"The method you mentioned, I have considered it as well..." I carefully chose my words.

The reason I didn’t do what Agent Kong suggested is actually quite simple.

Perhaps to others, my superpower seems to be something I was born with, naturally and intrinsically tied to me, but I’ve never thought about it that way.

Why did I awaken my superpower? This has been a question I’ve pondered since the day I first awakened it. Was it really because I was born with the potential for it, and it just so happened to awaken during puberty? Or could it be that the method I was obsessed with—"lighting a candle with my gaze"—was truly effective? That as long as I persisted, I could awaken the power to control fire?

Or perhaps my ancestors had the bloodline of a demon or deity, and it manifested in my generation? Or maybe, not long ago, I encountered some external factor that triggered my superpower awakening, but I just haven’t recalled it?

I always feel like the origin of my superpower is a bit strange. When I was thinking about lighting the candle, I just so happened to awaken the corresponding superpower, and the speed at which this power grew was enough to make me shiver.

At first, I was incredibly delighted by the mysterious power that appeared within me, repeatedly practicing the manipulation of my superpower in secret places; and during this practice, my superpower grew rapidly, just like how muscles become stronger after repeated training.

But gradually, I realized something unusual.

It seemed that even when I wasn’t actively practicing, my superpower would still grow stronger on its own. Although not as quickly as when I actively practiced, I could feel that even if I simply lay down on a patch of grass, my superpower would automatically strengthen with my breathing. And as time passed, this power grew to a level that even I couldn’t fully understand.

Is this really a power that can casually appear in a human like me? I often doubted.

In many stories about superpowers, they’re not permanent. They can degrade or even disappear due to various factors. Some stories are even more extreme, saying that superpowers are a phenomenon that only appears during puberty, and once a person matures, no matter how powerful they were before, the powers will disappear as time passes.

What is obtained in an unknown way might also be lost just as mysteriously one day.

I’ve never looked at this mysterious power with a sense of security. I’ve long been prepared for the possibility that it may one day become unusable. With this premise in mind, I would certainly not take it for granted as my inherent asset, nor would I rely on it as the foundation of my life, showing it off in broad daylight.

Of course, when I must use it, I will throw aside all my concerns and use this power without hesitation. When threats like the Fallen Demon Hunter appear before me, if I keep thinking about things like what life will be like tomorrow or the day after, the result will be that I won’t even survive today.

Moreover, I have no intention of taking my superpower to the grave. Although I still remain cautious about the true nature of this power, "adventures beyond reality" are what I focus on most. If by the time I graduate from university and enter society, I still haven’t obtained what I want through investigating ghost stories, I will actively expose my power to the public to attract the attention of supernatural organizations.

Fortunately, before I reached that point, Mount Luo appeared in front of me first.

Noticing that I hadn’t replied for a long time, Agent Kong kindly reminded me, “If it’s inconvenient to answer, there’s no need to force yourself.”

“It’s not that it’s inconvenient to answer, it’s just that it’s a long story…”

Just as I was saying this, my ears suddenly caught an unusual sound.

It was like the sound of a stick being thrust into thick liquid and stirred vigorously—dull and strange, and it seemed familiar, as though I had heard it somewhere before. This inexplicable sense of familiarity made me immediately stop talking and look toward the source of the sound.

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It was a small patch of shadow at the edge of the curb not far away, which had become unusually thick and deep, to the point that it stood out from the surrounding shadows, as though it were ink spilled on the ground, constantly spreading and growing. From that strange shadow, bubbles began to rise, bubbling and undulating on the surface. The sound came from here.

Suddenly, an extremely thick arm shot out from the shadow, splashing ink-like liquid onto the surroundings. This scene was all too familiar to me—it was the same one I had witnessed last night when the Fallen Demon Hunter appeared before me. Soon, a demon monster, identical to the Fallen Demon Hunter, crawled out from the shadow.

And the changes didn’t stop there. The other shadows around us began to show the same anomaly. The second and third demons climbed out onto the ground. One appeared in front, while the other appeared behind, blocking our retreat. The three demons glared at us with ferocity.

If only one demon had appeared, I might have wondered if the Fallen Demon Hunter from last night had come back to life. But with three demons appearing consecutively, I could only conclude that the Fallen Demon Hunter wasn’t a single entity.

These three demons didn’t speak but instead emitted deep, animalistic growls, with saliva dripping from their mouths. Perhaps they weren’t even humans that had been transformed.

Indeed, the incident with the Fallen Demon Hunter was far from over.

What is their purpose for appearing here? Are they here to take revenge for what happened last night? Is the target only me, or does it include Agent Kong as well?

Does this have anything to do with the grudge between the Fallen Demon Hunter and me?

How unlucky! If it were just me here, it would be fine, but there’s also Agent Kong, who isn’t skilled in combat.

Seeing this scene, his voice started to tremble: "Zhuang Cheng..."

"Agent Kong, I'll deal with them. You look for a chance to escape."

I wasn’t sure whether these three demons had different abilities from the Fallen Demon Hunter I faced last night, so I didn’t finish my sentence.

"...No, looking at their formation, I won't be able to escape." Agent Kong steadied his emotions and pulled out a handgun from his pocket.

I couldn't help but glance over. It was a gray revolver with a relatively long barrel, engraved with strange symbols, seemingly a weapon designed to deal with unusual entities.

"This is the weapon that Mount Luo equipped for the agent. Although it’s not a high-end weapon, it will have to do for now," he said, forcing himself to remain calm. "Next, we..."

He seemed like he wanted to discuss our next move, but reality isn’t a turn-based game. It’s not that the enemies can’t act until we’ve finished our turn.

Before he could finish his sentence, the enemies charged forward.

As they rushed at us, I turned my attention back to them and activated my superpower.

One of the demons, the one in front charging at us, was instantly ignited, turning into a roaring torch as if gasoline had been poured all over it.

The skill of igniting the opponent with my gaze does have a flaw—it can only ignite one target at a time.

The reason for this skill’s limitation is that its principle is to direct my gaze—or more specifically, to transfer my focus and spirit to the target.

Often, when we talk about "someone transferring their spirit to an object," it actually means "someone focusing their attention on an object." Humans are visual creatures, and when someone focuses their gaze on a specific object, they are directing their attention to it.

Thus, people often describe the eyes as the windows to the soul. Where the gaze goes, the spirit follows. And the focus of the gaze is where the spirit rests.

While the flames can expand the area my gaze can reach—strictly speaking, this has exceeded the biological definition of sight and should be considered a supernatural perception—some principles still apply since I am still human. After all, no one can focus their eyes in multiple directions at the same time. My "attention focus," or the "spot where my spirit rests," can only exist in one place at a time.

The second demon, directly in front of me, immediately used the first demon, who was on fire, as a shield to continue charging at me. While this would burn their own comrade, it allowed them to avoid my gaze.

From their reaction, it’s clear that they know my gaze can be a medium for flame attacks. It seems they obtained information about last night's battle through some means. However, they still don’t realize that where the flames reach, my gaze also reaches.

Furthermore, just because my gaze can only ignite one target at a time doesn’t mean I can only use one skill at a time.

The reason I used this particular skill is simply because it was the first supernatural ability I learned, and it’s the one I’m most familiar with. The moment I saw the enemy moving, it was a reflex to use it. While using this skill, I quickly raised my right hand and summoned a small "firefly" from my palm.

With a large amount of spiritual power poured into it, the "firefly" rapidly expanded, turning into a massive fireball that exploded.

The tidal waves of flames spread in all directions, instantly engulfing the three demons that had charged from both the front and back. The area around me was transformed into a fiery purgatory, with the intense light temporarily blinding human vision.

This time, because I needed to protect Agent Kong, I didn’t hold back or show mercy. I infused the flames with the will to utterly destroy my enemies.

Under the impact of the destructive flames, the three charging demons were immediately swept up, like fish caught in a torrent, unable to resist.

They didn’t even last a single blink before they were reduced to ashes.