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*****
"Surtur, you are the Lord of Fire! Don't run away!"
Within the labyrinthine network of subterranean tunnels, Fenye bellowed at the top of his lungs while relentlessly pursuing Surtur's retreating figure.
Fenye had been stationed in Muspelheim for nearly a month now, and this marked his seventh excursion to track down the elusive Fire Giant.
Ever since their third match, the combat dynamic had essentially evolved into a standard two-on-two tag team match. Although Surtur's fire dragon suffered immense performance drops due to the generic bloodline suppression from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, its baseline defensive parameters were exceptionally robust; it could consistently survive absorbing two point-blank executions of Burst Stream of Destruction without instantly dying.
However, by the time their fifth encounter rolled around, Surtur began to completely lose his nerve. He simply wanted no part in this continuous cycle anymore. Regardless of what Fenye's ultimate cosmic objectives were, the giant was thoroughly exhausted from absorbing a one-sided thrashing.
Consequently, after being subjected to a joint, high-intensity pummeling by Fenye and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon during their sixth bout, the current, absurd scene unfolded: the moment Surtur registered Fenye's arrival in his proximity, he chose to run for his life.
Watching waves of fire demons throw themselves forward in a desperate bid to obstruct his path, Fenye felt a wave of irritation. Because he was constantly worried that over-clearing the minor lackeys would cross the one-thousand threshold and penalize his core rewards, he couldn't unleash his full area-of-effect spells.
Seeing that Surtur had gone so far as to deploy the fire dragon as a sacrificial rear guard just to secure his escape, Fenye knew the giant was iron-willed in his refusal to engage today, forcing him to bring his pursuit to a grinding halt.
He had never, in his wildest dreams, envisioned that the harbinger of Ragnarok would systematically choose to ghost his challenges.
"And you call yourself the Sovereign of Fire? You're nothing but a pathetic coward!"
Fenye barked out a sequence of loud provocations, though he had no way of knowing if the rapidly fleeing Surtur actually caught the insults. Then again, given that the giant had already discarded his pride to execute a tactical retreat, Fenye reasoned that even if Surtur heard him, he would simply pretend to be deaf.
Glancing at the residual cluster of fire demons still swarming forward to buy their master more time, Fenye let out a heavy sigh. Drawing a spark-showering circle, he stepped through a portal and returned to his residential campsite.
"Running away from a spar... talk about an absolute lack of spine!"
Leaning back into his conjured sofa, Fenye continued to grumble with intense resentment. Because his irritation was compromising his core focus, the structure of the sofa failed to sustain its matrix, causing him to crash straight onto the dirt floor.
Deeply inhaling a few times to re-center his emotional state, Fenye reconstructed a simple chair. Sitting down, he systematically audited the cumulative gains he had extracted during his campaign in Muspelheim.
Although Surtur had opted to flee just now, over the course of this single month, the giant and his vanguard dragon had collectively yielded a staggering grand total of nearly three hundred experience points.
To put things into perspective, this month of active high-intensity combat was equivalent to a full year of routine, independent ability cultivation.
Yet, remembering Surtur's sudden flight, Fenye couldn't help but feel a wave of profound disappointment. Had he managed to secure just a few more authentic matches, his ninth ability draw would have been fully funded.
Refusing to abandon the project entirely, Fenye spent the subsequent days covertly bribing lower-tier fire demons with food and utilizing his cosmic compass orientation workflows. Through sheer perseverance, he ultimately managed to corner Surtur once more.
However, Surtur was thoroughly committed to his pacifist retreat strategy. Facing Fenye's incoming strike, the giant didn't even bother to raise his blade; the absolute moment the engagement initiated, he instantly vocalized a total surrender.
---
This completely shameless behavior left Fenye utterly dumbfounded. Through sheer, blind luck, Surtur had inadvertently managed to exploit a fundamental flaw in his entire workflow.
While his internal system lacked a cognitive intelligence matrix, it possessed zero exploitable loopholes.
For instance, while securing a definitive triumph yielded premium experience points, the final numeric payout remained strictly tethered to the actual intensity and duration of the underlying engagement.
If it operated otherwise, Fenye wouldn't have needed to endure such exhausting, high-intensity training campaigns; he could have simply convinced a few sorcerers at Kamar-Taj to verbally concede to him on a daily loop to maximize his points.
Consequently, Surtur's instant verbal surrender rewarded him with virtually zero experience points, while simultaneously terminating the combat state before it could materialize. This constituted the absolute first time Fenye had encountered such an anti-competitive tactic since his debut.
When pushed to its core, this strategy worked simply because Surtur was fundamentally immortal, and he had deduced that Fenye possessed zero intent to permanently execute him.
The giant was deeply aware that until the ancient cosmic prophecy of Ragnarok manifested, his existence could not be eradicated. Ironically, any conventional method of death might simply serve as a baseline catalyst to accelerate his prime restoration.
Of course, Surtur was entirely oblivious to the specific, reality-altering parameters embedded within Fenye's system; had he known the true stakes, whether he would possess the nerve to gamble so flagrantly remained highly debatable.
Pitted against a cosmic warlord who completely discarded the baseline dignity of a powerhouse, Fenye was genuinely out of tactical options. Letting out a profound, heavy sigh, he formally abandoned his ambition of wrapping up his ninth ability draw within the volcanic borders of Muspelheim.
---
Nevertheless, over the course of this action-packed month, his achievements weren't limited strictly to the experience points extracted from Surtur's health pool.
Through his continuous, high-risk exposure to extreme environmental factors, the standard matrix of Incursio had successfully undergone a localized adaptation, formally evolving a permanent Fire Resistance attribute that significantly scaled his baseline defensive metrics.
Yet, from a strategic standpoint, his primary objective remained the acquisition of his ninth independent skill. Since Surtur refused to cooperate, there was simply nothing he could do to force the issue.
With the giant's experience pool thoroughly locked down, Muspelheim no longer held any functional value for his progression. It was high time he began evaluating coordinates for his next extra-dimensional exploration.
Before executing his final departure, however, he paused and decided it would be a matter of professional courtesy to bid the giant a formal farewell.
---
Down within the smoldering ruins of his palace, Surtur maintained a state of high tactical alertness even during his rest cycles. Although his deployment of flight and immediate surrender workflows had successfully repelled Fenye previously, he couldn't guarantee the persistent intruder wouldn't mount a follow-up offensive.
Right on cue, a distinct, familiar aroma suddenly registered within Surtur's olfactory senses. Snatching the Twilight Sword, the giant immediately pivoted to execute another retreat, leaving the cloaked Fenye—who was actively navigating the shadows via stealth—utterly speechless.
"Stop running! I'm simply here to bid you goodbye!"
Fenye's vocalization caused Surtur to instantly halt his stride. Turning his massive head to look toward the source of the sound with an expression of intense surprise, a wave of pure ecstasy surged within his chest, though he refrained from dropping his defensive stance entirely.
Observing the stationary giant, Fenye felt a touch of bewilderment. They had merely engaged in a few martial spars, and he had never utilized lethal force—even if a handful of his mid-game strikes had admittedly landed with a bit too much physical momentum.
"I am officially preparing to depart the realm of Muspelheim, so I felt it appropriate to notify you. Thank you for your exceptional hospitality over the past month!"
In truth, Fenye's gratitude was entirely authentic. Although he hadn't managed to unlock his ninth ability draw, this intensive month of combat had effectively shaved off an entire year of routine, independent grinding.
Hearing the boy's parting words, Surtur's immediate instinct was to suspect a complex, localized ambush. At the same time, he was thoroughly incapable of deciphering what kind of psychological mindset would prompt an intruder to voice such a statement.
Faced with Surtur's unyielding vigilance, Fenye let out a helpless sigh. Declining to offer further explanation, he took a moment to mentally appreciate the sheer absurdity of the herald of Ragnarok, before drawing a glowing portal and stepping through, vanishing from the subterranean chamber instantly.
Beholding the absolute departure of the sorcerer, Surtur stood frozen in profound astonishment. It was only after several quiet moments that he finally accepted the reality that the boy had truly vacated the realm, prompting a wave of unbridled euphoria to sweep through his frame.
Reflecting on the intense humiliation he had endured over the past weeks, while gently reaching back to touch a highly specific, residual scar on his lower perimeter, Surtur's expression darkened into a mask of pure, venomous promise:
"Fenye Halsey... the exact moment I reunite with the Eternal Flame, I will make you regret every single choice you made within my kingdom!"
---
Fenye remained entirely oblivious to the vengeful thoughts Surtur was harboring. At that moment, he was standing out on the barren, wide-open plains where he had originally arrived, projecting his voice across the cosmos to signal the Asgardian gatekeeper.
"Heimdall!"
In immediate response to his call, a brilliant, multi-colored beam of cosmic energy descended from the heavens, enveloping Fenye's frame entirely and whisking him away from the volcanic wasteland, pulling him back toward the golden spires of Asgard.
Having been subjected to the oppressive, sulfurous atmosphere of Muspelheim for an entire month, the crisp, pristine air of the golden realm felt exceptionally rejuvenating the moment his boots touched the observatory floor.
"Long time no see!" Fenye offered, flashing a bright smile toward the gatekeeper.
Over the course of his month-long campaign, Fenye had occasionally registered the distinctive sensation of Heimdall's piercing gaze monitoring his coordinates. Compared to the strict, absolute mandates originally dictated by Odin, this highly relaxed level of observation was practically indistinguishable from a beautiful case of professional negligence.
(End of Chapter)