CHAPTER 37: RHYS MERCER II

Now, six years later, the company stood tall as the 18th largest corporation in Magadh, with a rising trajectory and international investments pouring in like a tide.

And behind all of it was him.

Rhys Mercer.

Only his grandfather knew the truth—that the boy had turned the family business into something even greater than the name itself.

Everyone else? They only saw the results.

Now, inside his private capsule suite on the 85th floor, Rhys stood quietly. The room was dark, cool, lined with obsidian panels and flickering data streams. His capsule waited at the center—a sleek next-gen pod built to his specifications, featuring enhanced neural dampeners and triple-layered failsafes.

He took a breath, stepped inside, and lay down. The lid sealed above him, light blinking softly in response.

"Log me in," he whispered.

And just like that—the world dissolved.

Rhys opened his eyes.

No—Blade opened his eyes.

He was back in the world of Final Life Online.

The wooden beams above him swayed gently, touched by warm morning light streaming through a half-open window. A soft breeze rustled the curtains. He sat up slowly in the rented inn bed, the weight of the game world wrapping around him like a familiar cloak.

Something warm and soft pressed against his side.

A moment later—

"Kyuuu~~"

He looked down and smiled.

Puddle, his tamed beast, was curled up on the sheets beside him. The small creature—round, glossy, and a strange blend of adorable menace—wiggled happily before climbing into his lap.

Blade gently scratched behind one of its liquid-soft ears. "How are you, Puddle?" he asked casually.

"Kyu—!" it squeaked again, tail splashing slightly like a lazy droplet hitting still water.

He nodded, amused. "Slept well, huh? Good."

Then, with a flick of his hand, he opened Puddle’s Status Screen.

______

Tamed Beast: Puddle

Type: Ancient Black King of White Rivers

Level: 32

Rarity: Rare (Ancient)

Elemental Affinities: Water, Light, Dark

Stats

Health: 5310

Mana: 13310

Attack Power: 1110

Defense: 1310

Speed: 1010

Passive Skill

-Absorb

Ancient Light Magic – Level 2

-Light Bullets

-Light Shield

-Radiant Pulse: Emits a wave of purifying light that heals allies (5% Max HP) and damages undead for 150% Light damage.

Mana Cost: 80 | Cooldown: 25s

-Halo Spear: Summons a spear of light that pierces a target, ignoring 20% of their defense.

Mana Cost: 60 | Cooldown: 18s

Ancient Dark Magic – Level 2

-Shadow Tendrils

-Dark Mist

-Eclipse Maw: Creates a rift beneath the enemy, dealing Dark damage and reducing defense by 10% for 6s.

Mana Cost: 100 | Cooldown: 30s

-Midnight Cloak: Grants invisibility for 4s. Next attack deals 2x Dark damage if undisturbed.

Mana Cost: 60 | Cooldown: 40s

Ancient Water Magic – Level 2

-Water Jet

-Aqua Veil

Torrential Cage: Traps a target in a vortex of water for 3s, interrupting spellcasting.

Mana Cost: 75 | Cooldown: 22s

Hydro Lance: Fires a spear of water that explodes on impact, dealing splash damage.

Mana Cost: 90 | Cooldown: 20s

Active Skill

- Size Manipulation

Allow ones to alter their size by ten times either growing more biger or more smaller

Mana Cost: 1000 | Cooldown: 3s

_____

"Wow, you picked up six new spells and even an active skill—Size Manipulation. You really are something else, Puddle," Rhys said with a grin, gently poking the squishy, gleaming slime resting cheerfully in his palm.

"Too bad most of your new abilities aren’t exactly built for offense... though that Halo Spear from your Light element? That one’s decent. Especially with the 20% defense penetration—it’s got potential," Rhys added, nodding in approval as the resonance of Ancient Light Magic pulsed subtly between their shared bond.

"Alright, let’s check out the legends tied to Moonmist Heart City," he said as he set Puddle comfortably on his shoulder.

Then paused.

"Oh, right—the Cube," Rhys muttered, lifting his hand to summon the translucent interface once more. "Let’s see what kind of skill I get this week."

The Akashic Cube of Infinity was one of the greatest cheats in Final Life Online—a feature so broken it bordered on divine.

Every week, it gave him a completely random skill.

There were no restrictions. Race, origin, tier, or class didn’t matter. It could be something designed for a final boss, a hidden race, or an extinct bloodline. If the skill existed in the code of this world, the Cube could pull it.

And it scaled.

At Level 101, the Cube would begin giving out two skills per week. Every 100 levels after that? One more.

It was chaos wrapped in elegance. Wild, unpredictable... but absolutely overpowered.

He tapped the interface.

[Akashic Cube — Weekly Sync Complete]

[You have acquired 1 New Skill]

[Skill Acquired: Mana Shackle (Rare)]

→ Type: Active – Sealing

→ Mana Cost: 600

→ Cooldown: 90 seconds

Description:

Launches a sealing glyph that latches onto the enemy’s mana circuit. For 8 seconds, the target is unable to use any abilities or spells that require mana. During this duration, all active mana-based buffs or enchantments are paused, and the target’s mana regeneration is cut in half.

Effect strength increases with the user’s Intelligence and level.

High-level targets with sufficient resistance may partially or completely shrug off the effect.

---

Rhys exhaled sharply, letting the glow fade. "A rare sealing skill, huh... Not exactly amazing. Especially if it fails against anything more than ten levels above me."

Still, it wasn’t useless. Just... situational.

With that done, he resumed his walk toward the heart of the city.

As he passed deeper into Moonmist’s inner districts, the city’s character changed.

It was quieter here—peaceful in a way that felt cultivated rather than natural. The noise from the outer wards dulled into a soft hum. Footsteps echoed faintly. Mana lines crisscrossed the stonework like glowing veins, guiding energy from distant towers into the streets below.

Moonlight glimmered on the mist that always lingered here. It curled around lanterns and statues like living breath. Pale and dreamlike. For now, it was harmless. Just a signature trait of the city—an eternal haze that dulled edges and softened light.

Even the NPCs seemed gentler here, as though the mist cast a spell of quiet reverence across them.

He pulled up the local map, double-checked the location, and found what he’d come for.

The city’s library.

It wasn’t as majestic as the great archives in capital cities, but it had weight. History. Twin crescent-moon statues stood guard at its entrance, and blue-white vines curled across the stone columns. The walls shimmered slightly under moonlight, like they remembered something older than the city itself.

Rhys stepped through the entrance.

Inside, he greeted the old elven librarian, handed over the small visitor’s fee, and made his way into the history section.

Shelves stretched above him—tall, solemn, and filled with ancient leather-bound tomes.