Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

The contract stipulated that the player "Big Dream" would provide the portal to the world, while the Ilinaya party was responsible for providing the portal's coordinates and bringing their own key to the Light Lands. Neither side was allowed to disclose any information about the other. Once entered, both parties were free to act independently.

The Ilinaya faction committed to assisting the player Big Dream in obtaining World Energy, which would belong exclusively to Big Dream.

Neither party was allowed to harm the other.

A breach of the contract would result in a permanent reduction of 50 to all attributes.

Furthermore, if Ilinaya breached the contract, she would incur the 'Fear of Water' debuff, lasting for one month.

As Ilinaya held the thin contract paper in her hands, she immediately realized she had been tricked. The human before her seemed completely uninterested in cooperating and had even drafted the contract herself.

The contract's terms were clearly skewed against her, and Ilinaya's frustration was palpable.

She looked up at Athena, who remained unmoved and simply indicated that she should sign.

With no opportunity for negotiation, Ilinaya signed the contract. For Athena, missing this opportunity might mean waiting for another chance, but for her, that was not a certainty.

A faint glow enveloped them both, signifying the contract's formation.

In an instant, Ilinaya returned to her aloof demeanor, like the most mysterious creature of the ocean, her earlier expressions seeming irrelevant.

"Take your time to prepare; see you tomorrow," Athena's light statement settled the matter with an undeniable tone.

Ilinaya clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Can’t we go now? Don’t you need some time to prepare?"

"Anytime is fine."

Ilinaya was unwilling to continue the argument. "I haven’t had enough fun yet. Tomorrow will be more suitable."

She turned and dove into the sea. After emerging from the portal, she had been misled by the musical dolphin and ended up here without fully appreciating her surroundings.

Her homeland was different from this place. Although it was also an underwater realm, it was not this artificially created sea. Beneath the ocean were not forests but an immense, dark trench that led to her kingdom, where not only did her kin, the mermen people, live but also other sea monsters.

Ilinaya swam freely underwater, never before experiencing such a sense of liberation. To her left, the musical dolphin continued to circle her, expressing its grievances.

"Alright, this rabbit is no toy. If it’s not suitable now, I'll find you a new one later."

Athena watched her retreat into the depths, lost in thought for a moment.

With the fighting outside now subdued, Grey and the others emerged from the house.

Originally concerned about Athena, they saw her unharmed, sitting comfortably on the sofa with a jar of honey that had already been significantly depleted.

Witty, ever the most proactive, was the first to run over, carrying a stone of moderate size and scanning for the musical dolphin’s presence.

Though unsure why the floating base had suddenly rocked, Witty felt it was connected to the dolphin.

"It seems the battle went smoothly," Grey remarked sincerely.

Athena looked at her, politely offering her some of the honey.

"It was easier than I expected."

She took a few steps forward, nearly at the gate, and said to Grey, "Try to stay inside and avoid coming out."

Grey nodded understandingly. After all, their goblin clan was a rebel faction, and to creatures of the dark faith, they were an embodiment of divine hatred.

Thus, Grey had stayed indoors until the situation outside was confirmed to be calm.

As a human with considerable strength, Athena was less affected by Ilinaya's intimidating presence, but Grey felt its influence.

Such higher-level monsters had an inherent pressure on them.

Athena held the Mermaid's Tear in her hand. With it in her mouth, she could bypass the barrier and jump into the sea to witness the marvel of the forest-ocean combination.

Moreover, due to the contract with Ilinaya, she would not be attacked and did not need to worry about her safety.

A mermen person, having lived their entire life underwater, might long to transform and explore the land.

Conversely, a human who has lived on land all their life might yearn for a fish tail to explore the unknown ocean.

Given the current conditions, with safety assured, human curiosity was magnified, presenting Athena with a unique opportunity.

Even if she encountered the sea in the future, it would not be the unique sea created by the system.

However, in the end, Athena put the Mermaid's Tear back into her backpack and chose not to take that step. Instead, she returned to her sofa and basked in the sunlight.

Ilinaya continued to explore the underwater world, her curiosity fully satisfied and her entire being in an excited state.

As she had previously mentioned, the Third World allied with the relatively weaker Daylight to gain more World Energy.

But this did not mean it was wholly aligned against the darkness. Athena and the other players were forcibly brought here as part of the border defense.

To aid in protecting the rear Light Lands, the Third World people were different from them. With the system's assistance, they could rapidly break through various limitations and grow quickly.

They could even form an army on their own, making the appearance of Third World people successfully repel the darkness's fierce attacks.

The system's sudden events were not intentional but rather random occurrences it could not accurately predict.

Being a third-party entity, even an intruder, it could not grasp every move in this world.

It merely erected a barrier between players and monsters to ensure better player growth, but did not entirely block the monsters. These monsters became regular tower-defense tasks for the players.

Each monster reorganization was entirely dependent on the darkness's next attack.

For high-level monsters like Ilinaya, whether to attack was a matter of free will, not dictated by the call of darkness.

She chose to heed the call and crossed the barrier chosen by the system, successfully reaching the battlefield to seek an opportunity to enter the Light Lands.

While exploring the underwater scenery, she awaited Athena’s arrival.

Such a pity about the Mermaid's Tear; she had hoped Big Dream might come down to take a look.