He gritted his teeth, swiftly casting Blazing Restoration on his arm. The warmth of the healing fire soothed the searing pain, but the damage was severe. "Damn it… my skin's burned… Did my bone crack, too? Blazing Restoration can't heal cracked bone, but why can't it mend the burn on the skin?" He forced himself to stand, his gaze darting forward.
And then he saw it.
A humanoid figure, its entire body wreathed in roaring flames, stood motionless before him. Its form was disturbingly human-like, yet wholly unnatural. Despite being engulfed in fire, its flesh bore no burns, no signs of deterioration. But the most chilling thing of all? The cries. The same cries Ronan had been chasing were coming from it.
"What in the world…?" A shiver crawled up his spine. "What the hell is this thing?!"
Before he could gather his thoughts, the fiery being lunged at him, throwing a blazing punch. Ronan barely dodged, countering with a Flame Fist, his own fire-cloaked knuckles crashing into the entity's chest. Yet, despite the direct hit, the creature remained unfazed. Instead, it retaliated with unrelenting fury, forcing Ronan onto the defensive.
A brutal exchange of blows followed, fire clashing against fire. Ronan was fast, his Shadow Step allowing him to evade attacks with hairbreadth precision, but his opponent was faster. Every time he dodged, the entity would instantly close the gap, its movements unnatural, almost teleport-like. It felt like fighting a phantom of flames. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't gain the upper hand.
Ronan tried to use his Keen Eye ability, but it only worsened the condition. The perception was unstable, and the headache was also unbearable.
"I've never seen or read about anything like this," Ronan thought, frustration clawing at his mind. "Humanoid monsters do exist, but they're highly intelligent—far superior to us in knowledge. Yet this thing… it doesn't have that kind of awareness. Then what the hell is it?"
He was panting now, his stamina rapidly depleting. His Keen Eye throbbed with unbearable strain, but he forced himself to endure. The two clashed again, their flames raging against each other as they unleashed a storm of fire-based attacks.
The battlefield was ablaze. Waves of heat distorted the air, and the very ground beneath them shimmered with embers. Ronan tightened his stance, his heart pounding as he faced the creature—humanoid in shape yet wreathed in living fire.
Without hesitation, Ronan launched Flare Burst, hurling small, high-density fireballs straight at the monster's chest. They exploded on impact, momentarily obscuring the beast in a brilliant flash of crimson and gold. But when the flames cleared, it was still standing, its Molten Shield sizzling as it absorbed the damage.
The creature retaliated. A barrage of its own Flare Bursts shot forward like meteor showers, forcing Ronan to leap back. He barely had time to summon his own Molten Shield, a thick layer of molten rock forming around him just before the fireballs struck. Heat surged against his skin, and he clenched his teeth—his barrier held, but the force pushed him back.
He shot forward, fists wreathed in fire. Flame Fist. His punches turned the air into a sweltering inferno, each strike aimed with precision. But the creature matched him blow for blow, its own Flame Fist igniting like miniature suns. Their fiery knuckles clashed, sending out shockwaves of flame, but Ronan's strikes faltered—his fire was weaker. His blows landed, yet they barely scorched the creature's flesh, while every counterstrike burned like hellfire.
A massive explosion split them apart, sending Ronan skidding across the scorched earth. He coughed, his body screaming in protest, but the battle wasn't over.
The creature raised its arms, and the sky ignited. Firestorm Barrage. A relentless rain of fireballs poured from above, each one a miniature sun plummeting toward him. Ronan gritted his teeth and retaliated in kind, sending his own Firestorm Barrage to meet the onslaught. Fire clashed with fire, turning the battlefield into a storm of destruction. Yet, his flames were weaker—his barrage was swallowed, outmatched by the creature's inferno.
The flames crashed down around him. The ground trembled. Ronan staggered, his breath ragged, soot and sweat streaking his face. His mana was draining fast. No matter how much he poured into his spells, the creature's fire burned hotter, fiercer.
His chest heaved as he watched his opponent, still standing, unshaken.
No matter how much mana he poured into his spells, the creature's flames burned hotter, fiercer. The realisation dawned upon him like a cruel truth—he couldn't win.
"If this continues… I'll die here."
As the battle reached its peak, both combatants were pushed back. Ronan's chest heaved as he wiped the sweat and soot from his face. This was his only chance.
Clenching his fists, he roared, "Void Overdrive!"
A violent surge of energy coursed through his body. Crimson cracks laced his neck, arms, and around his eyes, as his physical strength, endurance, and agility skyrocketed. Pairing it with Shadow Step, Ronan vanished, reappearing in an instant right in front of the creature. With all his remaining mana, he concentrated every ounce of his strength into one final attack.
"Flame Fist!"
His fist, ablaze with overwhelming power, collided with the creature's chest. The sheer force tore through its body, burning a gaping hole straight through it. The shockwave from the impact sent embers scattering, igniting the trees behind them in a fiery explosion.
A pained howl escaped Ronan's lips as his body screamed in protest. The strain from Void Overdrive was unbearable—his muscles felt as if they were being torn apart. He staggered, barely managing to stay on his feet as the creature's flaming form flickered and collapsed.
Panting heavily, he watched as the entity lay motionless. "It's… over."
Then, something unexpected happened. A small flame detached itself from the creature's body and floated toward him. Before Ronan could react, it shot straight into his chest. A strange warmth spread through him as the fire merged with his very being.
Exhausted beyond measure, he collapsed to his knees. Taking out a recovery potion, he downed it in a single gulp, its restorative effects numbing his pain just enough for him to move. With a final glance at the fallen creature, he retrieved its remains into his storage ring before turning away from the battlefield.
Ronan left the Eldermere Highlands, his footsteps echoing in the quiet darkness. The sun had yet to rise, and the world around him remained shrouded in night's lingering embrace. He attempted to activate his Keen Eye skill, expecting the usual heightened perception, but something was wrong. His senses fluctuated wildly—one moment, his hearing sharpened to an unbearable degree, then dulled as if submerged underwater. His vision blurred unpredictably before snapping into razor-sharp focus, only to distort again. Even his mana sense wavered inconsistently.
Frowning, Ronan deactivated the ability.
"What the hell is happening to my skills?" he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. "First, Void Overdrive… I remember using it without issue, but this time the pain was almost unbearable, and it felt nearly forty percent stronger than before. And now Keen Eye is completely unstable."
His thoughts churned with questions, his mind returning to the creature he had fought. A humanoid monster. That alone defied reason. Humans and monsters weren't supposed to share the same skills, yet it had wielded Fire-based abilities—ones he recognised from human combat techniques. And those cries… they still echoed in his head, haunting and unnatural.