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[The Champion's Rite] Difficulty: SSS Asterion, the God of the Ocean, has laid down an ultimate test for those who seek to prove their worth. The Orca Archipelago is home to fifteen ancient temples, each containing a trial designed to crush the weak, exhaust the strong, and break the cowardly. Anyone who challenges the Rite must survive the crushing tides, face the ghosts of the past, and prove they have the strength to carry the weight of the ocean itself.

Prove your qualifications to the sea and become the undisputed Champion of the Ocean God. Quest Clear Conditions: Conquer all 15 trials of the Orca Archipelago. Progress: 0 / 15 Trials Cleared Quest Clear Rewards: [Asterion's Blessing (Major)], [Champion of the Orca Archipelago],?. Quest Failure: Level - 20, Affinity with Asterion -50, Permanent banishment from the Orca Archipelago.] Rudra didn't hesitate.

He immediately accepted the quest as this would give extra rewards in addition to increasing the count in his [The Legacy of the Submerged God] quest. He then offered the Priestess a polite, easy smile.

"Thanks," Rudra said.

"I'm ready whenever you guys are. But before that, you guys wouldn't mind if I mass-teleport these idiots so they can be judged for their actions, right?" Chief Thalassa blinked. His single eye darted from Rudra to the tied-up poachers groaning on the broken deck.

"Teleport them? To where?"

"To the prison in my territory," Rudra said casually. He didn't wait for permission. Rudra reached into his inventory and pulled out a blank piece of parchment and a charcoal pencil. He leaned against the broken mast of the smuggling ship and quickly scribbled a note. Silas, Caught these guys poaching a baby orca. So make sure to wring out the entirety of their use in heavy labour and then throw them to Winfred or Piaro so they can suprvise them- Rudra Rudra walked over to the poacher captain.

He slapped the note directly onto the man's forehead.

"Hey! Get this off me!" the captain mumbled through his gag. Rudra ignored him. He took a step back and raised his left hand and started activating the magic Spell. He just pictured the back yard of his castle back in Stormbreak and tapped into his massive mana pool. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! [Mumud's Mass Teleport]. He poured the base 5, 000 mana, plus a hefty chunk extra to cover the heavy weight of the poachers and their broken weapons.

A massive, blinding blue magic circle erupted on the wooden deck. The local warriors on the surrounding ships gasped. They raised their shields, shielding their eyes from the bright light. With a loud, rushing pop of displaced air, the blue light vanished. The entire pile of smugglers was gone. The broken ship deck was completely empty. Thalassa stared at the empty space. His jaw hung slightly open. He looked at the guy in the black trench coat.

"You... you just casually cast a grand teleportation spell that only transported other people and that too so casually. Are you a great magician?"

"I just learned a few tricks from a magician friend," Rudra shrugged, dusting off his hands. He looked up at High Priestess Neria.

"Alright. The trash is taken out. Where to first?" Neria smiled softly. She gently patted the side of her armored Divine Orca mount.

"Follow us, Challenger. We must go to the main settlement. The trials begin there." The ride to the main island was surprisingly quiet since the islander seemed to be quite intimidated by Rudra's magic prowess and just the presence of Vritra and Kratos who appeared after Rudra called them. Rudra sat cross-legged on Vritra's broad white back. The giant Storm Serpent glided just a few feet above the ocean surface, keeping pace with the armored Orcas.

Right next to Vritra, running smoothly on the empty air, was Kratos. Every time the tank-sized black and gold lion took a step, a faint blue ripple flashed under his huge paws. Do not get sloppy with your footing, Vritra's deep, telepathic voice echoed. A single missed step and you will sink like a stone.

"I don't miss," Kratos huffed, puffing out his chest. They soon arrived at the central island. Contrary to Rudra's expectations the islands were a beautiful and had sprawling village built directly into the towering coral cliffs. The locals gathered on the docks, whispering and pointing at the stranger who brought a Storm Serpent and a giant lion to their home.

Thalassa shooed away the forming crowd, shouting in his booming voice "Make way, the Champion's Rite has been triggered for the next challenger who processes the blessing of the God of the Oceans" The crowd was shocked hearing this and immediately made way for the new challenger and gave a look of pity and reverence for him. Thalassa led Rudra to a massive set of stone doors carved into the base of a cliff.

"This is the first temple," Thalassa said. He leaned heavily on his jagged spear. He looked at Rudra, his expression completely serious.

"Listen to me, mainlander. The Champion's Rite is not a game. It is a grueling gauntlet of fifteen trials. No one has cleared them in five hundred years."

"Why not?" Rudra asked, leaning on his black lightning staff, Extortion.

"Because the trials test the mind, the body, and the spirit," Neria explained softly.

"They are designed to break you. You have sixty days to clear all fifteen. Most warriors do not survive the first week."

"Sixty days," Rudra repeated. He did some quick math in his head. That was plenty of time.

"And what do I get if I win?"

"The blessing of the Ocean God and since you already have this, your blessing's effect would be increased. The loyalty of this Archipelago. And a gift from God, which should be of help to you," Thalassa said proudly. Then, he narrowed his eye.

"But you will not win. You will likely die."

"You don't need to worry about me as, even if I die I'll just revive but more importantly can you tell me where the market place is here?" Rudra asked.

"I'm running low on basic salt, and I want to cook something nice tonight." Thalassa just sighed and advised once more "Try not to die, I don't want our benefactor to die due to them underestimating the trials""Don't worry I'll make sure to complete all the trials and come back in one piece," Rudra smiled. He pointed his staff at the heavy stone doors.

"Let's get started." Thalassa stood in the shallow surf right outside the temple doors.