Thane stood in the center of a circular stone platform, surrounded by silence. Not the kind of quiet that wrapped him in peace—but the kind that held its breath.
The tablet hovered in front of him again, waiting. Pale glyphs scrolled slowly across its surface, glowing faint orange like cooling steel.
"Candidate 0013: Range-dependency confirmed."
"Initiating Trial Five."
"Objective: Manifest flame as melee extension."
"Distance casting restricted."
"Tool provided."
The word tool made his pulse jump.
A new kind of test.
He looked around, expecting another spell prompt... but instead, a low rumble echoed beneath the platform. The stone at his feet cracked apart, slowly splitting into four quadrants. From the center, a metal column rose—simple, blackened from heat, holding something horizontal like a blade resting across an anvil.
A weapon.
Not sleek. Not graceful.
A dull iron short sword, chipped at the edge, barely above training quality.
But it was still a sword.
Thane approached it slowly. Reached out.
His fingers curled around the hilt.
It wasn't warm.
It was waiting.
He pulled it free.
The Archive didn't speak again.
No screen.
No guide.
The world darkened around him.
And the trial began.
The ground around the platform cracked. From the edges, shapes emerged. Not molten creatures this time—not illusions or shadows.
They looked like warriors. Rough humanoid constructs made from ash and cooled slag, each holding blunt iron clubs. Four of them, evenly spaced, advancing in perfect unison.
No ranged spells. No time to prepare.
He gritted his teeth.
This wasn't about thinking fire.
This was about becoming it.
He activated his status screen as he circled the nearest target.
[STATUS]
🧍 Name: Thane
🔥 Mana: 3 (30/30)
🎒 Skills:
[Firebolt – Lv. 1]
• EXP: 22 / 100
• Mana Cost: 10
[Flame Arc – Lv. 1]
• EXP: 6 / 100
• Mana Cost: 12
[Burning Chain – Lv. 1]
• EXP: 4 / 100
• Mana Cost: 14
[Flame Ward – Lv. 1]
• EXP: 0 / 100
• Mana Cost: 8
🧠 Quiet Casting (Passive)
🌀 Flow Casting (Passive)
🛡️ Poison Resistance – Lv. 2 (Passive)
• EXP: 4 / 25
📈 Level: 1
🧪 EXP: 30 / 100
None of these spells would work from up close... not without hurting himself.
But maybe—
He gripped the blade tighter.
Maybe he didn't need to cast at them.
Maybe he could cast through the sword.
The first construct lunged.
Thane dodged left, gritting his teeth at the speed of it. He brought the blade up, swung hard—and the iron clanged uselessly against the creature's stone arm.
The blow was solid... but it did nothing.
The creature reeled back, readying a strike.
He closed his eyes for a half-second and imagined the sword glowing, heat surging from his palm through the metal.
Not an explosion.
Not a bolt.
A coat. A layer.
A weapon shaped in flame.
Flameblade.
The mana moved. Fast. Willing.
The blade in his hand flared bright, glowing white-hot along the edge. Sparks hissed off the steel. The heat didn't burn him. It belonged to him.
He stepped forward and slashed again.
This time, the edge sliced through the construct's torso like butter.
The creature fell apart in two smoldering halves, crashing to the ground with a burst of molten dust.
The screen blinked.
[New Skill Unlocked: Flameblade – Lv. 1]
• Enchants a melee weapon with flame for 5 seconds
• Adds heat-based cleaving damage
• Mana Cost: 10
• EXP: 0 / 100
He didn't celebrate.
The second creature was already on him.
He pivoted hard, bringing the sword down with another glowing slash.
Flameblade was still active.
The weapon carved through the creature's leg.
It collapsed with a hollow groan.
Thane turned and kicked it back into the abyss.
The third and fourth came in from opposite angles.
He raised the blade, ready to cast again—but paused.
Too early.
They were smarter than the others.
He needed more than just fire.
He needed flow.
He activated Flame Ward as he sprinted forward—wrapping himself in heat just as the third enemy swung. The blow hit his shoulder, but the damage was dulled, the flames of the ward absorbing most of the impact.
He rolled, activated Flameblade again, and rose into an upward slash.
The sword roared with heat.
One clean cut. One clean kill.
The last construct stopped moving.
It stared at him with its faceless stone mask.
Then, instead of attacking... it stepped back.
Confused?
No.
Waiting.
Learning.
The Archive was watching through it.
Thane exhaled slowly and turned the blade in his grip.
"This isn't a duel," he whispered. "It's a lesson."
He charged forward, Flameblade still humming.
The final creature met his charge with its club raised high.
Thane dropped low, slashed across its stomach, then spun and cleaved upward into the chest. The construct shattered.
Silence returned.
So did the tablet.
"Trial Five Complete."
"Close-combat flame adaptation confirmed."
"Progressing to Lava-bound Form."
Lava.
The word echoed inside his chest.
The tablet shimmered again.
"Candidate now has access to Lava-tier magic foundation."
"Initiating magma affinity."
The sword in his hand pulsed with new heat.
Not flame.
Something denser.
Thicker.
A glow began at the base of the blade—deep orange, like the center of the world—then slowly faded.
He wouldn't be able to use it yet.
But the Archive had opened the door.
He sheathed the sword across his back, even though it had no strap. The blade clung there, molten edge faintly pulsing with breath-like heat.
This wasn't just fire anymore.
This was the beginning of lava shaping.
And for the first time, Thane felt like his weapon wasn't just a tool...
It was an extension of his will.