Chapter 45: Fire Seekers

Legends say Gria Mountain was once an ordinary mine.

Craftsmen, chasing forging perfection, prayed to the mythical forging god.

Their prayers didn’t reach the god.

Instead, Flame Giants arrived.

They slaughtered the craftsmen and summoned an evil fire god.

The church defeated the god, but the mountain became a volcano.

The heat was unbearable.

Random magma spurts could scald passersby.

Heat-resistant suits were a must for safety.

The locals, descendants of surviving craftsmen, didn’t care.

After the church’s victory, they stole some of the evil god’s power.

Living near the volcano’s heat was no issue for them.

Called Fire Seekers, these descendants lived isolated on the volcano.

The church was furious about their stolen power but lacked proof to act.

Ji Jige’s mission was to address this.

Before reaching the village, someone spotted them.

The village chief, flanked by an assistant, waited at the gate.

The chief was tall, nearly two and a half meters.

Dark-skinned, slightly fat.

Years as a craftsman left his right eye smoked blind and one leg lame.

His arms bulged with muscle.

He opened his arms in welcome.

“Welcome, travelers! I’m the Fire Seekers’ chief. What brings you?”

Despite distrusting Meng Linna, Ji Jige, the team’s leader, stepped forward.

“Hello, I’m Cardinal Ji Jige. We’re here to order weapons.”

“Weapons?”

The chief nodded.

“Our ancestors were craftsmen. It’s normal. Come inside to discuss.”

Ji Jige nodded.

Reasonable request.

She couldn’t refuse. Her mission was twofold.

Hold the Fire Seekers accountable for stealing the evil god’s power.

Investigate potential heretical beliefs.

Both could be handled together.

The key was evidence of heresy.

If Meng Linna was right, and they worshipped Flame Giants, both issues could be resolved.

Find proof, then wipe them out. As a nature school member, Ji Jige hated investigations.

She loved drinking and punching.

She shouldn’t have taken this from the Tribunal.

Thought it’d be a mindless brawl.

Not a detective job.

But she had Meng Linna.

Maybe not trustworthy, but sharp.

Push her forward, and Ji Jige could watch.

She glanced back to order Meng Linna.

Then froze.

Meng Linna drew a dagger, stabbing the chief’s assistant in the heart from behind.

Na Naya, stunned, couldn’t stop her.

“Goodbye.”

Meng Linna dropped the body, raising her Crystal Saint Bell.

A Lightning Spear formed, flying at the chief.

“Stop! What are you doing?”

Thinking it was an attack on her, Ji Jige raised a mana shield, shouting.

The spear wasn’t aimed at her.

Meng Linna’s aim was true.

It pierced the chief’s good eye.

“You bastard!”

Blinded, the chief grabbed his stone staff, swinging wildly.

Magma sprayed.

Ji Jige’s shield blocked it.

“Damn, I missed.”

Meng Linna clicked her tongue.

She’d aimed for the heart to kill instantly.

Now it was messier.

“Stop it!”

Ji Jige shouted.

Na Naya snapped out of her shock, moving to stop Meng Linna.

The chief wasn’t helpless.

Regaining sight, he raised his staff, chanting.

“Feel the Giant’s Flame!”

A massive fireball hurtled at Meng Linna’s face.

Na Naya tackled her to stop her.

But Meng Linna was ready, bell raised, spell prepped.

“Water Cannon.”

The bell unleashed a massive water jet.

Meng Linna went all out, maxing the output.

The Fire Seekers stole the evil god’s power.

But human bodies couldn’t handle divine strength.

The chief’s own power was limited, unable to unleash the spell’s full might.

The moment Meng Linna’s water cannon fired, the fight was over.

The jet doused the weakened flame, hitting the chief.

It pierced his body, shoving him into the volcano’s magma.

Despite stolen power, Fire Seekers were human.

The chief, flung into magma, was dead.

“Phew, it’s over.”

Meng Linna lowered her bell.