Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Despite the unexpected turn of events, it seemed only natural that Athena chose not to descend.

She had played with the musical dolphins below for a long while, reveling in the feeling that this entire area was her dominion, a realm where she didn’t need to share with other merfolk. Here, she was the true queen.

As the sky began to darken, signaling the approach of evening, she swam up to the surface. When she emerged again, the familiar sight she had once known was now gone—neither Athena nor the sofa was visible.

Ilinaya had found Athena irritating, yet she was compelled to interact with her. In frustration, she flicked her tail.

She resumed her singing outside, her voice still melodious and enchanting.

Paopao, holding a pinch of salt, carefully sprinkled it into the pot. Glancing at Athena for a reaction, and seeing none, he added a little more.

Just as he was about to pour more, Athena hurriedly stopped him.

“That's enough. Any more and it will be too salty.”

She stirred the mixture with a spoon, tasted it, and confirmed it was perfectly seasoned.

“From now on, use this as the standard.”

Indeed, Athena was teaching Paopao how to cook. While Paopao had become proficient with ingredient placement, he still struggled with seasoning.

So, Athena was guiding him step by step. Her seriousness made Paopao uneasy, worried about making a mistake.

Seeing Paopao’s anxious demeanor amused Athena. She patted his head, “You’re doing very well.”

Her voice revealed her pleasure, and immediately, the little fellow returned to his usual cheerful self. The others, who had been waiting, rushed over to join.

Athena realized that this approach worked on all the animals at home, except for Witty. Witty would truly lash out and scratch her.

While serving the food, a melodious song wafted in from outside. It was unmistakably Ilinaya's.

She set her bowl down, signaled Paopao and the others to continue, and walked out the door.

Upon opening the door, she saw Ilinaya singing right at her doorstep. The only time Ilinaya didn’t seem so irritating was when she was singing.

Athena had not intended to interrupt her, preferring to wait until Ilinaya finished. However, Ilinaya noticed her presence and stopped singing immediately.

“Aren’t you afraid I might leave? What if I don’t return tomorrow?” Ilinaya’s tone was brusque.

Athena pretended to consider seriously, “Would you?”

Silence…

Ilinaya summoned the musical dolphin and guided it towards the floating 'island' base.

“Leave it here for today. I’ll return tomorrow. It’s getting late; I need to go.”

The dolphin, seemingly confused, bumped against the floating base’s barrier, its head turning a bright red from the impact. It whined and swam back towards Ilinaya, only to be shooed away.

“The musical dolphin isn’t a siege monster. It just enjoys following me. Leaving it here is fine.”

Athena wasn’t particularly concerned about the issue, but since Ilinaya had kindly explained, it was even better.

Just like with the previous snowstorm, even if the monster was driven away, the scene wouldn’t clear up immediately. So, it was perfectly fine for the dolphin to stay outside.

As she waited for the next day, Athena was curious whether the dolphin would use the same method to summon Ilinaya in the absence of a system portal.

Of course, this wasn’t something she needed to worry about.

Watching Ilinaya disappear again, Athena noted that the task was finally complete once Ilinaya passed through the portal.

【 Experience Points: 500 】
【 Congratulations, Player Athena, for completing the tower defense mission ahead of schedule! The basic rewards have been sent to your mail!
Special reward: Conch! 】
【 Tower Defense Evaluation: A 】

Athena was quite surprised by the rating. Despite not doing much and not causing any harm to Ilinaya, in fact it was the easiest mission she accomplished, the system still awarded her an A rating.

At the same time, she received 500 experience points.

A plain conch appeared in her palm. She examined it closely. There were no system prompts, and compared to a normal conch, it was merely larger and less attractive.

After passing through the portal, Ilinaya rubbed her temples, feeling a bit dizzy. A male merfolk, who had been waiting nearby, hurried over to support her.

He had hair similar to hers, and even his fish tail color was close to hers, though darker.

This male merfolk looked at Ilinaya with concern and worry.

Ilinaya brushed off his hand without giving him a single glance and walked away.

The male merfolk, used to this behavior, was unperturbed.

He followed closely behind Ilinaya, noticing the absence of the musical dolphin. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke up.

“Wasn’t the musical dolphin with you? How come it’s missing now? Did something happen?”

“I left it there.”

They conversed as they moved, but their pace remained unchanged, leaving the surrounding fish far behind.

The male merfolk’s expression turned to one of shock. “Are you really going? Don’t you know that going to the surface is very dangerous for us? And it's a territory beyond ours, a light land territory—what if someone discovers your identity? Didn’t you consider that?”

“I shouldn’t have agreed to let you go. You said you were just going for a short trip! And you promised to call me if you encountered any danger. That’s why I stayed by the portal!”

Ilinaya finally stopped, looking at him with a serious gaze. “I had intended to call you. But if I couldn’t break the barrier, how could you? They didn’t consider the thoughts of those in the sea.”

“I am definitely going to the light land. I’ve signed the contract. I don’t want to be trapped here forever.”

The male merfolk felt a twinge of fear from her gaze. He backed away slightly but quickly adopted a firm tone. “You’re already of royal blood among the merfolk. What more could you want?”

This comment, however, touched Ilinaya’s nerve. She stared at him coldly, as if viewing the lowest of fish.

“It’s precisely because I am of royal blood that I have greater ambitions, seizing every opportunity to rise, even if it means death.”

She turned her back on him and swam towards the palace of the merfolk.

The male merfolk watched her retreating figure with a mixture of concern and helplessness.