Deckard approached the father and daughter playing with the beluga. “Excuse me, sir. Are you Dora’s father?”
The man looked up. “Yes. Is something the matter?”
“It’s just... her mother was in tears, desperate to find her. She asked me to look for Dora.”
The man let out a sigh and glanced down at his daughter. “Doodoo, you did tell Mom you were coming here, right?”
“Uh… I might have forgotten.”
“Again?” He tugged gently at her ear. “You need to do a better job remembering next time. One of these days, you’re going to give your mother a heart attack.”
“Ouch! Okay, okay!”
He turned back to Deckard. “Thank you for taking the time to look for my daughter. But as you can see, she’s safe with me.”
Deckard nodded. “I’m just glad she’s alright.”
“Here,” the man said, reaching into a nearby wooden crate. He pulled out a pair of crafted armguards and handed them over. “For your trouble.”
You’ve completed [The Lost Child].
Completion grade: S
You’ve received a reward: +20 silvers, [Rescuer Armguards]
You’ve received a bonus reward: +40 silvers.
An S completion grade! It must be because I ran straight here.
If he hadn’t known Dora was with her father, he would have run around for hours before deciding to try the citadel. Therefore, completing the quest in record time likely contributed to this high completion grade.
“That’s kind of you, sir,” Deckard said, slipping easily into the role of the dutiful adventurer.
“My pleasure,” the man replied, already hoisting a bucket of fish. “Dora, come. As punishment for running off again, you’re going to help me clean the sea lion cage.”
“Yes, Daddy…” the girl mumbled, marching behind him.
The two Oceanlings moved to the next paddock, leaving Deckard free to inspect the new gear he’d been given.
Rescuer Armguards (Common)
Armguards crafted from baleen collected from a whale rescued after stranding on a remote beach. Oceanling caretakers nursed the creature back to health, collecting the material during its recovery. No harm was done to the animal.
Effects:
+3 strength;
+2% damage resistance;
+1 attack;
+10 HP.
Requirements: [Good].
He wouldn’t benefit from the Strength bonus, but even so, the armguards were leagues better than the junk he had on now.
The backstory was surprisingly warm. Deckard pictured the scene—a stranded whale, beached and helpless, before a crew of Oceanlings worked together to nurse it back to health. Somewhere along the way, they’d carefully harvested its baleen, the flexible, bristle-like material whales use to filter food from water, and turned it into protective gear.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t equip it. Not yet.
He stored the armguards in his inventory.
As he ran back, the clang of metal and shouted orders from the garrison faded behind him, replaced by the familiar hum of Aquascape’s crowded streets. Players hurried past, NPCs bartered, and beasts of burden delivered cargo.
He reached Dora’s mother’s home. There was no line outside this time. He let himself in.
“Hello, ma’am,” he said as he stepped inside.
The woman looked up, her eyes still reddened and her voice tight with worry. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to let you know that your daughter is safe. She’s with her father at the garrison. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
The woman gasped, one hand flying to her chest. “Oh, thank you! You’ve taken a huge weight off my chest. I can’t thank you enough. You really are a good person.”
Deckard felt a warmth spread through his chest. What could be more rewarding than giving comfort to a desperate parent?
A series of notifications rang.
Out of concern for a crying mother, you went out of your way to let her know her daughter is safe. She tells everyone about your kind deed.
+20 righteousness;
+30 reputation with Aquascape’s Garrison.
Congratulations, you now possess a [Good] alignment.
You have gained [Kind-Hearted].
[Tidal Tricorn] has been upgraded into [Kind Tide Tricorn].
A flash of light lit up the room, like a camera going off right over his head. Even the mother blinked and shielded her eyes.
Deckard reached up and pulled off the culprit: his growth hat. The bleached grey had deepened into a warm beige, the color of windswept sand. It still looked rugged and worn, but now it resembled something a seasoned rescuer would wear—something earned rather than something scavenged.
The transformation marked a clear shift in his alignment. He was now, without a doubt, one of the good guys.
Technically, the quest ended the moment he found Dora. But at some point, a developer must have realized the mother would want to know her daughter was safe.
Most players would have ignored that kind of emotional loose end. But someone had cared enough to close it and, in doing so, discovered the massive boost to alignment and garrison reputation. Now, every player who ran the quest made sure to return and deliver the news.
Deckard stepped outside and spotted a player waiting at the door. With the mother still crying inside, it was obvious another adventurer was ready to take their turn.
As Deckard walked in the direction of the Auction House, he perused his rewards.
There was a bonus for reaching the first milestone in alignment.
[Kind-Hearted] (Alignment Bonus)
Description: You have been judged as a kind soul and a generous man. Your character shines through even in adversity, and people see goodness in your heart.
Bonus effects:
Causes a favorable impression with righteous NPCs.
Restrictions: [Good]
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
He clicked his tongue.
Regular players unlocked bonuses as their stats climbed. Hitting 50 or 100 Strength granted additional attributes. Each milestone came with a power spike.
He should have received a bonus to all stats, too. But with no stats to speak of, the bonus had nowhere to go. That kind of reward would always slip through his fingers.
Good thing he had other ways to grow stronger.
At least he still got something out of it; it would become easier to gain favor with righteous NPCs, and he’d have access to better gear.
His growth item would become more powerful, too. He inspected it.
Kind Tide Tricorn (Growth Item)
The heart is like the sea; it has tides and undercurrents. As you navigate through life, your heart will change—and this hat will change with you.
Effects:
+5% damage resistance;
NEW: +10% status resistance;
Slightly increases alignment gain.
Next form: Unlocks at 200 righteousness.
“Status resistance,” he muttered. It increased resistance to status conditions like poison, stun, burn, frostbite, and others.
He tilted his head, unsure how to feel about the buff. He had expected something more damage-oriented. Status resistance hadn’t been something he had considered.
But now that he thought about it… As someone running dungeons solo, he didn’t have a partner to break him out of a stun. What if a boss stunned him and flattened him right after? A shiver ran down his spine.
He recalled one of his toughest battles: the fights against the Sea Ghoul and the Radioactive Seagull. Their poison had been a nightmare to deal with. If status resistance prevented him from getting poisoned in the first place, or at least reduced the damage, it would’ve made a huge difference back then.
“It’s a good direction to grow into,” he finally decided.
Now that he had the [Good] alignment, he could also equip the armguards gifted by Dora’s father. He unequipped the [Salvaged Gloves] and slid on the [Rescuer Armguards].
The design was simple, made from twisted material shaped into a protective shell. It felt solid. The baleen hugged his forearms with a springy, stringy texture. It was a clear upgrade from the threadbare gloves he had been using, which had more holes than fabric.
Seeing how much better he looked and his increased stats, Deckard hastened the pace. Once he had upgraded two pieces of gear, he had grown a hunger for more.
The trip back to the Auction House felt like an eternity as he mentally reviewed the different pieces of gear he had seen and tried to think of the best build for his character.
He crossed the main square of the city, zigzagging around players teleporting in and out of town, and rushed up the steps of the Auction House, two at a time. Pushing through the usual crowd gathered at the entrance, he reached the courtyard. His boots sank into fine white sand as he passed the different glass sculptures and made his way to his favorite: the hanging dome.
He sat on the bench beneath it, where shifting, water-filtered light danced across his arms. Above, shrimp in every color flickered between moss balls and strands of aquatic plants. He exhaled, opened the system’s marketplace window, and got to work.
“Let’s see… Requirements: [Good] alignment. Filter out class restrictions… and done.” The list shrank immediately.
He also filtered out gear that was priced at 10 gold and above. He couldn’t afford it, so there was no point in seeing it. Looking would only remind him how poor he was.
There were plenty of options to choose from. Unlocking the first tier of alignment had opened the door to a greater variety of reasonably priced, decent gear.
He looked through each option carefully.
What he needed most were items that granted attack, attack speed, crit chance, crit damage, movement speed, and tankiness.
After 30 minutes, he was confident he had made his selection.
The selection of [Good] alignment gear was decent. From that pool, he picked out a torso piece, shoes, and a cape.
It was a good thing he had taken the time to grind for alignment points. The new gear it unlocked opened up his options.
The [Kindly Donated Vest] stood out first. It didn’t have any special effects or gimmicks, just a flat boost to both health and energy that made him noticeably tankier. Better yet, it was reasonably priced at just 60 silvers.
Well-Worn Leather Vest (Common)
A simple leather vest that has clearly seen a previous owner. The leather is broken in, the stitching repaired in places, but it remains sturdy and reliable—proof that good gear doesn’t need to be new.
Effects:
+20 HP;
+20 EP.
Requirements: [Good]
The energy boost would also increase the time he could stay on the run or locked in battle. He pushed the buy button.
The next item he settled on was a pair of [Peace Corps Nursewalkers]. At six gold, they were one of the most expensive items on his list. Still, the steady EP regeneration and slight movement speed bonus made the price worth it.
Peace Corps Nursewalkers (Uncommon)
Standard-issue footwear distributed by the Peace Corps to disaster relief volunteers. Designed for comfort, they support long patrols.
Effects:
+3% EP regeneration;
+3% movement speed.
Requirements: [Good].
They fit perfectly with his hit-and-run strategy. It also comboed nicely with the [Kindly Donated Vest]. With a longer energy bar and faster recovery, he could shorten the breaks between skirmishes.
The next item genuinely excited him: the [Cape of Passing Kindness].
Cape of Passing Kindness (Uncommon)
A worn but well-cared-for cape, first given by a soldier to a freezing beggar on a cold night. Since then, it’s passed from hand to hand, always given freely to someone in need. It carries no sigil, no crest—just the warmth of good intentions.
Effects:
+2% movement speed;
+2% status resistance.
Requirements: [Good].
It added a bit of movement speed and some extra status resistance, stacking neatly with his [Kind Tide Tricorn]. Since his hat was already growing in that direction, there was no harm in reinforcing the stat. The more he could shrug off stuns or poisons, the better.
Moreover, this was his first cape. The only thing he’d had covering his back was the dented oxygen bottle, which he’d already listed for sale. Now that he had [Webbed Feet Gene II] and could breathe underwater, he didn’t need it anymore.
In the end, he also purchased some neutral pieces. They cost more than [Good]-locked gear, but they filled some gaps in his build. With a bit of digging, he managed to snag a couple that fit his build without burning his wallet.
His favorite was a pair of [Coarse Seapelt Trousers], which granted a decent bump in attack.
Coarse Seapelt Trousers (Common)
Sturdy pants made from the hide of a manatee. Somehow, the tanners made their soft hide rough.
Effects:
+5 attack
Requirements: None
That’s all they did. Grant attack. Still, five extra attacks per card throw would speed up his hunts. Because of their broad usefulness, they ended up being the second most expensive item he bought.
Despite already owning the Spider Crab ring, he had one free slot on the other hand. Jewelry cost even more than armor, so he had to settle for pieces that weren’t spectacular, but still useful.
He’d found a neat ring that gave him a slight edge in attack speed.
Messenger’s Loop (Common)
A plain ring once worn by a courier. It helped him slip envelopes into mailboxes just a little quicker.
Effects:
+3% attack speed.
Requirements: None.
It wasn’t much, but it helped.
Finally, he picked up a simple necklace that boosted his swim speed—a small bonus, but useful for the underwater dungeon he planned to tackle next.
Spiraled Shell Necklace (Common)
A simple necklace strung with a polished seashell. There’s something hydrodynamic about its shape.
Effects:
+5% swimming speed
He looked for something better than his current spectacles, but the only thing he found was a monocle. It was slightly better, but he decided against it. It would be weird to do all his soothing quirks with a monocle. He’d stick with his glasses, thank you very much.
Purchase by purchase, his fortune of 22 gold shrank to just 8.
“Here it goes!” he said eagerly. He put on all the new gear. He peeled off the layers of shipwrecked, salvaged junk and replaced them with gear that was actually in good condition.
By the time he finished gearing up, his stats had taken a solid leap.
EQUIPMENT
Head: [Kind Tide Tricorn] | +10% status resistance, +5% damage reduction, slightly increases alignment gain
Top: [Kindly Donated Vest] | +20 HP, +20 EP
Gloves: [Rescuer Armguards] | +2% damage resistance, +1 attack, +15 HP
Bottom: [Coarse Seapelt Trousers] | +5 attack
Shoes: [Peace Corps Nursewalkers] | +3% EP regeneration, +3% movement speed
Cape: [Cape of Passing Kindness] | +2% movement speed, +2% status resistance
Right Hand: [Empty]
Left Hand: [Empty]
ACCESSORIES
Head: [Rusty Spectacles] | +5% energy regeneration
Necklace: [White Shell Necklace] | +5% swimming speed
Ring: [Spider Crab Ring] | [Spider Web]
Ring: [Messenger’s Loop] | +3% attack speed
He looked down at himself, taking in the new look. The armguards and cape were easily the standout pieces. They were sleek and clearly well-crafted. The cape especially made him feel like a superhero.
Most of his gear leaned into darker tones: the leather vest and seapelt trousers were deep, practical browns, while the cape and armguards came in a dark grey. In contrast, the Nursewalkers and faded tricorn broke up the palette with light shades of beige.
His accessories were simple and discreet, barely noticeable at a glance. His spectacles and the [Spider Crab Ring] were still the ones that stood out the most.
Nothing about the set screamed wealth or power, but it looked sturdy and dependable. He didn’t seem like a veteran, but he definitely didn’t look like a beginner anymore.
With this, his preparations were finished. He was as strong as he could be.
He made his way toward the Auction House exit, pulling up the coordinates he had saved earlier. It was time to visit the Sea Currents Dungeon and get those elite and boss cards.
