Dancing on the golden ashes

A deep gloom overtook me. Today had been one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions, and I wanted to cry, but no tears came—like they'd dried up years ago. Each slow, steady step Malrang took felt incredibly soft, as if she was being careful not to drop my spaced-out body while I stared lifelessly into the distance.

We passed the blazelia tree that I'd once wanted to harvest with Park Jieun... I felt something vibrate in my chest, but I quickly buried it deep in my heart. All I wanted was to get away, to reach an area filled with monsters—I had to grow stronger. Perhaps being alone is better… well, at least I have Malrang with me. Animals are more loyal and understanding than humans could ever be.

Malrang carried me on her back for a good thirty minutes. Eventually, we found ourselves deep within the forest of blazelia trees. The sight was breathtaking: crimson fire danced in every direction, and the ground was scattered with rocks that reflected the beautiful flames. "Look at that Malrang... This place is beautiful!"

Ye-yes, Master... Her voice was as gentle as a soft spring breeze, carrying my sadness away.

I jumped off her back and reached out to touch one of the trees, feeling its warmth. Suddenly, it crossed my mind that she'd taken a bite out of one of these trees before, and with her current size, she must be starving.

"Hey, Malrang, aren't you hungry—?"

"Woo?" Just as I turned, Malrang was already munching on a blazelia tree, effortlessly pulling it out by the roots. She looked so cute, holding the massive fire tree in her mouth and glancing at me as if she'd been caught stealing chickens.

"Ha...haha!" I laughed... After a long time, I finally laughed. Somehow, I only felt truly close to this fox. With her, I felt alive and happy, as if my emotions had returned from before the days I'd lost them. Sometimes, I wonder if it's because she isn't human—she doesn't carry those dark and evil emotions that seem so common in human nature.

"You can keep eating; we'll move on afterward. It's getting late," I said, glancing up at the sky, which tonight looked almost crimson, as if the colors of these trees had dyed the night itself.

"We should find some shelter and rest. Tomorrow, I want to explore this world—just you and me." When I was a child, I'd dreamed of exploring unknown lands, but as I grew up, I realized there was nothing left to discover in my world. I'd been born too late.

Yes, Master, but where should we go? For the first time, she didn't stutter. Her talents were too great; she adapted quickly.

"Don't call me 'Master.' We're friends. Just call me Gaon!" I smiled brightly, reaching out to pat her fur as she continued munching on the trees. By now, the entire twenty-meter area was void of blazelia trees. Her appetite is... amazing… I laughed to myself in awe. This fox had been only forty or so centimeters tall a few hours ago, and now she was a four-meter giant. No wonder she ate so much.

Ga-Gaon! GAON! Hehe, she said cheerfully in my mind. I could feel her joy and pure-hearted happiness in every word.

After Malrang devoured another twenty or so blazelia trees, she finally slumped to the ground, looking as if she was about to burst.

So full… Gaon! Carry me…

"Eh?" I crossed my arms. "You can carry yourself… you're too big for me."

POOF

In an instant, her massive form shrank back to her tiny self, looking exactly as she had before she grew to four meters.

I jumped back. "What the—? How did you just go back to your previous form?"

I have a special skill; I can take on the form you like the most.

"How convenient… You could use this in battle to dodge attacks and catch enemies off guard… So many possibilities…" I started muttering to myself, already imagining the ways Malrang could use this in combat. Lost in my monologue, I barely noticed the huge sigh she let out, her gaze fixed on me with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

I snapped out of my embarrassing state and strolled over, picking up Malrang into my arms. Her belly was slightly puffed out, full to the brim. Holding her close to my chest, I stepped through the forest of blazing trees.

After a few hours of walking, a massive mountain came into view up ahead. It was still far off, but the top gleamed like a pool of magma. Is that an active volcano? But there was no tremor, no hint of an eruption… how mysterious…

The blazelia trees in this area shone even more intensely, as if the closer they grew to the mountain, the stronger their source of nourishment became.

The heat intensified the closer I got to the mountain. A thin layer of sweat started forming on my skin, leaving me flabbergasted. With my element resistance at level 18, I was shocked to find the heat still affecting me. I don't like this place… something feels off.

At the end of the blazelia forest, a towering mountain loomed, at least 5,000 meters high. A narrow, rocky path wound up its side, looking almost human-made, though that should have been impossible. No humans were here before us… unless some other species was already living in this world.

I held Malrang close; by now, she'd fallen asleep, seemingly unfazed by the heat despite her thick fur. With Superior Space Distortion active, I had no trouble navigating the steep path as I started my climb toward the clouds.

As I climbed quickly, my eyes were met with an impossibly beautiful sight: the entire ground below stretched out in a vast crimson sea, with this mountain standing as the only peak, surrounded entirely by the fiery blaze of trees. This world… is perfect.

I paused to take in the view, unable to keep a smile from forming. It was as if the entire ground were on fire—something beyond anything I could have witnessed in my old world. Perhaps a festival back there could mimic this with a light show, but this… this was real. A true beauty of the fantasy world.

I continued my climb, even with my space distortion it would still take me a while to reach the top, it was quite a challenge as the heat was becoming slightly unbearable. Worst case I have some skill points, I will use them if I can't handle the heat anymore.

I had reached around the 4,000-meter mark of the mountain, and from this height, I could almost trace the edge where the forest began below. As I reached the other side of the mountain my eye shone so brightly I could light up the sky myself… Is that a sea?

In the distance, an immense pool of water stretched out, radiating a brilliant blue light that illuminated the landscape even in the depths of night. I wasn't sure if it was a sea or an ocean, but its glow felt almost alive, casting an ethereal beauty across this world.

"Wow!" I could not help but exclaim. That was my new destination after checking the top of the mountain.

Within a few more minutes, I reached the top. I'd expected magma pools to be the source of the bright shine, but instead, I found more blazelia trees. These, however, towered from the very bottom of the crevice, each standing at least eight kilometers tall.

An intense heat seared my skin, peeling it from my flesh. But my regeneration speed could keep up—I only had to endure the pain. But who cares about pain when there's a mystery to solve? Not me! At that very moment, I decided to do something very, very stupid.

"Wake up, Malrang…" I gently poked her cheek, nudging her awake.

"Woo?" she mumbled. What is it, Gaon? I'm tired… let me sleep.

"Enough sleeping for you; we've got a job to do. How's the heat so far?" I asked, hoping her fire affinity would make it easier for her to endure.

It's only slightly warm. Why are you asking?

"Hehe…" A mischievous smile spread across my face. Let's see… I haven't used any in a while.

[-User Menu-]

[Unused Skill Points: 27]

Holy shit! I'd completely forgotten about them. 27 skill points… I almost felt ashamed as a gamer for neglecting my skill upgrades. Guess I'm getting rusty.

I carefully boosted my Element Resist, feeling the heat vanish as I leveled it up. I knew it would only get hotter at the bottom.

[Element Resist Level 18 -> Element Resist Level 30]

My precious skill points… I sighed internally. Wasting them to fight the heat instead of monsters was painful, but whatever—I still had 15 left. Best to save them in case I met a powerful enemy.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Gaon? What are you planning? Malrang shifted in my arms, looking directly into my eyes.

"Say, Malrang, ever wonder what it feels like to fly?" I asked, with a hidden grin.

No, I don't think so… why—? Ahhhh!

With a bright smile, I leapt into the crevice, plunging into the unknown. "Let's gooooo!"