Chapter 136 – The Heart of the Furnace.

The passage from the fourth to the fifth floor had no carved steps. It was a steep ramp of molten black rock that descended straight into the deepest chamber of the Pit of Embers.

Down there, the dungeon reached its thermal limit.

The floor was a circular platform fifty meters in diameter, suspended over a pit of incandescent liquid iron that cast a vivid orange glow. Cast-iron pillars held up the basalt ceiling, and the air crackled with the mana pressure of a creature that had slept in the center of the foundry for over three centuries.

In the center of the platform rose the supreme boss of the dungeon:

The Ancestral Ash Forger (Level 52 - Floor Boss).

The monster stood six meters tall, with four arms crafted from heavy plates of runic iron and cooled magma. In two of its hands, it gripped a colossal anvil hammer easily weighing three tons, while in the other two, it carried a stone crucible that sloshed with molten iron with every movement.

The appraisal from [Command Eye] confirmed the creature's stats: 4,600 hit points and 60 Strength.

Diana halted at the start of the catwalk, adjusting the Crown of Sovereignty on her brow.

“Heavy siege formation,” Diana commanded, her voice ringing clear over the roar of molten iron. “Kael and Zarek split the hammer's impact in the center. Seraphina, lock down the crucible with the crystal serpent. Aurelia, continuous barriers on the frontline. Rhea, you sever the leg valves once I open the ice breach.”

Diana activated [Arcane Domain Aura] and [Commander's Loot].

Azure light and runes of black gold covered the group.

The Ancestral Forger took its first heavy step upon the stone, raising the anvil hammer with its two upper arms and slinging the molten iron from the crucible in an arc across the platform.

***

Kael surged forward without hesitation.

Backed by his 1,020 hit points, the vanguard slammed his Volcanic Shield into the stone:

UNSHAKABLE STANCE + IRON TAUNT!

The liquid iron from the crucible splashed against the face of Kael's shield. The dragon scales of his heavy armor absorbed the extreme heat without yielding, and the passive reflected thirty-five percent of the direct thermal damage straight back into the monster's chest in crimson flames.

The Forger brought the three-ton anvil hammer down in a straight line toward Kael's head.

Zarek moved in the exact same millisecond.

The arachnid demon fired six cables of Moon Steel Silk from his chitin arms, lassoing the weapon's haft in midair. With a violent pull of 60 Strength, Zarek diverted the hammer's descending angle by ten centimeters, causing the anvil to slam into the floor beside Kael's boot with a crash that dislodged shards from the platform.

Zarek spun in midair with [Ascendant Fury], delivering four slashes with his lunar swords straight into the metal tendons of the boss's upper arm.

Seraphina struck her hand against the silver grimoire:

Summoning: Level 38 Crystal Serpent + Level 38 Quartz Titan!

The quartz serpent erupted from the stone floor, coiling its heavy body around the monster's crucible arm and cutting off the flow of liquid iron, while the Titan drove heavy punches into the creature's left knee.

Aurelia-Elysia raised the Mana Crystal Staff with her 1,000 mana points:

TRIPLE PROTECTION BARRIER + ORB OF BLINDING LIGHT!

The lilac glow blinded the Forger's burning eyes, while defensive domes enveloped Kael and Zarek continuously.

***

Diana entered the fray.

She activated her supreme skill:

GREED COMMAND - WILL OF THE SOVEREIGN!

Golden light from the more than fifty gold coins in the vault washed over all party members with +20% TO ALL ATTRIBUTES.

Diana's Intelligence surged to 255 INTELLIGENCE POINTS. Rhea's Agility exploded to 141 POINTS. Kael's HP reached the benchmark of 1,224 HP POINTS.

Diana thrust out her open left hand:

MANA PRISON!

Translucent chains bound the torso of the Ancestral Forger, locking the Level 52 monster's mana circulation for four full seconds.

Rhea blinked through [Phantom Step]. With her extreme speed, the wolf girl appeared behind the boss's frozen knee and drove her Dragon Daggers into the cooling pipes of the beast's leg in successive critical strikes.

Diana used [Arcane Teleportation], materializing in midair two meters from the boss's exposed chest.

Backed by 255 Intelligence, she concentrated mana into her obsidian horns and both open hands:

OBSIDIAN HORNS' IGNEOUS FOCUS + DUAL ARCANE ICE LANCE!

The thin beam of white fire punched through the iron plating of the boss's breastplate in a cleanly cauterized puncture. In the very same second, Diana drove two spikes of solid ice directly into the gaping hole.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The thermal shock shattered the internal furnace of the Ancestral Forger from the inside out in a deafening eruption of steam, fractured iron, and incandescent ash.

The Level 52 monster lost the strength in its four arms and crashed upon the stone platform, collapsing into a heap of iron slag and core fragments.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[PIT SUPREME BOSS DEFEATED!]

[The Ancestral Ash Forger (Level 52) Slain!]

- DIANA HAS REACHED LEVEL 47! (2 Levels Gained!)

- RHEA HAS REACHED LEVEL 42! (2 Levels Gained!)

- KAEL HAS REACHED LEVEL 42! (2 Levels Gained!)

- AURELIA-ELYSIA HAS REACHED LEVEL 42! (2 Levels Gained!)

- SERAPHINA HAS REACHED LEVEL 44! (2 Levels Gained!)

[COMMANDER'S LOOT ACTIVATED (+30% BONUS)]

- Direct Boss Coins: +35 pure Silver Coins!

- Legendary Item: 1x Ancestral Iron Heart (Level 52).

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[COMPLETE ATTRIBUTE ALLOCATION]

- Kael (Level 42): 10 Free Points -> +6 Vitality (97 -> 103 VIT -> HP reaches a colossal 1,080 HP POINTS!), +4 Strength (64 -> 68 STR).

- Aurelia-Elysia (Level 42): 10 Free Points -> +6 Intelligence (96 -> 102 INT +6 Mantle = 108 INT!), +4 Wisdom (63 -> 67 WIS). (MP reaches 1,080 MP POINTS!)

- Rhea (Level 42): 10 Free Points -> +6 Agility (110 -> 116 AGI +8 Gear = 124 AGI!), +4 Strength (59 -> 63 STR). (HP: 270 / MP: 70)

- Seraphina (Level 44): 10 Free Points -> +6 Intelligence (87 -> 93 INT), +4 Wisdom (53 -> 57 WIS). (MP reaches 1,450 MP POINTS!)

- Diana (Level 47 - Commander of Greed): 10 Free Points + Class Passives (+6 INT, +4 PER, +2 WIS) -> +6 Free Intelligence (205 + 6 passives + 6 free = 217 INT! + 20 Crown = 237 INT!), +4 Vitality (69 -> 73 VIT -> HP reaches 730 POINTS!), +4 Perception (88 + 4 = 92 PER!), +2 Wisdom (40 + 2 = 42 WIS!). (MP reaches a monumental 1,700 MP POINTS!)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[FULL FINANCIAL AUDIT]

Previous Balance: 540 Silver Coins.

Loot from Level 52 Supreme Boss (+30% Bonus): +35 Silver Coins!

[NEW ABSOLUTE NET WORTH: 575 SILVER COINS (57,500 Bronze / EXACTLY 57.5 PURE GOLD COINS!)]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Five hundred and seventy-five silver coins stored in the vault. More than Fifty-Seven and a Half pure Gold Coins.

Diana was at Level 47 with 237 Intelligence and 1,700 mana points.

Kael had broken past 1,080 hit points, Rhea moved with 124 Agility, Aurelia had 1,080 MP, and Seraphina had achieved 1,450 MP.

The squad gathered around the crater of the defeated boss.

Kael wiped the sweat from his forehead with his iron gauntlet, laughing loudly upon seeing his health bar pass one thousand and eighty points. Rhea sheathed her dragon daggers and pressed up against Diana's shoulder with a satisfied smile, while Aurelia and Seraphina checked their untouched potion vials.

Zarek sheathed his moon swords across his back, looking at Diana with an approving nod:

“Level 47, Commander. The fifth floor of the dungeon is cleared and the vault has passed fifty-seven gold.”

Diana stowed the Level 52 Ancestral Iron Heart into her dimensional pouch and looked toward the return portal opening at the edge of the platform.

Only three levels remained until Level 50.

The Pit of Embers had been conquered. And the Arcane Greed Faction was ready to march toward the gate of the next Circle.