Chapter 5
Blaze barely had time to think before a barrage of elemental attacks rained down on him. Fireballs exploded around him, water whips lashed out, and jagged earth spikes shot toward his legs. He dodged as best as he could, weaving between attacks, rolling, jumping—his reflexes working overtime. Yet, no matter how much he evaded, he couldn't escape unscathed. Burns seared his skin, his clothes were in tatters, and bruises littered his body like war trophies.
Micah and his friends looked on in disbelief.
"A ZERO is supposed to be weak," one of them muttered.
"Then why is he still standing?" another asked, watching Blaze breathe heavily, his green eyes sharp with defiance.
Blaze had no idea how he was still moving either. Maybe it was pure stubbornness. Maybe it was because Lucas was watching with that smug grin, clearly enjoying the show.
"Tch," Blaze spat some blood onto the dirt. "That stupid system is no help either. Just keeps telling me my HP is dropping—AS IF I CAN'T FEEL IT."
[System Notification: HP at 12%. Bleeding detected. Burns detected. Fractured rib detected.]
"Oh wow, thanks, I never would've guessed." Blaze grumbled internally.
Then he saw his opening. One of Micah's guys stepped in a little too close, too overconfident. Blaze's fist shot out, coated in a faint silvery glow—Astral Strike.
BAM!
The guy crumpled like a sack of potatoes.
Silence.
Then—
"GET HIM!"
The others swarmed him instantly. Blaze barely had time to raise his arms before the world became a blur of punches, kicks, and elemental strikes. His vision blurred, pain erupting from all sides. His body screamed at him to stop, to just collapse already—but he clenched his teeth and pushed forward.
Lucas, watching from the side, looked mildly amused. Blaze, despite getting his face remodeled, noticed that stupid smirk and cursed him in his heart.
"This is so unfair," Blaze thought as he struggled to stand. "These guys are way stronger than the ones back in Cryoak!"
Through his Chaos Eyes, he saw the truth—Micah was at the 6th stage of the Foundation Phase. The others were at the 4th stage. Meanwhile, Blaze…was still a ZERO.
Unfair was an understatement.
His HP hit 1%. His vision darkened. "Am I really going to die now?" was his last thought before unconsciousness claimed him.
---
Blaze woke up to warmth spreading through his body. A soft glow surrounded him, easing his pain. His blurry vision cleared, revealing Elara, her hands glowing with light magic.
Light magic—one of the rarest elemental essences. Even though she had awakened it, she lacked high-level spells. Still, even with basic healing, she was keeping him alive.
Blaze blinked. "Huh. Thought I was a goner."
"Almost," Elara said, giving him a pointed look.
Then came the real shock—Lucas had saved him.
Blaze sat up. "…YOU?!"
Lucas shrugged. "What? You expected me to just let you die?"
"YES."
Lucas just laughed. Blaze, unimpressed, checked his system.
[Quest Progress: Incomplete.]
Blaze's eye twitched. "YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED APPROVED ME YET?!" He ask Lucas when they were alone
Lucas smirked. "You still have to defeat Micah."
Blaze's jaw dropped. "You mean the Micah that just broke my ribs? That Micah?!"
"Yep."
Blaze resisted the urge to strangle him.
[System Notification: Survive Quest Completed. Level Up x2.]
"Oh, NOW you reward me?" Blaze muttered sarcastically.
[System Notification: New quest failure consequence added. If "New Life" quest is not completed in 7 days, Host will receive the title: "Failure Host."]
[Title Effect: User is unable to activate any skills.]
Blaze's face went blank. "…Excuse me?"
The system gave no further explanation. Blaze sighed. "Great. Not only do I have to fight someone way stronger than me, but now I have a deadline. Love that."
Then, the system dropped something unexpected.
[Host has a 60% chance of awakening a magic affinity due to mission level .]
Blaze froze.
No ZERO had ever awakened a magic affinity. It wasn't supposed to be possible.
"Wait… you're serious?"
[System Notification: Would the system lie to you?]
"YES."
But still…a 60% chance.
It was worth the risk.
Thus began six days of absolute hell.
Day 1: Blaze fought Micah's crew again. And lost. Badly.
Day 2: Same result.
Day 3: He lasted longer. Barely.
Day 4: Micah's team started to get worried. "Uh… should we be concerned? He keeps coming back." One of them said worriedly
Day 5: Blaze knocked out two of them. Micah frowned.
Day 6: Blaze managed to take down all four of Micah's friends before losing to Micah himself.
At this point, Micah was questioning his life choices. Lucas, on the other hand, was growing jealous.
"He's getting stronger," Lucas muttered to himself. "If I approve him…he might surpass me…"
So he decided: He would never approve Blaze.
---
Day 7 – The Final Day
Blaze, exhausted, dragged himself to the training field. But this time, he wasn't there for Micah. He was tired of getting thrashed all day.
He was looking for Lucas maybe he could convince him.
Before he could say anything, a commotion broke out.
A younger boy had accidentally offended Micah.
"Hey, sorry—" the boy began, but a slap silenced him.
Then another.
Then another.
Tim, one of Micah's goons, raised his fist, ready to break the kid's ribs.
Then—
His fist stopped.
A hand caught it.
Tim turned, his smug grin fading—only to see Blaze.
"You're really enjoying this, huh?" Blaze said, voice calm.
Tim barely had time to react before—
BOOM!
Blaze's fist slammed into his face, sending him flying into the wall.
Gasps filled the training hall.
Blaze's green eyes gleamed.
"You think strength gives you the right to bully the weak? Guess what—" Blaze rolled his shoulders, stepping forward.
"I'm still weak, and I'm about to beat you senseless."
The battle erupted.
Micah and his crew attacked. Blaze countered, Astral Strike glowing on his fists. For the first time, he wasn't losing. His body had adapted. His Defense had skyrocketed.
Elemental attacks that should have injured him? Now they barely scratched him.
One by one, Micah's friends fell. The crowd roared. The battle rage on for several minutes, with the crowd believing blaze will come out on top but blaze no otherwise his HP is decreasing rapidly due to Micah extremely fast attacks and Tim super damaging attacks.
Few minutes later –
Micah and Tim were all that remained.
Blaze collapsed to one knee, gasping. His HP was reduced to 8.
"You've lost," Micah sneered, stepping forward, his aura flaring like a raging storm. Beside him, Tim cracked his knuckles, veins of earth essence pulsing along his arms. His feet dug into the ground, preparing for one final, devastating strike.
At the side of the field, a messy silver-haired boy watched the fight. He shook his head.
"Looks like I'll have to get involved after all."
This was Gold, rumored to be the third strongest in the city. But he personally believed he could be number one—he just found it too exhausting to prove it.
Just as he was about to step in—
He stopped.
Then, he smiled.
"Maybe I won't need to intervene after all."
As Tim's earth-covered fist came crashing toward Blaze's skull, Blaze's eyes began to glow—gold
Tim didn't hesitate. With a thunderous roar, he lunged, his fist hurtling toward Blaze's face with all the force of a battering ram.
But then—
The impossible happened.
The entire training hall fell into stunned silence.
Blaze's hand had caught Tim's attack mid-swing. Effortlessly.
Tim's fist trembled in place, veins bulging as he struggled to push forward—but it was as if his arm was frozen in stone. It wouldn't budge.
The color drained from Tim's face. "W-what…?!"
Blaze finally looked up, his breath steady despite his battered body.
For just a fleeting moment—
His emerald-green eyes flashed gold.
Before Tim could even process the sight, Blaze's fist drove forward, burying itself into his chest with brutal force.
BOOM!
The impact was deafening. Tim's body blurred through the air like a broken doll, smashing into the wall with a sickening crack. Dust and debris exploded outward, a deep indentation left where he landed.
Silence.
Then—
"He's…he's out cold!" someone gasped.
Micah's eyes widened. His strongest ally was down in a single hit. He flinch then recollect himself
No. This wasn't fear. He refused to feel fear.
With a furious roar, Micah launched forward, channeling every ounce of his essence into his strike. The ground beneath him cracked under the force of his leap. His fist, cloaked in pure destructive energy, shot toward Blaze's chest—
Blaze didn't flinch.
Instead, he surged forward, meeting Micah head-on like an unyielding force of nature.
At the last moment, his fist clenched—Astral Strike activated.
For a split second, his emerald eyes burned gold, radiating a fierce, untamed power—then just as quickly, the glow vanished, returning to their usual green.
BOOM!
Their fists collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
Then –
Silence
CRACK!
A horrifying, bone-snapping sound echoed through the hall.
Micah's face contorted in agony. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body jerking violently as pain shot through his shattered arm. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his now mangled fist.
The hall was utterly silent.
Blaze barely remained standing. His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision darkening at the edges. His entire body screamed in protest, but he refused to fall—not yet.
Then—
The doors burst open.
Lucas strode in, eyes darting between the wreckage—the unconscious Tim, the trembling Micah, and the barely-standing Blaze. His mouth parted slightly, but no words came out.
Blaze turned his head slightly, his energy nearly spent.
"I did it, Lucas," he whispered, a weak but victorious smirk tugging at his lips.
Lucas was silent for a moment. Then, for the first time, his usual arrogance faded. His smirk softened into something… real.
A genuine smile.
"Yeah," he said, voice steady. "I'm proud of you, bro."
Blaze exhaled, the last of his strength finally giving out. His legs gave way—
And he collapsed.
To be continued.
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