On Sprout Island, Char's vision filled with countless orbs of light surging toward him like a tidal wave, enveloping him completely. Simultaneously, notifications flashed relentlessly across the system panel.
You have cultivated the Putt Fruit to maturity.
You receive a reward: Enhanced Endurance (Black Iron level).
...
Amidst the cascade of notifications, a brilliant glow illuminated the system panel. The words "Enhanced Endurance" materialized, and almost instantly, the ability surged through the Iron, Bronze, and Silver tiers. Within moments, it radiated with a golden sheen. Judging by this momentum, reaching the platinum level seemed inevitable, with even a faint chance of nearing diamond status.
As the endurance enhancement progressed rapidly, Char's gaze briefly lingered on it before locking onto two other abilities: Legendary Life and Legendary Power. With the acquisition of enhanced endurance, these legendary abilities seemed to resonate, their light growing ever brighter. A wave of elation washed over Char. This phenomenon confirmed a crucial insight—enhanced endurance was indeed another vital piece of the puzzle on the path to elevating Legendary Life and Legendary Power toward the mythical tier.
However, Legendary Life had already undergone a single sublimation. Though still distant from mythical status, it had achieved a qualitative leap. As a result, the impact of new enhancements on it was significantly diminished, with its luster only slightly brighter than before. In stark contrast, Legendary Power, which had yet to experience its first sublimation, shone with exceptional brilliance.
Then, it was as if a bottleneck had been reached. Even as the sheen of endurance enhancement grew richer, the glow of Legendary Power ceased to intensify further. Yet, this only deepened the joy in Char's eyes. He had witnessed a similar pattern with Legendary Life before. This stagnation signaled that Legendary Power had arrived at the threshold of sublimation, gathering momentum for a transformative leap.
Char held his breath, his eyes fixed on the system panel. At this moment, the golden light of endurance enhancement evolved into platinum brilliance as waves of reward orbs poured in. Though the effectiveness of each orb began to wane considerably, countless more continued to flow toward him. The platinum glow intensified until faint traces of diamond brilliance started to emerge, glimmering bit by bit.
Char inhaled deeply, sensing a profound transformation brewing within his limbs, bones, and very flesh. His breathing stretched longer than ever before. With each breath, blood coursed powerfully through him, and his already formidable physique seemed to become utterly tireless. Especially between his muscles and bones, it felt as though new tissues had formed, weaving through his flesh and supplying constant energy. This sensation made Char feel as if he could unleash his peak strength without pause.
Previously, though his power was immense, the mightiest moment came at the initial burst, followed by an inevitable temporary decline. But now, Char could sustain his maximum brute force almost indefinitely. Moreover, his upper limit of strength had surged dramatically compared to before. Yet, despite this remarkable shift, a trace of dissatisfaction lingered on Char's face.
The final reward orb from the Putt Fruit submerged into his body. The nascent diamond sparkles on his endurance enhancement grew marginally brighter, but the Black Iron-level reward orbs' impact on advancing to diamond level remained severely limited. A significant gap still separated endurance enhancement from reaching diamond status. Likewise, Legendary Power, though bolstered by the endurance boost, lingered in its transformative phase, falling short of sublimation.
Char exhaled a breath of frustration, his fists clenching slightly. Each sublimation of a legendary ability brought a qualitative leap far surpassing the last, as evidenced by Legendary Life's transformation. The benefits it granted were immense, elevating his survivability to an extraordinary height. However, Legendary Life primarily served to preserve him in dire straits. Legendary Power, on the other hand, had the potential to become his ultimate combat trump card. Among all his battle-ready abilities, its level came closest to matching the prowess of wizards like Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Grindelwald. If sublimation could be achieved, it might enable him to stand toe-to-toe with top-tier wizards in critical moments, perhaps even turning the tide in his favor.
Yet, for now, an almost insurmountable chasm remained before sublimation. Char gritted his teeth, recalling the last time Legendary Life had ascended. He had harnessed the ancient fire magic of the troll priest Sirius for extreme training, injecting the necessary force into the transformation. Now, to bridge the final gap for Legendary Power's sublimation, immense pressure and rigorous tempering were again required.
Char's mind raced. In the current era, few could challenge him in terms of raw strength. The troll priest Sirius barely qualified, but the pressure it could exert was insufficient. More critically, Sirius was aged, and Char had further uses for it, hoping its fading life flame could endure a few more years. Beyond Sirius, the only entity Char could envision for tempering himself into sublimation was the Kraken, the North Sea monster.
In sheer power, the Kraken stood as the mightiest creature Char had ever encountered. Even a direct confrontation with it would be beyond his current capacity. With this thought, Char dove into the sea, arriving at a trench near Sprout Island. One by one, glowing eyes pierced through the misty depths as the Kraken, the colossal giant squid, stirred from its slumber.
It paused, taken aback by Char's intent. "Little wizard," it rumbled, "you still wish to wrestle with me?" Then, a low chuckle escaped it. This wasn't surprising. From the Kraken's perspective, Char possessed a physique that seemed an anomaly in this age, likely tied to the bloodline of the Titans. The recent arrival of the troll priest from Sprout Island only reinforced this belief. Titans were inherently warlike, so it was natural for Char, bearing their lineage, to be restless.
For the Kraken, this was also a chance to flex its might and pass the time. In today's magical world, even creatures like fire dragons posed little challenge to it. Any opponent that could push it to exert even a fraction of its strength was a welcome diversion. Thus, the Kraken prepared to surface, ready to grapple with Char as before. However, Char's next request made its many eyes narrow.
"You mean," it growled, "you want to wrestle with me in the sea?" It scrutinized Char intently. "Hey, little wizard, did you assume that just because you briefly held your own on the shore and rocks, you've seen my full power? Perhaps you don't yet grasp this: only in the sea, especially in these deep waters, can my strength be fully unleashed. What you faced before was less than a third of my true might!"
Hearing this, Char felt the near-stagnant transformation of Legendary Power within him. Far from being deterred, a fiery determination blazed across his face. Greater pressure meant a stronger catalyst for transformation. In his mind, the path from legendary to mythical status crystallized further. Much like Hercules of ancient lore, who ascended through twelve impossible labors to achieve divine status, true power demanded grueling trials.
Even in the modern wizarding world, figures like Voldemort endured soul-splitting agony and bodily transformations via dark magic to gain strength—torments indescribable to outsiders. Dumbledore and Grindelwald, despite their genius, bore their own hidden pains and struggles. The road to mythical power was paved with thorns. Without enduring unimaginable hardships, how could sublimation be attained? How could one stride toward myth?
Char locked eyes with the Kraken, resolve burning in his gaze. "Come on," he challenged. Without further ado, the Kraken surged forward in the pitch-black depths, a massive undercurrent roiling as it bombarded Char with a tentacle. Even before it fully struck, Char felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. The Kraken hadn't exaggerated—in the deep sea, unleashing its full might, it was truly a supreme predator, enduring from ancient times to the present. This force dwarfed what he'd encountered on the coast and reefs, easily more than twice as potent.
Yet, it was precisely this crushing pressure that ignited Char's fervor. His affinity with water activated; the sea was also his domain, with currents lending him aid. Taking a deep breath, he unleashed a punch, a burst of power surpassing even his prior peak, aimed directly at the Kraken's tentacle. In the next second, a series of cracking sounds echoed as flesh and blood on Char's arm erupted, bones fracturing under the colossal impact. The sight was gruesome; even his internals shuddered from the force, a metallic tang rising in his throat.
And yet, this didn't fully halt the Kraken's assault. The tentacle pressed onward toward Char. In that moment, ignoring the searing pain in his arm, Char struck again. Punch after punch, relentless. On the system panel, the endurance enhancement ability pulsed with light. With each strike, Char sustained his peak strength without faltering. Within him, the near-stalled transformation of Legendary Power flared like a kindled flame, burning fiercely under the strain and agony.
After over a dozen punches, Char finally halted the Kraken's attack. Yet, even with Legendary Life's sublimated healing repairing his arms, scales and bone remained exposed, resembling a tattered doll's stuffing. Surprisingly, the Kraken hadn't anticipated this resilience. Based on past grapples, it assumed Char couldn't withstand such a blow. Yet he had endured.
But this was merely one tentacle. The Kraken possessed many more. It gazed at Char and rumbled, "Do you see the gap now? On land, I can humor you. But in the ocean, you stand no chance in a wrestle. By the way, Titan bloodline is exceedingly rare. In the Age of Olympus, Titans mingled with nearly every species. Though most ocean creatures bearing Titan blood have vanished, we Kraken are an exception. I carry a trace of it. To truly challenge me, you'll need to wait until adulthood, when your Titan bloodline unleashes its full potential."
Char cut in, his gaze alight with intensity. "Kraken, you're quite chatty today. Have you forgotten how I once chased you, sending you fleeing in panic, snapping so many of your tentacles? I'm giving you a chance now to vent your frustration, yet you're still so hesitant. No wonder you nearly got captured by a Hufflepuff lady to be bred as livestock back at Hogwarts."
At these words, the Kraken, the North Sea behemoth, struck a raw nerve. A deep, guttural roar reverberated through the ocean depths. "Little wizard, now you've truly angered me. You asked for this!" Without hesitation, another tentacle whipped up a ferocious undercurrent, slamming toward Char. Raising his arms, Char summoned every ounce of strength to meet it head-on, like a mantis daring to block a chariot. At the moment of impact, his barely recovered arm erupted again in blood and shattered bone.
This wasn't the end. The sheer force hurled Char downward, smashing him into the rocky seabed with brutal impact. As he struggled to rise and push back, his legs exploded into a bloody mist while he inched the tentacle away. Before him loomed more tentacles, striking one after another. Boom. Boom. Boom. Unrelenting tremors, like an earthquake, rippled across the ocean floor.
Even the trolls on Sprout Island and Eugene, the house-elf, sensed an anomaly. Something catastrophic seemed to unfold beneath the waves. The sea's surface churned violently. Peering into the depths, even the stoic trolls felt a pang of concern. "King..." they murmured. Yet neither they nor Eugene possessed the means to descend into the abyss. The troll priest Sirius clutched his war staff, offering a silent prayer.
Over this time, Sirius had grown increasingly convinced that Char was the one foretold to lead the troll clan back to greatness. Moreover, the centaur's prophecy was incomplete. Their leader had once declared a troll king would emerge, adding a cryptic exclamation that this great being, destined to revive the giants, would reshape the era. The latter part remained vague; the centaur leader's black mane grayed visibly during the prophecy, and that winter, his life flame extinguished amidst ice and snow. Sirius understood this cost stemmed from foreseeing an event too monumental to bear. If a leader who could predict wizarding wars through astrology couldn't withstand this vision, what magnitude of change did it herald? Sirius held firm belief—Char, bearer of this prophecy, would not perish now.
Meanwhile, in the deep seabed, swirling mud and sand clouded the already murky waters, carried by fierce undercurrents. The Kraken, with its myriad eyes, stared into the haze, a mix of fear and astonishment gleaming within them. It was certain—amid the barrage of its tentacles, Char's figure still stood defiantly within the sediment. With each collision, though Char's strength paled against the Kraken's oceanic might, the beast sensed a volcanic force building inside him, poised to erupt. Once unleashed, even the Kraken would feel a tremor of dread.
"This brat," it mused, "who is he? Can mere Titan bloodline achieve this? Could he be a direct descendant, preserved through time magic to endure until now?" As the Kraken pondered, the muddy undercurrent gradually cleared, revealing Char's form more distinctly. His state was harrowing—over half his body was a mess of blood and exposed bone, many fractures crisscrossing them. To call him a broken doll would be generous. Even for a legendary being, such wounds were severe; recovery lagged behind destruction.
Yet, despite this, on Char's face—where half the cheek's flesh was gone, baring white teeth and bone—he grinned. He was laughing. Because on the system panel, Legendary Life glowed. Post-sublimation, ordinary training had lost effect on it, but this time, the Kraken's relentless bombardment acted like a smith's hammer, forging out "impurities" from Char's essence. Legendary Life edged slightly higher. However, the greatest shift was in Legendary Power. Its words blurred, as if new text prepared to emerge, ready to ascend to a new plane.
Char could sense it too—the transformation of Legendary Power neared completion. Sublimation was imminent, promising to elevate his life's essence once more. All that remained was the final push. The Kraken's pressure, though immense, still fell short. Looking at the beast, Char taunted, "Kraken, are you sure you're not holding back? Is this meager strength all you've got? Push harder!"
The Kraken, North Sea's giant, fell silent. It grasped why Char sought this deep-sea wrestle—to forge transformation through the pressure it exerted. Memories of tales from its father about the Olympus era flooded its mind. That was the wizarding world's most resplendent age. On Mount Olympus, Titans ruled, revered as gods in unmatched glory. From base to summit, the climb spanned generations for most races, an unreachable divide. Yet, some beings surmounted it through trials beyond imagination, joining the Titans in divine feasts, earning even their admiration. Char's silhouette began to overlap with these legends.
The Kraken's gaze hardened with gravity. In the next moment, it spoke, "Little wizard, perhaps you'll become a remarkable being, surpassing the Founders, even rivaling the ancient Olympian Titans. So now, don't die." Instantly, crimson threads emerged across the Kraken's form, weaving through each tentacle. As the vivid bloodlines surfaced, ancient, potent magic radiated from it. A dull thud resounded through the seabed.
Laguz.
Thurisaz.
Hagalaz.
F, P, H…
Char drew a sharp breath, his expression turning solemn. As the Kraken claimed, it too bore rare Titan lineage. This was ancient blood magic. Immediately, the surrounding water churned violently. An astonishing phenomenon unfolded—a massive whirlpool birthed at the seabed, ensnaring Char. Shock flickered across his face. Every second, torrents of water slammed into him with unstoppable force, as if the Kraken's tentacles lashed from every angle.
Even with his water affinity, akin to a bird soaring in the sky yet vulnerable to a typhoon's wrath, Char's platinum-level aquatic endurance seemed trivial against this maelstrom. His wounds burst anew; the water sliced like blades, stripping flesh and blood, staining the sea red with flecks of white bone dust mingling within. It felt as though heavy hammers battered him from all sides while enduring agony akin to a thousand cuts.
In this moment, Char truly sensed his limit. His body teetered on collapse; his vision darkened progressively. Yet, within him, a fire still blazed. On the system panel, Legendary Power's luster flickered. With each pulse, he inched closer to transformation and sublimation, wringing more strength from his battered frame to hold steady.
Char couldn't gauge how long he endured—perhaps a minute, maybe three. To him, it felt like a century. Until the next heartbeat, Legendary Endurance vanished from the system panel. New text emerged, radiant and blinding.
Power Enhancement (Legendary, once upgraded)
Sublimation Trait: Unyielding Strength
__________________________
"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon
[patreon.com /coolperry]
for early access to future chapters.(+30 chapters)