(GUYS, TODAY I'M LEAVING FOR MY HOME. VACATION IS HERE, SO BECAUSE OF THAT, THIS CHAPTER MAY NOT HAVE GOOD DIALOGUES, SO DON'T MIND IT. LOVE YALL AND ADVANCE MERRY CHRISTMAS.)
Velsun's lips curled into a smirk, golden sparks flickering at the edge of his aura. "...What if I don't choose? What if I use all three?"
For once, Mimir went silent. Then a low laugh rolled in Velsun's head, dry but impressed.
"Ha! You really are ambitious, huh? Lad, always aiming for the impossible."
Velsun shrugged casually. "Impossible just means no one tried hard enough."
"Tch. Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. Each of those materials by itself is volatile. Sunfire Mithril will melt anything weaker than a god's touch. Helios Gold? It's basically molten starfire—you'd burn yourself if you don't handle it right. And Aurora Crystals? Too much light resonance and they'll shatter into nothing."
He paused, his voice turning serious.
"But… if anyone could force those three into harmony, it's you. The Sun isn't just fire, Velsun—it's creation, balance, and destruction, all in one. If you fuse Sunfire Mithril's endurance, Helios Gold's divine essence, and Aurora Crystal's resonance… what you'd have isn't just Genesis-grade. It'd be a weapon beyond even your brother's design."
Velsun's smirk deepened, flames flaring brighter as if feeding on Mimir's words. "Good. That's exactly what I want. A weapon that isn't just mine—but something that makes even Elder Brother look twice."
Mimir chuckled, half-exasperated, half-proud.
"Hah… reckless brat. Fine then. If you're serious about this, you'll need your brothers' and allies' help gathering those materials. One wrong move, and you'll lose more than just your weapon—you could lose your body."
Velsun's eyes gleamed, fire burning like dawn itself. "Then let's begin."
Velsun turned, his golden eyes burning with excitement as his gathered friends and allies looked at him expectantly. His fiery aura flared with anticipation.
"Alright guys," he began, his voice carrying a spark of authority. "Each of you has a task. I need rare materials for something… special. And only you can get them for me."
He turned first to the storm dragon. "Veldora—you're going after Sunfire Mithril. It's a living metal formed deep within volcanic veins, where molten rock drinks from the core of the sun. Its surface glows like molten gold, and it radiates heat so strong that normal creatures are reduced to ash just being near it. Only someone like you can stroll into a hell-pit like that and drag it out."
Veldora's eyes sparkled as he threw a big thumbs up. "AHAHAHA! You got it, Aniki! I'll grab it, polish it, and probably melt a mountain on the way back!" With a booming laugh, he stomped off toward the door, cape fluttering dramatically behind him.
Velsun smirked, then turned to the armored knight beside him. "Reinhart. Your target is Helios Gold. This isn't ordinary treasure—it only appears where divine sunlight collides with raw mana storms. The ore is alive, lashing out with solar flares that burn everything impure. If you hesitate, it will incinerate itself and vanish forever. I need your precision, your control. Only a true knight can tame it."
Reinhart bowed deeply, his blade gleaming as if it already sensed its future prize. "As you command, my lord. I shall return with the gold, no matter the trial." Without another word, he turned and strode out, every step disciplined and sure.
Velsun's gaze then shifted to Zalario, who stood with an unreadable smile, his presence practically vibrating with dimensional energy. "Zalario. Your mission: the Aurora Crystals. They form at the frozen edge of existence, where starfire refracts forever across the void. They're fragile—touch them wrong and they shatter into light. But I know you. No barrier of space or dimension can keep you out."
Zalario inclined his head in silence, his eyes gleaming with pride at being chosen. He said nothing—just vanished in a ripple of space, already gone to claim his prize.
Now the chamber was quiet, except for one. Karlos.
He was practically bouncing on his heels, eyes wide with excitement, tail swishing like an eager pup. "Velsun-sama! What about me? What do I bring for you?! Give me the word, and I'll dive into the abyss itself!"
Velsun blinked, a little caught off guard. "…Uh. Well… the others are already covering everything. So, you could… you know… just stay here. With me."
Karlos froze. His grin faltered, his body stiff as though he'd been struck. "S-Stay here? With you? No materials? Nothing at all?"
His shoulders slumped, his head dropped, and he looked utterly devastated—like a puppy told it wasn't allowed to fetch the stick. His voice cracked. "…I… I thought I'd finally get a mission too…"
Mimir's dry voice echoed in Velsun's mind. "Tch. Now you broke the poor kid's heart."
Scene: Veldora's Quest for Sunfire Mithril
The world blurred past him as Veldora soared across the skies in his human form, his cloak snapping violently against the winds. His golden eyes gleamed with fire-like anticipation, and yet even he could feel the scorching heat growing heavier with each passing mile.
"Tch… Aniki sure knows how to pick troublesome errands," he thought, smirking despite the sweat beginning to bead on his brow. "Sunfire Mithril… the stuff that drinks molten rock and feeds off the breath of the sun itself. If it were anyone else, they'd have turned to ash before even sniffing it. But me? I'm Veldora Tempest! Hah!"
The air grew thin, dry, and blistering hot as he neared the place Mimir had mentioned. Below him stretched a jagged land of magma rivers and volcanic craters glowing bright like open wounds of the world. Every gust of wind burned like fire, carrying embers and the metallic scent of molten ore.
And at the very center of it—like a heart of flame—was the cavern where Sunfire Mithril was said to rest.
This was no ordinary ore. The legends claimed it was metal born when veins of pure mithril fused with molten rock that had been kissed directly by solar flares searing down through rifts in the world. The result was a glowing metal that pulsed like liquid sunlight, alive with both unbearable heat and overwhelming energy.
Even from a distance, Veldora could see it: veins of shining orange-gold running through the rocks, glowing as though the sun itself had bled into the stone.
"Beautiful," he admitted, landing with a heavy thud at the cavern's mouth. Instantly, a wave of blistering heat slammed against him, and the ground under his boots cracked.
He squinted, shielding his face with one arm. "Haaaah… okay, maybe not so beautiful. It's like standing inside an oven! If a normal dragon came here, they'd be cooked before they even found the ore." He chuckled, sparks dancing around his shoulders. "But me? I live for this!"
He stepped forward, each pace echoing inside the cavern. Lava dripped from the walls like sweat, sizzling into vapor as it hit the floor. The deeper he went, the stronger the heat pressed against him, until it felt as though his skin itself might peel away.
And yet he pushed on, grinning wide. "Aniki's going to make one hell of a weapon out of this stuff. I can't screw this up… no, I won't screw this up!"
Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath him. Cracks split open, spewing magma into the air. From the depths of the cavern, molten creatures began to rise—elementals born from the Sunfire Mithril's heat. Their bodies were dripping magma, cores burning like miniature suns.
Veldora's grin only widened. "Ahahahah! What's a treasure hunt without a little fight, huh?"
He slammed his foot into the ground, surging cursed energy through his body, sparks of draconic lightning dancing along his arms. "Let's play, you hot little bastards!"
The elementals screeched, molten claws reaching out as the cavern filled with blinding heat and roaring flames. But Veldora stood there, laughing like a madman, eager to carve a path through fire itself for his aniki's weapon.
Veldora hovered high above the scorched land, the air trembling with heat so thick it seemed to warp reality itself. His draconic eyes narrowed as the ground below cracked open, spewing geysers of molten rock like the world itself was breathing fire. Deep inside that inferno lay Sunfire Mithril—a legendary ore said to be born where molten rock drinks directly from the veins of the sun. A metal infused with eternal flames, burning yet unyielding, it could only be harvested by those strong enough to withstand the star's fury itself.
"Fuhahaha! Now this is my kind of treasure hunt!" Veldora roared in laughter, his voice rumbling across the wasteland.
He descended, wings of aura unfurling from his back as he assumed his humanoid form—silver-haired, draped in flowing garments that shimmered with draconic energy. The heat instantly slammed into him like a tidal wave, clawing at his flesh, trying to char it into nothingness. His grin only widened.
"Pathetic," he muttered. "Do you think the flames of a mere world can burn me, Veldora? Dragon of Storms?"
The magma churned violently, as if insulted, and then—whoooosh!—pillars of solar flame erupted upward, seeking to engulf him. The lava swirled and twisted, forming serpentine shapes, almost alive.
Veldora's aura flared. The ground shook. His golden eyes shone brighter than the fire itself.
"Come then!" he bellowed.
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