In Rydr's palm rested a large seed, about the size of an egg. Nonplussed, Rydr expected the elemental to die with his little stunt. Whatever it turned into interested the huge diver, so he [Inspected] the object.

 

Plant Elemental (Seed Stage)

The base form of a young plant Elemental after being forced to reset its life cycle. Properly planted and cared for, the Elemental could be a powerful ally, or a menace if set loose. ·       Compatible with [Tamer-Type] Classes

 

The Titan grunted in surprise as he read the item's information. Of all things, the diver never thought he would receive a tamable pet.

Not that I can put it to use. Maybe we can sell it at some point? Wordlessly, Rydr passed the seed to Urginok. 

A moment later, the tank pumped his fist and barked a short cry of jubilation. 

"Hell yeah! That's what we call good loot, baby!" For a second time that day, Urginok performed a little celebratory dance. 

Rydr couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head at his teammate's antics. As they got to know each other better, the tank seemed to have no end of slightly silly sides to him.

After a moment, Urginok passed the elemental seed back to his giant ally. Rydr spared a second to store the seed in his inventory before the two of them walked around the edge of the pit.

Amos and the other guards were busy freeing the last of the monster's hostages when the two divers walked up. If anyone were to look at the group, they would run away screaming.

Each of the people present were uniformly drenched in their own blood. What few places weren't affected by the deluge of crimson were likely in places the group of men would never lay eyes on.

As the Travelers approached the guards, Amos turned and saluted the pair before standing in a parade stance.

"Thank you, adventurers, for rescuing myself, my men, and these hostages," Amos spoke with such passion that tears filled his eyes when he mentioned the hostages. However different the citizens of Grotto might be, they were all under his protection. 

The sarcastic guard knew when to set aside his jovial nature and give proper thanks. 

"Although we aren't able to reward you ourselves, I'm certain I can get you a meeting with Grotto's mayor, Ausch Otto." Amos truly wished he could reward his new, giant friend personally, but this was the best he could do for the Traveler.

It was up to the colossus whether he could capitalize on the connection.

Rydr accepted the guard's thanks stiffly, unused to such positive treatment. On the other hand, Urginok plastered a brilliant smile on his face and stepped up to Amos.

"Please, think nothing of it. We were partially responsible for the state of things and couldn't rest until we began to set things right," Urginok waved his hand at the clearing around them, "This is only the start. We won't leave Grotto until the area is at peace again."

Rydr watched his teammate in shock. Out of nowhere, it seemed, Urginok retrieve the same manner of speech as when Rydr first met the man. 

Smooth words fell from Urginok's lips effortlessly while he maneuvered the conversation to make the best impression on Grotto's guards. 

Even as Rydr watched from the side, the Titan realized Urginok wasn't lying either. Everything the tank said was technically true.

Grotto still has secrets in store for us. There's no way we're done with this town yet. Rydr contemplated his next steps while he allowed Urginok to handle brown-nosing the guards.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, though...

Rydr remembered that a couple of system notices went off in his head during the battle. While the guards still worked to free the last few hostages, Rydr found a tree to lean against. 

The Titan spared one last glance at Urginok and the guards, making sure they wouldn't need him for a moment before the giant opened his notices.

 

Epic Feat! Hidden Truth

Congratulations! The diver has discovered the truth behind an ancient profession. Aether is the force of life itself, but at its base, it is akin to mana itself given permanent form. ·       Skill Evolved: [Metal Spirit] has become [Aether Spirit] ·       Discovered a Lost Skill: [Aether Conversion]

 

Rydr realized that when he forced his professional skills through their paces and bent [Metal Spirit]'s purpose, he actually achieved a forced evolution. 

Unlike the evolution of his [Third Eye] into [Aetheric Eye], which felt quite natural to the Titan, discovering these new skills was arduous. 

Plus, an entirely new professional skill sat within Rydr's menu now. While the evolution of [Metal Spirit] to [Aether Spirit] seemed obvious to the giant, once he puzzled out what Aether really was, the new skill was a mystery. 

Curious, Rydr ignored his next notice and opened the description for [Aether Conversion].

 

[Aether Conversion] (Beginner Lvl. 1)

The ability to still the chaos within the diver’s mana well. Direct conversion of Mana into Aether comes with a heavy toll on the body and mind. ·       Conversion Rate: o   Pay 5 HP to convert 10 MP ·       Sustained Ability

 

Rydr studied the new ability's description for a while, figuring out how to work it into active combat. Although the Titan came up with a few applications, he suspected his "force-feeding"  of the elemental was a lucky strike.

Maybe someday [Aether Spirit] would be strong enough for Rydr to dissolve his weaker enemies, but the skill was a professional one. Its most effective application had to be within the realm of crafting.

The diver set aside the new ability for the moment and opened his next notification. 

 

Epic Feat! Lost Profession

Congratulations! The diver has discovered the truth behind an ancient profession. Uncovered skills, once lost to time, have come to light, evolving the [Aether Smith] profession. ·       Profession Evolved: [Aether Smith] has become [Aetheric Maker]

 

Of all things, Rydr's newest notice confirmed that his shiny new abilities were meant to create and not destroy. While the new notice failed to provide something new, it did evolve Rydr's profession. 

Aetheric Maker...the name implies that I'm not necessarily limited to just regular metal anymore. What interested Rydr more was the difference in the title's glow.

Instead of the title's former red glow, its text now glowed purple within the Titan's menu. Rydr had a sneaking suspicion that his profession's rarity was "shadow" buffed.

Even though the notices failed to mention it, their [Epic] rarity, coupled with the color change, clued Rydr in on the upgrade. 

I'm not certain if it's significant, but maybe the profession can still grow? The Titan decided to talk to Lynn about the changes when he reached town and had some free time. 

At last, Rydr opened his final few notices.

*Gained 4,165 Exp*

*Level Up*

[Hermes] (1)

The level-up meant another five free points. Even though the elemental wasn't technically killed, the system still credited Rydr and Urginok with its defeat. 

Is it him? The face of a blond teen flashed through the Titan's mind as he opened the message. A small grin flashed across Rydr's face while reading it.

[Hermes: Hey, Rydr! I'm glad you managed to get another capsule. You'll have to tell me how you swung that one. 

If it's not obvious, this is Ronny. 

And, seriously? You got the game's first legendary feat? That's awesome!! You've got to tell me how you did that.

Anyway. I'm wandering around Grotto. Want to meet up?]

Rydr covered his mouth to stifle his laughter after he finished Ronny's message. The Titan's massive body shook as he wiped a tear away.

I guess Ronny- no, Hermes- is the same whether he's inside the game or out. 

Another random thought interrupted Rydr's mirth when he looked at his neighbor's online handle. 

Some people have legacy names from old games, but Hermes chose something that represents what he wants to be. The god of speed. 

Rydr awkwardly scratched his head as he realized he hadn't put a lot of thought into his avatar's name. While the giant regretted his haste, his thoughts suddenly came full circle.

The Titan quickly sent several messages to Hermes, Little John, and Syrna. Since it was on his mind, Rydr sent a friend request to Hermes at the same time, wondering how the teen messaged him in the first place. 

In his message, the giant asked them all to meet him at Izor's tower, of all places. 

*****

Urginok and Rydr's journey back to Grotto took them a little longer than they expected. Half of the hostages rescued were children from the village. On top of that, the kidnapped adults weren't in any shape to walk.

Even Amos and his guards were on their last legs and putting on brave faces. 

Eventually, it was Urginok who suggested they make a sling out of the cocoons. Rydr shoveled a huge pile of dirt on top of the thorny sling to protect the villagers from further harm.

Amos and his guards volunteered to help pull the sling, but Rydr waved them away. 

Then the giant shocked the guardsmen when he picked up the thorny rope and began to walk away with the enormous sling. 

Rydr wrapped its end around his vambraces and slung the vines over his shoulder. It wasn't the most comfortable arrangement for the Titan, but his wolf's pelt prevented the thorns from piercing his skin.

After that, Rydr and his group followed the massive trail left on the forest floor by Rydr's cocoon. Together, the group traveled to Grotto's East guard tower, guided by Amos.

In a bit of luck, most of the wild plant growth caused by the Wellspring was gone. The best guess Rydr had was that the plants were choked by the plant elemental.

Once the group reached Grotto's wall, they walked around it to the East guard tower.

Rydr approached the gate at an angle, dragging the sling of survivors behind him. The Titan was flanked by Urginok and Amos, with the other guards fanned out around the sling to protect it.

Grotto's guard tower was even worse than the last time Rydr saw it. The already in disrepair tower had most of its outer wall pulled apart by the invading vines. Those vines now lay in a rapidly decaying pile all around the perimeter of Grotto and throughout the forest. 

A rudimentary barricade blocked the group's progress, so Amos stepped in front of Rydr and called out.

"Ho there! Lieutenant Amos, Southern Guard Tower, returning with rescued civilians!" Amos's austere tone carried past the barricade and the crowd of divers behind. 

From behind the barrier, a set of guards moved to the forefront. Together they shifted the barricade until two people could pass through a narrow lane and quickly hustled to surround the sling. 

They're better trained than they look. I wonder who's responsible for that? Rydr set down his burden, unwinding the vines from around his vambraces, as the new guards stepped into formation.

A middle-aged woman with black hair and mismatched armor walked up to Amos and saluted, to which he returned the gesture. 

"Lieutenant Della, Eastern guard tower." With the honorifics out of the way, she gestured at the sling, "Amos, it's good to see you alive again. Tell me what happened later. Who needs to be treated first?" 

Before the woman finished her question, the healthier adults on the sling were already picking up the unconscious children and holding them out to the guards. 

Della snapped her fingers and her guards lept to take the children from the injured adults. They received the children carefully before they hustled back through the ruined gate as quickly as they dared.

Amos tilted his head quizzically at Della. 

She caught the look and huffed, "A healer's tent was set up in the town square not too long ago. Unfortunately, it was the best option. We had injured at every gate. The center of town was the best solution, to keep old Gath from expiring on us."

Amos nodded in understanding. To Rydr and Urginok, he said, "Old Gath is the only priest of Craton living in Grotto. Hell, he's the only priest in Grotto, and he's ancient. If he ran from one side of town to the other, he'd die on us." 

Amos explained that health potions were expensive and took a little while to work unless it was a high-quality potion. In an emergency, healing magic was the fastest way to get a combatant back on the front lines.

The only downside to healing magic was the staggering hunger that would soon assault the recipient if they didn't eat. 

Rydr nodded as he listened. Makes sense. Healing magic must force the body to heal quicker. Magic might supplement a little of that metabolic cost, but low-level stuff probably doesn't do much.

As Amos explained the difference to the pair of divers, Della was sizing up Rydr and Urginok. 

Della spoke up when Amos paused his explanation, "Who are these two, Amos?" Her gaze switched between Rydr and Urginok, but her eyes kept drifting to the Titan.

While Urginok's looks were of interest, she was trying not to see the Titan as a boss monster of some kind and immediately attack him. 

Currently, the grotesque "hood" of Rydr's wolf pelt was over his head, blocking his face from the cheekbones and up. Anyone who looked at him right now could see only the Titan's nose, mouth, and jaw. The little bit of his gun-metal grey hair peeked from under the hood in an unruly mane.

Otherwise, the giant stood there bare-chested, barefoot, and in what barely qualified as pants anymore. 

Amos stepped into her line of vision and clapped the Travelers on their backs, "These are the men who saved the hostages and Grotto from a plant elemental."

He indicated the brown-haired tank, "This is Urginok. He held the beast's attention while," Amos then gestured at the giant, "Rydr pried our cocoons from the beast's pit and jumped everyone out safely. Together, the two of them slew the plant elemental."

Della's eyebrow twitched, and she marched forward, shoving Amos to the side to shove a finger in the behemoth's chest aggressively.

"You're Rydr?"

Rydr heaved a sigh, lamenting his cursed legendary feat and the stupid system that gave it to him.

 

 

AN:

Thank you for reading the newest chapter~ If anyone sees a typo, please let me know. I was very sleepy while writing this one.

Patreon is all caught up on its early-access chapters! Maybe I'll be able to make tiers for eight and ten chapters ahead someday~

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