Dancing on the golden ashes

Morning arrived, and the two hungover sleeping beauties finally stirred awake. Groaning, they grabbed their heads, clearly battling the consequences of their actions yesterday.

"Did you two sleep well?" I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

Both of them nodded, still groggy and half-asleep, their eyes unfocused as if they hadn't fully processed what I'd said.

"Good, because we need to move, and fast. If we don't get out of this world within a month and a half, we're dead. No questions allowed. Now, get your asses up! Your training starts now!"

"Wha—" Kim Seong-hoon's protest was cut off by my gentle fist hitting the top of his head.

"I am not playing around!" I shouted, twisting his ear.

These two had already wasted too much of my time. They'd promised to gather information, but all they'd managed to gather was alcohol.

"What was that for?" Kim Seong-hoon whimpered, his voice trembling on the verge of tears.

I sighed, reigning in my frustration. "Sorry, I lost my temper," I said, though my tone was still sharp. "Anyway, in this world, we can't rely on our system abilities. We'll have to depend on our soul energy to fight. It's time for the two of you to learn how to use it."

I summoned my scythe, the fire around me roaring to life, casting flickering shadows on the cave walls. "Summon your weapons first," I commanded.

The two of them exchanged confused glances but reluctantly complied, clearly unsure about what they were getting themselves into.

"Why do we have to train while Jieun gets to sleep?" Kim Seong-hoon whined, pointing an accusatory finger at the little girl curled up nearby.

"Do you have no shame?" I snapped, lunging at him with my scythe. The weapon danced in my hands, its blade slicing through the air, aimed straight at his waist.

Clang!

The sound of metal meeting metal rang out as my scythe collided with his dragon sword, which he'd managed to summon just in time. Sparks flew in the next instant, lighting up the cave in a fiery burst of energy. Explore new worlds at empire

"She has talent in this field. She can already use her soul power freely. And the two of you?" I narrowed my eyes. "You haven't even tried. So how dare you complain?"

I lunged at him again, spinning in a tight circle before delivering a powerful strike with my scythe. The force of the blow sent him staggering backward, his body pushed away as he barely managed to block, gripping his blade with both hands.

"I feel like you're just taking your frustration out on me, that's all!" Kim Seong-hoon protested, his voice strained as he steadied his stance. "And as for soul energy—how am I supposed to train in it if you don't even give me a chance to breathe?"

"Less complaining, Kim Seong-hoon! More action!" I shouted back, my voice echoing through the cave. "Learn through battle—or die trying!"

A small flame burst from my hand, streaking toward him. He barely managed to react as it threatened to leave a nasty burn on his shoulder.

"Dammit!" he roared, his dragon sword suddenly emitting a frosty fog as he raised it to block my attack, dispersing it instantly.

"I did it!" he shouted, his voice filled with childlike excitement as if he'd just unlocked a hidden power.

"Good job. Now…" I smirked, and in an instant, a fireball the size of a football materialized on my palm.

Before he could react, I launched the fireball at him with blistering speed. He barely managed to summon a thin layer of frost to block it, but the force still sent him flying out of the cave.

I exchanged a glance with Eun-Woo, but he quickly turned and left on his own, unwilling—or perhaps too afraid—to step up and face the challenge.

That's more like it. I nodded in approval.

We trained for a good twenty minutes. Kim Seong-hoon's power stemmed from frost, while Eun-Woo wielded a rare dual soul power, like me. His abilities revolved around the sun and moon, a powerful combination. However, without the guidance of the skill system, summoning his powers proved difficult.

He endured a relentless beating from my flames, stumbling and struggling to keep up. Yet, despite everything, his soul shield remained completely unharmed, not a single crack marring its surface.

"This won't do. If we were attacked by a beast with power equivalent to level 30 or higher, we'd all be dead." These two were just too slow.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"You didn't even explain how to do it!" Eun-Woo snapped, frustration clear in his voice. "We've had to figure it out ourselves!"

In that moment, it hit me—I could never be a teacher. I sucked at it.

"Let's stop for a second," I said, dismissing my scythe with a flick of my hand. "Listen, the way I do it is simple. I imagine a cyclone inside me, drawing its energy directly from my soul. I rotate the energy over and over, making it more concentrated and powerful, then release it in the shape I picture in my mind. Try it yourself."

It took them a few hours to get decent results. Kim Seong-hoon was the first to succeed, creating a small ice dragon from his frost. However, it lacked the power and vitality of the skill system—it felt clumsy and incomplete, entirely different from what he was used to.

Eun-Woo, on the other hand, had plenty of talent—he was just a bit slow. But when he finally succeeded, his entire body shone with a golden light as he accidentally created a soul armor for himself. It was an unexpected but pleasant discovery, one that Kim Seong-hoon and I immediately tried to replicate.

My body began to glow with a fiery layer of light, while the idiot managed to emit frost fog from his own. It wasn't perfect, but it worked well enough for both of us.

What shocked us the most, though, was Jieun. When she woke up, it took her nothing more than a glance to wrap herself in a flawless soul armor. "Hey this looks fun, what are you all doing?"

How is that even possible? Why can't I have that kind of talent? I felt so jealous without reason and that was pissing me off even more, just what is forcing these feelings on me?

"WOW!" Kim Seong-hoon exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. "Little Jieun is so talented, look at her!" He seemed genuinely happy for the child, but honestly, I couldn't decide which one of them was more mature.

"I feel like… I might have a handle on this now," Eun-Woo suddenly said, extending his hands. Moonlight glowed from one palm, and brilliant sunlight radiated from the other. The mysterious power gave me chills as the lights danced around him in a graceful circle. "Now I understand. It's all about how you imagine the flow. For example, Gaon can easily make the area around her burn, right?"

"Yes," I replied, letting fire spark to life around me. It flared outward, then obediently returned to my control. "But it's not just fire—I can control darkness itself."

I had never needed to use darkness without the system before, and this new method was a challenge. Still, it felt similar to controlling fire, just more… unnerving.

The entire area suddenly plunged into complete darkness as an eerie aura spilled from my hands. It swirled around me, colliding with nearby trees, which instantly corroded into nothingness.

This was the darkness deep within my soul—terrifying, even to me.

I could almost hear everyone gulp as they watched the darkness corrode the trees, a shared unease hanging heavy in the air. It made me wonder—where would this power take me someday?

We trained together the entire day. It was the price we had to pay to survive in a world without system powers. With no way back for now, adapting was our only option. When the sun finally dipped behind the horizon, veiling the world in darkness, we decided to go hunting. Well, not for me—this was for the others. I was still fine, having consumed enough souls recently to sustain me for a month. I had yet to feel true hunger in this world, and for some reason, I was afraid to find out what it meant.

"Over there!" Kim Seong-hoon whispered, pointing toward a group of wild boars grazing in a clearing. They looked unremarkable, but we had no way to gauge their strength without the system's 'Inspect' ability. Honestly, it sucked—we had to tread carefully. Moments like this made me really appreciate the system.

"I'll go first," I whispered, narrowing my eyes at the boars. "If you see me in trouble, assist me from behind." Slowly, I stepped onto the forest floor.

CRACK!

Shit... By sheer dumb luck, I stepped on a twig I hadn't noticed. The sharp sound pierced the silence, and the boars instantly turned their gaze on me. Their eyes weren't filled with fear—they held disdain and mockery.

Before I could process the insult, their bodies lit up with a brilliant golden glow, and a chill ran down my spine. Something was wrong... very wrong.

Reacting instinctively, I summoned my scythe and blocked just in time.

WHAM!

The impact sent me flying, crashing directly into Kim Seong-hoon. I barely had time to process what had happened. The boar was so fast I hadn't even seen it move. My shock deepened as I tried to steady myself.

Just how powerful are the creatures in this place?