חזרה הביתה

I woke up feeling like I had been thrown into a meat grinder and spat back out. Every inch of my body ached, my limbs thrumming with a dull, relentless pain. The last thing I remembered was the contract sealing—the spirit's eerie laughter echoing as the whirlpool swallowed me whole. Now, I was here, wherever "here" was, drenched, exhausted, and utterly lost.

The air was sharper than before, carrying the mingling scents of damp earth and salt. A chill clung to my skin, burrowing deep into my bones as I pushed myself up from the ground. My fingers sank into the wet soil, cold and uneven beneath my touch. Overhead, the moon hung like a ghostly sentinel, casting a pale glow across the jagged cliffs surrounding me. Below, waves crashed mercilessly against the rocks, their ceaseless roar filling the otherwise silent night.

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to move despite the stiffness in my muscles. My clothes were ruined—soaked through and torn where the current had dragged me across unseen obstacles. Running a hand through my dripping hair, I muttered under my breath, frustration creeping in.

"Where the hell am I now?"

No torches, no fires, no voices. Just the endless stretch of darkness and the crashing tide. If this was the spirit's idea of a parting joke, it had a cruel sense of humor.

I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled beneath me, a sharp jolt of pain flaring up my spine. My ribs protested with every breath, bruised—or worse, cracked—from whatever hell I had just endured. I wasn't sure if anything was broken, but the deep, throbbing ache didn't offer much reassurance.

Then, amidst the cold and exhaustion, something stirred against my chest.

At first, I barely noticed it. But as the seconds passed, warmth spread through me—subtle at first, then steady, like ripples in still water. I looked down, my breath hitching as a soft blue glow pulsed beneath the tattered fabric of my clothes.

The rune stone.

I reached for it, fingers trembling as I brushed over its smooth surface. The carved sigils shimmered, thrumming with quiet power. A gentle hum filled the air as the light expanded, enveloping me in a soft, ethereal glow. The pain gripping my muscles dulled, the stiffness fading as though unseen hands were mending me from within. Bruises lightened, torn skin knit back together. Relief crashed over me, overwhelming and unexpected.

So this is what the spirit left me with… Not just the whirlpool, but this. A twisted joke? A reluctant gift? I wasn't sure, but I wasn't about to complain.

Flexing my fingers, I tested the strength returning to my limbs. The aches hadn't fully disappeared, but at least I could stand without feeling like my body was about to give out. The rune stone's glow gradually dimmed, its energy withdrawing, as if it had given all it could for now. I clenched it in my palm, the cool surface pressing against my skin.

"Guess I owe you one," I muttered, not sure if the spirit was still listening—if it even cared.

The wind picked up again, carrying the scent of salt and stone, reminding me that I had bigger problems to deal with. Now that I could move, I needed to figure out where I was—and more importantly, how to get out of here.

I glanced up at the cliffs towering overhead, their jagged edges cutting into the moonlit sky. Climbing them in my current state would be hell, but staying here wasn't an option either. I took a slow, steady breath, bracing myself for the challenge ahead.

[Mimic Eye: Eyes of Analysis] [Activated]

My vision shifted. The world around me no longer appeared as it once did. The darkness of the night was stripped away, replaced by an overwhelming flood of information. Every detail—every movement, every shift in the air—became crystal clear, as if the very fabric of reality had unraveled before me.

The once-faint glow of the rune stone now pulsed with intricate streams of energy, forming patterns I had never noticed before. The damp earth beneath me wasn't just soil—it was a network of shifting particles, each carrying residual traces of mana from the environment. Even the air itself was alive with movement, currents of unseen forces intertwining like threads in an elaborate tapestry.

I turned my gaze toward the jagged cliffs. With the Eyes of Analysis, I could now see the smallest cracks in the rock, hidden footholds invisible to the naked eye. Every ridge, every uneven surface was mapped out before me in perfect clarity, offering me a path upward.

But it wasn't just the landscape that was revealed.

A ripple in the air—a disturbance. My gaze snapped toward the treeline at the cliff's edge. There, amidst the thick foliage, something moved. Faint, almost imperceptible, but undeniable. My vision honed in, filtering the noise, and then I saw it—small fluctuations in the mana field.

A beast? A spirit? Or something else entirely?

My grip on the rune stone tightened as I steadied my breathing. The Mimic Eye continued feeding me information, breaking down the distance, analyzing the unknown force that lurked above. I could push it further, dissect its properties, but… something told me I didn't want to attract its attention just yet.

I exhaled slowly, letting the blue glow of my aura fade as my body settled from its rapid recovery. The Eyes of Analysis had given me clarity, but clarity wasn't always comforting. Now, I knew—I wasn't alone.

I kept my gaze locked on the disturbance above. The Mimic Eye sharpened my vision, peeling away the layers of darkness and revealing the figures hidden in the treeline. At first, I thought it was just a handful—five, maybe six. But as I adjusted my focus, my breath caught in my throat.

Dozens. No—hundreds.

A swarm of goblins.

They poured from the trees like a flood, their wiry bodies scrambling over one another in a desperate bid to escape whatever was behind them. My Eyes of Analysis kicked into overdrive, rapidly processing the chaotic mass. Their movements were frantic, erratic—small, bony limbs clawing at the earth as they rushed downhill.

The deeper I looked, the worse it got.

One hundred… two hundred.

The number climbed as more goblins emerged from the thick foliage, their yellow eyes glowing like fireflies in the night. Their breathless, panicked grunts filled the air, a chorus of desperation and fear. Some stumbled, others shoved their kin aside, trampling the weaker ones in their frenzied escape.

They weren't hunting.

They weren't searching for prey.

They were running.

A low tremor rumbled through the ground, sending small rocks tumbling down the incline. The goblins flinched in unison, their heads snapping back toward the forest's edge, their eyes wide with sheer terror.

Something was coming.

Something big.

My gaze locked onto the shifting shadows behind the treeline. The Mimic Eye dissected the movement, tracing the vibrations, adjusting to the mana fluctuations. A shape emerged—a massive silhouette, distorted by the thick canopy.

I could barely see its full form, but what I could see was enough.

A dark outline loomed behind the goblins, standing unnaturally tall amidst the trees. Branches snapped like twigs as it moved. The sheer force of its presence sent tremors rippling through the earth. Whatever it was, it wasn't just large—it was colossal.

And it was getting closer.

The goblins were almost upon me now, too panicked to notice my presence. My mind raced. I could let them pass, stay hidden, and wait to see what was hunting them. Or I could move now—find higher ground before I ended up in the path of whatever had two hundred goblins running for their miserable lives.

There—not one, not two, but three juvenile wyverns soared above the retreating goblins, their shadows stretching across the ground. The goblins' terror deepened, their frantic escape turning into sheer desperation.

I instinctively stepped back, planning to retreat and avoid a direct confrontation. Facing one wyvern would be dangerous enough—but three? That was suicide.

At least, that was the plan.

But before I could move, one of the wyverns snapped its head in my direction, its sharp eyes locking onto me with predatory intent.

"This is bad…" I muttered, my pulse spiking as the wyvern's claws stretched toward me, ready to snatch its next meal—served up on a silver platter.

[Surya's Blessing: Activated]

With a single thought, my palm erupted in flames—a golden inferno swirling around my fingers. The wyverns snarled at the sudden burst of light, their slitted eyes narrowing. Unlike normal fire, this wasn't just heat—it carried the divine essence of the sun, burning with an intensity that could sear through even the toughest of scales.

The first wyvern made its move.

Wings folded, it dove straight at me, talons outstretched, aiming to crush me in one swift motion. The sheer force of its descent sent gusts of wind whipping through the battlefield, rustling the trees as it closed the distance in mere seconds.

I clenched my fist.

The flames around me expanded, forming a protective barrier just as the beast's claws raked down. A deafening boom echoed through the clearing as the wyvern's strike met my blazing shield. The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, throwing dirt and debris into the air. My feet skidded back, carving trenches into the ground, but I held firm. The creature screeched, rearing back as golden embers clung to its scales, scorching deep.

It wasn't just injured—it was enraged.

It wants me dead.

Fine. I'll return the favor.

I lunged forward, the runes on my wrist flaring as I propelled myself with a burst of flame. The wyvern barely had time to react before I was beneath it. My mimic eye locked onto its structure, tracing its weak points in an instant—right beneath its ribs, where the armor-like scales were thinner.

I struck.

My fist, wreathed in divine fire, drove upward into the beast's underbelly. A concentrated surge of golden flame erupted from the point of impact, searing flesh and cracking scales. The wyvern howled, its massive body twisting in pain as it struggled to maintain flight. Smoke billowed from the wound as it flapped its wings wildly, trying to regain balance.

That was one down.

But the second wyvern was already upon me.

A blur of movement. A tail whipped toward me from the side.

I barely managed to duck, feeling the sheer force of the attack rush past me, slicing through the air like a blade. The wind pressure alone sent a sharp sting across my skin. I landed, twisting mid-air as I repositioned myself above the wyvern's back. My mimic eye honed in—its joints, where its wings connected to its massive body.

That was my target.

I extended my hand. Flames coalesced, forming a spear of condensed fire. Without hesitation, I thrust it downward.

The spear pierced through the wyvern's wing joint.

A sharp, pained shriek split the air as the beast's flight was disrupted. It spiraled, losing altitude as it crashed violently into the forest below. Trees splintered, the impact sending birds scattering from the canopy.

Two down.

But the last wyvern wasn't attacking.

It hovered above, watching its wounded kin writhe in pain, but its gaze wasn't filled with rage like before. There was something else—caution.

It had seen enough.

With a powerful beat of its wings, it let out a shrill cry that vibrated through the air, a faint green aura pulsing outward from its throat. The moment the energy wave passed over the downed wyverns, their bodies twitched—then something horrifying happened.

The burns across their scales began to fade.

Cracked skin knit itself back together. Muscles that had been torn apart regenerated at an unnatural speed.

It was healing them.

The battle was far from over.

A sharp ringing suddenly echoed in my ears.

A notification flashed in the corner of my vision.

[Warning: High-tier Beast Authority detected. Recommended course of action: Eliminate or retreat immediately.]

My grip tightened.

Retreat? Not happening.

I took a deep breath, feeling the embers in my core flare up again. If they wanted a fight—I'd give them one.

[System Notification: Surya's Blessing has evolved.]New Effect: Derived skills from Surya's domain can be temporarily borrowed based on the user's understanding.

My breath hitched as I read the message.

Borrowing skills from Surya's domain?

That meant everything I had studied—the flame-wielding techniques, the war strategies of Karna, the divine abilities hidden within scriptures—could now be temporarily accessible as long as I comprehended them.

But there was no time to experiment.

The wyverns weren't waiting for me to figure things out.

The two I had wounded recovered faster than expected. One flapped its injured wing sluggishly, still managing to keep itself airborne. The other had been watching me, studying my movements. Now, both moved in unison, surging forward in a coordinated assault meant to overwhelm me.

"Damn it—!"

A massive tail came crashing down. I barely had time to react before the impact shattered the earth beneath me, sending a shockwave rippling through the battlefield. Dust and debris exploded into the air, momentarily obscuring my vision.

Then, before I could regain my footing—SNAP!

A pair of powerful jaws clamped down on my forearm. Searing pain shot through my body as serrated fangs pierced my skin. I gritted my teeth, feeling the pressure tighten. Blood trickled down, the beast's teeth threatening to rip my arm apart.

I couldn't let it.

[Flame Burst]

A concentrated explosion of fire erupted from my body, forcing the wyvern to recoil with a shriek. I staggered back, panting, my arm throbbing in agony. But the adrenaline kept me going.

I needed a plan. Fast.

Wyverns had predictable patterns. I had studied them before—their flight tactics, their weak points, their instincts. If I could replicate what I had learned…

I activated my Mimic Eye.

[Mimic Eye: Power of Replication] [Activated]Scanning accumulated knowledge… Temporary replication of flame-based divine techniques available.

A surge of knowledge flooded my mind. It wasn't foreign—it was familiar. It was everything I had absorbed from the Academy's texts, everything I had once tried to understand through theory.

Now, it was time to apply it.

The wyverns hesitated. They could sense it.

The shift.

I was no longer prey.

A predator had awakened.

I launched forward.

[Surya's Blessing: Solar Stride]

A burst of golden fire ignited beneath my feet, propelling me like a meteor toward the first wyvern. It barely had time to react—

[Surya's Blessing: Flamed Wraith of Karna]

My fist, wreathed in divine fire, crashed into its skull. A sickening crack echoed through the battlefield as the beast reeled backward, its screech cut short by the sheer force of the impact.

The second wyvern roared in fury, diving at me from behind.

I didn't turn. I didn't need to.

Extending my palm, I channeled another borrowed ability—

[Surya's Blessing: Sunfire Chains]

Golden chains erupted from my fingertips, latching onto the wyvern's wings. It thrashed, struggling against the bindings, but I yanked them downward with all my might.

The beast crashed into the ground with an earth-shaking impact.

I exhaled, heat radiating from my skin. My wounds still burned, but the fire surging through me dulled the pain.

One more strike.

Both wyverns lay battered, trying to rise. I wouldn't give them the chance.

I raised my gaze to the heavens, feeling the weight of Surya's power pressing against my soul.

This was the first time I had truly wielded it—to its fullest potential.

I lifted my hands skyward—

[Surya's Blessing: Solar Wrath]

The air trembled.

The night was swallowed by an overwhelming radiance as a massive sphere of condensed sunfire materialized above me, its molten core pulsing with divine might. The sheer heat distorted the air, warping reality itself.

The wyverns sensed their doom.

Their instincts told them to flee.

But they couldn't.

I clenched my fists—

And brought my hands down.

The sphere plummeted, descending upon them like divine judgment.

A blinding explosion engulfed the battlefield. The shockwave tore through the forest, sending embers and debris flying in every direction. The wyverns screamed—then fell silent.

When the dust settled, only a smoldering crater remained.

I stood at its edge, chest heaving, flames still flickering around me.

The battle was over.