Chapter 2: First Blood

The sun hung low in the sky, casting an eerie orange glow across the field. Vale stood still, his gaze focused on the chaos unfolding in the distance. The air crackled with tension, the faint sounds of battle reaching his ears. Players—Earthlings like him—were fighting for survival. Some were taking it in stride, others were falling victim to the unfamiliar beasts that roamed this world.

Vale's attention was drawn to a figure struggling against a massive boar, its tusks gleaming in the fading sunlight. The player—a young man, no older than nineteen—was fighting with all his might, but his movements were wild, his skill nonexistent. The boar charged, its hooves pounding the earth as it aimed straight for the player.

The young man's sword struck the boar's thick hide, but it barely left a mark. Desperation clouded his face as the boar reared up, swinging its tusks toward him.

"No!" the player shouted, raising his sword to block. The tusks tore through his defenses with terrifying ease.

The man screamed in pain as one tusk pierced his side. His sword dropped from his hand as he collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his wound. Vale watched in silence, his mind working quickly. The boar, having finished its attack, turned and stomped off into the distance, leaving the young man to bleed out.

Vale approached the fallen player's body, his expression unreadable. The others around him were too panicked to notice, but Vale wasn't like them. He had no time to waste.

As he knelt beside the body, Vale focused on his Infinite Extraction talent. A faint red aura surrounded him as he reached out to extract something from the dead man. His eyes narrowed, and a moment later, a small, glowing orb of energy appeared in his hand. It pulsed with warmth, radiating the faintest hint of power.

The orb solidified into a translucent screen before him, displaying the newly acquired talent.

⸻

Talent Extracted:

• Flame Control (Rank C): Allows the user to control and manipulate fire at a basic level.

⸻

Vale studied the talent. Flame control, a useful ability, but it was a rank C talent, a low-tier skill that wouldn't serve him well for long. The fire it controlled was basic at best, limited in its application. It could help with basic attacks or lighting a fire, but it wouldn't be enough to make a real impact in this world.

Vale's eyes glinted with calculation. He knew the potential that lay within talents—his talents could be elevated, refined, and transformed.

With a deep breath, Vale activated his Suprime Sublimation talent. The world around him seemed to hold its breath as a swirling, chaotic energy enveloped him. This was a power he hadn't yet used in this world, and now, it would serve a purpose.

Vale focused on the Flame Control talent. The chaos of the world around him seemed to fade away as he poured his will into the talent, urging it to transcend its limits.

The orb in his hand began to pulse faster, the flames within it swirling in patterns too intricate for the untrained eye to follow. Heat surged from it, but Vale felt no discomfort. He could feel the transformation taking place, the talent being reshaped, elevated beyond its original form.

⸻

Suprime Sublimation Successful!

• New Talent: Dao of Fire (SS): Mastery over fire in its purest form. The user can manipulate fire to its highest potential, controlling its intensity, shape, and nature. This talent grants the user absolute dominance over flame and fire-based abilities.

⸻

The transformation was complete. The fire that once flickered weakly within the Flame Control talent had evolved into something far greater. Dao of Fire (SS)—a rank S talent, one that surpassed even the highest expectations. Vale could feel its power thrumming through his veins. The fire now burned with a will of its own, responding to his every command with a precision and ferocity that was beyond comprehension.

Vale stood up, the aura of flame crackling around him. The world seemed to recognize the change, as the winds shifted, and the temperature rose slightly. It was as if the very air around him had become charged with his new power.

He turned his gaze toward the others in the village, who were still panicking and trying to comprehend what was happening. They would never understand. They were too weak.

But Vale… he was different.

He now possessed the Dao of Fire, a talent so powerful that it could change the course of any battle. In this world, power was everything, and Vale intended to claim as much of it as he could.

⸻

The boar's earlier roar echoed faintly from the distance, but Vale didn't pay it any mind. He had no need to hunt for such low-level creatures anymore. The flames within him would be more than enough to ensure his dominance.