When the thunderstorm finally retreated, a suffocating silence shrouded the Mist Forest. The world reeked of burnt ozone and damp earth; shimmering steam curled from the ground like the breath of a wounded primordial beast. Auren stood his ground, armor scarred but resilient, having resisted the storm's full fury. The last explosion of lightning had shattered his team's formation—Lura, Mark, everyone—scattered and lost to the chaos, but Auren himself remained unscathed, merely alone.He steadied his breath, inhaling the metallic tang. Each step sank into soft soil, the haze pierced only by distant thunder and the tremor of adrenaline in his veins.Suddenly, instinct screamed danger.Auren spun on his heel—Twang!A silver arrow slashed through the mist, grazing his cheek and burying itself in a gnarled tree, energy sizzling and pulsing where it struck.His reflexes flared. Auren summoned a flickering barrier of blue flame—pure and radiant. A second arrow, sharper and humming with kinetic force, shattered against the blue fire, disintegrating into molten dust.A mocking voice drifted ahead, cold and sardonic."So you're the stray from Team 10… The one who barely dodged my first strike?"Through the fog came a woman in black tactical gear, her bow gleaming with emerald light beneath a neural targeting lens. Power cores throbbed in her quiver, humming with silent menace."Target locked," she whispered, nocking another arrow that split into three in midair.Auren moved with unearthly grace—dodged two, feeling the third tear across his ribs before detonating behind him, showering him with dirt and leaves. He rolled, teeth gritted, summoning blue flame to his palm."Arrow specialist," he muttered, heat flickering at his fingertips. "You picked the wrong prey."She arched an eyebrow, amused.
"You're no prey—just another corpse for my scoreboard."Auren's gaze burned molten red.
"Then come earn it."He hurled blue fire in a serpentine arc; energy hissed through the mist as the woman fell back, firing volley after volley—energy bolts exploded, splintering trees. But Auren was everywhere, weaving between shadows, his blur of movement painting the mist blue with each step.She faltered, breath hitching.
"He's reading my shot patterns—impossible!"With a burst of speed, Auren charged, heat roaring beneath his feet, fists ablaze. He tore through her arrows in an inferno of light. She screamed, arms raised, but the impact shattered her defenses—sent her flying into the roots of a massive tree, her bow splintered, smoke curling from the ruin.She stared up, bleeding disbelief.
"How? Someone like you… from a low-tier city…"Auren's flames faded, eyes cold, voice resolute.
"Power doesn't care where it's born. It belongs to whoever's desperate enough to control it."She tried to raise her bow, but her strength failed. He gazed down, not with hate, but with cold acceptance.
"Rest. The forest will take you."He turned as her form dissolved into the simulation's shimmer. For a moment, only the rain and silence remained. Where his flames touched, runes pulsed across the soil, then faded to ash.
Auren knelt, watching."What are you?"But the symbols faded, leaving only mystery.Control Dome: Owen's Watchful EyesHigh above, Owen monitored hundreds of glowing signals across a holographic board—the life signs of every participant. Team 1 breached the core. Teams 6 and 8 were locked in combat. Team 10, especially Auren and Alys, drew his scrutiny.
Auren eliminated a Team 7 challenger.
Alys and her squad had torn through half of Team 9.
Five knocked out already—silent casualties.Owen frowned.
"Skyliner City… breeding monsters this year."Suddenly, Auren's signal veered, darting east—away from the core zone.
"What are you doing, kid?" he murmured.Cave of Venflare: Predation UnleashedThe mist thickened until it blotted out the sun. At the foot of a blackened cliff, Auren found the cave—its half-buried entrance littered with bones and corroded, fouled earth. Inside, violet embers glowed ominously.Auren's inner flame pulsed—not with fear, but a wild hunger, a predatory yearning.
Another flame waits—another power to conquer.He stepped into stifling heat, lungs seared, and a low hiss echoed in the black.
The ground quaked; from the shadows, a monstrous python slid forward—skin gleaming amethyst, eyes burning with double violet flames. Each breath dripped poison, purple fire that corroded stone to sludge.The Venflare Serpent—its aura pressed down like a suffocating shroud—ancient, immense—a predator born from the molten veins deep within the earth. With a deafening roar, the beast unleashed a torrent of purple inferno. Auren dodged swiftly, the venomous flames scorching his arm as the trees beyond ignited, their bark consumed by the toxic fire that clung like a living thing.Auren responded with a fierce burst of fire erupting from his hands—brilliant blue edged with jade. Their flames collided in a violent clash, the cave trembling under the weight of two opposing infernos.But Auren's flame did not falter. It screamed louder, hungrier—hungry to devour the serpent's poison. "So you're a predator... just like me," Auren whispered, eyes sharp with fierce resolve.He shed all restraint. Blood and flame intertwined in a savage vortex that drew the serpent's venom inward. The beast howled as its dark power was ripped away, streams of violet lightning surging through Auren's veins.Pain tore through his body. Muscles spasmed, veins blackened, flesh corroded.Inside Auren's inner world, the two flames raged, clashing ceaselessly. The corrosive flame was relentless, overwhelming—forcing Auren to spit blood as the entire cave shimmered with toxic energy. Grinding his teeth, he fought to endure, striving to stabilize the furious blaze.But the corrosive flame embodied pure fury—wild, uncontrollable. Between labored breaths, he muttered, "I don't want to use it yet… but you leave me no choice."His fingers formed a swift hand sign, and he whispered, "Blood Burning—Level One."In response, Auren's flames transformed—controlled torrents of power surged through his body, racing along his veins from core to heart, strengthening every fiber. Ripples of energy emanated outward, and Auren's strength soared in a tremendous leap.The corrosive flame sensed the overwhelming intensity of Auren's core flame and attempted to escape—but Auren's flame, predator-like, devoured it like a dragon consuming its prey.Auren smiled faintly—then a wave of excruciating pain crashed over him, forcing him to his knees. It felt as if his veins were being torn apart.The Blood Burning technique elevated power at the cost of devastating backlash. After mere seconds of use, Auren would require an entire day's respite before wielding it again.Enduring the piercing agony, Auren began to refine the corrosive flame within himself—resolute to master the dreadful power rather than be consumed by it