Chapter 264 Fini's Weakness
"Surtur, you are the Lord of Flames, don't run away!"
In the intricate underground passages, Fini shouted as he chased after Surtur.
Fini had been in Muspelheim for nearly a month, and this was his seventh time seeking out Surtur.
Since the third time, the battles had essentially become two-on-two. Although the dragon was suppressed by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon bloodline, its defense was still quite good; it could withstand at least two Explosive Gale Bullets without dying.
However, by the fifth battle, Surtur had begun to back down. He didn't want to fight anymore. Regardless of Fini's motives, he simply didn't want to be beaten anymore.
So, after being beaten again by a combined attack from Fini and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the sixth battle, the current scene unfolded: Surtur, upon sensing Fini's arrival, chose to flee.
Seeing the countless fire demons relentlessly trying to block his path, Fini was somewhat exasperated. Worried that defeating too many fire demons would weaken his experience points, he hesitated to unleash his full power.
Seeing that even the demonic dragon had been sent to block him, Finney knew that Surtur was determined not to fight today, so
he had no choice but to stop the pursuit. He never expected that Surtur would choose not to fight him.
"Lord of Flames, trash, coward!"
Finney shouted a few sarcastic remarks, not knowing whether the fast-running Surtur heard him, but he figured that since Surtur had already made such a move, even if he heard, he would probably pretend not to.
Looking at the group of fire demons still charging towards him, buying time for Surtur, Finney sighed, opened the portal, and returned to his cave.
"Running away, how pathetic!"
Sitting on the sofa he had created, Finney was still grumbling, so angry that he didn't even keep the sofa still and fell to the ground.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Finney crafted a new chair, sat down, and reviewed his gains in Muspelheim.
Although Surtur had chosen to flee, he and the dragon had contributed nearly three hundred experience points in the past month.
For Finney, this month was equivalent to almost a year of skill training.
However, thinking about Surtur's escape, Finney felt a little regretful; a few more battles would have been enough for his ninth draw.
But Finney didn't give up completely. In the following days, through secretly bribing the fire demon and using a compass for location, he finally found Surtur again.
But Surtur seemed genuinely unwilling to fight anymore; facing Finney's attack, he surrendered immediately at the start of the battle.
This behavior left Finney speechless; Surtur had stumbled upon his weakness by sheer luck.
While the system lacked intelligence, it also didn't have any obvious flaws.
For example, regarding the point that winning battles grants more experience, while Finney could force his opponent to surrender to gain experience, the final experience gained was still affected by the battle itself.
Otherwise, he could have simply persuaded a few mages to verbally surrender each day, avoiding all the arduous battles.
Therefore, Surtur's surrender granted him almost no experience and also interrupted the battle—a situation Finney had never encountered before.
Ultimately, it was because Surtur was fearless and realized Finney didn't want to kill him.
He knew the prophecy of Ragnarok hadn't been fulfilled, so he wouldn't die; in fact, any form of death could be an opportunity for him to regain his strength.
However, Surtur was unaware of Finney's special abilities; otherwise, it's questionable whether he would have dared to be so reckless.
Faced with Surtur's utter lack of dignity, Finney was truly helpless. After a deep sigh, he finally abandoned his plan to grind for his ninth draw in Muspelheim.
Over the past month, besides the experience he gained from Surtur, he hadn't been without other gains.
For example, his usual 'Demon Possession' had evolved into 'Fire Resistance' after his reckless actions, further enhancing his defense.
However, what Finney most desired was the ninth skill, but unfortunately, Surtur wouldn't cooperate, and there was nothing he could do.
Without the experience from Surtur, Muspelheim had nothing left to hold him back, and he needed to consider exploring the next world.
But before leaving, he thought for a moment and decided to say goodbye to Surtur.
...
In the underground palace, Surtur remained vigilant even while resting. Although he had previously driven Finney away with running away and admitting defeat, he wasn't sure if Finney would return.
Just then, Surtur suddenly smelled something, picked up the Twilight Sword, and prepared to retreat, leaving Finney, who was secretly lurking in the shadows, speechless.
"Stop running! I'm here to say goodbye!"
Fini's words made Surtur stop in his tracks. He turned back in surprise to look at Fini's location, his heart filled with joy, but he didn't entirely believe Fini's words.
Seeing Surtur no longer running away, Fini was confused. It was just a fight; he hadn't gone all out, although he had indeed been a little too heavy-handed a few times.
"I'm planning to leave Muspelheim, so I came to say thank you for your hospitality these past few months!"
Actually, Fini was genuinely grateful to Surtur. Although he hadn't been able to successfully activate the ninth draw, the month of fighting had saved him almost a year's worth of time.
Hearing Fini's words, Surtur's first thought was that there was some kind of conspiracy, and he also couldn't understand what Fini meant.
Seeing Surtur still on guard, Fini sighed helplessly, said nothing more, silently marveling at this Ragnarok in Asgard, and then opened a portal and left the underground palace.
Seeing Phineas leave so easily, Surtur was surprised, then began to believe that Phineas really intended to leave, followed by a surge of joy.
Thinking of what he had endured during this time, and touching a wound on his back, Surtur couldn't help but think silently:
"Phineas Hellseth, when I reunite with the Eternal Flame, I will make you regret everything you've done!"
...
Phineas was unaware of Surtur's forbearance; at that moment, he was on the open ground he had come from, calling upon Heimdall's Rainbow Bridge.
"Heimdall!"
With the call, a beam of colorful light descended, enveloping Phineas and carrying him back to Asgard.
After spending a month in Muspelheim, upon returning to Asgard, Phineas instantly felt the freshness of the air.
"Long time no see !"
Phineas greeted Heimdall with a smile.
During this month, Phineas had felt Heimdall's gaze several times; compared to Odin's orders, this level of observation was practically negligence.
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(End of Chapter)