Chapter 19: Ignition – A Skill That Burns the Soul

"Time to check out."

Not because all the materials were acquired, but because Ian's funds were utterly drained.

A mere handful of materials had cost him a whopping 243 gold coins. The money he'd received just yesterday hadn't even had the chance to warm his pockets before disappearing entirely.

As a perk for bulk purchases, the guild gifted Ian a large pouch made of enchanted fabric, capable of shielding most forms of detection and preventing the loss of mystical energy.

On the way back, Ian remained alert, half-expecting an ambush, but the anticipated attack never came.

The earlier incident—where a random passerby tried to buy Wawa at all costs—lingered in his mind. The situation had been far from normal.

That man probably didn't recognize Wawa for what it truly was. After all, even with Ian's thorough training in extraordinary knowledge, he'd never heard of something like a "mystic seed." However, the man must have sensed Wawa's unusual nature somehow, which made Ian wary.

Ian wasn't afraid of trouble per se, but he knew how these situations often unfolded:

If he won the fight, killing the small fry could draw in the bigger fish, leading to even more significant complications.If he lost, he'd have no choice but to flee, effectively ending his current partnerships and forcing him to start over elsewhere.

"How... How could it fail?!"

In a lavish room at the Speyburn Noble Hotel, Haistom, freshly returned from the Bounty Hunters' Guild, was consumed by fury.

Before him floated a silver hand mirror, its surface eerily blank, showing only a void of nothingness.

At the guild, Haistom had spotted the extraordinary nature of the creature by Ian's side. It exhibited spatial properties, something exceedingly rare.

Being flat-out rejected by Ian had ignited a murderous rage within him.

Confident, he returned to the hotel and immediately activated the Shadowseeker Mirror, a mystical artifact capable of locating targets. His mind raced with ideas on how to deal with Ian once captured.

But the mirror had failed him.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Haistom poured his spiritual power into the artifact and tried again.

"Arghhh!"

Suddenly, it was as if his essence had collided with an impenetrable wall. A strange force rebounded through the void and struck his spiritual realm. The collision caused a violent upheaval, as if the boundaries of his spiritual world were about to shatter.

The searing pain was excruciating, leaving Haistom writhing in agony.

Back in his room, Ian had returned without incident.

Despite the uneventful trip, Ian decided to lay low for a few days.

Since acquiring the Fate Card, every meditation session had brought noticeable improvement.

Compared to when he first crossed into this world, his spiritual domain had expanded significantly, and the primal tree within it had grown taller and more robust.

This downtime was a perfect opportunity for further growth.

He opened the enchanted pouch and placed it on the ground. Wawa eagerly leaped off Ian's shoulder and onto the bag.

"Wahhh…"

Standing atop the oversized pouch, Wawa pointed at it and looked up at Ian, asking for permission with a curious chirp.

Ian chuckled. "Go ahead. It's all yours."

Wawa's tendrils extended, grabbing a secondary moonstone the size of a fist and sending it straight into its gaping maw.

The stone disappeared instantly—no chewing, no swallowing, just gone.

Ian, momentarily startled, quickly realized this must be Wawa's spatial property at work.

After devouring three materials, Wawa scurried back to Ian's shoulder, gave a satisfied chirp, and promptly fell asleep, likely digesting the mystical energy.

Ian did a quick calculation. If Wawa relied solely on consuming materials, it would last about three or four days. Clearly, he'd need to supplement its diet with spiritual energy and magical power.

Over the next few days, Ian alternated between alchemy, meditation, and feeding Wawa. He even had meals delivered to his room to avoid leaving.

This puzzled Leah, who had been keeping tabs on Ian. She couldn't wrap her head around how a young, wealthy, and handsome transcendent wasn't indulging in the decadence of Paradise Harbor but instead spent all his time cooped up, crafting and meditating.

Was this just how alchemists were?

On the evening of November 22, Ian felt a familiar ripple within his spiritual world.

He looked up. As expected, a new "star" was shimmering brightly on the curtain of fate.

Even though it wasn't his first time experiencing this, the emergence of each new card still filled him with exhilaration. These cards were the cornerstone of his survival.

With a single thought, the "star" vanished, and a deep purple card materialized before him.

The card's corners were etched with intricate violet patterns, while its semi-transparent center held a fiercely burning crimson flame.

[Card: Ignition]

Ignition:A composite sorcery. Harness the fire of your spiritual essence to target and ignite the spirituality of an enemy. The spiritual flames spread like an unshakable curse, nearly impossible to extinguish.While the flames burn, everything within their vicinity is perceptible to the caster.The spell manifests a core flame within the caster's spiritual domain, consuming their spirituality to strengthen and amplify its intensity.

Card Essence: Soulfire.

Ian's eyes lit up. This was a new type of card: a sorcery card.

Ignition?!

A delighted grin spread across Ian's face. This was like the Ignite skill from League of Legends, but amped up for real-world lethality.

The game's Ignite didn't kill. This one? Deadly in every sense.

In a world where spirituality formed the foundation of the extraordinary, even minor damage to one's essence was catastrophic.

Burning it outright? Terrifying.

With a gentle "tap," the card dissolved into specks of light, and a crimson flame emerged within Ian's spiritual domain.

The flame transformed into a small red "moon," orbiting the "sun" of the Fate Card on the curtain of fate.

Ian could feel the flame steadily siphoning his spiritual energy, though he retained full control to regulate its supply.

As the flame grew stronger, so did his sense of security.

This Fate Card was proving to be more reliable than family.

Though thrilled with his new skill, Ian stuck to his original plan.

Alchemy, meditation, and caring for Wawa remained his routine. He limited himself to crafting three pounds of enchanted weapon oil per day, ensuring his growth wouldn't be compromised by chasing wealth.

On November 25, a knock at the door interrupted Ian's deep meditation.

It was the agreed-upon day for his trade.

Opening the door, Ian found Leah standing there in a black gown, smiling.

"Trist, you've been holed up for an entire week."

"If this is about the enchanted weapon oil, we can always renegotiate the production quota…"

Leah began with a casual suggestion, but Ian's response caught her off guard.

"You look stunning in that dress."

This was the first time Ian had seen her in anything other than her usual black leather gear. The dress was a refreshing change, highlighting her elegance.

"If you're worried about me, I'll say thank you. Please, come in."

Once inside, Leah's gaze swept over the room, taking in the neatly arranged materials and neatly packed enchanted weapon oil.

"If that's what you want to believe, then yes, I'm worried," she quipped, closing the door behind her and leaning back against the sofa with a relaxed smile.

Ian's reply was nonchalant. "Thanks. It's rare to have someone thinking about me in this world."

For a moment, Leah was touched, but Ian quickly shifted the conversation.

"The goods are over there. Go ahead and check them."

Leah sighed inwardly as Ian turned his back. So much for meaningful banter—this guy had no idea how to keep a conversation alive.