Chapter 27: SSS-Rank Flame Skill
His entire being felt like it was burning.
It wasn’t an ordinary heat. It was as though every muscle, every bone, and every drop of his blood had been thrown into a furnace.
"Argh..."
Kalon dropped to one knee on the rooftop, gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw ached.
The pain was unlike anything he had felt before. Much worse than when he had adapted to his Steel Body.
It was like molten lava was replacing everything inside him.
Is this really just an affinity?
It feels more like my body is being remade.
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Thump.
Thump.
THUMP.
Each beat sent another wave of unbearable heat throughout his body.
Steam rose from his skin as sweat poured from every pore.
He wanted to tear his shirt off, but before he could, something strange happened.
The heat stopped hurting.
No...
The pain was still there. His body had simply started accepting it.
"...Huh?"
Kalon slowly looked down at his hands.
The trembling had disappeared.
Instead, he felt... lighter. His entire body felt warmer too. It was like there was a tiny fire resting inside his chest.
He closed his eyes.
Without thinking, he focused on that fire, and the fire responded to him.
Heat flowed through his veins with his blood, reaching his fingertips before returning to his heart in a perfect cycle.
It’s moving... Just like breathing, or circulating mana.
He instinctively took a slow breath and let it out.
A small stream of shimmering heat escaped his mouth, distorting the air in front of him.
Kalon blinked.
"...I did that? Is this the result of the Emberheart Physique? It’s like I’m actually one of those dragons from the legends."
As he spoke those words aloud, Kalon was notified that he had received the second part of his reward.
[SSS-Rank Skill Rewarded]
[(SSS) Ninefold Sunbreaker]
~ Type - Fire
~ Cooldown - 1 hour
~ Condense nine spheres of solar flame around your body. You may launch them individually, in volleys, or merge multiple together for increased effects. The skill ends once no more spheres exist.
...
Kalon examined the skill carefully.
Just by the name alone, he guessed that it was a brutal skill. However, he had no way of determining exactly how strong it was other than its rank.
After all, the description specified nothing about its power.
Should I test it out?
He wore the Ring of Skill Bridging on his finger, so he didn’t need to worry about not being a high enough rank to use the skill. However, it was certainly going to drain his mana.
Alright, I’ll try it once, then head home to sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day.
Kalon closed his eyes and activated the skill.
Ninefold Sunbreaker.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the temperature around him began to rise.
The rooftop beneath his feet cracked slightly as waves of heat spread outward. The air itself seemed to distort, bending as though he were standing in the middle of a desert.
Kalon opened his eyes.
Nine balls of flame had appeared around him.
They were not ordinary flames.
Each one looked like a miniature sun, burning with a bright golden light that made it difficult to look directly at. They floated silently around his body, moving in a perfect circle.
Despite their size, Kalon could feel the terrifying amount of energy contained within each one.
"So this is an SSS-Rank fire skill."
Kalon looked around the rooftop. There was no way he could test this here. Even a single mistake would attract attention.
His eyes moved across the academy grounds below.
Most of the buildings were still dark.
The mock battles were tomorrow, so most students had already returned to their dorms.
However, there was one building on the far side of the academy.
A construction project that had been abandoned for the night.
Perfect.
Just how much damage would he be able to do to the project with just one of those spheres?
"Let’s see."
Kalon raised his hand, forcing one of the nine spheres to move.
The other eight remained floating behind him.
The single sphere slowly drifted forward, travelling through the air like a miniature sun.
Then it accelerated rapidly, as though it had been fired from a cannon. It didn’t slow down, heading straight for the construction site before crashing into it.
For a fraction of a second, nothing happened.
There was only silence.
...
Then the entire structure became enveloped in flames.
BOOOOM!
A wave of fire erupted into the sky.
The unfinished building started to collapse as flames consumed every piece of material. Steel beams bent and melted as though they were made of paper. The ground shook from the impact.
Kalon stood over a hundred metres away, watching.
His expression slowly changed.
"..."
He didn’t know what to say.
One sphere.
He had only used one sphere, and it had destroyed an entire building.
The remaining flames continued burning, spreading across the rubble.
Kalon frowned slightly.
Shit... I need to stop this.
He extended his hand and began focusing on his flames. The fire that had consumed the building began shrinking.
Unlike before, when he had simply released heat, this time he commanded it. The flames twisted and gathered together, returning to him like obedient creatures.
Within seconds, the fire disappeared, and only a half-burned building remained.
Kalon looked at his hand.
Then he looked back at the remaining eight spheres floating around him.
"Eight more..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
The temptation to test them all was there. Of course it was. Anyone would want to know what would happen if all nine were used.
But he could already feel the skill draining his mana, and he had no desire to destroy the school.
Kalon dismissed the skill.
The remaining spheres faded away, turning into harmless sparks before disappearing completely.
The rooftop and the surrounding area became quiet again.
Only the ruined building remained as proof of what had happened.
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