บท 15: Chapter 15: Farewell, My Admired Heroic Beauties

The guild was less than a kilometer away, and even with a leisurely stroll, it wouldn't take more than twenty minutes.

However, the enticing smells coming from the various breakfast stalls and shops along the way made it a bit difficult for Rhodes to keep moving forward.

Worm was even more troubled than he was, with its tongue hanging out, eyes darting around, not knowing where to look.

The variety of food here, just like the clothing styles, was incredibly diverse—Chinese, Western, Japanese, you name it.

Rhodes chose a bun shop that looked nice and bought two buns, one for himself and one for Worm.

Rhodes ate only half before giving the rest to Worm.

He thought that until his financial situation improved, he shouldn't waste money; it would be better to have a bowl of noodles at the guild.

Worm, on the other hand, seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Perhaps because the Abyss of Howling was such a desolate place, the little guy wasn't picky at all.

"Good morning, Mira."

"Good morning, Rhodes. And Worm."

Laki came a little late today and apologized breathlessly as soon as she arrived, "Sorry, I was organizing my collection this morning and lost track of time."

Mira said, "It's fine. There isn't much to do in the morning, especially now with Rhodes helping out."

"Collection?" Rhodes was curious about what Laki collected—wood carvings, maybe? After all, she used wood-shaping magic.

"Laki's collection is quite interesting," Mira smiled. "If you get a chance, you should definitely take a look, Rhodes."

Rhodes knew a bit of Mira's playful side, and seeing her smile like that, he felt it might not be so simple.

"Unfortunately, no boys are allowed in the girls' dorm. But I can bring one or two smaller pieces over for you to see sometime."

Laki adjusted her glasses, and the white light reflecting off the lenses made Rhodes even more suspicious.

"Just to ask, it's not something scary, right?"

"Of course not, they're all very cute items!"

Rhodes grew more skeptical, and Mira refused to say anything more, only smiling, as if she were eagerly waiting for Rhodes's 'surprised' expression.

He would find out sooner or later, so Rhodes put aside his curiosity and decided to have a bowl of noodles first.

After eating, the guild gradually became lively, and the guild master, dressed in casual clothes and holding a wooden staff, appeared. As usual, he sat cross-legged on the counter, watching the kids play and laugh.

For someone who didn't know him, seeing him like this might make them think he was just an ordinary, kind old man.

"Guild Master, regarding my magic, there's something I'd like you to explain without holding back..."

After finishing his chores, Rhodes immediately approached Makarov to explain his situation.

"I see. Well, let's give it a try now; let's go to the back of the guild."

Makarov was a bit moved—this kid actually came to seek his opinion before doing something that might be dangerous!

His maturity already exceeded that of over ninety percent of the Fairy Tail members.

"And by the way, you're using 'explain without holding back' incorrectly."

"Oh."

Rhodes went over to Mira to let her know, left Worm to play in the tavern, and then walked with the guild master to the back door.

Behind the guild was a large courtyard, with walls made of blue stones, and in the middle was an iron gate with the Fairy Tail emblem on it.

Rhodes looked through the gaps in the gate. Beyond was an expanse of water, with the morning sun casting an orange-red glow on the surface, which the breeze then scattered into glistening ripples.

As someone who wasn't very disciplined, Rhodes hadn't seen a sunrise since he started college.

"So the guild's backyard is by the sea?"

"No, it's a lake. It's just very large," Makarov explained, knowing that Rhodes still lacked some common knowledge.

"Magnolia is an inland city. If you want to see the ocean, you have to take a train to Hargeon, which is a port city with beautiful scenery."

"I definitely want to see that someday," Rhodes said, setting another small goal.

"Having places you want to go is a good thing," Makarov thought. His main concern was that Rhodes would lose his sense of direction in life.

As long as Rhodes had things he wanted to do, whether it was learning magic or traveling, it was all good.

"Alright, let's begin."

"Okay." Rhodes took out his pendant from his collar and once again recited the incantation.

This time, the vortex appeared on the ground, and instead of feeling a cold wind from the vortex, he felt moist water vapor. There were faint shadows of aquatic plants.

When the vortex disappeared, Rhodes felt his magic power pour out like a flood, with more than half of it gone in an instant.

Ripples appeared on the ground like a water surface, and from the center emerged a green, shell-covered creature, about 1.5 meters tall and 2 meters in body length.

It had six legs, a pair of short pincers, and a pair of green eyes on its head, along with two antennae that looked like twin tails.

It seemed a bit wider, shorter, and smaller than a regular minivan.

"Is this... a crab?" Makarov looked up slightly at the creature, which was even taller than him.

"Probably..." As it appeared, Rhodes already knew this big fellow's name. "It's called a Rift Scuttler. It's from the river in Summoner's Rift. Its special trait... is that it runs fast?"

The Rift Scuttler, commonly known as River Crab, Crab, or Rift Crab.

Like Poro, it was a creature from the game League of Legends, but they were not from the same map.

More specifically, it was from the Serpentine River, although Rhodes, like most players, had no idea of the river's name.

Unlike Poro, which was more of a mascot, the Rift Scuttler was a neutral creature, or a jungle monster, that would give gold and experience points when killed.

In the game, the River Crab was probably the weakest jungle monster, because it—

Did! Not! Attack!

It was said that in an ancient version, the River Crab once had attack power, but by the time Rhodes played, it was just a monster that would run away after being attacked.

This thing was probably one of Daya's favorite jungle monsters. Almost every time before or after she came to assist Rhodes, she'd farm a River Crab for fun.

Kills could be forgone, but the River Crab had to be farmed.

Rhodes wasn't too disappointed that his second summoned creature likely had no attack power.

What was even more disappointing was that his summoning path might be different from what he had imagined.

He originally thought he could summon all kinds of beautiful... all kinds of powerful heroes to help him. But now, it seemed like he'd only be getting jungle monsters.

Holding the necklace that Daya had given him, Rhodes felt conflicted. Should he say, as expected of a necklace from an overbearing jungler?

If this continued, he might as well change his name to Ivern instead of Rhodes.

Complaints aside, Rhodes knew he still had to practice this magic.

Although it wasn't in the direction he expected, being able to summon jungle monsters was still strong.

One day, if he could summon the Dragon or the Baron, wouldn't that make him invincible?

Leaving such thoughts aside for now, Rhodes noticed that the Rift Scuttler's size was a bit beyond what he was familiar with.

But thinking about the size comparison between the champions and the River Crab in the game, it actually made sense.

Even if this creature wasn't aggressive in the game, in reality, just from its sheer size, getting bumped by it would be quite dangerous, wouldn't it?

Feeling the real magical connection between himself and the Rift Scuttler, and with the guild master by his side, Rhodes plucked up his courage and approached it.

The Rift Scuttler seemed to understand Rhodes's intention. It obediently lowered its body, allowing Rhodes to place his hand between its two antennae—as if completing a head-pat gesture.

The touch was cool and slightly damp, but at least there wasn't any fishy smell.

"Do you have any special abilities that I'm unaware of?"

Rhodes thought that the game settings might be adapted differently in this magic world, so he asked.

He had actually asked the same question to Poro Worm...

Worm then demonstrated its impressive skills of leg hugging, diving into his arms, and eating.

Now, Rhodes could only hope that this Rift Scuttler would give him a bit of a surprise.