"Oh my, Mr. Shin-Woo! Guten Tag!"

As soon as Lee Shin-Woo entered the secret shop, Pleine, who had been sitting at the counter with a wearisome expression, lit up and waved at him. She seemed quite happy to see him.

"It's been such a long time since you last visited. We may not have any bones left to sell, but you should come by from time to time to further our partnership..."

"I'd like to improve this item. I need any materials that increase its heat, durability, or level of compression. Even better if you have a bone that belonged to an individual who could control heat."

Lee Shin-Woo forewent the pleasantries and got straight to the point. Picking up on his urgency, Pleine adopted a serious expression as she surveyed the giant fossil that Lee Shin-Woo had placed on the ground...the Giant Solar Fossil.

"It's a sunlight stone, or it used to be. When it transformed, it began to radiate heat rather than light... Though I have no idea what you plan on using this for."

Taking into account Lee Shin-Woo's Bone Reinforcement, there were a couple items she had in mind. Pleine turned around, entered a storehouse-like place that wasn't visible to Lee Shin-Woo, and began to dig through her inventory while Lee Shin-Woo waited nervously.

"I found it. I thought I'd sold it!"

"What is it!?"

Coming here is the right decision! Pleine seemed to understand how urgent Lee Shin-Woo felt, and she rushed back to put a deep, very deep crimson gem on his bony hand.

"It's Lunatic Scarlet, a top rank ruby capable of storing a high amount of heat. Any fire mage would want it... Anyway, that doesn't matter. It costs 41 million Perium!"

"Here!"

"Thank you!"

It cost about as much as a level 7 elite bone, but Lee Shin-Woo bought it without hesitation. He could feel it as he took the ruby. Although it was quite small, it was in no way inferior to the Solar Fossil in terms of its heat capacity!

[The Lunatic Scarlet is transformed by Bone Reinforcement. You have acquired the Bone of Lunatic Scarlet!]

It was compatible with Bone Reinforcement as well! Although the transformation caused the item to assume an uglier form, the heat within and its durability had increased. Lee Shin-Woo had a good feeling about this.

"Bone Reinforcement!"

[Consuming the Bone of Lunatic Scarlet to reinforce the Giant Solar Fossil! A resounding success! The Giant Solar Fossil has become the Scarlet Solar Fossil!]

[Scarlet Solar Fossil (48.7%)]

As he expected, it was indeed a resounding success. Absorbing the Bone of Lunatic Scarlet, the Giant Solar Fossil had become more compressed, and its durability and heat content had increased. In the end, it radiated a red light and emitted an overwhelming amount of heat, becoming a fossil about the size of a human being. However...

"Ugh."

Even now, Kratia and Rem were desperately analyzing the core and creating a blueprint for the Golem's body. However, the Scarlet Solar Fossil was far from good enough for the Golem… Even so, he was going in the right direction.

"Pleine, please. Give me some more Lunatic Scarlets... Give me as many as you can. I need at least three of them!"

"I beg your pardon? If the Lunatic Scarlet wasn't enough... There's nothing left in the storehouse. That's quite the rare gem!"

"Then please give me something similar!"

Pleine opened her mouth wide, flustered, but soon, her expression turned into one of determination; she wasn’t going to give up. She was in charge of the Secret Shop, a place that would sell anything a hero needed, so it would be humiliating if she couldn't provide what Lee Shin-Woo needed.

"...I'll have to use some other methods to get what you need. I'll be going on a business trip."

"Come again?"

"A business trip to the surface. I don't have what you need at hand, so I have to go get it for you. It's been a long time since I've left the store. I don't know what you're trying to do, but... Please provide me travel funds. It costs three Secret Shop’s permits."

Three Secret Shop’s permits? Lee Shin-Woo quickly gave her the permits, but something was bugging him. Wait a sec, if the permits are used as travel funds to go to the surface...

"I'll be back soon, so please wait here. Remember that I wouldn't do this for anyone!"

Once Pleine grabbed onto the three permits—it was usually invisible to the naked eye, but Pleine was able to give them a physical form—she piled them up and bit on them. At that moment, the red haired beauty abruptly disappeared from the shop.

"What the..."

[Jin Taylor: Hey, the barrier's shaking! I think Metafel's finally found where we are!]

"Ah, damn."

Lee Shin-Woo had expected as much, but Metafel sure got there quickly! This was probably a result of his heightened ability to dominate the surrounding mana after becoming a level 8 Eater. Or maybe the inherent ability of the Eater’s karma allowed him to sense nearby prey. Or maybe it was a bit of both.

[Jin Taylor: Of course, he's still a long way off from the deepest part of the domain, but he’s really no joke... Uh, I think Kratia will only last for a couple hours!]

"Stay strong for a bit longer. Pleine left to get me some items."

[Jin Taylor: To get you some items? In any case, you can't come back right away, can you? Shin-Woo, you have to make a decision now. We can still run away with our level 6 and higher members. We'll be able to get away if we sacrifice the lower leveled ones.]

"What...?"

Lee Shin-Woo was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Jin to come out and say that. Jin sighed and continued.

[Jin Taylor: Most of your lower leveled subordinates are pretty weak and won’t make Metafel too much stronger. If Metafel manages to eat all of the elites, on the other hand, he'll become so strong that it'll be difficult for us to face him later. I don't want to leave these guys behind, but...]

"I'm so shocked that you'd come to such a logical conclusion."

[Jin Taylor: I have my own ideas too! You act like you don't, but you do take a lot of risks. Until now, you've gotten by with your abilities, but... Well, even though you got some help from me or some other people, ultimately, you overcame all adversity yourself, but it's too much for you this time. It worries me.]

Jin was right. They hadn't even seen the original form of the Titan's Heart, or the Titan Bone Core, yet they were betting on it as their only chance of success. Not only was the core barely restored, they were also forced to study how the main body should be created in limited time.

Worse still, getting the materials for the main body would rely solely on luck. It would be foolish to think that they could win this fight in any safe manner... However, Lee Shin-Woo remained firm.

"But Jin, if we leave him behind and run, it'll be even worse later on."

If he hadn't seen Metafel evolve into a level 8, Lee Shin-Woo might've chosen to run. He couldn’t possibly do that after witnessing Metafel’s evolution.

"Even if it weren’t us, Metafel could go anywhere to eat. The longer we leave him be, the stronger he'll become. We have to take care of him here and now, if for no other reason than to ensure that he doesn't become a bigger threat in the future."

[Jin Taylor: That's... The responsibility doesn’t have to fall on us though...]

"Maybe, but that's only true if I could actually trust our seniors. In any case, I've decided that we have to finish him here, so don't worry so much. If need be, I can just use the core myself."

[Jin Taylor: If you do, you really will die!]

"Yeah, but if I can kill him by dying once, it's worth it. Don't worry and just wait for me. We can beat him. But we're trying our very best to find a way to minimize the damage to us."

[Jin Taylor: ...]

Jin was quiet for a time, but soon accepted his decision.

[Jin Taylor: When you die, I die, alright?]

"You got it."

Once their conversation ended, Kratia messaged him.

[Kratia Melloi: I think it's possible. Rem's amazing.]

"What about processing the materials?"

[Kratia Melloi: We'll need your help, but yeah, we can do it, Shin-Woo. But to use the Golem, you need at least High Rank Fire Resistance and High Rank Darkness Element. It would be even better if you have the Fire element as well.]

"At least high rank. I got it. I'll try to make it happen."

He'd asked Pleine to bring him everything she had, so Lee Shin-Woo could probably absorb one of them. Lee Shin-Woo took out his staff as he replied to Kratia and started training his Fire Resistance.

The Bone Winged Serpent converted an element to its opposite element, and Lee Shin-Woo used it to turn ice into fire to attack himself. It was quite a crude method of training, but an effective way to improve his Fire Resistance!

[Kratia Melloi: Also, Metafel just entered the Giants' domain. Fortunately, the core is amplifying the effects of the complex spatial barriers around the deeper areas. It'll be 1 hour and 54 minutes before he gets here.]

"If I bring you all the materials, how long would it take you to make the Golem?"

[Kratia Melloi: I'm not sure, Shin-Woo. Come back soon.]

"...I'll return as soon as possible."

Lee Shin-Woo spent his time hellishly training his Fire Resistance. Every now and then, Jin or Kratia would brief him on the current situation, which made him more and more anxious. They would tell him that Metafel had pierced through some of the barrier, or that their blueprints were almost done!

[Jin Taylor: I can kind of see him now, Shin-Woo. Are you almost ready?]

"..."

It had been three minutes since Jin's last report. The space suddenly seemed to shake, and Pleine reappeared.

"I'm back... Kyaa! Why are you using fire in the shop!?"

"I'm training my Fire Resistance. More importantly, were you able to get more?"

"I was only able to get you one Lunatic Scarlet. I'm sorry."

"Ugh...!"

Shit, he was screwed! Now their only option was to prepare for death and charge! But since she'd at least brought him one, he could absorb it to increase his Fire Resistance and use the core himself without the Golem. Lee Shin-Woo gritted his teeth and extended his hand to ask for the Lunatic Scarlet, but then a small smile appeared on Pleine's exhausted face.

"However, I brought you something even better. You sure are lucky, Mr. Shin-Woo! Moreover, since no one is gonna buy it, it's dirt cheap compared to its original selling price."

[Lv8 Shard of the Sun Temple's Central Pillar]

She took out a stone pillar...large enough to reach the ceiling of the shop. This is one single piece!? The heat contained within was so much stronger than the Solar Fossil or the Lunatic Scarlet that it made him shudder.

Lee Shin-Woo gaped, and Pleine winked at him proudly.

"There's a ridiculous amount of heat contained within, but there aren't actually a lot of applications for it. In the end, it can only be cut down and made into a weapon. However, it's different for you, isn't it, Mr. Shin-Woo?"

"Of course."

"Altogether, it costs 350 million Perium. I've cut the price down as much as I can, but if you don't have the money right now, I can lend you... You have the money!? How did you get that much Perium!?"

"Thank you so much, Pleine!"

Lee Shin-Woo quickly paid for his purchase and took the Shard of the Sun Temple's Central Pillar. The moment it touched Lee Shin-Woo's hand, the shard shook and amplified its heat greatly! Surprisingly, that alone was enough to increase his Fire Resistance slightly!

[You have acquired the Lv8 Sun Fossil.]

"Nice, the name's gotten simpler. Bone Reinforcement!"

It would probably make more sense to reinforce the Sun Fossil with the Scarlet Solar Fossil, but considering their compatibility with the Golem, Lee Shin-Woo ultimately concluded that the Solar Fossil was the better material. Without hesitance, he reinforced the Scarlet Solar Fossil with the Sun Fossil. As a result...

[The Scarlet Solar Fossil has been reinforced to the very limit. In addition, it can now produce divine energy as well.]

[You have acquired the Lv8 Hands That Cover the Sun.]

[Bone Reinforcement is now Lv11! Through Bone Reinforcement, you can use power once forgotten.]

"Wow..."

The two miraculous objects had fused together in Lee Shin-Woo's hands, and thus born an unfathomable item. Pleine was shocked. Had the goddess been planning for Lee Shin-Woo to create an item like this? Mm, it didn't seem that way!

"I'll absorb this one."

[Absorbing the Bone of Lunatic Scarlet through Bone Reinforcement. Magic has increased by 23. Intermediate Fire Resistance and Fire Element have reached Lv10 and evolved into high rank skills! Magic has increased by 75!]

Lee Shin-Woo smiled at the overwhelming heat welling up in his body and turned around.

"Again, you have my deepest gratitude, Pleine!"

"Ah, please tell me what you used that on next time!"

Lee Shin-Woo waved at her and left the Secret Shop. Alone now, Pleine stared into empty space as she thought back to the emergence of the Hands That Cover the Sun. She shook her head and sat down.

With a sigh, she muttered, "It's been a long time since I last pulled so many strings. It's a good thing I checked up on those ruins... I really hope no one will find out. Seriously, I really hope no one notices..."

The surface had been in chaos when she took the pillar. Fortunately, her prayers must have been answered; no one had said anything about seeing the red-haired beauty.