"Huh... that’s a lot."
He was expecting to get slightly stronger, but not by this much.
Alas, to form the Fourth Flame Ring, all he needed to do was manifest his Primordial Flame in the Flame Body state, similar to how Auren and Zeri did it.
It shouldn’t be too difficult. I already know the basics of how it’s done. Plus, it says the mastery will increase faster, so that’s another welcome boon.
Nevertheless, one of the pop-ups that had appeared seemed interesting.
It makes it sound like I have a lot of choices, Raelis mused. But maybe that’s because this flame doesn’t have an ego? Hmm...
He didn’t hesitate to tap on the pop-up, and in the next moment, a few rows of information appeared in front of him.
1. Endless Flame: Your flame will never go out unless you dispel it yourself.
2. Judgment Flame: Burns the wicked based on karmic sin. Against innocents or pure-hearted foes, its power weakens.
3. Mirage Ember: Your flame produces deceptive afterimages, phantom heat trails, and flame illusions that confuse foes.
4. Calamityfire: Spreads uncontrollably. Gains bonus power the more chaos or destruction it causes. Difficult to suppress once unleashed.
5. Timefire: Causes accelerated decay. Armor, weapons, and magic constructs struck by this flame rapidly deteriorate.
6. Dominion Flame: Your flame grows stronger by absorbing other flames, bloodlines, and elemental essences. Each unique source consumed grants a permanent increase to heat intensity, elemental resistance, or special flame effects.
Raelis’s eyes widened as he gazed through the options.
I... People usually described it as getting the option between offense and defense... so just what is this?
He was surprised, but also unsure.
Out of the 6 available Attributes, the 6th one seemed the greatest. It was the most versatile and something that would scale in power drastically.
He hesitated for a bit, but upon reading that he could still get the other Attributes at a later date, he went ahead and picked the Dominion Flame.
Dominion Flame: Your flame grows stronger by absorbing other flames and elemental essences. Each unique source grants a small permanent boost to heat intensity or elemental resistance. (NEW) Only three traits may be active at once. (NEW) New traits take time to integrate and absorbing multiple flames and elemental essences within a short time period may cause unstable absorption, resulting in backlash.
He felt a tingling sensation in his heart, which quickly spread to all three of his flame rings. But just as quickly, it went away, seemingly settling down.
I don’t feel that different, Raelis glanced around himself, then finally decided to summon the flame itself.
Immediately, a golden-white ember burst from his palm, floating gently around him.
To his surprise, there was another color mixed into the white. It was a very tiny, barely noticeable silver.
That must be the Dominion Flame... Raelis deduced with a faint smile. With this kind of flame, I’ll be able to grow stronger much quicker. But... I will have to go out hunting pretty frequently, won’t I?
He put those thoughts aside and glanced at his status.
—Flame Core: 3 Flame Rings
Flame: ??? Primordial Flame (★★★☆ — Mastery: 0%)
↳ Dominion Flame [1/6]
—Bloodline: Cinder Phoenix
Next Rank: 30% (Flame)
Perception: 112 → 121
Magic Control: 107 → 137
(NEW) Flame Singularity (★★★★★☆ — Mastery: 0%)
Expert Fireball (★★★☆ — Mastery: 20% → 22%)
Advanced Fire Manipulation (★★★☆ — Mastery: 5% → 6%)
Advanced Heat Control (★★☆ — Mastery: 14%)
Advanced Heat Resistance Barrier (★★☆ — Mastery: 42% → 46%)
Basic Flame Step (☆ — Mastery: 0% → 9%)
Passive Flame Sense (☆ — Mastery: 5% → 7%)
Expert Dagger Combat Technique (★★★☆ — Mastery: 2%)
Advanced Stealth Technique (★★☆ — Mastery: 65% → 66%)
Flame Body Technique (☆ — Mastery: 2% → 4%)
Everything increased by a lot more than last time. But my magic control went up the most. Is that what the pop-up meant when it said my flame became hotter?
Raelis spent a few minutes relaxing and trying to figure some stuff out until, eventually, he saw yet another pop-up. This time, it was a bit unexpected.
It must be because I was forming my flame ring. The heat leaving my body felt like nourishment for the egg.
So in short, if he wanted to hatch it, he needed to keep pumping it full of heat.
Raelis put the egg in his left breast pocket and began circling his flame rings, causing a bit of heat to travel toward the breast pocket and warm the egg up.
Now that he was done, Raelis cleaned up after himself, took a shower, and put on a casual outfit.
He shot a glance toward the clock on the wall and noticed that it was only half past the seventh hour of the evening.
Since the receptionist mentioned that the training rooms were open until the ninth hour of the night, that meant Raelis could get some training in.
Therefore, he stepped out of his room, locked it, and headed toward the training rooms on the opposite end of the dormitory.
It didn’t take long to arrive, and it seemed like a few people were already gathered here.
They were standing in front of the doors numbered 3 and 4, arguing over who would go inside.
"Come on... we were here first!"
"Shut it. What were you doing in the last exam while we were fighting, huh? Wait a second... weren’t you the guy who switched teams? You snake..."
Raelis whistled at their stupid talk and approached room number 5.
One of the fifth-numbered rooms was already occupied. If Raelis had to guess, that was likely Auren’s doing.
Even so, he didn’t hesitate to swing open the door and lock it behind him.
Immediately, a Magitek timer appeared on the wall, displaying a single hour. The countdown began immediately.
The room was small, quiet, and filled with dense mana that made the air feel heavy. The walls were a plain yet durable metal with faint lines running through them, pulsing with energy.
It felt a little painful to breathe, almost as if his lungs were being crushed. His limbs felt heavy, and he needed to exert himself twice as hard to summon a flame.
Even so, Raelis adjusted his posture and got right to training.
After all, tomorrow would be his first official day at the academy.