Chương 88

The heavy, undeniable aura of the Named Boss radiated from the severed tentacle resting on the white sand. The Siren King stood up, stepped down from his pearl dais, and offered a deep, sweeping bow.

"You have freed our people from an era of terror, Duke Rudra," the King declared, his voice echoing with profound gratitude.

"The alliance between Stormbreak and the Siren Kingdom is cemented for eternity. Furthermore... for saving my daughter and slaying our greatest enemy, I grant you unrestricted access to our Royal Treasury. Name any one item you desire, and it is yours." A brilliant golden light cascaded across Rudra's vision. [You have acquired the Title: Benefactor of the Siren Kingdom!] [Benefactor of the Siren Kingdom] [You are the one who slayed the Mighty Karkinos who was terrorizing the Siren Kingdom - Affinity with all Sirens increased by +50. - All stats +100. -20% discount at all Siren-operated merchant stalls.] Rudra smiled. A flat 100-point boost to all stats was a massive upgrade, and the merchant discount would be incredibly useful for trading rare oceanic ingredients.

"I appreciate it, Your Majesty," Rudra said, offering a polite nod.

"I'd be glad to see what your treasury holds." Princess Nerissa led Rudra and Winfred deep beneath the palace. The Royal Treasury was a massive, dry vault carved out of glowing blue stone, packed with ancient, dust-covered treasures. Nerissa walked proudly past the first row of weapon racks. She pointed to a beautifully crafted, shimmering silver trident.

"This is the Tide-Caller's Trident," Nerissa explained.

"It belonged to the First Commander of our royal guard. It is said it can summon localized whirlpools and crush steel."

"It's a great weapon, Princess," Rudra said, eyeing the glowing prongs.

"But the balance doesn't fit my style. I'm much more accustomed to my staff." Nerissa nodded understandingly. She moved to a heavy, glowing chest plate made of overlapping blue scales.

"Then perhaps the Armor of the Deep Sovereign? It is a legendary relic that completely nullifies water magic."

"I'm pretty satisfied with my current coat, but thank you," Rudra answered, moving toward the back of the vault. The items here weren't forged by Sirens. They were strange, terrestrial artifacts collected from the surface world over centuries. Rudra's eyes scanned the dusty shelves, bypassing several glowing swords and shields. Then, his gaze locked onto a thick, leather-bound book sitting on a stone pedestal. It didn't look like a weapon, but the sheer density of the mana radiating from it made the air feel heavy.

"Princess," Rudra asked, pointing with the bone shaft of his staff.

"What is the story behind that book?" Nerissa hesitated, looking at the dusty cover.

"That was left here over a century ago by a human who visited our kingdom. A magician named Mumud. We Sirens cannot utilize human magic, so it has simply gathered dust." Winfred froze. The old tactician took a sudden step forward. His eyes went wide, staring at the leather cover as if it were made of pure gold.

"Mumud?" Winfred breathed, his voice cracking with sheer disbelief.

"Is he famous?" Rudra asked.

"Famous?" Winfred snapped his head toward Rudra.

"He was a genius. He was the most favored disciple of Braham, the Legendary Great Magician. If this is truly Mumud's original spellbook, the magical formulas inside are priceless. The value is astronomical. Rudra, I strongly advise you to choose this." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Rudra didn't need to be told twice. A spellbook written by the disciple of a Legend was an incredible asset.

"I think we have a winner," Rudra said. He reached out and picked it up. It felt incredibly warm to the touch. He flipped the metal latch, curious to see what kind of broken magic skills the system would reveal.

"Stop," Winfred warned, grabbing Rudra's wrist tightly. Rudra paused.

"Is something wrong?"

"Do not open it yet," Winfred said, his expression dead serious.

"The knowledge contained in a book of that caliber is incredibly dense. Your mind is not sharp yet, and your level of existence is currently far too weak to comprehend it. If you try to absorb a legendary spellbook right now, the mana will overwhelm you, and you will likely fail to learn anything. Wait until you have grown much stronger, or until your status transcends to a legendary level." Rudra slowly took his hand off the latch. He understood game logic perfectly.

It was a high-tier item with hidden stat requirements. If he forced it open before he met the requirments, the item would just reject him and waste the reward.

"Understood. I'll keep it sealed for now," Rudra nodded, safely storing the heavy book into his inventory. With his reward secured, they returned to the throne room.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty," Rudra said, offering the Siren King a respectful bow.

"We will coordinate the trade wagons shortly. May the tides remain calm for your people." [Time Skip: Several Months Later] The Stormbreak Region was completely transformed. Rudra stood on the ramparts of his fortress, watching the sunrise over the Red Sea. The battered stone walls were fully repaired and reinforced. The citizens were healthy, well-fed from the new Siren trade routes, and the local militia soldiers stood tall.

Dominating the city skyline was a brand-new, towering stone structure—an official Alchemy Tower. It was entirely funded by Rudra's immense Duke salary and the gold he had amassed. With a proper facility, Elysia's growth limits were finally unblocked. She spent her days synthesizing high-tier potions, enhancing the militia's weapons, and recovering her absolute peak strength. Rudra, however, had hit a severe bottleneck.

A few weeks ago, he had ventured into the treacherous, jagged mountains surrounding Stormbreak to test his limits. He engaged a flock of Storm Rocs. The monsters were Level 300+, completely out-stating him, but the real issue was that they could fly. Rudra had to constantly spam [Abyssal Step] just to reach them in the air.

Between the massive level suppression heavily reducing his damage and the rapid stamina drain of fighting entirely in mid-air, it took him over an hour of exhausting, inefficient brawling just to kill a few mobs. Realizing the mountains were a waste of time, he had pivoted to the Red Sea. For a couple of months, he ruthlessly hunted the Level 200+ sea monsters along the coast, utilizing his Seeker of the Drowned Truths title to boost his stats underwater.

Every evening, he returned to the courtyard to spar with the recovering Red Knights.

"Your swing is too wide!" Singuled roared, bringing his chipped broadsword down in a heavy arc. Rudra parried, stepping inside the massive knight's guard and thrusting his fiery staff forward. Fighting against the Empire's greatest veterans forced him to refine his brawling style. The brutal, repetitive sparring paid off. [Advanced Staff Mastery has reached Lv. 6!] Rudra dropped to the dirt, panting heavily as he dismissed the notification.

His combat skills were progressing, but his production skills were entirely stuck. [Advanced Cooking has reached Lv. 4!] He wiped the sweat from his forehead. His cooking had slowed down drastically because he simply didn't have any diverse materials left. He had mastered every variation of sea monster the Sirens could trade him. He needed fresh, terrestrial ingredients to experiment with. That evening, the group sat around the large wooden dining table in the estate.

Kratos, now the size of a large dog, sat patiently by Rudra's chair, waiting for scraps. Winfred unrolled a sprawling map of the continent. The Red Sage had been tracking the Empire's movements and investigating the scattered rumors of the surviving knights.

"I have analyzed the false trails and the Imperial patrol routes," Winfred said quietly, tapping a specific kingdom on the map.

"I am nearly certain that the Captain is currently residing within the borders of the Eternal Kingdom." Elysia's breath hitched slightly.

"Big brother..." Rudra looked at the map. The Eternal Kingdom. New forests. New dungeons. Completely new materials and monsters to hunt.

"That settles it," Rudra said, pushing his chair back and standing up. He grabbed the Staff of the Fire Lord and rested it on his shoulder.

"Winfred, Elysia, all of you—stay here." Kentrick frowned, crossing his massive arms.

"You intend to travel alone, My Lord?"

"The Alchemy Tower and the city's defenses need you guys more than I do," Rudra reasoned.

"If the Empire sniffs out that the surviving Red Knights are hiding here, Stormbreak needs its commanders. I'll take Kratos and head to the Eternal Kingdom to find the Captain. I'll be fine." Winfred nodded slowly, recognizing the tactical logic.

"Be cautious, Rudra. The Eternal Kingdom has its own share of turbulent politics, and the Yatan Church operates heavily in those borders."

"I'll keep an eye out," Rudra grinned, tossing a final piece of seared fish to Kratos.

"Besides, I hear they have great truffles."