"Sister! Where have you been all these YEARS!" Queen Adyra dropped all protocol and swam to hug me. Behind her, a little tyke of a mermaid, fluttering in a cloud of red hair.
"Hunting, killing, leveling up, reaching the level cap," I answered, revealing my Status.
"Sacred Meheia, you really did it! I can't believe you reached the cap in so little time!" Adyra gushed and the mermaids around us cheered.
I stole a glance at the two good-for-nothing demigod avatars in their alcoves. Kraken retracted her tentacles while Leviathan hissed a laugh.
"Where's mom?" I asked.
"She's in Ackerton, as an envoy in the King's palace. Some business, you know?" Adyra said accusingly, "Not all of us can ditch our responsibilities to go grind levels!"
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Atlantis was doing fine. The docks were expanded with the help of the dryads living in the fairy island, and more ships than ever docked there. Our population also grew by leaps and bounds. I was forced to enchant even more sunrods to cope with the demand.
I spent my time training mermaids, teaching them about several subjects, training new [Assassins] for The Master's Guild, and visiting Windemere. I got some lamias to move to Atlantis. Apparently, their fertility boon ended as the System no longer qualified them as an endangered species. They now gave birth to triplets at most.
But I spent most of my time doing nothing. It was my retirement! Go bankrupt and retire to the countryside as a philosopher. Best career plan ever!
Years, decades, a century passed. The world was at peace and the threat of the demons pouring over the Scorched Continent like a flood was contained, for now. The neighboring nations gave up on trying to attack Atlantis. We ruled the oceans and could landlock them anytime we wanted even without my interference.
It was on Eathelin's twilight that I made my decision. Adyra had abdicated and so had her daughter. My great-niece now sat on the Coral Throne.
it was time to re-roll. I couldn't bear to see my mother waste away as Lorna did. This time, there was no pressure. No Gods waiting to Nerf the heck out of me, no world threat I had to give my best to defeat, no assholish dragons or deities coming to get a piece of me.
No. Just the sorrow and the pain of a wound that lasted for three lifetimes. I vowed that in my next life I would live freely and without worries. The icing on the cake was news of King Eric of Windemere's passing. He died fighting some underground trolls that burst out of the Dungeon entrance in Windemere.
I also got a very weird call from the higher-ups.
Administrator Hotline
CALL START
Wyxnos: Things changed here. The System administration is now a triumvirate. Loki, Tuisto, and I have to decide everything on a majority vote.
Tuisto: Greetings, visitor. Trust me, this is for the best.
Arista: Okay. I don't see where it affects me.
W: We decided you can't use {Deadman's Switch} to revive after {Bygone Hero} anymore. We decided it is a loophole that subtracts from the sacrifice portion of the Perk. And any other self-resurrecting effects will restore your former Status.
A: Okay. It's your game, anyway.
T: The System deemed the change balanced and the three of us voted on it. Loki is in Asgard right now but he let us call you.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
A: Is that all? I know you're busy fixing things up there.
T: Actually, not. Rabhorktaar, on behalf of the Yznarian pantheon, has a reward for you for your work at the planar gauntlet. It will be given to you on your next life when you come of age as we need your user ID to be deactivated to implement it.
W: I want to say I'm sorry about Bundeus. I shouldn't have given him the core.
A: Honestly, fuck you, Wyxnos. At least own your mistakes. You were playing two hands at the same poker table and botched both bets. If you want to make up, give Galbarar enough power to increase the sunlight hours to five, as he would've done if you did your fucking job. I'm out.
CALL END
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In my sanctum, the tree under Briar's care was already forty meters tall and thicker than any tree on Earth. But to use it as a castle as the Fulgen elves did would take a few more centuries. Together with Nenandil and Marlowe, we went to the modest house. Vesper greeted us and served tea.
I took a red orb from my item box. It shone with tremendous power. "Here it goes," I said. "Let's finish this with a bang."
> You devoured a level 251 magic core. You had already consumed a level 2 Core.
>
> Source: Carcinodon
>
> Quality: Legendary
>
> Half the Attribute bonus were given to your familiar. You gained 124 Attribute Points
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> * Surpasser XXXIV (Ultra-Rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 340%. Gain 34 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Distributing Attributes.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 67/100 Points withheld.
----------------------------------------
Age of Eclipse, year 277
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I sat on the beach with Adyra. My sister already showed signs of advanced age, while I seemed to be in my twenties as I aged a tenth as fast as other mermaids.
"I don't resent you for having eternal youth, sister," said the now [Archmage Queen].
"Thanks. But I see how the mermaids look at me, especially the old-timers. I can't bear their looks of envy anymore."
She sniffled, "I'll miss you."
"Me too, believe me. A thousand people I've met and loved in this world," I summoned the portrait of Apricot's family and then another painting with the mermaid Royal Family. "They and we were the closest I had to a normal life."
I had several artisans come from all over the world to create paintings, sculptures, chronicles, and songs about the mermaids. I kept some of these works for myself, while the rest was added to the Royal gallery or spread throughout the world.
"Look after our realm in your next life. Look after our people," she said. "I'm afraid that without you here to act as a deterrent, the other kingdoms will get itchy to attack us."
"We have allies. We have strong warriors and the means to train more. The Heralds are here if they invade our sanctum, the island behind us is crowded with fairies. We have ties to Ackerton, Windemere, and Fulgen. Allies in three continents. I'm leaving a ton of artifacts that can only be used by mermaids sworn to Atlantis."
"You did everything you could. I still don't like it."
I stood up and brushed the sand from my clothes. "I can't watch mom have her twilight. It's too painful."
She stood as well and stared at me. "So that's what the most powerful mortal in this world is deep inside. A coward." She didn't mean ill but it was just to show how she'd grown, I thought. She delivered those words like a cold-blood [Assassin] stabs in the night. Then she laughed. "I understand. Do what you have to do. We'll honor your memory."
"Goodbye, sister. I love you."
"Goodbye, sister. I love you."
We hugged for a long time.
I walked to the circle of mushrooms and waved. A coward. All of us, in some capacity or another, are cowards. There are things we fear, things that hurt our very core. I could stay in Atlantis as Arista for another thousand years. Watch as everyone I knew disappeared. I was too attached to them to do so. Eternal life with attachments was a recipe for failure. Or insanity as grief would overwhelm everything I was.
I'd lived a mermaid's lifetime already, and would do something that others without my point of view on the bigger picture could think stupid.
> Self-Sacrifice
I drained all my HP and Energy as well as the leftover Exp after reaching the level cap and used it on an enchantment, centered on the fairy island.
> Atlantean Barrier
>
> Range: 127 Km. Inside this range, the following effects take place:
>
> Drains 1% of the current MP of all creatures inside the barrier whenever their MP pool is full. The difficulty to resist, should someone choose to, is 267. A failed resistance check drains 50% of their current MP.
>
> Grants the {Water Breathing} or {Air Breathing} perk to all mermaids, fairies, or lamias born inside the barrier.
>
> Reduce all damage inflicted on mermaids, fairies, and lamias by 50%, unless the mermaid attacked a subject of Atlantis in the previous year.
>
> Reduce the duration of negative debuffs in mermaids, fairies, and lamias by 75%.
>
> Each time one strikes a mermaid, fairy, or lamia, and before the attack connects, stagger the attacker for 0.2seconds. Then, Reduce all Attributes by 1 for ten years. This is a stacking curse effect, resisted by Willpower. The difficulty to resist or remove it is 267.
> You died.