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Chapter 125: Interlude – Conflagration

After the unintended strip show(?) deep in the abyss, I didn’t even have time to tell Professor Elisha to delete the photos before I passed out.

When I opened my eyes again, a whole day had passed, and beside me were new clothes that Professor Elisha had neatly bought from Valhalla City.

I hurriedly put them on and asked her to delete the photos, but...

"I refuse."

Her response was a firm refusal.

Professor Elisha chuckled while caressing her Hero Watch with my picture on it as if it were a treasure.

"I\'ll keep this picture safe."

I wondered if Juliet had felt the same when he was caught in a photo wearing women\'s clothes (though in my case, it was a selfie that got transferred).

All I could do was blankly watch Professor Elisha’s retreating figure as she hummed a tune.

Anyway.

After parting ways with Professor Elisha, I finally returned to my familiar dorm room after 3 days... no, 4 days, to be exact.

“Sigh.”

I was staying in Dormitory Building C, which was mostly used by candidates attending the academy on government support.

Compared to Dormitory Building A, where Yuren and Iris lived, this building was old and shabby, almost like something you\'d find in a slum.

"...Still, I feel a bit more at ease here."

But having spent a few months here (or years, if you count my past life), lying down on the bed back in my dorm made me feel at home.

The fierce battle I had with Behemoth in the abyss just a day ago now felt like it had all been a dream.

‘But it can\'t be just a dream.’

I forced myself to shake off the comfort wrapping around me and sat up.

I slowly recalled the fight with Behemoth, especially the Primordial Flame that had burned as if it would consume the entire world near the end of the battle.

‘My guess was right.’

The condition to trigger the \'Avatar\' state, where the Primordial Flame enveloped me and created an endless flow of mana, was being pushed to such extremes that my mind was on the brink of collapse.

The Primordial Flame, dormant within my Stigma, had blazed up as if fuel had been thrown onto it, engulfing me in flames.

Recalling that sensation sent a thrilling shiver down my spine.

"I\'ve felt it before, but... this rush is unreal."

The feeling of infinite mana filling my body.

It was like having an endless ocean of mana inside me, the sensation of recklessly drawing upon it was more exhilarating than any thrill I’d ever experienced.

It felt as if I could crush and destroy the entire world underfoot.

‘I actually killed Behemoth like that, too.’

I didn’t need intricate swordsmanship, flashy martial arts, or complex spells to kill Behemoth.

I simply gathered mana into my palm and slapped it—like swatting a crawling insect.

That was all it took.

The king of demonic beasts who reigned over the abyss was crushed and died instantly, leaving no trace of its form behind.

"The problem is... I can\'t use this whenever I want."

It sounds dramatic to call it an extreme situation, but the battle with Behemoth was more like a simulated fight where I had pre-arranged conditions in my favor.

‘If the opponent had been intelligent, they wouldn’t have fought head-on for three whole days against an unkillable enemy.’

Behemoth was a near-mindless monster, and one that had been heavily influenced by the Demon God, which amplified its violent tendencies to an extreme degree, making it keep fighting without retreating.

‘But if it had been a demon instead, the situation would have been very different.’

Unless it was a crazy demon like the Archpriest of Madness, no demon would continue to fight for three days against an immortal being.

‘Even if I got lucky and triggered the Avatar state in just one day, there’s still a problem.’

This time, I fought alone and entered the battlefield solo, so there were no complications.

But imagine a fight breaking out while I was traveling with a party.

There would be no guarantee that my party members would survive the countless deaths and revivals I’d endure.

They didn’t have the Blessing of Revival like I did.

If they died, they wouldn’t come back.

‘I can’t just rely on the Avatar state activating and expect to fight like that in real combat.’

There were just too many risks.

“…But.”

I ignited a small gray flame in my palm.

Although I couldn’t freely activate the \'Avatar\' state, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t gained anything.

"Burn."

The gray flame in my palm slowly spread, covering my entire body.

Before, I had to forcibly stop my heart and experience ‘death’ in order to ignite the flame, but now, I could move the Primordial Flame at will with just my consciousness.

‘And the duration has significantly increased.’

Whereas before, the Ignition only lasted about five minutes, now I could maintain it comfortably for over ten minutes.

The reason for this longer duration was simple.

‘My control over the Primordial Flame increased after entering the Avatar state.’

What used to be an unresponsive, stubborn flame now moved according to my will.

"With this level of control... I think I can take it a step further."

Before, the amount of Primordial Flame I could use was no more than a small campfire.

Now, it had grown to the size of a bonfire you\'d see at a festival.

With much more fire at my disposal, it was only natural that I could do more.

‘So then...’

What I was going to attempt next was generating ‘mana’ through the Primordial Flame.

‘Of course, I can’t create infinite mana like in the Avatar state.’

But still, having more available mana would never be a bad thing.

Especially now, when I was mainly using techniques like Ashen Flame that consumed a ridiculous amount of mana.

‘The principle is the same.’

Just as the Primordial Flame once burned the Tree of Creation to create the existence known as mana, I would burn my life force to generate mana.

"Let\'s see... I’ll name the technique... Yeah."

The decision didn’t take long.

"I’ll call it \'Conflagration.\'"

I ignite the flame through combustion and grow it through the fury.

Simple and easy to visualize.

“Huff.”

I took a deep breath and ignited the fire.

The small ember that wrapped around my body gradually intensified, turning a deep shade of gray.

I visualized fire consuming logs, spreading and growing.

It boiled my blood, burned my flesh, and scorched my bones.

“Burn.”

Fwoosh!

Gray flames flared up and engulfed my entire body.

With the searing pain of my body burning, I could feel the mana being created.

‘It worked!’

Ignoring the pain, I clenched my fists in triumph.

Unlike ignition, which merely restored mana, Conflagration actively burned my life force to generate new mana.

‘Now my mana is doubled… no, maybe tripled?’

Of course, the mana created through Conflagration wouldn’t fully become my own.

Just like a fire dies down when all the wood has been burned.

Once the Conflagration state ends, the magic that swelled up explosively will all scatter and disappear.

‘But still, this is something.’

Doesn’t it mean that I can temporarily boost my mana by more than three times?

‘Three times… that’s insane.’

It’s not like I had little mana to begin with anymore.

Of course, I couldn’t compare to someone like Yurina, who was naturally blessed with abundant mana, but I had enough mana that I wouldn’t be looked down on.

And now, three times that?

“Heh.”

I couldn’t help but smirk.

‘At this point... could I even take on the Archbishop of Madness?’

I wasn’t sure.

After all, the Archbishop of Madness hadn’t shown all of his power either.

‘Anyway.’

This expedition to the Abyss had been incredibly fruitful.

I learned more about the Avatar state, greatly increased my control over the Primordial Flame, and even acquired a new skill, Conflagration.

‘If I called this a valuable death… Iris might scold me.’

With a faint chuckle, I prepared to deactivate Conflagration.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

The flames surrounding my body flared up violently.

Gray smoke filled the room.

‘Wait.’

Why isn’t this stopping?

“Ugh…!”

The Primordial Flame began to rage like a starving beast, beyond my control.

The flames surrounding my body started to spread.

“This is crazy!”

Four times, five times, six times, seven times…!

The uncontrollable surge of mana swept through the room.

Rumble!

The old dormitory building shook as if an earthquake had hit.

“What’s going on?”

“An earthquake? Is it an earthquake?”

“Everyone, evacuate!”

I could hear the voices of other trainees outside the door.

“Damn it…!”

I tried to control the Primordial Flame that was running wild, but once the fire was out of control, it wouldn’t easily extinguish.

Whoosh!

The flames raged fiercely, burning the furniture in the room.

The choking gray smoke from the burning furniture filled the room.

‘No!’

I desperately tried to put out the flames, but the old dormitory, made of wood, absorbed the fire like a sponge soaking up water.

Whoosh!

Eventually, the fire began to spread to the other rooms.

Luckily, it seemed the other trainees had already evacuated, but I couldn’t stop the raging inferno from consuming the dormitory.

“Ugh…!”

I bit my lip and gave a command in my mind.

‘Come back, you bastard.’

Whoosh!

The Primordial Flame raged violently.

It was no surprise, but the Primordial Flame ignored my command and resisted.

“Damn it.”

What could I say to regain control of the Primordial Flame?

As I racked my brain, I suddenly remembered the ‘other power’ Professor Elisha had mentioned that resided within me.

‘Back then, it seemed like the Primordial Flame was afraid of that power.’

Recalling my past memory, I reached out toward the blazing flames.

“If you don’t come back…”

With a fierce scowl, I continued.

“I will extinguish you.”

Flinch.

The raging flames wavered for a moment.

Did the threat work?

The flames that had been burning wildly, consuming everything in their path, began to recede back into my body.

“Hah… Hah!”

I breathed heavily as I looked around.

I had succeeded in absorbing the Primordial Flame, but I couldn’t absorb the fire that had been created from the burning furniture.

“Damn it!”

I cursed under my breath and rushed outside.

“How… how could this…!”

“My room, my room!”

“Someone, call a professor!”

Outside, trainees were gathered, staring at the burning dormitory in shock.

‘First, I need to put out the fire with water magic!’

I had never needed to use this magic before, so the formula didn’t come to mind immediately.

Recalling the magic theories I’d learned from Senior Sophia, I somehow managed to cast the spell.

“Water Shower!”

Splash!

Water droplets formed in mid-air and shot toward the burning dormitory.

But since I hadn’t properly recalled the formula, the magic wasn’t strong enough to extinguish the flames.

“Ugh…!”

I bit my lip, staring at the raging fire, when—

“A deluge of rain, become a tidal wave that covers the world.”

A clear voice rang out.

A small woman with short red hair, wielding a long staff taller than her, aimed at the burning dormitory.

“Heavy Rain.”

Swoooosh!

A torrent of water gushed forth, dousing the flames that had engulfed the dormitory.

“Hmph.”

In the blink of an eye, the fire was out, and the red-haired woman turned to look at me.

“This fire… it started in your room, didn’t it?”

“……”

I shut my eyes tightly, meeting the icy gaze of Senior Sophia.

‘I\'m screwed.’

How am I going to deal with this now?