“A trial?”
Purple Hammer spoke up, his voice tinged with confusion.
“Indeed!”
“Our trial is divided into three stages, each corresponding to...”
“The Flame of Courage.”
“The Flesh of Strength.”
“The Life of Wisdom!”
Aclaire’s three dragon heads spoke in succession.
“By passing these trials, you can obtain our respective Blessing Marks.”
“You should know that within the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, we are among the very few beings—aside from the Guardians themselves—who can grant such blessings!”
“While the power of our Blessing Marks cannot be compared to those of the Great Guardians...”
“Still, we have...”
“Three of them!”
“You two, stop interrupting me! I’ll bite you both to death!”
The three heads of Aclaire looked as if they were about to start snapping at one another.
“What are the trials?”
Purple Hammer quickly cut in, hoping to prevent Aclaire from literally fighting with itself.
He was internally stunned. What kind of lifeform was Aclaire? It wasn't a Guardian, nor was it a boss.
Most strangely, Aclaire was actually capable of granting Blessing Marks.
In a few rare dungeons, one could obtain a Blessing Mark through special means. Generally, the power a being possessed required years of accumulation, practice, and cultivation. A Blessing Mark was one of the few ways to obtain power without such arduous training.
Without a doubt, the Well of Eternal Imprisonment possessed more Blessing Marks than any other small-scale dungeon.
There were the Forbidden Fire Blessing Marks and the Summoning Blessing Marks. Hidden away were the Blessing Marks of the three Guardians, though adventurers had almost no chance of obtaining those.
Yet this three-headed wyvern before him, Aclaire, could grant three different Blessing Marks.
Blessing Marks were not common commodities found on the roadside that could be given or received at whim.
Aside from dungeon ruins, lost relics, or special one-time magic items, only the various churches had a certain quota of blessings they could bestow. Beyond that, only angelic-level beings could grant them to others. Furthermore, the number they could grant was strictly limited.
“The three trials were set by the three of us individually.”
The three dragon heads spoke in unison this time. Then, the two on the right fell silent in a show of tacit understanding, allowing the head on the left to speak first.
“I am Courage Aclaire. The trial I set for you is the Trial of Courage, represented by fire.”
“I am Strength Aclaire. The trial I set for you is the Trial of Strength, represented by the physical body.”
“I am Wisdom Aclaire. The trial I set for you is the Trial of Wisdom, represented by the domain of plant life.”
Aclaire’s three heads spoke one after another, from left to right.
As they spoke, their respective auras shifted, and the colors of their dragon pupils became more pronounced.
Courage Aclaire’s eyes were like lava or amber, glowing with a brilliant luster. Strength Aclaire’s pupils were a pale red, tinged with a fleshy pink. Wisdom Aclaire’s eyes resembled emeralds, clear and verdant.
“Only by passing all three of our trials may you proceed to the Exiled Land ahead.”
“Which one will you challenge first?”
“A word of warning, fire-seeking purple-skinned blacksmith: we will not be held responsible if you die. This is permitted by the Master. Aclaire’s challenge is a challenge of life.”
“However, our trials will not exceed your limits by too much. We will not leave you without hope of survival.”
Aclaire’s tone became solemn.
By now, having been tempered by his long journey, Purple Hammer’s resolve was firm. He would not waver before Aclaire.
“Lord Courage Aclaire, please present your trial.”
Purple Hammer unslung the Purple Treasure Mallet from his back and stepped before the first dragon head on the left, Courage Aclaire.
“Very well. You have spirit, as expected of the rumored fire-seeking blacksmith.”
“But I, Courage Aclaire, will not go easy on you.”
Courage Aclaire opened his maw, and in an instant, scorching flames erupted forth.
Purple Hammer swung the arms holding his Purple Treasure Mallet, activating the weapon's special effect.
In a flash, the Purple Treasure Mallet split into four, one for each of his four arms to grip as he held them up to block the oncoming flames.
At the same time, relying on the protection of his Seeker's Armor, Purple Hammer dodged to the side.
However, Courage Aclaire’s flames pursued him relentlessly.
Seeing this, Purple Hammer quickly extended an arm and activated the power of Feiwan's blessing.
For a fleeting moment, Courage Aclaire’s fire breath stuttered and froze. Purple Hammer seized the chance to dash out, diving behind a protruding rock.
Yet Courage Aclaire did not stop. He pursued rapidly, the stagnant breath resuming its flow as it blasted the rock where Purple Hammer hid like a pillar of fire.
Under the intense heat, the rock began to melt rapidly. Purple Hammer’s mind raced as he sought a solution.
What exactly was the trial?
To defeat Courage Aclaire?
How could that be possible? Although Courage Aclaire had done nothing but breathe fire so far, even that simple act showed that their power levels were on entirely different tiers.
Courage Aclaire drew closer, his overwhelming pressure crashing down on Purple Hammer. The rock behind him continued to liquefy, the molten stone flowing toward his feet.
However...
If the trial was to defeat Courage Aclaire, the dragon shouldn't just be breathing fire like this. And with such high-intensity flames, it didn't seem to match the earlier claim of giving him a chance to survive.
Courage Aclaire maintained the fire breath, inching closer and exerting more pressure.
It felt more like he was trying to make Purple Hammer feel despair and terror.
And what dispelled despair and terror was... courage?
Was Courage Aclaire testing his courage? It was a logical conclusion, and one Purple Hammer had already considered.
But did he dare to gamble on it?
What if he guessed wrong? If he charged out, would he simply be incinerated by the dragon's breath?
...It seemed that gambling on the fact that Aclaire was testing his courage and risking death to charge out was, in itself, the true Trial of Courage.
Purple Hammer gripped his Purple Treasure Mallet tightly, his resolve hardening.
Just as the rock hiding him was about to melt away completely, he lunged out.
“Well done!”
Aclaire did not stop the fire breath. Instead, he exerted even more effort, the flames almost forming a fire cloud that blanketed toward Purple Hammer.
Had he gambled wrong?
Watching the wall of fire rush toward him, Purple Hammer felt a momentary flicker of doubt.
But the doubt lasted only a second before his conviction returned. Since he had made his decision, he would not second-guess himself. He would charge forward with everything he had!
Purple Hammer activated Feiwan’s Blessing Mark once more and swung the Purple Treasure Mallet!
The power of the Blessing Mark surged into the magic item, forming a fiery magic circle over the head of the mallet.
As the Purple Treasure Mallet swung down, it cleaved a gap through the fire cloud!
Purple Hammer lowered the visor of his Seeker's Helmet and charged straight into the gap, his body lunging forward like a wild beast!
He leapt into the air!
The mallets held by his four arms slammed down simultaneously. Though his body was engulfed in flames, the swinging Purple Treasure Mallet successfully struck the approaching Aclaire, sending a shower of brilliant sparks flying off the dragon's metallic scales.
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