Nitish first tried to pick up the orb—but the moment he touched it, he began taking damage.
–50 HP, –50 HP
"Whoa! Damn!" Nitish immediately pulled his hand back.Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to risk killing himself just to touch an orb.
Without hesitation, he activated his Goruden Aura.
"Maybe now I can handle it," he thought, taking a deep breath before reaching for the orb again.
Once more, he began taking damage—but this time, thanks to the Goruden Aura, the damage was reduced, and whatever harm he did take was being healed in real-time. With steady hands, Nitish managed to lift the orb.
Just then, a notification appeared before him:
This orb contains Eternal Flame: Magma Flame, Tier 3.Do you wish to absorb it?
Nitish's eyes flew wide open in disbelief.He couldn't believe what he was seeing. In fact, he pinched himself just to make sure this wasn't a dream.
Without a second thought, he quickly pressed "Yes."Who in their right mind would press "No" to something like this?
But—Nitish had completely overlooked one crucial fact:
A Tier 3 Flame is still a Tier 3 Flame.And for someone like Nitish, absorbing such power was far too overwhelming.
And so, the moment the flame began merging with him...
"ARGHHH! What the—?" Nitish screamed in agony as a wave of unbearable pain surged through his body.
It felt as though his entire being was burning from the inside out. His skin turned a deep, glowing red, and his veins bulged visibly beneath the surface. Tears streamed from his eyes as the searing pain overtook him.
"Should I have lowered the pain meter...?"The thought struck him only when he was on the verge of passing out from the sheer torment.
He quickly tried to adjust it—but the moment he attempted to do so, a curse escaped his lips.
The pain meter wouldn't budge.
In fact, it had been forcibly set to 100%, and no matter what he tried, it wouldn't change.Clearly, this was the flame's doing.
Nitish clenched his teeth and braced himself, choosing to endure the torture rather than fight it.All he wanted now was for this process to be over—as quickly as possible.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before the fusion finally ended.
By then, Nitish's condition had deteriorated drastically—his breathing was ragged, his body trembling, and his eyes were bloodshot from the relentless strain.
You have successfully gained full control over: Magma Flame, Tier 3.Your stats have increased!
The moment Nitish fully absorbed the flame, all the pain vanished—completely.In fact, an overwhelming sense of euphoria washed over him, as if he had just been reborn.
But what truly stunned him wasn't just the relief—it was the way everything around him became startlingly vivid.His vision sharpened to perfection. His hearing, his sense of smell, even the way he felt the air around him—it had all amplified to a level beyond human comprehension.
"What is this feeling...? Is this the power of a Tier 3 flame?" Nitish whispered to himself, still in disbelief.
Steadying his excited mind, he took a deep breath and slowly raised his hand.
"So now, if I just will it—"As the thought formed in his mind, flames suddenly erupted from his palm.
Without effort, his hand had begun generating fire on its own.Nitish couldn't help but grin like a child as he stared at the blaze dancing on his skin.
"HELL YEAH! I HAVE FIRE POWERS!"He shouted, jumping around the room in joy.
The flame burning in his hand was undeniable proof:Nitish now possessed the power to incinerate his enemies—utterly and completely.
However, his celebration didn't last long.The fire in his hand suddenly flared out of control, growing hotter and more intense than expected.
"AAAH! Okay—okay! I guess I need to learn how to control this first!"
Panicking slightly, Nitish quickly dispelled the flame entirely.Of course, he still had no idea how to properly manage this new power—so for now, it was probably best he didn't use it at all.
Nitish quickly turned his attention to the chest—the dungeon's special chest, which held the true treasure of the entire temple.
"Hey Lord Jesus, Ram, Allah, Waheguru—every god out there, please let this chest contain something amazing!"He silently prayed to every deity he could think of, hands clasped together in hope.
As he opened the chest, four distinct items revealed themselves inside.Eyes gleaming with excitement, Nitish immediately reached for the first one—a box that looked more like a gift than anything else.
"What is this...?" he wondered, his mind racing.
He opened the mysterious box—and inside, he found a small black cube.Nitish stared at it, utterly confused. He couldn't make sense of what it was or what purpose it might serve.
"Hmm... What does this even do?" he mumbled, puzzled, as he brought up the item's information panel.
The moment he did, a message appeared before him:
Do you want to activate the cube and make Ifrit, the Fire Demon, your personal summon?
Nitish froze.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he reread the message.His breath caught in his throat.
He could hardly believe what he had just seen.
"This really is a summoning artifact?"Nitish was beyond elated—his joy knew no bounds.
Summoning artifacts were extremely rare. These remarkable relics allowed even non-summoner class individuals to bind a beast or powerful entity as their personal summon.
There were typically two types:Some were empty artifacts, which could be used to capture and bind a creature of the user's choosing. Others—like the one Nitish had found—came pre-filled, containing a bound creature already sealed within.
In either case, summoning artifacts were single-use only.Once activated, they permanently linked the creature to the user.
"IFRIT! THIS HAS IFRIT SEALED INSIDE!"Nitish was practically bouncing with excitement."Incredible! I've literally struck gold!"
Without hesitation, he clicked Yes on the prompt.
The moment he did, a vibrant red glow enveloped the room.A glowing soul emerged from the cube, followed by the sudden manifestation of a demonic figure.
It was Ifrit.
However, he didn't look anything like what Nitish had imagined.
This Ifrit was completely different from the terrifying boss they had faced earlier—he looked younger, almost like a teenage version of the same entity.
In fact, he appeared to be roughly Nitish's age.
"Master!"Suddenly, Ifrit dropped to one knee and addressed Nitish with deep respect.
"Ahhh... Ifrit, do you recognize me?"Nitish asked, a bit nervously.
"Yes, Master. You were the one who defeated me. That gives you every right to be my master now," Ifrit replied, looking directly at Nitish with unwavering loyalty.
"Uh… but why do you look so different, Ifrit?"Nitish asked again.To him, this Ifrit looked not only younger, but his aura was noticeably weaker than before. In fact, his health was only 5000, far lower than what it had been as a dungeon boss.
"Of course, Boss. Since you opened the chest, the temple automatically adjusted me to match your current power level. That includes my age as well. I'm now the same age as you," Ifrit explained calmly.
"Ohhh... Thank you, Ifrit. I'm sure the two of us will accomplish some amazing things together," Nitish said, managing a small smile.Even if he was a little disappointed at the drastic power reduction, he was still grateful to have obtained a personal summon.
Ifrit returned the smile and stepped closer to Nitish, now standing loyally by his side.Nitish knew he could summon him anytime—but he also understood that Ifrit's current stats weren't high enough to be relied upon for every battle.
"Alright then, let's see what else I've got!"Nitish said with excitement, turning back toward the chest.
The next item he picked up was another incredible find—a storage ring.
It was far better than the one he currently used.Nitish's existing ring had a maximum capacity of 250 slots, but this one?A full 1000 storage slots.
"What an incredible ring,"Nitish said, a bright smile stretching across his face.
When he picked up the third item, he was even more thrilled—it was an engineering recipe.And not just any recipe—it was the blueprint for a Fire Bomb.Nitish knew right away this was going to be extremely useful in the future.
"Alright, your turn now..."he muttered as he reached for the final item in the chest.
It was a tablet—a stone tablet, much like the one he had found in the Dark Forest Dungeon.However, unlike that Elven tablet, this one had markings written in a demonic language.
"What is this tablet now?"Nitish asked, confused, turning to look at Ifrit.
"That tablet? It's a type of teleportation device,"Ifrit explained clearly."It will allow you to enter the Dark Halls… though, I'm not sure how to activate it."
"Dark Halls?"Nitish was beyond shocked!