John jerked upright. That system sound—clear, sharp, so familiar his heart skipped. Lines of text carved themselves straight into his mind.
[Little Fire has absorbed fragments of an ancient bloodline hidden in Flamebird meat. Analyzing… Analysis complete!]
[Ting! Little Fire has absorbed a trace of Phoenix bloodline.]
He froze. Blood stalled in his veins, brain numb.
"Phoenix?" His voice came out dry, brittle. "A Phoenix?"
Images exploded—book pages, old legends, fragments from his past life. A blazing bird spread its wings against the night sky, eternal flames burning away all darkness. Tales he used to scoff at were now clawing their way into reality.
Little Fire, that fist-sized chick, had just swallowed a drop of mythical blood.
"You messing with me?" John slapped his forehead, but his hand trembled.
Knowledge poured into his mind like a flood. Phoenixes weren't the strongest at close combat. No fangs like Dragons, no indestructible body like Qilin. But they had something no one dared to dismiss: undying fire and rebirth.
John muttered, like reciting a line straight out of a book.
"They can die, but they don't really die. As long as a spark remains, they resurrect from ash, free of wounds, free of curses, stronger than before."
His vision blurred for a second. A battlefield appeared in his mind: a colossal Phoenix collapsing, blood raining down as fire, then rising anew from the ashes, eyes blazing brighter. Enemies trembling, whispering its cursed name: the Undying Bird.
John bit his lip hard enough to bleed. "No way… how could this line up so perfectly?"
He forced his thoughts back. Right, there were limits. The stronger the Phoenix, the more energy it needed to return. Records said a rank 9 Phoenix once drained every ounce of spiritual power from an entire human nation just to come back. The world's balance didn't allow true immortality.
But… he shivered. "Even so, it's still a damn myth."
He sucked in a breath, shot to his feet, and pulled up his status board. Familiar lines scrolled past until one at the very bottom glowed bright:
[Phoenix Form: 1/1000]
John froze, rereading. One-thousandth. A single step on the Phoenix's path.
"Little Fire…" He looked up.
The tiny bird still stood there, chest heaving, feathers glowing like embers. Sparks flickered between them, amber eyes blazing, scattering red light against the wall.
John let out a dry laugh, equal parts awe and mockery.
"Raise a bird that looks like a chicken, and it turns out I've been raising… a Phoenix?"
He covered his face, torn between laughing and crying. From that dumb rooster meme marching into KFC, now he had a "little chicken" carrying an immortal bloodline.
Little Fire tilted its head, chirped sharp, as if rejecting the comparison.
"Alright, alright," John lifted both hands, half serious, half joking, "you're no chicken. You're my little undying bird."
The room was stifling hot, but inside him something different trembled. Before, buying Flamebird meat was just a cheap gamble that fit the system. Now—accidentally, he'd awakened a mythical trace.
"Guess the heavens aren't done with me yet," John muttered, glancing at the wall. Meat stains still splattered there, flickering under the weak light like a twisted painting of blood and fire.
Little Fire suddenly spread its wings and flapped once. Sparks sprayed, popping on the tiles like firecrackers. John lunged forward, yanking a rag to smother them.
"Hey! Don't torch the landlord's place! I haven't even paid this month yet."
The bird chirped bright, eyes gleaming with pride, chest puffed out like it was showing off.
John scratched his head, chuckling.
"Fine, strong's good and all, but don't forget you're still my snack-loving bird. Pull some dumb stunt before you're tough enough, and I won't save your ass."
He said it light, but as his eyes slid back to the glowing line [Phoenix Form: 1/1000], something deep stirred inside. In that cramped little room, the whole world suddenly felt wide open.
The room was still stifling from the earlier meal. John Markus wiped the sweat off his forehead, eyes fixed on the glowing line in his interface:
[Phoenix Form: 1/1000]
His heart thudded like it wanted to break out of his chest.
"Just one-thousandth and it's already like this," he muttered, the corner of his lips curling. "If it ever reaches full…"
He swallowed hard, and at once a dazzling scene rose in his mind:
The city sky blazing as a colossal Phoenix spread its wings. Flames lit the clouds, flashing on every glass window of the skyscrapers. On its back sat a striking young man, cloak whipping in the wind, black hair swept back, his face shining like the sun.
People stopped their cars, breath caught, necks craned. Eyes of aweand envy shot at him like fireworks. Female espers covered their mouths, cheeks flushed, squealing, "He's so handsome!"
John puffed his chest, laughing out loud.
"Yeah, that's right… I'm too damn cool!"
Before the fantasy faded, another took its place: opening ceremony at school, everyone else shoving for seats, while he landed in the courtyard on a Phoenix, stealing the spotlight so hard even the principal stopped mid-speech. Or a street clash with enemies—one whistle, the Phoenix swooped in, fire rolling, foes bolting barefoot in terror.
John cracked up, then flopped back onto the bed, face burning with excitement.
A chirp yanked him back.
Little Fire was still pecking at scraps in the bowl, scarfing them down like it hadn't eaten in weeks. Its body was round and wobbling with each peck, nothing even close to a "majestic divine beast."
John sat up, chin propped on his hand. Normally, this sight annoyed him. But now his gaze softened, and he even chuckled.
"Yeah… kinda cute actually. Every layer of fat on you has potential."
He tilted his head, a thought flashing through.
"Maybe I've been too stingy? One meal's not enough. If I want that progress bar to move faster… gotta feed you more."