Alan moved.
The first merman lunged with a rusted trident, its movements feral and vicious. Alan sidestepped calmly, blade flashing in a clean horizontal arc. Scales split, blood sprayed, and the creature collapsed before it could even scream.
Another followed immediately.
Then another.
Alan fought without pause.
His breathing remained steady, his grip firm. Despite the nonstop combat, there was no sign of fatigue in his movements. His stamina barely dipped—far higher than any normal player's at this level.
That wasn't an accident.
Through countless relentless crafting sessions, and prolonged high-intensity combat, his persistence stat which reduces stamina consumption and Alan's Stamina stat which is also vey high he continued to fight. Where other players would already be gasping for breath, slowing down, or forced to retreat—
Alan was still warming up.
A merman slashed at him with poison-coated claws. Alan blocked with the flat of his blade, twisted his wrist, and drove Dainsleif straight through its throat.
Another tried to flank him from the side.
He pivoted, kicked off the ground, and brought his sword down in a clean vertical strike, splitting the creature from shoulder to waist.
One by one, they fell.
The pond boiled with movement as more mermen surged out, drawn by the scent of blood and death. Ten became twenty. Twenty became dozens.
Yet Alan did not retreat.
He advanced.
Each step forward forced the mermen back, their numbers meaning nothing against his refined swordsmanship. His footwork remained flawless even on slick, water-soaked stone. His strikes were economical—no wasted energy, no unnecessary motion.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was endurance training.
It was mastery through repetition.
His stamina regenerated almost as fast as it was spent, and even prolonged combat failed to dull his edge. Where others relied on skills and bursts of power, Alan relied on something far more terrifying—
Consistency.
[ Merman Raider – Level 182 defeated ]
[ Merman Hunter – Level 179 defeated ]
[ Merman Spear Guard – Level 185 defeated ]
Notifications stacked one after another, but Alan barely registered them.
His mind was clear.
His body responsive.
His blade absolute.
Hours passed.
The waterfall continued to roar.
The pond ran red.
Bodies littered the shoreline, yet Alan still stood tall, shoulders relaxed, sword steady in his hand.
"So this is all you've got?" he muttered softly.
As if offended by his words, the water suddenly split apart.
The pond's surface sank unnaturally, forming a swirling vortex of mana and pressure. The remaining mermen recoiled, screeching as they hurriedly retreated into the depths.
Alan narrowed his eyes.
"…Now that's interesting."
The surface of the pond convulsed violently, mana surging outward in crushing waves. The water split apart as a massive figure slowly emerged from the depths.
A system notification flashed before Alan's eyes.
[ After sensing his brethren being slain, the Field Boss Merman King has risen ]
[ Merman King – Level 180 ]
Alan studied the creature calmly.
The Merman King was three times larger than the other mermen, his body covered in thick, jagged scales that shimmered with a dark blue sheen. Fins flared along his arms and back like bladed armor, and in his grasp was an enormous trident, easily twice the length of a normal one, its tips crackling faintly with water-aspected mana.
Cold, predatory eyes locked onto Alan.
"Human," the Merman King snarled, his voice echoing unnaturally across the falls.
"I will eat you alive for your sins!"
Alan didn't respond immediately.
He simply shifted his grip on Dainsleif.
"…You talk too much."
The Merman King roared and slammed his trident into the ground.
BOOM—!
A shockwave of compressed water exploded outward, the ground trembling as torrents surged toward Alan like crashing waves. Instead of retreating, Alan stepped forward and cut through the incoming pressure with a precise diagonal slash.
The water split cleanly, dispersing harmlessly around him.
It was Parry.
Alan had finally begun using skills. Against the Merman King, recklessness was not an option. He needed to remain undefeated—only by doing so could he qualify in the future for the hidden class Undefeated King Successor.
The Merman King's eyes widened—just slightly.
Alan closed the distance in an instant.
Before the king could fully recover from his shock, Alan twisted his wrist and drove Dainsleif forward. The blade struck the shaft of the trident, knocking it violently off course, and Alan followed through with a swift horizontal slash.
Clang—!
Sparks flew as steel met enchanted metal.
The impact sent vibrations up the Merman King's arms, forcing him to stagger back a step. Alan didn't let him breathe.
He pivoted on his heel, slipped inside the king's reach, and unleashed a rapid sequence of strikes—each one aimed with ruthless precision.
Shoulder.
Rib.
Thigh.
Three clean cuts appeared almost simultaneously, dark blood spilling as the Merman King roared in pain and fury.
"INSOLENT HUMAN!"
The king slammed his tail into the ground, water erupting beneath him as he launched himself backward, creating distance. Mana surged wildly around his body, the pond behind him responding in kind as waves rose unnaturally high.
Alan exhaled slowly, steadying his stance.
"Second phase huh" Alan mumbled as he got ready.
The Merman King raised his trident, chanting in a guttural language. The water around the pond began to rotate, forming massive spiraling currents. The pressure in the air skyrocketed as countless water blades condensed and hovered around him.
A field-wide attack.
Alan's eyes sharpened.
He shifted his grip, lowering his center of gravity.
"Good," he muttered.
"That's exactly what I wanted."
His body blurred.
[ Haste Activated ]
[ Quick Step Activated ]
Alan shot forward just as the first wave descended.
Water blades rained down like a storm of guillotines.
He dodged.
Twisted.
Slipped through impossible gaps.
His footwork was flawless—Quick Step chaining seamlessly, Haste pushing his body beyond its normal limits. When evasion alone wasn't enough, he slashed, cleaving falling blades apart mid-air.
But the attack was relentless.
One blade slipped past his guard.
Then another.
And another.
Searing pain ripped through his side as compressed water tore into flesh.
[ You have suffered 1,120 damage ]
[ You have suffered 860 damage ]
[ You have suffered 940 damage ]
Blood sprayed as Alan was forced backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the soaked ground. The final wave crashed down—
BOOM!
The earth exploded.
Dust, mist, and shattered stone engulfed the battlefield as the attack ended.