I began by performing every single move I had prepared, trying to execute them as fluidly as possible while focusing on how each motion could help me channel my fire.
By midday, I could feel it—every move I made carried the same essence as my fire. It was fierce and hot, terrifying yet beautiful.
But just as I was about to finalize my martial arts technique, a thought crossed my mind.
I wield fire, bending it to my will. I could even say that I am the master of fire itself. But that only applies to my fire-based skills.
What I truly want is a second, lethal weapon—something that can protect me without relying on fire. Creating a martial art infused with fire would contradict its very purpose.
Or perhaps, I could adjust my martial arts so that fire is optional—something I can incorporate when needed but not something it depends on.
In simple terms, I need a branch of power separate from fire. A new skill that stands on its own while still allowing me to wield fire when necessary.
Without hesitation, I restarted my training—this time focusing purely on raw combat skills, not integrating them with my fire abilities. My goal was to develop Martial Arts Mastery as a standalone skill and, possibly, create an entirely new skill branch in the future.
I trained for the entire day, pushing my body to the limit, until finally, the results of my efforts appeared before me in the form of system notifications.
New Skill Learned!
Martial Arts Mastery Lv. 1!
Mission Complete!
You can claim your reward!
Manual Skill Creation:
The user must be able to use the learned skill effectively and fully understand its purpose before it can be registered in the system.
I couldn’t contain my excitement. I had finally completed the skill! But what made me even happier was the next notification that appeared in front of me.
A new basic skill has been detected!
Adjusting user status…
Name: Prabu Sanjaya
Age: 33 Years
Level: 3
Health: 120
Magic: 120
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 7
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 9
Mentality: 7
Skills:
Fire Manipulation I Lv. 6 – Allows the user to manipulate fire to a limited extent.
Fire Magic Lv. 5 – Enables the user to summon and use fire magic.
Mana Gathering Lv. 5 – Allows the user to absorb magical energy from their surroundings.
Magic Sense Lv. 5 – Grants the ability to sense Mana within and around the user.
Mana Mastery Lv. 5 – Provides control over the user’s internal Mana.
Magic Pathway Lv. 3 – Grants knowledge of magical pathways within the body.
Martial Arts Mastery Lv. 1 – Enables the user to perform basic martial arts techniques.
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Looking at my status page, I noticed an unexpected trade-off. My Intelligence had dropped by two points, while my Strength and Dexterity had each increased by one.
In other words, I had gotten slightly stronger and more agile... but also slightly dumber.
Curious, I tried to sense the changes in my body. The physical improvements were subtle but noticeable. However, I had no idea how to measure how much "dumber" I had become.
Should I try solving some math problems?
Today's news is terrifying to watch.
Reports say that the government is gathering young and able-bodied individuals to help defend the outer perimeter of major cities across the nation. They are also recruiting people with useful skills to assist in evacuating villagers and residents from smaller towns, trying to save as many lives as possible.
To make things even more serious, a group of military personnel showed up at our house and knocked on our door. They took one look at me and my parents before informing me that I was being recruited into their program.
Of course, my parents refused immediately—so much so that my mother almost got detained. Fortunately (or unfortunately), my father's Soothing Voice skills managed to defuse the tension before things escalated. In the end, we sat down and resumed the conversation like civilized people.
See? Evil hypnotist! Scary!
The soldier didn’t like how my father had calmed both him and my mother down with just a few words. But since he had orders to follow and needed as many recruits as possible, he decided to overlook it and focus on getting me into the military.
By midday, it was decided—we, as a family, had to go with them.
First, because I was needed. After speaking with the neighborhood, the military realized I was far more capable than they had assumed, so I was officially "requested" to join.
Second, because of my father’s skill. His Soothing Voice was deemed a valuable asset for dealing with difficult situations—especially when handling "troublesome individuals."
Third, because we were the family of newly recognized heroes—my brother and sister. That made us "valuable personnel," meaning the military wanted to take us in for protection.
As we were being escorted out of our home, a system notification suddenly appeared before us.
Congratulations on surviving this long!
The system has fully integrated into your world, and drastic changes will follow.
Prepare yourself for the adventures and challenges ahead.
As if to drive the message home, a dungeon gate suddenly materialized in front of our housing complex, stunning everyone. The soldiers immediately snapped into action, going into full battle mode.
They quickly gathered every civilian in the area and started evacuating us.
Meanwhile, I stared at the dungeon gate with reluctance. If my guess was right, it was probably filled with fire monsters—the perfect place for me to train.
And as if answering my silent wish, another notification appeared before me.
You have a new mission!
Mission: Clear the Dungeon!
- Clear it in one try.
- Clear it in three tries.
- Clear it in five or more tries.
Rewards:
- Two Level-Ups or Double Status Points
- Half Status Points
- Bonus Item
Punishment:
No more missions forever!
This was the first time I’d received a mission with multiple choices. Based on the options, I figured that the more attempts I took, the easier the dungeon would become. And to balance that out, the rewards got worse with each additional attempt.
The real problem now was how to get into the dungeon in the first place. The military had already formed a perimeter around the gate.
I tried reasoning with the soldier escorting us, claiming I needed to grab something from my house. But he wasn’t having it.
“Whatever it is you need, let it go. It's too dangerous now,” he said firmly.
That gave me an idea.
I decided to make a scene.
“I’m the one who protected this neighborhood! I have the right to get my things!” I argued, raising my voice.
The soldier ignored me, but I kept pushing the issue, getting louder and louder until someone of a higher rank came to see what was going on.
Luckily, this officer didn’t seem to care much about my brother’s status and simply shrugged.
“If you don’t care about your life, then why should we?” he said, waving me off.
My parents tried to stop me, but for once, I ignored them. I turned and ran straight back to the house.
The only reason I hadn’t left with my brother and sister was because I was worried about my parents. But now that they were under military protection, I had a bit of freedom to take risks.
I rushed to my room, grabbed the red stone, shoved it into my pocket, and collapsed onto my bed.
Then I waited.
For the next hour, I killed time on my phone, letting things settle down outside.
When I peeked out the window, I saw that the gate was still heavily guarded by armed soldiers, while the rest of the neighborhood was eerily empty.
Seeing no way to sneak in just yet, I decided to rest.
I slept from midday until the afternoon, got up to scavenge some leftover food, then waited until midnight before putting on dark clothing and preparing to sneak into the dungeon gate.