On the second floor of the dungeon in Patliputra ...
[Congratulations on your active skills! Flame control has evolved into an active skill: fireball.]
[Description: This skill allows users to launch dense balls of magic imbued with fire elements.]
{A/N: A fireball has destructive and explosive power similar to that of hand grenades. }
The skill description mesmerized him. Aryan could now launch dense balls of magic infused with fiery elements, possessing destructive and explosive power akin to hand grenades. With a range of 50 meters, it was a force to be reckoned with.
However, Aryan's excitement was tempered by the pain radiating from his burned hand. The once-vibrant appendage now bore a deep black hue, blood seeping through the cracks. Clutching his injured hand, he sought relief by tightly covering it with his shirt, shielding it from any contact with the air. Weary, he sat beside a withered tree, pondering the extent of the fireball skill's potency.
"Damn it! Burning from fire is the most excruciating pain imaginable," Aryan thought, his face contorted in agony. He attempted to find solace in the fact that the skill had supposedly rendered him impervious to fire below 100 degrees Celsius. Yet, witnessing the damage inflicted upon his hand, a bittersweet smile tugged at his lips. Determined to ease his suffering, he summoned Rimuru, a magical companion capable of healing.
After fifteen minutes of rest, during which Rimuru's magical powers were fully exhausted, Aryan made a difficult decision. Realizing that Rimuru's basic healing abilities fell short of completely mending his hand, he resolved to return to the city for further treatment. Consulting the map, he meticulously charted the safest route back to the altar.
"Alright, Rimuru, it's time to move," Aryan declared, rising from the ground. In a shimmer of green light, Rimuru transformed into particles and disappeared into Aryan's crest. Aryan, now equipped with a violet magic crystal he had discovered, set off on his chosen path.
[A/N: just to avoid misconceptions, magic crystals are different from magic fragments that you saw in an earlier chapter.]
As he marched forward, he stumbled upon the hunting grounds where a rowdy gang of 12–15 adventurers gathered. They were armed to the teeth and captivated by a pint-sized girl with silver hair and lime-green shades. Aryan couldn't slip by unnoticed; the girl shot him a sideways glance before detaching herself from the group.
"Holy crap! Why her, of all people, and why now?" Aryan cursed inwardly, pretending not to see her and continuing toward the altar.
From the memories of the body's previous owner, he vaguely recalled their relationship as a mix of stalker and unrequited love. The trouble was, he couldn't quite figure out who the stalker was in this scenario. "Let's just ignore everything and keep walking. If I can't see her, she can't see me either," Aryan mused, gazing at the sky.
"Hey, it's Aryan!" The silver-haired girl with green shades, donning a sleek black breastplate and fashionable leather shoes, waved excitedly at Aryan.
Despite his burnt hand, thanks to Rimuru's quick fix, the pain had subsided. Aryan decided to halt and wait for the girl to approach him.
"Well, well, well, I can't avoid this, can I?" Aryan thought, mustering a manly expression as he turned around.
"Hey, Aryan, you arrived at the perfect time," the silver-haired girl said, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Our team is gearing up to hunt down a horde of beasts. By any chance, would you like to join us? You'll reap fantastic rewards and level up like there's no tomorrow. So, what do you say?"
Aryan raised an eyebrow in disbelief before answering. "Enough, Lein!" He boomed, striking a dramatic pose with his palms outstretched.
"I know you're after me, but I've already got someone else occupying my heart," Aryan declared with a faux sentimental expression on his face.
"What?"
"What is this guy talking about?"
"Is Lien, the belle of the school, after him?"
A cacophony of questions and whispers filled the air as soon as Aryan uttered those words.
"What the heck! Aryan, if I say something nice to perv like you, it doesn't mean you get to create a whole drama out of it," Lien hissed through gritted teeth, gripping Aryan's wrist tightly.
"Tsk, what is she thinking? A perv, me? Has she ever looked in the mirror? Me, the most handsome guy I ever saw in my life, stalking her? Not a chance," Aryan smirked inwardly.
"Look, everyone! Take a good look," Aryan announced, pointing toward Lien gripping his wrist.
"Since you couldn't win me over with your wealth and charm, now you're trying to take advantage of a low-level player like me with your strength?" Aryan loudly accused, even throwing in a fake sob for good measure.
"Hey, did you see that? The way she's forcing him!"
"I had no idea she was that kind of girl. Yuck!"
"We won't stand for this!" A brave teenage boy stepped forward from the crowd. "We can't let you rich, ugly girls take advantage of innocent weak boys like us!"
"Yeah! We won't sit idly by," the crowd erupted, cheering for Aryan's supposed plight. In no time, a crowd of forty to fifty people had gathered, most of them rallying behind Aryan.
"Hold on, guys, don't you trust me? It's this guy making stuff up!" Lien addressed the crowd, pointing at Aryan to clarify her side. But Aryan saw his opportunity and seized it, escaping to the first floor with Lien and the memenist group alone.
[A/N: Memenist is the opposite of feminist here... Nevermind.]
Aryan turned his back on the girl, striding confidently toward the altar. As soon as he set foot on the altar, a brilliant light enveloped his body, teleporting him to the first floor.
"Finally, one less stalker on my tail. Privacy plus ultra...hehehe," Aryan chuckled, basking in his pride and satisfaction as he strolled down the aisle.
[A/N: By the way, the actual stalker here was the previous owner of Aryan's body.]
"What can I say? Being handsome is such a sin," Aryan sighed dramatically, gazing at the first-floor sky.
Aryan continued his journey and went towards the medical centre in Adventure Hall. After he was done with his injury, Aryan decided to rent the practise ground in Adventure Hall with the money he got from selling the violet magic crystal of the small wolf he killed today.
When Aryan moved towards the training hall, he saw a large dome-like building, built differently and far from the adventure guild. The dome was white, and the mirror design and the black glass pattern were successful in hiding runes enchanted on the building.
"KOOOOOL!" Aryan said, looking at the building while munching on the chocolate bar in his hand. He then threw the rapper in the trash can and went inside the practise hall. After confirming his identity, a female staff member guided him towards a white room with dummies, digital aim boards, and weapons hanging on the walls.
"I hope you like our services, sir!" the staff said, and she moved outside, closing the door.
As soon as the door was closed, a timer appeared. '2hr 59min 22sec left'
Aryan flexed his body and opened his shirt and shoes as he searched for something on his magic desk. Umm-hmm... according to this article, since I have fireball skills now, it means I can use flame control as well as throw a fireball. Normal people don't notice it so soon because, for them, this is their first offensive skill.
A smirk appeared on Aryan's face, and flames started to cover his right fist as he moved towards the dummy next to the wall.
"Bangg!!"
[Magic: 98% left]
"But I am far from normal anyway." He said this while punching the dummy.
When Aryan pulled his fist back, there was a 5-inch-deep hole in the light metal level 2 dummy chest, burning red. The next second, suddenly, the dummy started to heal itself.
The Aryan's face became stiff as he took several steps back, making KaMeHa.. pose as flames collected in his right hand, which he shouted towards the level 2 dummy. The reaction force of the attack was enough to push the Aryan a half metre back on the floor.
"Boom!!"
[Magic: 93% left]
The fireball blasted as soon as it touched the dummy's chest, making a 15-inch-wide and 9-inch-deep carapace in it as molten metals started falling on the ground and the dummy started to slowly repair itself.
A smile appeared on the Aryan's face, and a few words escaped his lips: "Now that's more like it ..."
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