Chapter 145: The Struggle for the Golden Flame

"To think I’d encounter something like this so soon after entering the middle region."

Excitement surged through Victor, but he quickly regained his composure.

The faint golden flame was located deep within the lava, surrounded by unusually active earth veins. Even without a magical beast guarding it, approaching would be anything but easy.

Not to mention...

Victor glanced behind him.

The Molten Vein Hound that had pursued him so fiercely had already retreated to the distant entrance of the passage, showing no intention of approaching the center of the basin.

Rather than recklessly jumping down, Victor moved carefully along the rocky platform, searching for a position from which he could observe the flame itself.

As he approached the center of the basin, the surrounding temperature rose noticeably. Even the solid black rocks beneath his feet began developing tiny cracks.

He had no choice but to circulate his mana, forming a thin layer of fire-attribute protection around his body.

Such protection, however, could not be maintained for long. In an environment with such extreme temperatures, every step forward consumed additional mana.

Victor soon realized that continuing along this route was unwise.

Instead, he turned his attention to the rock walls surrounding the basin.

After searching for a while, he noticed a natural fissure extending inward along a section of rock wall beneath the black stone mound.

The rocks around the opening were noticeably darker, having escaped the direct impact of the earlier lava eruption.

"That might lead underground."

Victor made a preliminary assessment.

Just as he was about to investigate further, voices came from the opposite side of the basin.

"I told you there was something wrong with the earth veins here!"

"Did you see that golden flame just now?"

"I saw it! But don’t rush over there. The temperature down below is too high!"

Victor paused in his track .

Someone else?

He immediately suppressed the mana fluctuations around his body and took cover behind the nearby rocks, looking toward the source of the voices.

Three professionals stood on an elevated section on the opposite side of the basin.

Two wore dark-gray protective armor, with longswords and gathering tools strapped to their backs. At the front stood a middle-aged man dressed in a dark-red mage’s robe.

Holding a staff embedded with a fire-attribute crystal, the man was studying the changes in the earth veins at the center of the basin.

Victor examined him.

[Target Level: 41]

[Life Tier: Second Tier]

Level 41!

The other two professionals were Level 33 and Level 35, respectively.

This team’s strength clearly exceeded that of the ordinary explorers he had encountered earlier.

"Captain, what should we do now?"

One of the swordsmen spoke.

"That thing has already appeared. If someone else discovers it, claiming it for ourselves won’t be so easy anymore."

The middle-aged mage remained silent for a moment before settling his gaze beneath the black stone mound.

"Don’t make a move yet."

"Why?"

"Haven’t you noticed?"

He extended his staff, pointing toward the gradually calming lava.

"Every time that flame appears, the surrounding earth veins undergo a noticeable change in their mana fluctuations. That means it’s probably still absorbing fire elements from underground."

"If we force our way closer now, forget whether we can even take it. The violent lava eruptions alone would be enough to cause us serious trouble."

His two companions grew solemn upon hearing this.

"Then are we supposed to just wait here?"

"No."

The middle-aged mage shook his head.

"First, find a route that will allow us to approach from underground."

With that, he directed his attention toward the rock wall at the side of the basin.

And that direction...

Happened to be where Victor had discovered the natural fissure!

A faint smile appeared on Victor’s face.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had set his sights on this high tier natural flame.

Still, that wasn’t necessarily bad news.

Someone capable of reaching Level 41 and entering this place was clearly no ordinary, unprepared professional.

If the group managed to find a safer route, he might be able to use the opportunity to gather some useful information.

Of course, that was assuming he didn’t reveal himself too early.

With that in mind, Victor abandoned his advance and withdrew farther behind the rocks, observing the three professionals.

Meanwhile, the lava at the center of the basin began rippling once again.

The faint golden flame that had disappeared moments earlier slowly emerged from beneath the black stone mound.

This time, Victor could see it much more clearly.

The lava surrounding the pale-golden flame was not burning.

Quite the opposite. The scorching molten rock was gradually losing some of its brilliance, as though the fire-element essence contained within it was being continuously absorbed by that wisp of golden flame.

Victor’s expression grew serious.

It now appeared to be undergoing some special stage of growth.

If he could obtain it at this moment...

He lowered his head and looked at the Crimson Flame Fang in his hand.

A Level 41 professional.

An abnormally active network of molten earth veins.

And a high tier natural flame whose origin state had yet to be confirmed.

Any one of these factors was enough to make a First Tier professional cautious, let alone all three together.

Moreover, Victor was only Level 23.

Under these circumstances, relying solely on his strength in a direct confrontation would clearly not be enough to obtain something so valuable.

He needed a better opportunity.

Just then, the middle-aged mage on the opposite side of the basin raised his head and glanced toward Victor’s hiding place.

"Who’s there?"

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly across the distance.

Victor raised an eyebrow.

Had he been discovered?

He remained still.

The middle-aged mage raised his staff, and the fire-attribute crystal embedded at its tip began emitting a crimson glow.

"Come out."

The man’s voice grew colder.

"Since you’ve already made it this far, there’s no point in continuing to hide."

Victor watched him silently for a moment before stepping out from behind the rock.

His presence had already been detected, so there was little point in remaining hidden.

Besides, he was curious to see how these fellows intended to deal with the high tier natural flame before them.

"Don’t be nervous."

Victor held his Crimson Flame Fang, a faint smile on his face.

"I’m just passing through."

The middle-aged mage studied him.

Upon sensing that Victor’s aura was only that of a First Tier professional, his guarded expression changed noticeably.

"First Tier?"

One of the swordsmen standing beside him burst into laughter.

"A little First Tier brat actually dares to come to a place like this all alone?"

Victor ignored the mockery and glanced toward the golden flame gradually disappearing at the center of the basin before returning his attention to the middle-aged mage.

"You three are also here for that flame?"

The mage did not answer immediately. After carefully studying Victor for a moment, he asked, "Do you know what that thing is?"

Victor smiled.

"A little."

At that answer, the middle-aged mage’s eyes sharpened.

"In that case..."

His grip tightened around his staff.

"Then you should understand that something like this isn’t something just anyone is qualified to lay their hands on."

Victor showed no intention of backing down.

"Qualified?"

He regarded the three professionals before him, the corners of his mouth curling into an amused smile.

"Since when did the Inferno Prison Secret Realm belong to your family?"

His words quickly made the atmosphere on the opposite side of the basin tense.

Meanwhile, behind the group, the lava that had previously settled began churning once again.

Deep within the molten rock, the pale-golden flame flickered in and out of sight.

Clearly, the struggle over this high tier natural flame had only just begun.