Macrocosmic Mage

King Adasmus

The ocean floor stretched endlessly before us, shimmering like an ethereal dream. In the distance, a colossal castle rose from the abyss, its spire-like towers carved from living coral and studded with massive, luminescent clams. Their pearly shells emitted a steady, radiant light that turned the surrounding waters into a glittering sea of sapphire and gold.

I turned my head. Angelica glided beside me with effortless grace, her new bluish tail swaying through the current. Her silver hair floated like liquid silk, and her violet eyes sparkled with playful amusement.

Then I looked down at myself.

A emerald-green tail. A green merman. Fantastic.

If you’re wondering how we ended up like this—blame Angelica. She had dared to taste the glowing fluid inside one of those floating surface bubbles earlier. Naturally, not wanting to be outdone or left behind, I did the same. The reward for our reckless curiosity? An instant racial transformation, allowing us to breathe underwater and move as native sea folk.

“Oppa, doesn’t this feel incredible?” Angelica twirled through the water, her scales catching the ambient radiance.

I let out a bubble-filled sigh. “It feels weird. And my tail is itchy.”

She giggled, covering her mouth. “That’s just because your form is ugly.”

I clenched my fist, sending a small ripple through the water. “I swear, one of these days—”

To keep my temper in check, I pulled up the IPN system interface. The global player forum remained silent regarding our location, but my quest log told a completely different story. According to standard system guides, mission was supposed to be a simple collection quest: gather ten atmospheric bubbles and deliver them to the palace to fortify the barrier dome.

Yet, my private interface displayed something entirely different.

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​[Mission 3: Save the Kingdom of Viarcan]

Difficulty Rating: ???

Completion Rewards: ???

Time Limit: ???

Failure Penalty: ???

===================================================

“Something isn’t right,” I muttered, staring at the flashing red text. “This was supposed to be a routine errand.”

Angelica tilted her head, her fins fanning lazily. “Hmm? Paranoia kicking in again?”

“I ran an environmental check using my Intelligence stat buffer,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. “Zero historical records. Zero lore entries in the database. All it confirms is that this mission is an unindexed anomaly.”

Her playful smile faltered for a fraction of a second, though she quickly recovered her composure.

We swam through the colossal coral gates, navigating toward the commercial district to find the local adventurer guild. Guilds were universally the best hubs for intelligence. If this realm was hiding something from the main system, someone inside those walls would know.

The underwater metropolis was bustling with life. Glowing pearl streetlamps illuminated vibrant market stalls where mer-merchants shouted their wares, hawking enchanted shells and rare deep-sea flora. Children swam in playful loops, chasing translucent sea-sprites, while player parties huddled around weapon stalls, inspecting trident stats and shell armor. Nearby, a group of musicians played haunting melodies on flutes crafted from spiraled shells, their rhythms guiding graceful dancers through the current.

“Waaah~ it’s so beautiful!” Angelica clapped her hands, her tail swishing in delight.

I caught myself staring at an armory display featuring a glowing obsidian dagger, but the ticking red clock in my field of vision pulled me back to reality. “Stay focused, Angelica. We aren't sightseeing.”

“Boo. You’re no fun at all, Oppa.”

A few minutes later, we arrived before the Deepsea Guild.

It defied every expectation I had built up from reading fantasy novels. Instead of a rustic, rowdy tavern filled with boisterous mercenaries drinking kelp ale, the building was a sleek, three-story manor crafted from polished mother-of-pearl. The interior resembled a high-end luxury hotel—complete with marble-like coral flooring, pearl chandeliers, and flowing seaweed drapes.

The entire ground floor was quiet. There were no mission boards, no shouting adventuring parties—only a single, elderly mermaid sitting calmly at a pristine reception desk.

“Welcome to the Deepsea Guild, Lord Photon-V, Princess Angelica,” she said, offering a serene bow. “We have been expecting your arrival. Please, follow me upstairs.”

I froze, my hand dropping instinctively to my weapon strap. They know who we are?

I whipped my head toward Angelica. She merely smirked, twirling a lock of her hair.

“…Explain,” I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous flat tone.

She brushed off my stare with a wave of her hand.

“I’m royalty, Oppa. While you were brooding earlier, I used my telepathic mind skill to ping the guild's mana network. Naturally, they prepared a proper reception for a princess.”

I almost choked on the surrounding seawater. “You did what? You leaked our location?!”

“Leaked?” She feigned offense. “I announced our presence. There’s a difference.”

“Enough!”

“Fine, fine... grumpy creature.”

I forced a deep breath, suppressing the urge to turn back. We followed the elderly woman up a winding spiral staircase made of polished shell. She led us into a private chamber where two mermen stood waiting. Both bowed low the moment we crossed the threshold.

“Welcome, Your Highness,” the larger of the two spoke.

Angelica beamed, gliding forward effortlessly. “Thank you. You must be Guild Master Alexander, correct?”

The merman she addressed was massive. His upper torso was built like a stone wall, his deep crimson tail thick and powerful. Yet despite his intimidating frame, his expression was visibly tense, his pale white scales rigid against the current.

“I am, Your Highness,” he said stiffly. “Beside me is my strategist, Arthur, and you have already met Miss Saigie. It is an honor to serve the Royal Line.”

I frowned, activating my inspection skill under my breath. Nothing. The system refused to output detailed character sheets for either of them. Why did Angelica act like she possessed intimate knowledge of their backgrounds?

Angelica floated toward a couch woven from soft seagrass. “At ease, everyone. There’s no need for formal military protocol inside a private room. You may address me casually.”

I caught up to her side, leaning in close to whisper through my teeth. “What are you doing? Since when do you have connections to deep-sea guilds?”

She cast a pitying glance in my direction. “We, the direct descendants of the Origin of Life, share a resonance in our mana signatures. We recognize our own kind instantly. We know who belongs to the high bloodlines... and who doesn't.” She tapped my shoulder playfully. “And you, Oppa? You’re far too unrefined.”

Before I could fire back, Alexander cleared his throat, the deep sound vibrating through the room. “Ahem. Princess... if I may ask, what urgent matter brings an elite entity here?”

Angelica gestured toward me. “Go ahead, Oppa. Ask your questions.”

I took a step forward, letting my aura settle. “I need information regarding the kingdom's barrier dome. What threat is it holding back? And more importantly... why can I feel a massive, dark mana signature expanding directly beneath the royal palace?”

The room temperature seemed to plunge instantly.

Arthur gasped, his hands trembling. “How... how can you detect that? Without divine-tier sensory artifacts, ambient magic signatures are completely invisible!”

Angelica blinked, her playful demeanor vanishing. “Oppa... what are you talking about? I don't feel anything.”

I didn't answer her. Thanks to my max-tier gear combination and passive perception skills, the visual spectrum of magic was fully visible to me. I could clearly see thick, dark purple threads of raw mana snaking out from the palace center, actively draining the golden energy of the protective dome.

“Our system mandate is explicit,” I said coldly. “We are here to save this kingdom. And whatever is waking up in that palace is going to destroy it.”

Alexander exchanged a grim look with Arthur. “Then there is no time to waste. You must speak with the King directly.”

A carriage crafted from woven kelp and pearlescent shell pulled through the palace gates, drawn by four giant, armored seahorses.

During the ride, Arthur briefed us in hushed tones. The realm was ruled by King Adasmus and Queen Aqua. However, three months ago, the Queen fell into an unexplained comatose state. Since then, the King had isolated himself inside the inner sanctum, leaving administrative duties to his inner circle.

The palace grand hall was blindingly opulent. Luminescent deep-sea flora crawled along towering marble pillars, casting shifting patterns of light across the floor. Royal guards line the corridor, clad in heavy iron plate armor and wielding enchanted tridents.

At the far end of the hall, resting upon elevated thrones, sat the ruler of Viarcan.

Standing beside the throne was an elderly merman draped in dark robes, holding a staff carved from black drift-coral. Arthur whispered his name: Philsuat, the Royal Archmage and chief advisor to the crown.

“King Adasmus,” Philsuat announced, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. “The guild master has brought outsiders before your presence.”

We approached the dais and offered a formal bow. King Adasmus wore golden plate armor that matched his regal crown, but as I raised my head to look at him, my breath hitched. His eyes were completely hollow—unfocused, glassy, and devoid of light.

“I am told your arrival portends a great crisis,” the King spoke. His voice was flat, monotone, like a automaton reading script.

“Yet my kingdom prospers. Explain your presence, travelers.”

I took a step forward, fixing my eyes on the King. “Your Majesty, a localized magic siphon is actively harvesting the power of your barrier dome. The core of this corruption originates directly from the Queen’s private quarters.”

Philsuat struck his staff against the stone floor, sending a sharp shockwave through the water. “Absurd! The Queen’s chambers are sealed under divine wards! As the Supreme Archmage of Viarcan, I have detected no such anomaly. Your Majesty, these land-dwellers speak blasphemy to divide our court!”

The advisor turned his head slightly, meeting my gaze. For a fraction of a second, the corner of his lip twitched upward into a cold, mocking smirk.

He knows.

“My advisor’s council is absolute,” the King replied, his expression remaining dead pan. “There is no threat. Your quest is void. You are hereby dismissed from the realm.”

We were escorted out of the palace under heavy guard.

The moment we passed through the outer gates and stepped into the quiet shadow of an alleyway, Angelica leaned close, her voice trembling slightly. “Oppa... the King’s mana matrix is fractured. He’s under high-tier mental hypnosis.”

“I saw it,” I gritted my teeth. “And Philsuat is the one holding the strings.”

We returned to the Deepsea Guild under the cover of dusk. Alexander assigned us a secure guest suite on the top floor, locking down the perimeter wards to prevent scrying.

I sat on the edge of the kelp bedding, staring out the window at the distant palace spire. How do I break a royal hypnosis spell without triggering an entire kingdom’s guard force?

Suddenly, the water in the room turned ice-cold. The blue light of my system HUD flickered wildly, static blurring my vision.

A raspy, echoing voice slithered directly into my mind, bypassing all defensive barriers.

“You are too late, Photon-V... The King belongs to me, and this ocean shall become your grave.”