Before Cassian's first hunt, he wanted to test his plan on the burning cage.
As soon as he leapt out, Cassian glanced down at the smoldering remains.
Cassian stared at the burning flames, noticing the minor burns near his ankles where the ropes had been tied.
Good thing the [Dagger of Fire] skill doesn't harm its wielder immediately. But a few moments after using it, the flames begin to burn him too, something he had just learned.
Useful knowledge, though the fire doesn't protect him for long, as the burn marks on his legs were proof.
The black cloth had burned away in an instant, and the wooden cage collapsed into a heap of charred wood.
'Good thing Dagger of Fire burns faster than I expected, but will it be enough to take down those creatures?'
Doubt crept in, but Cassian slapped his own cheek,
"No, focus, focus!"
He had only three Dagger of Fire uses left, no room for hesitation.
Determined, Cassian quickly opened the Blessing Tab and navigated to the Blessing section to confirm once again what he had checked inside the cage.
He wanted to be sure.
***
[Boundless Authority-The One Who Claims All]
[Level 1: Possession]
[Anything you declare "Mine" becomes bound to your existence.
Not just ownership—absolute authority.]
---
*[Base Mechanics]*
[Claim Activation- Verbal or mental trigger: "Mine."]
[Requirement:
Unawareness of target
Intent (must genuinely want it)
Authority strength ≥ target resistance]
---
[Level 1: Possession]
[Claim objects (weapons, items)]
[Instant mastery + recall]
[Cannot be stolen or destroyed easily, once claimed]
***
'Just as I thought, I can own any weapon as long as its resistance is below my Authority.'
Cassian's mind sparked with an idea, recalling [Dagger of Fire]'s description:
[A blazing divine weapon that protects its wielder and will not extinguish until everything it strikes is reduced to nothingness.]
If [Dagger of Fire] is a weapon skill with no physical form and is made entirely of flames, then if the flames it creates are treated as independent objects, their Resistance should be lower than my Authority.
He checked his stats:
[Resistance: 02]
[Authority: 22]
'If the system recognizes summoned fire as an object… then I can claim it.'
To test his theory, Cassian's eyes glowed faint red as he commanded,
"Your fire is mine."
[Blessing activated: Possession]
Suddenly, a burning sensation gripped his throat, making him cough, but he watched as the burning wood swayed with his hand motion, drifting toward him.
A grin broke through the pain, excitement flooding his veins.
'Okay, Step 1 initiated!'
Cassian's first step had brought him this far.
He stood tall, having defeated three Infinites alone, as messages flashed before his eyes:
[First Solo Kill]
[Title Acquired]
[Illyria Desert's Hunter:
+5 Strength when below 20% HP
+5 Defense when below 20% HP]
"I clearly underestimated you!"
The old man clapped mockingly, a wide grin barely hiding his irritation.
"Cut the stupid act!"
Cassian snapped, shutting down the old man's false praise.
With his endurance drained, Cassian could barely stand. His knees wobbled, consciousness flickered, but he forced himself forward, pride in every shaky step.
'I'm not hurt! Just one more enemy! One more! Body, please, hold out for one more!'
"Stand there, don't come near me!"
The old man's fake smile faltered, fear creeping into his trembling voice,
"I'm commanding you to stop coming near me, stop!"
Cassian didn't listen. The old man's words were just noise.
'Just a little longer!'
He stepped onto the stone platform.
Instantly, an invisible force exploded at his feet, hurling him into a boulder.
He crashed face-first, pain lancing through his body.
He coughed blood, the agony snapping his mind clear. Bones crackled. A message appeared:
[Low HP: 5/10]
[Illyria Desert's Hunter Activated]
[+5 Defense added]
[+5 Strength added]
Cassian barely registered it, lying on the ground, coughing, blood mixing with bile.
He didn't even have the strength to pretend bravery.
Pain above his waist made him scream, fists pounding the ground in frustration as he tried to rise.
"I was wrong before! You are exactly what I thought!"
The old man loomed over him, finishing with a sneer,
"You are indeed a weakling!"
Cassian screamed as the old man kicked his back, unable to move a muscle.
He coughed violently, tears streaking his face.
'Damn it, I'm the one who underestimated this old geezer! That explosion, when did he set it?'
After the second creature died, the old man realized Cassian wasn't weak. He'd sacrificed a magic scroll, activating an explosion spell.
He set the trap at the edge of the stone platform, straight ahead of where he was standing.
The trap only triggered when someone stepped on it.
That's why the old man kept the creature on his right close, he wanted Cassian to come straight at him and step on the trap.
The old man nearly gave up when Cassian's last fire rain attack came, thinking it might trigger the trap or that Cassian would approach from another direction.
If Cassian had walked even two inches to the side, he'd have killed the old man by now.
But fate turned on a single step.
"I told you, didn't I? I will let you watch them burn!"
The old man grabbed Cassian's left hand, dragging him as Cassian gritted his teeth in pain.
He shrieked as pebbles dug into his wounded waist.
The old man's grin widened with every whimper, his eyes locked on the platform.
The five women lay motionless, each facing a different direction. The slashes on their arms no longer bled, but faint wheezing beneath their sacks showed they still clung to life, and the fire in the bowls before them still burned faintly.
The old man stared at the sky, watching five stars align around a single pulsating star, each matching a woman's position, forming a star shape.
He laughed wildly, tapping his staff as he dragged Cassian,
"It is time now! Everything is aligned and in my reach!"
Suddenly, he stopped, struggling to drag Cassian further, scowling,
"Don't try to grab onto anything now, you weakling!"
He turned, eyes wide in shock, trying to let go of Cassian's hand.
But Cassian, with the last of his strength, clamped down and held tight. The old man shrieked,
"Let go of me, piece of shit!"
He tried to smash Cassian's hands with his staff, but before he could—
Cassian, a faint smile on his lips, stabbed the old man's hand with the Dagger of Fire he held in his right hand.
The old man's scream echoed through the valley as fire engulfed him, swirling around his body.
Burning, the old man staggered toward the platform, the crackling of flames a haunting dirge.
Unlike the towering creatures, the old man was frail; it took only seconds for the fire to consume him.
Ashes floated on the breeze, silence settling over the scene.
[Defeated Uncommon Infinite: 1/1]
[Reward: 20 Exp]
[Goddess Seraphyra's Blessing Activated]
[Double Exp granted: 40 Exp]
[Goddess Seraphyra burning with rage. She dislikes you being alone with those women. She is taking things into her own hands to protect you.]
'What is she talking about?'
Face down in the dirt, barely conscious, Cassian read Seraphyra's message, perplexed,
'Did she expect me to kill the old man after he sacrificed all these women and wanted me to battle after he obtained a weapon? What?'
While Cassian tried to make sense of it, dying embers from the old man drifted through the air, slowly swirling toward the center of the platform.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cassian noticed the embers converging.
'I don't like this feeling!'
He winced as the burning sensation in his throat returned.
His vision blurred, consciousness slipping away.
For a moment, he saw Goddess Seraphyra, standing alone with a teacup, whispering,
"I won't let any woman near you, Cass!"
A burst of light exploded on the stone platform, air swirling and rolling Cassian back as he clung to a pebble and stared ahead.
He watched as five lights descended from the aligned stars, burning the women away in an instant, the fire in the bowls snuffed out.
The ground shook, air heating as a sandstorm tornado formed around the mountain, sand raining down, thunder raging, black clouds circling the five descending star-lights.
Then, the stars' light was swallowed by the bowls that had drunk the women's blood, now like voids, devouring the light.
The stars flickered, twisted, and twirled, unable to resist the bowls' hunger, until their glow vanished.
The five stars in the sky faded, black clouds engulfing the heavens, leaving a single star.
Instantly, the tornado vanished, and stillness returned to the desert.
'What am I even witnessing right now?'
Before Cassian could finish the thought—
A five-voice melody harmonized, submerging him in a trance, each note vibrating with the same intensity as Seraphyra's anger.
Cassian looked at the platform.
Each bowl projected a faint green light upward, the light taking the shape of the women who had died, now with their faces visible.
He recognized them.
Five dark elves, just as he'd suspected, each radiating a sadness he couldn't name, their eyes fixed on the single star above, faces stern, faint red glows in their hearts.
"He is here!"
Seraphyra's voice echoed in his mind, and slowly all the women turned toward him.
'Why are they staring at me? Seraphyra, what are you doing?'
Cassian didn't realize what was happening above.
As the women turned their gaze toward him, the star above drifted down, dark clouds parting for it like a fish gliding through water, and fixed itself directly above Cassian.
"Sleep, my love. I will take care of the rest."
Seraphyra's voice echoed in his mind again.
Cassian tried to resist, but it was futile—he slipped into deep sleep within seconds.
Goddess Seraphyra's chuckle echoed as her voice commanded the women,
"Listen, you wenches, from now on, don't let anything like today happen again. Kill anything that tries to hurt or even get near him. Protect him in the shadows, and… don't you dare speak to my Cass!"
The five radiant women faded into nothingness, the black clouds scattered, the star dimmed, and the moon's gentle light reclaimed the sky in an instant.
Under the moonlight, five shadows glided across the ground and merged with Cassian's shadow as he slept peacefully.
Seraphyra's voice faded with a soft, satisfied chuckle,
"Now, I can watch you all the time."