Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"What key?" Alfia raised her beautiful eyes slightly. "Well, now that you mention it, we do need a 'key'."

"We must gather the 'Unquenchable Flame,' the 'Light of Purification,' and the 'Blade of Rift' to continue."

"What is this?" Charles was even more confused.

Alfia smiled and said, "It's nothing. Simply put, you need an 'unextinguishable light source,' 'purifying magic to banish ghosts,' and 'the sword of Worpal that tears through dreams.'"

Alfia was lost in memories:

An inextinguishable light source: Ordinary magic stone lamps won't work, and common magical items are also prone to accidents in that environment. They might be damaged after experiencing the extreme cold of the ice plains.

So, what they were thinking of at the time was the "Blue Fins of Leviathan".

The object that fell is now being used as a dimmer for the school district. To put it simply, it's a large light bulb that keeps the school district lit at night, making it easier for students to get around.

The "purification magic" was used before the little saintess was even born.

The target is naturally Behemoth, the overlord of the land.

The labyrinth is filled with undead monsters and all sorts of deadly poisons. They hope that the venomous Behemoth might drop items that grant immunity to toxins and purify the undead.

"The first two are easy to understand... but what's the last one?" Charles asked curiously.

“Illusion…” Alfia said, “In the ‘Ghostly Realm,’ some adventurers fall into dreams due to mental exhaustion. We suspect it might be caused by monsters like succubi. Only the legendary ‘Sword of Worpal,’ said to be able to tear through dreams, can solve this problem.”

Charles suddenly realized:

So that's how it is. In short, exemption from "mental pollution" is the key to overcoming the "nightmare layer".

That makes sense.

Whether it's Ryu's future awakening of [Justice Successor] or Bel's [Beauty and Flame Resistance], they might not be used to fight the Black Dragon, but rather to explore dungeons.

Speaking of "mental pollution," the Fallen Fairy Spirit also possesses a similar ability; its screams can shake the mind of adventurers, rendering them unable to move.

“I thought you were just not strong enough. It’s the 71st floor. The average monster is level 7 or higher, and there are even some enhanced level 8 monsters.” Xia Er’s eyes were deep.

At that time, he saw the story of the war game between Hestia's Familia and Freya, in which Finn asked the guild master for the "key" in order to open the lock on the 72nd floor.

Looking back now, Finn simply didn't have the ability to reach the 71st floor back then. Finding the "key" wouldn't have been useful in the short term; the "key" he mentioned must have been something else entirely...

such as……

"I thought the 'key' would be those things you mentioned that came out of the 'secret compartment'."

"The 'key' to unlocking the seal of 'Dungeon Girl'? Is this what you mean?"

"Hmm, probably. It made me wonder if the inability to go to the 72nd floor was related to this."

Charles didn't notice that when he mentioned the mezzanine on the 60th floor and the key, Chiron's eyes flickered slightly, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but held back.

however……

“Hey, Chiron.” Charles suddenly turned his head: “Didn’t you live on the ice plains for 80 years? Did you find anything special?”

“No…” Chiron shook his head, his gaze falling on the halberd and the golden bow behind Charles:

"I only found some human relics, which I have already reforged into weapons and arrows."

Charles picked up the golden bow again and, upon closer inspection, suddenly discovered traces of residual immortal energy.

The arrows prepared by Chiron also possess some of the effects of the magic sword, capable of triggering elemental forces and increasing the arrows' destructive power.

Charles tried to draw the bowstring, but couldn't budge it at all...

This golden bow possesses at least level 8 tension; without the centaur's formidable strength, an ordinary person simply couldn't wield it. One wonders what monster's materials, besides the remnants of a celestial being's remains, were used to forge it…

"I never imagined you had the talent of a master craftsman," Charles praised. "Why don't you help me reforge this dragon scale as well?"

Dragon scales are impervious to fire and incredibly hard. Ordinary blacksmiths on the ground don't even have the ability to damage them, and even gods, without using divine power, cannot budge the black dragon's scales. The arrows fired by this centaur before them, even with Pochi using his equipment slots to cushion them, still managed to create a crack. With continued forging, perhaps the dragon scales could indeed be turned into equipment.

"I only need one shield; it doesn't need to deform too much."

Chiron turned his head away: "Why should I help you?"

Charles said calmly, "I will return your bow to you after I finish making the shield."

Where is the halberd?

"The halberd won't work!"

"Why?" Chiron's face hardened. "If you don't give it to me, I won't help you fight!"

Charles said seriously, "You are a noble Archer, the halberd is too dangerous, you can't handle it. Since ancient times, spearmen have always been unlucky! You were knocked down by me the moment you used the halberd, doesn't that prove anything?"

Chiron seemed to be deep in thought.

"Alright, let me go first, come back to my lair with me, and I'll help you forge it."

Charles glanced at Alfia, who nodded, then packed her bags and left with Chiron.

……

Two weeks later, the rhythmic clanging of hammers echoed from inside the towering mountain cave.

Rumble…

Occasionally, streaks of lightning would fall, landing on the jet-black dragon scales, attempting to soften the keratin.

Chiron's hands were filled with a bloody aura, and he stood on seven halos of light. His dark iron hammer fell heavily, engulfing flames and scattering sparks everywhere.

Boom—Clang—

Chiron had been forging the dragon scale with all his might for 14 days, but he never expected it to be so hard. Even with all his strength, he could only barely budge it by half.

Fortunately, Ciel only requested that the shield be made concave, without requiring major changes to its shape...

"how's it going?"

Weary from their journey, Sharl returned to the cave and followed Alfia back to gather the materials needed for their previous hunt at the 'Dragon's Pot'.

"Almost there...it should be finished today."

Chiron melted the dragon scales that the Char sent him and poured them over the black dragon scales, using the "arm bone of the Frost Giant" as a handle to secure it.

As Chiron's final hammer fell, a jet-black tower shield edged with crimson scales appeared before everyone's eyes.

The bottom of the shield is very sharp, and the edges are also polished into a blade, so it is quite powerful even when used for offense.

Although the Black Dragon Shield has a primitive appearance, it's already usable as everyday armor. Its intimidating aura can also ward off annoying monster attacks. Sharl is considering his next step: turning it into a "Shield Axe," which might require the help of Fels and other craftsmen.

"I've finished the work, but where's my bow?" Chiron collapsed to the ground, exhausted from twelve days of relentless stimulation that had been activating her blood energy.

If it weren't for Rimuru continuously providing him with a constant source of energy, replenishing him with coconut milk and nourishing his blood, Chiron would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

however……

"Don't rush, you should rest. I just spotted that red-haired weirdo on the upper floor. Let's go meet her."

Chapter 381 Follow Huang Mao's path and leave Huang Mao with nowhere to go.

"That red-haired monster? Where is it? That damned parasite! I'll crush it!"

Chiron jumped to his feet, his legs buckling...

With a thud——

The front knee landed.

"Good daughter, why such a grand gesture?"

"Tell me, where is she?!"

Chiron knelt before the Charles, still cursing and swearing incessantly.

I love how you say no, but your body says otherwise...

Ciel rolled his eyes: "Can you even lift a knife? And you're already talking 'who else?'"

"That's all your fault! You've been giving me a hard time these past few days!" Chiron retorted.

Alfia pricked up her ears...

Huh? Someone, oh no, Arima has run away?

Thinking about how Xia Er had been spending the last few days grinding monsters with her and hadn't had any time at all, her clenched fist slowly relaxed.

Chiron's Blood Qi Battle Technique is a unique "alien artifact" that can only be repeatedly used by powerful races like centaurs. It uses life force as a price to unleash unimaginable explosive power in an instant.

During these past few days, Ciel also inquired whether humans could learn this ability, and the result was...

"It would drain all the blood from your body in an instant."

at the moment……

"Calm down. We need to know ourselves and our enemy to win every battle," Charles brainwashed him.

"You must understand, that red-haired woman is just one of the tentacles of the 'Fallen Fairy.' Kill one, and there will be thousands upon thousands more."

"Then tell me, how should we deal with her?" Chiron asked, taking the golden bow from Charles. "Shoot her in the head, or her ass?!"

Charles countered, "Do you know what the best way to understand a person is?"

"What is it? Smell its excrement?"

"To become her boss! Her leader!"

Charles raised his head smugly: "Once all her actions are under your command, won't you be able to do whatever you want?!"

Charles spoke eloquently: "First, understand the enemy's purpose, then join her, openly assist her, and secretly sabotage her plans. Utilize the technology and intelligence she provides, and finally, CPU her! Make her your shape!"

"Hmm, why does this routine sound familiar?" Chiron touched the runes on his lower abdomen and suddenly had a sudden realization.

Yes, I remember now. I was openly acknowledging the enemy as my father and using this human's power to achieve my goal of "killing the octopus"!

Now all that's missing is the CPU!

But what is a CPU?

Forget it, let's see how this man does it first, and I'll learn from him later! I'm so smart, no wonder I'm called the King of Wisdom!

"As expected of a strategist, great minds think alike!" Chiron first offered a compliment, then urged, "In that case, let's hurry up and go! To that... CPU, that red-haired guy!"

Hmm... why have you suddenly become so proactive?