"Alright, let's return to the surface and train," Piaro said, nodding.
"Hehe, of course—but only after we search this big place," Alan replied with a grin, glancing around the vast underwater lair. "We left a lot of paths unexplored on the way. Let's search it properly."
Piaro twitched.
For a moment, he genuinely felt the urge to kill Alan for his random change of plans. But remembering his goal—killing Asmophel—he suppressed the impulse and followed after him in silence.
Together, they thoroughly ransacked the entire Merman Lair.
However, aside from a few treasure chests, there wasn't much of value left. Most of the wealth had clearly been spent maintaining the lair and its army.
Still, the finds weren't bad.
Alan obtained several mid-grade treasures, a Unique-grade bow, and one additional spell book—
[ Skill Book: Water Bombs ]
A practical water-element spell useful for area damage and crowd control.
But then…
As they ventured deeper, they came across a hidden prison carved into the coral-rock walls.
And inside it—
A small girl.
She was curled up in the corner, knees pulled to her chest, quietly crying. Her hair shimmered with a soft violet-pink hue, and her eyes—large and clear—reflected fear and confusion.
Alan frowned slightly.
"…She might be another form of sea life," he muttered, stepping forward slowly.
"Hey," Alan said gently. "Are you alright?"
The girl shrieked and jumped back, pressing herself against the wall.
"N-No! Don't kill me, please! Please don't kill me!" she cried, trembling.
"Wait, we're not going to kill you," Alan said quickly.
She froze mid-sob and looked at him properly for the first time.
"…Huh?"
Her eyes widened.
"Y-You're humans…? Where are the mermen?" she asked in a small, shaky voice.
"I killed them all," Alan replied calmly. "Were you their prisoner?"
She stared at him for a moment, then sniffed.
"B-But… did you kill the evil Merman?" she asked hesitantly, hope flickering in her eyes.
Alan nodded.
"Yes."
Her shoulders relaxed instantly, and she burst into tears again—this time from relief.
"Thank you… thank you so much…" she sobbed. "C-Can you take me home, please?"
A notification appeared before Alan's eyes.
[ SS-Rank Quest Generated ]
[ Rescue the Daughter of Water ]
[ Escort Ohong, daughter of King Maxxong of the Water Clan, safely back to her father. The Siren kingdom lies on the shore of Brinichi.]
[ Rewards:
– Title: Benefactor of the Water Clan
– Unknown Special Reward ]
An SS-rank quest!
Alan's eyes widened in shock. But then his gaze froze on the name.
Maxxong
He remembered it.
This was the exact event where Euphemina had originally obtained the Mumud Spell Book—the legendary class-change item.
And not just any legendary class.
It was a Growth-Type class, one that could potentially evolve all the way to Myth rank.
But…
It was a magic-type class.
'…Why do I keep getting magic-type classes?' Alan felt like crying.
Then he paused.
'Well… compared to playing on a console or watching it on a screen, this is way more fun in VR,' he thought. 'And since this world feels almost real… maybe I can actually try a magic class.'
Not to mention—
Thanks to his Unique Blacksmith class, he didn't have to worry about being locked out of sword combat. He could still wield blades freely.
A magic swordsman.
That didn't sound bad at all.
Alan exhaled and made his decision.
He accepted the quest.
"Okay," he said gently. "I'll help you."
With a single swing of Dainsleif, he shattered the coral prison.
"Th-thank you…" Ohong whispered as she stumbled out, her legs weak.
Tears streamed down her face as her strength finally gave out.
Alan quickly caught her, lifting her carefully and placing her against his back.
The moment she felt safe, her breathing evened out.
She had fallen asleep—exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
Alan adjusted his grip and looked ahead.
"…Alright," he murmured.
"Let's take you home."
Piaro looked at Alan for a moment, then nodded silently. His gaze shifted to the little girl on Alan's back, and for the first time, a rare softness appeared in his eyes.
The three of them left the lair together, emerging back onto the surface near Loran Falls. The thunderous roar of the waterfall greeted them once more, mist drifting through the air.
"Okay, you can wear these," Alan said, taking out a spare set of clothes for both of them.
They quickly changed out of their soaked gear.
After changing, Piaro looked noticeably better—clean and presentable—but his long, unkempt hair and thick beard still made him look like a wandering beggar.
At least now, he was a beggar in clean clothes.
Alan glanced at Piaro briefly, then adjusted Ohong more securely on his back.
The Brinichi Kingdom lay on the western side of the continent—at least a month's journey away under normal circumstances.
Alan and Piaro began their journey with little Ohong in tow.
Through next day a man in red armor appeared at the merman lair entrance " sigh, I wonder if this dead fishes made another necklace" he mumbled as he jumped in, unknown to him whole lair was dead and the Siren princess they have captured was long rescued.
What should have been a one-month trip stretched endlessly.
Alan trained.
Piaro trained him harder.
Sword clashes echoed day after day as Piaro corrected Alan's posture, timing, breathing, and killing intent. Alan, in turn, worked relentlessly on his crafting whenever they stopped to rest. The road became their training ground, and every detour turned into another lesson.
By the time they realized it, five months had passed.
When they finally reached the borders of the Brinichi Kingdom, they were met with an unexpected obstacle.
They couldn't enter.
After some investigation, Alan discovered the reason—
the passage to the Siren Kingdom, which lay beyond Brinichi territory, only opened once every four months.
And unfortunately…
Three months remained until the next opening.
With no other choice, Alan and Piaro settled nearby and continued training.
Alan also continued working on his long-term quest. During these five months, he had forged his first Epic-ranked equipment—and didn't stop there.
By now, he had crafted over nineteen Epic-ranked items.
Each success strengthened him further.
Alan's Gains Over the Last Five Months
Advanced Sword Mastery: Level 3
Empire's Swordsmanship (Skill)
Supreme Swordsmanship (Skill)
Each Epic item crafted increased his overall stats by +4.
Total Stat Increase: +76
He also obtained a special title:
[ First Epic Item Maker ]
Dexterity +200
Finally—
Level: 209
His level hadn't risen as dramatically as before. Not because he was slacking—but because his focus had shifted.
Training under Piaro.
Perfecting swordsmanship.
Forging Epic equipment to fulfill the Alabantinos lineage test.