28 Chapter 28: Courage and Resolve

"You know," I complained to the system. "You still haven't given me the rewards for the last linked quest yet. Or do I only get them when I complete all of the linked quests?"

-The user has already received the rewards for the previous linked quest. You have fulfilled the task of assisting the Atlanteans in protecting their kingdom. –

"Huh? What rewards?"

-The spirit contracts for over a hundred spirit beasts. By the way, the user still has a single spirit contract remaining, and this system suggests that you reserve it for a high ranked spirit beast later. –

"Those were my rewards?!" I spluttered incredulously. "Wait a second, that makes no sense! I received them before I completed the mission, though?!"

-The mission was to assist the Atlanteans in protecting their kingdom, and not to save Atlantis by yourself. The moment the user fought on the frontlines and eliminated a sizable number of merfolk, the mission was considered accomplished. Thus, the spirit contracts were made available to you in the middle of battle. –

I recalled killing a lot of merfolk before I was smacked away by the Las Loch and saved my then would-be armada from a Megalodon. So the mission was considered completed once I had slain a certain number of merfolk and I was granted the rewards at such an opportune timing? Huh, okay…at least I still had a single spirit contract leftover from before. The system's advice gave me a premonition, though. I wondered if it could accurately predict what spirit beasts I encountered in the future. I was still a little annoyed, but I supposed the system wasn't going to hand me spirit contracts on a silver platter like that for no reason.

Well, that made sense. I wasn't Qin Feng or some web novel slash manhua protagonist who conveniently received rewards without having to work for them. I still recalled how annoyed I was when Qin Feng randomly received not just a novice reward that automatically gave him Supreme Wind Elemental affinity, but also randomly received a cultivation technique, two innate skills and a monster core right off the bat. And he didn't even need to train or work hard to level up, all he needed to do was devour monster cores and he gained 100% wind elemental cultivation or some bullshit like that.

How lazy. How fucking convenient. If only reality was kind enough to give all of us generous systems so that we can cheat our way up without having to put in any kind of effort. At least make Qin Feng complete a beginner quest before bestowing upon him so many overpowered gifts. You know, make him work for his rewards instead of giving him everything at the start. How was this fair?

-The world isn't fair. Some authors are just lazy, pandering to readers who want instant gratification. So they make their protagonists overpowered from the start. Unfortunately, reality isn't that convenient, so the user has no choice but to complete missions in order to receive rewards. –

Wow, even the super summoning system disapproved of such web novels and manhua. I didn't know what to say. Then again, I guess the summoning system had finally proven its title of "super" by giving me over a hundred spirit beasts to summon. Spirit contracts weren't free, apparently. I had to complete missions in order to earn them.

And no overpowered cultivation techniques or monster cores or treasures handed to me like candy either. Not that I needed them. The enemy might have a hulk…ahem, I mean Deep Sea King, but I have an army!

"So what rewards am I going to get when I complete this new linked mission?"

I called up the notification window that appeared in the briefing room and reread it to ensure I hadn't gotten anything wrong.

-Linked Quest: The user has successfully assisted Atlantis in repelling the undersea tribe's invasion. Now the undersea tribe has revealed their true intentions – the unsealing of the Deep Sea King in the forbidden Abyssal Tomb. New objective: Annihilate the undersea tribe's forces in the Abyssal Tomb. Completion of the mission will grant the appropriate rewards. –

"What are the rewards this time?" I asked, not wanting to be caught off guard this time. But the system remained sly.

-The appropriate rewards will be revealed upon completion of the mission. –

"Stingy." I rolled my eyes and idly swam forward. There was still some time before we set off on the mission, which meant I still had some time to train and polish my skills. Even though I had improved my Azure Rain Celestial Arrows and Flowing River Clear Sword techniques during the past week while simultaneously adapting to the underwater environment, I felt like I had some ways to go.

Holding up my sword, I studied it. The blade was chipped and on the verge of breaking, but I had no choice. I doubted the people of Atlantis used swords. Most of them used tridents, and even Princess Myria used a more conventional spear.

Plus, Jun Hai was the one who packed this sword for me, and I felt loathed to discard it. I was going to use it all the way, in hopes that it wouldn't shatter before I brought it back to the surface for repair and maintenance.

"Hey, you!"

"Huh?"

Turning around, I groaned inwardly when I caught sight of a familiar figure. It was none other than Orin, and he was bearing his trident.

"Surface s…dweller, I heard you're going on a mission to the Abyssal Tomb?"

News sure as hell traveled fast. And I had the feeling he meant to call me surface scum before correcting himself. Some old habits die hard.

"Yeah."

"Before you go…I would like to thank you for helping me out yesterday." Orin hesitated, to my utter surprise. Of all the things to say, gratitude was the last thing I was expecting from him. "If it weren't for you, I might have been slashed in the back."

"No problem. I wanted to help protect Atlantis. Even though I've only been here for a little more than a week, I've grown attached to the place."

"Hmph." Orin scowled, but he nodded grudgingly. "And you've earned the respect of the Atlantean Armada for what you did out there. If it weren't for you, the war would have taken a turn for the worse."

"I only did my duty."

"Duty. Hah." Orin snorted, aware that I was bullshitting. "Nonetheless, I still cannot on my good conscience allow you to go to the Abyssal Tomb."

"Oh, really?" I pushed my glasses up my nose. "And why not?"

"It'll be suicide. You might not know, being an outsider and all, but the Abyssal Tomb is an extremely dangerous place. Someone of your strength will perish there, even if you're escorted by the Royal Guard. You may have contributed greatly to the war, but you're still nowhere good enough to brave a place like the Abyssal Tomb. Furthermore…" His scowl deepened. "I still don't approve of your relationship with her highness. I don't know what she sees in you. She claims that your abilities will come in useful should the undersea tribe succeed in unsealing the Deep Sea King, but I don't buy it. She's intrigued with you, and that makes you dangerous. She should marry someone of noble Atlantean blood, not an outsider."

"All the more you should let me go and get myself killed in the Abyssal Tomb," I said sarcastically.

"No. I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my life, and we Atlanteans never go back on that debt." Orin pointed his trident at me. "Let's spar, surface dweller, and if you lose, it's evidence that you will not survive the trip there. I will not allow you to go. But if you win, then you have a higher chance than I do of surviving the Abyssal Tomb, in which case I have no right to stop you."

"Understood." I waited for him. He didn't hesitate, already surging forward to stab me with his trident. Drawing my sword, I parried his three-pronged lance in the same stroke, allowing his momentum to push me away.

As I drifted away, watching him lunge forward once more, I reached out with my senses to tune my movements in line with the currents. My qi gently merged with the flow of the sea and I tapped into the unfathomable strength that lay within the depths.

My azure qi exploded into a raging vortex and I struck, a whirlpool spinning rapidly around my blade. Orin's eyes widened, but he determinedly thrust his trident, refusing to be cowed by my display. Water also rotated around him, turning into a violent maelstrom that slammed against my whirlpool.

However, instead of forcing my way through the tempest that my opponent had conjured, I adjusted my whirlpools to spin in tune with the storm, sucking in his qi and expanding my own. Even without closing my eyes, I could read the flow of qi in my surroundings and follow its path.

The two titanic tides collided and broke apart, sending bubbles foaming around us. There was a clash of sparks as metal ground against metal, but I rode the wave and continued onward while twisting my body.

The path of my sword had become clear to me, after all. This was the pinnacle of Flowing River Clear Sword that dad told me about, and my movements melted into the water, almost becoming a river.

"Ugh!"

Orin froze when the tip of my blade stopped just a millimeter away from his throat. His trident trembled, the three points slashing slightly at empty space and creating gentle ripples.

"So," I said, withdrawing my sword and sheathing it. "Have I proven myself or am I still too weak to venture into the Abyssal Tomb?"

Orin glowered at me, biting his lip for a few seconds before he turned away and admitted grudgingly. "You pass the test. But I still refuse to accept that you are a suitable marriage candidate for her highness."

"Look, dude, I don't know where you get that idea from, but it's impossible for me to marry her highness. She is the crown princess of Atlantis, and I'm just a commoner from the surface. Sooner or later, I'll have to return to the surface. My family is there, and as much as I like Atlantis, I can't live here forever. Once I'm gone, her highness will most likely never see me again. So you don't have to worry about me stealing her away from you."

A smirk curled across Orin's lips as he drew his trident back. He sighed and shook his head, his expression bitter.

"You underestimate how determined her highness can be."

"Huh? I know her highness is quite the determined person, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Orin turned away and slowly swam away. Without turning back to face me, he tossed back a sullen answer.

"You'll see what I mean after you return to the surface."

With that enigmatic reply, he kicked off and disappeared in a dizzying stream of bubbles. I watched him depart before shaking my head in puzzlement and resuming my journey back to the courtyard of the villa I was currently staying in.

The dude was probably overthinking it.