Pyromancy Flame

There seemed to be a rustling sound coming from the open space not far away.

Huge stones were piled up on the open space that had been separated from the sewage, blocking people's view.

But if you listen carefully, it sounds like the panting of some kind of creature, but the sound isn't as savage as a demon's.

Could it be that...

Lu Lu Wo and the others exchanged glances, and everyone nodded, their eyes flashing with the same answer:

Damn it, it must be the blowgun guy hiding, ready to ambush us!

In Gong Qiying's design, the blowgunners are often hidden in absolutely dark environments and are also equipped with magic that obstructs their vision, making them very difficult to kill.

However, he still gave the adventurers a chance. For example, the dart-wielding guy's stamina was not outstanding among monsters. When he fought continuously, he would pant due to exhaustion. These faint panting sounds were already a significant weakness to the more skilled adventurers.

After all, this city lord is no devil.

The group looked at each other, exchanging glances, and all of them were focused on the same thing:

That is, deciding who will go up and take down the blowgun guy!

Faced with this rare opportunity to finally get close enough to tear the monster that had tormented them for so long to pieces, everyone was incredibly eager and enthusiastic, their eagerness to go out and fight even more belligerent than the natives of the Warrior Country.

In the end, Lu Lu Wo, relying on her seniority, directly overpowered everyone, and with a victor's smile on her face, she walked leisurely towards the open space where the giant rock stood.

This filthy Swamp is quite deep. If you walk in directly, even the shallowest part will submerge you above your knees, and the deepest part will probably reach your waist. It's much deeper than the Farron Keep.

Furthermore, the Swamp near Farron Keep could be said to have become poisonous after being corrupted by the Abyss, while the Swamp near Plague Village...

This is practically excrement, and since Plague Village is located just below Undead Burg, it can be considered Undead Town's sewers.

In other words, the mental stress this environment puts on decent people is even greater than the toxic water after the so-called abyss has been eroded!

Even a dedicated adventurer like Lu Lu Wo dares to roll around in the Swamp of Farron Keep, but in Plague Village, she couldn't stand even slightly more movement in the Swamp, afraid of getting splashed with something.

Since she couldn't Flight Spell, she cast a Levitation Spell on herself, but even that only pushed the knee-deep Swamp down to her calves. So she gathered the chains together to form stilts under her feet, which finally prevented her from directly touching the Swamp.

Lu Lu Wo stands tall above the latrine of the Plague Village!

Some might think her reaction was a bit exaggerated; adventurers are supposed to brave the wind and rain, and occasionally roll around in the mud, so how could she complain about getting dirty?

However, it is human nature to dislike and avoid filth; otherwise, how could there be a saying like "If a mop is covered in poop, Lu Bu will be reborn"?

Conversely, people are more afraid of the mop than the person holding it, especially once they get something from the mop on them.

Then all the previous fear will instantly transform into blood rage, 100% transformation!

The adventurers are currently in the first stage, so it's normal for them to feel dissatisfied.

"[Assassin's Step], [Become Invisible]."

Lu Lu Wo quickly silenced herself, her footsteps and figure disappearing. Although she had left a lot of equipment in the Arnor Kingdom, the knowledge she had gained was still hers. She was so grateful to the Raya Lucaria Magic Academy and her magic mentor.

She silently walked behind the boulder and listened intently. Surprisingly, the panting she had heard earlier had ceased at some point.

The enemy has spotted me; this is a warning!

Without the slightest hesitation, she struck like lightning, her staff instantly transforming into a gigantic [Heimo Hammer] that crashed down onto the boulder!

"Boom!"

In an instant, the earth shook, rocks flew everywhere, and smoke billowed. Bodies taller than a person were instantly reduced to dust under the fierce smash of Heimo Hammer. But Lu Lu Wo did not stop there and unleashed a second blow without stopping!

"Boom!"

The waves of the Swamp soared high into the air, smashing a huge crater into the open space!

"They're really going to die now." A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips as her gaze swept across the open space.

"Um?"

Why can't I see any blood?

Where are the blood, flesh, and severed limbs I want to see?

The commotion attracted the attention of nearby monsters, but fortunately, they were few in number and not very strong. She cleared out the monsters while frowning and looking around.

I've confirmed it! There was definitely movement and a faint presence coming from behind the boulder. Why did it disappear as soon as I got closer?

Could the ghosts that just appeared have been the same ones from the New Londo Ruins?

If you can't figure it out no matter how hard you try, then stop thinking about it.

Returning empty-handed, Lu Lu Wo went back and made a pair of stilts for everyone. As Warrior, everyone's physical coordination was extraordinary, so wearing stilts did not hinder their movement.

"This place is perfect for Hervey," Starfire Knight muttered as he trudged through the Swamp. "He'll definitely try to boil it dry, and the Choking Dragon Fang will also stop the sewage."

"I'd rather die than be stuck in this latrine sauna with Hervey," another person chimed in.

After walking to the open space where Heimo Hammer had previously struck, the group rested for a while and then observed their surroundings.

Scattered open spaces, similar to the one they were standing on now, were scattered across the Swamp, flanked by mountain walls and the buildings of the Plague Village. These two places also had narrow open spaces to stand in, and although they were narrow, at least they could move around freely, unlike in the Swamp where their movements were restricted.

These open spaces were specifically reserved for adventurers to catch their breath.

Of course, if they have the ability, adventurers can use the open ground as a base to gradually clear out the nearby monsters, which would require someone to pull the monsters from a distance.

Just then, people saw a Diseased Corpse wandering in the distant Swamp, and the Swamp leading to its location seemed to be bubbling, indicating that a dangerous monster was lurking within.

"I'll do it."

A Starfire Knight volunteered to step forward and lure the monster over.

Should I use the Thunder Spear? I remember that the duration of that miracle wasn't very long. Could I hit it at this distance? That's what Lu Lu Wo was thinking.

Then she saw Starfire Knight remove the gauntlet from his left hand, and a bright red flame suddenly appeared in his palm, illuminating his entire hand in a crimson glow.

"Pyromancy Flame?"

Lu Lu Wo immediately recognized what the Starfire Knight was holding, and was therefore surprised; she hadn't expected anyone among the Starfire Knight to possess such a thing.

More importantly, the aura of his Pyromancy Flame was extraordinary; it had clearly been strengthened multiple times and was completely different from the basic type sold by the blacksmith Andre.

This person is not only using Pyromancy Flame, but has also enhanced it to a very high level???

The classic spell [Fireball] appeared in the Starfire Knight's hand.

[Pyromancy: Fireball]

[The most basic spell used by the Great Swamp Sorcerer, capable of summoning a fireball to attack enemies.]

For beings with flesh and blood, such as the undead and beasts, fire must be respected; the power of a fireball should not be underestimated.

The Starfire Knight's left arm muscles bulged violently, and he hurled the fireball with an extremely standard throwing posture, creating an explosive sound as it left his hand!

This guy is a natural-born master at playing with fireballs!

"Boom!"

The fireball exploded on the Living Dead's body, instantly blasting its upper body to pieces, and the smell of burning flesh filled people's noses.

A rudimentary spell with such power? No, it's because the user's own abilities are exceptional!

The monsters on the road were also alerted and rushed towards them, and the group quickly engaged them in battle.

Between battles, Lu Lu Wo asked in surprise, "This is the first time I've seen someone from the Sparkfire Church wield such powerful sorcery."

"Haha, it was just an accident." Starfire Knight gave a wry smile.

If we were to name the least popular type of magic among all the things adventurers refer to in the Zane Dungeon, it would definitely be sorcery.

Because so far, sorcery is the only type of magic that, apart from relying on luck to find magic book pages, doesn't have a systematic way of being acquired.

Miracles are widely found in various covenant rewards, and the reputation of the Sun Warrior has made the Thunder Spear more popular, so many people know about the existence of miracles.

[Magic] Needless to say, the entire Raya Lucaria Magic Academy is located within the Zane Dungeon; if you want to learn magic, just go there.

The teachers of [prayer] have recently been discovered: one is the bald clergyman Colin, and the other is the giant tortoise Milie from Lake Liurnia.

Only sorcery remains untaught. The pages of magic books related to sorcery only appear in the Catacombs of Carthus and the Endless Cycle. The sorcery that can be exchanged for the soul of Overlord Wolnir is currently the most powerful, and the entry barrier for that stuff is ridiculously high for ordinary people.

Therefore, the Pyromancy Flame that accompanies spells is rarely used, let alone enhanced to a high level like the Starfire Knight before us.

"I admired Gwyn ever since I first heard about the Sparkfire Church. I thought that since He was called the God of Fire, all the flames in the world must be blessed by Him, right? So I went and got my hands on Pyromancy Flame, and like a fool, I used every Forging Stone I could buy to upgrade it."

"I was thinking that with such a high-level Pyromancy Flame, I could definitely become a high-ranking member of the church as soon as I joined."

Starfire Knight sighed as he spoke.

"It wasn't until I joined the church that I realized why Lord Gwyn's signature move was such a miracle as the lightning spear!"

"The God of Fire doesn't actually use fire!?"

"My level of Pyromancy Flame is completely useless within the church."

"Furthermore, you can't use the Pyromancy Flame to cast prayers, even though both magic spells and prayers contain [fireballs]."

Lu Lu Wo was speechless after hearing this tragic story, and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

The main point is that Gwyn himself never claimed to be the god of fire; that title was given to him by the Sparkfire Church.

Without a doubt, the Starfire Knight before us is an unfortunate soul who suffered because of a lack of information.

This kind of person is both pitiful and hateful. If they had done more research beforehand, they wouldn't have ended up like this.

The attacking monsters had been cleared away, and the Starfire Knight had withdrawn his Pyromancy Flame. After cleaning up the battlefield and collecting light spots and usable materials, the group was about to leave.

Just then, the Starfire Knight who used the Pyromancy Flame suddenly stopped and fell behind the group.

It sounds like there's a sound behind me?

He turned around suspiciously, but there was still nothing behind him.

But the next second, the scene before him made him hold his breath for a moment.

The air, which had been completely empty, began to ripple, and gradually colors appeared.

A person appeared in the open space, right in front of the shattered boulder.

"Huh?"

Starfire Knight was stunned. What was that? An afterimage? An enemy attack? The others who came in with us?

The person who suddenly appeared was sitting on the ground. He didn't look very healthy. His dark brown clothes were somewhat dirty, but they were quite clean in the context of the Plague Village. In stark contrast to his clothes, a snow-white chin was revealed under the hood that covered his face.

Judging from this curve, is this a woman?

Others might not recognize her, but Starfire Knight knew very well that the woman's clothes looked very familiar.

It looks a lot like a [Sorcerer] outfit, but it's not quite the same. It's much more refined than that kind of outfit. You'll encounter sorcerers dressed as sorcerers in the endless cycle of reincarnation.

Etc!

Starfire Knight frowned again. Rather than saying that the man's attire looked familiar because of the sorcerer's suit, it was more that he felt he had seen similar clothing somewhere before.

He had definitely seen it before, but couldn't remember it at all.

Just then, a somewhat ethereal, almost illusory voice came from under the man's hood. The voice was soft and gentle, seemingly without much distance from strangers, as if it possessed a special charm.

"Is he an immortal? It's quite interesting that you can see me."

"You, who are you?"

The Starfire Knight felt his heart race for no apparent reason. He didn't know why, but he felt as if his Pyromancy Flame was leaping with joy after seeing this person.

"Ridd, what are you doing over there?" His companion's voice came from behind Starfire Knight Ridd, followed by a gasp of surprise.

"Why did someone suddenly appear?! Ridd, you need to get out of there right now!"

The unfamiliar woman seemed to ignore the surprised crowd, simply watching as Starfire Knight completed his self-introduction.

"I am Klana of Izalith."

"It's truly remarkable that a human can see me and even possesses such talent."

She paused for a moment, then said something that made Ridd's heart race.

"You've come here for my spells too?"