Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

Chapter 78 The Abnormalities of Marine Species (Please Subscribe!)

"————" Rhodes' forehead twitched slightly. "Professor Merrick, please don't play me."

"Anomalies have now emerged in the eastern coastal area, at the port of Phillips."

Many people have spotted the [marine species], and they are all alien [marine species]. They all seem to have unusual purposes, heading towards a certain location.

Rhodes frowned slightly. "And then?"

"Based on my assessment, I have a rough idea that someone took away the treasure of a special marine life form and placed it here, which is why things turned out this way."

Merrick paused slightly, his tone turning icy: "And the worst part is—that place is our Stasen Holy Academy."

Currently, many students at St. Starson Academy are experiencing parasitism, causing widespread fear and anxiety.

There are already enough corrupted demons, and now there's the threat of a marine species. The students are so afraid they don't dare go outside.

"Yes, that's right. Someone deliberately wanted to put Stasen Holy Academy in danger, and coincidentally, I was summoned here by you."

""

"So, this matter can be considered to have started because of you, so naturally it should be up to you to resolve it."

"Your mission is to find that special treasure hidden within the Stasen Holy Academy. Treasure hunting is easy for you Soul God Seeds, isn't it?"

"As for the reward, it's very simple: the unknown treasure you find is yours."

Furthermore, I will give you five Tier 3 [Link Scrolls] to advance your skills to the next stage.

Furthermore, since this mission was issued by the Imperial Military, you will also receive 1,000 Military Points and the qualification to be promoted to lieutenant.

Professor Merrick finished speaking, and the entrustment was finally clear.

"in this way----"

Five precious Tier 3 Linked Scrolls, a large amount of military points, and an unknown treasure.

Very generous rewards.

The previous second-tier Linked Scroll already demonstrated how much the skill's effects would be enhanced.

It can be said that as long as Rhodes' skills are all upgraded to level three, he will be able to fight against an opponent who has been upgraded four times, even at his current level.

Not to mention military points. He hasn't even redeemed the rewards from the last hundred points yet, and with an extra thousand points, there are so many things he can exchange for.

Military points can be exchanged for many upgrade items, including some that directly boost attribute values ​​through brute force.

For example, the [Heart of Elements] item can greatly increase attribute values, giving Rhodes the chance to upgrade four times, and its exchange value is only one thousand points.

Moreover, there is an unknown treasure—

It was very plentiful, indeed very abundant.

This is a very rewarding quest even in a low-level dungeon, and Rhodes knows exactly what he should choose.

"You won't refuse, will you? After all, once you complete this mission, your strength will almost jump to the level of a fourth-level upgrade."

This means you can return to the capital with great confidence and go and crush those so-called geniuses.

"Hmm, including—that so-called church saintess, isn't it?"

"That's right." Rhodes nodded slightly, "But I still need to help Ivina get out of the Duke's mansion first, and I also need to deal with those witches, so I can only complete this task after I return to the academy, right?"

"It's alright, no rush. After all, the spread of marine species is actually very slow now, and only about ten students have experienced abnormalities."

The most urgent task now is indeed to eliminate those witches who are preparing to participate in this coming-of-age ceremony; they pose a far greater threat than the sea-dwelling race.

"Understood. Well then, after Ivina's request is completed, I'll handle this matter."

Rhodes nodded slightly, but then changed the subject—

"But Professor Merrick, I didn't come to you initially to ask for a new commission."

"Hmm?" Merrick's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Actually, I need your messenger to contact someone in the capital and ask her to send someone to Phillips."

"You want to send people from the capital to deal with the witches? Do you think I can't perfectly handle those witches?" Merrick said coldly, increasingly dissatisfied.

This is a series of times being looked down upon.

Even if she is weak now, a person who has been promoted five times is like an ant in her hands, so what threat could she pose?

In this seaside town, there is no danger whatsoever.

"It's not that I look down on you," Rhodes shook his head. "It's mainly because the early start of this coming-of-age ceremony means that Cecilia and the others' scheme has fallen apart."

"So, it remains to be seen whether they will choose to continue fighting us to the death over the coming-of-age ceremony, or whether they will back down and carry out other tasks."

"So you're saying that trouble arises because of the unknown?" Merrick retorted.

Rhodes shook his head again: "No, it's just because it's unknown, so we might as well use violence to gang up on them and wipe them out completely."

After all, I said at the beginning that I didn't have much time left and I didn't want to waste any more time with them at Phillips.

What I want to do now is, once the situation stabilizes, eliminate Cecilia and the others, and incidentally resolve the so-called "sea-dwelling species" issue, before returning to the capital.

"Okay." Merrick rarely agreed to Rhodes's request so readily.

With a flick of her fingertip, a small, deep blue swallow appeared on her fingertip—this bird was clearly much more powerful than the previous one.

"A summon that has been upgraded five times." Rhodes recognized it instantly.

"Hmm, not bad." A hint of proud arrogance appeared on Merrick's lips. "Not only does it have extremely high speed, but it's also—its combat ability is quite impressive."

Rod bowed slightly, then stepped forward, took the envelope he had prepared from his pocket, and handed it to the blue swallow's claw.

"Please deliver this letter to a girl named Natalie at the Royal Cathedral of Linlank. She is a priestess and is known as a saint."

"Chirp chirp." The bird flapped its wings twice, then took flight like a shooting star. In just two seconds, it determined its direction and disappeared without a trace.

Rhodes stared at the edge of the window, his eyes darkening.

So, everything is ready.

Now, let's see what Cecilia plans to do.

Should they fight to the death in this coming-of-age ceremony that no one was prepared for, or should they back down and wait a few days before facing her again?

Or perhaps————

Is it really true that they'll gladly give up the capture of Phillips?

Three possibilities—leading into the unknown.