Chapter 43: Titles!
But then the flames merged.
WHOOM!!!
All five fireballs compressed into one large blazing sphere. The temperature spiked instantly. The air warped. Metal cages groaned under the heat.
Jordan stumbled back, shielding his face. "What rank of flame is that?"
Bruce did not panic. He simply watched Ash, who remained perfectly calm as the fireball floated beside him like a pet.
It did not lash out. It did not explode. It simply burned, tamed yet terrifying.
Bruce exhaled slowly.
Then he looked at Jordan.
"Get the grill," he said calmly, as if nothing strange was happening at all. "Looks like I will not need to make a fire."
Jordan stared at him like he was insane but obeyed.
Bruce knew what he had seen. Controlling fire like that without a chant or visible mana flow meant terrifying affinity and absolute control. Even powerful fire-class users would struggle to do what Ash just did.
But Bruce could tell something else too.
Despite the destructive scale of the flame, Ash was not reckless. He was precise. Controlled.
Just like Bruce.
And now, it seemed Ash intended to cook.
Bruce rubbed the side of his head and stared at his dragon. "So, you know how to grill too?"
Ash puffed out his chest proudly, tiny wings flapping while he hovered before the blazing sphere like this was just another peaceful afternoon snack session. His smug little face practically screamed, "Witness my greatness."
Bruce could only rub his forehead.
While they waited for Jordan to bring the grill, Bruce spoke inwardly.
’Are you thinking what I’m thinking right now?’
Vaelith responded immediately.
[Is this permission to read your mind?] it asked dryly, clearly mocking Bruce’s usual hatred for that.
Bruce exhaled. "Go ahead."
Even Vaelith paused for a second at that. [Surprising.]
’Just this once,’ Bruce said. ’And don’t get used to it.’
Vaelith didn’t hesitate. Since Bruce had granted permission, the contract clause didn’t activate.
A moment passed, then Vaelith hummed. [So we’re indeed thinking thesame thing..]
’That’s enough,’ Bruce said calmly. ’You can stop now.’.
Vaelith disconnected...
Bruce took a slow breath as he watched Ash command fire like a miniature primordial beast. ’So Ash really did evolve... far more than we thought.’
’Show me his status,’ he ordered silently.
Vaelith complied instantly.
[Status – Ash]
[Race: Devourer Dragon (Infant)]
[Class: King of Gluttony]
[Rank: B (Evolved)]
[Bloodline Grade: Royal – Abyssal Devourer Line]
[Affinities: Fire, Void, ???]
[Abilities: Devourer Maw, Fire Manipulation, ???]
[Innate Talent: Gluttony (S-Rank, Mutated)]
[Loyalty: 100%]
[Emotional State: Proud, Hungry]
[Status Condition: Stable]
[Growth Potential: ??? (Infinite?)]
Vaelith went quiet for a long moment after reading that. Then its voice returned, low and stunned.
"The Devourer Maw ability... I never thought I would see it again."
Bruce frowned. "You said earlier Devourer Dragons are rare. What is the big deal about this Devourer Maw ability specifically?"
Instead of answering directly, Vaelith sent something to Bruce; a glowing prompt that formed before his eyes.
[DEVOURER’S MAW]
[A dragon maw forged from pure void, controlled by will. It is linked directly to the dragon’s stomach, allowing it to devour anything, matter, energy, or even metaphysical substances, and break them down instantly into pure, absorbable essence.]
[While commonly used to consume massive amounts of food for efficient growth, a true Devourer Dragon also uses this maw for a far more terrifying purpose: devouring Unique Flames scattered across the universe. These flames possess laws and powers that cannot normally be absorbed or controlled by any being. Through Devourer’s Maw, a dragon can consume the essence of a Unique Flame, and by ingesting it, gradually inherit its authority and gain the ability to manipulate that flame as their own. Because of this, Devourer Dragons who awaken this skill stand at the peak of evolutionary potential, feared as beings who grow stronger with everything they consume.]
"Hmm... interesting." Bruce smiled.
[Here is the exceptional title that helped it advance in rank.]
[FATE BREAKER]
[You were born fated to crawl, yet you defied the script written for your existence. From a lowly drake, fate decreed your end long before your rise. But you shattered destiny, clawed your way upward, and ascended, first into a dragon, then into a king among beasts. You are the defiance of inevitability. You are the fracture in destiny’s design. You are the one who walks a path no prophecy can see.]
[Effects]
[Fate Immunity (Minor):]
[You are no longer bound by predetermined outcomes. Fate, destiny, or prophecy cannot fully dictate your path.]
[Unbound Evolution:]
[You can break past your race’s natural evolutionary limits. Class, race, or bloodline restrictions cannot halt your growth.]
[Anomaly Resistance:]
[Curses, reality laws, and divine bindings that rely on predestination or inevitable outcome effects are weakened or fail against you.]
[Hidden Variable:]
[Your presence disrupts future sight, divination, and prophecy. Attempts to predict your actions yield false, chaotic, or incomplete results.]
[Will of Defiance:]
[When resisting a force stronger than you, such as status suppression, soul pressure, or domination, your resistance increases dramatically under overwhelming odds.]
[Path of Self-Ascendence:]
[Your power grows faster when defying impossible challenges or overturning expectations. The harder the struggle, the greater your growth.]
[Your power affects those close to you as well.]
[Your existence has left scars in fate. Higher beings who observe destiny recognize you as a threat.]
[The path you walk did not exist before you. You are writing it with every step.]
"What an interesting title." Bruce smiled.
[It is a bit troublesome, Bruce,] Vaelith said.
"Indeed. That is why the faster we get stronger, the better it is."
Vaelith fell silent after that.
Then suddenly...
<Ding>
[You have obtained the Distinguished Title: The Anomaly.]
[THE ANOMALY]
[You are a being that should not exist. Every system, every law, every prophecy, none of them accounted for you. You are the unpredictable factor in every equation, the deviation from all logic, the one possibility that cannot be calculated.]
[Effects of the Title]
[Unpredictable Presence]
[Enemies cannot accurately read your intentions or movements. Predictive abilities, combat foresight, precognition, or future sight become unreliable against you.]
[Chaos Factor]
[In any battle, there is always a chance for unexpected outcomes in your favor. The more desperate the situation, the higher the chance of sudden reversal.]
[Pattern Breaker]
[You cannot be trapped in fixed battle patterns. Skills, illusions, or abilities that rely on rhythm, repetition, or pattern reading lose effectiveness on you.]
[Divination Disruption]
[Attempts to track, scry, or spy on you through magical means often fail or return false information. Even gods find your path blurred.]
[Adaptive Instinct]
[You can instantly adapt to unfamiliar battle styles or new abilities after encountering them once, greatly increasing survival and counterattack capability.]
[Law Interference]
[Your existence interferes with universal logic, occasionally allowing you to achieve things that should be impossible.]