I like them big, do you?

Chapter 76: Blessing in disguise

The specter boss had hidden below the mountain.

It wasn't a human-friendly environment due to the monsters inhabiting it beforehand. Of course, the monsters were common in such a fantasy world, even before the dark times.

The difference was that those monsters didn't respawn and that their quantity was severely lower.

Nowadays, the monsters had become a term for the existences brought by the dark matter who could respawn and hunt others ceaselessly.

"Coldness in this place was no different than in any other part of the province, but our specters hunts led us to this place! A cave opened itself, and our guild members found a boss within!" The hero explained.

Everyone nodded, then scrutinized the entrance.

It seemed like doors made by nature itself, and it didn't look any different than caves. However, upon staring into its darkness for a few seconds, the players felt coldness running down their spine.

That kind of feeling was foreign since, but a few of them had imagined the boss' appearance from the hero's clues.

They felt like their imagination pulled a prank on them, but that was the raw mana extending itself toward them.

Reylin wasn't fond of coldness, so he scoffed.

He took the first step forward, and his friends followed him briefly after.

The cave was like the entrance, carved by the world and forgotten by it. 

Of course, the boss' hideout couldn't be plain.

Players noticed how deep the cave was. They openly complained about it, even though Ferocious Bear had informed them beforehand.

Steel Melody led the complaining team as she was the first one to complain, and her voice was far from a whisper, "And it's becoming colder, actually! Luckily, we have the man in love whose flames burn with affection! Right, Rey?"

To her giggling face, Reylin laughed as well, "Exactly. This is a love that sets up my heart ablaze. And when my heart burns, this is where I feel the best. Aria, my flames are exclusive to you. Be there a need for a flame embrace, I am here for you."

"Wait... So you will not use your flames on me as the last time?" Steel Melody opened her mouth widely after she had realized it.

Reylin threw her a side-glance, "I have priorities, maso."

"No..." Steel Melody's shoulder dropped, and she sadly moved on.

Everyone around her cheered the tank, and they clapped her armor. The familiar and exciting melody didn't help, however. And as the tank carried on with her sulky mood, the complaints slowly died.

On the side, Aria chuckled, and she poured some light to the tank's sulky heart, "He will give all tanks that help, but should a choice appear, he will just prioritize me. That's how simps function, and he's too deep in that."

"Oh!" Steel Melody's eyes rose, "What a simp! He's going to use every chance to cajole you! I am disappointed! Hmpf, if push comes to shove, I will protect Ferocious Bear!"

"Thank you!" The hero cutely chimed in.

With how engaging the talk sparked by the tank was, the players hadn't noticed how the temperature had fallen. At one point, players began trembling one by one, forcing Reylin to make a move.

He slapped his hands on everyone's equipment, and his flames went through every one. His flames became an orange aura around everyone and the coldness thoroughly lost against him.

However, players sucked a breath and felt like coldness momentarily prevailed, all due to the boss floating in the middle of the cave.

[The Ghastly Specter Boss Lv. 55 HP: 20 000 MP: 35 000]

[You have spotted an Epic Monster!]

It was sleeping currently.

The boss was a massive specter with twelves arms sprouting from its back. On the sides, it also had arms, and no one dared to think of it as a humanoid creature. Its head was leaning forth, and it was pretty long and rectangular...

A grotesque creature with transparent, ghastly mana floated before the players, and one could only wonder what it would sound like.

It wouldn't take long before the players heard its screeches, however.

"We will split into three teams. Take its underlings quick enough, then we will all strike down the boss! I think we might be able to beat them down before you, hehe!" Maya was in good spirits, so she half-joked, then the party split and began their approach.

Everyone faintly smiled while approaching the boss!

"It doesn't look like you will be able to spread your flames in this cave," Aria side-glanced at Reylin.

He reciprocated her glance with even a deeper one, "Worried about me?"

"Stop with that simping for the boss fight," Aria closed her eyes and sighed, "I want to deal with this boss on the first try... Actually, Vis told me about problems on his side. Maya's city is not the only one in a predicament. I want to deal with this boss, and go to that Alex you've mentioned earlier, then finally help my guild."

REEEEEEEE!

"It begins!" Steel Melody shouted amidst the screeches.

She immediately taunted the boss, and it worked! Her smile widened, and she waited for the loud steel bang that would make her tremble with excitement. Of course, the boss didn't disappoint the masochist.

It slammed against the tank, then froze her!

"Hmm," Reylin pondered while the tank taunted the boss, "So I have around three or four confessions left." His hand burst with flames, and he channeled more mana than ever before, "I will make sure we will succeed on the first try then."

He threw the fireball toward the boss. Due to the enormous quantity of mana within, it seemed more like a fire avalanche!

The boss shifted its eyes toward it, and its disgusting eyes widened. After Reylin's flames scratched its side, the boss howled like never before.

In fact, the whole cave shook!

Reylin smiled, but just for a second.

In the blink of an eye, the boss used unimaginable speed!

Its mana dropped by nearly three thousand, but that speed surprised everyone from the main team!

Faced with the boss, Reylin moved his hand as fast as possible. He conjured another fireball, but his whole body froze!

And his fireball actually dispersed!

[Your mana has been frozen.]

[You can't use any skills.]

"My flames..." Reylin's eyes expanded.

That ghastly mana permeated his body, and it froze his mana channels. He couldn't even move and bring out a drop of mana! This ended up with Reylin flying toward the end of the cave.

After he struck the wall, his body rolled onto the ground.

He stared at the pebbles, then at his hand, he brought closer to his face, "I can't bring any flames... That feeling, I utterly hate..."

It was like the game became real life.

A real-life that was boring despite his background.

In a game, Reylin felt much better, and he knew the reason.

Mana.

"It's because I lack fire mana," Reylin gritted his teeth, "A normal mana can be easily frozen by such a creature."

Reylin took out Layla's notes and began rereading them.

In the meantime, his party kept fighting against the boss. They were doing great due to the boss exerting more mana than it had planned beforehand. The boss used a lot for the instant teleportation and invasion into Reylin's body system.

No one knew its cooldown, however.

And if it could take out a pyromaniac like that, then no one was safe!

It also didn't look like the hero, and her party could take it down in a short time.

Reylin didn't look at the battle, however. He just glanced at Aria, then returned to Layla's notes.

The lack of flames hit him harder than anything, and he focused intensely on those notes. He wouldn't even notice if any attack came at him from the side!

However, Reylin was in an unusual state where he didn't even feel a drop of mana. That state was a blessing in disguise as he noticed more details in Layla's notes than before!

After five minutes, Reylin's eyes shone red, and he made a connection with an existence that the whole world called The Ascended.

His mind shook, and Reylin saw a different scenario.

He also found himself not on the ground but on a bed.

Reylin failed to register that change, and he was shocked by the soft ground. Soon, however, he raised himself out of bed.

The room he found himself in was quite narrow. Other than the bed, Reylin saw two chairs and a white table next to it. He looked around and found white walls that rose up to trap the existence within its embrace.

Reylin left the bed and approached a woman that filled one of the seats.

From behind, he could only see her long cascading red hair.

She extended her hand toward the glass on the table.

"Vodka?" Reylin asked while she took a shot.

"Other than my mana, nothing sets me on fire," Woman chuckled, then shifted her eyes to Reylin, "Take a seat. There's no player other than you that can currently sit here. Rey Flames Lin. Earth's name: Reylin Crown. I will use your name."

"Hah. Are you one of the game developers? Quite a fancy character design. I guess you guys don't have any limitations when it comes to cosmetics," Reylin laughed while he took a seat, "So? You brought me here to nerf me? I was on a good track, you know? And I don't have time, so be quick."

"Game developers? I haven't met them," The woman said, "Only Rekmal did, but I have never been in favor of that white-haired cuck's plan. He also went ahead and made contact with you guys without telling us... Well, it's been interesting and so fun, so I can't complain."

"If you think I understand you, then you are wrong. How about you being more direct?" Reylin said, and one could tell he was irritated with how his face contorted.

The woman faintly laughed, "The time is frozen here, just like your body. You can enjoy my company, and I can assure you that anyone would give their lives to do so." She poured vodka for him and herself.

Reylin didn't know whether such a thing was possible, but that woman's flow couldn't be broken.

He took a seat and tasted the vodka, "A taste I thoroughly enjoy. Still, I can't enjoy your company without knowing your name and the purpose of bringing me here."

"If you knew my name, you wouldn't have been enjoying it. You wouldn't even take a second shot, so let it stay as a mystery... Now, purpose? What you are trying to achieve is impossible. That is the law." The woman stated.

Reylin's face brightened, "Impossible? That's a challenge and a law I will break."