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*****
In the scorching heat, every breath Fenech took felt like inhaling liquid fire.
Because his visibility was severely limited, Fenech flew at a cautious pace. It took him nearly half a day to reach the volcano Heimdall had mentioned, but after circling the area, he was baffled to find not a single sign of the "Fire Demons" the gatekeeper had described.
"Could he have pranked me again?"
Fenech couldn't help but feel a flicker of suspicion, though he quickly dismissed it as unlikely. Replaying Heimdall's words in his head, he suddenly looked up at the crater spewing thick, black smoke.
"Are they inside?"
It seemed like the only remaining possibility.
Using the Skywalk technique, Fenech flew to the rim of the crater and peered down. However, the churning plumes of soot and smoke blocked his vision entirely.
"Wind!"
Fenech focused his mind and used the *Golden Ars Magna* to summon a violent gust. The wind tore through the smog, clearing a path for his eyes to see the interior of the volcano.
Aside from the rivers of glowing, molten lava, the volcanic walls were covered—absolutely packed—with living creatures. They had dual horns and dark-brown bodies that looked like a mixture of volcanic ash and cooling magma. Their eyes glowed a deep crimson, bearing a striking resemblance to Fenech's own eyes when he was in his 'Incursio' state.
"So many!?"
Fenech was startled by the sheer scale of the swarm. At a single glance, it felt as though there were several thousand of them at the very least. Since he was currently invisible, the Fire Demons hadn't noticed him. Although they seemed confused by the sudden gust of wind, their limited intelligence prevented them from overthinking it. They simply remained clinging to the walls, continuing their slumber.
Feeling the blistering heat radiating from the crater, Fenech hesitated to enter. Instead, he revealed himself at the entrance and shouted down into the depths:
"I am a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj! I wish to spar with you and test our magics!"
Muspelheim was one of the Nine Realms, and thanks to his universal translator, communication wasn't an issue. Upon hearing Fenech's voice, the Fire Demons inside the volcano began to stir. They looked at one another and immediately started scrambling up the walls like a tide of insects.
Watching the Fire Demons pour out of the crater like ants, Fenech tried to prepare a formal opening for a dialogue. However, before he could find the right words, his keen hearing—enhanced by his Breathing Techniques—picked up a conversation that was far from friendly.
"What is that thing?"
"Looks like a human in armor."
"Can we eat it?"
"I don't know!"
Fenech's brow furrowed. The dialogue among the Fire Demons centered almost entirely on whether or not he was edible. A strange sense of unease began to settle in his gut.
Suppressing his worry, Fenech watched the creatures continue to emerge. He spoke again, his voice deep and resonant: "I am Fenech Halsey, a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj. I am here to exchange magic techniques!"
"What is he saying?"
"Don't understand!"
"Should we capture him for the King?"
"The King is resting and said not to bother him!"
"Then... eat him?"
"Good! Eat him!"
Fenech suddenly realized he had made a profound mistake. He shouldn't have gone to Jotunheim first. If he had come to Muspelheim first, his expectations might have been better calibrated for this level of "hospitality."
Watching the Fire Demons reach a consensus on eating him, he finally understood why Heimdall had specifically warned him about their limited intelligence.
With a deep sigh, Fenech projected his voice to drown out the chattering of the swarm: "I have no ill intent! I only wish to find someone to spar with!"
But the Fire Demons didn't care. Their limited brain cells were reserved for sleeping, eating, and fighting on their King's command.
"Eat him!"
One Fire Demon shrieked the command, and the entire collective immediately lunged at Fenech.
Out of a sense of courtesy, Fenech had landed on the ground near the crater while speaking. Now, looking at the tens of thousands of Fire Demons rushing toward him, he couldn't quite fathom how things had escalated this quickly.
However, he didn't dwell on it for long. Though the process was unexpected, the result was the same. His goal was to gain experience through combat, after all.
"Since you're all in such a hurry, then I won't be polite!"
Beneath his faceguard, Fenech sighed. He summoned the *White Dragon's Breath* staff from his Item Storage space and swung it casually, slamming it into the first Fire Demon to reach him.
CRACK!
To Fenech's surprise, the single strike completely shattered the creature's head. He froze for a moment. Although he had instinctively used a bit of force and the staff was incredibly hard, the Fire Demons' physical defense was unexpectedly fragile.
The death of their comrade meant nothing to the others. They opened their mouths wide, frantically pouncing toward him.
"Water Mode!"
Fenech injected water energy, activating the 'Water Mode' he had newly developed back in Jotunheim.
In the blink of an eye, his silver-white armor transformed into a sky-blue hue. A thin, pale-blue shroud of water enveloped his entire body. He then expanded the water shield to its maximum radius, forcibly pushing back the Fire Demons that had just closed in.
While testing the defensive strength of the water shield, Fenech also began to gauge the effectiveness of his offensive magic.
"Explosion!"
Having just accidentally killed one with a staff whack, Fenech didn't dare use his full power. He released a standard, uncharged blast.
Curiously, the Fire Demons—who were physically fragile—showed exceptional resistance to 'Explosion' magic. Despite it being a rapid-fire cast without chants or buffs, it was still an attack of the highest tier. Yet, when it hit the Fire Demons, they appeared entirely unfazed.
Fenech wasn't particularly surprised. This was within his expectations and was the primary reason he hadn't made Muspelheim his first destination. The damage from 'Explosion' magic was concentrated in two areas: terrifying heat and the blast wave. Since Fire Demons lived inside volcanoes and were composed of heat-resistant matter, the high temperatures of his magic were essentially useless against them.
Seeing the Fire Demons surrounding his water shield so densely that not even air could pass through, Fenech frowned. Fortunately, the *Golden Ars Magna* was exceptionally powerful here.
"Bring the water!"
Fenech focused his mind with high intensity. Using the *Golden Ars Magna*, he summoned a small waterfall out of thin air.
A surging torrent of water erupted from the void!
If the weakness of the Frost Giants was fire, then the weakness of the Fire Demons was undoubtedly water. Scorching flames did negligible damage to them, but clear, cool water caused them agonizing pain. A few drops might have been manageable, but such a massive volume of water was something these Fire Demons hadn't seen in their entire lives.
Screams of agony instantly rose in a chorus.
Driven by a primal fear of the water, the Fire Demons near Fenech scrambled to get away, desperate to distance themselves from his shield. However, because their numbers were so vast, getting close had been easy—getting out was proving to be much more difficult.
(End of Chapter)