The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 49: Courage

Lumiere sat on the ground, panting heavily, too exhausted to even move a finger.

He quietly watched the clusters of crimson flames on the ground around him swaying in the wind, gradually dimming and eventually extinguishing.

During this time, Lumiere merely leaned forward, using his left hand to pick up the "Fallen Mercury," while his right hand still gripped the iron-black axe, in case of any unexpected incidents.

He remained highly vigilant, not allowing himself to be distracted.

Of course, inwardly, he couldn't help but silently pray to the "Eternal Sun" and that great, unknown existence, hoping they would protect him from encountering any more trouble.

Given his current condition, not to mention if the flame monster wasn't completely dead and suddenly revived, even an ordinary enemy like the skinless monster could probably take him out.

Time passed by, and as Lumiere's spirituality and strength slowly recovered a little, the injuries on his body worsened, causing his mind to occasionally become fuzzy and making it hard to stay focused: "A 'Hunter' must not only be careful, cautious, calm, and patient, knowing how to utilize the environment and play to their strengths but must also possess courage.

"The courage to face unexpected situations head-on, the courage to never give up in the face of a great crisis, the courage to make decisive decisions when there's no way out, and the courage to seek life in the face of death..."

These thoughts flashed through Lumiere's mind, causing him to be momentarily distracted, when suddenly, he felt that the "Hunter" potion within him had been completely digested: it was as if some barrier had been entirely broken, and as if tiny sparks had merged with every part of his body.

The remaining signs of his potential loss of control were largely dispelled, and his condition instantly improved.

He slowly stood up, silently sighing, "It really has been digested," which meant he was ready to consume the next potion.

Lumiere, with his left hand wrapped in bandages gripping the silver-black dagger, looked around the area, occasionally glancing at the flame monster's corpse, patiently waiting for the extraordinary characteristics to manifest.

Unlike the quick transformation of the shotgun monster, Lumiere waited for a full half hour this time, until he almost suspected the flame monster hadn't fully died and considered whether to strike it a few more times.

Finally, just as he was about to pass out from his worsening injuries, a few crimson sparks of light slowly flew out of the monster's body.

They surrounded the corpse like a swarm of fireflies, then slowly contracted inward, coalescing into a red, heart-like object.

That "heart" slowly expanded and contracted, its surface covered with densely packed small holes, each of which emitted a barely visible flame.

"Is this the main ingredient for the 'Pyromaniac' potion?" Lumiere muttered to himself as he bent down to pick it up.

A fierce burning sensation traveled from his palm into his mind, making him instinctively want to drop the "heart" to escape the pain.

Fortunately, Lumiere's skin had become numb in many places due to being scorched by the flame monster earlier, allowing him to barely endure this not-so-serious injury.

He tried wrapping the "heart" in a cloth strip, but the strip gradually caught fire and turned to ashes.

Lumiere thought for a moment, then placed the extraordinary material on the ground, wrapped the "Fallen Mercury" in the remaining black cloth, and slid it back into his waistband.