Ashen Dragon

"It's pretty lively here."

Summer Night Autumn Rain looked around. In this small open space, there were nearly 300 players, most of whom were spellcasters with an average level of six.

Isdalia's notice board clearly stated that Dragon Pact Warlocks required a magician level of five or above.

Of course, many high-end adventure teams from prestigious guilds came with well-equipped and well-coordinated teams to help their magicians complete their job transition.

Renowned guilds like Royalty, Sword Pavilion, Mechanical God Cult, and Magic Coin all sent their elite teams, determined to secure a spot for Dragon Pact Warlock.

The players' chatter was quite loud, and those elite teams started preparing tactics.

Of course, most of them were just shooting the breeze.

"The guild leader said that there are very few spots for this advanced occupation. We at Royalty must secure one!"

"This is the only magic system advanced occupation officially available now. Its strength is definitely not to be underestimated."

"Crazy Brother already said we must get the spot this time. One of the big shots in the guild needs a high-temperature furnace over 1000 degrees Celsius, and they're counting on you guys to become human heaters."

"Man, the big shots in our guild are getting more outrageous. Last time, that Genist asked if I was interested in joining a species hybridization experiment. I asked what the job was, and he said as a test subject..."

"Reforging the glory of the mage master is our duty!"

"No, isn't this a warlock? Only mages are called mage masters, right? Whatever, they're all magic system professions, close enough!"

"The Witch Sister didn't come this time? What? She said she prefers being a Wild Sorcerer? What the hell..."

"..."

"But... I'm not without teammates."

"Awooo——"

A roar came from the sky.

"What the hell?"

"There are wyverns here too?"

"No, it's that dude Mantou!"

"He fined me fifty copper coins last time and even confined me for two days!"

"Why is he everywhere? Damn!"

Two bipedal wyverns flapped their wings in the sky, roaring loudly as they slowly circled downwards.

The players on the ground dispersed instantly. The two bipedal wyverns landed one after the other, kicking up dust.

"Cough, cough!"

"Such a show-off!"

Amidst the players' complaints, Mantou and Singo jumped off the wyverns' backs, making a grand entrance amidst the rolling dust.

Mantou, full of confidence, said:

"The strongest always make a grand entrance last!"

"Autumn Rain, we're here!"

"Hmph, with our occupation foursome gathered, a small advanced task is nothing..."

"Wait...where's War Maniac Bro?"

Only then did everyone notice a burly man on the wyvern's back—it was the top barbarian player, Natural War Maniac.

However, his condition wasn't great at the moment.

Natural War Maniac had his eyes tightly shut, hugging the wyvern's back with his strong arms, squeezing it so hard that the wyvern let out a painful cry.

"Isn't this the Black Slave Team?"

"Why is one of them with his eyes closed?"

"Young people have good stamina—they fall asleep as soon as they get on the plane."

The "strong" aura that Mantou and Singo had just built up vanished instantly, and even the onlookers couldn't help but laugh.

Mantou scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.

"Uh... haha."

"Looks like War Maniac Bro is a bit dragon-sick, folks. Give him a moment."

Mantou walked up, taking the opportunity to pat Natural War Maniac's shiny bald head.

"War Maniac Bro?"

"Wake up, we're here, and everyone is watching."

Natural War Maniac finally opened his eyes, jumping off the wyvern's back with a slight wobble. He rubbed his already gleaming bald head, embarrassed: "Sorry, everyone, old problem."

Even Summer Night Autumn Rain couldn't help but twitch her mouth, saying helplessly: "War Maniac Bro, maybe next time we shouldn't take wyverns. Taking the train and then hiking works too."

The four of them were finally complete in the truest sense.

Mantou folded his arms again, forcefully trying to muster up his earlier momentum, reciting his pre-prepared lines.

"Hmph, with our occupation foursome gathered, a small advanced task is nothing!"

But as the saying goes: "The momentum is strong at first, then it fades, and finally, it dissipates."

By now, Mantou had lost his fire, far less imposing than before, even drawing bursts of laughter from the watching players.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Who asked you?"

"Isn't this the charisma 9 Mantou?"

"Mantou, stop showing off here and go edit your videos."

Singo patted Mantou's shoulder, sighing: "Let's stop embarrassing ourselves. Of all the show-offs I've led, you are the worst."

Summer Night Autumn Rain said helplessly:

"Alright, enough joking around. Let's get serious."

Hearing this, Natural War Maniac also came forward.

Summer Night Autumn Rain took out a map and said to the other three: "I made some extensive preparations this time and got insider information from some people in the Magic Department."

She pointed to the huge fissure in the distance.

White smoke billowed everywhere inside, and the ground was covered with lava, along with flowing rivers of fiery red magma.

Bubbles continually formed, releasing gases, making it seem like the air was about to ignite.

This was the only entrance to the Tower of Everflame—the Lava Cave, which also marked the beginning of the trial.

"First stage, the Burning Pathway."

"There's magma everywhere inside, with extremely high temperatures, and toxic volcanic gases. Those without at least 7% Red Dragon bloodline won't make it through. You'll need Heat Resistance Potions and Breath-Concealment Potions."

However, Summer Night Autumn Rain looked at the three, seeing their Red Dragon Transformation features, and chuckled, shaking her head.

"Well, this shouldn't be much of a problem for you guys."

"Next are the monsters..."

"Steam Magic Bats, small bats that can spit high-temperature breath, creating boiling rain, and they explode upon death."

"Magma Stone Monsters, large elemental magic beasts, incredibly strong, and can throw big chunks of burning sulfur blocks."

"Fire Lizards, which can spew burning mucus, similar to small wyverns without wings."

"Fire elements, looking like burning flames..."

"..."

Summer Night Autumn Rain elaborated in detail while the other three listened attentively.

But chilling screams and the sounds of roasting explosions came from afar.

"What the hell—"

"What a hellhole! It's scorching hot!"

"My clothes are on fire!"

"I can't breathe! The air here is toxic!"

You should know that not all players had detailed intel. Most scattered players were winging it, hoping to get lucky.

Hearing the players' wails, Summer Night Autumn Rain said joyfully: "Let's go. Looks like some people have gone ahead to scout the way for us."

"The sound of flames burning... Is truly beautiful."

Summer Night Autumn Rain smiled charmingly.

But this smile made Mantou feel a bit chilled.

Mantou wiped the sweat off his forehead, thinking secretly: "Sure enough, top-tier professionals have some unknown quirks."

"Tsk, I knew it—Autumn Rain seems like a gentle girl on the surface, but in reality, she's a deeply hidden badass."

"War Maniac Bro loses himself in battle, and Singo is purely a nutcase."

"Sigh, it seems I'm the only normal one in the team."

Mantou sighed deeply, casually applying Oil of Precision to his sword, and followed them with his sword in hand.

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