388 Dragon’s Roar (2/2)
Another Lycan Barrage was swiftly prepared, and then released!
Half a minute later…
Lava Giants slain! You have completed the third task!
***
With all the surprises of the previous three tasks, Qin Ruo no longer dared to take anything for granted. On high alert like never before, he swore to give it his all when he went up against the Tier 6 Fire Trolls!
Forging ahead with grim determination, when they did encounter the Level 62 Fire Trolls, it proved a one-sided battle—with Qin Ruo victorious.
(Translator's Note: Yes, that was the entire narration of the battle with the Fire Trolls. Nothing's missing.)
Looting the bodies of the Trolls, he found a Tier 6 Pyro-Terra Dual-Attribute Mana Core. Qin Ruo sucked in a long breath.
Now there was just one final task remaining: to locate the Volcanic Mushroom and harvest it, so that he could finally leave this infernal hellscape.
”Phew!” Qin Ruo exhaled. Now that he was so close to the end, it was making him really nervous!
The true battle had yet to begin!
What came next would decide whether or not he'd actually make it to the next tier.
There was no telling what manner of fearsome Boss he'd find standing guard over the Volcanic Mushroom, once he reached the volcano's summit.
He quickly took stock of his remaining Scrolls and Potions, and spent a few moments restoring Poochie and himself to full HP and MP. Only then did he resume his cautious advance towards the vast caldera at the peak.
Looking across the distance, the caldera seemed to be hundreds of meters across, spewing thick black smoke constantly. Dark clouds hung against a reddened sky, creating a foreboding atmosphere of gloom and desolation.
***
The closer Qin Ruo got to the summit, the stronger his unease grew. On the other hand, the higher he climbed, the less oppressive the heat became, and it was no longer as suffocating as earlier.
Qin Ruo decided that the former was just a matter of his nerves getting the better of him; the latter was likely caused by his increasing distance from the geothermal core, combined with volcanic activity and its effect on the air around the peak, producing an overall drop in local temperature.
The truth was that it had been steadily getting colder ever since he'd emerged from underground.
Deep in the belly of the volcano, he had faced not only those puny Flametongue Toads, but also adverse conditions which had rendered his magic all but useless. That had been when he was the most vulnerable!
After coming outside and encountering the Wildfire Foxes, he had been able to make some use of his magic.
Then there were those Lava Giants!
As the monsters grew stronger, the environment became less punishing as well, and Qin Ruo felt as though his full power was gradually being unsealed.
When it had come time to do battle with those Fire Trolls, his casting speed had almost returned to normal!
Now was the moment!
Upon his arrival at the summit, he saw the stone caldera, hundreds of meters wide, with broad ribbons of heat streaming upwards. Although these were still high-temperature conditions, compared to what it had been like further down the mountainside, this was much more manageable. Once in a while, he could even feel a slight breeze, cool and pleasant.
Elated, Qin Ruo held out his left hand experimentally. ”Freeze!”
Water condensed rapidly out of the surrounding air, gathering into a tight mass over his palm, compressing and forming into a dense ball of Water Magic!
Two seconds!
At last, a hint of a smile began to dawn behind Qin Ruo's stern expression.
”Freeze!” he whispered, and the Compressed Aqua Bullet in his palm promptly began to solidify.
A wave of cold air washed away the sweltering heat, and as Qin Ruo continued to maintain the spell, it radiated a constant cooling zone that kept the pervasive heat currents at bay. It felt great—as though winter had suddenly arrived!
The suffocating heat dispelled by this magical source of wintry chill, Poochie stood up a little straighter upon his shoulder, no longer gasping for air like before. The spark returned to its faded eyes, and every few moments it would chirp jubilantly.
”Happy now?” Qin Ruo turned and smiled at Poochie as he brushed aside the bushy tail that curled about his neck.
Cheep, cheep!
Nodding eagerly, it clenched its fists in anticipation, and waved them about.
”Alright. You better do your best later. If I make it through my Advancement Quest, you can have a day off… and I'll feed you pine nuts all day.” Suddenly reminded of how Snowleaf would feed snacks to it, he was inspired to offer a further incentive.
Qin Ruo felt the claws tighten on his shoulder, and Poochie began squeaking urgently in the direction of the volcanic caldera.
”Hmm?” Through his link with Poochie, he realized this was a warning signal!
The mirth departed, Qin Ruo turned and fled from the caldera.
He had barely made it thirty meters when something burst out from the vast mouth of the volcano and soared upwards through the roiling black smoke.
The roar of a dragon echoed through the heavens!