Mark dashed into a nearby alleyway, chest heaving. The towering monster's roar still echoed through the broken streets, its distorted cry shaking the buildings around him.
"Okay… how the hell am I supposed to beat that thing?" he muttered, peeking from behind a cracked wall.
"And why is that my first opponent?"
Ding!
The system chimed calmly.
> [Miss Flora believes you can handle it.]
"Of course she does," Mark grumbled.
> [Now… as for how to defeat the beast...]
Another glowing screen unfolded in front of him.
> [System Abilities Unlocked]
> — Ash Dragon Inheritance: From your father
— High Mana Capacity: From your mother
— Flora's Blessing: Additional divine mana
— Mana Fortification: mana from your mother and miss Flora increases your physical abilities
[Your total mana level ranks among the top 0.1% in Liaria.]
Mark rubbed his temples.
"Great, I might of got enough mana to nuke a continent. But that means nothing if I don't even know how to use it!"
> [Be patient.]
[Ash Dragon Abilities Available:]
Ash Manipulation: Shape ash into weapons or constructs
Smoke Screen: Create clouds of ash to obscure enemy vision
Explosive Ash: Ignite ash to cause controlled explosions
Mark read the list, slowly exhaling.
"…Okay. That's actually kind of cool."
Another distant roar shook the sky. The monster had spotted something. Time was running out.
Mark's eyes narrowed.
A group of adventurers stood their ground in the burning ruins of the town square, eyes fixed on the towering monster. Its galaxy-like body shimmered with cosmic energy, and its deer skull head turned toward them with hollow malice.
"Magnus! Use your vine spell, now!"
A red-haired knight barked the order, pointing her flaming blade at the beast.
"Yes, Captain Alice!" Magnus, the team's mage, slammed her palm into the ground.
"Nature Magic: Gaia Shackles!"
Massive green vines erupted from the earth, coiling around the creature's limbs, pulling hard.
But it wasn't enough.
The monster roared, the sound glitching like a corrupted signal, and ripped free of the vines.
"Gin! Fire arrows, now!" Alice commanded.
"I'll go for the legs!"
Gin nocked his arrow, flames swirling around the tip.
"Got it!"
Alice's sword ignited as she whispered,
"Salamander… Ignite."
She charged forward, blade blazing—just as Gin fired.
But the monster let out a blast of cosmic wind, scattering the arrows and sending Alice flying into a wall with a crash.
It opened its gaping maw, forming a swirling mass of galaxy energy, and fired—
a massive beam tearing through the air, heading straight for the adventurers.
From a nearby rooftop, Mark watched it unfold.
"Damn it—!"
He leaped forward.
"Ash Manipulation: Blade of Cinder!"
A katana of solid ash formed in his hands as he landed between the beam and the stunned adventurers.
With one clean slash, he split the energy blast in two, sending it crashing harmlessly into nearby rubble.
He landed coolly, trying to act unfazed.
"Okay… that looked sick. I hope the hot knight saw that," he muttered under his breath.
Ding!
> [Warning: If you take too long, the monster will destroy the village.]
Mark groaned.
"Of course it will."
He raised both arms.
"Ash Manipulation: Dragon Bind!"
A massive Chinese dragon made entirely of ash spiraled from his body, wrapping around the monster and coiling tightly. The beast roared, thrashing, but couldn't break free.
"Gotcha! Now I'll just blow you to—"
Ding!
> [Warning: Detonating a construct this large will destroy half the town.]
Mark froze.
"…Seriously?"
He sighed, canceled the explosion, and raised his hand again.
"Ash Manipulation: Hollow Claws!"
Multiple skeletal hands of ash burst from the ground, grasping the monster's legs, arms, and torso—working with the ash dragon to crush it.
"That should hold you."
The ground cracked from the pressure. For a moment, the beast didn't move.
Then—
BOOM!
It shattered the bindings, roaring as it charged straight at Mark.
"Oh come on!" he shouted, throwing up his blade readying to attack as the creature lunged.
"Ash Manipulation: Ash Wall!"
Mark stabbed his katana into the ground, and a massive wall of ash erupted in front of him.
But the beast smashed through, grabbing Mark off the ground and squeezing him as it lifted him into the air.
Magnus, one of the adventurers, quickly tried to assist with her magic.
"Nature Magic: Forest Prison!"
Giant trees burst from the ground, but a single roar from the monster shattered them instantly.
Mark saw her attempt and muttered,
"Well, that wasn't helpful."
The monster opened its maw, ready to devour him.
Thinking fast, Mark shouted,
"Ash Manipulation: Thorn Star!"
Ashen spikes burst from around him, tearing apart the monster's hand and forcing it to release him.
The beast roared in pain.
Mark hit the ground and dashed away, yelling to draw its attention.
Gin and Magnus screamed,
"You idiot, get out of there!"
But Mark ignored them, focused on pulling the monster away from the town. It roared and gave chase, gaining ground fast.
"Ash Manipulation: Undead Steed!"
A skeletal horse made of ash and cinders formed beneath him. Mark jumped on and rode at full speed, leading the monster out of the city.
"Ash Manipulation: Emissary of Cinder!"
Ashen crows manifested and circled him. Once outside the town's range, he pointed at the monster.
"Explosive Ash!"
The crows detonated, swarming and exploding around the monster's face. It screeched, visibly damaged.
> [The monster's skin seems to absorb explosions and blunt force.]
Mark gritted his teeth.
"Damn it… wait, you said it's skin absorbs the explosions?"
> [Yes, that seems to be the case.]
Mark's eyes lit up with an idea.
He summoned more crows, detonating them one by one in the monster's face, forcing it to stumble back.
"Ash Manipulation: Black Chains!"
Ashen chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the monster's ankles and slamming it to the ground.
"Ash Manipulation: Dragon Spear!"
A massive spear formed behind the beast, then pierced through it as it fell.
"RRAAAAHHHH!!"
The monster let out a thunderous roar, writhing as the spear pinned it down.
Mark smirked, snapping his fingers.
"Gotcha. Explosive Ash."
BOOM!
The spear detonated, ripping through the monster and blasting off half its body in a fiery eruption.
Mark panted, gripping the reins of his skeletal steed as smoke and ember drifted through the air.
"Okay… I didn't think that would work. But if there's one thing video games taught me—if they're immune to blunt damage, stab 'em."
He turned the horse toward the battered town square, ready to head back.
Then—crack. Snap.
The sound of shifting bone made his heart drop. Mark's head turned slowly.
The monster's body, still half torn, began reassembling.
Its skeletal frame twisted unnaturally, organs reforming in glowing bursts of galaxy-like light. The beast rose again, unfazed, its deer-skull head twitching with eerie precision.
"…Wait. Wait, no. No no no—"
Mark's voice cracked as he took a step back.
The creature's mouth yawned open, wider than anything should be, cracking at the edges like dry clay. From within, an unstable orb of energy swelled—a chaotic mass of starlight, glitching between shapes, radiating heat and gravity as if it was trying to become a black hole.
"Ash Wall ×4!"
Four massive ash walls erupted in front of him, layered like shields.
> [Warning: The blast contains enough energy to break through all walls.]
"Of course it does…" Mark muttered, closing his eyes.
"This is gonna hurt."
Then—
A voice rang out, clear and commanding.
"Light Magic: Chains of Judgment!"
From above, golden chains etched with ancient runes streaked down like comets, wrapping around the monster's blast, halting it in place mid-air. The energy struggled violently—then the chains tightened and flung it skyward.
Far above, it detonated in silence, lighting the night like a miniature supernova.
"Light Magic: Seal of King Minus!"
Pillars of golden energy, shaped like ceremonial spears, stabbed down around the monster. A ring of glowing runes formed, spinning rapidly like the rings orbiting a planet. The monster roared as it was pinned to the earth, its galactic body frozen under divine magic.
Mark let out a long breath and dismissed the ash walls.
He turned toward the source of the voice.
From the shadows, a tall woman approached. She wore a long white cloak marked with a strange insignia . Her short blonde hair fluttered in the wind, bangs covering her eyes, a quiet strength radiating from her presence.
"Hey there," she said, voice calm but firm.
"I heard you were the one who helped defend my city. Pleased to meet you."
Mark blinked, half-dazed.
"…Y-Yeah. Uh. No problem."