Skill: Ignite

"Let's settle the bill."

Not because I'd bought all the materials I needed, but because I'd run out of money.

Just a dozen or so different materials had cost me 243 gold coins. The money I'd received yesterday hadn't even had time to warm in my pocket before it was gone.

Since I'd bought quite a lot of materials at once, the guild had also given me a large bag made of Magical Cloth. It could block most forms of perception and prevent spiritual energy from dissipating.

On the way back, Ian stayed alert the entire time, but the expected attack never came.

A random passerby suddenly jumping out and trying to force him to sell Wawa was obviously suspicious.

The man might not have recognized what Wawa was. After all, Ian had received training in extraordinary knowledge since childhood, yet he'd never even heard of a Mysterious Seed.

But the man had definitely noticed something unusual about Wawa through some means. Ian couldn't afford not to be wary.

He wasn't afraid. It was just that if a conflict broke out, there were only two possible outcomes.

If he could win, he'd kill the underling and draw out the one pulling the strings, which could lead to even bigger trouble.

If he couldn't win, Ian would have to run. The cooperation he'd only just begun here would be over, and he'd have to find somewhere else and start again.

"How could this be... How could I have failed?!"

In a room at the Schbeig Noble Hotel on Central Avenue, Haistorm had just returned from the Bounty Hunter Guild, his face grim.

A silver hand mirror floated gently before him. Strangely, its surface showed no image, only a hollow void.

At the Bounty Hunter Guild, Haistorm had discovered that the strange creature beside Ian was extraordinary. It even possessed spatial properties.

But Ian had mercilessly rejected and ignored him, which had undoubtedly stirred his murderous intent.

Haistorm had returned to the inn full of confidence. He'd immediately used the oddity Seeking Shadow Mirror to locate Ian, already imagining how he'd torture him once he caught him.

But he'd failed.

Unwilling to accept it, Haistorm poured all his spiritual energy into another attempt.

"Ah—"

His spiritual energy seemed to slam into an iron wall. A strange force passed through the void and crashed into his Spiritual World, making it convulse violently. The world's barriers seemed about to crack.

The agony that came with the pain in his spirit tortured him beyond endurance.

He returned to his room at the inn without incident. No attack had come, but Ian still decided to lie low for a few days.

Ever since he'd obtained the Fate Card, he could feel himself making clear progress every time he meditated.

Compared to when he'd first crossed over, his Spiritual World had grown a little larger, and the Original Tree had grown considerably taller.

These next few days were the perfect opportunity to improve himself.

Ian opened the Magical Cloth bag and set it on the floor. Wawa eagerly jumped off Ian and onto it.

"Wawa..."

Standing on the bag, which was enormous by its standards, Wawa pointed at it and softly asked if it could eat the contents.

Ian smiled knowingly. "Go ahead. They're all yours."

Wawa extended its four tentacles, grabbed a Lesser Moonstone, and brought it to its mouth.

The Lesser Moonstone was about the size of a fist, nearly as big as Wawa's head. But Wawa opened its huge mouth, and the stone vanished into it.

There was no chewing or swallowing. It simply disappeared.

Ian was startled for a moment, then understood. This must be Wawa's spatial property.

"Wawa..."

After eating three materials, Wawa stopped. It climbed back onto Ian, greeted him, then fell asleep again. It was probably digesting the spiritual materials.

Ian did some calculations. If Wawa only ate materials, they'd last three or four days at most. He'd have to feed it spiritual energy and Mana as well.

Over the next few days, Ian alternated between alchemy, meditation, and feeding Wawa. He had the servants bring his meals to his room.

This left Lia, who had been keeping an eye on Ian, utterly bewildered. A young, handsome, wealthy Extraordinary wasn't tempted by Paradise Port's hedonistic pleasures, but instead stayed cooped up in his inn room quietly practicing alchemy?!

Were all Alchemists this unusual?!

At ten o'clock on the evening of November 22, Ian, who'd been waiting in quiet anticipation in his Spiritual World, finally felt that familiar pulse again.

He looked up, and sure enough, a new "star" was shining brightly on the Veil of Fate.

It wasn't the first time, but the day each card manifested still left him bursting with excitement. This was what he needed to make a living and survive.

At Ian's thought, the "star" disappeared, and a purple card drifted before him.

Strange purple patterns were engraved on the card's four corners. At its center, a cluster of deep-red flames burned fiercely behind the semi-transparent surface.

[Card: Ignite]

Ignite: A compound spell. Use the fire of your own spirit to anchor and ignite the enemy's spirit. The spiritual fire spreads along the target's spirit like a parasite clinging to bone and is extremely difficult to extinguish.

While the spiritual fire burns, the caster can sense all information within a certain range around it.

This spell first generates a source of spiritual fire in the caster's Spiritual World. It consumes the caster's spiritual energy to continually strengthen the flame and increase its intensity.

Card Spirit: Soulfire.

This was a new kind of card: a spell card.

Ignite?!

Ian was thrilled. Was this a modified version of Ignite from League of Legends?

The game's Ignite couldn't kill anyone, but his Ignite could be deadly.

In this extraordinary world built on spiritual energy, even the slightest damage to one's spirit was serious.

Directly burning someone's spirit sounded terrifying!

Ian gently tapped the card. It dissolved into tiny points of light, and a deep-red flame appeared in his Spiritual World.

Then it transformed into a small, deep-red "moon" hanging above the Veil of Fate, slowly circling the "sun" manifested by the Fate Card.

At the same time, Ian felt it continually drawing on his spiritual energy. Fortunately, he could cut off or increase the supply whenever he wanted.

As he felt the spiritual fire growing more and more intense, he felt a wave of reassurance. He was safer than ever.

This Fate Card was more reliable than his own father.

Although he'd just gained a powerful skill, Ian didn't change his plans.

Over the next few days, he continued with his routine of alchemy, meditation, and feeding Wawa.

He only made Magical Weapon Oil once a day, producing three pounds each time. He didn't want making money to interfere with his progress.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

The knocking roused Ian from deep meditation.

It was noon on the 25th, the agreed-upon day for their transaction.

Ian opened the door. Lia stood there in a long black dress, smiling.

"Trist, you haven't left your room in a week."

"If it's because of the Magical Weapon Oil, we can adjust the quantity in our agreement..."

Lia started trying to persuade Ian as soon as they met.

But Ian didn't answer her directly. Instead, he looked at her admiringly.

"You look like a completely different person dressed like that."

Whenever Ian had met Lia before, she'd worn practical black leather clothes, though the color and style varied.

It was the first time he'd seen her in a dress. He'd hardly recognized her.

"If you're asking because you're worried about me, Lady Lia, then I'd like to say thank you. Please, come in—"

As soon as Lia entered, she saw materials sorted into piles across the living room floor and a smaller pile of cans filled with Magical Weapon Oil.

This time, the oil was packed in the silver cans provided by the Whaling Group, one pound per can for easier use.

"If that's what you think, then sure."

Lia gently closed the door behind her, then sat back on the sofa opposite Ian. The corners of her mouth lifted, and she looked relaxed.

"Then I really do have to thank you. There aren't many people in this world who still care about me."

Ian's casual words stirred something in Lia.

"Everything's over there. Go ahead and check it."

Ian tactlessly cut off Lia's train of thought. She watched his back, feeling helpless.

She'd thought he was going to keep the conversation going. Like the bards in bars, who were all skilled at livening up the mood and sweet-talking people.

But he never spoke for more than a couple of sentences before getting down to business. How could anyone be so bad at conversation?

Even their rough-and-ready group leader knew to chat about everyday things before meetings to lighten the mood.