Hellfire Demon
Ares frowned at Charles's slight regarding the "Stone Skin" skill book, then casually tossed it back into his inventory.
"All right, Ice Shard Storm for three hundred thousand gold—deal!"
After completing that massive transaction, Ares listed all his other unneeded gear at the auction house, following the system's suggested prices. With everything squared away, he slipped into a quiet corner and carefully retrieved the Mysterious Class Transfer Tome.
The moment his fingers brushed the cover of the tome, a gentle glow lit up, and the system chimed in his ear:
[Detected a Mysterious Class Transfer Tome. Would you like to accept the class-change quest? (Note: Players must be at least Level 30 to accept.)]
Ares sighed in frustration—it looked like he'd have to grind a bit more before he could dive into this special quest.
The Ancient Ruins were by far the best place for leveling quickly and securing top-tier treasures, but they barely opened once in a great while. Which meant he'd have to rely on good old-fashioned leveling methods now.
He opened the game's forum and started researching power-leveling guides. He soon discovered that the most efficient leveling occurs when fighting monsters around ten levels above you. If the gap exceeds ten levels, the system automatically slashes your EXP gains. Meanwhile, if monsters are too far below your level, the rewards basically plummet.
At Level 28, the prime spot for him was the Flame Valley, with monsters ranging from Level 35 to 40—perfect for racking up experience.
On his way to Flame Valley, Ares allocated the 32 attribute points gained from his recent eight-level jump.
As usual, he threw them all into INT. Feeling a surge of new power, he checked his updated stats:
Name: Ares
Level: 28
Class: Warrior
HP: 3,870
MP: 5,900
ATK: 291
DEF: 332
Luck: 20
Before long, he arrived at Flame Valley. The scalding heat rolled over him the moment he set foot inside, geysers of lava occasionally bubbling up from beneath the ground. The stench of sulfur hung heavy in the air.
Here and there, he saw swarms of flame-wreathed monsters—Fire-Scaled Lizards, Molten Minotaurs—prowling the valley.
To most new players, these creatures were terrifying nightmares. But to Ares, they were beautiful queues of EXP waiting to be cut down.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
A massive force exploded out from him as he spun, sword in hand, creating a fierce cyclone that tore into every monster in range. The Fire-Scaled Lizards and Molten Minotaurs tumbled away like straw in a hurricane.
"-8,400,000!"
A single 8.4 million-point hit on foes with less than 10,000 HP was like swatting a mosquito with a rocket launcher. Soon, clashes of screams and the chime of fresh EXP merged into an endless hum around him.
Ares stood still afterward, waiting for the mobs to respawn, as well as for his skill cooldowns to finish. Time slipped by, and in three hours, the system voice broke through the calm:
"Ding! Congratulations—you've reached Level 29!"
He hardly had time to celebrate when another notification popped up:
[Because of your extremely unique talent, you must complete a hidden quest before you can finish your class change. Until the quest is done, you will no longer gain any EXP.]
Hidden Quest: Find the Master of Flame Valley.
Once renowned for its magical plants, nobody knows what happened to its master. He vanished without a trace…
Objective: Head to the marked location to locate the absent master of Flame Valley and fulfill his wish.
Reward: One-time item "Antidote Elixir" (cleanses all poisons and negative effects).
"Huh?"
He had no idea what the quest was really about, and that so-called reward—an antidote that could only be used once—didn't seem all that special at face value. Still, with no other option to level up, Ares set off deeper into Flame Valley.
On his way, jets of lava occasionally spewed from the ground, drenching him in sweltering heat as the pungent brimstone smell made him cough. If not for the Stellar Guardian Armor and Life Pendant he'd picked up earlier, a single misstep here might have fried him on the spot.
Since he no longer gained EXP, he mostly ignored the monsters he passed.
Occasionally, one would charge at him, but he needed only a quick swing of his sword to send them packing.
…
About an hour and a half later, Ares wandered into a hidden grotto, where he discovered an old man.
"Hey, old timer, I'm hoping you're the master of this valley. If you're not, I'll just name you the master, because I need to find him."
The man was stooped, white hair dangling messily around his shoulders. His clothing was in tatters, and though his face remained, his eyes were completely gone. He crouched over a weird pile of stones, muttering under his breath.
[Maddened Master of Flame Valley]
[Level: ???]
[HP: ???]
[Skills:]
1) Alchemy Master (Passive): 70% chance to boost any potion's quality by one tier during concoction, and can draw out hidden effects from rare materials to enhance the final potion's efficacy by 20%.
2) Eye of Insight (Deactivated): Able to see through all things.
Ares exhaled, relieved; apparently, this old man really was the person he was supposed to find.
"You're from another realm?"
"Please, show some mercy on this old soul. If you bring me back my eyes, I'll give you my most cherished treasures!"
"My eyes are over in that cave, which the Flame Demon has taken over…"
Hearing the old man's request, Ares relaxed a bit more. It looked like he just needed to clear out a demon boss—he was more than fine with that.
"Wait, so you just want me to kill a boss? Sounds great to me."
A spark of hope lit the old man's face, making him tremble with excitement. He stood with difficulty, clasping Ares's hands in gratitude.
"That's right! Brave traveler, the Flame Demon lies in the deepest part of this valley—within the Inferno Cavern. Please be careful."
Ares nodded, patting the old man's hand to reassure him. "Don't worry. I promise I'll come back with your eyes."
With that, he turned and headed for the Inferno Cavern. The moment he set foot inside, a wave of heat slammed into him! In the center of the cavern towered a massive beast, its entire body engulfed in roaring flames. Gigantic claws clenched a purple-and-gold treasure chest.
[Hellfire Demon (Alpha-tier BOSS)]
[Level: 260]
[HP: 5,000,000]
[DEF: 10,000]
[Skills:]
1) Hellfire Rush: The Hellfire Demon surges forward, wreathed in roaring flames, dealing 30,000 Fire damage in a straight line and inflicting Burn, which drains 2,000 HP per second for 8 seconds.
2) Molten Shield: Forms a fiery barrier that lasts 15 seconds. The shield absorbs up to 80,000 damage, and every time the Demon is hit while it's active, the attacker suffers 5,000 Fire damage in return.
3) Rain of Fire: The Demon roars to the sky, conjuring a fiery cloud that covers a 50 ft radius. Targets inside take 10,000 Fire damage per second for 10 seconds, while the Demon's DEF increases by 30% during this time.