Leonar staggered on the unstable platform, feeling it begin to crack beneath his feet.

"Damn... this is bad."

The heat was suffocating, with sweat dripping down his forehead and hitting the blackened ground.

"Celestia, this thing won’t hold much longer!" Leonar shouted, his voice tight with tension as he glanced at the abyss below.

"I’m doing my best… just give me one more moment!" Celestia replied, her tone both urgent and exhausted.

Leonar swallowed hard. His body ached, every muscle protesting, but staying here wasn’t an option. A larger, sturdier platform lay a few meters ahead—stable enough to hold, at least for a while.

"I don’t have time to wait," he muttered to himself. Leonar stepped back, taking a deep breath as his legs trembled.

"Leonar, what are you doing?" Celestia called out, alarmed as she saw him brace himself.

"Betting my life again!" he shouted, lunging forward with all his might.

The searing hot air burned his skin as he sprinted across the wobbling platform. With a final burst of effort, he launched himself off the edge and jumped. The void surrounded him for what felt like an eternity.

The landing was brutal. His hands just barely managed to grab the edge of the larger platform, leaving his body dangling. Burning rocks rained around him, some bouncing dangerously close to his fingers.

With a grunt of effort, Leonar began to pull himself up, first getting his chest over the edge, then with a final push, hauling himself fully onto the platform.

Gasping, he collapsed onto the surface. His heart pounded like it was about to burst from his chest, and he felt nauseous from the extreme exertion.

"That was way too close," Leonar muttered breathlessly, his voice barely audible. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself.

Suddenly, a noise behind him made him turn just in time to see the platform he had jumped from slowly sinking into the lava.

Though it had been invisible, its outline briefly revealed itself before it was consumed by the flames. Leonar let out a nervous laugh, running a hand down his face.

"Good thing I didn’t stick around… damn it."

"Leonar," Celestia’s voice came softly, her tone tired but relieved. "Everything’s ready now."

Leonar slowly pushed himself to his knees, still catching his breath.

"I hope these ‘blessings’ of yours are as good as you say they are, Celestia," he said with a tired smile.

"Of course they are! They’re divine blessings! What did you expect, cheap parlor tricks?"

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Leonar chuckled softly, though the effort hurt.

"Alright, alright, oh wise divine emissary. What do I have to do to use them?"

Celestia quickly regained her serious expression, though her wings still trembled slightly.

"First… you have to pray."

Leonar raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard. He’d certainly heard of this before, but…

"Pray? Here? Now?"

He gestured around at their hellish surroundings for emphasis.

"Yes, pray," Celestia said firmly.

Leonar let out an ironic chuckle.

"Do prayers before meals count?"

Celestia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I assume you already know how to pray, but if you learn and recite the sacred prayers properly, I promise you won’t regret it."

"Won’t regret it…" Leonar repeated the words in his mind before replying:

"Fine. Tell me what I have to say."

Celestia cleared her throat, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.

"Well… do you have something to write with? The prayer is pretty long."

Leonar clicked his tongue in frustration.

"What? I don’t have anything to write with. Can’t you just say it, and I’ll repeat it?"

"That won’t work," she said seriously. "The prayer must be recited with a specific rhythm, and if you get it wrong, it won’t work."

Leonar sighed deeply, looking up at the cave ceiling as if seeking divine patience.

"System," he said aloud, "can you record the prayer or something?"

Celestia looked at him in surprise, then allowed a small smile.

"Well, you do have some interesting tools."

Leonar ignored her deliberately, and shortly after, a translucent window appeared in front of him with the prayer written out.

His eyes widened at the length of the text.

"Is this a joke? It’s practically a full sermon!"

Celestia smiled sweetly, though her tone remained firm.

"I assure you, it’s worth learning."

Leonar scoffed, skimming the first few lines.

"Alright… here we go."

He took a deep breath and began to recite:

"‘Oh, Eternal Divine Flame, bearer of light in the darkness, I, a humble traveler, implore your grace and guidance…’"

"No, no, no," Celestia interrupted, raising a hand. "That word isn’t ‘grace’; it’s ‘grahn-ce.’ Pronounce it right."

Leonar frowned.

"‘Grahn-ce’? Who even writes this stuff?"

"The divine scribes," Celestia replied with a slightly mocking smile. "Now, try again."

Leonar growled and started over, trying to follow Celestia’s instructions. Each time he made a mistake in rhythm or pronunciation, she corrected him mercilessly.

"You’re going too fast!" Celestia said after the third correction. "Leave a longer pause between each phrase."

"For the love of—!" Leonar gritted his teeth in frustration. "Can’t you just pray for me?"

"That’s impossible," Celestia said, narrowing her eyes. "But… I could take control of your body, though without sacred energy, I wouldn’t be able to do much."

Leonar sighed in defeat.

"Seriously… this better be worth it."

He ran a hand through his messy hair before instructing the system to display the prayer again.

After several minutes of corrections and exasperated sighs, Leonar finally finished reciting it correctly.

Immediately, a message appeared before him:

[1492 HF gained.]

Leonar blinked in disbelief.

"Did it really go up that much?"

"Of course!" Celestia said brightly. "God has seen your dedication and patience and rewarded you generously."

Leonar let out a dry laugh.

Now God was watching him too?

For Leonar, this was… surreal.

But not wanting to dwell on it, he asked Celestia:

"Great. Now, what am I supposed to do with this?"

"What hero’s power from the past would you like to use?" Celestia asked, brimming with excitement.

Leonar raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea who those heroes were, so… just give me something useful for moving around and killing monsters, alright?"

A golden circle suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Celestia raised a hand, speaking solemnly:

"With the authority granted to me, I bestow upon Leonar Hart the sacred tools: the Spear of Leonidas and the Flying Cloud of Wukong."

Leonar watched as the circle glowed brightly, and two objects began to materialize before him.

For the first time, in the short period he had been a hunter, a genuine smile crossed his face.

"This could get interesting."