At midnight, I managed to reach the edge of the military perimeter with ease, but as soon as I got there, I was immediately shooed away by a soldier.

  “This area is off-limits to civilians,” he said firmly.

  I puffed out my chest and declared myself the protector of this neighborhood, even name-dropping my brother and sister to make myself sound important. Unfortunately, the soldier couldn’t care less. He simply pushed me back and, to drive the point home, aimed his gun at me.

  “If you keep insisting, I’ll make you leave by force,” he warned.

  Realizing I wouldn’t win this argument, I backed away and slipped into a nearby house, hiding from the soldier’s view.

  I pulled out my Red Stone and started formulating a plan.

  It was simple, really—create chaos.

  I’d launch a fireball toward the perimeter, forcing the military into action. They’d scramble to deal with the fire, and in the confusion, I’d make a run for the dungeon gate. They would definitely come after me, but I had enough firepower to keep them at bay just long enough.

  From the Red Stone, I drew out all the demonic fire stored within and shaped it into five massive fireballs, each the size of a motorcycle. These would undoubtedly cause some serious destruction.

  With a motion like throwing a rock, I hurled the first demonic fireball toward a different section of the perimeter.

  I heard shouting as the soldiers spotted it flying toward them. Several of them scrambled to erect a Protection Barrier, but they weren’t fast enough.

  The barrier was only half-formed when the first fireball struck.

  It exploded in a brilliant crimson blaze, and an ear-piercing screech echoed through the air—the unmistakable howl of a Banaspati demon. The demonic fire began eating away at the barrier, weakening its defenses. Before they could recover, the second fireball crashed into their tents and equipment, spreading more hellfire into their camp.

  The remaining fireballs followed, but by then, the entire area was in chaos. Soldiers ran in all directions, desperately trying to put out the flames, which seemed to resist every effort to extinguish them.

  But I wasn’t done yet.

  Unsatisfied with the destruction so far, I reached into the Red Stone again and pulled out the monster fire, shaping it into another five enormous fireballs.

  This time, I threw them all at once—then immediately sprinted toward the dungeon gate, taking advantage of the absolute bedlam behind me.

  The second volley landed without resistance. The moment they struck, they erupted in a fiery orange explosion, spewing lava and molten rock in every direction.

  Somehow, the monster fire transformed the impact zone into the ideal habitat for a Lava Snail—a landscape of bubbling magma and scorching flames.

  The military had no choice but to retreat, pulling back to a safer distance as they searched for the only person who could be responsible—me.

  By the time they spotted me, I was already halfway to the dungeon gate.

  “Stop right there!” one of them shouted.

  More voices followed, their shouts filled with panic and anger.

  “Come back and surrender yourself now!”

  Guns were raised. Skills were activated.

  But of course, I wasn’t about to comply.

  Who in their right mind would, in a moment like this?

  Instead of stopping, I turned around and unleashed the biggest fire I had ever created.

  To do that, I drew out every last bit of fire stored in my Red Stone, including my own flames, and summoned two shots of Fire Torrent. I fired everything at once, controlling the flames to spread into a massive wave of heat, scorching everything in front of me. The inferno reached nearly six hundred meters, turning the night into a blinding blaze.

  I didn’t waste a single second to check the aftermath. The moment I released the fire, I spun around and sprinted toward the dungeon gate.

  A few seconds later, I reached it and leaped inside, ignoring the furious shouts and the pained screams of the soldiers behind me.

  *****

  I opened my eyes to a world of red.

  Three active volcanoes loomed in the distance, positioned in a rough triangle with me at its center. The ground beneath me was a scorching red desert, with streams of lava snaking just beneath the surface. Every few moments, poisonous gas blasted out from random holes scattered across the landscape, filling the air with a toxic haze.

  Turning around, I spotted the gate standing silently behind me.

  Its once-bright colors had faded, but I could see it slowly, painfully, regaining its hue. That meant I just needed to wait for some time before I could leave.

  But how long?

  As if answering my question, a pair of monsters suddenly appeared in the distance, sprinting straight toward me.

  Although they were humanoid and ran on two legs, their grotesque features set them apart from other humans. Their skin was deep red, their faces long and ugly, and their pointed ears stuck out from the sides of their heads. Instead of hair, their skulls burned with living fire. Each wielded a crude staff, its tip dripping with molten lava.

  For now, I decided to call them Fire Goblins.

  The Fire Goblins wasted no time, charging straight at me with terrifying speed.

  When they were about a hundred meters away, I activated Fire Manipulation I and quickly seized control of their fire.

  The moment I did, their flaming hair was extinguished, and the lava coating their weapons cooled instantly, hardening into nothing more than smoky rock.

  Easy monsters—just as I thought.

  Or so I assumed.

  I had made my conclusion too fast.

  Losing their fire didn’t slow them down. If anything, it enraged them.

  With furious screeches, the two Fire Goblins lunged at me the moment they reached my position. One struck my head, the other slammed its weapon into my stomach at the same time. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, and for a whole second, my brain completely shut down. I was sent flying, crashing tens of meters away.

  I scrambled to my feet in a panic, frantically scanning for them—only to hear a guttural croak behind me.

  Before I could react, one of the Fire Goblins swung its club straight at my head, aiming to crack it open.

  I barely managed to dodge, throwing myself to the side in desperation.

  Without hesitation, I retaliated, unleashing a torrent of fire straight at them.

  Their screams filled the air as they were engulfed in flames, their bodies writhing in agony.

  But when the fire died down, I felt a chill run down my spine.

  They were still standing.

  Their skin bore only a few scorched marks, and their bodies remained completely intact. The only thing I had done was make them angrier—angry enough for their heads to reignite with blazing fire once more.

  With my fire skills rendered useless, panic started to set in.

  I tried to run toward the dungeon gate, desperate to escape. I leaped forward, aiming to jump through—but when I touched it, my body passed right through as if the gate were nothing more than a mirage.

  Fear clouded my judgment, making me act irrationally. Instead of staying near the gate, I made the mistake of running even farther away.

  As if to prove just how terrible my luck was in this dungeon, the Fire Goblins caught up to me with ease. In an instant, they surrounded me, blocking every escape route.

  Both Fire Goblins closed in from different directions, trapping me in the center. My body froze, paralyzed by fear.

  As their crude weapons came swinging toward my face, time seemed to slow.

  My life flashed before my eyes—the dull, monotonous existence of a man working an ordinary office job, undervalued and barely scraping by. Living paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford my own place, I had resigned myself to staying with my parents just to save money.

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  Then, the system arrived, and the world changed.

  My life became something more—something exciting.

  I remembered the thrill of fighting alongside my siblings to take down the Lava Snail. The satisfaction of stealing fire from the Banaspati Demon. The pride I felt protecting my housing complex from those who sought to harm it.

  And now, it had all come to this moment—inside the dungeon I had fought so hard to enter, only to be struck down by two monsters with fire in their veins.

  No.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen.

  I was stronger than this.

  If fire wouldn’t work, then I would fight back with something else.

  Martial Arts!

  As if guided by instinct, my body moved on its own. My hand shot up in a sweeping motion, deflecting the incoming staff. The weapon veered off course, slamming into the ground beside me. At the same time, I stepped forward, dodging the second Fire Goblin’s attack from behind.

  That’s when it hit me—I had another skill. A skill I had trained specifically to complement my fire.

  The two Fire Goblins hesitated, confusion flickering in their glowing eyes. A moment ago, I had been nothing more than easy prey. Now, I was something else—a fighter who refused to go down without a fight.

  They roared in anger and charged at me together, each aiming to kill me in a single strike.

  But this time, I was ready.

  The first Fire Goblin swung its staff toward my head. I intercepted the attack, slapping the weapon to the side with an open palm. The force of the deflection threw the monster off balance. Seizing the opportunity, I drove my fist upward in a brutal uppercut, stunning it for a few seconds.

  The second attack came immediately after, targeting my abdomen. I countered by kicking the staff away, then spun into a roundhouse kick, slamming my foot into the second Fire Goblin’s head.

  The first Fire Goblin snapped out of its daze, its eyes blazing with fury. Its fire hair reignited in a flash of heat.

  The moment the flames reappeared, I stole them with my Fire Manipulation I and compressed them into a burning sphere in my palm.

  Before the monster could react, I lunged forward, driving my fist into its chest while simultaneously unleashing the condensed fire at point-blank range. The fireball, infused with a touch of my Mana, burned straight through its torso.

  The Fire Goblin screeched in agony as its flesh charred, its internal organs reduced to ash.

  A second later, it collapsed, a burnt hole punched clean through its heart.

  The remaining Fire Goblin went berserk.

  Its fire flared violently, not only reigniting its hair but forming flaming claws and a burning tail as well. The flames flickered and twisted, appearing to manifest from nothing.

  But it didn’t matter.

  I stole the fire once again.

  Then, with a swift, precise motion, I delivered a chopping strike to its shoulder while unleashing the stolen flames at close range.

  The impact shattered its bones, and the fire consumed the rest of its body. Its flesh burned, its form split apart diagonally, and within moments, the second Fire Goblin was dead.

  With both enemies defeated, exhaustion crashed over me like a tidal wave.

  A few seconds later, my vision blurred, my body gave out, and I collapsed into unconsciousness.

  *****

  I woke up after some time, my head dizzy and my body covered in sweat and sand.

  I tried searching for water, but, of course, there was none in sight, nor would there be anytime soon.

  I glanced at the dungeon gate, but it hadn’t changed in any significant way. It still emitted a faint, weak glow.

  Just as I was starting to lose hope of finding any relief, I noticed a group of monsters approaching. This time, there were three Fire Goblins, and each one looked furious.

  All of them had fire for hair, tails, and claws, and they each wielded a glowing lava stick. One of them was wearing armor made from what looked like crudely sewn animal hides, offering some form of protection.

  As they slowly advanced toward me, I had enough time to assess myself.

  First, I felt surprisingly refreshed—my body no longer ached. I remembered taking several hits from the Fire Goblins earlier, but now I felt no pain.

  My Mana was also restored. I had no idea how, but I was grateful for it.

  My clothes, however, were a different story. They were badly damaged. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but I could already imagine my mom’s reaction later when she saw them.

  The three Fire Goblins finally reached my position and began to encircle me, cutting off any possible escape route. The two standard Fire Goblins lunged at me together, aiming to smash my head open with their lava sticks.

  Quickly, I used my Fire Manipulation I to take away the fire from their sticks and their bodies, turning them back into regular red-skinned, angry goblins. I immediately engaged them in melee combat.

  With the fire I had stolen, I inflicted severe burns on the goblins, but it came at the cost of my Mana. Unfortunately, these Fire Goblins had higher resistance to fire, making them nearly impervious to the flames.

  Fighting two enemies at once was difficult, but not impossible. I had to stay mindful of my positioning and fight smart, as relying solely on brute strength wouldn’t be enough to defeat these goblins.

  The two Fire Goblins tried to enhance their powers by reigniting their flames, but I quickly stole the fire once more and used it against them.

  In the end, I managed to kill both Fire Goblins by delivering a crushing blow to their necks. The impact dislocated their neck bones and crushed their windpipes, putting them down for good.

  Panting heavily, I readied myself to face the last Fire Goblin—the one wearing armor.

  This Fire Goblin didn’t reignite its fire; instead, it charged at me with bloodlust and a burning desire to kill. It swung its stone-cold lava stick with all its might, aiming directly for my face.

  As the cold lava stick sped toward me, I could feel death closing in. I quickly bent my back, then jumped backward as far as I could, creating as much distance in a single leap.

  The Fire Goblin glared at me with condescending eyes, as if to tell me I was too weak to even think of fighting it. The armored Fire Goblin taunted me, mocking me with its expression, clearly trying to provoke me.

  Of course, all I saw was an ugly face making an even uglier expression.

  Seeing that I wasn’t tempted to attack, the Fire Goblin grew angrier, its bloodlust intensifying. It swung its lava stick with renewed fury, each blow twice as powerful as before, leaving deep craters in the ground with every strike. I had to dodge with everything I had, knowing that if one of those swings connected, I’d be finished.

  Unable to find a gap in its relentless attacks, a plan started to form in my mind. I shot a torrent of fire from my hand, aiming it directly at the Fire Goblin's face. As expected, it didn’t cause any real damage, but that wasn’t the point.

  I was using the fire as a distraction. The moment its eyes were covered in flames, I dashed to the side and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. Though my strikes landed hard, they seemed to not affect the Fire Goblin.

  What should I do now?

  The Fire Goblin charged again, stomping its feet angrily while swinging its cold lava stick with all its might. I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the monster's attack.

  As I moved, my eyes met the Fire Goblin's gaze. I could see the hatred in its eyes as if it blamed me for the death of its companion and sought revenge.

  Then, a realization hit me. The only way to hurt and possibly kill this Fire Goblin was to target its soft spot—its eyes. That was my only chance to win.

  I took a few steps back, then summoned my fire once more, enveloping the Fire Goblin in a blazing torrent. This time, I used every bit of Mana I had left, summoning the largest fire I had ever created.

  The fire engulfed the Fire Goblin, attempting to cook it alive where it stood. But to my surprise, the Fire Goblin only laughed at my attempt, welcoming the flames as if they were warm spring waters.

  Using this moment of distraction, I slipped behind the Fire Goblin, then jumped up and locked its head between my legs. The Fire Goblin was caught off guard, still displaying a carefree attitude, clearly thinking I was no threat.

  With all my physical strength, I slammed my fist into both of the Fire Goblin's eyes. The Fire Goblin closed its eyelids, allowing me to strike its eyes. I could see that it felt the impact, but it chose to play it cool.

  Then, I shaped my hand like a chopping motion and slid it between its eyelids. As I had anticipated, the eyelids couldn’t fully protect the eyes. No matter how tightly it pressed them together, they could only close so much.

  My hand slipped deeper between the eyelids until it reached the soft eyeball inside. I pushed as hard as I could and pierced the eyeball. The Fire Goblin roared in pain. It tried to grab me and throw me away, but I was quicker.

  I kicked the flailing hand that tried to catch me and pierced the other eye, effectively blinding the Fire Goblin.

  Now blind and roaring in agony, the Fire Goblin flailed around, swinging its hands wildly to try and catch me. I decided to take my time, creating distance between us.

  Frustrated that it couldn’t find me, the Fire Goblin finally summoned its own fire. Flames shot out, transforming into hair, turning into gloves around its hands, and covering its body like armor. It even created more fire, which formed floating Fire Gloves around it, serving as secondary weapons.

  I was delighted to see this, and of course, I immediately tried to steal the fire.

  I could feel strong resistance as I tried to take control of the fire, but it was only a matter of time. Within five minutes, I had successfully stolen all of it and made it my own.

  Once I had possession of the fire, I wasted no time using it against the Fire Goblin. I gathered all the fire, directing some of it toward its wounded eyes. The flames singed the eyes, and the Fire Goblin roared in pain.

  As it opened its mouth to roar, I used the fire I had stolen, enhanced by the tiny bit of Mana I had left, and shot it into the Fire Goblin's mouth.

  The Fire Goblin tried to close its mouth, but I held it open by sacrificing my left hand while using my right hand to keep the fire burning the Fire Goblin from the inside.

  After five long seconds of pain and fire, the Fire Goblin screeched one last time before it fell onto its back. Smoke began to pour out of its mouth, a sign that its insides had been burned to a crisp.

  I also collapsed onto my back, exhausted and wounded. But at least I had won, and for that, I was satisfied.

  Not long after, I saw the dungeon gate glowing brightly, like a beacon of hope. I tried to stand, but my body was already too weak. I decided to rest for a while and closed my eyes, quickly drifting into a deep sleep.

  *****

  I wake up several hours later, feeling quite refreshed but still somewhat tired. The gate is still glowing brightly not too far from me, and I quickly head toward it.

  As soon as I reach the dungeon gate, I jump in and quickly exit the dungeon, returning to my ruined neighborhood under the scorching daylight, where several hundred armed men are waiting for me.

  I raise my hand to show them I don’t want any more conflict.

  They still warn me, though, saying that if I resist, they will not hesitate to rain bullets down on me.

  As my hands are cuffed and I’m dragged to the nearest car, I open my notification scroll and smile happily. I quickly make my choice and notice a wonderful change in my status page.

  Today is a good day, despite the pain it came with.

  Mission Complete!

  Please choose your reward!

  Two Level Ups / Double Status Points

  Level Up! You are now Level 4!

  Level Up! You are now Level 5!

  You have reached the first threshold. Choose your new skills!

  Skill Level Up! Fire Manipulation I Lv. 9!

  Skill Level Up! Fire Magic Lv. 7!

  Skill Level Up! Mana Mastery Lv. 6!

  Skill Level Up! Magic Pathway Lv. 4!

  Skill Level Up! Martial Arts Mastery Lv. 5!

  Name: Prabu Sanjaya

  Age: 33 Years

  Level: 5 (capped)

  Health: 140

  Magic: 140

  Str: 10

  Dex: 9

  End: 8

  Int: 11

  Wis: 11

  Men: 9

  Skill:

  Fire Manipulation I Lv. 9: Allows the user to manipulate fire to a limited extent.

  Fire Magic Lv. 7: Allows the user to summon and use fire magic.

  Mana Gathering Lv. 5: Allows the user to gather and absorb Mana from their surroundings.

  Magic Sense Lv. 5: Allows the user to sense Mana inside or around them.

  Mana Mastery Lv. 6: Allows the user to control and manipulate Mana inside them.

  Magic Pathway Lv. 4: Gives the user the knowledge of magical pathways inside their body.

  Martial Arts Mastery (basic) Lv. 5: Allows the user to perform basic martial arts.