After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 68 - 39 Facing the Flame Giant_2

Who would have too many feelings for a boss they’ve killed several times? From his perspective, the Flame Giant Surter was just a prerequisite to complete the Ashen route.

However, his words seemed to provoke the Flame Giant Surter, making the madness in his red pupils intensify.

Xi Mu stared back calmly, baring his teeth in a malicious smile, "Burning the world, I’m better at it than you."

It was unclear if the game developers had some strange misunderstanding of the players, as the setting of this cutscene depicted the player’s malice towards this world as even more pure than that of the Flame Giant Surter, enabling immunity from Surter’s madness.

Moreover, by making eye contact with the Flame Giant Surter, the player would be observed by the future Ragnarok, thus becoming the catalyst to ignite it.

"Look, even He has been drawn to me." He extended his hand, a flame bursting forth, a symbol of being favored by Ragnarok.

The gaze of Flame Giant Surter turned icy.

"Don’t rush, I’ll be coming to kill you soon!" Xi Mu grinned, and in response to his taunt, the Flame Giant Surter unleashed a towering inferno that engulfed everything, its terrifying heat enough to evaporate a person instantly.

In response, Xi Mu’s smile grew even more wicked, the high temperature burned his skin, but it did not reduce him to ashes.

Madness... no, the heavier the malice towards the world, the more one was favored by Ragnarok, and the game’s setting was that the player had the heaviest malice towards the world.

Thus, the flames imbued with the power of Ragnarok did him no harm.

"Wait for me to devour you." Within the flames, Xi Mu smiled at the Flame Giant Surter, then his figure disappeared from the spot.

This was just a clash of spirits, not a real encounter, but once he leveled up later and started the final process of the Ashen route, he would meet Flame Giant Surter in reality.

At that time, they would engage in combat, deciding who would truly initiate Ragnarok, whether Flame Giant Surter would devour him or he would devour Flame Giant Surter.

There was no room for compromise between the two.

Reality.

Volcano Temple.

Lava spurted out, the sky blanketed by smoke, the flowing molten lava submerged the surroundings, placing the entire Iris Flower Kingdom at grave risk.

If the volcano truly erupted completely, then the Iris Flower Kingdom would be doomed, apart from a few, no one could survive.

However, the situation soon took a turn.

Light suddenly erupted, blocking the erupting lava, and even the entire volcano was obliterated by the light.

The crisis was averted.

...

...

Some time later.

The Witch of Death sat with knees together, perched on a stone by the riverbank, her sapphire-like eyes reflecting the surviving Knight.

She had already resigned herself to the man’s death, yet he miraculously survived, not only using the power of the Sword of Light to seal the volcanic eruption.

But also using the last bit of his strength to protect himself with the Sword of Light, falling into a nearby river from the sky, avoiding the most direct damage from the fall.

Even so, he was gravely injured.

"If I were you, I would keep still now," she suddenly said to the Knight by the riverbank, her voice cold as though void of emotion.

"Rather than wasting the little strength you have left, you should consider using Healing Prayer to alleviate your injuries."

"..."

Xi Mu slowly opened his eyes, turned his head with difficulty, looking at the Witch of Death by the riverbank with wavy blue hair and a mysterious, aloof air.

He closed his eyes and began to use Healing Prayer to alleviate his injuries.

"Now that you have been infected by the fire of Surter, turned into... kindling, your lifespan will be very short." The Witch of Death spoke slowly, explaining the situation to the severely injured knight.

"If you have any attachments, it is best to think of a way to rid yourself of your human identity."

"What exactly is the fire of Surter?" Xi Mu asked weakly, seemingly unfamiliar with Surter.

Surprisingly, the Witch of Death patiently explained, "It is the power of the Flame Giant Surter, a manifestation of Ragnarok."

As she spoke, she seemed to anticipate Xi Mu’s questions.

"Ragnarok is an inevitability, existing in a distant and endless future, representing the death of the world, the death of all gods, the end of everything."

"Ragnarok is neither an individual nor a group, but an inevitability of fate, just as a beginning inevitably leads to an end."

"Entangled by the fire of Surter, you will gradually feel the twilight will within the fire of Surter, slowly becoming a madman who wants to destroy the world, and this process is irreversible."

"..."

Xi Mu stopped his healing actions, barely supporting his body, as river water flowed down his form.

Seeing this, the Witch of Death slightly turned her head; the man was still naked, and she had no interest in his nudity.

Xi Mu, apparently unaware, handed the Sword of Light to the Witch of Death, saying, "Please hand the Sword of Light to a friend of mine."

The Witch of Death did not take the Sword of Light, and asked, "Human, do you intend to end yourself now?"

Xi Mu did not respond.

He certainly did not want to die, and he was not infected by the fire of Surter, but rather it was because he was favored by the twilight of Ragnarok that he appeared infected.

That was a completely different matter.

"Actually, there is a way to suppress the fire of Surter." The Witch of Death took out a piece of paper and handed it to Xi Mu.

"This is the method to suppress the fire of Surter." With those words, she transformed into a pale blue ghost fire, scattering into the air.

Xi Mu looked down at the contents of the paper, unsurprised to find it described the creation of gold needles that suppress the fire of Surter.

The effect was to allow players to use the fire of Surter while delaying blood loss, mana depletion, and strengthening mental protection.

However, apart from mental protection, the effects of slowing blood loss and mana depletion were specific to the fire of Surter.

"It’s time to upgrade my equipment." He rolled up the paper, sat on a rock by the river, and began using Healing Prayer.

The storyline in the Iris Flower Kingdom was mostly over, and according to the normal plot progression, it would take about four to five months for the dwarves attempting to unseal the Sword of Light to realize in despair that using the fire of Surter couldn’t break the seal.

Later through Ashliya’s narration, it was understood that by using a Blood Pact one could bypass the seal if one could find someone honest at heart and favored by the gods; then they could wield the Sword of Light and thus break the seal of the Flame Giant Surter.

If at that time, the player focuses solely on aiding Letixia in reclaiming her nation, this would catch the dwarves’ attention, leading them to consider the player as a knight who is "honest" and "god-favored."

After a series of trials and battles, the red-haired dwarf would capture Letixia, coercing the player to use the Sword of Light to unseal Surter.

If the player agrees, then Letixia would confess her feelings to the player in a passionate confession at the altar, and subsequently commit suicide in front of the player.

If the player refuses to succumb, the red-haired dwarf would secretly help the player sign a Blood Pact with Ashliya, promising to release Letixia.

At that moment, the player could choose to draw the Sword of Light, triggering the pathway to the ashen ending.

The subsequent storyline need not be elaborated upon; essentially, the player and the red-haired dwarf leave, leaving a despairing Letixia to govern the kingdom alone.

When Letixia is seen later in the game, the player is then the instigator of Ragnarok, and their positions have reversed.

If the player then kills Letixia, she would apologize to the player, dying in regret.

Of course, the player could also choose to ignore her, as, by that point, Letixia becomes insignificant.