What was that!
Inside the mine, everyone's eyes were fixed on Serafina's hand.
The golden light she held gradually receded, finally transforming into an ancient-looking scabbard.
The scabbard contained a cold mana that felt completely out of place in the Lava Stratum.
Even through her fireproof armor, Serafina could feel the chill radiating from the scabbard as she held it.
It felt as if a layer of frost was covering the palm of her hand.
In the sweltering heat of the Lava Stratum, this hard-won sensation of cold was like a block of ice in the height of summer, refreshing her body and mind.
It was an ice-attribute magic item!
Caiman, who was standing closest to Serafina, couldn't help but stop swinging his pickaxe.
Beside her, Isolde reached for the shield on his back, eyes scanning their surroundings warily.
Even a lesser magic grade magic item was an extremely precious, legendary tool among adventurers.
After all, even the Grey family, which dominated the Northern Territory, only possessed eight masterpiece grade magic items.
The rarity of magic items was enough to make any adventurer's heart race at any time.
What incredible luck, to dig up a lesser magic grade magic item the moment they entered the mine!
How could anyone have such good fortune!
Everyone couldn't help but think the same thing.
Even more absurd was the fact that a magic item could be unearthed from this mine at all.
What kind of mine was this!
Whose mine produced magic items!
Serafina gripped the scabbard, sensing the power within it.
[Frozen Flame Ice] Lesser magic grade. A scabbard capable of resisting lava and fire power, imbuing blades with the frost attribute, and providing a sealing effect.
Frozen Flame Ice... Serafina held the scabbard, unable to suppress her joy.
The mana aura of the magic item also attracted the attention of the purple-skinned blacksmith who was acting as the supervisor.
The purple-skinned blacksmith looked at the Frozen Flame Ice scabbard in Serafina's hand and let out a sigh of admiration.
“So that is how it is. Frozen Flame Ice was indeed lost in this place, buried by the lava until now.”
The blacksmith's words drew everyone's attention.
“What do you mean? This scabbard was buried here?” Serafina asked curiously as she tucked the scabbard into her belt.
“The Lava Stratum wasn't always filled with lava,” the blacksmith explained.
“It was all because of the power brought by the Forbidden Fire. The eruption of the Forbidden Fire melted everything here, eventually forming this lava-filled terrain.”
“Back then, to deal with the Forbidden Fire, our race forged many magic items to resist the residual flame.”
“This Frozen Flame Ice was one of those masterpieces.”
“While it cannot serve as a container for the Forbidden Fire, it can resist lava and fire.”
“However, it was eventually lost, buried under the lava melted by the Forbidden Fire.”
So that was it. This was a magic item created to resist the power of the Forbidden Fire.
“Furthermore, Frozen Flame Ice is also the scabbard for that sword.”
The purple-skinned blacksmith's tone shifted, immediately capturing everyone's attention once more.
A sword that used a lesser magic grade magic item as its scabbard.
That sword?
“That sword is named the Lava Dragon Sword. It possesses the power of lava and fire and is home to a dragon flame capable of melting solid rock.”
“Because it houses that scorching dragon flame, no one can hold the Lava Dragon Sword. Anyone who attempts to master it will be consumed by its flames.”
“Only Frozen Flame Ice can suppress the dragon flame within it, and only the wielder of Frozen Flame Ice can command the Lava Dragon Sword.”
The Lava Dragon Sword.
Serafina's eyes widened. With a single swing of her pickaxe, she had unearthed such a significant clue!
A sword housing dragon flame, the Lava Dragon Sword!
Caiman dropped his pickaxe and suddenly lunged toward Serafina, reaching for the Frozen Flame Ice at her waist.
If it were just the Frozen Flame Ice, a lesser magic grade item, Caiman might not have provoked Serafina.
But when it involved an even more powerful magic item...
Caiman was willing to take the risk to fight for it.
Besides, he already had an old grudge against Serafina. Back during the battle with the Desert Sword Attendant, this woman and her Red Rose team had ruined his great opportunity.
They had left him with nothing in the end!
Clang!
Weiss quickly unslung the great shield from his back and met Caiman's charge.
The sound of the collision echoed through the mine. Weiss's shield was knocked aside, and he was forced several steps back.
However, Caiman was also repelled by the shield, his expression shifting rapidly.
“No fighting is allowed in the mine!”
The purple-skinned blacksmith spoke up fiercely, then glanced at the Frozen Flame Ice once more.
Serafina gripped the Frozen Flame Ice in her hand, her gaze sweeping over Caiman before turning back to the purple-skinned blacksmith.
“Do you know where the Lava Dragon Sword is?” she asked.
The purple-skinned blacksmith only sighed.
Serafina gritted her teeth and pulled out a magic crystal coin.
Damn it, her supply of magic crystal coins was almost completely exhausted!
Did every clue in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment have to be solved by spending magic crystal coins!
The purple-skinned blacksmith's eyes lit up. He took the magic crystal coin and gave a small cough.
“The Lava Dragon Sword, housing the power of dragon flame, is not only a powerful magic item but also a secret treasure in the eyes of those who crave dragon flame.”
“It is said that within the thick smoke of the Lava Lake, there wanders a king of the lava.”
“That king has horns on its head, a pair of giant wings that can blot out the sun, and a pair of massive claws that can tear through solid rock.”
“Its scales are like flowing magma, and its eyes are like gems made of solidified fire.”
“It can swim through the lava and spread its wings amidst the dense smoke.”
“Its nest is hidden upon the eleventh giant pillar within the lava.”
“It breathes dragon flame that can melt steel swords, turn iron armor into liquid, and burn flesh and bone to ash.”
This was... a hidden boss!
Upon hearing the blacksmith's words, everyone's eyes began to shine.
There was a hidden boss in this stratum's Lava Lake!
To think the clue would actually be found right here in this mine!
“Before the rocks melted and before the blacksmiths of our race swung their hammers for the ten-thousandth time, the King of the Lava Lake did not yet breathe dragon flame.”
“Its dragon flame was not something it was born with.”
The clue was now blindingly obvious.
The King of the Lava Lake had obtained the power to breathe dragon flame through some specific means.
And that Lava Dragon Sword was the source of that dragon flame power.
The Lava Dragon Sword was inside the belly of the King of the Lava Lake!
To obtain the Lava Dragon Sword, one had to find the eleventh giant pillar and defeat the King of the Lava Lake.
“Serafina, I am willing to buy the Frozen Flame Ice. I will agree to any price you name.”
The purple-skinned blacksmith stopped talking and went back to his duties as supervisor, occasionally touching the magic crystal coin as if anticipating the next time the monster merchant would come so he could buy something good. Meanwhile, Caiman continued to try and persuade Serafina.
“Any price? One thousand magic crystal coins!”
“You— Humph!”
Caiman swung his pickaxe in anger, his mind racing with thoughts of the King of the Lava Lake.
If he could find the eleventh giant pillar, it didn't necessarily mean he needed the Frozen Flame Ice to obtain the Lava Dragon Sword.
He refused to believe his luck would remain this bad forever.
After all this time, it was about time his fortune changed.
Rate on N.U.
