Scorching lava dripped from Guldon's body into the volcano below, splashing up streams of molten rock several meters high.
The moment Guldon appeared, the sky above the volcano was covered by burning black clouds, and ashes flickering like tiny sparks floated through the air.
After being scorched by high heat for a long time, the hard armor covering its body now glowed with a blinding crimson light.
Thousands of fangs seemed eager to devour everything upon the volcano.
The monstrous beast raised its head and let out a deafening roar, shaking Mount Vesuvius to its very core.
"Vega! Link with me!"
"What? Link with you? Are you kidding me? You really plan to fight that thing?"
"I'm not looking to die!"
Vega flapped his wings frantically in midair, shouting toward Viktor with all his might.
He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. If he'd known Viktor was this insane, he'd have never signed a contract with him even if it killed him.
Following Viktor might just get him killed one of these days, how could anyone expect to "rise again" with a lunatic like this?
"We've come this far. Without linking with you, I doubt I can do anything else."
Reluctantly, Vega stretched out one wing and touched Viktor's forehead.
At once, a clearer connection appeared within Viktor's mind.
[Link established with the Evil God 'Habika'. Synchronizing...]
[Synchronization complete.]
Viktor saw a raven icon appear beneath his status bar and instantly realized the link had succeeded.
"Now that we're linked, why don't you use some of my power and cast a teleportation spell to get us out of here? Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Vega circled around his ear, chattering nonstop.
Viktor ignored Vega's frantic pleas to flee. Feeling the scorching heat of the volcanic crater beneath him only made him even more excited.
"Run?"
A proud smile curved across Viktor's lips. To Vega, he looked completely deranged.
But Viktor wasn't crazy. He had wanted to challenge this "Calamity" for a long time.
From the moment he heard the name Mount Vesuvius, he knew he had to come.
Just as he expected, the Furnace Beast Guldon was sealed deep within the lowest level of the volcano's crater.
This place was an independent pocket dimension, no matter how large-scale their battle was, it wouldn't affect the outside world.
A perfect natural arena.
After Guldon was first defeated, it was sealed back here, turning into something like a dungeon boss for players to challenge.
That meant the version sealed here now wasn't much stronger than the one he'd fought countless times before.
Facing the sky-darkening monster, Viktor felt a surge of confidence.
He had defeated this creature countless times already.
And now, he was controlling a far stronger body, his current Viktor was more powerful, his skills sharper.
Plus, he had Vega, his ultimate cheat.
He wasn't lying when he said Vega was an indispensable, powerful ally.
Infinite mana. No other class could use that kind of advantage better than a mage.
Vega's single eye began to flicker with a faint blue light. Viktor felt an ocean of magic welling up inside him, his mana bar skyrocketing.
Ten thousand... twenty thousand... until it completely broke past the limit.
Viktor knew, this was the game's maximum mana capacity.
[Viktor: Lv.39]
[HP: 1000]
[MP: 999999/999999]
With this much mana... he could do it.
Guldon still stirred, its movements sluggish. After a long slumber, its body was encased in massive rocky armor. That same armor restricted its mobility.
It would take time before it could break free.
This was Viktor's perfect moment to prepare.
He spread his hands wide, constructing a magic array in midair.
Intricate layers of glowing circles formed all around him.
From above, Vega looked down and saw endless runes spinning in the air, marveling at Viktor's mastery of arcane arts.
Even after completing the setup, Viktor didn't stop, he threw several transparent crystals into six positions around the crater.
"Viktor! You're not... you're not planning to use the entire volcano as your magic field, are you?"
Viktor didn't answer, but the smile on his face told Vega he had guessed right.
The entire volcano became covered in complex runes. Countless magic circles spun through the air.
The six crystals connected, glowing symbols began to flow between them, twisting, linking, leaping.
A massive magic circle formed like a lid sealing over the crater.
Viktor snapped his fingers. Countless colored spells of different shapes and attributes flared into existence, surrounding Guldon.
He glanced at the monster's status bar.
Frozen. Poisoned. Weakened. Agitated...
Numerous negative effects clung to the beast's body.
He lightly stomped the ground, and dozens of faint lights surged from the array into his body.
Attack power increased. Water-element damage boosted by seven levels. Fire resistance strengthened...
Viktor felt all kinds of energies flowing through him.
"The enhancement effect... is incredible..."
His muscles felt stronger, his reflexes sharper.
He could even clearly see the molten lava dripping down from Guldon's body.
When everything was ready, Viktor looked up.
At that moment, Guldon, towering into the clouds, had a health bar appear above its head.
The length of it was enough to make any ordinary person despair, hundreds of meters long at least.
Thanks to the buffs and heightened perception, Viktor could even see the end of that health bar.
'Lv.50!'
In the gaming world, there was a saying often used to praise top-tier players, "As long as you dare to show your health bar, even a god, I'll kill you all the same."
Red light flared in Guldon's eyes, glowing so brightly it illuminated the horizon.
It had awakened.
The surrounding environment instantly turned deadlier, the temperature soared, flames spontaneously ignited in the air, and waves of heat swept across the volcano.
"This is Guldon's catastrophe skill, Scorched Earth!"
The raven perched on Viktor's shoulder gave a sharp warning.
Viktor, of course, knew what was happening, but still gave Vega a symbolic nod.
Ten identical blue arrays appeared at his fingertips.
With a flick, a colossal blue fortress shimmered into being midair, its core erupting in waves of crashing tides that surged toward the heavens.
"Tier Three Magic, Sanctuary of Tides!"
———
Gwen was leading her knights up the mountain road when she casually sliced down a monster.
She looked at the creature's corpse, it resembled a crab, with a scorching rocky shell on its back.
Even after death, its pincers kept snapping at the air.
Moments later, the shell cracked open, and a red crystal rolled out, glowing faintly.
Gwen quickly snatched it up and examined it.
She immediately recalled Viktor mentioning he needed such crystals to craft magical tools.
"Everyone, if you encounter monsters like this again, make sure to collect these crystals!"
She held up the red crystal for the knights to see and remember.
"Yes, ma'am!" the knights answered in unison.
After all, Viktor had helped them a lot the previous night, she didn't want to owe him a favor, so she figured she'd gather materials for him.
Suddenly, a low rumble echoed from the mountain's peak, reaching every knight's ears.
Gwen sharply looked up at the crater, where a plume of black smoke was slowly rising.
Then, a thunderous roar echoed across the skies, shaking the land.
She stared at the summit with a solemn expression and asked, "Did you all... hear that roar?"
Gwen wasn't sure herself, it just sounded like a roar.
The knights exchanged confused glances and shook their heads.
"Captain, you must have misheard. Probably just noise from the volcano spitting ash."
Gwen frowned, unconvinced.
"Could it be... I'm the only one who heard it? What was that sound?"
As she pondered, a sudden thought flashed through her mind.
'Viktor said he was heading to the crater.'
'Could it be... he found something up there?'
"All knights! Move to the volcano crater immediately! Find Viktor!"
At her command, the knights quickly formed up and began their advance.
But after circling the crater, they found nothing.
The knights reported to Gwen that the heat was growing unbearable, the temperature was far from normal.
"Split up and search!"
At her order, the knights divided into five teams to continue their search.
After a long while, they returned one by one, panting and drenched in sweat.
"Captain! None of the five teams found anyone! The horses can't handle the heat anymore, they're resting halfway down the mountain."
Gwen, her forehead beaded with sweat, felt dizzy. Why had the volcano suddenly grown so hot?
"Could this dead volcano... actually be about to erupt?"
She shook her head, too exhausted to think clearly.
Neither the horses nor the knights could withstand the rising heat any longer, they had no choice but to retreat down the slope.
Even with her specially forged armor that had a minor fire-resistance enchantment, Gwen was still burning up.
Just as she was about to order everyone to withdraw, a massive column of fire erupted from the crater, shooting straight toward her.
"Everyone, get down!"
The knights obeyed without hesitation, dropping flat to the ground, even their horses kneeling instinctively.
Gwen turned back to see the fire pillar fade into countless embers that rained down, each glowing ember so hot that everyone felt their chests tighten and their throats burn as if they were inhaling flames.
'The volcano's crater... how could it spew out that?'
The more Gwen thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, but there was no time to dwell on it.
"The volcano might erupt soon! Evacuate the townsfolk immediately!"
She waved her hand and issued the order, and the knights rushed downhill toward the town.
Watching the increasingly unstable volcano, Gwen's heart was filled with worry.
"Viktor... where on earth are you!?"
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