=====

?Physical Attributes?

[306 → 332 Defense (↑26)] [Low-level Rank 3] [250 Aura Power] [Total Defense: 582 (Low-level Rank 4)]

[217 → 221 Strength (↑4)] [High-level Rank 2] [250 Aura Power] [Total Strength: 471 (High-level Rank 3)]

[215 → 217 Speed (↑2)] [High-level Rank 2] [250 Aura Power] [Total Speed: 467 (High-level Rank 3)]

=====

Vaan quickly checked his physical attributes and noticed a fair bit of increase in his defense since the last time he checked.

Undoubtedly, most of the gain resulted from getting burned by the Magma Wyrm's lava and blood.

Nevertheless, Vaan shifted his attention to the heat under his feet. It was burning hot, definitely suitable for tempering his body.

However, the tempering wouldn't be uniform throughout his body.

If he wanted his body tempering to be balanced, he had to submerge his body in the magma completely. That way, the heat would cover all the surface of his body.

"What are you doing, Vaan?" Jergag asked after he suddenly saw Vaan stripping himself.

"I can't take a bath in the magma with my clothes, can I? I've only brought so many sets of clothes with me. If I keep destroying them, I'm bound to run out," Vaan casually replied.

"This old dragon isn't trying to discourage you, but the bodies of dragons are built differently from humans. You're going to lose your legs to the magma, you know?" Jergag said.

As the elderly dragon spoke, he soaked himself in the magma and glanced back at Vaan, who stood on the hot rock, preparing to enter the sea of magma.

"You underestimate me too much, Senior Jergag," Vaan smiled and said, "My body is like a piece of iron. And iron has a higher melting point than normal rocks. I can be burned, but I won't melt."

Furthermore, he still had his Peak-rank regeneration.

Ding!

<You are suffering severe burns from magma>

<You severe burns are being regenerated>

<Your body has been tempered>

<You have gained one point in defense>

..

As Vaan soaked in the magma, he received a continuous stream of system notifications about his improvement.

Not only did the scorching magma temper his body, but it also cleansed the impurities in his pores.

Of course, his eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair all burned without a trace. He lost all forms of body hair and became naked in the truest sense.

Fortunately, he could quickly grow them back.

The elderly dragon didn't have high expectations for Vaan. He assumed Vaan would get out of the magma sea quickly.

However, he was proven wrong.

Five minutes quickly passed, and Vaan showed no such sign, nor did he express any pain despite being burned alive.

'Interesting,' Jergag thought as he watched Vaan calmly submerged in the magma sea.

Vaan would only surface occasionally for air before submerging back into the magma to continue his body tempering.

'It seems it wasn't just luck that let Vaan contract an Earth Spirit. He must have a very high earth affinity. An Earth Spirit Body, huh?' Jergag quickly understood Vaan's physique. "However, it will take more than an Earth Spirit Body and high-rank regeneration to overcome the Trial by Fire."

Although the elderly dragon was impressed by the discovery, his opinion still hasn't changed regarding Vaan's chance in the Trial by Fire.

High earth affinity could lessen the difficulty of the trial's stages to some degree, but it was ultimately a trial that relied on one's fire affinity to overcome.

'It's still not enough. A higher defense won't get him through the Trial by Fire. Vaan will need to raise his Earth Spirit Body to the Earth Spirit King Body at least to stand a chance of overcoming the first two stages in the Trial by Fire,' Jergag silently thought.

'However, an Earth Spirit King Body isn't a physique an ordinary human can possess. At least in Chaos, the number of humans that manage to acquire a Spirit King-rank physique before achieving divinity is extremely few.'

'Hm?' Jergag suddenly frowned upon sensing Magma Wyrms attracted to Vaan's location.

Roar!

(Get lost!)

Jergag issued a powerful dragon roar before the Magma Wyrms that came to scout the area for food fled in a panic.

The elderly dragon snorted shortly after.

With the elderly dragon looking over Vaan, others can only dream of disturbing his body tempering session.

Half an hour quickly passed before Vaan surfaced from the magma and climbed onto solid land to take a break from his body tempering session.

He might have Peak-rank regeneration, but he wasn't immortal. Regeneration relied on blood energy to operate.

Thus, after soaking in the magma for roughly forty minutes, Vaan felt somewhat fatigued and famished. He needed food with lots of meat to replenish his body's needs.

Nevertheless, Vaan had no intention of leaving just yet. He could still push his body a little further.

Ding!

=====

?Physical Attributes?

[332 → 387 Defense (↑55)] [Low-level Rank 3 → Mid-level Rank 3] [250 Aura Power] [Total Defense: 582 → 637 (Low-level Rank 4)]

[221 → 230 Strength (↑9)] [High-level Rank 2] [250 Aura Power] [Total Strength: 471 → 480 (High-level Rank 3)]

[217 Speed] [High-level Rank 2] [250 Aura Power] [Total Speed: 467 (High-level Rank 3)]

=====

<<Elemental Affinity>>

[Earth: 53%]

[Wind: 13%]historical

[Lightning: 12%]

[Light: 5%]

[Wood: 25%]

[Fire: 0 → 1%]

=====

Looking at his improvement, it was clear that tempering his body in the magma was very effective. He raised his defense by fifty-five points in less than an hour.

Alas, the more effective it was, the less he could enjoy it. It was exhausting as it was effective.

Nevertheless, his strength and fire affinity also increased, albeit not as much.

'If I keep this up daily, my defense might reach a staggering level. However, the effectiveness is bound to decrease with every improvement. More importantly, raising my defense alone won't allow me to overcome the Trial by Fire. I need to raise my fire affinity,' Vaan mused.

He knew what he needed to focus on.

'Fortunately, the land of fire is very rich in the fire element. However, I am not satisfied with my fire affinity's rate of improvement.' Vaan's eyes flickered before he decided, 'I guess it's time to use that thing.'

The drop of the Fire Dragon God's blood essence was taken out shortly after.