In an area far from the Lava Pit, within a lava lake, an explosion suddenly disrupted the calm surrounding the place.

The figure of Kieran in his lycan form could be seen moving through the smoke caused by the explosion. Fire trails followed his every step while the elemental particles of fire from the lake converged on him.

His right hand moved forward as he delivered a palm strike in front of him with his open palm. The trails of fire following behind seemed to respond to his motion. Each of them interweaved in front of his palm before taking the form of a deformed crow's head with a scarlet hue as large as him and barely tangible, soaring forward.

"Scarlet Crow Ignites the Skies"

The crow's head flew towards a cloud of smoke where a human figure could be seen emerging from it.

"Wrong! You did it wrong!" Gallus shouted as fire trails moved behind him, attacking forward with his open palm.

"Scarlet Crow Ignites the Skies"

*Screeee*

A complete, tangible scarlet crow appeared in an instant with a cry and flew toward the one created by Kieran.

The outcome of who was victorious between the two attacks was quickly decided. The crow head created by Kieran disappeared the second it touched Gallus' scarlet crow.

"Tsk."

Kieran clicked his tongue. Fire orbs already prepared behind him exploded, propelling him to the side to avoid the scarlet crow.

"Remember what I told you, kid, the Scarlet Crow Flame Scripture changes our flames to give them an attribute of destruction. You must remember the moment when your consciousness entered the world of scarlet flames and reproduce this feeling through your flames. It doesn't matter if you manage to form a complete crow or not, you must give this scarlet color to your flames!"

"I know!" Kieran shouted as he dodged another attack Gallus had thrown at him.

It had already been several hours since he went to the Lava Pit. After cultivating with the Scarlet Crow Flame Scripture for an hour, Gallus came to pick him up to train him.

Kieran had welcomed the training with open arms. However, Gallus' training was spartan, not letting him breathe for a single second and attacking him every chance he got.

Remembering the flames he had seen in the world of the scarlet flames as well as the scarlet crow that flew through them freely, he could not figure out how to reproduce this kind of flames.

"Don't think so much! Try to feel it!" Gallus shouted as a new crow left his hands.

Kieran gritted his teeth, the scarlet color of Gallus' crow creating a stark contrast to the lava lake as it flew towards him.

He concentrated, trying to feel the scarlet flames in Gallus' attack. Trails of flame followed his every movement as he struck forward with his palm, once again creating a distorted crow's head, but this time, the scarlet hue within his flames had become a little deeper.

The two attacks clashed. Kieran's attack resisted for a short second before being reduced to nothing again by Gallus's.

He rushed forward, barely dodging the attack that had been slowed.

'How can I reproduce these flames? No matter how I think about it, I can't reproduce the feeling I feel in those scarlet flames,' he thought as he dodged another attack from Gallus.

'Am I missing something to reproduce them?'

He watched as Gallus prepared another attack with a fierce expression on his face.

'He looks like he's trying to destroy everything when he has that kind of expression,' he thought with a smile when his expression suddenly changed, 'Destroy everything! That's it!'

He stopped in place, and his right arm moved, leaving trails of flame behind him while an unpleasant memory resurfaced in his mind.

'I have to destroy everything!'

The aura around him seemed to change as the trails of flame turned a scarlet color, the fire particles inside his body raged, and the cry of a crow seemed to echo from his body.

"Scarlet Crow Ignites the Skies"

He struck forward with his palm. The trails of scarlet flames that followed his movement began to intertwine to take the appearance of a majestic scarlet crow of around ten meters, which flew forward.

At the same time, he felt his crystal essence and elemental core being emptied, but a smile adorned his face.

"Hahaha, well done kid!" Gallus shouted as he struck Kieran's scarlet crow with his palm, causing it to scatter.

The smile on Kieran's face twisted at the sight, 'Did he really have to break it like that?'

"Now, do it again!" Gallus said.

"Huh?" Kieran tilted his head at these words, but his vision was filled with scarlet flames moving towards him.

"Wait!"

A new explosion shook the volcano.

***

A few hours later, after finishing his training with Gallus, Kieran stood in a forge within the blacksmith's association with Ryan.

"Have you prepared all the materials?" Kieran asked.

"Yes," replied Ryan.

"How much did it cost?"

"About 100 academic merit points. Once we successfully forge the sword, we will get 1000 academic merit points in exchange."

Kieran nodded as he checked the two materials on the workbench.

A mystical mineral that seemed to have a silvery sheen that reflected in the light in an ethereal manner, Silverglow Ore.

Right next to it was a transparent container that contained blood that glowed with a metallic shine, the blood of a Silver rank Steelhide Snake.

"Let's get started."

Ryan nodded and collected the Steelhide Snake's blood. A black hammer appeared in Kieran's hands.

A look of focus crossed Kieran's eyes as he fixed them on the Silverglow Ore and raised the hammer. His crystal essence moved fluidly through the hammer's handle before continuing up to the head, forming a golden blue circle surrounding it.

Tightening his grip on the hammer, he brought it down with one blow on the Silverglow Ore.

*Klang!*

A bright light escaped from the ore as it seemed to shudder under Kieran's blow. Taking advantage of the recoil caused by the shock, he brought down the hammer again...

Finally, after about ten blows, Kieran stopped his movement. The Silverglow Ore on the workbench vibrated faintly while the silver sheen reflecting off its surface increased in brilliance.

Examining the now refined Silverglow Ore, he turned to the forge's furnace, which was roaring with intense heat. Retrieving a pair of heat-resistant tongs, he placed the Silverglow Ore in the furnace's heart.

As the ore began to heat, its surface sparkled and glowed more intensely. Kieran kept a watchful eye, waiting for the moment when the ore would reach the optimal temperature for forging.

As the ore reached the optimal temperature, he retrieved it from the furnace with the tongs. With a controlled movement, he placed the molten Silverglow Ore onto the anvil while using his crystal essence to hold the molten metal as if serving as a mold. He picked up the hammer again and began the forging process.

Meanwhile, Ryan had gotten closer to him with the Steelhide Snake's blood. Opening the container, he circulated his crystal essence inside and began to manipulate it.

The Steelhide Snake's blood danced in the air as Ryan controlled it to create inscriptions before infusing them into the molten ore, which slowly took the shape of a sword under Kieran's repeated strikes.

The air was filled with the rhythmic sound of the hammer meeting metal, and the inscriptions created by the Steelhide Snake's blood lit up the room.

Time passed as the process continued. Kieran and Ryan were focused on avoiding any mistakes.

With the final strike, Kieran stepped back, the completed sword resting on the anvil. The blade bore intricate inscriptions that shimmered with a faint glow.

Kieran and Ryan exchanged a satisfied look.

"We did it!"

Sleds

We reached the last chapter I wrote. I don't know what the release schedule will be for next week, but there is little chance that three chapters will be released.