Her voice echoed in his mind, she was more serious than ever.
Aren took a deep breath. The hot air filling his lungs was preparing him for what was approaching.
"I'm ready." Aren said.
He closed his eyes. He crossed his legs and assumed a meditation position.
The moment the ancient words of the mantra began to echo in his mind, the atmosphere of the cave changed. The Crimson Lotus began to tremble.
The dense, liquefied fire energy in its petals could not resist Aren's pulling force. The essence of the flower drifted as thin, smoking crimson threads and began to flow toward the mana pool located below Aren's abdomen.
The moment the first thread of energy touched his skin, Aren's body went rigid.
"AGHHH!"
He gritted his teeth so hard that a cracking sound came from his jaw.
"Focus!" Seraphina shouted.
Aren did not let his mind cloud over.
The crimson energy threads multiplied. As the Lotus slowly withered and dried up, Aren's body began to heat up like a furnace.
His robe was billowing due to the radiating heat. The sweat dripping from his forehead evaporated before hitting the ground, forming a dense mist around him.
And then, Aren detached from reality.
When Aren opened his eyes, he was not in the cave.
He was in the middle of an endless, horizonless ocean. But this ocean was not made of water, but of a golden fire.
This was his 'Mana Pool'.
Crimson flames were raining from the sky. When these crimson flames fell into Aren's golden-colored mana sea, the sea churned, hissed, and boiled.
The wild crimson energy was trying to swallow Aren's pure golden mana, trying to dominate it.
As the ancient words of the mantra echoed, a massive Phoenix silhouette rose from Aren's Mana Pool.
This Phoenix was the pure manifestation of energy from the 'Divine Phoenix' Mantra engraved in Aren's soul and body.
It was a golden deity born from Aren's mana, body, essence, will, and soul.
When the bird spread its wings to the sides, the resulting wind cleaved the golden sea. Its eyes were shining with a blinding light. It let out a shrill screech, defying the wild crimson flames raining from the sky.
This screech echoed in the deepest corners of Aren's soul.
The crimson flames intensified further, as if accepting the Phoenix's challenge. The sky tore apart, and a veritable waterfall of lava poured down upon them.
The Phoenix began to absorb the wild, destructive crimson energy.
The crimson flames resisted, exploded, roared. However, they were helpless against the absolute dominance of the 'Divine Phoenix Mantra'. The crimson energy flowed down the Golden Phoenix's throat as if pouring into an endless abyss.
The crimson energy was melted within the Phoenix's divine fire, purified, and forced to obey it.
Aren's Mana Pool churned along with this new power. The sea level rose, the brilliance of the gold increased. Its color hadn't changed, but its density and the heat it radiated had multiplied manifold.
When Aren felt this new power filling his body, he threw his head back and let out a soundless roar.
This wasn't a scream of pain, it was a cry of rebirth.
In the real world, the inside of the cave had once again been buried in silence and darkness.
The Crimson Lotus in Aren's palms had completely vanished, leaving behind only a layer of gray ash fine enough to be scattered by the wind.
Aren was still in the meditation position.
The trembling in his body had stopped. His breathing had slowed down and deepened. The temperature inside the cave was even higher than the volcanic area outside, but Aren wasn't sweating.
Aren opened his eyes.
The pitch-black cave was illuminated by two beams of golden light.
Around the irises of his hazel eyes, a thin, ever-swirling ring of pure gold had formed. His gaze was no longer just cold; it also carried a pressure unique to sovereigns.
Aren let out a deep breath. The breath that came out of his mouth wasn't gray smoke, but hot steam filled with sparks.
"It's over." Aren said.
Aren looked at his palms; his wounds hadn't healed, but he could feel that something had changed in his body.
Seraphina's voice rang in his mind with satisfaction. "Congratulations. Your fire affinity has reached a certain level. On a universal scale, you can be considered a 'Child of Fire'."
With a calm expression, Aren said, "Child of Fire?"
With a weary voice, Seraphina said, "The first level of fire element affinity is called 'Child of Fire'."
"For instance, Lilith is a natural-born 'Child of Ice'."
"Natural-born?" Aren asked.
"There are levels of attunement with the elements in the universe. Most beings start at the 'Stranger' level. They can use the elements, but it's inefficient. Right after that comes the 'Child of the specific element' level. Anyone with enough resources can reach this level, or they can be born with it like your friend Lilith; for lower beings like you, this is quite rare."
Seraphina paused for a brief moment.
"Ordinary flames can no longer burn your skin. And most importantly, the power of the fire techniques you use will be exponentially more destructive compared to an ordinary person."
With a calm expression, Aren said, "I see."
He couldn't help but think about how lucky he was. It seemed that meeting Seraphina was truly a tremendous stroke of luck.
"Don't overthink it. How about checking your stats."
Aren nodded in agreement.
Title: None
Level: 19
Name: Aren Khan
Race: Human
Physique: Flawless Physique
Bloodline: None
Age: 26 Height: 192CM
Weight: 88KG
Vitality: 73
Strength: 69
Agility: 63
Endurance: 86
Intelligence: 121->122
Wisdom: 111->112
Soul: 199->200
Mana: 116->150
Skills: Bloodlust (Passive), Advanced Sword Mastery (Passive), Phantom Step (Passive), Divine Phoenix Mantra Chapter 1 (Passive & Active), Basic Vision (Active), Mana Reinforcement (Active), Child of Fire (Passive)
"I thought my mana would increase more after absorbing the spiritual plant." Aren said.
Chuckling, Seraphina said, "Sometimes I forget how ignorant you are about these subjects. Your body is approaching the limit of Mana it can handle. Therefore, as you approach the limit, the amount of Mana you can hold in your body when you absorb will drop. Mana and Body must be strengthened together."
"You can't fit an ocean into a glass." Seraphina continued.
"Your current state can only hold a glass of water compared to the ocean. If you force any more, your body will explode from the inside. If you want to increase your Mana capacity, you have to strengthen your body at the same rate. These two are like the two wings of a bird. If one is missing, you cannot fly."
"So how am I going to do that?" he asked.
"The only ways I know to improve my body are leveling up, eating monster meat, or drinking potions. I have my Mantra for Mana, but I don't have a specific technique that will systematically strengthen my body and allow it to keep up with my Mana."
Seraphina's voice echoed in his mind in a reassuring, yet equally mysterious tone. "Don't worry. Don't be hasty. When you reach Level 100 and receive your 'First Title' from the system, I will teach you a special technique. This way, you will be able to smoothly strengthen your body to a level that can compete with your mana capacity."
Aren paused. "Why Level 100? Why not now? If that technique is so powerful, wouldn't learning it now increase my chances of survival?" he said.
Seraphina took a deep, serious breath. Her voice sharpened like a warning. "You are quite impatient, aren't you? Because for you to be able to apply this technique without dying, your body needs to reach acertain threshold." she said.
"With your current state, even if you have the 'Flawless Physique', the moment you try that technique, your bones will turn to dust, unable to withstand the pressure, and your muscle fibers will tear. Level 100 is the first true threshold where a living being surpasses its biological limits and breaks the chains of a 'Lesser Race'. You have to be patient and make do with the current methods until you get there."
Aren digested Seraphina's explanation. It made sense.
"At the same time, when you reach level 100, your innate potential will awaken and a skill unique only to you, hidden within, will emerge. We call this skill a 'Divine Ability'. 'Divine Abilities' are incomprehensible and mystical. Rick's skill is an example of this."
With a calm expression, Aren said, "But Rick looked too weak to be level 100."
In a serious voice, Seraphina said, "Yes, I was surprised by that too. I don't know why, but he somehow awakened his 'Divine Ability' without being level 100. This is a very rare occurrence."
Seraphina was feeling exceedingly guilty because of the events that had transpired.
"Aren, I helped you too much and you became dependent on me in some matters. This dependency caused you to lower your guard too easily. You see, in my current state, I am not an 'omnipotent' being. I make mistakes. You almost died because I couldn't sense the Golem and Rick. I couldn't even foresee that the Golem had developed some intelligence and would detonate itself because of it. My mind and my senses are clouded due to the wounds I took to my soul. Therefore, I have decided to sleep for a while."
"I never blamed you, Seraphina." Aren said.
Seraphina smiled. "I know." she said.
Before Aren's mind was buried in its solitude, two words that warmed him inside echoed.
"Be careful."
Maintaining his calmness, Aren stood up and took a step toward the cave's exit.
However, he stopped before advancing any further.
He listened to the chaotic sounds of the forest outside. Then, he turned his gaze to the storage ring on his left hand.
"Not yet." he said to himself.
Aren sat back down in the middle of the cave. He swiped his hand through the empty air. The storage ring flashed, and massive chunks of meat fell onto the cave floor.
First, the remaining pieces of that massive Bear he had previously eaten half of.
Right next to it lay the Wild Boar the size of a pickup truck, which he had stolen from Rick and his group.
Aren drew his black sword and began to flay the hard skin of the Wild Boar.
And so, Aren's hermit life began.
DAY 1 and DAY 2.
The bear meat was finished. Thanks to his 'Child of Fire' passive, Aren's body was now processing fire energy much faster and more efficiently.
The burning sensation in his stomach had given way to a sweet warmth.
The Mantra was continuously spinning like a millstone, grinding the wild energy and transferring it into Aren's mana pool and muscle fibers.
DAY 3, 4, and 5. It was the Wild Boar's turn.
The meat of this creature was much tougher and denser than the bear's. Every bite strained Aren's jaw.
And its energy was more fierce.
Aren had to meditate for hours after every meal. He sweated, he trembled, but he didn't stop.
The muscles in his body were visibly tightening, and his bones were gaining density.
DAY 7.
Not a single piece of meat remained inside the cave. There were only massive bones piled in the corner.
Aren was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cave. His eyes were closed. Heat waves were radiating from his body.
When Aren absorbed the final crumb of energy, a golden-colored shockwave radiated from his body.
He opened his eyes. The golden ring in his hazel eyes was now much more distinct and bright.
His robe was struggling to hide his muscles, which looked as if they had been meticulously carved.
"Seven days..." Aren said, his voice echoing deeply in the cave. Even his vocal cords had grown stronger.
He stood up.
Cracking sounds reminiscent of cannon fire came from his joints. "Let's check."
Title: None
Level: 19
Name: Aren Khan
Race: Human
Physique: Flawless Physique
Bloodline: None
Age: 26
Height: 197CM
Weight: 95KG
Vitality: 73->85
Strength: 69->82
Agility: 63->70
Endurance: 86->95
Intelligence: 122->129
Wisdom: 112->119
Soul: 200->207
Mana: 150->163
Skills: Bloodlust (Passive), Advanced Sword Mastery (Passive), Phantom Step (Passive), Divine Phoenix Mantra Chapter 1 (Passive & Active), Basic Vision (Active), Mana Reinforcement (Active), Child of Fire (Passive)
His Endurance was almost pushing 100. And his Strength had reached frightening levels. He might not have leveled up, but his stats had increased immensely.
"I can go now."