Alex flew at low altitude, still dragging his fatigue like a curse. The sun was beginning to set, and despite all his efforts, he still hadn't found any trace of the fire hedgehog. His breathing grew heavy, his determination faltering.
"Tch… It's useless… I'll never find it," he muttered, slowing down.
But suddenly, a familiar wave of heat hit his face. His instincts awoke instantly. That heat… It was exactly the same as during their first confrontation.
"It's him… It has to be him!"
With a sharp flap of his wings, he launched forward, slicing through the air at full speed. The heat intensified the further he flew. Soon, the ground changed: blackened trees, ashes, and charred corpses scattered the area.
"Bingo… I'm on the right track."
At the center of the carnage, a familiar figure appeared: the fire hedgehog, still as massive, more threatening than ever. It turned its head, spotted Alex… and reacted immediately.
GRRAAAA!
With a fiery roar, it launched several burning quills like bolts of molten lava.
"Shit!"
Alex instinctively activated his skill:
[Black Stone Shield!]
His body turned black, covered in a solid obsidian armor. The flaming quills ricocheted off the dark shell with a dull sound like molten metal.
"Hehe… Not this time."
The hedgehog let out a cry of panic, curled up, and turned into a blazing ball before charging at full speed.
"He's faster than before!"
Alex opened his mouth wide:
"Static Spark!"
A blue lightning bolt shot from his mouth, hitting the hedgehog mid-charge. Its momentum slowed, its flames flickered. Alex followed up:
[Misty Body]
His body became intangible a second before impact. The hedgehog passed right through him, smashed two trees behind, and crashed into a stump.
Alex reformed, hovering above the scene.
"If it had hit me, I was done for…"
He soared into the sky, climbed to a higher altitude, then dove like a falcon.
Like the lightning squirrels, he attacked in rapid waves, slashing the hedgehog with his claws before soaring again, over and over.
The hedgehog roared, its body igniting violently, its flames reaching a terrifying level. It launched a rain of spikes—over thirty—straight toward Alex.
GYAAAA!
Alex reacted instantly:
[Acid Spray!]
An orb of acid formed in the air, spitting a corrosive jet that melted all the spikes mid-flight.
The panicked hedgehog began to gather heat again, its body trembling under the accumulated energy.
"Not this time!" Alex shouted.
He flew upward at full speed, straight into the sky.
Another explosion erupted below. A geyser of flames roared upward, but Alex was already above it. He spotted the beast, staggering, trying to flee.
"You're not getting away!"
He dove hard toward it, headfirst, armor still active. Alex's obsidian-black skull collided directly with the hedgehog's. The impact was so brutal that a shockwave made the surrounding trees tremble.
The hedgehog's skull shattered under the blow. Alex, dazed, crashed to the ground, panting. Cracks appeared in his armor, then it disintegrated with a mineral snap.
"Hah… hah… Got it… Damn, I got it…"
Alex dragged himself toward the monster's body. His breath was short, his heart pounding wildly.
Groggy, he staggered. The armor on his body broke into dark fragments.
He sank his fangs into the hedgehog's neck and began to drink its still-hot blood.
[You drink the blood of your target…]
Skill acquired: Burning Quills
Description: When attacked or in danger, you can launch flaming quills as piercing projectiles, causing burns and short-range physical damage.
Alex didn't stop. His eyes began to glow with a supernatural light.
Skill acquired: Ember Core
Description: Briefly ignite your body, increasing physical attack damage and burning all enemies on contact.
The blood tasted intensely hot, almost burning. But he didn't stop. He drank like his life depended on it.
"It's become… normal. Drinking blood to grow stronger… I got used to it without realizing."
Skill acquired: Retreat Explosion
Description: You can concentrate all your internal heat and trigger a small fiery explosion, damaging everything around you before escaping or falling unconscious.
The hedgehog's hot blood slowly slid down his throat.
At first, it was just a strange heat, almost bearable. But within seconds, that heat turned into a real burn, violent and uncontrollable.
It was as if his stomach caught fire from the inside. Pure, relentless pain.
His clawed paws clenched the earth. He fell to his knees.
"Ahhh…!"
A groan escaped his fangs. His vision blurred. Every heartbeat seemed to spread the fire through his chest.
He was suffocating, as if his own blood was trying to reduce him to ashes.
Then, his body gave out.
The world went black.
When he opened his eyes again, a metallic taste lingered in his mouth, but the pain… was gone. Or rather, it had been replaced by a strange sense of emptiness, as if his body had changed.
The sky above him was veiled with red clouds, and the wind still carried the scent of ash.
A faint chime echoed in his head, followed by a cold, glowing display:
[Blood Acquisition — Thermal resistance insufficient]
Forced adaptation in progress…
Skill obtained: Ember Heart (passive)
Description: Your body can now resist extreme temperatures for short periods.
Alex remained still for a moment, panting, eyes locked on the system message.
He had suffered. He had nearly died. But now… he could feel this new energy coursing through his veins, this fire he never thought he could contain.
A smirk slowly stretched across his lips.
"Hah… In the end, the pain was worth it."
He stood up, still a bit shaky, but a new light burned in his eyes.
He wasn't quite the same anymore.
"It was worth it… All those hours searching."
He looked up at the sky, thoughtful.
"If these flames only burn on my body… how am I supposed to use them for forging?"
A new challenge arose.
"I need a monster… that generates fire outside of itself."
He looked down at the monster's body, still warm, smoke rising from the embers. A message appeared in front of him:
[Do you wish to store these materials?]
[YES / NO]
Alex clicked [YES] without hesitation.
"I wonder what kind of weapon I could forge with this monster," he murmured.
[Burning Hedgehog — Level 12] stored
Current Level: 15
His wings unfolded again, and without delay, he rose into the sky, in search of his next prey.