The voices, the offers, the curious stares
I slipped away from all of it, Hours of experimentation had only proven one thing: my limits were farther than I thought. Maybe they didn't even exist.
The thought rooted itself in my mind, solid and unshakable. I couldn't stop here. Not yet. Power was the only thing I could rely on, and if I had to push myself past reason to get it, then so be it.
Going back into [Ape's Paradise] wasn't an option; the same hunters would recognize me too quickly. I had cleared it far too fast for anyone not to take notice. For now, I had to move on.
Another dungeon. Another test.
I couldn't afford to create too much noise before I had the confidence to stand against the stronger hunters in this city—or anywhere else for that matter. My goal hadn't changed: to reach a level of power at least on par with Rank B. Until then, it was best to keep a low profile.
Outer Bank X was only a small city. One Rank B Hunter lived here, a man so famous people whispered his name on the streets. Bullets, bombs, snipers—none of them worked on him. The thought sent a chill down my spine. To even stand in the same arena as someone like that... I needed more. Much more.
My next destination was the E-rank dungeon: [Ice Wasteland]. A place few hunters cared to tread. Twenty floors of cold and frost beasts, where the sheer temperature alone broke most hunters before the monsters did. That same weakness was my opportunity. My fire would thrive there.
But before I left, I wanted to push my flames one step further.
I stood in the empty cavern, raised a hand, and called out another fireball. With [Flame Control], I compressed it tighter and tighter, forcing the orb to shrink until it quivered in my palm like a caged sun.
"Hold together… just a little more."
The fireball elongated, stretching unnaturally. It shimmered, then snapped into a sharp point, like molten glass drawn into a blade.
My breath caught. That wasn't a fireball anymore.
I hurled it forward on instinct.
The projectile tore through the air with a violent hiss, embedding itself into the cavern wall before detonating in a flare of sparks. The explosion burned hotter, sharper, than anything I'd made before. A blackened crater smoked in the stone.
And then—
[System Notice]
New skill acquired: Ember Spear (E).
I froze.
"…What?"
I hadn't tried to learn a new skill. I was just experimenting with Flame Control—and yet the system had… rewarded me? Evolved my fireball into something new?
A slow grin tugged at my lips.
So it wasn't just about practice. If I twisted, pushed, and reshaped the flames in ways no one else had thought to—new possibilities would unlock. Entirely new spells could be born.
I conjured another. The spear flickered into existence instantly, sharper than the last. I threw it. The wall shook with the impact.
Again. And again. The cavern echoed with each thunderous crack as the stone walls blackened under my growing arsenal.
The status window popped into my vision, unbidden.
[Status Window]
Name: Logan Reed
Level: 6
HP: 20/20
MP: ∞
Strength: 15
Defense: 15
Agility: 16
Trait: Infinite Mana
Skills:
Fireball (F)
Flame Control (C)
Ember Spear (D)
I stared at the glowing words, chest tight with disbelief. Most hunters spent years scraping by with a single spell. I was… making new ones.
The realization was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. If word of this got out, I wouldn't just draw attention from low-level hunters. The higher ranks would come. They'd want me as an ally—or as prey.
I clenched my fist, snuffing out the last ember.
The [Ice Wasteland] awaited. And with it, another chance to climb higher, to experiment, to discover what else was possible.
This time, I wasn't going in just to fight monsters.
I was going to reinvent fire itself.