[Mission: Defeat the Fire Bird Demon]
[Description: Go to the Northwest of Lelelei Fort and kill the Fire Bird Demon]
[Reward: 49 SP and One with Flame Medal]
[Penalty: Someone gets it.]
Noel looked at the mission while recalling the information that Anna gave.
…
A few days ago.
Noel said, "I'm planning to hunt the Fire Bird Demon after this. Are you coming, Anna?"
Noel looked at Anna with a serious expression. On the one hand, they had promised that they would hunt the Fire Bird Demon together. On the other hand, Noel had Rose with him, so it shouldn't be much of a problem to kill the Fire Bird Demon.
As much as she wanted to fulfill the promise, it seemed that the situation had changed drastically. She ultimately shook her head. "I don't think I can fulfill the promise. I'm sorry."
"I should be the one to apologize since the situation has changed so much that I can't even create a situation for you to fulfill the promise." Noel could understand the situation and apologized as well. After all, both of them knew that the situation required Anna to supervise to make sure nothing went wrong.
So, they had to split up after this.
"Still, I'm going to give you some more information about the Fire Bird Demon. This demon is a powerful Peak Level Demon. Its body is covered with fire and a normal attack won't be able to hit the demon.
"You should try using your Ice Ability if you want to take it down. Or maybe you can overwhelm the demon with a stronger fire ability. Then again, the fire covering the demon is one of the most superior flames, so I don't think you can do that.
"Hence, you should focus on freezing the Fire Bird Demon. The demon is residing near a mountain. It's a fresh mountain and doesn't seem to be burned despite the Fire Bird Demon living in it.
"Do you know why?" Anna asked. As soon as she saw the shake of the head, she continued, "Because the Fire Bird Demon has a cycle of life.
"During its lifetime, the Fire Bird Demon will be accumulating the heat from his body. Yes, the heat will continue to increase the older it gets.
"However, it'll make the demon the strongest if that powerful characteristic doesn't have a downside. Actually, the reason why the Fire Bird Demon's flame gets hotter the older it gets, it's because the energy inside the Fire Bird Demon continues to fill up the reserve.
"Once it reaches its peak, the Fire Bird Demon will turn into an egg, processing the energy inside its reserve to expand the reserve itself. In other words, to get stronger, the Fire Bird Demon has to go through this cycle again and again until it eventually becomes a Superior Demon.
"And this is probably the reason why the demon stays near a mountain. The Fire Bird Demon is trying to use the cool air in the mountain to slow down its cycle. Doing so will allow him to gather more energy to use for its reserve while increasing his lifespan.
"I mean, after reviving from the egg, the Fire Bird Demon will have an empty reserve. So, it'll mostly fight you with its body, not Spiritual Energy. The demon doesn't want to be that weak, so it's trying to prolong its life cycle.
"I don't know how old the demon is right now, so I'm suggesting you advance to Spirit Master first before hunting down the demon. This is my only advice to prepare for the worst. I don't doubt your strength, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
This time, Anna's serious expression felt like she was trying to convince him no matter what. If Noel tried to do something else or answered with something unsatisfactory, she might fight it out with him until he agreed.
Noel could predict the demon's strength from her expression alone. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, I don't mind breaking through to the Spirit Master before fighting the demon. After all, I won't be going back and the Third Prince won't know about me before I kill that demon. So, you don't have to worry."
With Noel's assurance, everything was set.
…
After recounting their conversation, Noel couldn't help but raise his hands as if giving a signal to someone.
In that instant, Dimitri appeared next to him. He actually brought a big backpack. All the demon crystals Noel had were inside the bag.
"Sorry for making you do this, Dimitri." Noel closed his eyes as if he regretted asking him.
"No need, Young Master. Although it's faint, I can feel the breath of that demon. I can say that it's extremely strong. So, I can understand if you want to break through first. Even I might have to help you later. But for now, I would like the young master to defeat the demon by yourself first. I hope that you can succeed."
Noel smirked. "How about a bet, Dimitri?"
"A bet?"
"Yes. If I manage to defeat the demon alone, can you kill one person for me? We can call it a draw if Rose helps me. And if you end up making your move, it means I have lost."
Dimitri looked down, thinking for a moment. By using a bet, Noel could bypass the agreement they had set before about Dimitri not helping Noel directly.
Still, Dimitri couldn't see the benefits for him taking this bet except for seeing Noel get stronger. After some contemplation, Dimitri said, "If you win, you have to let me know the target first and I have the right to refuse. In exchange, I won't ask anything if the young master loses."
Noel shook his head. "If I lose, I promise you that I won't be making any more bets with you. After all, it looks like I have taken advantage of my position to pressure you to help me. So, until you acknowledge me as your current master, I won't be taking advantage of our relationship! That's my determination."
Looking at Noel's serious expression, Dimitri knew that this punishment was to create pressure for him. This way, he had a big need to get stronger. Hence, Dimitri had no reason to reject it.
"I understand. We have a deal."
