Merlin, Nysera, and Luna stepped onto the ship’s deck.

"I’m sure you’ll be surprised by what you’re about to see. Trust me!" Luna said excitedly.

Merlin grew even more confused. He glanced at Nysera, as if seeking an explanation.

But Nysera didn’t know either, and she simply shook her head.

When they reached the top, they saw Margaret, Nivis, Catrine, Liora, Monica, and Lisa standing near the ship’s railing.

Their gazes were fixed ahead, where several sea dragons had appeared.

"Level seven monsters... sea dragons?" Merlin exclaimed in shock.

Sea dragons were extremely powerful monsters. They were also massive, reaching nearly forty meters in length.

Their rough black skin and terrifying appearance made them look like creatures straight out of a nightmare.

However, they weren’t particularly aggressive. As long as they weren’t provoked, they wouldn’t attack.

Even so, sailors and merchants usually avoided them.

Unexpectedly, the group had encountered sea dragons during their journey.

"Merlin, hurry! Those are sea dragons!" Monica exclaimed joyfully.

This was her first time sailing, and she hadn’t expected to see a group of sea dragons so soon.

Merlin, Luna, and Nysera walked closer. All of them stared at the sea dragons swimming in the distance, filled with awe.

"Are sea dragons part of the dragon race?" Merlin asked without thinking.

Nysera shook her head.

"No. They aren’t part of the dragon race. They’re just monsters. The dragon race possesses intelligence and true consciousness."

The dragon race was extremely arrogant—perhaps the most arrogant of all races.

How could they ever consider mere "monsters" to be part of their kind?

Merlin nodded and said nothing more.

"By the way, all of you," Lisa said with a smile. "Did you know that the appearance of a group of sea dragons signifies something?"

The girls, along with Merlin, turned to look at her curiously.

"Signifies one thing? What do you mean?"

Lisa stared intently at the monsters and continued, "Sea dragons are quite rare. Sailors and merchants believe that when they appear, it means there’s treasure nearby."

"Treasure?"

The moment they heard that word, everyone looked surprised. Treasure was something that could catch anyone’s attention.

There was a legend that said a man had once discovered a cave full of treasure two hundred years ago.

In just one night, he became rich, and his wealth lasted for seven generations.

Although it was only a legend, the story never diminished people’s fascination with searching for treasure.

"I’ve heard that story," Margaret chimed in, nodding slightly. "Sea dragons have a keen sense of smell, especially when it comes to valuables. So if they surface, there’s likely treasure nearby. And that’s actually not just a myth. A female sailor once found treasure in a place where sea dragons appeared. She sold everything to our trading house for an incredible price. In just one day, she became wealthy and stopped sailing altogether."

Margaret’s words sparked the others’ curiosity and excitement. Of course, they weren’t interested in wealth itself.

All of them—except Nivis—were girls born into noble families within their respective races.

Although they weren’t as wealthy as Margaret, they were still well-off and lived comfortably.

Money didn’t truly catch their attention. What they wanted was the thrill of searching for treasure—and the excitement of actually finding it.

That would surely be a lot of fun.

"Do you want to look for it? The sea dragons are gone, so the place where they appeared is probably where the treasure is," Margaret said with a laugh, her gaze playfully sweeping over the others.

The girls were clearly intrigued, but they didn’t immediately refuse or agree.

Instead, they turned to Merlin, as if seeking his opinion.

Aware of their gazes, Merlin remained calm. He was their leader, so it was only natural that they would look to him for a decision.

"Hmmm..." Merlin stroked his chin, his mind torn between accepting the offer or refusing it.

To be honest, he was curious. He wanted to know whether the story was true.

But he didn’t want to risk everyone’s safety. After all, they were in the middle of the ocean.

Who knew if a powerful monster might suddenly appear and destroy their ship?

He couldn’t afford to be reckless.

But suddenly...

"[Ding! A secret mission has been launched! Accept Heroine Margaret’s offer and search for the treasure! Reward: 50,000 system points and 1x mystery item (Mythic)!]"

When the panel appeared out of nowhere, Merlin was startled.

"Fifty thousand system points as a reward? System, are you sick or something?" Merlin asked suspiciously.

The system was usually stingy. Most of the rewards it offered were only a few thousand system points at best.

Who would have thought it would offer such a massive reward?

What’s more, there was also a mystery item of Mythic grade. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

In other words, this was the most valuable short-term mission Merlin had received in the past two months.

"[Master, do you want to accept it? If not, I’ll cancel it,]" the system threatened.

Merlin panicked and hurriedly pressed "Yes." The mission panel instantly disappeared.

He then looked at the girls’ hopeful eyes and let out a small sigh.

"Alright. Let’s go find it."

The moment they heard his answer, their faces lit up with joy.

"Yay!" they cheered happily.

Merlin smiled faintly, then turned to Lisa.

"Please help protect us from monster attacks," he said.

Lisa was a ninth awakening. As long as she was by their side, it would be impossible for any "strong" monster to destroy the ship.

Of course, by "strong," he meant a level eight monster. If it were a level nine monster, it would take two to five experts at the First Spirit Core level, Ninth Awakening, or 9-Star Mage to deal with it.

"Alright, young master Merlin. Leave it to me!" Lisa assured him, placing her right fist over her heart.

With Lisa’s guarantee, Merlin ordered the crew to steer the ship toward the area where the sea dragons had appeared.

"Are you sure, young master Merlin? I mean, it’s just a legend. There’s no way there’s treasure there." Gerhan tried to dissuade him.

"It’s fine." Merlin waved his left hand. "Lisa is a Ninth Awakening. With her here, we’re definitely safe."

"The Ninth Awakening?" Gerhan and the crew were stunned.

That was a level they, as ordinary people, couldn’t even imagine reaching.

"A-Alright, then. We’ll do as you wish," Gerhan stammered.

They were merely sailors, tasked with operating the ship for Merlin and the others.

He had no right to refuse Merlin’s request. Besides, with Lisa here, they could relax without worrying too much.

The ship began to turn, heading toward the place where the group of sea dragons had appeared.

The distance was quite far, so it took about twenty minutes to reach the area.

Once they arrived, they realized that the sea had become much shallower.

There was a coral reef beneath the surface. Although it wasn’t clear exactly how deep it was, it was certainly no more than sixty meters.

"Who wants to go down?" Merlin asked.

"Me!"

All the girls, except Nivis, raised their hands.

Merlin chuckled. "I understand. But this sea is quite dangerous, so only four of you will dive. What do you think?"

"Ugh..." The girls grimaced in frustration, clearly reluctant to accept that decision.

However, what Merlin said made sense. Besides, not all of them could swim, and forcing everyone to dive would only make things more dangerous.

"I’ll choose right away," Merlin continued. He pointed at Margaret, Luna, Catrine, and Nysera.

"The four of you will go. The rest will stay here. Understood?"

He glanced at Monica and Liora.

Both nodded resignedly. As it happened, they really couldn’t swim.

"Lisa, we’ll be diving too. Please help us," Merlin said.

"Leave it to me." Lisa patted her chest confidently.

After making the arrangements, the four girls, along with Merlin and Lisa, went to their respective rooms to change into swimwear.

Fifteen minutes later, Luna, Catrine, Margaret, Nysera, and Lisa came out.

They were wearing swimsuits that weren’t too revealing. Aside from their thighs and legs, most of their bodies were covered.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to wear something more daring, but there were many crew members on board.

The feeling of being stared at by men made them uncomfortable. Unless it was only Merlin, they weren’t willing to expose their bodies.

Merlin came out last, wearing only a pair of shorts. His upper body was completely bare, revealing well-defined muscles—not as bulky as a bodybuilder’s, but still impressive.

His physique was nearly perfect, and the girls’ noses immediately started bleeding.

"[Ding! Heroine Luna Tharot’s affection has increased by 50 points! Current affection: 100+!]"

"[Ding! Heroine Margaret Beethoven’s affection has increased by 80 points! Current affection: 100+!]"

"[Ding! Heroine Catrine’s affection has increased by 100 points! Current affection: 100+!]"

"[Ding! Heroine Liora’s affection has increased by 5 points! Current affection: 95 points!]"

"[Ding! Heroine Nysera’s indifferent-side affection has increased by 5 points! Current affection: 70 points!]"

"[Ding! Heroine Nysera’s fiery side affection has increased by 10 points! Current affection: 40!]"

"[Ding! Villainess Monica Sael’myr’s affection has increased by 3 points! Current affection: 99 points!]"

"[Ding! Progress of the mission to conquer Monica Sael’myr’s original body has increased by 3%! Current progress: 88/100!]"

"[Ding! Congratulations to the Master for receiving so much affection from the heroines, the villainess, and the supporting characters! Reward: 70,000 system points!]"

Merlin: "..."