Fighting was not an unfamiliar concept for the children, especially for those like Kyle, who had engaged in numerous scuffles prior to their arrival at the orphanage. After Jack took them under his wing, he trained them to a certain degree. Mock fights, physical training, mental training—everything that goes into a proper training program was not used by Jack.

Instead, he allowed them to train independently, intervening only to offer occasional advice for contemplation. When he sensed they were prepared for practical experience, he selected Silas, Kyle, and Jessica as the most suitable candidates. It may have been a tad premature for them, but much like a mother bird urging her fledglings to take flight, they needed to spread their wings and soar.

Once they had ventured into the outskirts of the forest and understood that they were insignificant ants that could be trampled on at any time, they would be ready for some genuine training. He would repeat this with the other children envisioning his own army of children.

Alas, his plan faltered at the very first step. The children, who were expected to return after an enjoyable adventure, instead perished, causing an uproar.

What an unreliable bunch. For them to thwart my carefully thought-out plans, they must be taught a lesson. For this, he would assume the role of a real teacher this time.

---

Ten children and one adult gathered in the garden behind the dining room.

Silas sat on a tree trunk, observing Jessica's warm-up routine. He couldn't help but notice the faint wisps of smoke emanating from her body, a testament to her being already warm enough.

Silas found himself conflicted about the situation. On one hand, he was pleased that their teacher had finally taken the matter seriously. On the other hand, he questioned the need for a fight to obtain answers.

Jack had never revealed his fighting prowess before, but based on past incidents, Silas deduced that they wouldn't receive any answers if Jack approached the matter with utmost seriousness. So why engage in a fight at all? Jack could have easily denied them answers, as they lacked the means to force him to reveal anything.

Lost in his contemplation, Silas was caught off guard when Elea sneaked up on him.

"Hey, daydreamer, what's on your mind?" she playfully inquired.

"Oh, nothing... What do you think? Does Jess stand a chance?" Silas replied, preferring not to burden Elea with his own thoughts and hoping she would understand.

Elea caught on and went along with the charade. "Well, if Jess is truly determined, even Kyle would struggle. But against our teacher..." She shook her head. "Sorry, I really can't say."

"I don't know either," Silas admitted, flashing a smile. Nobody did, but soon they would find out.

Elea opened her mouth, about to ask Silas something, but their conversation was abruptly interrupted as the fight commenced.

"This is how it's going to unfold," Jack announced, positioning himself in the center of the field surrounded by a ring of burning torches spaced at regular intervals. He seemed like an offering ready to be sacrificed.

"To have your wishes granted, you must face me in combat. However, fear not, for I shall restrain myself and utilize a mere ten and a half percent of my true strength," Jack declared, projecting an air of godlike power, as if he held the ability to fulfill their every desire if they proved themselves worthy.

"Can't you stop this bullshit for once?"

Jessica scoffed, unimpressed by Jack's claims of mercy. Stepping into the circle of fire, she spat defiantly at him.

"Just tell me how fried you prefer your meat." Her footsteps halted at a distance in front of Jack. "Forget it, I'm going to reduce you to ashes."

"Young lady, it appears I have neglected your education quite a bit. Today, we shall have a lesson in etiquette. But first, let's establish the rules... You attack me with all your might, and if you manage to land a clean hit, it shall be considered my defeat," Jack explained.

"I couldn't care less. I'm going to finish you off."

"And what about Jessica? How would she be defeated? Does she need to be hit as well?"

Elem questioned from the sidelines, trying to decipher the rules for Jessica's potential loss. Jack had only elucidated how he would lose, not how he would win. Understanding all the rules was crucial, as it meant being one step ahead of one's opponent. However, Jessica seemed unconcerned.

"What do you mean by 'lose'? Just sit back and watch me roast him."

"Hit her? No, I won't be hitting anyone. You simply have to land a clean hit to emerge victorious. That's the sole rule," Jack grinned, addressing Elem's inquiries.

He looked outside the ring of fire, spotting the bespectacled boy. Elem appeared to be pondering his words, but whether he would reach a meaningful conclusion or simply engage in futile musings remained to be seen.

"Can we begin now?" Jessica eagerly took a combat stance.

"Of course, we just need a suitable signal to start." Jack gestured toward the sky.

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It was a cloudy night, with the moon intermittently concealed by thick, drifting clouds. One could anticipate that within seconds, the moonlight would reappear at the fringes of the drifting veil.

"When the moon emerges, we can start," Jack declared.

Jessica didn't acknowledge his statement explicitly, but her eyes conveyed her understanding. A sense of focus and determination emanated from her. Even the torches, as if paying homage to her resolve, seemed to dim slightly, intensifying the already dark surroundings.

But soon, the ebony night was pierced by the moonlight, enveloping the world and dispelling all shadows—a herald of the impending battle.

At that moment, the moonlight that bathed Jessica and Jack lost its dominance, usurped by the radiance of the blazing fire that materialized in each of Jessica's hands.

"Fireball!"

Wasting no time, she hurled one of the fiery projectiles at Jack, propelling herself forward in hot pursuit of her fireball.

"Is that the best you can do? That trick failed the first hundred times, and it won't succeed now either," Jack jeered.

True to his words, he evaded her attack at the last instant, narrowly dodging the flames. However, Jessica wasn't finished yet. Already within striking range, she unleashed a flaming fist aimed directly at his abdomen.

Once again, Jack sidestepped with a small step, causing her fist to meet empty air. Seizing the momentum of her punch, Jessica pivoted her body and aimed a kick toward his head.

"Good job, you almost had me," he remarked casually. With minimal exertion, he leaned back, evading Jessica's kick as it sailed past his face.

Her breathing grew heavier, indicating that despite the fight having just begun, Jessica appeared to be on the losing side. The red-haired girl took a few steps back, increasing the distance between herself and her opponent to regain control of her breathing.

"Is dodging the only thing you know how to do?" she taunted.

"Is hitting empty space the only thing you know how to do?" he shrugged. "No need to get serious at this level."

"Tsk," Jessica expressed her frustration visibly.

Drawing upon her anger, she channeled it into the flames enveloping her body, her legs and arms ablaze. Even if he evaded at close range, the searing heat of the fire would impact him, perhaps even igniting his clothing. Fueled by this thought, Jessica charged toward her opponent once again.

"I see, that's a clever approach. Now, let's see your strength, Jessica," Jack greeted her attack with an uncharacteristic seriousness. He placed one hand behind his back and extended the other with an open palm toward the oncoming girl.

Jessica initiated her assault with a kick aimed at his abdomen, but it was promptly blocked by his palm. This marked the beginning of a barrage of fists and kicks, each aimed at Jack's body, yet effortlessly deflected by his simple palm.

It seemed as though his hand anticipated her attacks, rendering her attempts to deceive him futile. He saw through her movements as if she were explicitly revealing her next move. The frustration intensified, and the faint grin on Jack's face, which grew wider with each failed attack, seemed poised to stretch from ear to ear.

The girl standing before him was a genuine, unpolished gem. Among all the talents he had witnessed, hers was undoubtedly the rarest. Endowed with the gift of fire, she possessed an almost instinctual command over fire magic. Casting intermediate-level spells such as fireball took her mere fractions of a second.

What truly set her apart was her ability to ignite parts of her own body, a simplified manifestation of the higher-level spell known as "Burning Aura," where the user's entire body would be engulfed in flames akin to a human torch.

In this aspect, Jessica displayed a remarkable genius. However, she lacked a couple of essential qualities that could catapult her into immense power: discipline and patience. And one factor that limits her genius: fear of the dark.

But Jack was certain, under his fist of guidance she would certainly flourish. Well, who wouldn't?

...

Anger and pain overwhelmed her, capturing the essence of her state of mind. The memories of the moments before she was killed were hazy, yet clear enough to remind her of her own helplessness. She replayed the image of herself being toyed with by that beast, while Kyle and Silas valiantly tried to shield her. The image of Kyle's warm hand intertwined with her hand remained etched in her mind.

The depths of the forest mirrored the darkness of her past, a lonely and desolate place where her mother had locked her away when her fire abilities had unintentionally surfaced. Surrounded by darkness once more when the trio stepped into the forest, those memories resurfaced, flooding her with fear. In the presence of the forest, she transformed into someone unrecognizable—a person she deemed utterly useless.

Her only recourse now was to confront the fake teacher with that ugly grin and demand answers. Why had he allowed her friends to perish? Wasn't cherishing every life, as if it was the only one, one of his supposed valuable lessons? She had made several attempts to get a response, but Jack continued to play games. Still, she refused to retreat without at least slapping that idiot across the face.

The flames on her limbs grew, threatening to engulf her entirely. Ordinarily, she would exercise caution, aware that her body was immune to her own flames while her clothes were not. But at this moment, consequences were secondary—she would fight first and deal with the aftermath later.

Outside the fiery circle, the children watched with wide eyes, desperate not to blink and miss a single moment. Jessica's attacks proved futile against Jack, scarcely deserving to be called attacks from his perspective.

However, as part of Jessica's clothes ignited, an uncomfortable tension swept over the onlookers. The cheeks of some boys turned slightly red.

"Hmph!" Elea exclaimed, placing her hand in front of Silas' eyes.

"Why just me?" Silas questioned.

"Just because," Elea pouted.

Inside the ring, Jessica transformed almost into a manifestation of fire, her powers amplified as if she had become one with the flames themselves. The intense heat radiating from her made it difficult to breathe. She realized she couldn't afford to waste any time in this form, as it drained every ounce of her strength. Moreover, there were moments when she struggled to maintain control. It was time for one final attempt to claim victory, even if it meant losing the battle.

The blazing girl lunged at Jack, aiming to sweep him off his feet with a low kick. As expected, he evaded her attack by jumping, yet that was precisely what she had anticipated. With him airborne, he had no means of evasion. Seizing the opportunity, she struck with her fist.

However, his hand intercepted her blow, yet that was part of her plan as well. Concealed behind her fist was a fraction of her true power—a feint. Her real attack came when she seized Jack's wrist with her other hand, holding it in an iron grip.

"Now we go down together!" she shouted. "Explode!"

-Boom

A small explosion erupted within the ring, flames dancing and engulfing Jessica's arms and legs as if fueled by oil. Even the ground succumbed to the blaze, transforming into a sea of fire.

The children shielded themselves from the ensuing shockwave and intense heat, relieved that they had retreated in advance. Their attention quickly returned to the scene, only to find the fight had already concluded.

Jack stood there, shirtless with singed shorts, his missing shirt explaining itself—he had used it to cover the unconscious Jessica, cradling her in his arms.

"She couldn't land a single blow," he mused.

"But I had to take my shirt off for her. I guess that counts."

"Jessica won." He declared.

The kids got into a tizzy, their friend had done it, but to cut their joy, Jack continued.

"Next."