After a battle, rest was inevitable.
Everyone sat around the bonfire, tending to their wounds. Drew and Perry worked quietly, hands glowing as they channeled healing magic. The soft, golden light soothed injuries and spirits alike.
The Holy Knight, however, needed no such aid. The divine light of his faith alone mended his wounds. He sat rigid by the fire, face as stern as ever, eyes locked on the flickering flames—lost in thoughts he didn't care to share.
He never explained how he'd resurrected, and no one cared enough to ask.
Maru, however, couldn't keep quiet. She shot him a glare and muttered to the others, "He doesn't even have the decency to say a word? It's his fault we ran into that enemy in the first place."
"Maru, leave it," Leon said, waving his hand dismissively.
His tone made it clear—there was no point arguing with zealots. People like that lived inside their own logic, and trying to reason with them only wasted breath… and raised blood pressure.
But Maru took it the wrong way, assuming he meant to be forgiving. She pouted, leaning against Terl beside her. "Boss is way too soft."
"Huh? Oh… right," Terl mumbled absently.
Leon could only shrug helplessly. Soft? Of everyone here, he was the one most tempted to give the Holy Knight a good beating.
The bonfire crackled softly, flames popping and hissing as they devoured the wood. The warm glow painted everyone's faces in amber hues, and its gentle heat seeped into weary bones. Just sitting there made one's heart feel a little lighter.
The First Flame is fire… and so is this bonfire.
If this flame can replay visions of ancient times, doesn't that mean it, too, is linked to the gods of old?
He imagined the heroes of that age sitting around their own fires after battle, resting tired bodies, sharing laughter and silence.
The thought filled Leon with quiet longing for the Age of Fire. Maybe, back then, there was no cruelty toward the weak—only honor and strength. To him, it was a perfect world, though he knew that ideal was shaped by the scars of his own childhood.
A month from now, I'll go home. I'll show my sister and father that I—
No… not prove. That's not it. What I really want is—
Before he could finish the thought, Stella slipped away from Melga's endless chatter and settled beside him. From her pouch, she took out a glowing crystal—the Ash of War: Swift Slash.
"What's that?" Leon asked curiously. He'd never seen such an item before.
"It dropped after we beat that Avatar," Stella explained. "It says here you can apply it to a weapon and use the skill yourself." She pushed it toward him. "Thanks for protecting me earlier. This should go to you."
Leon examined the Ash, remembering the duel. Swift Slash—a skill of incredible speed and pressure, with brief invincibility. A rare and lethal technique.
But he shook his head. "Everyone fought in that battle. I can't just take it for myself. We should decide together."
Roger popped his head up from behind the fire, grinning. "I'll abstain. Just take it, Leon. You and Stella did most of the work."
Perry nodded in agreement. Though fascinated by the mechanics of the Ash, he hadn't contributed much in that fight.
Melga merely gave Stella a cool look. As a Fire Priest, he believed in contentment; learning that the world itself was born of flame was enough to satisfy him. Spiritually fulfilled, he had no interest in the Ash and abstained as well.
As for the Holy Knight—he had the least right to speak. He simply turned his head away in silence.
"But still…" Leon frowned. He truly believed spoils should be shared fairly.
"Just take it already!" Stella snapped, her expression darkening as she shoved the Ash into his hands. Without waiting for protest, she strode off toward the fire to fiddle with her gear.
Leon sighed, helplessly staring at the item in his hand.
Roger chuckled and winked. "You're not gonna win a girl's favor acting like that. Want me to teach you a few things when we get out of here?"
Maru immediately jumped between them, glaring daggers. Roger burst into hearty laughter.
After half an hour of rest, the party set off again—this time reaching the dungeon's middle layer: a vast, lush forest of towering trees, vibrant and full of life.
Stella took the lead as guide, though she admitted she only remembered the general direction. The exact location of the Sun Altar had long slipped her mind.
The monsters here were noticeably stronger due to the Punishment, but the explorers moved steadily, cautious and coordinated.
Roger, the ever-curious monster scholar, was in paradise. Everywhere he looked, new creatures lurked—beasts he'd never encountered before. While sketching a strange green caterpillar, he even spotted a red-and-white ball half-buried in the grass. Without thinking, he pocketed it, unaware of what it was.
Thanks to Stella's guidance, they made steady progress—but instead of the Sun Altar, they stumbled upon something far less pleasant.
"Graaaah!" A thunderous roar split the air as a Guardian Ape appeared, leading a horde of white apes in a furious charge.
"I was trying to find the Sun Altar, not a monster nest!" Stella cried in dismay, guilt flooding her face.
"No, you did great!" Leon's eyes flared with fury. He recognized the creature instantly—an old enemy. He clenched his fists and charged.
Within a few rounds, fighting with everything he had, Leon personally cut down the Guardian Ape. At his request, the others focused only on the lesser monsters.
"Don't let your guard down. Even without its head, this beast can still fight."
Leon raised his hand, pulling out several Fireball Scrolls from his pack—crafted specifically for this monster.
Blazing spheres rained down in rapid succession, exploding on impact. Before the Guardian Ape could even reach its second phase, its body was consumed by fire and turned to ash.
"My ring… it's back." Maru's eyes shimmered as she held up the Ring of Favor. The long-lost treasure was finally hers again.
The creature also dropped the Soul of the Guardian Ape, which was distributed fairly by dice rolls. Fate decided—it ended up in Leon's hands.
Then came the real surprise. Heading east from the monster's den, the group suddenly stumbled upon a grand, sunlit structure.
"The Sun Altar! We actually found it!" Stella nearly burst into tears of relief.
"So this is it…" Leon circled the ancient monument slowly. Despite its unassuming appearance, it radiated a quiet divinity. That such a simple altar could grant the title Warrior of Sunlight was hard to believe.
As he approached, glowing words appeared in the air:
[Do you wish to make a covenant and become a Warrior of Sunlight?]
Leon hesitated, cautious.
At that moment, Roger crouched near the fallen statue atop the altar. "To form a covenant, there has to be a deity involved. Could it be… this one? Shame it's broken. Hard to tell which god it used to be."
"Do you even have to ask? Of course it's the Fire God!" the Fire Priest exclaimed, eyes blazing with fervor. "I'll bring every last follower of the Flame here so they can all form a covenant with Lord Fire God!"
Without hesitation, he pressed Yes—becoming the first Warrior of Sunlight.
"…Hmph." Roger stroked his beard thoughtfully but said nothing more. To him, the statue vaguely resembled Gwyn from the visions, but not quite. Perhaps it was another god entirely. After all, the Age of Fire couldn't have belonged to just a few figures.
"I've got a feeling the old fossils back at the Association will lose their minds when they hear about this place…"
While the others discussed the altar, Stella's attention was drawn to something new that had appeared in the air:
[Offer 10 Sunlight Medals to receive a covenant reward?]