Chapter 327 - Mermaids

It looked like Bianca underestimated Ryan and Furball's abilities. She rushed to reach the capital before sunrise, but they arrived at midnight. She probably thought that a monster of that level wouldn't last long, but she didn't know that Ryan could restore Furball's stamina.

"I guess her level of Appraisal is low," Ryan thought. "Even though she has the backing of a dragon, the skill isn't at a high level."

"Even those that made a pact with us need to focus on certain skills if they really want to reach a certain level of strength", Femradiel explained. "Even though people like her have the benefits of two systems, her dragon needs mana and she also needed mana to fight, so the skills they can level up together are limited."

As usual, Femradiel always explained things even though she couldn't read Ryan's thoughts anymore. Then again, imagine what is thinking at some moments wasn't that hard.

Regardless, the capital of Brazil was quite a different place. It didn't look like a proper city, since most buildings that had been built had some sort of function aside from housing ordinary individuals. Weirdly enough, the dungeon appeared pretty close to the president's residence… It was a semi-underwater dungeon that spawned mermaids. Even though it was midnight, Ryan saw them because the whole area around the dungeon was being illuminated by floodlights.

Mermaid – Lv 120

Health: 1500/1500

Mana: 2500 /2500

Stamina: 1800/1800

Strength: 400 (+150)

Dexterity: 600 (+200)

Speed: 450 (+250)

Intelligence: 1100 (+300)

Endurance: 400 (+150)

Control: 650 (+150)

Mentality: 800 (+150)

Luck: 300     

Recovery: 800 (+150)

Skill List

Offensive Physical Skills: Alluring Voice Lv 110

Passive Physical Skills: Sleepy Touch Lv 100

Spells: Charm Lv 100, Sleep Lv 100

Support Skills: Pain Resistance Lv 100, Cold Resistance Lv 100

"So, they are like Succubus…" Ryan muttered. "Interesting… I feel like making a magic weapon out of them would be useful. Then again, I need to be careful with my actions here."

It looked like Ryan was losing some golden opportunities to create some interesting magic items, but it was better than risking losing the chance to get two more tier-three classes for free.

In the end, Ryan decided to wait for sunrise while he meditates. It was the only thing that he could do that was useful and wouldn't make him the center of the attention, after all.

"May I make a suggestion?" Femradiel asked.

"... About what?" Ryan asked after sighing.

"About the use of your free time, while Meditation is useful, there are better versions of that skill which you can use."

"What is the name of the skill?" Ryan asked. 

"I believed the skill has two more levels, but I can only remember the second level," Femradiel said. "It is called, Zen. Just like Meditation, it can recover your mana and increase your intelligence now and then. However, it is five times more effective."

Ryan used the Dungeon Shoo, but he didn't find the tome being sold. The cost was probably that high. Regardless, Femradiel didn't give up just with that.

"I can teach you the skill in the blink of an eye. However, I believe it will be more beneficial if we divide the rules." Femradiel said. "Zen is the next level of Meditation, so you have to focus a lot more to keep the skill active. In a sense, you will have to cut your link to the external world. You don't look like someone who would do this while you are surrounded by strangers, so I will do that for you and you will keep your awareness of the surroundings."

"What I said about giving me powers that I didn't deserve?" Ryan asked.

"I am trying to help because you said that I owe you a lot. I recognized that fact and I am trying to help you in exchange. Besides, you will eventually gain more mana and that will help both of us."

"Give me one good reason to let you do that," Ryan said. "I already told you many times, I don't want powers that I don't deserve."

"Because I want more mana to increase the potential of draconic transformation. Besides, you don't have to worry because I will get all the extra mana recovered. Your total mana and intelligence will increase now and then, but you can consider that a fair trade for the mana that I will receive."

Although it was useful that he could share the work with Femradiel, Ryan feared that he starts relying on others right now, he will stray to a path where in the end, he won't feel satisfied with the outcome. While Femradiel needed his permission to do anything, she still was her own… existence. She was different than Furball that could disappear with just one of Ryan's thoughts… maybe Ryan was going too far with the whole idea about gaining power by himself, but…

"I suppose strengthening yourself will be necessary when we find certain individuals," Ryan said. "I don't plan on relying on you when some dragons attack me, but if those dragon slayers attack me because of you, you will have to deal with them."

"Some sort will be welcomed when that time comes," Femradiel said. "As I said, I was killing golems to strengthen myself because I wasn't strong enough to defeat those who tried to kill me."

In the end, it looked like Ryan wouldn't be able to keep a neutral instance in those situations. Besides, even if that wasn't their intention, those dragon slayers are causing problems for humans. So, they were Ryan's enemies as well. Regardless, Ryan gave permission for Femradiel to use Zen.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill Zen.

Effect: It recovers five points of mana per minute multiplied by the level of the skill. It can occasionally increase your mana and intelligence.

You obtained 01 status point.

Weirdly enough, when Femradiel used Zen, Ryan felt an inner peace like he never felt before. It looked like the problems of the past didn't matter anymore. However, he also discovered that a single dark emotion was enough to cancel the skill.