The night air over Arcanvale was heavy with smoke and damp iron. Kael sat on the broken roof of an abandoned smithy, legs dangling, his satchel of cores resting against his thigh. The city below murmured—hunters shouting in alleys, vendors closing stalls, beasts prowling beyond the gates.
Eren sat opposite him, clutching the bundle of beast cores Kael had shoved into his hands. The boy's palms trembled, half in gratitude, half in disbelief.
"You're really giving me these?" Eren asked, his voice unsure.
Kael smirked, leaning back on his hands. "Use them. Level your healing. If you're running with me, I need you alive. I don't drag corpses."
Eren exhaled, nodding slowly, like Kael had just carved his future into stone.
Kael turned inward, letting the Codex hum to life in his mind. "System," he murmured. "Show me."
The blue panes flared open.
[User: Kael Kane]
Rank: F
System Points: 47
Skills:
Fire Spark (Lv.1) — Ignite flames, basic offense. Comes with smoke control.
Ash Phase (Lv.1, Elite) — Dissolve into ash and smoke, intangibility, reposition, you are basically Ash in this mode.
Sonic Waves (Lv.1) — Release shockwaves of vibrating sound energy, disrupt balance and hearing.
A pause. Then the Codex spoke, its voice cool but laced with something that always felt too human.
["You've scratched the surface. Your skills are crude versions of what they could be."]
Kael frowned. "Meaning?"
["You have System Points. They're not just currency. They are fuel. Allocate them, and your skills grow sharper, stronger. Power scales with investment."]
Kael tilted his head, firelight dancing in his eyes. "So I can evolve my skills?"
["Yes. Raise the levels. Fire burns hotter. Ash corrodes deeper. And when two skills are strong enough, Fusion may unlock… something new."]
Kael's grin was sharp. "Then let's see."
The panes shifted:
[Upgrade Available]
Fire Spark → Lv.2 (Cost: 10 Points)
Ash Phase → Lv.2 (Cost: 15 Points)
He dumped the points without hesitation.
The moment the upgrades locked in, Kael felt his veins sear. Fire Spark no longer sputtered like a candle—it roared, heat coiling in his palm like a living serpent. Ash Phase stretched wider, his body dissolving smoother, shadows clinging to him like a second skin.
Then the Codex whispered—low, almost reverent.
[Fusion Protocol: Active.]Combine Fire Spark (Lv.2) + Ash Phase (Lv.2)?Success Rate: Undefined.
Kael's heart hammered. He remembered his first fusion—how his body had unraveled like smoke, only to reform with Ash Phase. Now… what would this make?
"Do it," Kael growled.
The system obeyed.
[Fusion Initiating…]The world tilted. His chest convulsed, lungs burning as if he'd inhaled pure embers. His vision bled into black and orange, the air smelling of charred bone. When he looked at his hands, fire clung to him—not red, not yellow, but an abyssal flame with veins of gray ash crawling through it.
The Codex's voice was almost a whisper of awe.
[Fusion Complete.]New Skill Acquired: Eternal Ashfire (Lv.2)
Effect: A cursed flame that clings to anything it touches, burning flesh, soul, and essence until only ash remains. Cannot be extinguished except by User command. Spreads like infection to nearby matter.
Note: "Congratulations. You've weaponized inevitability."
Kael's lips curved into a dangerous smile. The flame hissed in his palm, eating through the night air like it wanted to consume the world. He flexed his fingers, watching the fire crawl over his knuckles like it belonged there.
"This…" he murmured, "isn't just power."
"It's hunger," the Codex finished. "And it's yours to control."
Eren flinched at the heat radiating from Kael, his healer's instincts screaming, but he didn't step back. Instead, he stared, wide-eyed. "What… what is that?"
Kael closed his hand, snuffing the fire with a thought. Ash drifted between his fingers like dying stars.
"It's a promise," Kael said quietly, his gaze fixed on the scarred horizon. "To the world. To the beasts. To the bastards who tore everything from me. Nothing stands in my way—not gods, not monsters. If they touch me, they burn until nothing's left."
The Codex chimed softly, almost like it was smiling.
[Existence Value Increased: +3.]
Kael stood, slinging his satchel over his shoulder. "Rest's over. Tomorrow, we clear another dungeon. Five bosses, five cores. By the end of it, I won't be just an F-rank."
He looked down at Eren, eyes blazing like the cursed flame still lurking in his veins.
"I'll be the fire this world can't put out."