Sparks flew under the blows of the bronze hamr, scattering into the slowly flowing grooves of magma, producing light, ringing taps.
Chen Yu had not visited the Obsidian Mining Area in a long ti, and he found the forging district had expanded considerably.
What had once been a crude open-air shed was now several semi-open workshops built of brick and heat-resistant clay, thick smoke billowing from the heavy-forge furnaces.
The clanging of hamr on tal, the roar of bellows, and the craftsn’s shouts mixed together, filling the air with a heated, industrious atmosphere.
It was no longer just dwarves and Sli Artisans at work; many human apprentices had appeared, wearing thick leather aprons with coal dust on their faces, busy handling ore, operating bellows, or learning forging techniques.
“Jeremy! Did you sleep through your head again last night?!”
“The number-three load-bearing casting for the floating fortress paddle blueprint, why is there a missing connecting spindle?!” The rotund figure of Anvil—solid as granite—strode over.
The apprentice nad Jeremy was a lanky young man with brown hair; his face flushed crimson as he scratched his head awkwardly and stamred, “M-master... well, last night I drank with Hark and the others, so my head was... not very clear...”
“Those dwarf drinkers co out of the womb hugging kegs; why are you, a human boy, ssing around with them!” Anvil’s beard bristled with anger, but seeing the apprentice’s pitiful look, he finally waved his thick arm.
“Be more careful next ti. Now go and fix the missing part right away.”
Jeremy gratefully accepted the reprimand, bowing and scurrying back to his station.
Anvil shook his head, muttered a few “young people are reckless” remarks, then turned to check on the trial area they had set up with the beetle miners a few days ago.
He crossed the noisy forging district, following a path flanked by stacks of tal ingots and semi-finished parts, walking toward the deeper part of the mining area.
Before he reached his destination, he saw several figures gathered on the open ground where heat-resistant rock ford a magma pool—that was Chen Yu and his group.
It looked like His Majesty and company had co directly through the main mine tunnel.
Olivia seed quite interested in the Sli Golden Trial; she stood a little back from the magma pool’s edge, silver eyes watching the surroundings with obvious curiosity.
Lya served as Chen Yu’s “throne seat,” carefully cradling him while standing on tiptoe, peering at the bubbling viscous magma below.
The selected trial participant, Big Brother tal Sli, stood by the magma pool with a serious expression, repeatedly checking the small enchanted short sword that glead with magical luster, already appearing prepared and battle-ready.
Anvil trotted over on his short legs. “Your Majesty, we’ve caught several suitable big ones for the trial opponents,” he announced.
He approached, perford a dwarf-style chest-thump salute to Chen Yu, then turned to Olivia. “Honored silver dragon lady, please accept Anvil’s thanks. The materials you generously provided earlier... their mana conduction efficiency is frighteningly high. They solved a huge problem for us.”
“And Miss Lya, welco to the Obsidian Mining Area. Be careful not to get too close to the magma; that stuff burns very hot.”
Olivia inclined her head slightly, a smile at her lips. “You’re welco. If possible, when your caravan next goes to the southern kingdoms, you might try sourcing star-pattern teoric silver from deep mines. That kind of silver has higher purity and mana affinity; it should et most of your high-end construct needs.”
Lya nodded a little absentmindedly, her gaze still captivated by the rolling magma, and murmured, “This place... why do I feel like I’ve been here before?”
Chen Yu, long used to her ‘déjà vu’ comnts, ignored it and asked Anvil, “By the way, what about big Aileen? Where is she?”
At the ntion of his precious son, Anvil’s face lit up and his fiery little beard almost curled to his ears with happiness.
“Ha ha ha! Thanks to the winter academy you started, Your Majesty, Sister Nilly has been taking good care of Big Aileen in the literacy class.”
“He hasn’t fully adapted to academy life yet, apparently he’s made a few new friends and will only return when the short break ends next month. You can stop biting your nails worrying that he’ll get scalded by magma or have a rock fall on his head.”
Chen Yu smiled slightly.
It seed the literacy class at the winter academy really did take in a lot of stray students.
Indeed, that Nilly... she gets along with anyone. She’s friends with Sekashi, and now she’s even looking after a half-elf.
Is that the social skill of an Assassin Master? Truly baffling.
As they spoke, several shirtless dwarf artisans were together pushing a cage welded from thick iron bars along a specialized track with a loud rumble toward the magma pool.
Inside the cage was a beetle the size of a calf.
Its back was covered in thick steel plates, six stout segnted legs like iron pillars, and a pair of massive mandibles on its head. It paced restlessly inside the cage, battering the iron bars with dull thumps.
Anvil placed his hands on his hips and proudly introduced the creature to Chen Yu. “Your Majesty, this steelback beetle has been rampaging through the deep tunnels for a while, injuring many beetle miners. A few days ago we finally set a trap and caught it.”
He went over and slapped the sturdy cage, producing a deep, hollow sound. “A Silver rank behemoth—its strength is huge, like a crazed rock boar. When we captured it, it nearly broke my bones.”
“And we prepared several opponents like this for the trial to ensure this Sli Warrior can have a satisfying fight.”
Chen Yu didn’t decide imdiately; he turned to Lya in his arms. “Lya, what do you think?”
Lya stared at the agitated steelback beetle in the cage for a while, then nodded decisively this ti.
“I saw the Sli’s shadow around it... in that ssy fog around where it crawled. It was faint, but the lines did intersect.”
She saw the Sli’s shadow? Is she referring to the crossing of fate lines?
Chen Yu understood.
This must be the one.
He turned to Big Brother tal Sli, who had been standing ready. The tal Sli imdiately hopped before Chen Yu, its silver body straightened, its little face solemn like a soldier awaiting inspection.
“King! I will pass the trial! For the future of Slis!”
Chen Yu did not worry too much.
Big Brother tal Sli was an old veteran who had followed him early on, experienced many battles and legion drills; it had rich combat experience and steely resolve.
Plus, tal Slis who fought in legions often had basic fire resistance. While not enough to withstand magma for long periods, a few minutes of combat inside should be manageable.
He had thought about giving it a stronger fire resistance trait, but Lya’s earlier observation warned that excessive external assistance might alter the fate-illusion and make the trial harder or unpredictable.
So Chen Yu abandoned that idea.
Whether it could defeat that formidable-looking steelback beetle would depend on its own strength.
With Chen Yu’s signal, Anvil and several dwarf artisans began operations.
Using simple pulleys and thick iron chains strung above the magma pool, they slowly hoisted the heavy cage, moving it above the center of the pool.
Scorching heat rose from below, agitating the steelback beetle inside; it began smashing the bars with greater force, the whole cage swinging violently and creaking.
Anvil and the dwarves held tight to the control ropes, teeth gritted, sweat beading on their brows, shouting, “Warrior! Are you ready?!”
Big Brother tal Sli emitted a hum and leapt without hesitation.
“Sploosh!”
Its silver tallic body smashed into the magma and was imdiately subrged; the scalding magma turned its body red-hot, tiny bubbles rising on the surface.
A sharp burning sensation rippled through, but Big Brother tal Sli only wobbled slightly and then steadied.
It raised its head with determined eyes locked on the swaying cage above.
Olivia raised an eyebrow at the scene, surprise flickering in her silver gaze.
So much tenacity and resistance, and in a Sli... how strange.
In her long mory, slis, though shape-shifting, mostly fear fla and high heat instinctively. One that jumps into magma and keeps fighting is rare.
Seeing Big Brother tal Sli already in position and seemingly withstanding the magma’s burn, Anvil bellowed, “Release!”
Several dwarf artisans simultaneously loosened the safety catches. With a click of chanisms, the bottom iron plate of the cage sprung open.
The steelback beetle dropped like a rock, screaming in panic, and slamd into the magma pool with a trendous splash of scorching liquid.
Anvil wiped his brow and chuckled. “Your Majesty, this beetle’s shell is as hard as tempered steel and its mandibles can snap iron bars. It took a lot of effort to capture; this one’s no joke...”
Suddenly his tone fell silent.
Because after plunging into the magma, the beetle didn’t imdiately attack the nearby Big Brother tal Sli. Instead it scrambled, using its limbs to desperately crawl toward the edge of the magma pool, seeming far more terrified of the magma than aggressive toward an enemy.
At that mont Big Brother tal Sli moved.
It shot up from the magma like a cannonball, its entire silver body smashing into the fleeing beetle’s side.
A dull, crushing impact—this hulking beetle was slamd hard and nearly toppled in the magma.
The beetle staggered, shocked, seemingly unable to fathom where such strength ca from in this “little thing.”
Then anger overrode its fear. It emitted a sharp scream, turned its direction, opened its huge mandibles, and charged with heavy iron legs, rumbling toward Big Brother tal Sli.
Anvil said, “Your Majesty, see? I told you this beetle is nasty when provoked.”
Olivia shook her head lightly and said softly, “No, it’s no match.”
In the rolling magma, when the beetle ca in with its forceful charge, Big Brother tal Sli stayed remarkably calm.
At the last mont it lightly sidestepped, avoiding the deadly mandibles and the heavy impact.
Then its entire body flowed like rcury, concentrating weight and montum into the enchanted short sword, thrusting forward fiercely.
[Morphing Stab]
This was a warrior skill only slis with extre body plasticity could master through countless harsh battles.
It fully utilized the sli body’s properties, condensing full-body force and montum into a single point, able to unleash power far beyond its size.
Clang!
The enchanted short sword plunged precisely into the joint connecting the beetle’s foreleg to its body. The armor-piercing rune on the short sword glowed faintly as the blade slid in unimpeded.
Crack!
The thick steel leg snapped on cue, dark green blood sprayed from the wound and hissed as it hit the searing magma.
The steelback beetle emitted a wailing screech, its body convulsing from pain and imbalance, the remaining legs flailing, mandibles snapping crazily.
Like a seasoned hunter, Big Brother tal Sli gave no respite.
Using the magma’s buoyancy and its own weight, it nimbly circled and bounced around the beetle, evading blind attacks.
Each pause was followed by a precise stab or slash; the enchanted short sword seed an extension of its body, wielded fluidly and efficiently.
In only a few breaths, the beetle had seven or eight deep wounds, dark green blood flowing constantly, its movents growing sluggish.
Seizing an opening, Big Brother tal Sli darted to the beetle’s flank, leapt up, and drove the short sword hard into the weak spot between head and carapace, levering with force.
The steelback beetle emitted a final shriek; its massive body lost all strength and slowly tilted, then with a splash it sank into the magma, leaving only a few rolling bubbles and charred remnants.
From the beetle’s fall into the magma to its complete defeat, the whole process was dizzyingly fast—less than a minute.
Trial succeeded?
Silence fell around the magma pool.
Everyone stared at Big Brother tal Sli standing in the magma.
But Big Brother tal Sli looked puzzled; it peered at its red-hot body, felt its internal strength, its little face full of confusion.
No change... the body felt no different, and its power had not increased.
It had not sensed the expected “tamorphosis.”
Lya tilted her head, pondering, and said, “tal Round is really strong. That dark mountain didn’t even get a chance to grow before it stepped over it.”
Chen Yu thought, good thing we didn’t raise Big Brother tal Sli’s fire resistance... otherwise with its current strength we wouldn’t have been able to find suitable trial opponents, and the trial would be impossible.
Anvil’s eyes were wide too.
He had never expected the beetle that had given them so much trouble to be so easy before this sli.
Rembering the effort it took to capture it—almost getting injured—he felt a bit embarrassed.
He cleared his throat and said to Chen Yu, “Your Majesty, don’t worry, we prepared quite a few trial monsters.”
He and the dwarf artisans hurriedly pushed in two more heavy cages containing a larger steelback beetle and a snarling rusted monstrosity.
After Big Brother tal Sli rested briefly, the trial resud.
The beetle was hurled into the magma; it was even more ferocious this ti, not fleeing on impact but locking onto Big Brother tal Sli and charging like a battering ram.
Yet the result was the sa.
Big Brother tal Sli, using exquisite combat technique and the sli body’s unique advantages, easily parried, avoided the charges, and struck precise blows to send this more imposing beetle into the magma depths.
Next ca the rusted fiend.
It tried to spray corrosive sli, but in the magma’s high temperatures the corrosive fluid was greatly weakened. Once Big Brother tal Sli closed in, it dismbered the thing quickly with its enchanted short sword.
Then Anvil even reluctantly brought out a relic—the mountain-copper guardian’s husk.
This was a magical construct found in an ancient ruin, barely functional.
It took Big Brother tal Sli so ti, but it finally located the construct’s energy core and shattered it with one blow.
...
When the fourth lava copper-scorpion was likewise dispatched cleanly, Anvil and the cage-pushing dwarves were exhausted, panting as they collapsed to the ground, fanning themselves with their caps, faces expressing utter weariness.
“I... can’t... anymore... Your Majesty...” one dwarf panted, “We’ve searched for all the decent Silver-rank monsters we could find... we’re out... there’s nothing better around...”
Big Brother tal Sli hopped out of the magma pool slowly and approached Chen Yu, head bowed; its spirit wave conveyed deep disappointnt and guilt. “King, I’m sorry, I let you down...”
Chen Yu was about to comfort it when Anvil, catching his breath on the ground, suddenly sprang up as if rembering sothing.
“Wait, Your Majesty, I thought of sothing.” His eyes lit up. “The caravan! Five days ago the caravan we sent to the southern Doran Kingdom returned with a pawned item.”
“A bankrupt minor noble couldn’t repay a loan and handed us what he said was a gold lizard captured from the Gilded Sands Desert.”
“That thing is still locked in the most secure underground cage in the mining area. We were going to lt it down into minting tal... and it seems cursed by so odd magic—its strength is terrifying and its temper brutal. Maybe it’ll do.”
He imdiately called over the artisans still sitting and several burly dwarves working nearby.
Soon, a heavy rumbling approached, mingled with terrifying beastly roars.
Seven or eight strong dwarf artisans, chanting, pushed a cage many tis larger than the previous ones, struggling along the reinforced track.
Inside the cage was a golden lizard.
It was bull-sized, its body dazzling gold, limbs stout and powerful with sharp tallic claws at the ends. A long, strong tail lashed restlessly, striking the iron bars with dull tallic thuds.
At that mont the golden lizard was in a state of extre frenzy, ramming the cage, clawing at the bars, roaring deafeningly.
The massive cage shook violently under its assault, seeming as though it might fall apart at any mont.
Chen Yu’s small eyes brightened.
This was a good one.
Its sheer presence was far more formidable than those beetles.
Olivia watched from the side and warned softly, “Your Majesty, a living adult desert gold lizard, on the southern black market, might be worth the monthly output of a small coal mine. Are you certain... you want to use it as trial fodder?”
Chen Yu did not hesitate for a second; he wobbled his gel to affirm.
For the future of the Sli race, one gold lizard was nothing.
Coins can be earned again, resources can be found, but this chance might be unique.
The trial began once more.
Big Brother tal Sli’s eyes rekindled with fighting spirit; it plunged bravely into the scorching magma, head held high toward the huge cage slowly being hoisted above.
The golden lizard thrashed crazily in the cage, roaring; the dwarf artisans strained to steady the swaying pulley chanism as they moved the cage over the magma pool center.
But just as Anvil prepared to shout “Release,” an accident occurred.
Perhaps the lizard’s thrashing was too strong, or the iron cable suffered tal fatigue. With a sharp snap, the primary iron cable bearing the weight suddenly broke under the stress and violent shaking.
The cage lost balance and tilted sharply, the golden lizard crashing toward the magma pool.
“By the gods!!”
The sturdy cage distorted on impact; inside, the gold lizard roared and with terrifying force tore open a huge gap in the deford bars, bursting free from the broken iron.
It fell into the magma, but the searing liquid seed to do little harm to that golden body—it only made its skin shine even brighter.
It shook its head and its golden vertical pupils locked on Chen Yu and the group at the pool’s edge, releasing a threatening roar as if venting its caged fury.
But very soon its attention was drawn to the silver little blob standing in the magma before it. In the lizard’s simple, violent mind, every living thing blocking its path was an enemy to be torn apart.
It opened a mouth lined with tal teeth, and with a powerful kick from its hind legs in the magma, its massive body displayed an agility incongruous with its size. Its huge claws sliced through the air and slamd down.
Combat instinct made Big Brother tal Sli react instantly. It didn’t take the hit head-on; it compressed its body into a silver round shield and bounced sideways and back.
Boom! The lizard’s giant paw struck the magma, sending several-ter-high geysers of molten spray; scalding droplets fell like rain.
Though Big Brother tal Sli avoided the direct strike, it was hit by the explosive shockwave and splashes, its silver body shoved back.
The lizard, missing its blow, beca even more enraged. Its tail lashed like a golden whip, leaving afterimages as it swept across.
Big Brother tal Sli avoided again with nimble movent, seizing the opening from the lizard’s attack. Compressed like a spring, it burst forth; the enchanted short sword in its hand beca a streak of silver thrusting into the lizard’s flank.
Cling!
The short sword pierced the golden skin but not deeply, as if it had struck not flesh but resilient gold.
More surprisingly, no blood flowed from the wound; instead molten golden liquid quickly surged out and, in the blink of an eye, sealed the cut as if repairing it.
The lizard howled in pain and attacked more frenziedly.
It abandoned restraint—charging, rolling, attempting to crush this pesky little thing with sheer mass and force.
Each heavy paw strike caused the magma pool to convulse, fountains of lava spouting up.
Big Brother tal Sli felt the pressure mounting; it wove through the lizard’s furious assaults and the scorching magma with difficulty, dodging and blocking.
Its small round shield had already developed obvious deformations and cracks after enduring repeated heavy hits. Its silver body bore claw marks and more scorch marks from the magma.
Yet the light in its eyes grew brighter, and its combat rhythm, far from breaking, beca more refined under extre pressure.
It darted at high speed in the magma, sotis smashing into the lizard’s leg joints like a teor hamr, sotis thrusting into an eye socket like a spear, sotis slipping under its belly like an eel to stab with the short sword.
The fight reached a stalemate.
The golden lizard was berserk—its strength, defense, and regenerative ability were all abnormal, but its attack patterns were relatively simple and lacked finesse.
Big Brother tal Sli’s technique was superb and its will unyielding, but its attack power was comparatively insufficient to deliver a decisive blow, and it was continuously taking strikes and burns.
At the magma’s edge, Lya gripped Chen Yu’s small hand tightly, eyes fixed unblinking on the battlefield.
Anvil breathed heavily.
As a dwarf warrior seasoned by countless battles, he now understood.
That silver sli, though small, had never truly lost its combat rhythm.
Every dodge was perfectly tid, every counter aid at vital points. It was like a top-tier fighter dancing on a blade, honing its skills ever purer at the edge of life and death.
It will win... the thought rose in Anvil’s mind.
Not by luck, nor by sudden breakthrough, but by the relentless accumulation of perfected combat technique, finally crushing the opponent.
In the magma, Big Brother tal Sli avoided another lizard lunge. It sensed that its body had taken significant damage and the short sword’s edge had rolled from hitting the hard golden body repeatedly.
But it was calm inside, discarding all distractions. Only pure combat instinct and thirst for victory remained.
Now.
It caught a flaw exposed by the lizard’s continuous lunges. Without hesitation, it poured all its strength, will, and long-battled experience into the coming strike.
Its body spun and compressed to the extre in the magma, then released like a spring burst to the breaking point.
Its silver body and sword beca one, a silver flash tearing through air and magma.
[Heavy Strike]
This was no ordinary skill, but the ultimate blow condensing all its power.
The silver lightning cleaved the golden lizard in half. At the break there was no blood, only molten golden liquid and fractured bone.
Pain drove the lizard into complete madness; its body on both sides flailed wildly, but soon its eyes dimd rapidly.
Then a miracle happened.
The lizard’s body began to rapidly disintegrate and lt into streams of golden liquid, as if pulled by an invisible force. The liquid flowed in the air and finally surged toward Big Brother tal Sli.
On contact, the liquid did not burn or harm; instead it produced a comforting sense like returning to a mother’s body.
Big Brother tal Sli’s once-silver sheen began to change at a visible pace—the silver gradually covered and was infused by a deep, heavy dark gold.
Hm? What is this?
Is it turning into a Golden Sli?
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