Realm of Myths and Legends

The same aquamarine glow was coming from a small water source roughly twice the size of an average swimming pool.

The purity of this water seemed unnatural. And, surprisingly, growing around its edges were several ancient quality plants!

More shockingly, there was a single flower in a state of half-bloom hovering above the water source at its center.

Despite only being in half-bloom, Izroth could smell the powerful aroma being released from it.

'Such a strong aroma from this distance... Is it a mythical quality plant? But what is this? Even mythical quality plants shouldn't have this kind of effect.'

The plants growing around the water source could be considered weeds. In other words, they were merely unforeseen and "unwanted" occurrences caused by the growth of the flower in half-bloom.

However, what kind of plant could cause ancient quality plants to sprout like weeds around them? There was only one answer Izroth could think of as he walked closer to the water source; however, it was his first time coming across one in RML.

'This is... A divine plant? No... Something's not quite right. Although I've never come across one, a divine plant's aura should be much stronger than this.'

As Izroth stopped in front of the water source, the system information for the flower displayed itself.

Name: Half-Bloomed Divine Flower of Renewal

Rank: Pseudo-Divine(???)

Usage: Although it is currently in a half-bloomed state, the Divine Flower of Renewal contains immense power and can directly influence the growth of life. When the Divine Flower of Renewal reaches full maturity, it will become a genuine divine plant. Legend states that consuming the Divine Flower of Renewal once it has fully matured will reforge one's body into that of a true divine body.

Special Note: This flower has been growing for over 10,000 years and is approaching maturity.

'No wonder something seemed off about its aura. It has yet to reach full maturity, so it's still only considered a pseudo-divine plant. Regardless, there's no doubt that once it blooms, it will become a genuine divine plant. Could this be the fortuitous encounter the system mentioned?'

Back when he received a blessing from the Lady of Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis, Izroth was the first player with a Luck stat that exceeded five points. As a reward, the system mentioned that he would experience a fortuitous encounter; however, it failed to point out any specific details.

But, if this was not considered a fortuitous encounter, then what could possibly match up to it?

'Whether it's a fortuitous encounter or not, how can I walk away when such a treasure is right before my eyes?'

The Divine Flower of Renewal could reforge one's body into something known as a true divine body.

While Izroth did not know the specifics of having a true divine body, there was one person he could draw some reference from and that was his Soul Avatar, Empyrean.

Empyrean did not possess a true divine body but rather a quasi-divine body. This meant that his physique was only partly divine and had not quite reached a state of completion.

But, even only having a partly divine body, Empyrean's base stats, resistances, and immunities were all first class.

Peak Physique, Peak Physical Resistance, Peak Magical Resistance, Crowd Control Immunity, Poison Immunity, Debuff Immunity—these were all things Empyrean possessed because of his Quasi-Divine Body.

If a Quasi-Divine Body was capable of reaching such heights, then how terrifying was a true divine body?

'The Heavenly Golden Body was created to improve one's physique well beyond its natural limits. But, in the end, it's still impossible to achieve a true divine body with the Heavenly Golden Body physique alone.'

No matter how powerful the Heavenly Golden Body physique was, it could never compare to a true divine body. After all, the very foundation of the Heavenly Golden Body physique was derived from the effects of a true divine body. In other words, it was an imitation of the real thing!

An extremely well-crafted imitation, but still an imitation.

Of course, the Heavenly Golden Body still had its own advantages; however, they had to be earned rather than simply gifted.

Izroth started by collecting all of the ancient quality plants around the edge of the water source.

There were roughly two dozen ancient-quality plants. Even the water itself had been influenced by the Divine Flower of Renewal and was blessed with a high level of purity and life essence.

Name: Liquid of Renewal

Rank: Ancient(8)

Usage: A byproduct of the Divine Flower of Renewal, the Liquid of Renewal possesses strong rejuvenation and purification effects. While it can be consumed in its natural state, it is highly recommended to first dilute it due to its great potency and extreme rarity.

'Good thing I still have one of these.'

Izroth removed an Ageless Vial of Sen from his inventory. The Ageless Vial of Sen was an indestructible S-ranked magic item capable of storing virtually any liquid or gas substance. He received a total of three vials as a gift from Tal'Nis; however, two of the vials were currently being used to house the Blood of the Immortal Hydra.

Fortunately, Izroth still had one unused vial in his possession.

Izroth held the Ageless Vial of Sen above the Liquid of Renewal as the water quickly sucked into the vial.

〈System Alert: The item «Ageless Vial of Sen» has reached 100% Capacity!〉

Izroth was able to store roughly 60% of the Liquid of Renewal before the Ageless Vial of Sen reached its full capacity.

He released a faint sigh and said, "It's a shame I'm unable to store all of it. Still, it's more than I expected."

'In terms of quantity, it's at least ten times greater than the Blood of the Immortal Hydra contained within a single vial. Can it be that the storage space of a vial is determined by the quality or toughness of the material it's storing?'

Izroth placed the Ageless Vial of Sen into his inventory as his gaze landed on the Half-Bloomed Divine Flower of Renewal.

'Was the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle waiting for it to fully bloom before consuming it? No, something's still off. Even if it was taking a chance and saving the Divine Flower of Renewal, that doesn't explain why it did not stop to consume the Liquid of Renewal. Unless there's a reason why it was unable to consume it? Or, perhaps... It didn't dare to consume it.'

Izroth furrowed his brows as a bad feeling started to slowly creep up into the back of his mind.

Izroth had not let down his guard. From the beginning, he kept his Energy Vision Sense active to keep a close eye on the Insolum Beetle in case it was up to something. But it was still severely wounded and slowly recovering from its wounds a bit deeper inside the cavern.

'This place... I have a bad feeling about it, and I'd rather not stick around to find out if I'm right. I'll finish off the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle and rejoin the 9th Division. But, before that...'

Woosh!

Izroth leaped into the air over the water source and grabbed the Divine Flower of Renewal before swiftly placing it into his inventory.

Tap!

On the other side of the water source was only the cavern wall. Izroth shifted his body so that his feet made contact with the cavern wall before he kicked off its surface. This sent him back toward the side he came from as he safely landed on his feet.

Then, without skipping a beat, Izroth dashed full speed into the depths of the cavern to locate the Insolum Beetle.

...

Approximately ten minutes later...

Krieeewk!

The Insolum Beetle cried out as a sword pierced directly through its head.

Bang!

The next moment, the creature's cries fell silent as its body crashed into the ground and started to dissipate.

'It's too bad it exploded its magic core. Then again, that may have also been what kept it from entering an enraged state.'

Izroth returned the Obsconis Hunting Dagger to his inventory and sheathed his Sword of the Storm.

At the same time, a stream of system alerts bombarded Izroth.

〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have defeated Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle!〉

〈System Alert: Your level has been increased by 2.〉

〈System Alert: You are now level 54!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x1 «Adamantine Exoskeleton»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x5 «Unrefined Adamantine Ore»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x1 «Adamantine Insolum Chestplate»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x1 «Adamantine Insolum Shield»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x10 «Fine Ground Adamantine Powder»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received the title «Supreme Bug Catcher»!〉

〈System Alert: You have received x1 «Skill Book: Molding Earth»!〉

〈System Alert: You are the first player to solo a world boss above level 50 and will be rewarded. Would you like to announce it to the world?〉

'There's a good chance no one knows of this world boss' existence, but since we're still in the middle of an important war objective, it's best not to attract too much attention.'

Izroth chose to decline the announcement. He then picked up the items dropped from the Insolum Beetle and set them into his inventory.