Chapter 32
Haa... haa... haa... haa...
The sound of ragged breathing echoed through the thick veil of smoke. Blood dripped steadily onto the cracked ground, the drops barely audible under the weight of silence. The smoke curled upward, spiraling as it slowly began to clear.
As the haze lifted, two figures erged.
One stood tall, engulfed in fla—a towering spirit blazing with power. The other was on his knees—Han—his body trembling, blood pooling beneath him. He gasped for breath, each one shallower than the last.
Han slowly looked up at the fla spirit looming over him. Its eyes t his briefly before it glanced down at its own chest.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the white core embedded in the spirit's chest. The bead pulsed violently, trembling as if in pain—seconds from shattering.
"Thank... god... it... worked..." Han muttered.
Then everything went dark.
He collapsed onto the floor, his system interface flickering faintly in front of his hazy eyes. His HP bar scread in crimson:
HP: 1 / 300
His vision swam. His mind blurred. And then—
BOOM!
The bead shattered.
The fla spirit let out a silent scream before its body disintegrated into flickering embers, dissolving into the air.
Han felt himself slipping... but just as the darkness was about to consu him, a notification appeared:
> Portal Boss defeated
9000 EP received
4000 CP received
1 Evol Shard obtained
> "Host has acquired an Evol Shard. Would you like to evolve your body?"
[Yes] [No]
Han's trembling hand twitched. His eyes barely registered the words, but he sohow selected an option.
Luckily he seed to chose [Yes].
And with that, the process began.
A warmth surged through his dying body. Muscles tightened. Bones nded. His skin, scorched and torn, knit itself back together.
He didn't understand what was happening. He didn't need to.
> "Evolution complete."
"Congratulations. Host has evolved to: Super Human."
"All stats increased. HP and Energy fully restored. New abilities unlocked."
Han's mind began to clear.
He felt... whole.
Stronger.
He rose slowly to his feet, stunned by the absence of pain. The weight in his limbs was gone. Everything felt lighter, sharper—like a fog had lifted from his soul.
He summoned his status screen.
And stared in stunned silence.
---
Na: Han Trystan
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 18
HP: 500 / 500
Energy: 15,000 / 15,000
Strength (STR): 150
Defense (DEF): 180
Dexterity (DEX): 156
Stamina (STA): 120
Sensory (SEN): 200
Stat Points: 6
Physical Evolution Status:
Current Limit: Super Human
EP: 9000
Next Evolution Requirent: 50,000 EP
---
Han stared at the numbers, his heart pounding—not from exertion, but disbelief.
He had grown stronger. Much stronger. Almost... unstoppable.
But then he paused.
If this much strength ca from a single Evol Shard... what would it an if soone stronger—soone S-Class—got their hands on more than one? The thought sent a chill through him. Evol Shards weren't just rare. They were dangerous. Powerful enough to shatter the balance of power.
And just as he was processing the implications, another ssage appeared:
> Hidden Quest Completed
15,000 EP, 5000 CP, 1 Artifact Acquired
Before he could even check what artifact he'd received...
Another notification appeared.
New Title Unlocked: Spirit Wielder
Effect: Grants the ability to ta elental spirits and wield their powers.
Skills Gained:
Summon – Call forth your tad spirit to fight alongside you.
rge – Fuse with a fla spirit, enhancing elental power and gaining deeper knowledge of elental mastery.
Spirit Owned: 1 – Ifrit, the Fla Spirit
Acquired Skills:
Fla Manipulation (S-Rank - Low) | Evolvable | Requires 30,000 EP
Inferno Vortex (S-Rank - Low) | Evolvable | Requires 30,000 EP
Inferno Rush (A-Rank) | Evolvable | Requires 15,000 EP
Fla Lock (A-Rank) | Evolvable | Requires 15,000 EP
Han stood frozen, eyes wide as the system's ssage unfolded before him. A powerful title. Multiple top-tier skills. And his very first elental summon—Ifrit, the fla spirit. It was far beyond what he ever dared to hope for.
Just as he basked in the overwhelming upgrade, another system ssage popped up—and this one shattered his joy like glass.
> Inventory Alert: 1 minute remaining for Rin.
Ti Left: 59... 58...
Han's heart dropped. "No... no, no, no!"
Without hesitation, he crouched low and exploded forward with Cheetah Stride, chaining it imdiately into Tiger Dash. His body blurred through the landscape, covering kiloters in seconds—but it still wasn't enough. The portal in the distance, wide as a continent, lood like a death sentence.
And the seconds kept ticking.
From the scorched plains, a pack of fire beasts—creatures he'd barely escaped earlier—locked eyes on him and charged.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" Han roared.
BOOM!
The beasts barely saw a flash before being obliterated. Bones shattered, flas snuffed out. Those who survived were flung like rag dolls.
One thought echoed in their minds: Wasn't this the sa weak human from before...?
But Han didn't care. He had no ti for victory or vengeance. Only one thing mattered—Rin.
20 seconds.
"Faster!" he barked, activating Cheetah Stride again before the last one could even fade. His muscles scread, the wind tore at his face, and the world around him beca a sar of motion.
10 seconds... 9... 8...
He spotted the portal in the distance—closer now—but still too far.
"I need more..." he whispered. And then, one na echoed in his mind.
"IFRIT!!!" Han yelled with everything he had.
---
Outside the Portal
"I need to go in there!" Aiden shouted, stepping forward—again.
The elder quickly blocked his path. This was the sixth ti Aiden had tried to rush into the swirling red portal, convinced Han should've returned by now. The old man had managed to hold him back each ti, persuading him with calm logic. But now, Aiden wasn't listening.
"I'm going," Aiden growled, eyes blazing as he stepped in front of the portal's raging maw.
"Morph," he commanded.
Instantly, his body began to transform.
Thick brown fur spread across his skin. His teeth sharpened into glistening fangs. A barbed tail burst from his lower back, whipping the air. His pupils turned blood-red. Two jagged white bones curved outward from his shoulder blades, forming a pair of monstrous, skeletal wings.
The guild mbers gasped in stunned silence.
They had seen Aiden transform partially during training—and even then, most of them were knocked with a punch. But this... this was sothing else. He looked like a fusion of several high-level boss monsters. Pure power and rage incarnate.
The elder saw there was no stopping him this ti. He gave a solemn nod. "Be careful, Aiden."
Aiden nodded back, planting his feet like a warrior heading to war. With a sharp breath and a holy battle cry, he lunged forward.
But then—BOOM!
A violent explosion ripped through the air.
Aiden didn't even make it to the portal. A figure shot out of it like a teor, slamming into him and sending him flying backward. The ground trembled.
The portal trembled and began closing.
The figure landed with a heavy thud, smoke and fire surrounding him. In his arms, a small charred figure was cradled tightly.
The red portal vanished behind him.
As the dust settled, the guild mbers watched in awe.
Han stood there—burnt, covered in ash, his clothes completely destroyed—but alive. The silence was deafening.
Then, as if by instinct, every guild mber dropped to one knee.
"Young Master," they said in unison.
Technically, Han was the guild master. But over ti, it had beco natural to call him that.
But the mont was... awkward.
Han stood completely naked, his body scorched black from the intense heat, ash clinging to his skin like a second layer. Yet, he didn't seem to notice—or care. His eyes were locked on the system display still flickering before him.
> System Countdown: 1... 0.
The tir stopped.
Rin had made it out—just in ti.
All thanks to Ifrit.
Han recalled the final mont. The fiery spirit had struck him with a full-force Inferno Rush, launching him forward at a speed even Cheetah Stride couldn't reach. It was brutal... but it worked.
A weak smile tugged at Han's lips. "We made it," he whispered, voice barely audible.
Then he collapsed beside Rin, who lay unconscious—not from pain or injury, but from overwhelming relief.
Han had done it.
He saved his brother.
Not only that, but he'd grown—stronger, faster, and now with a spirit of fla bound to him. A summon of his own.
Ifrit, huh? Han thought, glancing at the ember-like glow still pulsing faintly in his hand. I wonder what the others will be like... when I ta them.
And with that final thought, he let the exhaustion take him, sleeping beside Rin.
Han's journey was just beginning.
To be continued...
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