Seed of Life Condensation

Kyle headed toward a cave near a lake he had discovered when he first arrived. The cave's location was hidden from plain sight, and it exuded a faint smell of urine—evidence that some beast clearly lived here.

When Kyle reached the cave entrance, he found its space small but suitable for temporary shelter. He pushed aside a rock he had used as a barrier and stepped inside. Quickly, he lit a small fire and began roasting the golden dragonfish he had caught from the lake.

He squatted in front of the fire, calmly turning the fish while watching the flames dance and cast reddish shadows on the cave's damp walls. He heard the crackling of burning wood and inhaled the smoky scent mixed with the fatty aroma of the fish, letting it seep into his lungs as he closed his eyes for a brief moment—almost as if savoring the smell before the taste.

Kyle had always felt a strange pull toward fire. Because of his unique trait, he believed that the ember within him would one day grow to a terrifying level. He closed his eyes for a moment and remembered his second trait, which still appeared as a mysterious question mark on his status screen. He was certain he would one day uncover its secret—it would be one of his trump cards.

As Kyle drifted deeper into his thoughts, a delicious, rich aroma hit his nose, making his mouth water despite himself. He snapped out of his trance and fixed his gaze on the fish, whose skin was now turning a golden, crispy hue. He could hear the fat dripping onto the embers, creating faint pops that only heightened his hunger.

He muttered to himself with a faint smile, "Enough of this thinking for now—focus on the present."

He reached out and grabbed a fish about the size of a grown man's palm, feeling its warmth spread through his hand. He took the first bite. In that instant, a burst of delicious flavor exploded in his mouth, every taste bud dancing in silent delight. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he chewed slowly, as if wishing that this bite would last forever.

But eventually, he swallowed. The moment the food reached his stomach, a comforting warmth spread through his body. He felt a new strength coursing through his veins, every cell clamoring for more. He devoured the entire fish—head and bones included—before eagerly reaching for another, and another, until he had eaten them all, leaving behind only tiny bones that nearly dissolved between his teeth.

When his stomach was finally full—so full it felt like he might burst from the surging energy within—he straightened his posture and assumed the "Flame Lion" meditation stance. He leaned his back against the cold stone wall and closed his eyes in deep focus. He began chanting his incantation in a low voice mixed with ragged breaths, each exhale releasing warm steam that blended with the fire's smoke:

"From the embers I was born, chosen by fate from the flames. Within me live tongues of fire, and before me, ash bows down. With blood of black flame I arm myself, with a dragon's breath I roar. I am lord of sparks and molten stone—

I command the fire to obey, I move the ashes to kneel. In my blood, a flame that never dies, in my shadow, a blaze that cannot be quenched. Let the world burn around me… let my heart beat an ember that never dies.

I am the Flame Lord—witness me, O ash."

Kyle continued chanting while circulating his aura through his body, merging it with his blood bit by bit. Outside the cave, night had fallen, wrapping the forest in a heavy silence, as if it held its breath. Amid the darkness, small green lights appeared near the entrance—eyes glinting in the gloom, belonging to beasts drawn by the scent of roasted fish seeping through the rocks into the heart of the forest.

But these beasts did not dare approach the cave. Every instinct inside them screamed that stepping into the cave would mean facing something terrifying—something untouchable, unseen, and too sacred to defile.

At that moment, Kyle was fully absorbed in his focus, oblivious to his surroundings. He seemed to have merged completely with nature. His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, beads of warm sweat trickling down his temple despite the chill outside, while the heat radiating from his body kept rising without him even blinking.

The campfire flames began to dance wildly before Kyle, as if celebrating their master. Suddenly, something strange happened: the flames grew larger, lifting into the air and encircling Kyle, forming rings that gently revolved around him. His face glowed with a warm light, and his hair strands fluttered with an invisible thermal current.

Kyle felt nothing—not even the searing heat that now reached a terrifying level touched his awareness. At the cave entrance, the light from the flames was bright enough to illuminate the stones, which began to melt bit by bit, dripping molten rock that gave off a harsh, metallic ash smell.

One of the beasts, unable to resist its hunger, dared to step closer. The moment it crossed the entrance, it combusted and disintegrated into ash, which rolled away on a hot breeze from deep inside the cave.

Seeing this, the other beasts instinctively recoiled, their skin crawling with dread.

At that moment, Kyle's entire focus was on condensing the Life Seed; he was guiding his aura toward his heart in his spiritual sea. His aura began to gather into a small orb, but it looked chaotic—ready to explode at any moment.

In his spiritual form, Kyle watched this core form before him. He wanted to grab it and stabilize it, but it seemed impossible—until the unexpected happened: a pair of massive hands made of flame appeared behind him in his spiritual vision. He felt they were an extension of himself, so he moved them instinctively, seizing the core and gripping it firmly.

Kyle felt the core might collapse at any moment, but he didn't back down or let his expression change. He whispered in a hoarse voice within his mind, "I am Kyle, the Flame Lord… across all worlds, every flame is under my rule. So… submit, or vanish."

Kyle didn't know why he spoke those words, but strangely, the core began to calm and settle quietly within his spiritual sea. And at the moment Kyle spoke and subdued the core, he did not know that his voice echoed through the void, carrying his words to every living being—or rather, to every flame across the realms. Flames in distant places inexplicably quieted, their brightness dimming.

All were left puzzled by what had happened.

Outside the cave, the beasts lurking near the entrance felt a terrifying pressure, as if a giant hand pressed them down to the ground. Their limbs trembled, and muffled, choking growls escaped them.

Kyle slowly opened his eyes. His pupils glowed red like blood, but inside them danced flickering flames. Outside the cave, the sky itself split open, revealing eyes in the void filled with sparks that silently watched the beasts.

Inside the cave, Kyle stood up, catching his breath, tilting his head back slightly as if to confirm that everything was real. He closed his eyes again and exhaled a hot, murky breath. The dancing flames vanished from his eyes, and the campfire flames settled calmly back onto the wood.

Outside, the cracks in the void disappeared. The moment the beasts saw this, they instinctively retreated, fleeing for their lives through the trees, leaving behind a damp, earthy scent mingled with smoke and ash.

Kyle felt a power coursing through his body, and a faint smile formed on his lips. "This really is a different feeling… So this is what it means to be a true Low-Rank Bronze Knight."

In truth, Kyle had no idea that what he had done would make everyone question themselves—from awakening his aura so easily to condensing the Life Seed in just a month, and even more terrifyingly, causing every flame in the realms to fall silent and bow to him.

Kyle glanced around and noticed that the rocks had melted and were still glowing red-hot, the temperature inside the cave suffocatingly high. He let out a short gasp as he touched a wall that still dripped molten stone. "Is this what happens when forming the Life Seed? Did I cause all this?"

A look of wonder crossed his face, for he didn't fully understand what had happened. The book that contained the meditation technique hadn't mentioned anything about these phenomena occurring when condensing the Life Seed.

Kyle stepped outside to check the area around the cave, worried he might have attracted more beasts. When he confirmed everything was fine, he let out a soft sigh of relief, his warm breath dispersing into the cold night air.

As for what had happened when he created the Life Seed—he didn't care too much. As long as he was fine, he was long used to everything that happened to him being strange. Would he stand here and be surprised by it? He tilted his head slightly and let out a short laugh that mixed with his steaming breath. "Of course not."