[Unlocked]

  Skill Name: [Aether Control]

  Description: You have learned to harness and control the lifeblood of reality. Aether bends to your will and responds to your command.

  [Hidden]

  Potential Multiplier: Unable to calculate at this moment.

  It had been two hours since Kei first managed to control Aether and compress it into a spark.

  At that time, he and the others had been in this world for just over three hours.

  Ten minutes had been spent dealing with a mischievous pup, another chunk of time on planning and forming a basic training regimen.

  The brutal, amateur dissection of an overgrown hare had taken far longer than expected. And finally, an agonizing hour and fifty minutes had been wasted trying—and failing—to make fire.

  Kei let out a sigh, glancing at his hands, which still tingled faintly from his earlier attempt. The warmth had faded, but the sensation of raw energy remained.

  He had done it once. Created a spark. Even if only for a moment.

  That meant he could do it again.

  Closing his eyes, he centered himself, pulling Aether toward him once more. Unlike before, where his control had been scattered and uncertain, this time, he adjusted his approach—less force, more guidance.

  Aether felt like an extension of the world itself, an ebbing tide that responded best when given purpose.

  So he gave it one.

  He pictured the flow of energy condensing, spiraling into itself like a vortex. Slowly, methodically, he directed it to the center of his cupped palms, compressing it further, pressing it tighter—until...

  Flicker.

  A faint ember sparked to life between his hands.

  Unlike before, it held.

  The heat was weak, barely noticeable, but it was there. A tiny, fragile speck of warmth dancing in the air.

  Kei’s breath hitched.

  It’s working.

  Carefully, he maintained his focus, feeding the ember just enough Aether to sustain it. It was delicate, unstable, threatening to flicker out with the smallest misstep.

  Sweat beaded on his forehead as he slowly, slowly lowered his hands toward the dry twigs and branches he had gathered.

  The ember drifted downward.

  For a second, nothing happened.

  Then—

  Hiss.

  The smallest wisp of smoke curled from the dry kindling.

  Kei nearly lost his concentration in excitement but forced himself to remain still. He needed more. More heat. More oxygen.

  He carefully cupped his hands, creating a gentle breeze with his Force, feeding air into the tiny flame.

  The ember glowed brighter.

  Then, with a final breath of wind—

  Fwoosh.

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  A small flame flickered to life.

  Kei blinked.

  Then, he grinned.

  "Finally!"

  The Fangcub, who had been silently watching this entire process, raised its paw as if to give him a thumbs-up.

  Kei ignored it, too caught up in his moment of victory. He had done it. Fire. With nothing but his own hands and Aether manipulation.

  Now all that was left—

  He turned to the messy heap of butchered hare meat beside him.

  "...Right. Cooking."

  Doing his best to carve separate pieces of meat, he gathered a couple of suitable branches to make an improvised rotisserie over the fire.

  With the hare meat slowly cooking over the flame, Kei continued with his training.

  "Since this is a fantasy-like world, there’s no reason fantasy-like logic shouldn’t work... I hope."

  He quickly dropped to the floor, balancing on both hands and feet.

  Taking a moment to ensure his form was correct, he started counting as he began doing push-ups.

  Watching Kei perform what it considered strange exercises, the pup strangely felt motivated to exercise as well.

  Rolling around, chasing its tail, and randomly attacking sticks might seem stupid, but they reinforced coordination, muscle memory, and general movement control.

  "Twenty..."

  "Twenty-seven..."

  "Thirty-four..."

  "Somehow, I don’t expect any less from you," Kei commented, keeping note of the cub’s actions as it moved through the wind.

  "Seventy-nine..."

  "It doesn’t seem like it notices my presence in the wind observing it."

  "Come to think of it, I never really paid much attention to the wind either—just treated it like a natural function of the world. Maybe I can do something fun with this."

  "One hundred."

  "Hm, fifty seconds for a hundred warm-up push-ups—not my average, but it should suffice for now."

  Taking a moment to check on the meat as it cooked, he used the wind to control the temperature of the flame. Carefully adjusting the airflow so that it neither extinguished the fire nor made it combust uncontrollably, he kept a careful eye on his soon-to-be meal.

  Flipping backward to land on his hands, supporting his body, he started another set of push-ups—this time, in a handstand.

  "For some reason, doing these in a confined space feels more natural than now."

  He continued his handstand push-ups in a well-trained manner, while the pup continued its shenanigans, which it seemed to think of as training.

  Sniff.

  With a twitch of his nose, Kei pushed himself back onto his feet and made his way to the now-cooked meat.

  Taking care to send a gust of wind to extinguish the fire, he gave the meat time to cool down.

  The Fangcub, its nose twitching as well, became intrigued by the new smell in the air. Looking at the cooked meat, noting that it smelled much better than the raw meat it had eaten earlier, the cub walked over next to Kei.

  "Let’s wait for it to cool down a bit, buddy. No point in burning yourself. I don't have that many healing potions left."

  "...Would be nice if I had some seasonings, though."

  Kei glanced down at the roasting meat, its rich aroma wafting through the air. His stomach rumbled in response, but something felt… missing. The scent was too plain, too bland. No seasoning, no depth—just the raw essence of cooked flesh.

  His gaze wandered across the landscape.

  There has to be something I can use.

  He had seen games where food provided buffs, and while he had no proof this world followed similar logic, the mere thought of improving his meal spurred an idea.

  Can I pull scents toward me?

  Extending his Force outward, Kei imagined the wind as an extension of himself. Instead of simply letting it flow naturally, he directed it with intent, guiding it through the air in slow, spiraling patterns.

  The wind stretched far beyond his immediate surroundings, brushing past trees, curling around stones, dancing through blades of grass. Kei didn’t just feel the movement—he felt the world breathing with it.

  Then, something changed.

  Faint hints of different aromas drifted toward him—some familiar, others entirely foreign. He concentrated harder, attempting to isolate them one by one.

  There.

  A faint bitterness, laced with something sharp and crisp—something that reminded him of herbs.

  Excitement sparked in his chest. He focused on that scent, using his Force to gently tug at the air currents, guiding them back toward him. The aroma grew stronger, carrying the unmistakable bite of something edible—or at least, something worth investigating.

  Kei opened his eyes, following the wind’s guidance toward the source.

  "Looks like I might not have to eat plain meat after all."

  The Fangcub, still watching him, tilted its head in confusion before letting out an impressed huff.

  Kei grinned, stretching as he prepared to track down his find.

  Patting the cub on its head, he said, "Stay here and guard the food, Bitey. I’ll be back with some flavor."

  Grabbing another sturdy branch as an improvised staff and restocking his pebble ammo, Kei walked toward the scent he believed to be herbs.

  As he walked away, he used the last of his Aether—being careful not to let it hit zero—to guide the wind in playfully teasing the cub, ruffling its ears and tail.

  The Fangcub, despite taking its job seriously, wagged its tail in anticipation, ignoring the wind’s playful attempts.

  Kei chuckled. "Really interesting."