Was it a success?
Brock did not let down his guard as he watched the two-headed heroic gargoyle fall, sliced clean through the waist.
He quickly commanded his own heroic gargoyle to step forward and deliver a finishing blow with its greatsword.
At the same time, he did not hold back his mana. Waving his staff, he deployed a magic circle.
Another Water Slicer!
An ordinary mage would never waste mana so casually on a spell just to test the waters.
However, Brock’s mana capacity far exceeded that of mages of the same rank, giving him the luxury of not being stingy with his consumption at a critical moment like this.
The heroic gargoyle’s strike and the Water Slicer landed simultaneously on the bisected two-headed heroic gargoyle, finishing the job.
The two-headed heroic gargoyle went completely still, dropping a piece of unique ore.
By then, the summoned heroic gargoyle had also been scorched to its limit by the Forbidden Fire, and it reverted back into a monster card.
Monster cards were not destroyed in battle. When a summoned monster’s damage reached its limit, the summon was automatically dispelled, and the entity returned to its card form.
Once it reverted, the monster card would enter a dimmed state due to the injuries sustained. For a short period, the summoner would be unable to call upon that monster again.
To restore the card, the summoner had to spend time refining mana to help the monster within recover.
The same applied to leveling up monsters within the cards; it required the summoner to invest time and refined mana to facilitate their growth.
Alternatively, one could use special materials or items to upgrade the monster cards, which naturally bypassed the need for the summoner to spend their own time refining mana.
However, materials capable of increasing a monster’s level were only sold by the monster merchant.
The higher the monster's level, the more precious the materials required to upgrade it.
As for how to buy them, one naturally needed dungeon coins.
And how did one obtain dungeon coins? By trading treasures to the monster merchant or by diligently contributing one's life force to the Well of Eternal Imprisonment.
In short, the Well of Eternal Imprisonment always wins.
Brock adjusted his breathing. In the recent battle, the mana cost of several spells had not been low. Coupled with the burden of maintaining three summons, the deep reserves of mana within his body had been mostly depleted.
However, Brock didn't just have a massive total mana pool.
His mana recovery speed was also significantly higher than that of mages of the same rank, matching the scale of his superior mana capacity.
After steadying himself, Brock cautiously stepped forward and picked up the ore dropped on the ground.
The materials dropped by a standard heroic gargoyle were typically fragments of stone armor.
But this unique two-headed version had dropped this special ore.
The surface of the ore showed signs of smelting, as if the mineral and rock had been melted and fused together.
These marks were likely caused by the influence of the Forbidden Fire.
Brock wasn't sure of its exact use, but considering the unique nature of the two-headed heroic gargoyle and the Forbidden Fire, this ore was clearly anything but simple.
After carefully stowing the ore away, Brock picked up the other drop.
The greatsword, the Nail of Sealing.
The sword was incredibly heavy. Brock gripped the hilt and struggled to lift the Nail of Sealing from the ground.
As he held it, the length of the Nail of Sealing was nearly two-thirds of Brock’s own height.
A mage’s physical constitution was not particularly strong, as they lacked the passive physical enhancement skills of extraordinary classes like swordsmen or heavy warriors.
That said, compared to an ordinary person, a mage’s physical condition was still quite impressive due to the long-term influence of mana on their body.
Even so, the weight of the Nail of Sealing was far too much for Brock.
An average person would likely find it difficult to even lift this greatsword.
“This weight makes it completely unusable for a mage.”
“Even for a first-rank swordsman, using this for a long time would be a massive burden.”
A swordsman's physical stats far exceeded the norm, but even they would feel the strain of fighting for an extended period with such a heavy weapon in their normal state.
Furthermore, upon holding the Nail of Sealing, Brock could confirm that it was definitely not a magic item.
Though it possessed extreme hardness and could withstand the heat of the Forbidden Fire, the fact that it wasn't a magic item significantly reduced its value.
However, considering the purple-skinned blacksmith had said this greatsword was merely an unfinished half-product—a nail meant to seal the residual Forbidden Fire—this state was quite reasonable.
Brock struggled to lift the greatsword and walked toward the Forbidden Fire Sealing Pedestal.
Next, he simply had to thrust the greatsword back into the pedestal. Once the Forbidden Fire was resealed, the mining tunnel path leading to the twelfth floor should open.
Forbidden Fire continued to gush out from the breach in the Forbidden Fire Sealing Pedestal.
Brock no longer held back on using his Frost Magic Water. He took it out and poured it over the armor on his arms.
He only stopped after consuming a full half of the Frost Magic Water.
Under the manipulation of his water magic, the Frost Magic Water formed an extremely thin water film that covered the entire surface of his armor.
Relying on the Frost Magic Water and his Forbidden Fire Blessing, Brock raised the Nail of Sealing and walked toward the pedestal.
He climbed the stone steps one by one. As he drew closer to the core of the Forbidden Fire Sealing Pedestal, the temperature grew higher and higher.
Blazing flames enveloped him.
These flames seemed to possess a life of their own, burning and flowing like fire in an oil painting, trying to submerge and devour him.
Looking at the extremely dangerous Forbidden Fire just inches away, Brock’s spirit uncontrollably began to grow restless.
Even with the Forbidden Fire Blessing, the protection began to thin in the presence of so much fire. It felt as if a hole were being torn open by madness, polluting his mind.
Brock gritted his teeth, continuously channeling mana into the Forbidden Fire Blessing Mark on the back of his hand.
Beneath his fireproof suit, the Forbidden Fire Mark glowed with increasing intensity.
The surrounding Forbidden Fire seemed to sense the presence of its own kind and slowly receded.
It really was as if it had a life of its own.
The film of Frost Magic Water covering his body was being rapidly consumed as he stepped onto the Forbidden Fire Sealing Pedestal. Brock had no time to waste.
Suppressing the inexplicable surge of agitation in his heart, Brock moved toward the center of the pedestal.
At this distance, it was no longer just the fire burning him.
Instead, the Forbidden Fire erupting from the center of the pedestal had formed a wave of flame, scorching and pushing against him, preventing his approach.
Brock gripped the Nail of Sealing tightly, forcing himself forward through sheer physical endurance.
Even he was terrified at this moment.
Relying only on a thin film of water and a fireproof suit for protection, the slightest mistake would likely result in him being instantly incinerated by the Forbidden Fire.
Right now, he felt like a wild animal facing fire for the first time; his primal instincts screamed at him to flee in terror.
But Brock was not a beast. Using his reason to suppress his instincts, he arrived at the center of the Forbidden Fire Sealing Pedestal step by step.
Rate on N.U.
