The Foundry District is the beating heart of The Undercroft's industry. Unlike other narrow alleys, the air here is hot and heavy, filled with the scents of soot, charcoal, and burning metal. The night sky, which should be dark, is tinged orange by the glow of giant smokestacks spewing fire into the heavens. The sound of hammers striking anvils is a constant backdrop, a rhythm of hard work and desperation.
Nihil walked past sweating dwarven and human workers, his hood pulled low. He was no longer a fugitive fleeing. He was a predator seeking suitable hunting grounds. He entered a drinking den blackened by soot, where workers came to unwind. With the few remaining coins, he bought a glass of water and sat in the darkest corner.
He did not drink. He listened.
"...damn it, the shop foreman raised the quota again..."
"...I heard Umbra Venari was utterly humiliated..."
"...he needs a mage for tomorrow's fight. The pay is decent."
Heze within Nihil filtered the information. He approached an old man with a rusty mechanical arm. "Excuse me," Nihil said softly. "I'm new here. Where can one witness magic shows that are... a bit more liberal? Not the kind favored by Holy Knights."
The old man sized him up and down, then chuckled. "Tired of cheap illusions, are you? If you're looking for real fire and genuine stakes, there's only one place. It's called 'The Crucible.' An illegal arena in an old steel factory at the district's edge. But be careful, son. Many enter there with arrogance and leave as ashes."
Nihil nodded, placing a coin on the table as thanks, then left. He had his destination.
The Crucible was exactly as he had imagined. A colossal abandoned industrial building, now transformed into a haven for violence and gambling. In front of the massive steel door stood a large Orc guard who merely glanced at him before taking his entry fee.
Inside was an organized vision of hell. A large sand pit lay at the center, surrounded by rickety wooden stands filled with screaming spectators. The air was hot and reeked of sweat, cheap beer, and unrestrained magic. Here, strength was the only law.
Nihil found a spot in the shadows of a support pillar, his crimson eyes calmly observing the battles below.
The first match was between a Pyromancer and a Golemancer. Fire against stone. The Golemancer, a tough Dwarven woman, continuously created earth walls to hold back the fire bursts, while her stone golem advanced slowly but surely. The fight ended when the golem managed to catch the Pyromancer's leg and slam him unconscious. The crowd roared.
The second match was more subtle. A Mentalist against a hulking mercenary. The Mentalist attempted to create illusions, making the mercenary attack shadows. But the mercenary, clearly a veteran of many battles, simply closed his eyes, relied on hearing, and struck toward the sound of the Mentalist's footsteps, forcing him to surrender.
Nihil learned quickly. The rules here were simple: don't kill unless previously agreed. The winner takes all the betting money.
He wasn't looking for the strongest or smartest fighters. He was seeking the perfect target to test his new skill, Paradox Mirror. Someone arrogant, showy, and heavily reliant on powerful projectile attacks.
And then, he found him.
A young fire mage named Kaelen stepped into the arena. He was handsome, with an arrogant smile on his face. His opponent was a nervous mercenary. The fight was hardly a fight. Kaelen didn't give him a chance, pelted him with rapid small fireballs, forcing him to keep dodging until exhaustion. As a finale, Kaelen created a blazing fire whip and used it to disarm his opponent, accompanied by the laughter of his supporters.
Kaelen bowed to the crowd, savoring the applause. Arrogant. Overconfident. Reliant on fire projectiles. Perfect.
After Kaelen collected his winnings, Nihil descended from his hidden spot. He walked calmly to the edge of the sand pit, his silent presence creating ripples in the midst of the commotion.
"I challenge you," said Nihil. His voice wasn't loud, yet somehow it carried clearly over the noise.
The nearby crowd fell silent, then some laughed. Kaelen turned, looking Nihil up and down. A thin, dark-cloaked figure. "You?" he sneered. "I could turn you to charcoal before you even blink. What's your stake, ghost?"
Nihil raised a small pouch of coins remaining from Gorgon's payment. "This," he said. "And something far more valuable."
"And what's that?" Kaelen challenged.
Nihil allowed his hood to slip slightly. In the dim light of The Crucible, his crimson eyes shone like two flames from hell. "The chance to brag that you once fought something you don't understand."
The challenge, delivered with such absolute and strange confidence, silenced the laughter. The uncanny presence of Nihil was felt. Kaelen's arrogance was rattled. He didn't like someone else stealing the spotlight.
"Hah! Big talk!" Kaelen laughed, trying to cover his surprise. "Alright, ghost! I accept your challenge. I'll make you regret crawling out of whatever hole you came from!"
The Orc guard rang a rusty bell. The crowd began to shout, placing their bets—mostly on Kaelen.
Nihil stepped into the sand pit, his cloak fluttering slightly. Across from him, Kaelen had already spread his hands, with small fires dancing on his fingertips. The show was about to begin.
The bell clanged loudly, signaling the start of the duel.
"In this corner, the reigning champion, Kaelen the Firebrand!" boomed the Orc announcer. The crowd roared. "And his challenger... a mysterious figure... Nihil!" Only a few chuckles and jeers were heard.
Kaelen sneered condescendingly. "Let's start with a warm-up," he said. He snapped his finger, and a fireball the size of a head shot toward Nihil. A standard attack, fast, and hot enough to panic an amateur fighter.
Nihil didn't move. He didn't dodge. He just stood still, raising one pale hand as if to catch the fireball.
The crowd held its breath, expecting to witness a gruesome sight.
[Activating Skill: Paradox Mirror (Rank F)]
The fireball struck his palm and vanished.
No explosion. No hiss. No smoke. The fireball seemed to be sucked into an invisible hole in Nihil's palm, leaving him unscathed.
Silence fell over The Crucible. Even the sound of hammers from outside seemed to cease.
"A-what..." Kaelen stammered, his smile fading. "Absorption magic? Impossible, you don't have any mana aura at all!"
[Low-Level Fire Energy successfully absorbed.]
[Void Pouch active. Storage Duration: 60 seconds.]
[Capacity: 18/18 -> 17/18]
System notifications appeared in Nihil's mind. Success.
Kaelen's surprise quickly turned to anger at being humiliated. "So you've got a cheap trick, huh? Let's see you absorb this!"
He held back no longer. His hands moved swiftly, weaving a more complex spell. A barrage of smaller but faster fire arrows shot at Nihil from various angles, followed by a wide cone of flame.
This time, Nihil moved.
He didn't attempt to absorb the rapid-fire attacks. His Capacity wouldn't suffice. His movements were minimal and efficient. He stepped to the left, letting the fire arrows pass just inches from his cloak. He ducked low, allowing the cone of flame to pass over his head. He didn't look like an elegant warrior but rather like a ghost dancing among raindrops, never truly touched. Each movement was calculated, predicting the trajectory of the attacks with an unnerving calm.
Heze's mind analyzed every move Kaelen made. His attack pattern was aggressive and lacking precision. He relied on raw power. After each major attack, there was a 1.2-second gap as he drew breath and gathered mana. That was his weakness.
"STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT ME, COWARD!" Kaelen yelled, his breathing growing labored. His frustration peaked. He decided to end this with one final attack.
He cupped both hands together. Fire gathered between his palms, compacting, growing brighter and hotter, until it formed a blazing spear of fire. The Little Sun Spear. This was his signature spell.
"DIE!"
The spear of fire shot forward, leaving a trail of heat in the air, its whistle terrifying.
Nihil stopped moving. He stood upright, waiting for the attack to come. This was it. A single, strong, concentrated attack. Perfect.
As the spear was just a few meters away, Nihil did two things simultaneously at a bewildering speed.
His right hand, which had absorbed the first fireball, extended to the side. He activated Paradox Mirror. The small fireball he had stored shot out, not aimed at Kaelen's body, but at the sandy floor beside his left foot.
At the same time, his left hand rose forward. Paradox Mirror activated again, this time to absorb.
[High-Level Fire Energy absorbed.]
[Void Pouch refilled. Storage capacity exceeded. Releasing previous energy.]
[Capacity: 17/18 -> 15/18]
Kaelen, startled by the sudden fireball at his feet, reflexively jumped aside to avoid it. His balance wavered for a fraction of a second. In that moment, his Little Sun Spear was absorbed into Nihil's left palm.
There was a moment of total silence. Kaelen had just landed from his jump, his chest wide open, his face showing utter confusion. His final attack was gone.
Nihil didn't give him time to think.
He took a step forward. His left hand, now containing the power of Kaelen's fire spear, pushed forward. He activated Paradox Mirror for the third time. Release.
The exact same Little Sun Spear exploded out of his palm at a very close range.
Kaelen didn't even have time to scream. The fire spear struck his chest.
BOOOOM!
A blazing explosion lit up the entire Crucible, forcing spectators to shut their eyes. A heat wave swept the arena.
When the light faded, Kaelen lay in the center of a small, charred crater, his body burned and motionless, his leather armor melted.
Across from him, Nihil stood upright, his cloak slightly fluttering from the explosion's aftermath. His hands returned to his sides as if nothing had happened.
Silence.
Absolute and disbelieving silence.
Then, one person began clapping. Then another. Soon, the entire Crucible roared with cheers far louder than those for Kaelen. They had just witnessed the impossible. They had just witnessed the birth of a new legend in The Undercroft.