Chapter 434: The Mysterious Female Voice
The Elder Fire Elemental had gone completely berserk.
Its massive flaming body rampaged through the crowd, engulfing fleeing players and turning them into fuel.
"Damn it, run!"
"This thing is unbeatable!"
"If you get touched, you die! Such strong AOE! Isn't this trial a bit over the top?"
The Elder Fire Elemental was a pure embodiment of fire, born to burn everything. Its instinct was to turn all life and objects on the material plane into ashes.
Previously restrained by Misha, the Elder Fire Elemental had held back its power, but now it could finally unleash it freely.
The entire Baras Volcano was filled with falling flames and surging magma, resembling an erupting volcano.
Facing a challenge level of 13 and a monster immune to fire, the players were at a loss.
In this [Northern Winds] version, most top players belonged to the Ember Empire faction, and their abilities were mostly fire-related.
Moreover, most Sorcerers were Dragonblood Sorcerers, making it even more problematic.
Summer Night Autumn Rain had already figured out the purpose of the trial.
She exhausted all her spell slots, casting Fly, Protection from Energy, Haste, and several other spells on herself.
"I must survive to earn the spot!"
That's what she thought.
"Ahhhhh—"
A familiar battle cry echoed.
On the volcanic rock cliff, Born Battle Maniac, with blood-red eyes, leapt down with his battle axe.
"Die!"
Born Battle Maniac roared, swinging his giant axe and slashing toward the Elder Fire Elemental's head.
"Boom!"
A dull thud resounded as the Elder Fire Elemental's rocky fist sent Born Battle Maniac and his axe flying dozens of meters.
He landed directly in the magma pool, splashing scalding "water."
As a large magical creature, the Elder Fire Elemental had 25 points of strength, far beyond what ordinary mortals could handle.
Moreover, in the volcanic environment, the Elder Fire Elemental had the home-field advantage.
With its full strength unleashed, the Elder Fire Elemental was a player-killer, already eliminating over fifty players.
Only twenty or so players remained, weaving through the sea of flames.
Some used Rope Trick to hide in extradimensional spaces, some used Misty Step to reposition, and others relied on Invisibility to survive in the crevices, avoiding the elemental's attacks.
The battle had turned into a game of "hide and seek."
Players who had figured out the strategy used various means to confuse the clumsy Elder Fire Elemental, making it furious.
The Mechanist Cult's Sorcerer [Art Is Explosion] was especially outrageous.
"Come get me!"
She dodged midair using her ejected flying seat, occasionally dropping lightning bombs onto the Elder Fire Elemental.
"Boom!"
"Zzzz—"
Another electromagnetic explosion.
The Elder Fire Elemental finally had enough, pounding the ground with its fists and roaring.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Humans! Burn!"
Its massive body glowed red again, greedily absorbing magma, preparing for its next explosion.
This time, it intended to reduce all the humans to ashes.
Burn them all!
Suddenly, a cool, calm female voice echoed across the chaotic magma pool, bringing everything to a halt.
"Stop."
"To those remaining, congratulations on passing the trial. Welcome to the Tower of Blighted Flame."
The surviving players erupted with excitement, their surviving teammates shouting and cheering.
"We did it!"
"Got the spot!"
"Hahaha, the only spellcaster class in this version—I'm invincible now!"
"Woohoo, restoring the glory of Sorcerers!"
The Elder Fire Elemental glared hatefully at the celebrating players, especially the one in the sky tossing bombs, growling bitterly.
"Boom!"
Its rage boiled over, causing the ground to quake with another punch.
As a fire elemental, it was hard for it to calm down without venting all its energy.
"But... Master... they..."
"These... challengers..."
The Elder Fire Elemental panted heavily, black and white smoke billowing from its head.
"Oh?"
"Afar, are you planning to disobey my orders?"
The female voice now carried a hint of anger.
"No, Master..."
"I wouldn't dare..."
Before the words fully left its mouth, the Elder Fire Elemental clutched its chest, groaning in pain. Its towering ten-meter figure rapidly dimmed and shrank.
Eventually, the being known as Afar transformed into a three to four-meter-tall blurry flame figure—resembling any ordinary fire elemental.
Its flickering body trembled, completely devoid of the terrifying aura it had earlier.
"Lead them."
The female voice ordered calmly.
"Yes."
The Elder Fire Elemental's voice was weak, as if mourning the loss of its long-held power.
Without further complaints, it glanced warily at the players before carefully leading them forward.
Summer Night Autumn Rain clicked her tongue in wonder. "To think this Elder Fire Elemental would act so submissive."
"It seems the NPC for this advancement quest is quite significant. We'd better take this seriously."
Some players even ran up to the Elder Fire Elemental and teased it. "Weren't you all high and mighty earlier, threatening to burn everyone?"
"Come on, burn me!"
"I'm so scared!"
"..."
The flames on the Elder Fire Elemental's body trembled visibly, clearly enraged.
Summer Night Autumn Rain couldn't help but warn, "Don't push your luck. What if something goes wrong?"
"What's there to be afraid of? There are game mechanics in place."
"We've made it through so many trials; we won't be eliminated over something trivial."
The player waved dismissively, confidently speaking as he bent over and pointed his rear at the Elder Fire Elemental.
Summer Night Autumn Rain covered her face and sighed, unable to watch.
"Come on! Burn me, little fireball!"
"I dare you!"
The Elder Fire Elemental was already panting, white steam rising from its body—reaching what was commonly known as red heat.
As a noble of the fire elemental plane, it was bad enough to serve a powerful Sorcerer, but now it had to endure humiliation from mortals!
The cold female voice returned.
This time, it carried a hint of disdain.
"If you lack basic manners, you are not qualified to be a noble Dragon Pact Sorcerer."
"What does that mean?"
The player couldn't help but ask.
"It means you're disqualified. Afar!"
"Huh?"
"Wait, bro..."
The player making faces suddenly froze, standing there in shock and confusion.
A moment later, he screamed and started running.
"Obey... the command!"
"Die!"
The Elder Fire Elemental finally unleashed its long-restrained fury.
"Boom!"
With all its strength, it swung its flaming fist, smashing the player's head.
The charred head rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop.
Apparently, the Elder Fire Elemental had been planning this for a while.
Yes, even with its power restricted, it could still easily kill a player.
Afterward, it glared angrily at the surrounding players, warning them not to meet the same fate.
"What the... it killed him?"
"That guy really asked for it—making it to the end just to mess around."
"Exactly, it's like finishing your final exam and then tearing up the answer sheet!"
Some players laughed at his misfortune, while others were relieved. All of them were shocked by the trial's unpredictability.
But that's the charm of "Erezaghe"—all the "NPCs" had high intelligence and unique behavior logic, never bound by fixed programs.
This was what made it so captivating.
"It seems this quest NPC has a picky personality—probably a proud perfectionist who doesn't tolerate any nonsense."
"We'd better be extra careful going forward."
Summer Night Autumn Rain rubbed her chin thoughtfully, lowering her gaze as her golden eyes glimmered slightly.