On the system screen appeared a blue gift with a red ribbon. It was different from the first time he had received a reward.
[Will you accept it?]
'Who is the gift from?'
[How suspicious. The only clue I'll give is that it's called the Trident of the Ocean.]
That could mean Poseidon or some other god related to the ocean. Enrico turned slightly and asked to step away to use a bathroom. Elaris pointed to an area where there was a small marble house.
[Why are you going so far?]
'It should be obvious. What if whatever I get appears right in front of them? How am I supposed to explain something like an object or a monster suddenly appearing?'
[Yeah, you're right.]
The small marble structure was slightly away from the lake, almost hidden among trees with pale leaves. There were no locked doors or visible protective symbols, just smooth walls cold to the touch, as if the place existed only to serve the simple purpose of conversation or to give others privacy.
'The little house where they sometimes drank tea is actually pretty cute.'
[Indeed… as far as I remember, it only appeared three times.]
'Four, actually. Its last appearance was when it was destroyed.'
[Don't remind me of that. I feel a small pain remembering that scene—I had even erased it from memory, damn it.]
As soon as Enrico entered and confirmed he was alone, the system screen expanded in front of him. The blue gift pulsed softly, as if submerged in invisible water. The red ribbon didn't seem decorative—it held the contents like a seal.
'Accept.'
The moment the command was confirmed, the box opened without making a sound. There was no explosion of light, no exaggerated summoning. Just a cold, deep sensation, like slowly diving into very ancient waters. The air around him became more humid, and small bluish particles began to appear, floating like bubbles trapped outside of water.
[I'm receiving information about what you got—wait a second.]
'Wait, you didn't even know what it was?'
[I wanted it to be a surprise for me too, so I asked not to be informed. It'll be fun.]
The urge to punch the system kept growing. It had answered him without even knowing the answer itself. Still, it made sense—someone with a title like Trident of the Ocean wouldn't have anything to do with smithing.
'But I remember a certain game where Poseidon gave electric powers to a certain bald man.'
The system screen changed. Instead of words, liquid symbols spread out, forming a translucent circle that rotated slowly. Inside it, fragments of images appeared and disappeared: ocean currents, dark depths, calm seas before a storm, and violent waters.
[Special reward activated for water affinity.]
'Oh, so it'll work like that time.'
[Sometimes it's fun.]
Enrico felt the first effect immediately. A small trail of pain spread through his body, which compared to what he had felt before was almost nothing.
His body seemed to remember something it had never lived. His breathing became more rhythmic, his heart slowed slightly, and the mana within him began to reorganize, just like with his fire affinity. Where before his water affinity existed as a secondary affinity with lower potential than his original, now it blended more naturally with the rest of his body.
'They're still separate, but they seem to be almost at the same level of potential now.'
Almost imperceptible blue veins ran along his arms, disappearing beneath the skin. The sensation was similar to learning how to swim without realizing it.
[Improved magical flow control. Reduced aquatic mana consumption. Improved water affinity.]
'This isn't just an affinity increase…'
[Congratulations, your Water Affinity has evolved.]
Enrico placed a hand against the wall for a moment. He felt something completely different from what he originally felt when using this affinity. It was still water—but in a different way.
'Evolved…'
The invisible water around him seemed to react to his presence. Small droplets began to form in the air, condensing for no apparent reason, slowly sliding down the marble walls before evaporating again.
[Water Affinity: State — Deep.]
Enrico took a deep breath, straightened his body, and washed his face with the ordinary water from the small basin inside the structure. The touch felt different now. No longer external—it was as if he understood the movement of the water even before touching it.
'So now my affinity with water has become…'
[That's right, deep water magic.]
Looking at his hand now, he felt that he could do something different with this magic. Something similar to what Kai did, but on a smaller scale, since his encompassed the entire ocean. That meant that even this improved affinity he had just obtained was something Kai could do.
'I'm slightly annoyed with Kai now.'
[Don't mind the protagonist now. Just thank me for receiving this reward.]
'I should thank the constellation, not you… but thanks to both.'
While leaving the system before it started getting arrogant, Enrico left the house with a sigh. Outside, he saw Valença playing with Incandis as they ran around, while near the lake Kai trained, doing some exercises. Elaris and Malunes seemed to be waiting for him to begin.
'No one was watching me, so it seems everything is fine.'
[It must be because they trust you.]
'I thought you were going to get arrogant. It's a surprise to see you saying that right after being praised.'
[And who said I'm not arrogant? I recorded you saying that, and now I'm going to listen to it every day.]
Enrico's eyebrow twitched when he heard that. That was the worst thing that could happen to him. That damned system didn't want thanks—it just wanted to record something to use later.
'Great, now this bastard is going to use that to mock me.'
Wanting to forget about it, he moved on while snapping his fingers lightly. It was time to start making the items and improving theirs. And of course, he would give it his all, even if he failed at some things.
'I'll make the best items in the world.'