Chapter 32
The little merchild, however, peeked out from behind Atylanthos’s arm, its large blue eyes captivating.
“Cheep?” Sootball, curious, flew closer.
“Ah…!” The merchild reached out to touch Sootball but was moved away by Atylanthos. At the same time, Lin Ran pulled Sootball back, holding it protectively. The two “parents” exchanged a look, the atmosphere tense.
Atylanthos, regaining his composure, considered the absurd “subordinate” status. He had underestimated the game’s rules, not realizing they would apply to him, a powerful clan leader. His eyes turned a dangerous dark blue, the surrounding waters churning, a thick mist forming. He didn’t believe these game mechanics could truly bind him. He would test it.
“…” Lin Ran, holding Sootball and petting the slightly anxious Snowball, observed the changing weather. Was this the merman’s power? Controlling the weather with his will? It was the first time he had witnessed such raw power, a level 99 demon, at least. No wonder he was rebelling against being controlled by a low-level player.
But as Atylanthos tried to use his magic against Lin Ran, an invisible force blocked him. Lin Ran’s hair whipped in the wind, his eyes opening, a purple aura surrounding him.
“Cheep—!” Sootball, sensing the hostility, flared its own aura, ready to defend him. But its power, though of similar lineage, was weaker.
Atylanthos, already furious, tried to swat the cub away, but Lin Ran raised his hand, following the game’s instructions, and grasped the blue aura.
Atylanthos’s eyes widened in disbelief as his magic was suppressed, leaving him immobile. The storm clouds dispersed, revealing a beautiful sunset.
“I can actually control his magic?” Lin Ran looked at his hand, the faint aura connecting him to the powerful merman. No wonder he was so angry. It was like handing over his life force. But the effort of controlling such a powerful being drained his own magic, dimming the Moon Brooch’s glow.
“Ah…?” The merchild, seeing his brother immobile, looked at them with worry, clutching Atylanthos’s hair.
[Ossi, come back! Don’t go there!] Atylanthos pleaded telepathically, but his brother swam towards Lin Ran.
Lin Ran sensed Atylanthos’s emotions shifting from anger to a silent, deathly resignation. He was ready to die rather than obey a human. But as the merchild approached, the resignation turned to worry and regret. Despite his arrogance, he clearly cared for his brother. This slightly redeemed him in Lin Ran’s eyes.
“Ah…!” Ossi, the merchild, opened his small hand, offering Lin Ran a shimmering pearl, pulsing with magic.
“Brother… trade,” he said, his speech slightly unclear, his large eyes looking at Lin Ran expectantly.
“You want to trade the pearl for your brother?” Lin Ran asked softly.
“Yes!” Ossi nodded, worried he might refuse. It was his favorite pearl.
“Cheep!?” Sootball, recognizing the pearl, urged Lin Ran to accept it. This “Song of the Sea God” pearl, formed in a sea king’s clam under a full moon, granted safe passage through the deep sea and amplified water magic.
But under Atylanthos’s murderous glare, Lin Ran just gently petted Ossi’s head. “Is this your favorite toy? You’re trading it for your brother?”
Ossi, instead of dodging, nuzzled his hand. If not for the incident with his brother, he would have approached Lin Ran sooner. He had been watching from behind the rocks, drawn to him.
“Yes,” Ossi nodded, admitting it was his favorite, but he was happy to give it to Lin Ran. Merfolk were known for their love of beauty, and Lin Ran’s appearance, enhanced by the cub’s adoration filter, was irresistible. And Lin Ran’s gentle nature was a stark contrast to his brother’s arrogance.
“Brother… likes… too,” Ossi added, sensing his brother’s hidden desire for connection.
“…” Lin Ran sensed Atylanthos’s furious denial. He wanted to kill him for this humiliation!
This was worse than bringing home another fish. He preferred to avoid powerful, arrogant demons like Atylanthos. There was no point in provoking him, and he wasn’t even fluffy. Handsome wasn’t enough!
“Keep it. You don’t have to trade. He’ll be fine soon,” Lin Ran said, pinching Ossi’s cheek, ignoring the pearl’s value. He couldn’t take a child’s favorite toy.
“Cheep?” Sootball, seeing him refuse, looked at Ossi, then chirped reassuringly, as if saying it was just a pearl, and it would find a better gift for A-Ran.
Snowball, however, looked at Sootball and Ossi, who could casually offer such a treasure, and sadly pawed at its tail.
Atylanthos, released from his magical bind, glared at Lin Ran.
“Don’t… pinch my brother’s face,” he said, trying to sound menacing.
But this only made Lin Ran want to pinch it more. “He clearly likes it. He let me touch him, didn’t he?” he asked Ossi.
“Yes!” Ossi nodded eagerly.
“Ossi—!?” Atylanthos’s face turned red.
Lin Ran chuckled, surprised by Ossi’s cooperation. “So, your name is Ossi? Such a cute name.”
“Dilan… Ossi!” Ossi said, wanting him to remember his full name.
Dilan Ossi… Lin Ran felt like he had heard it before, but foreign names were hard to remember.
Ossi looked at him expectantly.
“I’m Lin Ran. Jiang Lin Ran. You can call me A-Ran,” he said.
“A… A-Ran?” Ossi repeated, making Sootball’s eyes widen. It was glad it had learned A-Ran’s name first.
“You learn fast! Such a smart baby,” Lin Ran said, his heart melting. Not fluffy, but still adorable. Perhaps the younger brother’s angelic nature balanced out the older brother’s bad temper.
Knowing Lin Ran needed fish, Ossi had gestured for him to wait. Lin Ran watched as Ossi simply beckoned a colorful butterfly fish, which swam towards him trustingly. Then, Ossi offered the fish to Lin Ran.
“Fish!”
“…So fast! Our Ossi is so amazing!” Lin Ran said, impressed but also slightly concerned for the fish. Trusting a merman wasn’t always a good idea.
“Okay, I’ll trade this for your brother. Thank you, Ossi,” he said, deciding to accept the fish. The pearl was too valuable. A fish, especially one this large, was a perfect trade.
Atylanthos, however, stared at him in disbelief.
Lin Ran: ? What now? No need for suicidal dramatics.
“A single fish for me?!” Had his worth fallen so low?! He wanted to ask why the double standard! He had offered a fish too! But he swallowed his words.
“This is a headache… If you think you’re worth more, you can give it to me next time. I have to go home for dinner now,” Lin Ran said, his cubs needing to eat.
“As for this subordinate thing, I don’t know why it happened. But don’t worry; I won’t control you. Just forget about it,” he said, waving goodbye, feeling unusually tired.
Ossi, holding his pearl, watched sadly as A-Ran left. It’s all Brother’s fault.
Atylanthos, feeling his brother’s resentment, frowned.
“Hiss—!” But as Lin Ran walked away, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, a red mark appearing. He clutched his neck.
Lin Ran also felt a strange pull, as if Atylanthos would be injured if he went further.
[Beep—Subordinates cannot be outside the follower’s magic range.] The system explained.
Lin Ran realized his limited magic couldn’t maintain the connection.
“Your magic range is this small!?” Atylanthos exclaimed, realizing the human had magic, which was strange in itself. And such a weak aura!
“…I don’t know,” Lin Ran said, tired. He wanted to go home and sleep, but now he had to deal with this.
“There’s only one solution. Can you turn into a small fish and stay in this bucket? Then the distance won’t matter. I’ll figure out the magic range later,” he said, holding up a red plastic bucket.
Atylanthos stared at the ugly bucket, outraged. A clan leader, in a plastic bucket?! His reputation would be ruined!
“If not, then I’ll…”
“Fine! I’ll go!” he said, transforming into a small, dark blue fish and swimming into the bucket. The other fish, scared, huddled in the corner, avoiding him.
“…” Ossi, seeing his brother go, looked at Lin Ran.
“You too, Ossi? What if you get lost without your brother?” Lin Ran said, then, as Ossi happily prepared to transform, he picked him up.
“…Ah!” Ossi blinked, surprised, his tail flicking, as he was held in Lin Ran’s arms.
“You’re light; I can carry you. No need for the bucket. Your tail is so pretty,” Lin Ran said, his blatant favoritism clear.
Ossi blushed, looking at his tail. A-Ran liked his tail!
“…” Atylanthos, in the bucket, confirmed his suspicion: this human was indifferent towards him but completely smitten with his younger brother.
Lin Ran carried Ossi, the bucket in his other hand, Sootball on his shoulder, and Snowball at his heels, heading home, his unusual entourage complete. It had been a productive day.
And perhaps because Atylanthos counted as a fish, his quest reward was an unprecedented SSS+! He had never seen such a high rank for a daily task. The reward, a luxurious aquarium, transformed the area near his house into a beautiful waterscape.
[Sky Mirror: A magical aquarium that can accommodate all fish species, regardless of water type. SSS+ reward!]
He glanced at Atylanthos, wondering if he should thank him for boosting his reward. A B or A rank would have only given him a small fish tank.
Sootball and Snowball were playing with Ossi, tossing his pearl back and forth.
Atylanthos, however, was unusually quiet, leaning against a rock, lost in thought, like a silent guardian. His presence was reassuring; no creature would dare approach the house with such a powerful demon guarding it.
But as he pondered, Lin Ran came out, carrying a small stool, and sat by the water’s edge.
“Come closer,” he beckoned.
Atylanthos, startled, hesitated.
Lin Ran: ? Why was he so hesitant now? He had been so confident before.
“I’m talking to you, Atylanthos.”
Atylanthos looked at him, surprised. “How do you know my name?”
“Ossi told me,” Lin Ran said, smiling. Ossi had also revealed many of his habits.
“…” That little traitor. Atylanthos’s expression was a mix of exasperation and something else. He reluctantly swam closer, his powerful tail propelling him through the water.
“What do you want…!” he asked, then yelped as Lin Ran grabbed his chin, examining his neck. If not for the game’s restrictions, he would never tolerate such disrespect.
“You’re injured. Do you want to apply the medicine yourself, or should I? I think you’d prefer to do it yourself,” Lin Ran said, noticing the red mark on his neck, likely from the subordinate bond breaking.
Atylanthos, like Yuanbao, seemed indifferent to injuries, but he saw the ointment in Lin Ran’s hand.
“…How am I supposed to apply it to my neck?” he asked, wanting to argue, though his tail flicked playfully, a sign of a good mood for merfolk. He had never bothered with minor injuries before. Only fragile creatures did that.
“I suspect you never do any chores at home,” Lin Ran said, thinking even Ossi was more responsible.
Atylanthos scoffed. When had he ever needed to do chores?
“Gurgle…” But Ossi, seeing the ointment, swam over.
“…Ah.” He took the ointment from Lin Ran, ready to apply it to his brother.
“Your brother is more responsible than you. Ossi is more mature,” Lin Ran said, shaking his head, feeling sorry for Ossi. Did he always have to clean up after his brother?
“I’ll do it myself!” Atylanthos grabbed Ossi and swam away quickly.
Lin Ran chuckled. What a strange fish.
[Beep—Scythe Clan’s Friendship quest progress: 50%!][This is an over-level quest completion, granting a 10% bonus.] A new notification appeared.
So, Ossi and his brother were also a special demon race? And he was completing a quest beyond his current level? That was true. He couldn’t control a demon like Atylanthos without the game mechanics. He wondered who was more powerful, Yuanbao or Atylanthos.
He hadn’t seen Yuanbao in days. He still owed him some grilled meat.
“Let’s grill some fish for Yuanbao,” he suggested, and the cubs readily agreed. A big cat like Yuanbao would enjoy grilled fish, right?
He took the largest grilled fish and headed towards Yuanbao’s territory, feeling increasingly tired, though his Immersive Mode time wasn’t up yet. As he walked, he suddenly shrunk!
The Moon Brooch fell to the ground, its light dimming before going out completely. He stared at it, realizing he had exhausted his magic from practicing his new skill, controlling Atylanthos, and now he was completely drained.
“Cheep—!”
“Mew?” Sootball and Snowball, alarmed, searched for him in the grass, then found a small fluffball!
Had A-Ran… turned into a Luna Clan cub?! He was so fluffy and cute! They stared at him with wide eyes.
Lin Ran, looking at his suddenly larger cubs, realized what had happened. He had shrunk!
Shao Mian, logging in, heard a commotion and the smell of grilled fish. He approached and saw a small, wide-eyed fluffball.
