The change began imperceptibly but quickly became obvious. Leonar's brown hair started to take on a snowy hue—a pure white that starkly contrasted with the oppressive heat and darkness of the surroundings.
Eleonora had never felt so infuriated.
“I’m going to kill them!”
It was a visceral, searing emotion that seemed to resonate with the same intensity as the oppressive heat dominating the place.
The cave walls, dimly illuminated by streams of lava, seemed to mock her initial helplessness, reminding her that water—her element—barely existed here.
But that didn’t matter.
Something about this place, the omnipresent heat, the suffocating pressure, pushed her to exceed her limits.
Eleonora had felt the change from the moment they arrived: the heat-laden air, the lack of moisture, and most importantly—the lava. That dangerous, unfamiliar element spoke to her in a way she had never experienced.
It wasn’t natural, but instinctual. Even though she knew she couldn’t control it as easily as water, she decided to try.
Focusing, Eleonora extended her hand toward the few remaining reserves of ice nearby. The protective walls she had raised to keep the wolves at bay began to crack as all the ice gathered toward her palm, forming a compact, radiant sphere.
But it wasn’t enough.
She needed more.
Her eyes, now a deep, glowing red, locked onto the streams of lava winding in the distance.
“Come on, dammit!” she thought desperately.
The lava, as if responding to her call, began to stir.
A small, molten current broke away from the rest and slowly moved toward her other hand.
The concentration on Eleonora’s face was evident—her brows furrowed, lips pressed tightly together, and tiny beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks only to evaporate instantly in the blistering heat.
Each attempt to manipulate the lava was met with resistance, like a wild beast refusing to be tamed.
Meanwhile, the wolves continued their assault, taking advantage of any moment of weakness.
The boldest among them got close enough for their claws to nearly reach her, but before they could touch her, shards of ice shot out from the sphere in her right hand, piercing them mercilessly.
The wolves’ bodies collapsed to the ground, and the water melting from the ice fragments quickly returned to the sphere, though Eleonora knew the resource would soon deplete.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a small sword of molten lava formed in her left hand, glowing with an intense, fiery red.
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In her right hand, the sphere of water solidified into a larger, thinner sword—less imposing than the one she had previously created in that city.
The two weapons contrasted in every sense: one radiated blistering heat, while the other exuded a chill so intense it seemed ready to freeze everything around it.
They were entirely incompatible, and it seemed the ice sword would freeze the fiery one at any moment, but…
It didn’t.
The surviving wolves eyed Eleonora’s new weapons cautiously, hesitating for a moment, though they didn’t retreat.
Eleonora shot them a defiant glare, her lips curling into a slight smile devoid of any compassion.
“If you’re not going to back off, then I have no reason to hold back,” she muttered, her voice tinged with a fury she didn’t bother to hide.
With swift, precise movements, Eleonora lunged at the wolves. The water sword cut cleanly through her enemies, losing a small amount of its size with each strike, while the lava sword didn’t just pierce—it incinerated, reducing the wolves to ashes.
The air was filled with the stench of burnt fur and charred flesh, but Eleonora didn’t stop.
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
Her movements were fluid, almost like a dance, though they grew heavier with the effort.
But more wolves kept coming, and Eleonora knew she couldn’t keep this up much longer.
Her breathing became ragged, her body trembling. Her gaze shifted to Leonar, still unconscious on the ground, his white hair faintly glowing.
“This is ridiculous,” Eleonora said, trying to steady her breath.
She remembered what Leonar had said before losing consciousness: that he wanted to go down to the ground.
Determined to fulfill his request, she directed what remained of her water sword toward the ground.
With a scream that echoed through the cave, she hurled the sword with all her strength.
Upon impact, the weapon created a massive hole, freezing the ground and forming a tunnel several meters deep.
Without hesitation, Eleonora jumped into the hole, using the lava sword to light her descent. When she reached the bottom, she placed her hand on the wall, sealing the entrance with a thick layer of ice.
The wolves that had tried to follow clawed at the barrier, but for now, they were safe.
Eleonora looked around, holding the lava sword like a torch.
The space they were in was dark and narrow, with damp walls that contrasted with the surrounding heat.
But here…
There were no interruptions.
Proud of her work, Eleonora relinquished control of her body to Leonar.
Leonar blinked several times before speaking.
“Where are we now?”
“In a hole I made to keep us safe,” Eleonora replied calmly, though her breathing was still heavy.
Leonar sat up slowly, his gaze landing on the lava sword in her hand, his eyes widening.
“What the hell is that? How did you even make it?”
Eleonora chuckled.
“I adapted to the environment. There’s no water here, but there’s lava, so I decided to use it.”
Leonar sighed, running a hand over his face.
“You always have such a… vague explanation.” Then, as if remembering something, he opened his status window to check on their condition.
Name: Leonar Hart
Level: 21
Class: None
HP: 102/451
MP: 21/159
[Attributes]
Strength: 41
Endurance: 50
Agility: 34
Intelligence: 26
Perception: 30
[Skills]
Soul Eyes Lv. 10 (9%)
Regeneration Lv. 1 (39%)
Water Control Lv. 2 (35%)
Soul Bond with Eleonora Lv. 4 (72%)
Seeing his stats, Leonar’s face twisted in disbelief.
“My MP’s dropping like crazy!” he exclaimed, pointing to the rapidly decreasing number.
22… 20… 18… It was plummeting fast!
“Oh… I think I forgot to turn off the power release.”
“How do you forget something like that!?” Leonar shouted, but before he could say more, a message popped up in front of him.
[Power Release deactivated.]
The lava sword in Leonar’s hand dimmed slightly, becoming less vibrant.
Leonar took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
“And how exactly do you plan for us to get out of here?”
“Get out? Weren’t we going to keep doing what we were doing before?”