Chapter 68: A hot situation

Haaa. Haaa.

Desire's rough breathing could be heard in this hot and lonely place.

It was due to the Burning Air trial that he got, and the condition to fulfill it was to stay in here for an hour.

Although Desire couldn't tell how much time has passed, he knew that it wasn't that much.

Right, not much time has passed ever since the trial has started.

And, yet, Desire was already in this kind of condition.

It was...disappointing.

At least, for Desire, that was how he truly felt about himself.

"Fuck..." Desire cursed as he felt his skin being ripped apart slowly. Skin that isn't covered by clothes were hurting Desire.

And his sweat made his skin be stuck with his clothes. It was that bad.

Although he was constantly using water magic, it just wouldn't help him.

He even used the same amount of mana that he used when he was falling, but it didn't work in cooling his body.

It was as if water wasn't useful in here.

That was why when Desire got frustrated about it, Desire immediately looked for other ways to pass the trial.

Even though he didn't want to, Desire walked with great effort.

He was even slower than the time when he was climbing the mountain.

It was that much of a hassle just to walk for Desire in his current condition.

He walked forward and covered distance as much as his eyes allowed him to see.

However, when he walked for a certain amount of time, he suddenly stopped.

Why? It was because he realized how pointless it was to walk with no real solution at all.

It would just waste his time and waste his energy that he needed just to stay awake.

However, it's not like Desire could just stay in here for an hour.

It's not because of how he doesn't have much time because of that Monster.

It's because he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Haaaaa." Desire sighed as he took a look in his hands.

It was...skinny. Desire knew that he had a thin body ever since he was born, but this is the first time Desire saw himself this slim.

It was not just that he was slim. His hands and arms that were so smooth because of his youthfulness were now dry and rough.

It felt like if Desire ever moved so fast right now, he would break his body.

It was just that bad.

'How fucked up is this...'

Desire thought as he couldn't speak anymore due to his dry lips. Every time he moved his lips, he could feel the blood flowing out of them.

'This is just a warm-up trial? Is that Fireboy kidding me?'

Desire couldn't believe that this was just a warm-up trial. After all, the difficulty of this trial was so hard that Desire, with his tough discipline, would even want to skip it out.

And what was more was that...it was not even a real trial of this Dungeon.

After all, it was just a warm-up. It means that the real trial is harder than what Desire is currently going through right now.

And Desire couldn't believe it.

'This is just bullshit.'

And when Desire thought how this was all just a big bullshit, Desire's knees gave up.

Thud! Desire fell down face flat on the ground, and it didn't even hurt him.

No, it just didn't register in his brain. After all, the ground, which was supposed to be cold, was hotter than ever.

'N-no more...'

Desire's eyes were closing bit by bit as he thought that he could no longer do this.

It would actually be insane if he could stay in this type of place for an hour.

After all, even though Desire didn't know it, the temperature of this place was the temperature of something burning.

And it wasn't just your normal type of burning. After all, this was set up by Fireboy, the Spirit of Fire himself.

Even if Desire chose to give up now, no one would blame or speak badly to him for doing so.

And when Desire's eyes finally closed, his consciousness went with him.

No...to be exact, Desire went inside himself as the last act of desperation in his situation.

After all, if he focused on himself, he wouldn't feel anything happening on the outside.

Although he would still feel the hotness of the air, Desire could say that it would help him even by a little bit.

'Hah. I'm still feeling it.' Desire thought as he swam inside himself.

He was currently on his way to his Core because it was where he would usually stay whenever he was inside himself.

He didn't like to go to the spot where he got the Heavenly Demon Trait because it always reminded him of the despair that he felt back then.

And so, as he swam in his 'body,' Desire was able to return to his normal state of mind.

Although he was feeling the heat, it wasn't that much that it would actually make him despair again.

However, it's not like the damage being done to him is nothing now. It's just that his mind and consciousness are now capable of ignoring it.

'Just what am I supposed to do in this situation?'

Desire thought as he finally arrived at the place where he could see his Core.

It was the familiar Pure Blue Core that Desire worked hard to get.

As Desire wondered in the sights of his Core, he soon got to work.

He didn't come here just to stay away from the pain of having your skin feel like it is being ripped apart over and over again.

He didn't come here just for that sake. He came here to think about possible solutions.

Although it was stupid of him to come in here so late, Desire couldn't help it.

He wasn't in his right mind before, and he could only come up with this answer when he was close to losing his consciousness.

But...no matter what Desire thought of, there was no answer waiting to rescue him.

'There's really nothing...'

It was then.

As Desire swam in the air, his non-existent eyes soon ended up on the Core.

'I guess I'll rely on you.'

Desire said to his Core as he imagined the pain that he would feel after doing what he has on his mind.

'I'm abusing my Core too much, aren't I?'

And so, Desire began to work.