Bear School Astartes

The visible land allowed Lann to relax mentally.

Although Mentos’ plan and his own execution were sufficient to ensure he wouldn’t drown miserably, dragged down by armor, in the deep water.

But who can refuse a safer, more convenient way to rescue themselves?

Lann’s feet touched the seabed, giving him a stable footing, allowing his movements to become more fluid.

He skillfully stripped down the main components of his Grandmaster-level armor, including the external and internal plate pieces, a robe structured with extensive chain mail, and a pair of sturdy, reliable gloves.

After stuffing them into his Alchemy Pouch, he used his lighter body to bounce up from the seabed, heading towards the higher ground.

The oxygen supply seemed adequate.

Lann estimated his body’s oxygen consumption as he bounced forward in the seawater.

Mentos sensed Lann’s actions, and with its enhanced computing power accomplished in an instant what used to take nearly a minute.

It compiled Lann’s lung oxygen reserves and real-time consumption data to produce a progress bar.

The fullness of this progress bar indicated Lann’s activity capacity underwater.

Looking at the progress bar on his retina, the current oxygen level was at about four-fifths, and after advancing another ten meters, the progress bar gradually slipped to seven-tenths.

Now, he was less than forty meters away from where he could emerge from the water.

The oxygen was indeed sufficient.

Lann’s calm mindset and exceptional body control kept his oxygen consumption steady.

While the Demon Hunter steadily moved forward on the seabed, a rope fell from above.

An old-looking hemp rope, seemingly abandoned long ago, with black mold spots on its knots.

But it was still a rope, apparently thrown from the coast.

Lann hesitated little, grabbing the floating hemp rope in the water and began to pull himself along.

This way he could save quite a bit of effort in the water.

Finally, the sea spray washed over Lann’s silver hair again.

The Demon Hunter first emerged his head from the water, then step by step, walked onto the land amidst the waves.

Sparse seawater dripped from him onto the sand. Lann released the hemp rope in his hand, combed his hair back with one hand, and supported his waist with the other, taking a long breath.

”Inhale~ Exhale!”

Although he controlled the oxygen progress bar to never drop below three-tenths, anyone coming out of the water would inevitably want to take a few extra breaths.

As Lann was breathing, a little girl jumped up and waved at him from his field of vision below, trying to catch his attention.

She was an unkempt-looking little girl, but her dishevelment likely stemmed more from a life of poverty rather than character.

Her black hair was neatly tied behind her ears, and she wore a bun tied properly atop her head.

Wearing a pair of leather sandals, her only garment seemed to be a simply sewn burlap piece with holes for her head and arms, and a belt added at the waist—a ’skirt-like garment.’

This style of dress seemed familiar to Lann, a former history enthusiast.

The little girl kept waving, as the Demon Hunter’s eyes, recalling knowledge, made her think he hadn’t yet snapped back to reality.

”Hey! Wake up! Are you alright?”

Amber cat eyes snapped from recollection, focusing on her.

Seeing clearly, the little girl was far from frightened and instead was even more excited.

”No need to wave, miss. I’m fine.”

”Was it you who threw down the rope just now? Many thanks, you helped me a lot.”

Lann replied as he shook his hair.

Meanwhile, he started to look around, it was his first time taking in this world after falling into the sea here.

The blue sea water shimmered under the sunlight, like a plate made of gemstones. Waves gently brushed the sand, and the soft, cool foam slowly swept over his Dragon Race leather boots.

The spotless sky was filled with flocks of seagulls, never ceasing their cries.

The weather here was somewhat hot.

”Haha, you called me ’miss’? No, that’s not important... Can you give me an eagle?”

”Wait, what now?”

The little girl’s eyes round with anticipation, but her abrupt, wish-like query elicited a surprised question from Lann.

”An eagle that can listen to me!”

”Why do you think I can give you an eagle?”

Though using the Yakxi Rune, it seemed possible to tame an eagle temporarily.

”Didn’t you give Cassandra a tame eagle? It’s Icarus!”

The little girl spoke defiantly, her hands on her hips, seemingly confident in her reasoning.

”Please! You acknowledged I helped you, didn’t you? How about helping me bring Chara to life?”

She pulled out a wooden sculpture of a flying eagle.

Evidently, this sculpture was her ’Chara.’

Lann’s expression was uncertain; he didn’t know where to begin with her many questions.

After a moment of silence, Lann pinched his brow and said.

”Miss, how about we introduce ourselves first? I’ll start, I’m Lann.”

”I’m Phoebe, and I’m certainly no miss, I don’t deserve that title.”

Saying this, Phoebe gave a self-deprecating smile, a smile tinged with insecurity and feigned indifference.

”Alright, Phoebe.”

Lann tilted his head, smiling as he looked down at the thin, dark little girl.

”You mentioned we gave an eagle to someone named Cassandra, the eagle named Icarus... who do you mean by ’we’?”

”You... gods, obviously!” Phoebe’s face showed an evident sense of entitlement.

”Eagles are beloved birds of the gods, a symbol of Zeus! Besides you, who else could command these noble beasts so they know whom to follow?”

”Gods? Greek gods?”

Lann opened his mouth but ultimately could only say.

”No, I’m not...”

”Of course! You’re not one of the gods on Mount Olympus.”

Phoebe gave a knowing look and warmly patted Lann’s hand.

”Though you emerged from an invisible door in mid-air, are more strikingly tall and handsome than any mortal, have eyes no human possesses, and hair as molten silver, you’re not a god.”

”After all, in legends, you like to hide your identity and interact with mortals, right? I’ve heard many stories!”

Having finished speaking, Phoebe looked expectantly at Lann.

”I can keep secrets! Can I make this our secret? Please!”