Zhou Heng agreed without hesitation.
"Brother Ba, just give the order, and I'll give it my all."
"Good, good, good. As expected of someone personally recommended by the Mayor."
Black Bear Ba patted Zhou Heng on the shoulder again and sent him a task.
[Black Bear Guild Branch Vice Guild Master "Black Bear Ba" has assigned you the task "Blazefire Collection."]
[Task Description: Collect 1000 Blazefire.]
[Task Duration: 2 days]
[Task Reward: Flame Gloves (Skill) (Prerequisite); 1000 Copper Coins]
After issuing the task, Black Bear Ba took out the Flame Gloves skill book and handed it to Zhou Heng, saying, "Xiao Heng, make sure to complete this task within two days."
"Don't underestimate the reward. These Flame Gloves are a rare skill."
Zhou Heng looked at the Flame Gloves in his hand, and a stream of information appeared on his retina.
Flame Gloves
Quality: Simple (Simple, Common, Complex, Obscure, Esoteric, Arcane, Heavenly Tome, Wordless)
Consumes 3 points of mana to cover both hands with a layer of flame, negating fire damage less than 10 points.
Duration: 10s, after which it continuously consumes 1/s.
Cooldown: 20s
Learning Requirement: None
This skill can be considered to have a cooldown or not, as long as the mana is sufficient, it can be kept active almost indefinitely.
After storing the skill, Zhou Heng got up and left.
According to the coordinates given by Black Bear Ba, the Blazefire is located three kilometers north of Little Bird Town, where the monsters are level one or two, posing no life-threatening danger.
Half an hour later, Zhou Heng arrived at the destination.
[You have discovered a special area: Blazefire Spring]
[Experience +1]
Clearly, in the Infinite Expanse World, discovering new maps grants experience. Though little, even the smallest gain is still a gain.
Zhou Heng surveyed the entire "Blazefire Spring." Though called a spring, it was actually a pond filled with lava. Just approaching it, one could feel a wave of scorching heat sweeping over.
[You have taken damage from the scorching heat]
[Health -1]
Zhou Heng took a deep breath. As expected, tasks from the Black Bear Guild weren't easy. Collecting 1000 Blazefire might cost him one or two resurrection chances.
The three free resurrection opportunities obtained upon logging into the Infinite Expanse World were incredibly precious, and Zhou Heng would never waste them on the Black Bear Guild.
Entering the Blazefire Spring, Zhou Heng prepared to see how to collect the Blazefire.
But as he approached the nearest Blazefire Spring, the lava inside suddenly became active, bubbling up from the bottom and then bursting open with a "pop pop pop" in all directions.
Zhou Heng instinctively retreated a few steps to avoid the material damage from the exploding bubbles. At the same time, he saw what floated out after the bubbles burst.
They were clusters of fiery red flames resembling flower buds.
Blazefire
Magic: 7-7
Quality: Inferior
Can be used to forge some special products, but it seems to have some unknown uses.
[You are new here and know nothing about many things in the Infinite Expanse World. Even if you have decent theoretical knowledge, it's limited to well-known matters.]
[Fate gives you a hint]
When you're just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
[Fate Hint One: As a key material for smelting Blackwater Grass, using it can rapidly smelt Blackwater Grass into Blackwater Sludge.]
[Fate Hint Two: No one knows that Blazefire has a more terrifying use. When combined with Flame Gloves, it can be slowly absorbed, continuously evolving the Flame Gloves until they evolve into the common skill "Burning Fury." But for some reason, few know about this.]
Zhou Heng's eyes narrowed, and then a smile crept up the corners of his mouth.
"Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary flame would have such powerful uses."
Everyone living in this area knew that Blazefire was countered by Flame Gloves and could be collected using them, but who would have thought that this resource was the key to upgrading the Flame Gloves? But why was this little known?
Unable to figure it out, Zhou Heng simply extended his hand and activated the skill "Flame Gloves."
In the next second, a layer of faint fiery color covered his right hand.
This layer of flame was very peculiar. From the outside, its scorching aura could be felt, but the skin of the right hand touching it felt no temperature at all.
Watching the drifting Blazefire, Zhou Heng unhesitatingly reached out and used the Flame Gloves to grab the Blazefire.
However, after several minutes, Zhou Heng grasped the Blazefire without triggering any fusion or absorption effects.
"Could it be that my technique is wrong?"
Zhou Heng tentatively controlled the Flame Gloves to compress the Blazefire. Soon, he keenly noticed that as the Flame Gloves applied more pressure, the size of the Blazefire significantly reduced.
There's hope!
Zhou Heng felt a surge of joy and quickened his pace.
A minute later, the Blazefire in his hand was successfully absorbed.
[You have absorbed Blazefire, and the Flame Gloves have changed, evolving on their own.]
[You have obtained "Flame Gloves" (Simple+)]
Flame Gloves
Quality: Simple+
Consumes 3 points of mana to cover both hands with a layer of flame, negating fire damage less than 15 points.
Duration: 10s, after which it continuously consumes 1/2s.
Cooldown: 20s
Learning Requirement: None
With the evolution to Simple+, the Flame Gloves now consume less mana over time.
Zhou Heng glanced at his mana. After harvesting grass, his total mana was 60 points.
Using Flame Gloves for a minute consumed a total of 53 mana points.
In other words, without a means of mana recovery, it would be difficult to harvest a large amount of Blazefire in a short time.
"Should I buy consumables or..."
Zhou Heng looked at his initial funds of 100 Copper Coins and fell silent.
Every player logging into the Infinite Expanse World starts with 100 Copper Coins and three resurrection chances.
This money, if used to buy potions at the birthplace, could only purchase 2 Health Potions or Mana Potions at most, with the rest needing to be earned or bought.
A bottle of Minor Mana Recovery Potion can restore 100 mana points, with 30 points instantly restored and the remaining 70 points slowly recovered over time.
If Zhou Heng spent all his money on Mana Potions, not to mention how long two bottles would last, just the recovery limit would be a waste. With mana not exceeding a hundred points, anyone would feel the pinch.
After some thought, Zhou Heng decided to fleece the Black Bear Guild.
After all, from the current situation, he seemed to be standing against the Black Bear Guild.
So, if he didn't take advantage of this, spending his own money would be foolish.
[Your diligent study and years of hard work have paid off at this moment. You decide to take a gamble on resources. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.]
[Fate gives you a hint]
[Fate Hint One: Return to the Black Bear Guild, find the irritable Black Bear Ba, and use your charm to obtain a certain amount of "Minor Mana Recovery Potion," a resource far inferior to Mana Potions in the early stages.]
[Fate Hint Two: Thanks to the loss of the "Guild Heart" and Guild Authority, your opportunity has arrived. At 2 AM tonight, the Black Bear Guild will be attacked by a mysterious force. You, the greedy one, will have half an hour. Even with a movement speed of only 1.2m/s, how much you can loot depends entirely on your own ability.]