Chapter 32: Friend of the Mermen

Early morning.

The moment Kana woke up, he felt a change in his body. He opened his attribute panel.

[Character: Kana Safro Sat]
[Level: 2]
[Status: Normal]
[Health: 16/16]
[Mana: 6/12]
[Constitution: 8]
[Agility: 6]
[Spirit: 6]
[Evaluation: You can now be called a knight.]

His constitution had increased by another point. Extreme training combined with combat yielded excellent results in a short period. Of course, it also had to do with his original attributes being quite poor. Naturally, an ordinary person could never achieve this.

He had also successfully reached level two. When he had been emotionally overwhelmed, it triggered the power of Genesis knowledge, causing his reality to be digitized. Unsurprisingly, the blueprint for this digitization was based on the game he used to play. The Genesis Stone then automatically modified it to fit reality.

The "Genesis Stone" game didn't have a high level cap; in the 1.0 "Blood Calamity" version, the cap was only level 5. Although it seemed strange for a first-version MMO to have a level cap of five, it was, after all, the first fully virtual game. It was said that this made things feel more realistic and increased immersion. Each level up granted five attribute points. In reality, compared to the cowardly state he was in when he first transmigrated, he had indeed gained a total of five attribute points, successfully reaching level two.

Closing the attribute panel, Kana jumped off the bed and quickly got ready. When he reached the courtyard, although it was bright, the sun had not yet risen. After breakfast, he took Aliris, Popot, and Black—whom they met along the way—and headed toward the riverbank.

"Where are Ryan and Kecha?" Kana asked.

"They returned to the front lines and delivered your letter, Your Highness," Black replied.

Kana nodded. It seemed the vampires were already beginning to organize their army.

They took a fishing boat to the opposite bank and headed straight for the Murloc village. Before they even reached the entrance, the Murloc Prophet was already waiting for them.

"You have brought good news," the Murloc Prophet said in a calm yet certain tone.

"You are a Murloc Prophet? And you don't seem to be a pure Murloc," Popot remarked, looking at him with curiosity.

The Murloc Prophet looked at her. "White mouse, you are different from the black ones."

"Of course, Popot is a scholar."

The Murloc Prophet nodded. "I am a half-breed, born of a Murloc and a Demon Frog."

Having said that, the Murloc Prophet turned his dull gaze toward Kana, while Popot stood there contemplating his words.

"A Demon Frog and a Murloc? How does that even work?" she muttered. The world truly was amazing.

Kana replied directly, "We have dealt with those rats. Your commission is complete."

"Indeed, good news. Thank you, human friend. From now on, you are friends of the Blue-Spot Tribe."

He then began rummaging through a cloth bag carried by a tall Murloc standing nearby. "Hmm? Where did it go?" he wondered aloud.

"You wouldn't happen to be looking for the quest reward, would you?" Kana couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, that half of the stone tablet."

"Uh, you already gave that to me yesterday."

So, he hadn't prepaid the reward yesterday; he had simply forgotten.

"Is... is that so? That was... that was the reward for your promise to help us. Now, I must give you the reward for having actually helped us." The Murloc Prophet, seemingly unwilling to admit his poor memory, insisted on this explanation.

He pulled an item from the bag and handed it to Kana. Kana looked at what was in his hand: a bracelet made of seashells, pearls, and fish bones. The texture was rough and incredibly unsightly, like something a child would make for play. No, it was even worse than that.

"This represents the friendship of the Murlocs. It is proof of being a friend. Yes, that is right." The Murloc Prophet assigned meaning to this ugly bracelet.

Facing the strange looks from everyone, the Murloc Prophet tapped his coral staff and changed the subject. "Ahem, we have prepared a feast to welcome our friends. Would you like to join?"

Kana shook his head quickly. "No, thank you."

The Murloc Prophet looked visibly disappointed by the refusal, as did Aliris and Popot. Dealing with the Murlocs was simple and direct, with no need for circumlocution.

"I want to know the specific entry point for the ruins."

"No problem, human friend. Please, follow me." The Murloc Prophet turned slowly. It was clear he was no longer young; he walked at a leisurely pace, and the group had no choice but to follow slowly behind.

Taking this opportunity, Kana channeled his mana into the bracelet to digitize it.

[Blue-Spot Bracelet]
[Bracelet—Pearl Chain—Common]
[Attributes: Natural, Fragile]
[Special Effects: Murloc Friend, Underwater Travel]
[Murloc Friend: When worn by Kana—Murlocs will not attack proactively (Affinity +)]
[Underwater Travel: When moving in water—Agility +]
[Evaluation: Proof of friendship from the Blue-Spot Murloc tribe. May our friendship last forever! Would you like some fish stew, friend?]

Sure enough, the source of the special effects was more about the meaning behind it; this much was confirmed.

"It is here." They had arrived at the riverbank not far from the village. "Go down from here. About five Murloc-heights down, you will see a hole. That is where the stone tablet was taken from."

Kana looked at the spot the Prophet pointed to and then turned to his companions. Because of Kana's warning, Aliris had not worn armor and carried only a weapon. Black, however, was in full knight's plate armor; it would clearly be a struggle for him to go underwater.

Kana said directly, "Black, you stay here on the bank and wait for us. If anything goes wrong, you'll be prepared." Black nodded, having no objections.

Kana then looked at Popot. She shook her head and waved her hands. "Popot will not go into the water. It will get my fur wet, and that is hard to clean."

That worked out perfectly. "Then you two stay on the bank and keep watch. Aliris, we are diving down."

As he spoke, Kana put the bracelet on his wrist. The two humans and the mouse looked at this scene with strange expressions.

Kana smiled and said, "It is proof of friendship."

"Indeed, friend!" the Murloc Prophet said, sounding clearly delighted.

Ready, Kana jumped into the water, with Aliris following close behind. As soon as he entered the water, Kana felt as though he were in his element. He didn't know when he had become such a good swimmer.

They swam downward. It wasn't very deep, only a few meters. Following the mud on the bank, they spotted it immediately. The hole was not obvious, obscured by swaying aquatic plants. Aliris gestured, dove in first, and Kana followed. They swam about six or seven meters inside.

"Phew!" Kana poked his head above the water.

Before him was pitch-black darkness and a damp, musty smell; this was clearly a cave. With a splashing sound, Aliris climbed onto the bank in the darkness.

"Your Highness, come on up."

"It's too dark. I can't see."

"Dark?" Aliris sounded puzzled.

Kana realized it instantly. "You can see, right? You don't think it's dark in here?"

"Yes, I can see you, Your Highness. It's just a bit dim." Aliris realized it too and looked around. She noticed there was no light source at all, yet she could see perfectly.

"I can see? Why?"

"It must be because you've mastered Blood Magic and have gained Darkvision. Don't panic, this is normal."

As he spoke, Kana reached out his hand, and Aliris pulled him out of the water.