Chapter 385: Hellfire Trial

As soon as Matthew and the other Demon Faction bandits left, from behind the broken carriage there came the sound of a long sigh being released.

“Phew… safe.”

Having just managed to slip into his Aquamorph form and escape discovery by the bandits, Qin Ruo sighed in profound relief.

He had almost decided to bust out a Twelve Frostramparts Formation and throw Poochie at them, see if he could kill them all off in one go. Even if it might be doomed to fail, at the very least he’d prefer to die in glorious combat against the Moonlight Demon.

Of course, not being found at all was much better!

While he celebrated silently by himself, he thought about something important he’d noticed during all the excitement a moment ago.

The patrolling sentries were unable to detect him in Aquamorph form.

(Translator’s Note: Author actually wrote that they were ‘able to detect’ Qin Ruo. Based on the context, I assume it’s a typo.)

Beside himself with delight, Qin Ruo quickly scanned every enemy in the village. The three patrolling teams could now be safely ignored entirely.

He should similarly be unnoticeable to the Mages.

The one uncertainty was the Tier 5 Bowmasters. There were two of them, standing in a clearing before the burning village, back-to-back. It seemed like the whole village was within their sight. The existence of these two ailed him greatly.

However, now that he no longer needed to worry about the patrols or anyone else, all he had to do was seek out these two Bowmasters’ blind spots, which made things quite simple.

Swiftly, Qin Ruo moved through the darkened forest until he was on the other side of the village. Approaching the two unburnt buildings from behind, he peered through the gaps and seams of the simple shacks, and at last discovered a solution to another major problem!

The one-way warp portal had been inscribed by the Moonlight Demon in the larger building on the left. Inside, there were also five carts loaded with farm produce, along with various goods they’d pillaged. Two bandits were standing guard over the Portal.

***

With the patrols no longer posing a threat, and the warp portal located, all that remained to the test was one last, crucial matter.

Kill a Mage, and then assume his identity in order to reach the one-way Portal. This would be the most challenging task to accomplish.

Of course, it shouldn’t pose any challenge to Qin Ruo. Being able to sneak undetected through the village, killing off a Mage or two ought to be a piece of cake.

Behind the larger building, Qin Ruo hid amongst several carts loaded high with plundered supplies and valuables, and used fine elemental control to send a tendril of water through a crack in the wall.

More and more water poured silently into the room beyond, unnoticed by any enemies within or without.

***

Inside, two Demon Faction Mages were sitting on the floor beside two carts. Drinking wine and chatting contentedly, enjoying the satisfaction of a successful raid, they didn’t notice that another person had soundlessly entered the room.

“Outside there! Did something happen just now? Who was that shouting?” One of the Mages suddenly turned to shout to his fellows outside.

“It was nothing! Just that yellow-belly Matthew seeing things.”

“Just seeing things? Don’t get careless! We’re on the border of Angel Faction lands. Everyone keep your eyes peeled, and don’t take anything for granted! Get moving! Tell the patrol team to bring a Bowmaster over for another look!” The Mage in the building seemed to be the one calling the shots, going by the way he was hollering at everyone outside.

Someone outside grunted in response, and then footsteps could be heard fading away into the distance.

Having already slipped into the room in Aquamorph form, Qin Ruo’s heart was dancing with delight. Things were going even smoother than expected.

Now that the guards at the door had been sent elsewhere, he could probably take out both Mages at once, and no one outside would be any the wiser.

***

As the footsteps pattered away, the Mage who had given all the orders turned back to the fellow Mage by his side. “The spoils have been good on this one. We should be able to take it easy for a while. What are you planning to do when you get back?”

“People like us, what else is there for us to do?” The other Mage was drinking hard, gulping down his wine. “Hiding all day in that god-forsaken hole, away from the sun. Coming out for another run every few months, but always scared of running into someone else, always wondering if today will be your last.”

“Alright, just count your blessings.” The Mage in charge gave him a look. “Think back to when you were still running around by yourself, always going hungry. At least working for Mr Moonlight, we don’t have to worry about getting killed off by anyone.”

There was a sigh, and then his companion suddenly exclaimed, “About that… why is it that every time after we finish a raid, Mr Moonlight becomes so peculiar? Just when are we gonna get going?”

“Well, the thing is, Mr Moonlight is trying to lure over some adventurers from the Radiant Faction.”

“Huh?” The more cynical Mage looked over. “What for?”

“There’s no challenge in slaughtering peasants, that’s what Mr Moonlight says. That’s why, every once in a while, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, Mr Moonlight will bring us out like this. While we gather everyday necessities, Mr Moonlight is waiting for someone from the Radiant Faction to take the bait.”

“Isn’t Mr Moonlight worried about attracting trouble?”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” The lead Mage snorted sharply. “Our Mr Moonlight is a Demigod Champion. Even if the Angel or Demon Faction pulled someone from the Mythical Battlefield—even if another Demigod Champion appears—we’ll be just fine.”

As he finished saying this, he noticed something odd behind him.

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The cynical Mage also felt the lethal intent coming their way!

But the both of them were Mages, after all. With people standing guard outside, and Mr Moonlight watching over them, they’d never imagined suffering a surprise attack in here.

A brown shadow split into four! Clone Shadowstrike!

Four tiny creatures struck the lead Mage as he was turning around, dealing devastating blows against him from four separate directions!

Target hit: 412 damage dealt to Demon Faction player!

Target Stunned for three seconds!

Target hit: 257 damage dealt to Demon Faction player!

Target Stunned for a further three seconds!

Target hit: 279 damage dealt to Demon Faction player!

Target Stunned for a further three seconds!

Target hit: 301 damage dealt to Demon Faction player!

Recently, as Poochie was gaining XP and levels, it had also managed to raise Clone Shadow Strike to its maximum Mastery Level. The damage dealt by the Shadowfox Clones had risen from 60% to 80%, while the maximum duration for the Stunned effect had been increased to nine seconds.

The pitiful bandit had not only lost most of his HP, but would also be Stunned for nine seconds—and he had not even finished turning around yet.

The cynical Mage was not faring any better. He’d only just noticed the presence of magic, and then next thing he knew, some ice-cold object had pierced through him!

Target hit: 1,028 damage dealt to Demon Faction player!

Target Chilled for four seconds!

A single Darkfrost Sting had dealt almost as much damage as Poochie’s Shadow Strike Clones, not that Qin Ruo paid much attention to damage values—right now, the Chill effect was all he cared about.

Five bolts of ice in hand, he made short work of the Mages on the floor. Then he hurriedly collected their equipment and put it on.

***

The waves of power thrown off by his magic had attracted the notice of the Moonlight Demon overhead. The Demigod Champion narrowed his eyes, and with a great thrust of his black Demonic Wings, he swooped down from the sky like a great bird-of-prey—a night hawk diving in for the kill—cold death descending upon the village in flames.

This unusual sight from Mr Moonlight set all the patrols on high alert. Realizing that something must be up, they swarmed towards the house which contained the warp portal!

But by the time they entered the large building, the enemy spellcaster was nowhere to be found. Near the portal, there lay two bodies, still warm.

***

Quest complete!

You have passed the test, and are now eligible for the Tier 5 Advancement Quest.

Time taken: 9 minutes, 37 seconds! 100% quest fulfilment!

Player ability assessment: Extremely Skilled!

Tier 5 Advancement Quest difficulty raised: Elite Warrior Challenge: Hellfire Trial!

The moment Qin Ruo stepped through the portal, the system notifications began to ring out. Meanwhile, the scene before him transformed into a hellish landscape, a world of red fire yearning to consume him, already engulfing him.

Originally, when he had heard that he had achieved “100% quest fulfillment” and had been rated as “Extremely Skilled,” his heart had stirred a little, and a certain thrill had been evident in his expression. Those last System Notifications, however, had overturned his mood completely.

Tier 5 Advancement Quest difficulty raised…

Hellfire Trial?

‘Weren’t there supposed to be somewhere between two to seven choices of which quest to undertake? What kind of Hellfire?’ Qin Ruo was at a loss. This did not quite match up with what he had heard from Slayer’s Heart, Violet Orchid, and the others of the Bauhinia Clan.

As he stood there, dumbstruck, the unbearable heat continued to assail him, and Qin Ruo felt the Water Magic he had gathered around himself in Aquamorph form being boiled off rapidly!

Going by how quickly everything was bubbling away into steam, Qin Ruo was not certain he would last even half a minute here! Panicking, he switched back to his natural form and threw up his Frostbarrier in a hurry.

“Come on!” It took four seconds for the Barrier to only sort of materialize. It was the casting speed of a low-level Tier 4 player, and it had Qin Ruo lamenting with grief. He was out of his element here.

He was in a massive cavern filled with scorching lava. A path led across the churning magma, hundreds of meters long but barely five meters wide, and Qin Ruo was standing right in the middle. At either end of it, fierce plumes of fire burst out from the lava non-stop.

Taking in his surroundings, Qin Ruo waited in vain for more details on his next quest.

Thinking about what he’d faced during his Tier 4 Advancement Quest, he kept his eyes on both ends of the path, and the darkness beyond.

Damn this! If he had been given seven choices, at least he could have chosen a more suitable environment for himself…

Here there was nothing but a tunnel leading into pitch darkness at either end. What in the world was going on?