The hot air of the cave filled Tristan's lungs as he looked at the red flames on the serpent's body. They had an ethereal and mysterious quality, unlike any magical fire he was accustomed to. His instincts were on high alert at the sight, sensing that something was deeply wrong, as though the nature of the world had been tampered with.
'What kind of nonsense am I thinking about?'
The massive creature lunged at them like a flaming bus. Tristan and Zahira also rushed toward it.
Tristan reached the monster first.
[Dark Blade]
It wasn't hard to hit a target that didn't bother dodging. His black blade sank into the creature's body.
However, instead of blood, red flames gushed from the wound he created. Tristan's eyes widened. The red fire spread up his arm, devouring his Darkness essence. His mind could barely process the absurdity—Darkness was supposed to be the ultimate element of destruction. What he was witnessing made no sense.
He quickly pulled back, retreating several steps in alarm.
Zahira used a considerable amount of her essence to summon more vines and roots to replace the ones that had been burned. She spun her body, whipping the creature, producing a loud crack that echoed through the tunnel. A large chunk of flesh was ripped from the serpent, leaving a hole that exposed its bones.
Unfortunately, the monster showed no reaction, and, worse, its advance remained unaffected.
The red flames quickly reduced her roots and vines to ashes. She turned pale, though it was impossible to notice under the fur on her face.
"Hey, Tristan, do you have another plan?"
No response.
"Tristan?"
She turned to where he was, but he was gone. Her eyes darted to the end of the tunnel, where she spotted him running away.
"TRISTAN!" she shouted.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET OUT OF THERE!" he yelled back.
Tristan had thought through all possible options and concluded there was nothing left to do. The victory was impossible.
Following his advice, she grabbed Buk and began running toward him. Thanks to her higher core level, it wouldn't take long for her to catch up. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before the serpent caught up with them both.
A trail of red flames lit up the tunnel behind the flaming zombie.
As expected, Zahira overtook him shortly after she started running.
'Strange. Why isn't that thing launching fireballs at us? Did it lose its ability to use magic? But why…'
A wave of heat on his back interrupted his thoughts.
He turned to see the flaming monster just a few meters away.
Tristan clenched his teeth. 'Fighting is useless. Running is impossible. Is dying my only option?'
His essence was depleting quickly—he was already pushing himself past his limits.
'Damn it, burning to death sucks. It'd be better if—' He collided with Zahira, who had stopped abruptly, her thorns piercing his skin. He couldn't care less.
"Why did you stop?" he asked angrily.
"Look!" She pointed behind them.
Tristan turned and was left speechless. The supernatural being that had been relentlessly chasing them just moments ago was now writhing on the ground like a worm.
Before his eyes, parts of the serpent's body began to melt. Its scales fell to the ground like raindrops. The once-imposing serpent was disappearing rapidly. Its head was the last part to dissolve.
As he watched the monster's skull disintegrate, Tristan thought, for a brief moment, that he saw the serpent's piercing eyes again. But when he blinked and looked again, all he saw were empty sockets as before.
Now, a disgusting puddle of flesh and blood lay before them, red flames still burning on its surface. At the center of the massive pool, the only remnant of the serpent was a portion of its spine—its bones as white as marble.
Tristan stared at the scene in disbelief. 'Is it… finally over?'
[Tyrannical Eye]
Carefully avoiding the flames, he stepped into the pool and used his diagnostic ability, confirming that everything except the piece of the spine had turned into pulp. Additionally, something else shocked him—something was missing. The beast's core had disappeared.
'That's impossible.' He was stunned. No matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the core.
He knew the creature likely had an orange core, and losing something so valuable filled him with regret. Muttering in frustration, he decided to leave, but not before approaching the spine at the center of the puddle.
'This thing resisted the red flames. It might be worth taking some with me.'
When he touched the spine, it vanished.
[You received a Vado Seed]
'What?'
"What the hell! Where did the bones go?" Zahira exclaimed in surprise behind him.
"Nothing important. It's just a family spell. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
Tristan nodded.
Anxiously, he activated his runes.
Name: Tristan
Species: Human
Age: 11
Realm: Mortal
Core: Mist Orange
Talents:
Abilities: [Tyrannical Eye II] [Dark Blade II] [Fallen Grace I] [Shadow Aura II]
Artifacts: [Fragment of the Book The Tales of the Creation of Heaven and Earth]
Vado Seeds: [Pyrofang Serpentis Seed]
Red Fragments: 20
Orange Fragments: 4
Tristan studied the new runes thoughtfully. 'Vado Seeds? How odd. The Tower accepted this even without a core. I didn't know that was possible.'
He focused on the new rune.
[Pyrofang Serpentis Seed]
Description:
The Pyrofang Serpentis, a cunning and lethal species, is feared for its combination of intelligence and ferocity. As one of the heirs of Ormun's bloodline, it carries a trace of the Ancestral Fire in its veins, making it exceptional at manipulating Fire essence. Its serpentine body is enveloped in living flames, which move as an extension of its will, turning it into a living weapon of destruction.
Due to its aggressive nature, it is a solitary creature. Once it chooses a prey, it becomes relentless, pursuing its target with impressive determination.
Innate Enchantment: [Igneous Fangstrike]
Rank: II
'This thing is enchanted?'
Zahira watched Tristan silently as he stared into the air with strange expressions, concerned about his sanity.
Tristan read the enchantment details.
Innate Enchantment Description: [Igneous Fangstrike]
This seed's enchantment manipulates the kinetic energy of any impact, releasing a fiery explosion. The duration of the flames depends on the amount of essence used—a higher charge extends the flames' duration, transforming the terrain into a relentless fire zone.
'Is this some kind of artifact?'
Before he could reflect further, the sound of footsteps caught his attention. 'Damn it, not again. Haven't I had enough for one day?' He glanced at Zahira, who had noticed it before him and was already looking toward the source of the sound.
Something had entered the far end of the tunnel and was moving toward them.
The flames in the puddle of flesh were the only light source, not enough to illuminate the distance, making it hard for Zahira to identify the anomaly.
Of course, Tristan had no such problem. He clearly saw the shapes of the beings approaching.
The creatures varied greatly in size, from some smaller than an average dog to others as tall as several humans, their hunched backs scraping against the narrow tunnel.
At first, Tristan thought they were humanoid due to their shape, but he noticed their limbs seemed carved or mutilated to allow movement.
On top of their bodies was a flattened structure that resembled a hat.
"I think those mushrooms found us," he said to Zahira.
At that moment, he noticed one of them, holding a piece of wood the size of a person, raise its limb—which resembled an arm but lacked fingers—and hurl it at them.