The Devil's Cage

Rome hadn’t been built in one day.

Kieran wanted to learn how to summon meteors, or to be more precise, how to use [Meteor Burst], but he knew that he would not accomplish it in one go.

Even though Charles did his best to teach him, Kieran still needed to have the corresponding level of [Alchemy], [Astrology] and hidden ancient knowledge.

It was still too early for Kieran, whose [Mystical Knowledge] was only at Master Level. However, this didn’t mean that he learned nothing during his journey back to the West Coast.

A 10-centimeter tall flower of fire was hovering over Kieran’s left index finger.

Charles, who acted as his mentor, opened his eyes wide.

The fire Charles had created earlier had only been a small flame. It had not been even close to Kieran’s bright flower of fire.

"Your gift makes me really jealous! Not only did you master [Charles’ Fire] extremely fast, but you also surpassed my own power by miles!" Charles said jealously, even though his expression was filled with anticipation. He was hoping that Kieran would perform better than him.

Kieran touched his nose lightly. He was kind of embarrassed and unable to find the right words to answer. When he had cast [Charles’ Fire], the system had helped him a lot, even though he had made some effort himself.

[Name: Charles’ Fire (Basic)]

[Related Attributes: None]

[Skill Type: Offensive]

[Effects: You can create fire with your finger, Your attacking power is low to none, but the flame burns continuously]

[Consumes: Stamina]

[Prerequisites: Constitution D]

[Remarks: This is a spell with no incantation, casting gesture or casting time limit. It’s a skill created by the alchemy master in combination with hidden ancient knowledge!]

[Notes: You have acquired this skill through learning, not through a Skill Book. Therefore, you cannot upgrade it with Points or Skill Points. If you want to level it up, you will need to continue learning or acquire a Skill Book!]

...

Obviously, [Charles’ Fire]’s almost non-existent attack could not produce a big fire, but by using the [Fusion Heart, Fiery Sulphur] buff, the attack was enhanced further, reaching almost Weak Level.

Even though this was just a low-tier attack, it was value for money considering the Stamina consumed.

Compared to other similar skills though, its contribution was not even worth mentioning.

A new intricate dark red tattoo was on the left side of Kieran’s chest.

The basic structure was formed by a pentagram, the advanced conversion circle using hidden ancient knowledge even older and more profound than Alchemy and Potionology.

A dark red line that looked like a vein extended from the tattoo and wrapped around his shoulder, elbow and wrist. The line was connected to an identical tattoo on the back of his left hand. Finally, another red line extended from his hand tattoo, wrapping around his left index finger.

At Kieran’s will, another flower of fire started burning brightly on the tip of his finger.

When Kieran raised his right hand towards the fire, he could clearly feel the hot, burning properties of the flame, yet he was feeling nothing on his left hand.

Even though this was not his first experiment, Kieran was still amazed.

"You have an energetic body, but you need to learn how to use it! Here, wear this... You should understand this precious knowledge. Although I don’t believe anyone is able to understand mystical branding through magic circles, better safe than sorry. Your enemies might very well be spying on you!" Charles said, handing Kieran a fingerless glove.

Mystical branding was what Charles called the magic circles that combined modern alchemy, ancient alchemy and hidden ancient knowledge.

Charles became strict as he watched Kieran take the glove.

"I’ll say it again. You have mastered the basics of [Charles’ Fire]. I don’t know where its limits are, because it has surpassed any spell I know! Plus, given my aging body, I wouldn’t be able to upgrade it!"

"You are of special lineage, so you are qualified to upgrade it, but you must remember that it can’t just appear out of thin air. It needs energy, and such energy comes from the heat produced by your breath and the food you consume! You can’t upgrade it before you get stronger, or you will lose your life!"

Charles emphasized each word clearly as he stared at Kieran without blinking.

"This is not an easy task, but I’ll try my best to complete it!" Kieran said with a shrug.

He lowered his head against the back of his hand, where the mystical branding tattoo was.

According to Charles, connecting the tattoo with his other fingers by using the reserved space and lines could take [Charles’ Fire] to the next level.

It didn’t require any Points, Skill Points or corresponding knowledge. Not even any Golden Skill Points. All it required was lines after lines.

It sounded very tempting to Kieran.

Especially when the system stated that the prerequisite was a D Rank Constitution, and he had already reached C+ Rank. His heart started beating even faster on impulse, even though he tried to suppress it.

When he saw Charles’ tired face and his bloodshot eyes, he realized that the elderly alchemy master had weakened his body a lot by guiding him day and night on how to complete [Charles’ Fire]. Kieran wouldn’t want anyone who cared about him to worry.

Plus, as the group got closer to the West Coast, he would get many more opportunities to upgrade his skill. Why would he do it at such bad timing instead?

After getting Kieran’s permission, Charles lay back down on his bed and rested his exhausted body. He fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed. Kieran sat down on his seat and stared at the passing scenery through the window.

He was silently thinking about his plan and how hard he had worked to perfect it. He had done his best to prevent a misstep.

Finally, when Schmidt told him he had just seen road signs pointing to the West Coast, Kieran stood up.

"Shepherds of Death, East Coast mystics and rats hiding in all corners of the West Coast... Are you ready?" he muttered with sheer determination.