Lucian strolled through the village, the salty sea breeze brushing against his damp hair as he made his way ho. The day had been far more eventful than he expected—rescuing a Scauldron, eting Ariel and her friends, and even earning a few rewards from the system. He let out a deep breath as he reached his small dwelling, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.
The mont he reached his bed, he collapsed onto it, stretching out with a contented sigh.
"Haaah... what a day," he muttered, rubbing his eyes before lazily rolling onto his back.
After a mont of thought, he spoke again.
"Status."
A familiar blue screen materialized before his eyes, glowing faintly in the dimly lit room.
[Lucian Westergard]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Tideborn]
[Racial skill: Tideborn Shift]
[Abilities: Draconic Empathy, Stealth, Unard Combat, Weapon Adaptability...]
[Unlimited Box: Ordinary Box (1x), Uncommon Box (2x)]
Lucian’s gaze lingered on the ’Race’ section, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Tideborn... huh." He muttered, recalling how his tail had transford effortlessly during his swim. "Is this because of the racial skills? So my race actually changes based on what abilities I acquire?"
He considered it for a mont, but ultimately, he just shrugged. It didn’t really matter. He felt no different, aside from the newfound agility and ease in the water. If anything, it was an advantage.
Shaking off the thought, he turned his attention back to the system. His adventure today had granted him so new rewards—a Ordinary Box from Scuttle, and two Uncommon Boxes from Flounder and Andrina.
"Alright, let’s see what we got." With a simple thought, he activated the Ordinary Box first.
[Congratulations! You have opened the Normal Box from Scuttle and gained: Telescope.]
A small, well-crafted telescope materialized in his hands. He turned it over, examining the brass casing and glass lenses.
"Huh... very normal," he muttered, lifting it to his eye and testing the zoom. It worked perfectly fine. Nothing enchanted or magical—just a regular tool. He set it aside on the nearby table before moving on to the next box.
"Next."
[Congratulations! You have opened the Uncommon Box from Flounder and gained: rmaid’s Sword Neo.]
A sleek, curved sword appeared in his grip. Lucian’s eyes widened slightly as he examined its unique design. The blade, forged from solid white fishbone, had a smooth yet rigid curve, giving it a graceful yet deadly appearance.
[rmaid’s Sword Neo: A weapon crafted from the bones of deep-sea predators. Wielded by the Azure rmaids to combat the Cecaelia, it is known for its agility and precision underwater.]
Lucian stood up, unsheathing the blade with a soft shing. He swung it experintally, feeling how light and balanced it was in his hand. A satisfied smirk tugged at his lips.
"Not bad." He twirled it once before sheathing it again and placing it carefully against the wall.
Finally, he turned to the last box.
[Congratulations! You have opened the Uncommon Box from Andrina and gained a passive skill: Soothing Voice.]
[Soothing Voice – A calming, lodic voice that naturally eases tension and fear in those who hear it. This passive ability can pacify hostile creatures, reassure allies, and even lull restless minds into a state of tranquility.]
Lucian chuckled, leaning back against his bed. "Honestly, I expected sothing more mischievous from Ariel’s sister."
Still, it wasn’t a bad ability. The power to calm people—or creatures—just by speaking could be incredibly useful. Satisfied, he stored away the items in a chest at the corner of his room, then stretched once more before lying back down. His muscles ached pleasantly from the day’s events, and exhaustion was quickly creeping in.
As his thoughts drifted, he let out a final sigh, murmuring, "What a day..."
His eyes slowly closed, and soon enough, sleep claid him.
________
anwhile, as the sun dipped below the ocean’s surface, casting a golden glow through the waves, Ariel, Andrina, and Flounder swam back toward Atlantica. The water shimred around them, bubbles trailing their movents as they weaved through coral reefs and schools of fish. Andrina, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, turned to Ariel and nudged her playfully.
"Sooo..." Andrina drawled, swimming backward in front of Ariel with a teasing grin. "How did you t the handso rman you were totally making heart-eyes at?"
Ariel’s face turned bright red as she gasped. "I—I was not!"
Flounder snickered from beside them. "Uh, yeah, you kinda were."
Andrina laughed, flipping her hair back. "Oh, co on, Ariel. A mysterious silver-haired rman who rides a dragon? That’s, like, straight out of a romance tale!"
Ariel covered her face with her hands. "Can we not talk about this?!"
Andrina giggled but then suddenly gasped dramatically. "Oh! Imagine what Daddy would say if he found out!"
Ariel imdiately grabbed her sister’s hands. "Please, Andrina! Don’t tell him about Scuttle! He’ll get mad again and ban from going out!"
Andrina smirked and patted Ariel’s head. "Relax, little sis, I got you. I won’t say a word about Scuttle." She paused, then grinned wider. "Buuuut... I will definitely tell him about your new rman boyfriend."
"Andrina, no!" Ariel shrieked as her sister took off toward the palace, laughing all the way.
Ariel groaned before chasing after her. "Co back here!"
_____
Inside the grand throne hall, tension filled the water like an impending storm. King Triton sat on his throne, his trident gripped tightly in his hand. His expression was one of frustration as he addressed the gathered rfolk.
"Has anyone seen Ariel?" he demanded, his voice booming.
The rmaid sisters exchanged nervous glances, while Sebastian wrung his claws.
Just then, the heavy atmosphere was interrupted by Andrina’s bright, cheerful voice as she swam into the hall. "Found her!" she sang out, her usual playful grin in place.
Triton imdiately turned to her. "Where is she?"
Before Andrina could answer, Ariel finally swam in, catching her breath. "Daddy!"
Triton’s stern expression didn’t soften. "I consider myself a reasonable rman, Ariel. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be followed."
Ariel flinched. "But, Daddy—"
"Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?"
Ariel hesitated. "Daddy, I—"
"Contact between the human world and the r-world is strictly forbidden, Ariel! You know that! Everyone knows that!"
"He would have died!" Ariel protested.
Triton’s face darkened. "One less human to worry about."
"You don’t even know him!"
"Know him? I don’t have to know him! They’re all the sa—spineless, savage, harpooning, fish-eaters, incapable of any feeling—"
"But Daddy, I love him!"
A sharp silence fell over the throne room. Sebastian nearly choked on his claw, and the rmaid sisters’ eyes widened in shock.
Triton’s expression turned to horror. "No... Have you lost your senses completely?! He’s a human, you’re a rmaid!"
Just as the argunt threatened to escalate further, Andrina suddenly shot between them, waving her hands. "WAIT!!!!"
Triton’s eyes narrowed. "Andrina, don’t interfere."
"No, no, no, you’re misunderstanding Daddy!" Andrina said, placing her hands on her hips. "Who said anything about a human? The guy Ariel likes is a rman."
Triton blinked. "A rman?"
"Mhm! Silver hair, blue scales, aaaand he rides a Scauldron!" Andrina said, twirling dramatically in the water.
The sisters gasped in admiration.
"A dragon rider?! No way!" one of them whispered.
Triton’s brows furrowed. "Is this true, Ariel?"
Ariel hesitated, glancing at Andrina, who winked at her. Taking a deep breath, Ariel nodded. "Y-Yes. It’s true."
Triton studied her for a mont, then let out a deep sigh, the tension easing from his shoulders. "That’s good, that’s good," he muttered before giving Sebastian a stern look.
Sebastian gulped. "Uh-oh."
anwhile, the sisters had already sward Ariel and Andrina, their curiosity bubbling over like the tide.
"A rman, huh?" Aquata smirked, folding her arms. "And here I thought Ariel only had eyes for shipwrecks and human trinkets."
"Yeah, tell us everything!" Arista chid in, flicking her fin excitedly. "What does he look like? What does he sound like? Is he handso?"
Andrina grinned mischievously, nudging Ariel. "Oh, he’s definitely handso, silver hair flowing over his shoulders, a sharp jawline, the whole mysterious look."
"Oooooh," Attina mused, tapping her chin. "A mysterious, dragon-riding rman. Now that’s sothing you don’t see every day."
Ariel flushed, flustered by all the attention. "He’s... He’s just nice, okay?" she stamred, waving her hands. "He needed directions, and I helped him, that’s all!"
Adella leaned in with a knowing smirk. "Mmmhmm. And did he look at you the way you’re looking all dreamy-eyed right now?"
"I am not dreamy-eyed!" Ariel protested, her face growing redder.
The sisters burst into giggles, each exchanging playful glances.
"You know," Alana added with a soft smile, "if Mom were here, she’d probably say sothing like, ’Oh, my little pearl is all grown up!’"
Ariel blinked, her expression shifting to sothing softer. The ntion of their mother always brought a mix of warmth and sadness.
Andrina gave Ariel’s shoulder a squeeze. "Yeah, she’d probably want to et him, ask him a thousand questions, and then give him the look to see if he’s worthy of you."
"Which he obviously isn’t yet," Attina teased. "Not until we know more about him."
"Exactly!" Arista nodded. "So, Ariel, when are you seeing him again?"
Ariel groaned, burying her face in her hands as her sisters giggled and chattered, already planning ways to spy on her next encounter with the mysterious rman
Flounder who was hiding, sighed as Sebastian floated down next to him. "What exactly happened out there?"
Flounder rolled his eyes. "Long story."
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