beings, who dominate the depths of the sea, will gladly assist you in many ways for the sake of their ‘human friend.’ Of course, your ‘human friends’ will also find it smooth to move around in their territory!
Reward: Agility +14, Health +4, Skill – Acquired ability: Mermaid Transformation
You are the first registrant for the [Under the Sea] achievement.
The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and 200% of the existing effect will be rewarded.
Effect: Agility +28, Health +8
“Wow! An intimacy achievement! I thought it was only for dragons! And they even give a skill?”
Generally, achieving 100% intimacy with a race that favors humans would grant continent-wide fame. If they were human NPCs, it would only add to the contributions to that specific country. However, it was evident that the race of ‘mermaids’ ’was receiving different treatment in the Middle Earth.
Leeha marveled at the substantial increase in stats and, with a satisfied grin, opened each description window for more details.
(To be continued…)
TL: xLordFifth
ED:
Pachichichichichit——-!
Leeha felt a tingling sensation running through his arm, and his peripheral vision darkened, but he didn’t stop.
‘More, more, more!’
An attack that required sacrificing his HP underwater! But without it, there was no other means of attack!
‘Uwaaaa, it stings! More than I thought!’
Tingling, tingling, tingling!
Enduring the strange and painful sensation, when about 1/4 of his vision had darkened, the black hat gradually faded and disappeared from the purification pool’s surface.
Splash-!
Simultaneously, a fanfare rang out and a bright light illuminated Leeha’s body.
[Your level has increased.]
[You have completed the Purification Pool Cleaning quest.]
[The affinity with all mermaid NPCs in the Dawn Sea has increased by 100%.]
[You have achieved 100% affinity with all mermaid NPCs in the Dawn Sea.]
Splash-!
And once again, fanfare rang out. Leeha’s lips naturally split into a grin.
“Hehehehe, it worked, it worked!”
Unable to determine how much time had passed in the darkness, Leeha was certain it was less than 12 hours, making him even happier.
“Now, if I quickly grab some items from the Dragon Palace and teleport, my mission will be over!”
The purification pool should now be completely back to normal. Compared to just a moment ago, the heartbeat was noticeably slower and steadier.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
After briefly checking, Leeha immediately turned towards Anderson and Blaugrun.
Embracing the mermaid and the dragon, Leeha headed straight for the top of the purification pool. Smile never left his lips.
As they moved away from the purification pool, the light illuminating Leeha’s path gradually faded, and after about five minutes, complete darkness surrounded them again.
“Now, all I have to do is go up until the light from the Crown of the Sea God is visible. From there, grab what I need and get out—no, but if the purification pool is normal now, no more fishmen should be born. So, if the Sea God hasn’t awakened yet…”
Anderson and Blaugrun alone made it hard to swim upwards, but what about the massive Sea God? Even dragging it up was difficult.
Moreover, if the Sea God hadn’t awakened yet, what would happen when the fishmen, who were supposed to disappear like bubbles, remained?
“Is this unnecessarily causing a massacre? What if the fishmen make a final move—”
Ploploplorororok!
As Leeha ascended through the darkness, he suddenly coughed, shocked by a strange sensation on his face.
“What is this? What is this—”
“Hmm? Leeha?”
It was at that moment, when Drake’s Waterdrop Light gradually approached, revealing what was touching Leeha’s face.
“Waaaaaahhhh—!”
If it wasn’t Middle Earth, he would have fainted 100%”. Experiencing the touch of a White Serpent’s head was no easy feat.
Kuuuuuu—!
The castle gate shook, and the mermaids behind trembled. The last mermaids who could participate in the battle, the Dragon Palace Castle Defense Captain, the Sea Shingeun Guard, the remaining troops of the security guard, etc. were mixed in large numbers, but there were far more fishmen outside than that.
“Hehe, hehe, don’t human gates kick up dust every time they’re attacked? Aren’t we fortunate not to have that?”
“What nonsense?! Stay alert! If this gate is breached, our families inside will be in danger! We have to hold on until Captain Sea Bream returns!”
The mermaid NPCs had no room for jokes in such a critical situation. Although the Defense Captain of the Dragon Palace tried to rally the other mermaids, morale did not rise easily.
“Darn it, are we still talking about that? Even if he could barely repel the pursuit of the fishmen, where would he get anyone from… Do you think humans will help us? Even if they do, can they come this far?”
“Shh, didn’t we agree not to say such things aloud?”
The mermaids were already in a near-giving-up situation. The central figure and backbone of the mermaid combat, the Sea God, had disappeared with the news of transforming into a fishman. The Captain of the Guard who escorted him also vanished secretly for a mission, and there was no news from him either.
The mermaids’ expressions darkened, but in contrast, the onslaught from the fishmen became even more ferocious. If it weren’t for the mermaid’s power alone but also the inherent defense of the Dragon Palace, they would have been wiped out by now.
…
As the pressure from the fishmen intensified, the mermaids suffered. A fight with no chance of winning, the terror of doing nothing and awaiting death. Some fishmen even wanted to break out.
“Ugh, let’s fight! Even if it ends up like this, it’s better to fight fiercely and die as heroes, right?”
“We can’t do that! Now that the Sea God is missing, our entire Sea God Guard considers the remaining kin as the Sea God and will protect them! We can’t take the risk of endangering the tribe!”
“That’s ridiculous; those idiots who have already broken can’t do anything—”
“Well, what?! Dare to call those who’ve fallen apart like that—”
“Hm?”
Kyuuuuuu—!
“Fishmen…? It sounds like screaming.”
The mermaids held their breath and listened.
The screams of the fishmen were clearly heard in the waves carried by the seawater.
‘Save me Dalaki, run away!’ There was no way the mermaids would have missed the unique sound of gills trembling.
“Someone is… fighting against the fishmen.”
“Who… even the serpents are not under the control of the fishmen now—”
“What does it matter who it is? Let’s go. If someone is fighting against the fishmen, we should join them!”
“Who was it that just said not to go out?”
“The situation has changed! What do you think, Defense Captain?”
The vice-captain of the Sea God Guard asked anxiously, possibly because he thought it was Sea Bream fighting outside.
“Well, good.”
The Guard Captain of the Sea God, the highest-ranked mermaid, looked around and prepared himself. Opinions varied, but everyone agreed that staying here wouldn’t improve the situation.
“Let’s go. Open the gate, open it! Let’s join forces with those outside and have the final showdown with the fishmen!”
Ooooooo—
Regardless of who it was, they assumed it was Sea Bream and decided to open the gate. Even though they didn’t know for sure, it seemed urgent.
“Let’s go. Open the gate, open it! Join forces with those outside and have the final showdown with the fishmen!”
Ooooooo—!
Regardless of who it was, they assumed it was Sea Bream and decided to open the gate. Even though they didn’t know for sure, it seemed urgent.
And finally, the moment the gate opened!
Shaaaaaatttt—!
“[Hydro Cutter].”
“[Bubble Shot]! Where do you think you’re going, you slimy scoundrels!”
“I-I will help too, Captain Sea Bream!”
The black and white serpents, Drake, Sea Bream, and Anderson were seen dominating the sea, striking fear upon the fishmen.
The fishmen were helpless and could hardly resist. The reason became apparent quickly.
“Yo-young master?! The Guard Captain of the Sea God—he is—”
“Spirits tainted by the mana of the sea! Return to the spirit realm, become foam again, and be purified!” The fully restored Sea God swung his trident mightily. An incredibly powerful energy dispersed in a semicircle and any fishman touched by it was annihilated.
The mermaids were filled with astonishment and joy. They wanted to shout in celebration.
“-O King! Our king has returned- Aaack!?”
“Splish-splish… Splish?”
‘Hello, if you’re going to come out there, could I go in for a moment?’
If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of a human, they might have said something like that.
With an awkward smile, Leeha pointed inside the gate.
“Hehe… hehehe…”
Leeha lay in the guest room of the deserted Dragon Palace as if swimming, taking advantage of the fact that the Dragon Palace, being underwater, allowed for this somewhat strange way of moving.
“Much larger than I thought! And these ridiculous gems scattered around the Dragon Palace!”
He had heard about the special gems that only appeared around the Dragon Palace, but he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
“Because I’ve already picked some up! Haha, when I was fighting with the fishmen earlier, I put a few in my bag! If I give one to Bottleneck-ssi…”
He was thinking about how many more he could extract.
[Wamwamwam! Kyukyu! Kyukyukyu!]
“Is it delicious? Eat a lot. You must have used a lot of mana. Wipe off what’s on your mouth. Still, you’re a dragon hatchling so behave gracefully.”
[Kyukwang! Kyuwamwam-]
Without listening to Leeha’s words, Blaugrun nodded his head and plunged his face back into the feast.
It was a natural reaction since he hadn’t had proper food for over 20 days.
“Steamed Shield Lobster, boiled Kraken legs, Giant Shellnut’s fresh liver… Certainly, these are foods I can’t cook. I wonder if they are treated like special experience points?”
The underwater-cooked dishes and steamed dishes surprised Leeha a bit, but after all, it was just using fire and water simultaneously, so it was not impossible. Above all, it was delightful to see Blaugrun eating happily.
“Indeed, having leisure creates laughter. Ah! Shall I check the achievements now?”
With a smile, Leeha, who was floating in the guest room, finally opened the notification window and checked his achievements.
[Achievement: Resurrected Origin of the Sea (S-)]
Thank you! You have purified the ‘Origin,’ overseeing all water spirits reborn from the sea. Without you, all seas would have been dominated by polluted water spirits and demonic life. The water spirits will never forget your grace, rescuing their lives and territory.
Reward: 21 Stat Points, Blessing of the Elemental Spirits
You are the first registrant for the achievement of ‘Resurrected Origin of the Sea.’
The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and 200% of the existing effect will be rewarded.
Effect: 42 Stat Points
“W-wow! It’s S-rank!”
Leeha cheered as he read the description. He could also understand that what the mermaids referred to as the ‘Purification Source’ was the origin overseeing all water spirits.
“Well, it makes sense if pure water spirits are born as mermaids there. It’s like a womb that conceives water spirits.”
Leeha nodded his head.
He wanted to check the buffs first, but one more achievement remained.
[Achievement: Under the Sea (A+)]
Congratulations! You have achieved 100% intimacy with the previously undiscovered fantastical race, the mermaids! These beings, who dominate the depths of the sea, will gladly assist you in many ways for the sake of their ‘human friend.’ Of course, your ‘human friends’ will also find it smooth to move around in their territory!
Reward: Agility +14, Health +4, Skill – Acquired ability: Mermaid Transformation
You are the first registrant for the [Under the Sea] achievement.
The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and 200% of the existing effect will be rewarded.
Effect: Agility +28, Health +8
“Wow! An intimacy achievement! I thought it was only for dragons! And they even give a skill?”
Generally, achieving 100% intimacy with a race that favors humans would grant continent-wide fame. If they were human NPCs, it would only add to the contributions to that specific country. However, it was evident that the race of ‘mermaids’ ’was receiving different treatment in the Middle Earth.
Leeha marveled at the substantial increase in stats and, with a satisfied grin, opened each description window for more details.
(To be continued…)
