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*****
Defeating Surtur brought Fenye a significant step closer to his ninth card draw. Translated into numeric terms, the battle had yielded a staggering forty-five experience points—equivalent to a full month and a half of daily, grueling cultivation.
However, looking back at the battle, Fenye knew that his victory leaned heavily on the element of surprise. If Surtur had possessed prior knowledge of his diverse toolkit, things would definitely not have concluded so smoothly.
After all, Explosion, his single most powerful offensive spell, was drastically mitigated by the giant's elemental resistances, forcing him to rely entirely on Golden Derivative Magic to output meaningful damage.
Yet, judging by the course of the battle, Surtur possessed a form of latent psychic or mental control, which also acted as a severe counter to the focus required for Golden Derivative Magic.
When he paused to carefully analyze the situation, Fenye realized that beyond being the destined herald of Asgard's Ragnarok, Surtur uniquely possessed attributes that specifically countered his own standard combat workflow.
Fortunately, he still had the Blue-Eyes White Dragon waiting in reserve. If he were to summon the dragon to orchestrate a seamless offense-and-defense duo, systematically defeating Surtur would remain a manageable task.
Leaning back in his conjured chair, Fenye plotted his next moves. Although he had only arrived in Muspelheim a mere three days ago, he had already successfully checked off his primary strategic objectives.
Realistically, there shouldn't be an entity in all of Muspelheim more powerful than Surtur. As for the lingering fire demons, the experience points they provided were abysmally low, and navigating their elemental fire attributes made clearing them a tedious chore.
By all logic, he should pack up his campsite, return home, and prepare for his journey into the next realm. However, glancing at his system interface, which was now filled well past the halfway mark, a sudden, bold thought flashed through his mind.
"What if I farm him again?"
Surtur was, without a doubt, the highest-yielding experience source Fenye had encountered in recent memory. More importantly, he was a boss that Fenye could reliably escape from even if a spar went completely south.
Best of all, this particular opponent was functionally immortal. Even if Fenye accidentally pushed too hard and reduced him to ash, the giant would eventually manifest anew as long as his crown was introduced to a source of fire.
In a worst-case scenario, Fenye still possessed Zaphkiel: Dalet. Since reverting the giant back into a dormant crown form didn't technically count as ultimate death, a quick application of time reversal would easily restore him to full fighting shape.
"But... isn't doing that a little cruel to him?"
The fleeting pang of guilt had barely surfaced before Fenye casually brushed it aside with a bit of self-consolation.
Who exactly was Surtur? He was a cosmic entity who stood on equal footing with the All-Father Odin, an immortal being who had existed since the dawn of the realms. Suffering a few consecutive defeats in a localized sandbox would, at most, serve as a minor bit of spice to flavor his incredibly long life.
Now that the decision was finalized, Fenye felt a sudden wave of regret. If he had known he was going to loop this encounter, he should have hauled Surtur out of the cavern earlier. He had no idea if the giant was currently buried under millions of tons of volcanic rock.
Since his magical reserves hadn't fully recovered yet, he refrained from teleporting back down immediately to investigate.
Instead, Fenye spent a full, uninterrupted day resting inside his cave, systematically restoring his mental acuity and physical stamina to absolute peak condition. Once fully energized, he opened a portal back to the subterranean palace, only to find the entire architecture completely caved in.
"He isn't still trapped under all this debris, is he?"
Fenye's immediate reaction was a genuine concern for Surtur's physical well-being. However, upon noticing clear, visible signs of heavy excavation and rubble removal around the perimeter, he let out a sigh of relief.
A moment later, a wry smile played across his lips. He realized how absurd it was to harbor the illusion that Surtur could be permanently pinned down by a localized cave-in. Even in a weakened state, the giant remained a formidable entity worth a whopping forty-five experience points.
Although he knew Surtur had successfully broken out, Fenye had no way of determining his new coordinates. After a moment of thought, he decided to trace his steps back to the primary fire demon nesting ground where he had first arrived.
Compared to his initial visit, the density of fire demons in the area had plummeted by more than half. A vast majority were likely still roaming the surface of Muspelheim on a wild goose chase looking for him, but the ones remaining instantly recognized his face the moment he appeared.
"It's him!"
"He came back!"
"The one the King commanded us to find!"
"So hungry..."
"Food!"
"Give us food!"
Upon sighting Fenye, the fire demons reacted with a chaotic blend of conflicting emotions. A few, who had been thoroughly thrashed by him during his initial sweep, backed away in palpable fear; others immediately recalled Surtur's explicit royal decree. However, the vast majority were inexplicably fixated on a singular craving: the Violet-Brand Fried Chicken Rolls.
Fortunately, because the local population had been thoroughly 'educated' by Fenye just two days prior, none of them chose to launch an immediate, unprovoked assault.
Since the fire demons all looked virtually identical, Fenye couldn't distinguish which specific demon had acted as his guide the previous day. Opting for a direct approach, he manifested a small mountain of hot Violet-Brand Fried Chicken Rolls onto the rocky floor and asked:
"Which one of you led the way yesterday?"
---
Catching sight of the steaming Violet-Brand Fried Chicken Rolls, the simple-minded fire demons completely abandoned any semblance of tactical thought. They instantly surged forward in a chaotic swarm, eager to plunder the food.
Fenye let out a helpless sigh. It seemed these creatures possessed a remarkably short memory retention span, completely forgetting the severe disciplinary action they had faced not too long ago.
Activating his breathing technique, Fenye instantly toggled over to his Water Mode. A pale blue barrier of condensed water energy enveloped the pile of chicken rolls, causing the charging fire demons to slam face-first into the fluid shield, bringing their momentum to a grinding halt.
"Which one of you led the way yesterday?" Fenye reiterated calmly.
The fire demons stared longingly at the chicken rolls, aggressively scratching and clawing at the water barrier, but not a single individual stepped forward to claim credit.
Fenye frowned slightly. Looking at the limited cluster of demons present, he reasoned that his previous guide was likely still out on patrol. Shifting his strategy, he posed a different question:
"Does anyone here know the current coordinates of your King?"
The fire demons completely ignored his inquiry, continuing their frantic assault on the water barrier. A few rogue elements attempted to direct their attacks toward Fenye himself, but upon remembering the painful memories of their previous encounter, they quickly thought better of it and redirected their frustration back toward the fluid shield.
Fenye rubbed his temples, finding the collective cognitive capacity of the fire demons to be incredibly exhausting. At the same time, he felt a sudden wave of genuine respect for Surtur; managing a horde this dense must be a monumental task.
"Whoever guides me to the King can have all of these!"
Hearing this ultimate incentive, the fire demons finally showed a cohesive reaction. They glanced at one another in a brief silence before a few voices broke out from the crowd:
"The King... the King said he was looking for him too."
"Bring him over."
"I'll do it!"
"No, I will!"
To Fenye's absolute bewilderment, the horde suddenly degenerated into an absolute free-for-all brawl. They began ruthlessly beating one another until only the single strongest demon remained standing.
Watching the victorious fire demon—who had braved immense internal strife, overcome insurmountable odds, and walked away with deep structural bruises just to stagger over to the edge of the water barrier—Fenye felt a strange, inexplicable sense of profound admiration.
Then again, Fenye seriously doubted whether any of them had taken the time to process a fundamental detail: was Surtur's royal decree to bring him along as a guest, or to capture him as a prisoner?
"They're all yours," Fenye stated, true to his word, as he lowered the water barrier.
Seeing the shield vanish, the surrounding fire demons rippled with restless movement. Fenye braced himself, half-expecting a few individuals to renege on their unspoken agreement and launch a raid on the food, but to his surprise, the crowd simply watched with longing eyes, refraining from making a single move.
"They might be simple, but they're surprisingly disciplined in their own way," Fenye thought to himself.
Although the intense competition had left the victorious fire demon covered in deep cracks and abrasions, the intrinsic healing properties embedded within the Violet-Brand Fried Chicken Rolls worked wonders. By the time the creature finished devouring the pile, its structural integrity had completely stabilized.
Having eaten its fill, the fire demon obediently assumed the role of guide. It led Fenye back down through the labyrinthine network of volcanic shafts riddling the mountain, though it selected a completely different tunnel this time.
Fenye had originally intended to strikes up a casual conversation with his guide along the way, but the terrain this time proved to be exceptionally treacherous and winding. The fire demon moved through the jagged crevices with such blistering speed that Fenye had to devote his entire focus just to maintain pace, leaving zero room for small talk.
He found it somewhat ironic that while he could systematically overpower Surtur in open combat, he was being thoroughly outperformed by a low-tier fire demon when it came to a cross-country sprint.
Fortunately, because the guide was moving at an absolute breakneck pace, the overall transit time was significantly shortened. Within a mere hour, they had successfully arrived at their destination.
Stepping into the new cavern chamber and taking in the scene before him, Fenye couldn't help but blink in sheer surprise.
(End of Chapter)