"Hydra blood? He snuck something like that out of the second stage?" Niflheim thought to himself.

With its putrid smell and detrimental effects, the Hydra's blood should have been a challenge to keep contained.

Niflheim did not know the value of the Hydra's blood; however, considering it came from a World Class beast, he figured its worth was anything but lacking. Not to mention, Morrighan was prepared to put up an A-rank magic item against it in a bet—that alone spoke volumes of its significance.

"Oh? I don't remember mentioning anything about obtaining any Hydra blood." Izroth said casually.

'How did she find out? Or, is she just guessing and hoping to get an answer by gauging my response?'

Izroth collected the Immortal Hydra's blood while still inside the World Class beast. Also, it's not as though he went out of his way to inform the others that he acquired some of the Hydra's blood; therefore, he was curious what methods Morrighan used to uncover it. After all, it was safely tucked away into his inventory and he had not taken it out due to the harmful effects it would have on those who inhaled the Hydra's blood scent.

"I believe that you're not the type of person who is so easily satisfied. That aside, not only are you the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace, but you also have direct ties to the only two known Pill Emperors in RML. Even if you are not proficient in crafting, at the very least, surely you must have picked up a thing or two." Morrighan explained.

She then continued, "A material like Hydra's blood is something thought to be an old legend. According to those legends, some of its commonly known uses include creating deadly poisons or powerful healing elixirs. It is a material that every craftsman would like to get their hands on, especially Alchemists and Apothecaries. I figured since Palace Master Izroth has a good head on their shoulders, they would have seized the opportunity should it have presented itself. After all, would it not make a great gift for the two Pill Emperors under your wing? Of course, if I am wrong, you may feel free to correct me."

'So, it was a guess, after all. But-'

"No, you are right. Indeed, I did manage to store some of the Hydra's blood while I was inside of its body." Izroth confirmed without pause.

'I suppose this is fine. It's not as though I was intentionally keeping it a secret.'

When it came to things like Hydra's blood, the majority of players would keep a tight seal on it. If other players knew that they possessed such a valuable resource, the owner of that resource would be hounded nonstop. Some would approach them to acquire it through fair means, but there were always those with bad intentions who wanted everything for themselves. Even if obtaining it required the use of force!

However, Izroth was not concerned about being forced or threatened to relinquish the Hydra's blood. After all, the last group of people who tried to forcibly take something that belonged to him ended up dropping out of the top ten guilds!

"You seem to be quite knowledgable regarding Hydra's blood. I didn't know you were a craftsman. I wonder what profession the Phantom Queen has chosen that requires the use of Hydra blood?" Izroth inquired.

"I, too, have secrets I like to keep to myself. More importantly, during the time you spent inside the Hydra, I'm sure you noticed the dense magic energy it carried. I've come across ancient records that discussed a few of its potential applications. I wish to confirm for myself whether or not such applications are plausible. One, in particular—creating an artificial Heart of Magic." Morrighan responded.

'An artificial Heart of Magic? I did not see any mention of that listed on the item's usage. But, given that it's a mythical-rank material, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some hidden effects. Still, creating an artificial Heart of Magic—is it possible?'

After seizing the SS-rank magic item, Blood Moon, from the skounae city Vostracane's Netherly Unlit Grotto, Izroth discovered the existence of the Heart of Magic.

While he had never seen the actual item, Izroth speculated that the Heart of Magic was a special type of Magic Core that essentially contained a limitless amount of mana and magic energy. After all, even the second greatest Magic Core that required 10,000 Mana Force and a week recharge time, paled in comparison to the 15,000,000 Mana Force and the one-year recharge time of the Heart of Magic.

Now, Morrighan was telling him that it may be possible to replicate the effects of a Heart of Magic using Hydra's blood—how could he not be interested?

"I see. Then, I will accept your wager so long as you accept one more condition." Izroth stated calmly.

"You want to know about the ancient records, right?"

"I'm glad you catch on quickly. If you include information about the ancient records regarding the Hydra's blood usage along with the A-rank magic item, I will consider it a reasonable trade-off."

"Very well. I accept your terms. I hope that you are a man of your words, Izroth."

"Rest assured, in my life, I have never gone back on my word."

As Izroth and Morrighan wrapped up the details of their wager, Sacred Blade's battle reached its peak.

Although the two were conversing with one another, neither of them looked away from the platform.

Sacred Blade followed Niflheim's instructions and kept his distance from Tal'Nis, alternating between long-range and mid-range attacks.

Even though he was more agile than those who fought before him, Sacred Blade still had a difficult time evading the raindrops from above.

In addition, he could not land a solid hit despite the numerous openings that looked readily available in Tal'Nis' defenses.

In the end, despite his best efforts, Sacred Blade was unable to prevail. And, without the lifesaving skills Niflheim had at his disposal, Sacred Blade was soon overwhelmed by the increasing number of raindrops.

〈Battle Alert: You have been hit! [0/5]〉

〈Battle Alert: Player Sacred Blade has been eliminated! [Time Survived: 1 minute(s) 36 second(s)]〉

〈Battle Alert: Player Izroth will be automatically transferred to the platform in 10 seconds!〉

...

"Sorry, everyone. I tried to find an opening, but that strange rain rushes to protect her every time my attack got anywhere close." Sacred Blade sighed as he arrived back at the platform's edge with the rest of his party.

Colorful Nimbus, who had angrily stomped away a while ago, also returned after cooling down a bit.

Niflheim shook his head and said, "You did what I asked of you. Because of you, we were able to gauge her response to attacks at different ranges and angles. With this, it can be seen as a successful match."

"Still, it really is just as frustrating as you guys said it'd be. I couldn't touch a single strand of hair on her head." Sacred Balde stated.

"Welcome to the club. Wait—does she even have any hair? I mean, isn't it all just flames?" Colorful Nimbus muttered the last few parts to himself.

"It looks like you're up, Palace Master Izroth. Be sure to avenge us properly once you're in there." Sacred Blade said half-jokingly.

Sacred Blade had fought against many high-level boss monsters, but it was his first time experiencing that feeling of being completely helpless. He wanted to do more, especially since he was the one who discovered the crusade. But, someone of the Hero Class was in an entirely different league from the boss monsters he faced up until this point.

To be honest, Sacred Blade started to have doubts about whether or not it was the correct choice to proceed to the third stage. However, he knew deep down that those doubts were merely formed from his recent taste of defeat and helplessness against Tal'Nis. Therefore, he did his best to suppress these negative feelings and recollect himself.

Izroth gave a small nod in response as the transportation process commenced.

'Two minutes isn't much time. It looks like I won't be able to go at this one half-heartedly.'

The following moment, Izroth was transported to the platform's center where his gaze immediately met with Tal'Nis'.

"Hm? What's this? It seems someone rather interesting has made their way before me." Tal'Nis internalized.

Tal'Nis lifted her hand up as something unexpected happened for the first time—the countdown had been paused!

〈System Alert: The countdown until the battle commences has been paused at 3 seconds!〉

'It stopped?'

"The blessing of two, loose fragments of two Laws, a powerful curse, and a Source out of its infancy stage with the absence of a Domain—you, who are you?" Tal'Nis said as her eyes narrowed.

'Oh? As expected from someone who has reached that place. Even if they are just a fragment left behind by the original person, they're still capable of seeing this much.'