Soul of Searing Steel

[Extreme Alchemist] Norni Nolan was the only female alchemist among the three great masters of alchemy in the Far South Kingdom in the pre-existence.

Before Nolan managed to cross into the realm of the Legendary-tier, the gray-haired girl, was also known by the players as 'Nono' and already had a reputation for being great. There were many reasons she was famous. For instance, her extraordinary abilities in the art of alchemy, her mesmerizingly cute and delicate face, and her mysterious identity was the talk of the town–mostly, the talks were something like, 'Nono is my wife!, 'No, she's my wife!', and of course, people were selling posters and photos of her online like she was an idol or even a goddess among the players in that game.

The real reasons that made Nolan so famous among the players were very different. Those were insignificant matters. It was really the things she did during two historical events—she had outdone herself so much that the entire world remembered her name and what she did during the events.

The first event: Norni Nolan was the first local character who joined the building forces of the players. She was also the first local character throughout the game who broke through Legendary-tier with the support and aid from the players during the event.

The second event: She created a new branch of alchemy called [Extreme Alchemy].

As everyone knew, any alchemy product, whether it was an Enchanted Artilleries, a Puppet with a tough and strong body structure, or Alchemy Potions, a substantial amount of resources would be required to produce them. Hence, most of the alchemists were in search of cheaper materials to create alchemy products of the same quality.

However, Extreme Alchemy was different in such regard—its art aimed to refine any ordinary or unordinary alchemy creation over and over again with a substantial amount of materials to maximize output.

As long as someone was willing to invest, even ordinary soil could be turned into a giant puppet soldier that could destroy a city. Materials that already contained magic energy beyond anyone's imagination could break down the barrier of 'Legendary-tier'. Nolan relied on that technology to push herself into Legendary-tier.

Of course, Extreme Alchemy was also called as the 'Maximum Gold Draining Spell' by the players in the past life. That special alchemic style obviously could create the most powerful enchanted equipment or constructed puppets. However, the amount of investment required was insanely enormous. According to the rumors, when Norni Nolan revealed the total amount of materials required for her first use of her Extreme Alchemy, it was so shocking that players had a heart attack. Thanks to the presence of a powerful priest from the Church of the Seven Gods supporting her, she was able to turn the tide of the battle.

The reason why she joined the players in building their forces was to support them with her Extreme Alchemy. After encountering the great Dark Tide and the invasion of the Dark Abyss, all forces in the continent had attempted to expand their forces and strength as much as they could. Because of that, they were left without any extra resources or money to do anything else. Even though Nolan's strength and skills were mesmerizingly tempting to obtain, one would need to own the heaven and earth to be able to wield what Nolan possessed. Not to mention that forces also had their own army and the alchemists to take care of. So, they did not have any extra money or resources to cultivate a power that sucked money and resources. Only the forces of players that earn their money and resources by slaying monsters had the extra money to provide for Nolan's research and help her advance to Legendary-tier.

But even so, the player's forces faced extreme difficulties. Funding Nolan was just like failing to get SSR cards or characters in some games even after one had pumped in a lot of money into that game. It felt like a never-ending desperation. However, if she succeeded, she would be able to provide the player forces with powerful equipment and powerful magic enhanced puppets. Those should be able to make up the amount of money and resources they pumped into her researches then.

[Giant Extreme Alchemy Enchanted Soldier] was equal to the [Giant Mithril Golem] that the Skypiercing White Tower created. Both were the most powerful puppets in the entire world as both of them were Legendary-tier. They possessed the strength to destroy an entire army of the Abyssal Legion with just one strike.

[The essence of Alchemy is about thoughts and forgetting. Think about the things that are related to the truth and forget about money and resources.]

[—Norni Nolan]

So how did Joshua know so much about it? Because the army force that Norni Nolan joined was the warrior's battle force.

During Starfall Year 846, the gray-haired girl who had just advanced into Supreme-tier was not able to find an investor to fund her researches. Desperate, she decided to join a famous, powerful battle force in the distant land of the Far South. Initially, she did not intend to let the battle force fund her technology. She only intended to borrow the support of the battle force to find other forces that would share the same vision as she did. However, Nolan soon discovered that even though the warriors in the force seemed like ordinary mercenaries, they were rich as hell!

Could they be pumping money and resources from the void?! Unbelievable! So screw it then—the alchemist decided to stop thinking. Since she had found people to fund her research, she did not care even if it was a party that made a deal with the Evil God. She was willing to call whoever holding the money her daddy!

Similarly, when the warrior saw the gray-haired girl, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He also felt the awful feeling of his stomach being emptied. He instinctively and protectively moved his hand towards the spot where his wallet usually was. However, Joshua was Joshua. The warrior immediately responded to her presence. During that time, Nono was still an ordinary alchemist. Furthermore, she had yet to join his side. So even if someone had to fund her researches, the warrior was not the one who had to worry about his money and resources.

Joshua calmed his mind quickly then reached out to greet the nun and the gray-haired lady.

The black draconic girl also popped her head out a little as she looked at the door with curiosity. She wondered who exactly was coming into the cabin. However, a large hand pressed her shoulder down to prevent her from doing that. After receiving a warning, Black instantly sat straight on her seat.

"Mr. Count."

Saya also smiled at Joshua and nodded at the two people next to him, Robzek and Roland. She also noticed the presence of the black draconic girl sitting behind the warrior. She was curious to know who she was. So she asked, "Excuse me. This lady is…"

Saya was very well aware of every presence on board the Epoch. However, she had never seen a small girl with long hair before. Although it could possibly be a newcomer sent by the church, she should have received a notification about it.

Actually, Black was not small. Saya took another serious look at Black as she quietly changed her mind about Black. The draconic lady was approximately five feet seven tall. That height was considerably tall even among men. In fact, she looked small mainly because the three men who were sitting around her were burly and huge. The two holy knights and the warrior were like metallic towers or fortresses sitting on chairs in the cabin, making the space look a little cramped.

"This? Not long ago, you were battling against the horde of sea monsters together as you swept the monsters off the deck," Joshua patted Black's shoulder one more time to prompt the draconic girl to greet them. Black naturally understood her master's intention. So, she stood up straight and opened her mouth wide as she attempted to greet the two ladies with a smile. Instead, she spat out a beam of golden light.

Bam!

When the light beam escaped her mouth, Rozbek who sat right opposite Joshua skillfully and instinctively shot a light shield into the air. That light shield blocked the flames just in time. While Rozbek was talking to Roland and Black, the draconic girl occasionally did that. Roland had already changed a new set of clothes. The hair behind the ears of the silver-haired holy knight appeared to be a little singed.

That was just an accident. Even Black had no idea when she was about to speak or when she would accidentally spit out fire. The holy knight was not triggered by any sense of danger at all. It seemed pretty obvious that his action was just reflex.

After making sure that the nun and the lady were not hurt, Joshua turned around and looked at Black's throat. Her throat was still fair and soft. It seemed impossible that such a small little throat would spit fire that could melt steel.

After thinking hard for a while, the warrior found the reason behind that. He immediately stood up and apologized to Saya. "I'm really sorry about that. She has yet to learn how to control herself…"

"It's alright."

The great nun was shocked as well. She subconsciously kept Nono behind her and also summoned her 'Shield of Truth'. However, it seemed that Saya was not bothered by what happened. She simply brushed her hair and pushed it behind her ears. Then, she smiled gently at the draconic girl who seemed a little anxious and said, "You are Black, right? You're the Count's dragon… It's okay. You don't have to feel nervous or guilty at all. Accidents happen. I don't mind about it at all."

"Tha… thank you."

As she carefully enunciated her word, Black noticed that she did not spit out fire this time. She immediately felt more relieved. She seriously apologized, "It's my fault… I almost hurt you…"

"I'm alright. But, Nono, how about you?" Saya knew very well that the weakened Dragon Breath from the human draconic girl could not hurt them after she summoned her Shield of Truth. However, what she did not understand was that Nono did not say a word nor respond to their conversation after they had stepped into the cabin. The nun had an odd feeling. Could she be so terrified to the point that she fainted?

"Yes… Sister Saya… I'm… a little…"

Nono who remained hiding behind Saya seemed to be shocked. However, the reason she was shocked was totally different from what everyone in the room guessed. She was not fearful of the draconic girl. Instead, she was scared because of the black-haired warrior who was smiling at them.

A moment ago, the warrior had scanned her. The two of them had looked each other in the eye for lesser than a split second. During that moment, the terrifying red eyes burned right into the heart of the alchemist.

What kind of eyes were those? Nono had no word to describe them at all. Those eyes did not carry any joy, curiosity, anger, nor fear. The smile on his face was not real at all. There was nothing beneath that eyes, not even cold judging eyes. They were just pure eyes that looked like a mirror. Nono felt as if all of her secrets and weaknesses were reflected when she stared into those eyes. Everything seemed to be clear as day.

—If it was a battle, I would have probably froze and might not even be able to summon any puppets. I might get myself killed by this man with just one strike from him.

After feeling as if all of her weaknesses were seen through by the man, Nolan felt that she had no place to hide herself. Even though she was currently hiding behind Saya she still felt insecure.

However, Nono was clear about what she should do. She gritted her teeth as she loosened her grip on Saya's hand. She walked to the front and forced herself to greet the black-haired warrior with a smile. The warrior had also introduced himself to Nono. He looked at Nono from head to toe again. Then, he nodded as if he was thinking to himself.

—The head of the Radcliffe family, the Liege of Moldavia's territory, the cold-steel Count, the Dragonslayer, Joshua Van Radcliffe.

Although she was being judged by the terrifying eyes once again until she was trembling, Nono's mind seemed to be able to recall a lot of information about that powerful Count. After knowing that the man was in fact the Successor of the Sage's Legacy, she instantly understood that the light pillar of Order that had interrupted her experiment earlier on was launched by this man.

—The connection of the Church of the Seven Gods. They were even capable of inviting a Supreme-tier champion from the other side of the world to join them on their expedition!

Nono knew very well how much a fellow nobleman would value their own territory. It would require a great cost to get those 'spirits that were bound to their own territory people to leave their territory behind for a period of time. The way the gray-haired lady looked at the warrior turned from fear to envy. She knew that the church would be willing to pay a huge sum of money to hire a Supreme-tier champion on the expedition into the depths of the Anos Abyss.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Hill and Ms. Funa are not here. Or else, that would have been everyone."

After Saya and Nolan found themselves a seat, Robzek found himself at the bottom of his bottle. Then he regrettably said, "Then we can discuss our schedule and plans—we are just approximately one week away from the Great Central Whirlpool in the center of the Anos Abyss. Perhaps we might arrive even earlier than we anticipated. We have a lot to prepare."

The silver-haired holy knight started a topic while everyone kept themselves quiet. Roland and Joshua naturally joined the conversation with the captain. They focused on talking about the enemies they might encounter in the upcoming battle. They also discussed dealing with the storms and how would they handle the situation if they ever got lost in the middle of the whirlpool. Meanwhile, the black draconic lady looked at everyone as she carefully listened to their conversation.

Nono was completely on a different channel as she had no idea about 'tactics', 'cooperation' or whatever 'raids' the men were talking about. She came on board the Epoch with a pure intention to create the Wheel of the Holy Light and maintain its functionality. The Church of the Seven Gods was willing to give her a lot of alchemy books and a large number of design plans on creating some divine golems as her reward. That could actually be a great opportunity that the Alchemy lady would regret if she missed out on.

Of course, other than that, she still kept a small secret to herself…

"So how are you feeling now, Nono? Are you alright?"

A gentle voice spoke. The warm presence swept across her ears and startled Nono while she was thinking to herself. As she was sitting in the same spot, the girl was pulled into the woman's warm embrace. "Are you still feeling scared?"

Without guessing, Nolan also knew that the voice belonged to the great nun, Saya. Saya wrapped her arms around the gray-haired lady as she attempted to comfort the lady. "It's alright. That was just an accident. And I'll protect you. You have my word."

The great nun seemed to feel a little embarrassed for letting a young lady tag along with them into the perilous region of the Anos Abyss. After all, she was a traditional clergy. She had vowed to keep everyone out of harm's way. And now, she was doing the exact opposite by allowing Nono to tag along. She had been feeling a little unsettled ever since the journey had begun. Hence, when Saya noticed that the gray-haired lady remained seated quietly, her mind drifting away, the nun instantly wanted to hug Nolan to comfort her.

"I'm alright, Sister Saya… I just have some questions about the alchemy I'm currently working on. I am stuck in terms of the design."

Since it was hard to tell the nun about the thoughts on her own little mind, Nolan forced a smile to show that she was alright. "The notes left by the previous alchemist inspired me very much. The structure of the Wheel of the Holy Light is extremely precise and harmonious. It gave me a lot of ideas."

"Is that so…" The great nun felt unconvinced. She could see through a person just by looking at the person. The words that gray-haired girl said did not match her mood. However, it was not a big deal then. After all, everyone has secrets. Even Saya had her own secrets that she kept only to herself. "Nono, if you have any trouble, you can tell me straight away. You don't have to hesitate."

"Alright… You're always the best, Sister Saya."

—At the same time, Anos Abyss, the Great Central Whirlpool.

The giant whirlpool whipped up huge waves that were high enough to touch the sky. The waves were so strong that they raged more than ten kilometers across the sea.

The whirlpool was so huge that it occupied a huge area. Even the smaller vortex that branched out from the giant whirlpool carried the momentum powerful enough to sweep anything away. A huge island whale with a length of two hundred meters accidentally got itself pulled into the center of the whirlpool. A spiral arm gently swept over across the place. Instantly, the terrifying sea monster that possessed the power of a Gold-tier was shredded into bits. Flesh and blood spattered all over the place as the remaining of the whale fell right into the bottomless gigantic whirlpool.

Looking at the phenomenon from the sky, the gigantic whirlpool looked just like a black demonic giant eye decorated with an endless flow of violent winds around, right in the middle of the blue ocean.

The gloomy clouds seemed to be stirred by some sort of forces in the sky. The dark shrouds were beginning to spread into the surroundings. In the clouds, lightning began to flash forming a network of lightning as they illuminated the entire sky. A dark shadow passed through the web of thunder and made its way towards the side of that Great Central Whirlpool.

It seems like a black dragon with a body of crystals. It stared at the gigantic black whirlpool with its cold eye, deep in thoughts.

Soon after that, it dove directly towards the raging tides in the sea.Specially Super Rare