Caiman had not been in the ninth floor for long before he discovered a stone building.
A campfire burned on the sand beside the structure.
Next to the fire sat a monster wearing tattered traveler's clothing with a pair of horns on its head.
It was a monster merchant.
For some reason, seeing this monster merchant gave Caiman the feeling that the creature had been waiting for him for a long time.
Though the thought flashed through his mind, Caiman did not initiate an attack.
In the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, a monster merchant was a neutral entity that would trade for dungeon coins.
They were also known as mobile treasures.
Caiman had been exploring the Well of Eternal Imprisonment for a long time, and with the knight order's power, he had accumulated a vast amount of currency.
"I did not expect so many guests to come to this ancient place of sealing," the monster merchant said in a raspy voice.
"This old one is called Moonhusk Mane. If you have dungeon coins, you can come to me to buy some trinkets."
Moonhusk stated his name.
"Come to you?" Caiman asked in confusion.
Monster merchants were nomadic, and one usually relied on luck to find them on various floors of the dungeon.
Was this monster merchant staying here for fixed trading?
"Some people like to look around, but I prefer to sit in this desert. After all, I am very old, unlike those young people who like to wander."
As Moonhusk spoke, he coughed twice.
It was true!
This monster merchant was actually staying in this fixed location to trade!
"What supplies can you sell?" Caiman asked as he stepped forward, taking out a money pouch filled with dungeon coins.
"Food, water, intelligence, and equipment. I sell them all."
"On this floor, the most valuable intelligence should be about that person," Moonhusk said before suddenly stopping.
"This information costs 40 copper coins."
Caiman was not stingy; intelligence within a dungeon was indeed very precious.
Besides, he was quite wealthy.
He took out 40 dungeon coins, and Moonhusk accepted them before finally continuing.
"That person was once the strongest swordsman among the desert guards of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment."
"He had four arms and defeated every other guard in the desert."
"However, this ancient place of sealing hides too much danger and madness."
"Amidst the residual embers of the Forbidden Fire, he was the first to go mad from his constant craving for battle."
"He slaughtered all the guards in this desert, leaving behind a vast field of bones."
"The only two surviving guard brothers fled this desert and were exiled to the outside of the Wellmouth to guard the entrance."
As Caiman listened to the ancient story told by Moonhusk, he understood.
Of these two brothers exiled to the Wellmouth, one was the Wellmouth Sentry.
The other was the Exiled Sentry.
"The mad four-armed swordsman sought the Forbidden Fire, but in the end, his madness caused him to lose to the guards protecting the seal."
"Realizing he had committed a grave error, the four-armed swordsman has guarded this bone-filled desert ever since, protecting the torch that allows him to maintain a sliver of sanity."
"He imprisoned himself on the ninth floor, wandering this stratum."
"A torch?"
What kind of torch? A magical artifact?
This 40-copper intelligence contained too much information.
Were all the skeletal monsters across this floor resurrected from those who died under that four-armed swordsman?
Did the Forbidden Fire possess the power to drive people mad?
And what kind of existence were the guards protecting the Forbidden Fire?
"What happened after that?" Caiman asked quickly.
He realized that the four-armed guard likely held important information related to the Forbidden Fire.
"After that, it will be 50 copper coins."
"..."
Caiman took a long breath and took out 50 dungeon coins.
"The four-armed swordsman is the strongest warrior of the Desert Stratum, the Desert Sword Attendant who stands guard over the torch."
"The torch is called the Candelabra, and it is a magical artifact."
"The Candelabra can serve as a container for the Forbidden Fire. At the same time, it possesses the power to resurrect the dead."
"By using monster materials as wicks and dungeon coins as fuel, one can resurrect the monsters of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment to command them in battle."
Resurrecting monsters for battle.
This dungeon actually contained such a magical artifact!
Moreover, the Candelabra could hold the Forbidden Fire, which was his ultimate goal.
No matter what, he had to get his hands on that Candelabra.
"It seems you are also an adventurer seeking the Forbidden Fire."
"I hope you do not become a moth flying into the flame. What is sealed within the Well of Eternal Imprisonment is not just power, but danger equal to that power."
Moonhusk sighed and poked at the campfire before him with a wooden stick.
The fire suddenly flared up, engulfing two moths into the flames.
"Do you have any other information? I can pay more."
Moonhusk bared his large teeth as he poked the fire.
"Of course."
At the same time, other monster merchants also began selling intelligence.
"Information on the Desert Sword Attendant wandering the Desert Stratum! Only 10 copper coins!"
...
The Desert Sword Attendant, the summoning of resurrected monsters, and the Candelabra that could contain the Forbidden Fire.
Along with the story behind the countless bones of the Desert Stratum.
The source of everything behind the skeletal remains in this stratum was that legendary Forbidden Fire.
Inside the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, countless adventurers began to fantasize about obtaining the Forbidden Fire, the most precious treasure currently in the dungeon.
The taverns were filled with heated discussions about everything related to the Forbidden Fire.
And the most important clue regarding the Forbidden Fire now lay with the Desert Sword Attendant on the ninth floor.
All the adventurers exploring the deepest depths turned their gazes toward the Desert Sword Attendant.
They did not know that the supreme existence of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was watching all of this.
Now, the show was beginning.
The first to launch an attack on the Desert Sword Attendant was Caiman's knight order.
Upon the cold desert, the Desert Sword Attendant retaliated without mercy.
His four arms brandished blades to meet the knight order's assault.
In the shadows of the desert, pairs of eyes continued to watch the battle.
The knight order's advance was sharp, but under the temptation of the Forbidden Fire, some chose to take risks.
"Despicable humans, you dare to violate the taboos of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment! You are beyond forgiveness!"
The Desert Sword Attendant kicked up a cloud of dust that filled the air.
Within the dust, flames began to coalesce.
One arm reached toward his chest and pulled out an ornate silver candelabra.
The candelabra had six branches and one main stem.
"It is the Candelabra!"
Caiman leaped with his sword drawn, meeting the Desert Sword Attendant's Sword Qi and slashing toward the arm holding the Candelabra.
But at that moment, an arrow shot out from the darkness of the desert, interrupting Caiman's movement and forcing him to draw back his sword to defend himself.
Caiman looked toward where the arrow had come from, but he only saw several dark shadows flashing by.
Someone else also wanted to seize the Candelabra!
The brief interruption allowed the Desert Sword Attendant to unleash the power of the Candelabra.
As the candles were lit, the flames erupted like a volcano.
Each burst of flame took the shape of a wyvern and flew into the air, spitting down rolling streams of fire from above.
The Desert Sword Attendant took the opportunity to swing his swords, sending the Sword Qi from his three other arms toward Caiman.
Caiman blocked with his sword but was still heavily pushed back by the force of the three blades.
Before the knight order, the Desert Sword Attendant—now holding the Candelabra in one hand while his other three arms unleashed rampaging Sword Qi—was like an enraged lion being hunted, destroying everything around him in the desert.
Caiman landed and quickly ordered the heavy warriors to form a defensive circle while the mages began chanting for a backline bombardment.
Just then, the group of cloaked figures who had ambushed them earlier launched an attack from the side.
"Red Rose team, do you intend to defy the Grey family!" Caiman shouted in anger.
"Red Rose? I have no idea what you are talking about," a raspy voice replied from beneath a hood, infuriating Caiman.
Meanwhile, on another side of the desert, Manfred and his group lay flat on the sand, waiting for an opportunity.
The various factions in the desert all had their own agendas.
The Desert Sword Attendant took the chance to launch a fierce assault toward the Red Rose team.
At the same time, a mad red light began to glow in his eyes beneath his visor, and his roars became hoarse.
Both Caiman and the Red Rose team thought of the story they had heard.
The mad light of the Forbidden Fire had caused the Desert Sword Attendant to lose his sanity and slaughter everyone in the Desert Stratum, leaving behind only bones.
Could it be that the Desert Sword Attendant still had residual power from the Forbidden Fire within his body?
Was a fraction of the Forbidden Fire's power, which countless adventurers in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment plotted for, about to be revealed?
"Release the magic immediately!"
Caiman could no longer worry about the Red Rose team reaping the rewards.
He commanded the mages to fire their spells at the Desert Sword Attendant.
The brilliance of magic streaked through the air and bombarded the Desert Sword Attendant all at once.
However, the glow of fire had already begun to burn from the Desert Sword Attendant's body.
That thick, orange-red flame looked as if it had flowed out of an oil painting—eerie, scorching, and surreal.
"Is this my Master's Forbidden Fire?"
Zeno, watching from a distance, also turned her gaze toward the burning Desert Sword Attendant.
"Roar!"
The Desert Sword Attendant roared and swung his swords. The Forbidden Fire flowed over him, washing away his reason and leaving only madness.
As he brandished his blades, the orange-red flames splashed and flowed from his greatswords.
Like paint splattering from a canvas, the fire clung to the heavy warriors and began to burn furiously.
In the blink of an eye, two heavy warriors were turned into human torches, struggling madly but to no avail.
Eventually, the two burning warriors lost their minds completely, their bodies twisting wildly as they attacked everything around them.
Even when their arms snapped and their charred organs spilled out, they did not stop.
They contorted their bodies as if performing a maddened dance.
"Do not touch the Forbidden Fire!" Caiman shouted as fear welled up inside him.
He ordered the mages to maintain their long-range magical attacks.
Enveloped in Forbidden Fire, the Desert Sword Attendant ran nimbly through the desert, his flame-infused Sword Qi slashing out randomly.
The magical bombardment hit his body, but the damage was weakened by the Forbidden Fire, leaving only partial injuries.
Moreover, the Desert Sword Attendant seemed oblivious to pain, not stopping his attacks even when his body was mangled.
The flames on the Candelabra were dyed the same oil-paint color of the Forbidden Fire.
The summoned wyverns also turned the color of the Forbidden Fire, spitting down the powerful and maddening flames.
If even a single spark of the Forbidden Fire touched someone, their only choice was to cut off the affected part.
This fire seemed to possess a life of its own, growing and spreading while driving people to madness; it was impossible to touch!
Caiman finally understood why the Forbidden Fire had been sealed within the Well of Eternal Imprisonment.
It was dangerous, mad, powerful, and nearly impossible to overcome.
"ROAR!!!"
The Desert Sword Attendant let out a crazed howl.
Like a husky covered in filth, a terror comparable to a Cerberus unleashed, he relentlessly chased those who fled, plunging into the crowd to shatter their formation and shake off the Forbidden Fire.
The entire desert was gradually becoming a cesspool of burning Forbidden Fire.
Within this cesspool, the knight order desperately dodged the flying filth.
Caiman realized they could not continue like this; with filth everywhere, they would eventually end up rolling in the cesspool themselves.
No matter how strong they were, they would not be able to win then.
Rate on N.U.
