CHAPTER 618: HONEY FRUIT

"Can I take a few of you with me to gang up on him?"

"Of course not," the Ocean Dragon replied firmly. "The point is for you to grow stronger on your own."

’On my own, huh?’ Rhodes thought bitterly. ’Maybe once I recover, I’ll just blast him with Fairy Glitter... Wait, I haven’t even officially mastered it yet.’

Then what was the point? Judging from the Ocean Dragon’s tone, she clearly respected Nashor, which meant his strength must be terrifying.

’How long would it even take me to reach Gildarts’ level? And even then... would that be enough to win?’

Rhodes stared blankly at the Ocean Dragon, completely at a loss.

She mistook his silence for fear and quickly tried to reassure him. "Well, defeating him was just my guess. But you definitely have to fight him. As long as he acknowledges you, that’s all that matters. For now, just train here. There’s no point in rushing back."

That... actually made sense.

"Then maybe I should meet Nashor first," Rhodes said at last. "At least that way I’ll know what I’m up against."

But the Ocean Dragon shook her head. "No, he won’t see you until you’ve defeated all the Void Beasts."

"Void Beasts?" Rhodes blinked. "You mean... like the Rift Herald? Or those Nest Bugs?"

"They’re included," she said matter-of-factly. "But there are others, too. The Void Scuttle Crab, the Void Sentinel, and the Void Brambleback."

"???"

Rhodes froze. Suddenly, he remembered the purple crab that had attacked him earlier. ’No wonder it went straight for me...’

Still, even for a test, shouldn’t it at least take his condition into account? That crab really did deserve a beating.

"So the Void crab is just the Canyon Crab turned purple? Don’t tell me the Golem and Brambleback turned purple too?"

"More or less," the Ocean Dragon replied. "Nashor strengthened them. Their looks changed too."

"He really went all out..." Rhodes muttered. So basically, he was supposed to grind levels by "farming monsters" in this place.

Either way, it looked like he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. Best to just go along with it for now.

But just as he began to relax, his stomach growled loudly. He looked hopefully at the Ocean Dragon, wondering if she knew what there was to eat around here.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There’s plenty, crabs, wolves, little birds... Those stone-shell bugs aren’t tasty, though, and neither are clams. Which do you want?"

"You’re actually suggesting I eat them? Although, honestly, that crab earlier did look like it deserved to be cooked."

"You wouldn’t have the heart," she teased. Then, with a sudden spark of mischief, she added, "How about I cut off a piece of my tail for you to eat?"

"..."

Rhodes froze. That suggestion was a bit too much. He didn’t dare nod.

"Hahaha!" The Ocean Dragon burst out laughing. "Ocean Dragon’s tail...shortened, it’s ’Ocean Tail’! Hahaha!"

Rhodes instinctively leaned back. ’What on earth was she laughing at?’

"Ocean Tail is hilarious, and you’re not laughing?!" The Ocean Dragon looked genuinely surprised. "Don’t tell me you’re like Mountain and the others, no sense of humor?"

"...Ha... ha..." Rhodes forced an awkward chuckle. No, this kind of humor definitely wasn’t his thing.

So the Ocean Dragon turned out to be a Dragon that was gentle, patient, and... possessed a very questionable sense of humor.

"Alright, alright, hold on." The Ocean Dragon lifted her head.

Her roar rolled across the Rift, and suddenly rain began to pour down. The entire canyon was blanketed in a shimmering curtain of rainfall.

Rhodes glanced around in surprise. Inside the Dragon’s den, openings appeared in the stone walls as spring water gushed out, cascading into small waterfalls.

Thick green grass spread quickly, dotted with blooming red flowers. By the walls, lotus leaves unfurled, crowned with blossoms.

And beyond the den, unseen to Rhodes, the Rift itself transformed, lush grass spread across the canyon, ponds appeared where none had been before, and exotic plants began to thrive.

The Ocean Dragon let out a satisfied sigh. "Now this is comfortable. The others always want fire, or wind, or stone. But they don’t know how to truly enjoy themselves."

/

Taking advantage of the other Dragons’ absence, the Ocean Dragon quietly reshaped the Rift into her favorite ocean-themed form, her own personal "skin." Coral ridges glimmered, waterfalls trickled, and she even added a touch of aesthetic flair to make it pleasant for anyone else who happened to visit.

She noticed Rhodes’ expression and tilted her head. "Hmm? You don’t seem to like the rain much."

"The rain’s fine," Rhodes admitted, pointing to his body. His bandages were soaked through. "But staying wet like this... my wounds could get infected."

"Ah, I see. Sorry, I didn’t notice." The Ocean Dragon extended her foreclaw, its tip glowing with a soothing green light. "This will fix that. You’ll heal before it can get infected."

Warmth spread through Rhodes’ body. His wounds began closing at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was astonishing, her healing might even surpass Wendy’s Magic. At this rate, he could toss the bandages aside entirely.

Even his drained Magic Power was returning quickly. ’This feels just like the Ocean Dragon Soul effect from the game...’

"Over there," the Ocean Dragon pointed behind him. "Try that fruit, the Honeyfruit. It’s delicious."

Rhodes turned and saw a soft green vine bearing a heavy cluster of oversized fruits that looked like giant grapes. If they had odd markings on them, he might have mistaken them for cursed fruits.

His stomach growled again. He reached up and pulled one free, it was surprisingly heavy, like holding a small watermelon. Peeling back the thin skin, he tasted the flesh inside. The pulp was tender, almost jelly-like, melting sweetly on his tongue. The name Honeyfruit was no exaggeration, it was refreshing, hydrating, and had just the right texture.

One fruit quenched his thirst but left him still hungry. He grabbed another, and by the time he finished, his wounds had completely vanished, healing even faster than before. ’So in this world too, Honeyfruit restores health.’

Feeling stronger, Rhodes tore away the last of his bandages, stretched, and found his Magic Power flowing back. He gave a nod of thanks to the Ocean Dragon and stepped out through the shallow water.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

Rhodes flexed his wrist with a smirk. "To beat up that stupid crab outside."

The Ocean Dragon actually looked impressed. ’He’s already pushing forward into training? His initiative isn’t bad at all. Too bad he has no sense of humor.’

But then she remembered his expression earlier and frowned slightly. "Hey, wait a second. Do you really think my joke wasn’t funny? Do you... have a funnier one?"

Rhodes scratched his head awkwardly. "Honestly... I don’t have much of a sense of humor. I only know a few simple ones."

"Tell me one!" she said, lowering her massive head so her chin rested on her foreclaws like a child waiting for a bedtime story. "If you can make me laugh, I’ll... hmm... I’ll put in a good word for you with Nashor!"

"!" Rhodes’ eyes widened. I’f that’s the case, I’ve gotta try.’

He wracked his brain, recalling a joke he’d once read in Sorcerer Weekly. He told it as best he could, carefully watching her face the whole time.

But the Ocean Dragon remained perfectly still, expression neutral from start to finish. When he finished, she waved a claw casually.

"Oh, is that all? You can go now."

"...."

Rhodes was speechless. ’Either her sense of humor really is broken... or I’m just terrible at telling jokes. Warm thought this one was hilarious back then.’

After he left, however, the Ocean Dragon’s composure shattered. The corners of her mouth twitched, her chest shook, and finally she clamped her claws over her snout before bursting into muffled laughter.

She peeked around guiltily like a child sneaking candy, then quickly rammed her head against the glowing pattern on the stone wall. With a shimmer, her body vanished back into her den.

The wall’s carved markings, yellow, red, blue, and green, flickered faintly. Each one, in truth, was a door.

Back in her lair, the Ocean Dragon collapsed to the ground, rolling and pounding the floor with her claws as laughter bubbled out.

’What the heck! I’m clearly amazing at telling jokes!’

She beat her wings, rolled onto her back, and laughed until her voice echoed across the cavern.

No one saw it, but this was the truth: the Ocean Dragon had the lowest laugh threshold imaginable.

...

Stones Plzzzz

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