Ash leaned lazily against a tree, his sharp gaze on Elanor, the young lady who had been hiring him recently to capture beast-people and turn them into slaves. Although that had been outlawed in the Terras Kingdom long before either of them were born, she was droning about their most recent success. It was immoral, and dirty work, but Ash couldn’t care less, as long as he got what he wanted out of the deal. Morality was for the privileged, and he couldn’t afford it.

For what he desired, he could play along, pretend he felt any type of amusement, indulge her whims. So long as he could get even one step closer to the power he desired, Ash was prepared to do anything.

Though… today, even he had to admit, his emotions had been stirred. For some reason, he had especially enjoyed toying with the young planewalker. Something about him…

‘Maybe I should seek out more of them…’ He thought, his gaze still on Eleanor.

But that would have to wait. He had already thought of his next target, and the path that would bring him closer to his goal. He had come a long way ever since he obtained his first skill at level three, [Flame Sense]. Just as the name implied, it allowed him to sense and feel nearby flames, making him an especially dire opponent for anyone who used them. It was in no small part thanks to this, and thanks to his enchanted sword imbued with flame sorcery, that he had earned his Alias, the Flame Sword.

‘Ah that was so long ag-’

He straightened. Something tugged at his mind. He knew this sensation very well, and just as he was thinking of it, his very first skill had activated. Somewhere near, he could feel the presence of flames. He didn’t even bother to interrupt Eleanor who was still babbling. Rapidly, he looked around him.

‘What is it?’

They hadn’t lit a fire so as to not be noticed, Ash had already made sure that there was no one around with his [Surveillance] skill, and he wouldn't make the mistake of accidentally activating the enchantment of his weapon.

His head whipped toward the tent where the planewalker had been restrained, and his eyes widened. With his experience and skill, it took him no more than a fraction of a second to understand what was happening. He drew his sword with a speed defying reason.

The flames were coming.

‘The boy? But that’s impossible, I’m sure the toxin-’

The time for thoughts had since long ended. Suffocating heat was emanating from the tent, and a frightening amount of magic power was being released. Ash could feel it, flames had been conjured, powerful ones, and they were heading in his direction.

No, not his direction. ‘Damnit!’

They were heading straight for Eleanor, who still hadn’t suspected a thing. It would have been one thing if the attack was aimed at him. He was confident he could deflect it with his own flames, and even if he couldn’t, his body would be able to handle the flames themselves. Judging from the strength of the magic power he felt, he might not emerge unscathed, but not harmed enough to be unable to fight.

But they weren’t aimed at him. Eleanor was the target, and she would not survive the attack. Ash had no particular care for her, but despite how she acted, she was still a prominent noble child of this region. if she died when it was known that she had last been seen with him… if he wasn’t thrown in prison and executed, he would at least never be able to step foot in the Guild.

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“Eleanor!”

He had to protect her. Simultaneously, he activated three skills.

[Accelerate] to reach Eleanor before the attack.

[Blaze] which was more so the sword’s enchantment rather than a skill.

And [Sword Aura] which he had learned after finally advancing to level 10 in the Swordsman class. Layering it on top of [Blaze], made for a frightening combination.

In a spiral, flames exploded from the tent, but instead of Eleanor’s flesh, what met them was Ash’s blade.

BOOM

Eleanor fell backward when she felt the impact beside her. In a flash, the air was suddenly unbearably hot, Ash appeared behind her, and he struggled to protect her from an attack she had not even seen coming.

“W-wh” She stumbled upon her words.

“ARGHH!!” The attack was even more powerful than Ash had expected. He was badly positioned, and caught off guard, but to think it could even contest with his Aura enveloped [Blaze]. His grip struggled under the pressure and his defense threatened to break.

In what remained of the tent, Verity’s hands were trembling as he held the spear. His shot, which had been aimed at Eleanor, carried much more power than he had expected. It had drained him of all his strength, but in a manner that was foreign to him. He felt an energy he had never known before be extracted from his body without him being able to control just how much of it left.

The attack left him completely exhausted, but still… It worked!

He knew that firing toward Ash would be stupid. He was stronger than Verity could imagine, and if he didn’t easily avoid the attack, Verity didn’t doubt he would be able to block it. But what if he was taken by surprise, and with no preparation, had to rush to someone’s aid? Surely, the result would be different, assuming of course that Ash cared in the slightest about Eleanor, which Verity was glad to find that he did.

Now, he just had to muster whatever was left of his energy and get the hell out of this damn forest while Ash was occupied.

His breath came in short gasps, and he had to lean on the spear as he painstakingly walked away from the clash. With every step he took, he couldn’t help but hesitate, however.

His head turned right ‘What about Midnight?’ Then left. ‘And the old man?’

His mind screamed for him to run, but his feet refused to take another step. Wasn’t he supposed to be the hero, like the protagonists of his stories? Could he really just… abandon these two here?

His fists clenched.

He wasn't a hero.

Just a delusional idiot who had yet to separate fiction from reality. His ‘plan’ was half-baked, and he was facing an enemy he could never hope to defeat.

He knew that.

Yet…the conversation he had eavesdropped on earlier replayed in his head. Whatever they were going to do to Midnight, it wasn’t going to be anything good. As for the old carriage driver, Verity doubted Ash and Eleanor were willing to leave any witnesses, which made his fate essentially set in stone.

He grit his teeth, enough for them to hurt. ‘Damnit! What do you want me to do!? Sometimes those guys make the ‘wrong’ choice too! Why can’t I!?’ He told himself.

The only reason he even had the time to think right now was because of a nearly miraculous surprise attack. It wouldn’t happen again, literally because this effect of Final Embers couldn’t be used until the next day, and because Verity felt that Ash wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

Weighing his options, he bit his lip. ‘Damn it all…!!’

Ash was still locked in the clash, but not for long. It had been truly mighty, but the attack was finally losing power, and to begin with, his own blade had been superior. With one final grunt, and a bead of sweat rolling down his face, Ash deflected the burst of flames into a nearby patch of trees, lighting them ablaze, and finally bringing light to the darkness of this place.

“What was that!?” Eleanor demanded to know, but Ash did not reply.

He exhaled slowly as he lowered his sword. His attention was onto something else. He smirked as the smoke created by the clash dissipated. The boy they had supposedly poisoned was now standing in front of him, spear in hand, and an anxious grin on his face.

“Well…” He said, his voice low and mocking. “Would you look at that…”

Verity heard the system’s voice in his mind.

[You are engaging in a challenge where the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you.]

[You have gained experience toward your class.]

[Your sponsor laughs and says, ‘You truly are a Fool’.]

‘Shut up, damn it! Both of you!’

A grin curled Ash’s lips. “You should have ran.”

“I know…” His hands could barely hold onto the spear.