Dancing on the golden ashes

My mind, muddled just a moment ago, was now as clear as spring water from the far north. With each circulation of my soul energy, the gem came into sharper focus. This is amazing! I couldn't help but feel ecstatic. I mean, any person would—the sensation of wielding magical powers was truly fascinating.

But even with my mind clear, a sense of impending doom lingered, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. Something wasn't right with this place. Sure, a floating gem wasn't exactly normal, but that wasn't what unsettled me. Ever since entering this place, my hair had been standing on end. A mysterious aura seemed to be lurking deep below the lava, its presence impossible to ignore.

Malrang isn't handling this well… I glanced at her, and my stomach churned. She looked utterly drained, as if her very life force was being siphoned away. What do I do? If I didn't act quickly, the fox might not survive.

I turned my focus back to the gem. Why was it called a core? I didn't know, but one thing was certain—I had to find a way to break it before it was too late.

Hey! I know you can hear my thoughts. How do I break somebody else out of this state?

Exactly as I expected, the eerie voice inside me stayed silent, unwilling to help unless my own safety was at stake.

So, you want to play this kind of game, huh? I thought. We'll see how you act now…

Relaxing my body, I leaned slowly toward the lava pool, preparing for a fiery swim.

Idiot… Just put your hand on that demon fox's head and channel your soul energy. That will do the trick.

"Hehe." I couldn't help but chuckle, a devilish smirk spreading across my face. Even the most stubborn entities could be manipulated with a little scare.

My body, already leaning toward certain death, was suddenly pushed back by a forceful gust of wind. Without hesitation, I leaped toward where Malrang stood. Quickly rotating my soul energy, I channeled it into her head, slowly but surely bringing life back to her fogged eyes.

Gaon… thank you… I was careless… Malrang's voice was soft, apologetic, as though she had done something wrong.

"It's okay. As long as you're safe," I said, grinning. "Now it's time to collect the sweet reward."

My gaze locked on the Blazelia gem. This treasure is mine.

With a single leap, I reached the gem, grabbing it firmly in my palm. But the moment I touched it, searing heat burned into my skin, leaving a painful, blistering imprint in the gem's shape. That hurts like hell… I clenched my jaw, enduring the unrelenting heat, my determination blazing brighter than the fire.

What happened next left a mark on my memory I'd never forget. The entire area began to quake uncontrollably. Lava shot into the sky in violent pillars, raining down in fiery droplets. My heart sank. I knew something was wrong with this place… we have to get out of here. Now.

"We need to run, Malrang! Something's coming—fast!" I screamed.

Almost as if in sync, we both dashed at full speed, every ounce of energy focused on escape. Just seconds later, where we'd stood moments before, the lava warped and began to rise. My stomach turned as a massive, scaly head emerged from the molten depths, moving with terrifying speed, as though it were ready to destroy everything in sight.

What is that?!

I didn't have to wait long for the answer. The creature burst free, its body towering above, wings spreading wide as it flew out of the lava, splashing it everywhere. It was a dragon—straight out of the myths and legends of my world. Lava rained down around us, almost ready to swallow me whole.

"Foolish worms!" an ancient, powerful voice roared, its force sending a massive shockwave barreling toward us, shattering the path beneath our feet.

My body sank ever so slowly into the lava, its searing heat enveloping me like molten steel. The viscous, fiery substance pressed against me, crushing my body under its immense weight, the unbearable heat threatening to consume me entirely.

I glanced at Malrang, who was faring far better than me. Her paws blazed with purple fire as she sprinted effortlessly across the lava. Wait—she can run on lava?! For the first time, a flicker of hope sparked in me.

Without hesitation, Malrang suddenly transformed into a four-meter giant, her massive form radiating power. She yanked me out of the lava with ease, placing me gently on her back. I looked down at my lower body, now charred as if I'd been left to cook in an oven for far too long.

"Thank you…" I croaked, my voice strained. The toxic fumes and searing pain made it nearly impossible to speak. My throat felt like a volcano, every breath filled with fire.

Let's fight it together. We cannot run! Malrang's voice carried confidence, but I caught the faintest tinge of fear. Even so, she refused to back away.

"Yes… just give me a moment to heal," I said, scrambling to come up with a quick solution to power myself up. I still have some skill points… and—the random skill box! I had completely forgotten about the treasure tucked away in my spatial storage.

I quickly summoned the box, its surface adorned with golden and black ornaments, mirroring the design of my soul armor. "Buy me some time. I need to power up before this fight!" I patted Malrang's head, shutting out everything to focus entirely on myself.

Meanwhile, the dragon-like creature fixed its unsettling, predatory gaze on us, as if it was already imagining tearing us apart. A second later, its crimson wings unfurled, slicing through the air as it propelled its massive body forward with incredible force. The black and red beast was terrifyingly fast, closing the distance in an instant. But Malrang was faster, darting through the molten landscape and dodging the crushing bites of the ancient-looking dragon's massive jaws.

I knew well I didn't have much time to waste—this was a battle against time. Either I found a logical way to fight this thing, or we were both dead. Please, RNG gods, bless me with your luck…

I stared at the skill box in my spacial storage, my gambling addiction flaring to life, fueling a fighting spirit deep within me. This is it—the moment of truth. I needed to pull the best possible skill from this box, something that could turn the tide in this hopeless situation.

With my hands clasped together in a silent prayer, I summoned the box in front of me. "Come on! A legendary-level skill or something good!" My excitement was barely contained as the box began to glow, shining with a brilliant golden light.

[Congratulations! You have received a new skill from the random skill box!]

Here it comes… My pulse quickened, every ounce of hope pinned on this moment. My only chance to win this battle. Let's go!

[Level 1 Lingual Absorption]

[Grants the user the ability to slowly learn and understand foreign languages or beast languages simply by listening. The more exposure they have, the better their understanding becomes. However, it doesn't provide instant fluency, so it requires time and patience to master]

This… well… what did I expect? I sighed, my excitement deflating like a popped balloon. My luck was never good. Truth be told, it wasn't a bad skill, but how was this supposed to help me fight a dragon in the sky? Am I supposed to crack a joke in dragon language and win the battle through bonding? Frustration bubbled up inside me. Why is it always me that gets the worst loot from RNG boxes…

I had no choice left. I'll have to use the remaining 15 skill points to stand any sort of chance. But first, I needed to inspect this beast—I had no idea what to prioritize.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

My eyes lit up with a golden glow as I focused on the creature in the sky.

[Unknown creature]

[The system has run into an error]

[Please wait while the system gathers more data on this creature]

Well, isn't that just great… I thought bitterly. It seems I can only rely on myself and myself alone.

I glanced at my current stats, staring at them for a good minute as I tried to figure out the best way to survive this mess. How do I grow stronger fast enough to stand a chance?

Luckily, Malrang was doing an incredible job dodging the dragon's attacks. Her speed was remarkable, darting across the battlefield with ease, though it seemed to only aggravate the dragon. With an enraged roar, it started spewing fire from its massive jaws. One of the fiery blasts came dangerously close to me, the searing heat making my skin crawl.

"Hey! I'm trying to focus here!" I snapped at the dragon, as if it could understand me. My words seemed to have the opposite effect—the beast's fury visibly grew, and its attacks became even more erratic.

Meanwhile, the gem remained firmly stuck to my palm, as though it had become part of me. I could no longer feel its heat—likely because the nerves in that area were burned beyond repair. I clenched my hand, glaring at the glowing gem embedded in my flesh.

Suddenly, a realization struck me. That thing is chasing us because of this gem… but I'm not letting it go. I had to inspect it further—there had to be a reason why even a creature as fearsome as that would go mad over something so small.

Inspect!

This time, new text appeared alongside the item's name:

[Blazelia Gem, a Legendary-Grade Core]

[The core is bound to the user: Lee Gaon. The user may proceed with absorption at any moment. The core can be used to grant a new affinity to the user's soul. Additionally, the item can be used to forge gear and weapons]

"This is it!" I exclaimed, quickly circulating my soul energy to envelop the gem in my palm. It responded instantly, blazing with intense heat and radiating a brilliant crimson light. The moment the dragon saw this, it completely lost its mind, its eyes glowing with unrestrained fury.

ROOAAAR!

A supremely powerful roar tore through the air, shaking everything around us. The sheer force made my eardrums burst with pain, blood trickling down as I struggled to stay focused.

Suddenly, the lava beneath Malrang surged upward, erupting like a violent geyser and hurling us into the sky. The space above stretched endlessly, vast and dark, as if this mysterious realm had no boundaries.