Lady Nezehra's sudden appearance and equally abrupt departure had left us both rattled. A dragon in human form…
The implications swirled in my mind like storm clouds. The dragon Ragna and I'd killed, it was a baby dragon. Was it also intelligent, with a humanoid baby form…?
Now that the possible danger of Lady Nezehra was gone, I began to consider that. And I felt odd.
Isolde broke the silence. "Where are we going? The sigil points that way."
She gestured to the faint glow emanating from the mark on my palm, pulling us deeper into the forest.
"We'll get to that," I replied, turning in the opposite direction. This wasn't the time for this. "First, we're making a detour."
Her brow furrowed. "Thorvyn, we just made a deal with a dragon. I don't think keeping her waiting is wise."
"True, but trust me this one time," I said, leading her back through the burning trees. "This won't take long."
The sigil on my palm pulsed in protest, but I ignored it. Lady Nezehra could wait a few minutes, and I'm sure she'd appreciate me speeding things up by what I was about to do.
As we walked, Isolde slowly reached for my crystallized ax, examining the heat damage it had sustained during our battle with the Lava Hound. Without a word, she began weaving her magic around it again, reinforcing the crystalline structure.
"It doesn't look too damaged, you don't have to do that," I said, watching her slender fingers dance around the weapon.
"I know." She didn't look up, focused on her work. "But I've grown fond of this patchwork monstrosity. It would be a shame to let it fall apart now."
I stared at her. Something about the sight – this royal princess meticulously repairing a barbarian's weapon – struck me as unexpectedly endearing.
Back on Earth, I recalled seeing centuries old artworks of medieval queens embroidering or playing instruments, but never maintaining weapons. Yet here was Isolde, blue hair falling across her face as she concentrated, utterly at ease with the task
At some point I realized I'd been watching Isolde more than the work itself. Her pretty oval face, her chest that rose with each breath, and the way she leaned on one leg as her dress hugged her legs tightly. She caught me looking.
"So what is it that you’re looking at, my barbarian friend?" she asked.
"Nothing. Watching for threats."
"I'm a threat now?"
"You've always been a threat." I meant it as a joke. It came out too honest.
Isolde blinked, then turned back to the axe. "Flattery won't make me work better."
"Noted."
But her ears were red, and it wasn't just the heat. She handed the ax back, now gleaming with renewed enchantment. "There you go. Should withstand even phoenix fire now."
"You know, you'd make a surprisingly good barbarian wife," I said without thinking, then immediately regretted it as her eyes widened.
"I beg your pardon?"
Am I getting too comfortable? I cleared my throat. "In the tribe, partners often maintain each other's weapons before battle. It's a... tradition."
"Is that so?" Amusement colored her voice. "And is there a special technique for proposing marriage among Valtherians? Perhaps clubbing one's intended over the head and dragging them back to the hut?"
"Please," I snorted, playing into her misconception of barbarian culture. "We're not savages. We use spears, not clubs."
“Ragna uses a club.”
“She doesn’t count.”
Her laughter echoed through the burning forest, startlingly bright against our grim surroundings.
"What about royal courts?" We continued our walk as I asked, genuinely curious. "I imagine courtship there involves a lot of bowing and flower arrangements."
"Among other things," she replied. "Court romances are elaborate chess games. Every gift, every dance, every word carries political significance."
"Sounds exhausting."
"It is. It's so tiring, Thorvyn. But there's beauty in the complexity." She glanced at me. "Not unlike combat, actually. In formal dueling circles, there are prescribed forms, traditional openings, and expected counters."
"Wait… you have rules for fighting?" I feigned incredulity, though I was familiar with similar concepts from Earth. "What's the point? A fight is about winning."
"Hmm, no? I don’t agree. It's about honor as much as victory," she explained. "Two duelists might exchange twenty passes without landing a blow, yet everyone watching understands who demonstrated superior skill."
"In barbarian duels, whoever's standing at the end demonstrated superior skill," I said dryly.
"Different worlds," she conceded with a smile.
"Different worlds," I agreed, thinking how literally true that was in my case.
We walked for a bit and I felt that the ground underneath was lying to me. Ash made everything look solid when it wasn’t. Isolde stepped onto a grey patch and it shifted under her boot. She lurched forward.
I saw it coming even before she’d taken the step, and calmly caught her at the waist. I yanked her soft body back against me. For a second she was pinned to my chest, warm through dust and heat, and neither of us moved like we trusted our own balance.
“Careful,” I muttered.
“I was,” she said, too quick.
“The ground doesn’t seem to agree.”
Her hands rested on my forearms. She didn’t push me away, although she did seem to decide.
“You can let go now,” she said.
“Yeah.”
I let go a beat late.
She pointed ahead without looking at me. “That way.”
“Right.”
“Not right, I said that way.”
“I know what you said, Princess.”
She walked faster than necessary. I followed, pretending my heartbeat was just from the heat. A bit later, we reached the clearing where the Lava Hound’s remains lay scattered.
We saw cooling chunks of volcanic rock surrounding a still-glowing core. The beast's massive skull was mostly intact, its empty eye sockets staring blankly at the burning sky.
"Why are we here?" Isolde asked.
I approached the remains, crouching beside the skull. "You'll see."
I'd deliberately avoided using this ability during our battles here. It wasn't just about conserving mana – it was about pushing myself to grow stronger without relying on borrowed power.
Every challenge overcome with my own abilities meant genuine growth, something I couldn't afford to shortcut if I wanted to face whatever darkness loomed on the horizon. Not always would I get to kill enemies before a big fight, after all.
But now, with the Phoenix ahead of us, even if it wasn't the real deal, tactical advantage outweighed principle.
I activated Osmotic Evolution.
The activation had become more natural now, even though I'd only awakened it like two months ago.
The world froze around me. Colors faded to gray as everything went dull. The dead Lava Hound's traits presented themselves as glowing options.
[Which Trait do you want to borrow?]
- Magma Shell [B]
- Lava Breath [C]
- Heat Sense [B]
- Pyroclastic Charge [C]
Those were interesting options, really. I considered them all properly. Heat Sense seemed useless in fight, it seemed more like a detection skill. Lava Breath and Pyroclastic Charge sounded very interesting, but they were both [C] Rank.
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Should I just go with Magma Shell? It was a damn shame that I couldn't see details of the options, so I had to be judgmental.
“Hmm…”
I thought for a minute longer. Then I selected Magma Shell [B].
Immediately, I felt the trait integrate into my physiology as the world resumed its normal flow.
Isolde gasped as my skin took on a faint reddish hue, tiny cracks appearing along my forearms that glowed with inner heat.
"What... what did you just do?" she asked, taking an involuntary step back as I stood back up. “W-waiT, are you the son of the Magmaborn?”
“What? No, he's just an old man from the same tribe. This is temporary.” I said. I didn't want to explain my ability to any random person, but this princess and I were growing closer. I could say it.
“It's a skill I have, Osmotic Evolution," I explained, examining my transformed arms with satisfaction. "A bloodline ability. This allows me to temporarily borrow traits from creatures I've killed."
"Ah… ah! I see. Like those bone weapons you used against the skeletons," she realized. "That's how you did it.”,
I nodded. "Got that from the skeleton soldiers back at the ritual site."
"And now you've taken something from the Lava Hound." Her voice held equal parts fascination and wariness. "How fantastical… How long does it last?"
"Twenty-four hours," I replied, flexing my fingers as I adjusted to the new sensation. "After that, I'll need to select something else or go without."
She studied me with newfound curiosity. "You're such a strange man. Any other secrets you're keeping, Thorvyn Valteria?"
"A man should have some mysteries," I replied with a half-smile. My late mother used to say that, and that wise advice had helped me out a lot ever since.
"Fair enough." She nodded, respecting my boundaries. "Are you ready to face the Phoenix now?"
I rolled my shoulders, feeling the magma shell harden across my skin.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
****
The sigil on my palm glowed brighter as we moved in the direction it indicated, leading us deeper into the Ashgrove.
The trees grew taller here, their eternal flames burning blue and white rather than orange, suggesting temperatures hot enough to melt steel.
"I theorize the Phoenix won't be like other fire creatures, even if that dragon Lady said this isn't a real Phoenix." Isolde warned as we walked. "In magical taxonomy, they're classified as conceptual beings rather than mere elementals. They embody the principle of rebirth through destruction. It's the leader of this flame region.”
"So even if we kill it, it might come back?" I frowned.
"A true Phoenix would, yes. But Lady Nezehra said this isn't a real one – likely a fire bird that's absorbed enough elemental energy to mimic Phoenix traits." She glanced at me. "Still dangerous, though. Ancient texts claim their flames can burn even the soul."
"Cheerful." I adjusted my grip on my ax. "Any weaknesses?"
"Their power diminishes if you can separate them from their source of fire. And like most elemental beings, they're vulnerable to their opposite element."
"Ice it is, then."
The sigil led us to a massive clearing dominated by what appeared to be the charred remains of an ancient temple.
Stone columns, blackened by a millennia of fire, supported nothing but open sky. At the center stood a raised dais where flames danced in a complex pattern, forming what looked like a nest of pure fire.
And perched atop this nest was our target.
[5th Ascension]
The Phoenix was breathtaking – twenty feet of wingspan spread like a banner of living flame. Its feathers shifted constantly from deep crimson to blinding gold, trailing embers with each subtle movement. Its eyes gleamed with intelligence and ancient malice.
"It's beautiful," Isolde whispered.
"So is an avalanche," I replied quietly. "Doesn't make it less deadly."
But she was right. It was pretty to look at. We observed it while crouching behind a fallen column, assessing our options. Direct confrontation seemed suicidal – the heat radiating from the creature made the air shimmer even at this distance.
"I can create a series of mirrors," Isolde offered, "to redirect its attacks and confuse it. But I'll need time to set them up."
I nodded. "I'll draw its attention. When I give the signal, hit it with everything you've got."
"What's the signal?"
I grinned. "You'll know it when you see it."
Before she could protest like she always did, I activated [Leap], propelling myself high above the ruins. At the apex of my jump, I called upon [Storm Call] as a localized blizzard formed above the Phoenix's nest.
It took a lot of internal focus, cooling my ‘mood’ to use the ice aspect of my skills, but I managed. Unlike most, my mind bent to my will.
“Krrrrikghh?”
The creature's head snapped up sharply, its gemlike eyes fixing on me with predatory focus.
It screeched – a sound like metal tearing – and launched into the air with a single powerful downbeat of its wings.
I landed on a column as snow and ice crystals began to fall, sizzling as they struck the Phoenix's flaming body. It circled once, assessing this strange threat, then dove toward me with talons extended.
The heat was overwhelming even before it reached me. Without the Magma Shell, I might have been cooked alive just from proximity. As it was, my skin merely prickled uncomfortably as I dove from the column, narrowly avoiding its first pass.
I rolled to my feet, letting out a roar and unleashing [Tempest Strike] as the Phoenix banked for another attack.
The concentrated blast of ice energy caught its wingtip, eliciting another metallic screech as frozen crystals briefly dimmed its flames.
But the Phoenix was fast – inhumanly so. It recovered almost instantly, climbing higher before plummeting in a spiraling dive that left a corkscrew of fire in its wake.
I dove behind a fallen statue, feeling the stone grow hot against my back as flames washed over it.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Isolde working furiously, an array of mirrors materializing around the clearing in a complex geometric pattern.
She needed more time.
The Phoenix emerged from its dive and hovered, beating its massive wings to stay aloft. Then it opened its beak and unleashed a concentrated beam of white-hot flame directly at my hiding place.
I activated [Elemental Fury], channeling ice energy to counteract the attack. The two forces met in a hissing explosion of steam that momentarily obscured the entire area.
“Hey, your man's here!” Using the cover, I circled around, positioning myself to draw the Phoenix away from Isolde. It worked too well – the creature spotted me and launched another diving attack, its entire body now pulsing with intensified flame.
This time, I stood my ground.
As it neared, I embraced the Magma Shell fully, feeling it spread across my entire body in a layer of protective armor.
The Phoenix's talons struck me directly, sending me skidding backward across the stone floor.
Pain lanced through me, but the shell held. Where its claws should have torn flesh, they instead scraped against volcanic rock, unable to penetrate.
"Now, Isolde!" I shouted, grabbing one of the Phoenix's legs before it could retreat.
The Princess completed her spell, and suddenly the clearing was transformed into a kaleidoscope of reflected light.
Every mirror in her array activated simultaneously, creating a complex web of redirected energy.
It was one hell of a sight. The forest grew so bright that I had to shield my eyes. It was as if part of the sun had fallen to the earth.
The Phoenix screeched in confusion as multiple reflections of itself appeared, each moving independently. I released it, beating its wings in agitation as it tried to distinguish reality from illusion.
I didn't waste the opportunity even if it was difficult to see.
Leaping high, I brought my ax down in an overhead strike aimed at the juncture where wing met body. The crystallized edge, infused with ice energy, bit deep into the Phoenix's flaming form.
The creature's screech this time was one of genuine pain. It thrashed wildly, sending me flying across the clearing. I hit a column hard enough to crack stone, my Magma Shell absorbing most but not all of the impact.
The Phoenix, wounded but far from defeated, turned its rage on Isolde. It unleashed another beam of concentrated flame, this one aimed directly at her position.
“Princess, careful!”
“Worry about yourself!”
Isolde was ready. With a precise gesture, she angled one of her mirrors to catch the attack, then channeled it through her entire array. The beam emerged from the final mirror amplified and focused, striking the Phoenix in its own eye.
The creature reeled, momentarily blinded. I was truly surprised by that girl's powers. I’d underestimated her a bit too much. In an ideal situation, she could probably fold me in half. I seized the moment, activating [Tempest Strike] again, this time aiming for the same wound I'd created earlier.
The Phoenix, sensing the attack coming, attempted to dodge – but Isolde trapped it in a cage of mirrored barriers, limiting its movement. My strike landed true, ice energy driving deep into its fiery form.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the Phoenix began to vibrate, its flames flickering erratically.
It rose higher, as if trying to escape the ice spreading through its core, but it was too late. With a sound like a thousand windows shattering, the creature exploded in a spectacular display of fire and ice, raining embers across the entire clearing.
[You've killed a False Phoenix – Level 72!]
[You've gained great experience points! Since you weren't the only fighter, the experience points have been halved.]
[You've leveled up!]
[You've reached Level 39!]
Just one level for that? I landed heavily, my Magma Shell cracking in places from the strain of battle. My worry was broken by the next notifications.
[You have enough experience points to level up further, but you've reached a bottleneck! Once you cross it, you will jump a few levels.]
I stood in the ashes of the Phoenix, breathing hard. There were a few more notifications, but my attention moved. Across the clearing, Isolde lowered her hands, her mirror array slowly dissolving into motes of blue light.
Isolde had soot on her face, a streak across her cheek like war paint. Her chest rose and fell, and I realized I was staring again.
"We did it," she said, almost surprised.
"You sound shocked."
"I'm allowed to be shocked. That was a Phoenix, false or otherwise," she said with a proud laugh, short and disbelieving. The sound hit me somewhere.
Without thinking, I walked over and reached out and brushed the soot from her cheek with my thumb. She went still. "You had something," I said.
"I… yes, I noticed. Thank you."
I should have pulled my hand back. I didn't. She should have stepped away. She didn't either. The moment stretched, fragile, until the Phoenix's remains crackled and we both remembered where we were.
"Are you alright?" she asked, clearing her throat.
I nodded, catching my breath. "You?"
"Better than expected." Her eyes gleamed with triumph. "I just reached Level 49."
"Almost to your 5th Ascension," I observed, impressed.
"Yes. I must have received my Ascension Quest already, although I’m unable to see it on my own. Have to visit a temple. You've leveled up too, right? You're one step closer to your 4th," she replied.
As if triggered by her words, my eyes moved to the last few notifications.
[Congratulations! You've qualified for your first Ascension Quest!]
[Ascension Quest: Complete the Naga Witch's Granted Task]
[Reward: Advancement to 4th Ascension upon completion]
…Didn't she say she needs to visit the temple to see the Ascension Quest?
If so, why could I see it so easily?
This reminded me of the Shaman’s words during the coming of age ceremony night. ‘You have more access to the [System] than normal people.’
Just how far did that extend? And what was the reason I had this blessing…?
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