Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

The life essence glimmered with a blue-green radiance, as though it had a life of its own, yet it emitted no hint of energy. After observing it carefully for fifteen minutes, Orion placed the life essence in his mouth. The moment it entered, before Orion could even chew, the life essence slipped down his esophagus into his stomach. Even more astonishing, once it reached his stomach, there was no digestion process at all. It directly transformed into a surging wave of life energy, washing over Orion's entire body. It felt wonderful—no pain, no itch, just a soothing sensation akin to an infant resting in amniotic fluid. Half a day later, once Orion finished absorbing that life energy, he could clearly feel his strength grow yet again. "What a pure surge of life energy!" "I can sense that just one more portion of life essence should allow me to reach the peak of Legendary level." That was Orion's conclusion after absorbing the life energy, revealing a deeper understanding of his own power. "Since I've arrived in this realm(world), there will be plenty of chances to acquire more life essence." With that thought, Orion collected his surge of joy brought by his increased strength. Focusing his mind on the Survivor's Platform, Orion opened the public channel of the Champions Alliance. Leonidas: "Damn it, I just lost another batch of my people to fend off this fungal creature assault." Leonidas: "Anyway, Arthas, that subordinate of yours named Rumbold is really something. Let him follow me. Once this war is done, I'll take him with me to fight in other realms. I won't use him for free. I promise to give you back a Rumbold at the peak of Legendary level." Arthas: "Leonidas, this isn't the time for that. I have something important to ask. Hulk has also come to Valkorath Realm, and he brought a broodmother. Do you still have a spare Nest?" Leonidas: "Hahaha… That giant is here too! The entire Champions Alliance is now assembled!" Leonidas: "I've got plenty of Nests!" Leonidas: "By the way, Hulk, why aren't you saying anything?" Arthas: "He just arrived in this world. Not too long ago, he killed an upper Legendary level parasitic creature." Leonidas: "Uh… Hahaha… Well done!" Edward: "Nice going, Hulk!" Alexander: "Impressive!" Kraken: "An upper Legendary level parasitic creature… Are you telling me Hulk took out something stronger than I am with ease?" Arthas: "I figure he's busy absorbing life essence right now. Let's give him a moment." Right after Arthas posted that message, Orion typed and sent his own. Hulk: "Greetings, all you Big Bosses! I've arrived too!" Leonidas: "Hulk, when did you get here? Why didn't you let me know in advance?" Edward: "You got yourself a fine record as soon as you arrived. Well done—my teleportation scroll didn't go to waste." Alexander: "Great. I'd love to hear more about your battle!" Kraken: "Wow, I'm still just a middle Legendary level. I need to work harder!" A smile spread across Orion's face. The reaction of these allies in the Champions Alliance offered him a sense of warmth and familiarity that he had long missed. Perhaps only by communicating with survivors like them could Orion reveal that other side of himself hidden deep in his soul. Hulk: "I just got to Valkorath Realm, and there's a lot I don't understand yet. Sorry for not speaking up, I was swamped!" Orion gave a quick explanation, but before he could continue, Leonidas initiated a trade with him. On the trading screen, Leonidas put up a Legendary level Nest, stronger by far than the Tidecrab Mother Nesthig Orion had obtained from Kraken. After they completed the trade, Leonidas sent a message. "If you need anything else, just let me know. I have plenty of items like Nests." "I'd like one more of that same kind of Nest I just got from you!" The moment Orion saw Leonidas's message, he stated his request without hesitation. After reading the Nest's description, Orion suddenly thought of Spider Queen Lorelia and wanted to get one of these powerful Nests for her as well. "Haha, I was expecting you to be polite about it, but you skipped that altogether." Leonidas teased him, then initiated another trade, giving Orion yet another Legendary level Nest. A Legendary level Nest is already extremely valuable. This was a huge favor, added on top of the previous debts Orion already owed. He honestly wasn't sure how to repay them all. "Wondering how to return the favor?" "I suffered heavy losses in this war. How about repaying me with two clusters of life essence? That would make up for what I lost." "Don't worry, I'm not in a rush. Get yourself settled first." Leonidas specifically asked for life essence, indicating just how badly his forces had been hit. "Alright, once I'm settled here, I'll start looking for life essence." Orion agreed; that seemed like the best way to repay the debt. Of course, Orion knew perfectly well that life essence wouldn't match the full value of a Legendary level Nest. He figured he'd find another way to compensate Leonidas once he was powerful enough and had the resources. After finishing his conversation with Leonidas, Orion received a private message from Kraken. "Hulk, I never expected you to be stronger than me now!" Seeing Kraken's message, Orion replied humbly. "I just got lucky, that's all." "You're different from me. As far as I know, the deep sea is home to creatures dozens of times more powerful than those on land. The fact that you've survived there is already remarkable." With a bit of humility and praise, Orion quickly earned more goodwill from Kraken. Within the Champions Alliance, only Kraken and Orion remained at the Legendary level, making them equals of sorts—naturally, they had more in common and got along easily. "How's the Tidecrab Mother Nest I gave you last time? If it's not working out, I'll set aside a better one for you when I can." Truth be told, Orion's modesty truly impressed Kraken. At that moment, hidden somewhere in the deep sea, Kraken felt as though he had found a kindred spirit, someone he could genuinely trust. "It's working great. Thanks again!" "By the way, how are things on your end, out there in the deep sea? Are you safe?" Orion expressed his gratitude, then added a question about Kraken's circumstances. "It's safer here compared to land." "There's a vast expanse of ocean, and in my immediate area, there aren't any threats stronger than Legendary level. Underwater, I'm in my element." "If I run into something I can't beat, I just retreat deeper into the ocean, and nobody can find me." Kraken's reply carried a note of confidence. Indeed, the deep sea was Kraken's stronghold. He had arrived in Valkorath Realm earlier than Orion precisely because he had the advantage of this expansive underwater territory. Since coming here, Kraken had chosen a hit-and-run strategy, specifically hunting slime molds mutant creatures weaker than him. Kraken believed that if he stuck to his plan, he would eventually reach the peak of Legendary level. That was Kraken's choice. This time, he wouldn't return to his own world until he achieved the Legendary level peak. "You and I are at the bottom of the Alliance's firepower. We have to motivate each other!" "Absolutely—let's keep pushing forward!"