Chapter 26: Titan Physique, Level 2!
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Riven sighed in deep relief as thick steam continued to release from his body. He had successfully compressed his massive musculature down to a manageable level without turning into a complete hulking giant.
He was still a little larger than before, but the difference should not be too noticeable to anyone else.
"Hooo..."
He let out one final sigh of relief, only to realize he was completely drenched in sweat mixed with a thick black liquid that smelled absolutely horrible.
"Are these impurities? It is as if my own body is... Wait!"
Suddenly, a new system notification appeared before his eyes.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have met the conditions. The power of the Skill: [Skadi’s Blessing: Titan Physique – Level 1] has been further awakened.]
[The Skill: [Skadi’s Blessing: Titan Physique – Level 1] has Leveled Up to Level 2!]
[The Vitality multiplier has increased.]
[You have earned +5,000 Vitality.]
[The Skill: [Skadi’s Blessing: Titan Physique – Level 2] has developed a New Ability linked to Elisa: {Vitality Link}!]
[Do you wish to share 1.5% of your own Vitality with Elisa?]
[Yes] [No]
"It’s possible?!"
Riven hesitated for a long moment. What if she went through the same intense pain he had just experienced?
But then again, it was only 1.5% of his Vitality.
Would that amount be enough to heal her? Probably not...
Yet it could still give her body more energy and more vitality. It might stop her from feeling so sleepy and exhausted all the time.
He did not know if it would help her move again. Maybe not yet... or maybe it would.
Whatever the case, he truly wished it could help her even a little.
Without further hesitation, he pressed [Yes].
FLAAASH!
He felt a portion of his Vitality suddenly form into a thin golden thread that stretched across the distance, reaching someone who was currently sleeping peacefully in her own bedroom, completely unaware of what had just been shared with her.
"The more my Vitality grows, the more Elisa’s will grow as well...!" A genuine smile of happiness appeared on his face. "Maybe what her body needs beyond a cure is also more vitality. With enough vitality, she might be able to hold on against the poison much better. Perhaps, eventually, she could even develop her own immunity..."
However, this was not something he was going to rely on completely. Riven already had another plan in motion. He carefully held the crystal core of the Tyrant, which he had barely managed to salvage from the feast his Living Aura had gone through.
This item was one of the key ingredients.
"Although this is a good development, I cannot count on this alone... I finally obtained the Tyrant’s Core, but I still need four more materials..." he sighed quietly. "The second and third floors of the Dark Caves have none of what I am looking for. Should I still try to delve deeper for more Stat gains? Or should I prioritize going to a new dungeon for her sake? Well... the closest goal toward that is the Wild Jungle Dungeon, which is C+ Rank... I need to gain a lot more power before I can safely go there."
To officially become C+ Rank, he would require over 100,000 points in at least one Stat. That was still a tall order right now. Although he had grown tremendously in a short time, Riven knew he needed even more power.
The Elixir he had once envisioned in the future he previously lived — the one meant to heal her — required five incredible materials. In that past life he had only managed to buy two of them and never completed the full recipe.
This was a formula created by a friend he had once made, someone he would need to befriend again. Maybe he could do that in the following days. She did not live too far from here, after all.
The list of ingredients was already written carefully in his notes. He read them once more in silence.
[Grand Cave Tyrant Core]: [1/1]
[Wild Spring Rafflesia Nectar]: [0/1]
[Imperial Queen Bee Honey]: [0/1]
[Everlasting Winter Rose]: [0/1]
[Gastric Acid of the Grand Colossus]: [0/1]
She had envisioned this incredible recipe with her amazing talents.
A recipe that could bring Elisa... back to normal.
However, it was simply too difficult to recreate.
The Grand Cave Tyrant Core and the Wild Spring Rafflesia Nectar were actually the easiest materials on the list.
But the other three? They were ridiculously hard to obtain and also immensely rare.
Imperial Queen Bee Honey belonged to the Bee Empire Dungeon, an A-Rank Gate.
The Everlasting Winter Rose was a rare find inside the Eternal Winter Land Dungeon, an S-Rank Gate.
And lastly... the Gastric Acid of the Grand Colossus came from the Giant Colosseum, an SSS-Rank Gate!
"I have to grow stronger... fast."
Even with all the power he had gained in this short time, everything still felt so distant!
It frustrated Riven deeply.
But there was no other way. He had to hurry.
Yes, there was still more strength waiting to be gained.
His eyes shifted to the corpse of the cultist who had turned into a werewolf. A small, determined smile appeared on his face.
He felt disgusted by the idea of eating human meat, but this thing was clearly no longer human.
Moreover, within its body it still exuded the divine, dark power of Fenrir himself.
If he could consume this damn creature, just how much stronger could he become?
"Let’s test that out."
Riven’s Endless Hunger Aura surged forward once more and began to voraciously tear apart the werewolf’s corpse.
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