[Starflame of Void — Level 2]
Aiden looked at his status screen, which had a new entry. Its level seemed to be level 2, corresponding with his Essence attribute being 2 as well. However, it was still giving him thirty minutes of crafting time.
"But how do I craft?" Aiden muttered with a frown.
He was alone in the camp, as the Guild Master said she needed to go back to the city and make sure there were no issues with her absence. Aiden was enjoying some quality alone-time of figuring out his new ability.
The flame itself could light his campfire, which was useful. However, it couldn't harm objects or monsters much, so he would need to work on his offensive powers — or create stealth items and armor.
"Again — how do I craft?" he muttered with a sigh. "There was a mention of material generation once I unlock the next threshold. That means I need some void-related materials to craft — which makes sense."
Aiden looked at the materials in front of him. He laid out a plate of armor he obtained yesterday from killing a boar, a fabric he had from Jack's belongings, and a red shard.
"I should still make some attempts like I planned to," he muttered before picking the shard and placing it in his palm. A violet flame erupted, and began devouring the shard before his eyes. It turned it to smithereens, and then…
[Shard incompatible with the Starflame of Void.]
A window appeared.
"You couldn't tell me that before you ate it?" Aiden screamed at the window and then sighed in defeat. He looked at the plate and fabric. "Maybe I should've started with something less expensive."
Aiden put away his items and decided to wait for Genevieve to return before he asked her about crafting materials. He hated to admit that his understanding of the world was better because of her.
In fact, it increased by leaps and bounds.
Genevieve herself was different than most nobles or seekers he came across. Dylan was arrogant and prideful, while seekers on the market seemed to be always looking for a fight. In contrast, the Guild Master was reserved and hidden.
Like a blade tucked in the folds of the night.
"That reminds me of her desire fragment," Aiden muttered. "The reward is still the question marks, but if I can really obtain her soul… I would have a badass woman fighting for me."
Aiden rose from the ground and summoned Promise. Despite being a sword and a sheath, the two were bound to each other and could fit into the same slot inside his inventory.
Their mission to uncover the hidden dungeon would be in a few days. Aiden needed to master the basics of combat and find a trump card that lets him survive the worst possible fate.
Bamba remained in the camp, but Aiden didn't tie its reins. In case a monster attacks, Bamba could outrun them.
Aiden wandered the forest looking for his next prey. He held Promise in his left, ready to unsheathe the blade in a heartbeat. The forest was strangely empty, and Aiden had an ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"According to the Guild Master, this place only has unranked monsters," Aiden said as he turned to look around. "Is there something stronger that's forcing them to flee?"
It was still the afternoon, but Aiden could see the sun hiding behind the clouds. The forest turned an ashen grey as the sun hid behind the clouds. Aiden raised his head to look at the sky.
"It's about to rain," he muttered.
At that moment, lightning flashed in the sky — followed by thunder. As if someone opened a showerhead, rain dropped in an instant — slamming him hard and soaking him wet.
"I wish my sword could turn into an umbrella," Aiden said while pulling the fabric from his inventory and covering his head. He waited for a few seconds, but there was no response from the system. "Wow. You're not even going to register it as a wish?"
The rain showed no sign of stopping. Aiden ran back to the camp, but found that Bamba was already gone — probably finding a place to hide from the weather.
Aiden decided to do the same, but could not see anything that would shield him. He saw a hill in the distance behind the trees and decided to try his luck.
After clearing the camp, Aiden ran toward the hill. He slipped numerous times under the unforgiving streams running through the forest, which forced him to use his gloves to climb and jump on the branches.
After another hour of suffering in the rain, Aiden saw his haven — a cave on the edge of the hill. He jumped down and made a straight line toward the cave.
As soon as he entered the cave, the rain could no longer touch him. Aiden was soaking from top to bottom, so he began taking off his clothes before hanging them on the jagged rocks of the cave.
Aiden remained in his underpants, shaking from the cold. He thought he was going to freeze to death when he realized that he had a flame inside him — literally.
The Starflame of Void appeared on his hand. Its heat began warming the entire cave. Despite not having any offensive power, it served more than enough to warm the cave.
After a minute, Aiden no longer needed to use it.
He was dry now.
His clothes dried out as well.
Aiden put on his clothes while feeling happy about his new ability.
"It cooks, dries, and even crafts. This ability is perfect," he muttered as he put on the clothes and watched the rain turn into a storm. "What's up with this weather?"
Aiden received no response. After realizing that it was going to be like this for a while, Aiden sat down and decided to experiment more with his flame — he couldn't fight today.
"Bamba is still out there," he muttered. "I hope that idiot is safe."
Aiden sat there experimenting with his flame, attempting to craft something without knowing the first thing about crafting. The violet flame burned bright within the cave as the storm seemed to swallow the light.
After a few hours, the rain suddenly stopped. Aiden was surprised as he saw sunshine breaking through the clouds, illuminating the forest. From his vantage point, he could now see a figure hovering above the forest.
"Genevieve?" he asked while walking outside.
The Guild Master snapped her head toward him, before riding an invisible wind to land in front of him. She was soaked from head to toe, her black hair dripping enough to create a small pond.
"You're alive," she said. "I thought that you…"
"Of course I'm alive," Aiden answered in confusion. "It was just a storm."
"A storm?" she asked with confusion. "A Hungerborn appeared nearby — a farmer that has not seen rain for the past month. He almost drowned the entire forest."
"That storm was a Hungerborn?" Aiden asked with wide eyes. "I thought it was just really bad weather."
"All the monsters fled," she pointed out. "You didn't notice?"
"I did notice… but never thought that a Hungerborn could manifest in that way," he said while looking at her. "Did you defeat it? You have a few scratches here and there."
"I did," she said with a sigh. "I saw that the camp was gone, and thought you were too."
"You were worried about me?" Aiden asked. She gave him a glance and sighed, before walking into the cave. "Wait! You were worried that I was hurt?"
"Shut your mouth," she said. "I need… to rest."
A veil of darkness appeared as she entered the cave, preventing him from seeing anything. Aiden scratched his head as he stared at the forest, which looked more like a lake at the moment.
"This world is… interesting."