Magic puppets could drop gemstones. Fire elementals could drop fire elemental cores…

Was this the charm of the ruins?

Richard felt deep-pressed pressure after the fire elemental cores landed and the gemstones rolled down.

It immediately transformed into a powerful driving force.

Every time he takes down an enemy, he feels the harvest. The feeling was exceedingly astonishing.

“Resist the pressure. Deal with the fire elementals first, with the magic puppets!”

Richard’s order made the Axe of the Dead’s attacks increasingly intensive.

They heard the incessant whistling sound of the tomahawk.

The two Axe of the Dead teams guarded a passage. Cursed Pharaoh and the two A-rank heroes, and two teams of dark gargoyles acting as the front row, were there to support.

The fire elementals were still pressed into the passageways although their potential had reached rare-level, and the temperature of their flames could melt steel.

The battle lasted for half an hour.

‘Roar!’

Everyone could hear the trembling roar, and the wildly attacking fire elementals suddenly retreated…

The heat in the air began to subside after a while.

The raging fire elementals seemed to have returned to the furnace.

When Richard saw this, he could not help but release a long sigh of relief.

There was not much joy about defeating the enemy but some regrets.

He had not had enough yet. How many fire elemental cores had exploded? This was a 1-star treasure that could reinforce equipment…

Without much hesitation, he immediately dispatched two teams of blood-colored mummies to search for the fire elemental cores from the broken bodies of the raging fire elementals.

At the same time, Richard dispatched the Axe of the Dead to the tunnel front, where the fierce battle was.

Only the Axe of the Dead could suppress the situation in facing a rare magic puppet with an exaggerated defense.

Although the dark gargoyle could block the opponent’s sharp blades, its killing efficiency was not high.

As expected, heir killing speed dramatically increased when the Axe of the Dead joined the battle.

The mighty magic damage was enough to describe this unit as extraordinary.

Richard paid close attention to the gemstones that gradually covered the ground…

Fortunately, his troops in hand were undead. So, there was no need for such a thing as a stamina bar.

Otherwise, they would have long been exhausted from such a high-intensity battle if it were any other life form.

Even so, the troop’s breath was much weaker. The most intuitive reaction was that the speed and strength of the undead soldiers had pronouncedly weakened.

The undead relied on their soul power. Although long-term battles would not exhaust them as humans did, they would still be exhausted.

However, if they consumed too much, it would also attenuate their soul power and the decline of their various attributes.

This might also be a balance of the “Ara of Radiance” origin of rules for various races.

Another hour passed.

Just as the speed and strength of the Axe of the Dead’s attacks had visibly decreased, and all of the troop’s Sand Transformation had entered cooldown, the sound of mechanical footsteps behind them finally stopped.

In this endurance battle, Twilight City obtained the final victory.

This battle of attrition had almost run out of ammunition and food.

Except for the blood-colored mummies that collected the fire elemental cores at the rear, the other troops, including the giant monitor lizard mummies, have fallen into a slump.

Their soul energy was severely overdrawn.

Richard was in a delighted emotional state after he made sure there were no casualties among the troops.

He looked at the corpses of the magic puppets on the ground.And several gemstones were faintly discernible of all…

Although this wave of attacks was extremely tiring, and the Fire Elemental Lord almost prevented them, they still managed to reap a bountiful harvest.

And it was a bountiful harvest!!

More than half an hour later.

All the harvests were counted.

Richard had obtained 160 fire elemental cores from the fire element. This was a 1-star treasure… A magic item that could reinforce equipment and enchantment.

It was simply perfect.

And the gemstones had a total of 4,000 units!!

A large portion of them was found in rare-level magic puppets.

So, adding it all up.

He had 7,000 gemstones and 160 fire element cores!

Even if this exploration of the ruins ended here, he had already earned a lot of money.

The excitement in his heart made the corners of his mouth curl up.

He opened the map and gazed.

He only needed to pass through two more buildings to reach the Arcana Hall warehouse.

This made him very excited.

The resources in these ruins were so abundant that it was mind-blowing.

As expected of the Resplendent Wizard Tower, it was so rich.

“I wonder what level of treasures are hidden in the main gate?

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the strength to explore now…

“Even the most dangerous side gate is sealed with a boss like the Fire Elemental Lord. I’m afraid it’s not surprising for a boss above Level 20 to appear at the main gate.”

Just as Richard was about to explore deeper…

Suddenly, a hollow voice came from the smelting room.

“Human, I’m the Fire Elemental Lord. There’s no need to be afraid. I want to talk to you…

Those damned wizards have imprisoned me for 500,000 years!

“The wizards in this Resplendent Wizard Tower have already fallen in the divine war of gods, and I’m still unable to escape.

“If you can help me, I’m willing to give you an unimaginable reward…”

Richard suddenly turned around and looked at the smelting room that emitted flames a hundred meters away.

His expression rather showed cosmic interest.

In this day and age, could a boss negotiate with people?

No, “Shining Era” was no longer a game.

Every character here had their own experiences and could not be influenced by stereotypes.

Just as Richard deeply thought, the system notification suddenly rang.

[Ding~ You have triggered an emergency — Fire Elemental Lord requests for help.]

[Five hundred thousand years ago, the legendary Wizard of the Resplendent Wizard Tower entered the fire elemental plane and sealed one of the fire elemental lords. It brought the lord back to the Resplendent Wizard Tower and locked it in a special forging furnace.]

[Five hundred thousand years later, the Resplendent Wizard Tower collapsed in the battle of the gods. The still-sealed Fire Elemental Lord wanted you to release it.]

[Note: There is no fixed reward for a sudden incident. Any choice you make will affect the reward.]

Richard’s eyes lit up.

Another sudden incident?

The last sudden incident—desert bandits robbed the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce caravan. He had reaped a bountiful harvest.

Even a merchant Onyx from the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce brought him a valuable blueprint for the Hero’s Altar.

‘This powerful boss that had lived for hundreds of thousands of years couldn’t possibly be inferior to Onyx, right?’

As his thoughts raced, he spoke in a clear voice.

“Fire Elemental Lord, you should know that your actions just now made it impossible for me to trust you.

“However, I think it is exceedingly cruel to deprive one’s life freedom for 500,000 years.

“I can help you, but I need to ensure your sincerity!”

The sound came from the tunnel into the smelting room, and the sound of swinging chains could be heard.

A moment later, the dim light in the smelting room began to brighten again.

“Human, don’t attack, I will possess my descendant to negotiate with you…”

After the empty voice sounded, a fire elemental appeared on the other side of the tunnel.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Richard opened his attribute panel and did not find anything unusual. He told the Axe of the Dead to remain vigilant and keep a close eye on the approaching fire elemental.

If the enemy showed even the slightest threat, the troop would immediately launch an attack.

The fire elemental gradually approached and the temperature rose.

When Richard saw this, he was quite curious. What would the Level-18 Fire Elemental Lord want in exchange for his freedom?