The Merman King straightened, trident resting on his shoulder as he laughed thunderously.
"Hahaha—insolent human!"
"Die!"
He surged forward, trident raised for the killing blow.
Then—
The dust shifted.
A low, bestial roar echoed through the canyon.
From the settling debris, spectral white lions rose—majestic, immense, their eyes burning with divine fury.
Alan stepped out from the haze, bloodied but standing.
[ White Lion's Roar Activated ]
The roar exploded outward.
The Merman King froze mid-charge, his body locking in place as the stun took hold.
[ Stunned: 1 second ]
One second.
That was all Alan needed.
In the same instant, he uncorked a potion and drank.
[ High-Grade Health Potion Used ]
[ HP Restored completely ]
Golden light surged through his body as wounds sealed themselves shut.
Alan vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of the stunned king.
[ Spell Sword Activated ]
[ Flame Sword Activated ]
[ Golden Flash Activated ]
Dainsleif ignited.
White-gold flames wrapped the blade, magical fire intertwining with spell-forged energy as Alan drew his sword back.
Then—
He struck.
A single, blinding arc of white flaming steel tore through the air.
The slash hit.
The Merman King's chest collapsed inward, mana detonating violently as his HP plummeted in an instant.
Before the king could even scream—
[ Cut Activated ]
[ Heavy Strike Activated ]
Alan stepped through the follow-up motion and cleaved downward.
But midway through the strike, something changed.
The two skills resonated.
Mana surged violently through Dainsleif as the techniques overlapped, their effects synchronizing instead of colliding.
A sharp system chime echoed.
[ Skill Fusion Successful ]
[ You have created a new skill: Splitting Strike ]
Effect:
• Deals 1500% of Physical Damage to a single target
• High chance to inflict Heavy Bleed
Heavy Bleed:
• Deals 1% of the target's Max HP as damage per second
• Duration: 6 seconds
[ Bonus Reward ]
• Your Intelligence has permanently increased by +10 for creating a new skill
The blade passed cleanly through the Merman King's neck.
Time froze.
The massive body split in two.
"…Impossible…"
"How… can I die… to a puny human…?"
The Merman King's voice faded as his body dissolved into glowing pixels, scattering into the air like shattered light.
Silence fell over Loran Falls.
Then—
[ Field Boss Defeated: Merman King ]
[ You have leveled up ]
[ You have leveled up ]
[ You are the first player to slay the Merman King ]
[ All stats +30 ]
[ You have obtained the skill: Water Movement ]
[ Allows unhindered movement above and below water; however, stamina consumption is increased by 50% ]
Alan glanced at the notifications and nodded.
"New title and new skill… not bad," he muttered.
Skill fusion was common in Staify. It gave players a vast degree of freedom—if two skills worked well together, they could be fused to create an entirely new skill.
Then he turned his attention to the Merman King's remains. Loot began to appear in a shimmering cascade.
[Tidal Trident]
Rating: Unique
Durability: 500/500
Attack Power: 480
Critical Chance: +6%
Attack Speed: +12%
Attack speed increases by 1% for every successful hit.
The skill Fury of the Sea will be generated.
The skill Maelstrom Strike will be generated.
An ancient trident forged from enchanted coral and the bones of sea titans. Its power grows with the skill and precision of the wielder. Light enough to allow for swift strikes, yet heavy enough to crush the unprepared. The trident carries the essence of the ocean's wrath, a weapon of legends among the mermen used by Royalty of Merman tribe.
Special : There is no Terrain penalties applied while using in water terrain. Holder of this Triden can even breath underwater.
User Restrictions: Level 195 or higher, more than 700 Strength, more than 380 Agility, Intermediate Spear Mastery level 2 or higher.
Weight: 220 ]
[ You have acquired the Weapon of Royalty of the Merman Tribe ]
[ Relationship with Merman Tribe has fallen to Hostility ]
[ If you encounter mermen in the future, they will attack first and ask later ]
"Hm, I can use it," Alan mumbled as he equipped the weapon ignoring the warning notification. An instant notification flashed in front of him.
[ You do not meet the skill requirements for Tidal Trident ]
[ Tidal Trident power is reduced by 30% ]
Thanks to his title Pseudo Craftsman, Alan could wield any weapon as long as it did not exceed his character level by more than 100. However, penalties still applied—and this was one of them.
Alan then looked at the other drops.
[ 9 Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stones acquired ]
[ 7 Blessed Armor Enhancement Stones acquired ]
[ Skill Book: Tidal Fury acquired ]
[ Tidal Fury ]
[ A-Rank Spell ]
Effect:
• Releases a tsunami-like wave of water that deals 1,800% Magic Damage to all targets caught in it and knocks them back.
• Casting Time: 3 seconds
• Mana Cost: 1,100 mana
• Cooldown: 5 minutes
• Requirements: Level 160+ and 600 Intelligence ]
" What a powerful spell, as expected of an S rank spell" Alan mumbled as S rank spell were the highest Rank spell below Legendary rank spells.
"Can I learn it? " Alan mumbled opening his status screen.
Name : Alan
Class : Albantino's Successor
Level : 198
Title : Prodigy , First Hidden class, First Unique class...
Health : 12,190/12,190 Mana : 7,344/7,344
Stats
Strength : 701
Stamina : 499
Agility : 698
Intelligence : 612
Dexterity : 1030
Persistent : 440
Indomitable : 440
Luck : 440
Stat Points : 1,070
Weight : 3,165/28,040
Skills :
Master Blacksmith's Craftsmanship
Master Blacksmith's Appraisal
Master Blacksmith's Patience
Master Blacksmith's Disassembly
Master Blacksmith's Repair
Master Dwarf Craftmanship
Intermediate Sword Mastery Level 2
Basic Spear Mastery lvl 1
Basic Bow Mastery lvl 1
Basic Shield Mastery lvl 1
Wood Cutting Intemediate Lvl 1
Mining Basic lvl 8
Cut lvl 1
Heavy Strike lvl 1
Crescent Slash lvl 1
Parry lvl 1
Quick Step lvl 1
Haste lvl 1
Spell Blade lvl 1
Fire Sword. lvl 1
Lesser Flame Hex lvl 1
Splitting Strike Lvl 1
]
"Hehe, I can learn it."
Alan smiled and didn't waste any time.
[ You have learned Tidal Fury ]
A surge of new information flowed into his mind—the casting sequence, mana control, and the violent rhythm of ocean currents. Alan exhaled slowly, already feeling how devastating the spell would be in real combat.
"I've also accumulated a lot of stat points…" Alan muttered, opening his status window.
"A total of 1,070 points."