Feiwan's Blessing

Feiwan did not dislike monsters with ambition.

Moreover, the purple-skinned blacksmith before her was a monster from the Lava Stratum, making him one of her direct subordinates.

He truly was a monster worthy of being granted a true name by the Master.

"The Forbidden Fire does indeed possess the power of the foundry, provided you can withstand its madness."

As Feiwan spoke, she raised a finger, and a cluster of flickering flames condensed at its tip.

Feeling the intense heat and power of the flames gathering on Feiwan's finger, the purple-skinned blacksmith trembled slightly, despite his own fire attribute.

The surrounding skeletons fared even worse.

The Guardians carried the Master's thick aura, and their power was infused with it as well.

This exerted an immense pressure on these monsters.

"This is a blessing from me. I hope to see the day you are worthy of serving the Master."

With a flick of her finger, Feiwan sent the dancing spark flying toward Purple Hammer.

Purple Hammer trembled uncontrollably, yet he used his reason to suppress the sense of crisis in his heart, kneeling on one knee and extending all four arms to catch the flame.

The moment the flame touched his palms, it scorched through his fire-resistant purple skin.

Like scalding lava, it flowed into his veins through the openings in his palms.

It then seeped into his bones, circulating throughout his entire body.

As an ordinary monster, Purple Hammer's body was simply unable to withstand this power.

His purple skin turned a brilliant crimson, and white steam began to billow from him.

Just as he was about to be incinerated into charcoal from the inside out, the previous blessing from Zeno began to take effect.

A powerful vitality started to repair his physical damage, resisting the scorching power of the flames.

Relying on this vigorous, plant-like life force, Purple Hammer managed to endure the ordeal.

Zeno's blessing was far gentler.

The essence of Zeno's power was a flourishing vitality, much like that of plants.

In contrast, Feiwan's blessing was far more domineering.

After all, the essence of Feiwan's power was a destructive force, built up like a volcano.

Having survived the blessing, Purple Hammer raised one of his right arms and discovered a new blessing mark.

Dark red, lava-like flame patterns were coiled around his arm, a stark contrast to the power of Zeno's blessing on his left arm, which manifested as green vine patterns.

Though the bone-deep pain had not yet faded, Purple Hammer bowed to Feiwan from the bottom of his heart.

"Your blessing is my honor, Guardian Feiwan. I offer you my humble loyalty."

Feiwan was quite satisfied with Purple Hammer's response.

This would increase his chances of successfully claiming the Forbidden Fire, especially since he was a fire-attribute monster and her blessing provided a significant boost to his power.

However...

Feiwan thought of those adventurers and the group of elves with unknown motives.

If Purple Hammer went to claim the Forbidden Fire alone, his success rate would still be low.

"Familiarize yourself well with the power of my blessing. As a fire-attribute monster created by the Master and granted a true name, you should find this power easier to manipulate."

"I shall follow your instructions."

Purple Hammer was well aware of this; as the recipient of the blessing, he could feel a staggering increase in his strength.

"However, your strength alone is still not enough to compete with those adventurers for the Forbidden Fire."

"After all, you are but one person."

Purple Hammer lowered his head.

"Even so, I will not give up. This is the only hope for the purple-skinned blacksmith tribe to continue serving the Master."

"A decent enough answer."

Feiwan held up three slender fingers.

"In response to that answer, I am willing to give you three pointers, if you have the courage to pursue them."

Purple Hammer's eyes widened. A noble Guardian was actually willing to grant him guidance.

"First, you need a reliable aid. The power of a fire dragon will allow you to cross the lava and grant you the power to soar through the sky."

"Go further down until you see a lava sea. At the ruins on the Moving Island, you can obtain the aid of a fire dragon."

"As for how to move freely within the lava sea, that will require your own courage and wisdom."

Purple Hammer committed this deeply to memory.

"Second, you currently possess only raw power but lack combat experience."

"No matter how you try to compensate, you cannot catch up to the decades of battle-hardened experience those adventurers possess. It is a gap in expertise."

"To bridge this gap, you need another power—a power that can see through movements and capture weaknesses."

"From the volcanic island at the edge of the lava, find the distorted space and enter the special subordinate floor. Locate the eye left by Tongmu and obtain his blessing. With it, you can bridge the gap in experience."

Purple Hammer's body began to shake.

"Guardian Tongmu... Do I have the right to actively seek his blessing? That would be an act of presumption."

A blessing was a gift from a Guardian; how could he dare to seek it out himself?

"That is why it requires courage and wisdom. If you can please Tongmu, he will not be stingy with his blessing."

Feiwan thought this would be quite interesting.

After all, Tongmu was always reluctant to be close to her. She felt that finding some fun for him might help bridge the distance between them.

Her flames weren't that scary, after all.

"Third, even with my blessing, you cannot directly withstand the Forbidden Fire."

"You need a container. During the battle with the Desert Sword Attendant, you should have been on the ninth floor. The palace candelabra obtained by the adventurers is a container."

"Besides that candelabra, a Forbidden Fire Longbow is hidden somewhere in the Lava Stratum."

"That is also a creation of the Master. If you can find that longbow, you will not need to pursue the candelabra and will instead obtain a powerful Forbidden Fire container."

"As for how to find the Forbidden Fire Longbow, ask the monsters of each floor. They might have clues."

Purple Hammer engraved Feiwan's words into his heart.

He knew that Lady Feiwan truly thought highly of him to give him so much guidance.

Carrying this honor, he could not let the Guardians down, no matter what.

"Your guidance is my honor. I, Purple Hammer, shall remember it all and never forget your favor."

Purple Hammer knelt on the ground, pressing all four arms into the sand and touching his head to the earth in the highest form of respect.

"If you can truly become an aid to the Master in the future, that will be the best reward for me."

Feiwan felt a sense of satisfaction from nurturing him. Watching this little thing seek power step by step and compete for the Forbidden Fire was strangely entertaining.

It was like placing a bet at a gambling table.

As for Purple Hammer's level, he was currently only level 12.

However, the Master had already created purple-skinned blacksmiths on the fifteenth floor, and the highest level for their race had been raised to level 15.

As long as Purple Hammer wasn't a fool and knew to buy upgrade materials from the monster merchant, he could continue to level up.

As for how he would obtain the dungeon coins to buy those materials...

That would be up to Purple Hammer to figure out for himself.

Feiwan teleported away to report back to the Master. After all, she had only just returned to the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, which was why she had the Collapsed Atmosphere in her hand and had taken the opportunity to toy with Caiman.

Purple Hammer remained in his respectful bow for a long time before standing up.

Having received Lady Feiwan's blessing and guidance, he now had a direction. He resolutely shouldered his Purple Treasure Mallet, bid farewell to his skeletal shaman friend, and stepped out into the desert under the pitch-black night sky.