In the blink of an eye, an entire night went by. The sun's soft rays peered through the windows and cast its warm light over Hester's pristine body.

Despite possessing no apparent physical changes, she appeared to be even more beautiful after becoming a High Witch.

It was her aura that changed.

Still, High Witch or not, she was no match for Vaan's bed skills and passed out early before Vaan could demonstrate a fraction of his pleasuring techniques.

That said, the benefits of dual-practicing with a High Witch were just as Vaan expected.

Ding!

<You have reached a 100% understanding of the Specialized Magic, Earth Reinforcement>

<You have comprehended the Specialized Magic, Earth Reinforcement>

<Earth Reinforcement (Mid-rank) has been generated and is ready to use>

Ding!

<Your body has been reinforced with the earth-attribute refined mana of a High Witch>

<Your defense has improved by 38 points>

<Your earth affinity has increased by 2%>

<Your Earth Spirit Body has slightly improved>

<Your earth blessing has slightly strengthened>

Physical Attributes

[487 525 Defense (38)] [High-level Rank 3 Peak-level Rank 3] [250 Aura Power] [24 26 Dragon Force (2)] [Total Defense: 761 801 (40) (Mid-level Rank 4)]

[601 Strength] [Mid-level Rank 3] [250 Aura Power] [60 Dragon Force] [Total Strength: 911 (Mid-level Rank 4)]

[225 Speed] [Peak-level Rank 2] [250 Aura Power] [Total Speed: 475 (High-level Rank 3)]

Lycan State

[Total Defense: 801 1063 (262) (Mid-level Rank 4 Peak-level Rank 4)]

[Total Strength: 911 1211 (300) (Mid-level Rank 4 Low-level Rank 5)]

[Total Speed: 475 587 (112) (High-level Rank 3 Low-level Rank 4)]

Elemental Affinity

[Earth: 53% 55% (2%)]

[Wind: 13%]

[Lightning: 12%]

[Light: 5%]

[Wood: 25%]

[Fire: 60%]

After a night's worth of dual practice with Hester, Vaan successfully acquired her Earth Reinforcement magic and also improved his defense by a fair amount.

With that, he was prepared to challenge the Trial by Fire.

Vaan took out a fresh set of black clothes from the Heaven-Swallowing Space and donned them. The previous rags were no longer wearable after last night's passion.

After Vaan caught one last glance at Hester's comfortable sleeping face, he left the room quietly without waking her up.

He didn't intend to inform anyone and decided to head directly to the Land of Fire, considering he had already told the ladies last night.

However, Astoria, Eniwse, and Aeliana were already waiting for him outside the guest building. Even the ninth dragon lord was present.

"Well, everyone is up early," Vaan scratched the side of his cheeks with a wry smile.

Astoria rolled her eyes and grumpily said, "Couldn't sleep."

"Hahaha" Vaan couldn't only laugh it off.

Considering how much Hester screamed and moaned in pleasure last night, it would be strange if anyone in the guest building could sleep in peace.

Of course, it wouldn't have been a problem if Astoria and the others had used noise-cancellation magic.

However, the influx of mana would still disturb them, which wasn't necessarily bad, considering they could absorb a portion of the mana for their own benefit.

Vaan guessed the ladies were just being considerate since he was going to take on a dangerous trial.

He noted their small act of kindness and made up his mind to repay them once he returned from the Trial by Fire.

"If you're ready, I can take you to the Trial by Fire anytime, Vahn," Lord Narvim offered to give Vaan a lift.

"I'm ready," Vaan nodded.

Shortly after he hopped on Narvim's back, Narvim flapped his large wings and carried Vaan into the sky in a short instant.

"Be careful." Astoria, Eniwse, and Aeliana reminded just before Vaan departed with Narvim.

Swoosh!

With another flap of his large wings, Narvim took Vaan to the ninth mountain's hollowed peak before performing a steep nose-dive into the Land of Fire.

The rapid speed produced strong wind pressure and hurt Vaan's eyes, but the fresh air of early morning was strangely invigorating despite its quickly increasing temperature.

The mana felt purer, and it wasn't just a feeling; it was purer.

It was the best time to train.

However, there were only a few dragons awake at this time for morning flights, and they were mostly senior dragons.

Lord Narvim must have also woken up early for morning flights.

Nevertheless, Vaan didn't have time for idle chats with Narvim. Within moments, they arrived in the air just above the lava whirlpool, the entrance to Trial by Fire.

"Well then, I'll be sure to bring back a few goods, Lord Narvim."

"Yeah, sure. Do your best, but remember to be careful, Vahn."

Shortly after, Vaan jumped off Narvim's back and dived head-first into the whirlpool of scorching lava below without a shred of fear.

When he first arrived in the Land of Fire, the lava still posed some threat. But after reaching 60% fire affinity, the surface lava was no different from a warm bath in his eyes.

Only the deeper depths of the trial could benefit or harm him.

Splash!

Vaan's figure collided with the lava surface and quickly submerged under its fiery depths, causing his fresh set of clothes to evaporate instantly.

Narvim's eyes twitched at the sight.

Right after he had warned Vaan, the person still went ahead and descended into the trial with such speed. He couldn't help but worry for Vaan's safety.

The person certainly didn't give him peace of mind.

"Don't worry, Narvim." Khaleesi suddenly appeared beside Narvim before she said, "Vaan should be fine in the trial for a while."

"Although human flesh is weak beyond comparison to dragon scale, Vaan has both the Earth Spirit Body and the Fire Spirit Body. That's not something that usually appears in a single person. Still, since he has both physiques, his body's toughness shouldn't be much different from a red dragon's."

"It's likely that even the fiery temperature of the second stage will pose no harm to him. Though, it's a different story once he reaches the third stage," Khaleesi stated.

"Khaleesi, huh? So you also came to see him off," Narvim acknowledged his wife's presence before stating, "I'm aware of all that, but his speed of descent is still concerning. I just hope he doesn't overestimate himself down there."

"Unfortunately, it's out of our hands now. Trial takers aren't allowed to receive help from anyone. He can only rely on himself."

"Yeah"