CHAPTER 617: DO YOU KNOW BARON NASHOR? JUST BEAT HIM.

Rhodes had a strange suspicion, was he standing in the middle of Summoner’s Rift? And right in the middle of the river, no less?

But before he could think too hard about it, something else demanded his attention.

The Crab in front of him wasn’t right. Its shell shimmered with a faint purple glow, and instead of harmlessly wandering about, it looked hostile and... mean.

Rhodes called out to it a couple of times, half as a test, half out of habit. But the thing didn’t respond. It just lowered its head and charged at him.

This isn’t my Scuttle Crab? Or maybe... not even my Rift?

Poisoned, maybe?

The purple crab skittered across the water like it was solid ground, dashing toward him with frightening speed.

Rhodes raised his arm to block, but the impact still sent him flying, bouncing across the water’s surface like a skipping stone. His chest tightened with pain, and he had to choke back the urge to cough up blood.

This crab was way stronger than the ones he’d summoned before!

Normally, a Scuttle Crab was barely more than a nuisance. Rhodes could smash through its shell with his bare hands even without using magic. Even the corrupted ones weren’t much trouble.

But now, drained of both stamina and Magic Power, he had no strength left to fight.

’A tiger brought low is bullied even by dogs,’ Rhodes thought bitterly. ’When the roof caves in, even a proud man has to bow his head. Sometimes bending is the only way to survive.’

Convincing himself with this logic, Rhodes switched tactics. Half-walking, half-swimming, he tried to slip past the crab, aiming for the shore where he could at least catch his breath and recover some strength.

Unfortunately, the purple crab wasn’t in a merciful mood. The moment Rhodes strayed into its attack range, it came barreling after him again.

There was no chance of outrunning it in water. Without magic to boost him, his speed couldn’t compare. The crab rammed into him again, and once more, Rhodes went tumbling through the waves.

"You bastard!" Rhodes spat as he flopped back into the shallows, glaring furiously at the crab. "When I recover, I’m cooking you into crab stew!"

Whether the threat actually scared it or the creature had simply reached the edge of its territory, the crab didn’t pursue him this time.

The water grew shallower, and Rhodes staggered to his feet, rubbing his sore chest.

That was when a gentle, lazy voice drifted from behind him.

"Why so angry?"

Rhodes spun around. A giant dragon, scales glistening in shades of blue and green, raised its head from the shallow water.

Rhodes froze, throat dry.

’If this isn’t my Rift, and that crab wasn’t mine... then this dragon... is it even mine?’

The dragon yawned loudly, baring rows of sharp teeth, then rumbled, "Tsk, tsk. Such foul language. Don’t pick up bad habits from Purgatory Dragon."

At the mention of the Purgatory Dragon, Rhodes felt a wave of relief. That meant this one was an ally, probably.

"Ocean Dragon?" he asked cautiously.

The dragon tilted her head, eyeing him with a curious smile. "Why do you call the others so decisively, but hesitate with me? What’s wrong, afraid to say my name? Were you about to call me Leaf Dragon or something?"

Before Rhodes could answer, the Ocean Dragon burst into laughter. "Pfft...hahahaha! Leaf Dragon! Oh, that’s rich!"

She flapped her wings in the water, sending waves crashing everywhere. Even though they were in shallow water, the spray was enough to nearly knock Rhodes off his feet.

Dripping wet, Rhodes wiped his face and blinked at her, utterly lost. He had no idea what was supposed to be funny.

The Ocean Dragon looked genuinely baffled by his lack of reaction. "What? ’Leaf Dragon’ is hilarious! Why aren’t you laughing?"

Rhodes stared at her in silence.

’That was a joke?’

"Oh, right, you must have a lot of questions." The Ocean Dragon quieted down, lowering her body so her eyes were level with Rhodes. "Ask whatever you like."

"Where am I? What happened to my friends? And what about Mountain, Purgatory, and Cloud?"

"You’re asking a lot all at once." The Ocean Dragon tilted her head, tapping her temple with the tip of her claw before answering slowly. "Right now, you’re inside the Summoner’s Rift. The very one you always peeked into, remember?"

"Peeking?" Rhodes blinked. He had always assumed he was just using his mind to monitor his magic and keep track of his summoned beasts.

So... to them, that counted as peeking?

"As for Mountain, Purgatory, and Cloud," the Ocean Dragon continued, "all three were badly wounded. They’re back in their dens recovering. It’ll take a long time. And even when they’re healed, the Elder will have to deal with them first, so you won’t see them for quite a while."

"The Elder?"

"That old one who’s lived since ages long past. Back then he was called the Great Dragon, but now everyone just calls him the Elder Dragon."

Rhodes leaned forward quickly. "Then... can the Elder Dragon defeat that Black Dragon?"

"Maybe?" The Ocean Dragon frowned thoughtfully. "I’m not sure. I’m not really good at fighting."

A Dragon not good at fighting? Rhodes felt like that was almost impossible.

"Then... could you at least ask him to help deal with the Black Dragon?"

The Ocean Dragon flicked a claw toward the pendant on Rhodes’s chest. "You still can’t open a gate wide enough for him to pass through."

Rhodes gripped the pendant tightly. He had thought that reaching the rank of Wizard Saint would finally give him enough security, but it was still nowhere near enough.

"As for your companions, the ones holding hands," the Ocean Dragon added, "they’re in a special state. Time and space around them have been... frozen. They should be safe."

That was, at least, good news.

Rhodes pressed on. "Then how did I end up here? Couldn’t they be sent here too?"

"You were pulled in by that big spider and the little Poro, hm, actually, maybe it was the big Poro. Anyway, the two of them sent you here. The magic you used just now was extremely powerful. Unless you cancel it yourself, there’s no way to interfere with anyone else."

"Poro? Warm?" Rhodes wasn’t surprised to hear about the spider, but the Warm? Since when did it have that kind of ability?

And as for dispelling Fairy Sphere... Not only did he lack the magic power to do so, even if he could, if the Black Dragon was still outside, undoing it would just doom his friends.

The Ocean Dragon’s tone softened. "Also, you’re a special case. You’ve already formed a connection with this place. The others haven’t, so they can’t come here."

Rhodes frowned. Was she referring to the pendant as that connection?

For now, all he could do was rest, recover his strength, and eventually find a way to check on what was happening outside. Only once the Black Dragon left could he return to undo Fairy Sphere.

"Oh, right," Rhodes asked cautiously, "if I want to go back, what should I do?"

"Well..." The Ocean Dragon scratched her cheek with the tip of her claw, clearly embarrassed. "You probably won’t be able to go back right away."

"Huh?"

"It’s like this," she said. "Do you know Nashor?"

Rhodes hesitated before nodding. "A little." He knew the name from legends, but only from the stories, not the actual creature.

"Simply put, you called on so many of us for help, and still lost. Nashor is furious. He wants you to stay here and train. He won’t let you leave until he thinks you’re strong enough to survive on your own. The Elder agrees with him, by the way."

"You’ve got to be kidding me." Rhodes’s shoulders slumped. He was being scolded and grounded by his own summons? "So... what exactly counts as being strong enough?"

The Ocean Dragon tilted her head, pondering. "Hmm... Well, for example... if you beat him?"

"What?"