A Battle Chief, even a peak Battle Chief, respectfully greets Mike with a “Hello, Master!” Mike, not one for vanity, simply nods with a slight smile.
“Greetings, Battle Chief Senior.” This respectful address hits the right note with Blaze, who finds the young man before him increasingly agreeable.
“Not bad, this young man is quite impressive!” Given that he’s registered as a tier one Battle Soldier, his strength probably isn’t overwhelming, and he’s likely young. Blaze is well aware that this individual’s potential and value far exceed those of an ordinary Battle Chief, which is why he’s willing to address him as ‘Master.’ Equals meet as equals.
Blaze materializes two flaming hands and greets him again with respect, “Greetings to you, Master.”
“Long have I heard of the name Blazing Fury, and seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation.” Mike’s casual remark sends a jolt through Blaze Morrow, who takes a fresh look at him.
“This guy, they’ve only exchanged a few words, and he’s already discerned my true identity? This young man, even if not a Battle Chief-level powerhouse, must be close!”
Blaze Morrow, shocked yet intrigued, thinks, “Such an extraordinary person shouldn’t be unknown… Right, with Thor emerging as a potential supreme being, many hidden figures are stepping into the limelight.” The man before him is likely one such figure.
Blaze Morrow can’t help but regard this mysterious powerhouse more highly. He smiles and says, “Let’s dispense with the formalities. How should I address you?”
Mike, the fourth human to awaken an SSS-tier talent and destined to become the fourth supreme being, responds, “You can call me Fourth Bro if you like.”
“Fourth Bro? That’s an unusual name.” Blaze Morrow, a man of stature who became a Battle Chief not just through brute force, doesn’t dwell on the name but immediately responds, “Fourth Bro, I have a matter that’s somewhat tricky, and I hope you can swear an oath of secrecy.”
“No problem.” Mike agrees, curious about the secretive matter.
Under the witness of a realm wisp, Mike swears an oath of secrecy, promising not to reveal Blaze Morrow’s secrets.
“Fourth Bro, here’s the situation…” Blaze Morrow briefly explains the events surrounding his granddaughter, deliberately omitting Mike’s involvement, merely mentioning her accidental second awakening to an S-tier talent.
Mike reacts as if hearing it for the first time, casually remarking, “That’s some good luck.”
Blaze Morrow, a bit boastful yet feigning modesty, replies, “It’s also thanks to a good samaritan’s help.”
Of course, I know about the good samaritan’s help. Mike rolls his eyes internally, as that good samaritan is himself!
“Senior, is the matter you need help with related to your granddaughter?” Communicating with Blaze Morrow, Mike maintains an air of aloofness, fitting the persona of a master.
Indeed, he addresses Blaze Morrow as senior, while Blaze calls him Fourth Bro, a confusing mix of formalities.
“Indeed, Fourth Bro. My granddaughter can summon otherworldly beings to assist in battle by sacrificing special items. Could you help identify them?” Blaze Morrow asks earnestly.
As for equipment, weapons, and items, he’s well-stocked, having prepared everything for Jessica.
Stepping back, there’s no need for a master smith like Fourth Bro to handle low-level equipment!
“I can try, but I can’t guarantee success,” Mike modestly states.
Eye of Truth: [You’re being too modest, trust me, it’ll definitely be 100% successful.]
“Good, good, good!” Blaze Morrow says thrice, smiling.
“Tonight, my granddaughter will reach level 10 and undergo her class change. After that, I’ll bring her to the Trade Secret Realm, and I’ll need your help, Fourth Bro.”
“As for the payment, it will surely satisfy you!” After discussing Jessica’s situation, Blaze Morrow brings out a Battle Chief-level weapon for Mike to help identify upgrade conditions.
“Upgrade conditions: Burn the phalanx of the sixth demon god to ash, apply it to the handle every 12 hours, six times before it can be upgraded.”
After identifying it, Mike can’t help but internally complain, “Such stringent upgrade conditions, who would have thought?”
Why did Mike’s post on the Wolf’s Den forum resonate so strongly, stirring up emotions? Everyone has equipment needing upgrades but lacks the means to identify the conditions. And master smiths capable of equipment appraisal are exceedingly rare!
Not all master smiths excel in appraisals. [HammeredHearts], a master smith himself, had to request Mike’s services, highlighting the scarcity and prestige of a master appraiser!
Pleased with the weapon’s appraisal, Blaze Morrow feels cheerful, having recently experienced a series of good events.
“Fourth Bro, let’s discuss the payment.” Known for his generosity, he says, “I saw on the forum that you want to imprint forbidden spells, how many times?”
“Twice.”
“I’ll handle it!” Blaze Morrow explains, “Even for a Battle Chief, using a forbidden spell comes at a significant cost, hence the term ‘forbidden.'”
Using a forbidden spell can impact a Battle Chief’s combat effectiveness, with weaker Battle Chiefs even entering a period of weakness. Of course, with sufficient resources, various healing potions, and scrolls, recovery can be swift.
Thus, imprinting a forbidden spell is a resource-intensive task!
Blaze Morrow states plainly, “I’m not involved in frontline battles or exploring the Tower of Truth right now, so it’s a good time for imprinting.”
Generous as always, Mike doesn’t hesitate, “Then please, Senior Blaze, imprint the [Sea of Flames] and [Flame of Life] forbidden spells for me.”
“Excellent choice!” Blaze Morrow can’t help but admire; these two spells are his signature skills, exceptionally effective.
While not the strongest spells Blaze Morrow controls, they are the most convenient to use.
[Sea of Flames], a wide-area AoE, inflicts massive fire damage around, burning everything and dealing extra damage to aquatic creatures. Beings below the level of Battle Chief stand no chance of survival. Even a Battle Chief, if unprepared, would be injured by [Sea of Flames].
[Flame of Life], a life-saving skill, lights up to eighteen lamps of heart around the caster. As long as the lamps remain lit, the caster will not die. Of course, excessive damage can still be fatal. In the face of absolute power, all else is insignificant. However, as a life-saving forbidden spell, [Flame of Life] is exceptionally effective.
Taking the Forbidden Spell Scroll, Blaze begins imprinting the spells on the spot. [Sea of Flames] takes two attempts to succeed, and [Flame of Life] four.
Returning the Forbidden Spell Scroll to Mike and wiping sweat from his brow, Blaze explains, “Sea of Flames should cause hundreds of millions in fire elemental magic damage, a casual strike for a Battle Chief.”
“Flame of Life, I succeeded on the first try but wasn’t satisfied with the effect, so I re-imprinted it three times. It should light sixteen lamps of heart, ensuring safety unless a Battle Chief intervenes.”
“Thank you, senior Blaze.” Mike appreciates the gesture, noting it mentally. Blaze Morrow’s actions are not just to pay for the appraisal but also to pave the way for his granddaughter.
“Senior, I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now.”
“Take care, Fourth Bro.” Blaze Morrow watches Mike leave, nodding slightly.
“This young man is likely nurturing a successor, a protege!”
“These two forbidden spells, given Fourth Bro’s true strength, are quite trivial, better suited for protecting a younger generation.”
Blaze Morrow’s keen insight immediately discerns that a Battle Chief would have no need for such spells.
As for who Fourth Bro is grooming, Blaze Morrow grows curious.
“Regardless, they can’t be stronger than my granddaughter Jessica!”
“Second awakening, S-tier talent, haha, my old comrades will surely be envious!”
…
After leaving the Trade Secret Realm, Mike returns to the real world. Through the Lone Wolf badge, he politely declines other appraisal requests. Currently, he lacks neither money nor forbidden spells, and today’s five appraisal slots are nearly used up.
Blaze Morrow’s imprinting took quite some time, and it’s now nearly noon. Mike also needs to prepare for his upcoming journey in the Tower of Truth.
Tick-tock, tick-tock—
The second hand and hour hand meet again.
12:00!
Mike activates the Tower of Truth mark.
“Welcome to the Core City of Truth!”