Zssh—!


    When Vaan''s body made contact with the raging whirlpool ofva, his flesh sizzled with burns from the heat.


    However, the temperatures were only slightly higher than the third stage''sva pool. It wasn''t terrifyingly high like it actually seemed.


    As such, Vaan sessfully made it through to the fourth stage without getting incinerated into ashes.


    His leap of faith had paid off.


    Fortunately, he had made the right call. The overwhelming sense of threat and death was just an illusion and didn''t possess any substance.


    But considering it could fool him and all the dragon lords, it wasn''t just any low-level illusion. If he had the opportunity, he really wanted to dissect it and learn how the illusion worked.


    Nevertheless, apletely different scene unfolded in the fourth stage.


    He did not free-fall in another vast open space. Rather, he was already standing on solid ground when he gained awareness of his surroundings.


    Vaan recalled a brief moment when he felt space was warped and realized his body must have passed through a type of teleportation magic array.


    This was further proven by the engraved magic circle on the ground beneath his feet.


    After Vaan studied the magic circle and memorized all of itsplex details, he finally shifted his attention to the rest of the fourth stage.


    The teleportation magic array had sent him to one corner of the fourth trial region.


    There weren''t any fire pirs, inferno geysers,va pools, or rock inds filled with quality fire-attribute magical nts.


    It was just a desert filled with sand that did not melt despite the terrible temperature in the fourth stage.


    Clearly, it wasn''t ordinary sand.


    At the center of the fourth trial region was an enormous ck pyramid blocked off by a wall of raging yellow mes.


    Vaan quickly spotted arge fire phoenix resting on top of the ck pyramid while overseeing the entire fourth trial region.


    At the same time, therge fire phoenix nced back after sensing Vaan''s gaze.


    [Wee to the fourth stage. I am the guardian of this stage and the gatekeeper of the fifth stage. If you pass my test, you will receive thirty drops of the Fire Dragon God''s blood essence and ess to the fifth stage.]


    [Additionally, you would have the right to rule the Red Dragon n. Unfortunately, you do not possess dragon origins. Thus, the Red Dragon n will not listen to you unconditionally. At most, you can only be an honorary dragon lord.]


    [However, on the off-chance that you do manage to pass the fifth stage, no dragon will question your legitimacy and right to rule the n. Every dragon in the n will obey you unconditionally.]


    The Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit spoke.


    "I heard the reward for clearing the fourth stage was only seven drops of the Fire Dragon God''s blood essence?" Vaan mentioned.


    [Seven drops of the Fire Dragon God''s blood essence is only the minimum reward for passing the fourth stage. It''s only natural that better performance deserves better rewards.]


    [Since you have passed the previous three stages perfectly, thirty drops of the Fire Dragon God''s blood essence is the right amount you deserve once you pass my test.]


    The Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit exined.


    [Also, you have three unused quotas. Thus, your quota for the fourth stage has been raised to six. Aren''t you d you didn''t use them earlier?]<novelnext></novelnext>


    Vaan could sense the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit''s smirk after he listened.


    Nevertheless, judging by the progressively increasing quality of fire-attribute magical nts in each stage, the fourth stage was expected to possess Rank 5 fire-attribute magical nts.


    However, Vaan could not spot a single fire-attribute magical nt, let alone any Rank 5 fire-attribute magical nts.


    [The Rank 5 fire-attribute magical nts are kept in a special environment to grow. I will grant you entry to the garden when you wish you use your quotes.]


    The Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit exined, knowing what Vaan was thinking.


    "I see," Vaan acknowledged with a nod before focusing on the fourth stage. "What do I need to do to pass your test, Lord Fire Spirit?"


    [Nothingplicated. You just need to pass through the wall of mes to clear my test. But, of course, I will evaluate you on the time taken and the means used. Straightforward enough, right?]


    Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit stated.


    "Yes," Vaan nodded.


    Of course, he wasn''t na?ve enough to believe that a straightforward objective was equivalent to being easy to aplish.


    After all, it was still the fourth stage.


    Furthermore, he was situated on the edge of the fourth trial region. And yet, he could sense the terrifying heat emanating from the wall of mes surrounding the ck pyramid.


    The temperature would definitely soar once he approached the center.


    Nevertheless, Vaan didn''t hesitate to take his first step forward. The objective was clear, and time was ticking.


    That said, Vaan didn''t get very far before being forced to stop and retreat a few steps from the wall of mes.


    The heat emanating from the wall of mes was even more terrifying than he could have imagined.


    ''Of course, I anticipated that it wouldn''t be easy. But to think I would be burned this badly before I even get close…'' Vaan frowned.


    He was hoping to save his Fire Dragon God''s blood essence until thest stage in order to use it all at once.


    However, he wouldn''t be able to proceed with the fourth stage unless he relied on the Fire Dragon God''s blood essence for swift improvements.


    ''Since the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit called itself the guardian of this stage, those must be its mes,'' Vaan guessed.


    He might have improved a lot, but he was still a mortal.


    On the other hand, the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit possessed some aura of divinity. It was no different from a demigod, a being that transcended mortality but was not quite a god yet.


    ''If I want to pass the fourth stage, I don''t have much choice,'' Vaan settled on his decision.


    Man proposes, but god disposes; not everything would go ording to one''s wishes.


    After Vaan took out the three bottles containing the fifteen drops of the Fire Dragon God''s blood essence, he decisively consumed them all at once.


    "Ugh…"


    Vaan quickly grunted with gritted teeth as the potent fiery power of a Rank 6 coursed through his body.