… This sadistic bitch. What kind of torture is she planning for me?
"Is this really to make me stronger," Orion growled, "or just to satisfy your twisted need to see me suffer?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ember stepped closer and flicked his forehead.
"Stop your bullshit and be ready."
She began chanting once more, her voice low and ancient. She signaled with her hand for Orion to approach the soul fragment.
Orion gulped and did as told.
The soul reacted instantly—thrashing violently as Ember's chant intensified. A pressure crashed into Orion's senses. He could feel the soul's aura washing over him… and worse, the tiny fragment already inside his body began to resonate.
Restless. Agitated.
The aura grew stronger. Heavier.
"Aghhh—damn it!" Orion collapsed to one knee, screaming as pain ripped through his body.
Minutes passed. Slowly, the pain dulled.
His body was adapting.
Ember noticed—and smiled.
She intensified the soul fragment's aura.
"AGHH—shit—shit—ACK—!" The pressure hit him like a tsunami. It was unbearable.
"Stop… it… fuck—me—AGHHHHHH!"
With one final, hoarse scream, Orion blacked out.
When he opened his eyes again, Ember was beside him, gently patting his hair.
"I know it hurts," she said softly. "But you're doing really well."
Orion got up and sat on the floor, and tried to feel the soul fragment inside of him, and he felt its presence was bigger than before
"So now am I ready to harness the soul fragment?" he asked, looking determined.
Ember was impressed by his determination.
"You don't have to worry about it. It was already harnessed when your body grew stronger. But don't expect to feel its full power right away—it's still a separate soul within your body. Once you merge it with your own soul, you'll be able to access its abilities fully."
"So… what are we waiting for? Let's merge it," he said, growing impatient.
"It will benefit you more if you wait and gather more soul fragments in your body first, and then merge them with your soul," Ember said
Orion sighed, "ok."
The gentle smile on her face disappeared. "Enough resting. Time to get back to training."
'This crazy bitch….. I was blacked out just a moment ago' he thought to himself.
Over the next few hours, Orion endured nothing short of literal hell.
He would stand before the raging soul fragment, suffering the searing pain until he blacked out—only for Ember to wake him and start the training all over again.
After a full day of this torturous cycle, he was completely broken—mentally shattered, physically drained, and utterly spent.
Most of all, he was Hungry.
"I know this is a dumb question," he said between heavy breaths, "but… do you happen to have something to eat?"
Ember tilted her head in thought.
"You can eat magic stones, right?"
Orion nodded his head, and the ember vanished from where she was
The thought of eating magic stones made him feel… depressed. Usually, consuming them excited him—they increased his strength, after all. But eating them just to satisfy his hunger? That was disheartening.
He hadn't had proper food since coming to this world.
A moment later, Ember reappeared. With a casual flick of her hand, around thirty magic stones materialized in front of Orion.
Thanks to the soul training, Orion was far more sensitive to mana now. He could immediately tell—
These were stronger than the F-rank stones he had eaten before.
"Appraisal."
[Magic Stone — D Rank]
Ember smiled.
"These are from the goblins you killed earlier."
"Thanks for bringing them," Orion muttered, already eating. "Would've been a waste otherwise. I worked hard for these."
Each stone he consumed sent warmth through his body. His stamina recovered. His strength surged.
Once he finished, he called up his status.
"Status open."
Ember leaned in to watch.
[Status]
[Name: Orion_____ ]
[Race: Dragonkin]
[Title: Otherworlder, holder of the red dragon legacy]
[Rank: D → D]
[Class: Dragon Born (S-Rank)]
[Skills: Appraisal (B), Odorless (B), Flash Movement (A)]
[Attributes:
{Strength: 40 → 67}
{Stamina: 37 → 50}
{Agility: 33 → 40}
{Vitality: 40 → 62}
{Endurance: 41→80}
{Mana: 30→44}
{Astral Energy: 18→22}]
My stats skyrocketed—especially Endurance…
That hellish training was worth it.
Then he remembered something.
"Ember… I wanted to ask. What exactly is Astral Energy?"
"Hmmm… oh, you didn't know?" she said, surprised.
"Astral Energy is formed from your soul and life force. It turns inner talent into a class. The stronger and vaster it is, the stronger and more abundant your astral energy, the better classes you can obtain—and you can even acquire multiple classes, just like you have."
Then she frowned.
"Normal power systems can't measure Astral Energy. But your system is different, I guess." She was getting more and more surprised by this system
"So, what can I do with it?" Orion asked, intrigued.
"As dragons, we are closest to nature. Our Astral Energy capacity is immense. We use it to create skills—because skills can also be born from talent, and talent is etched into the soul."
Orion's eyes lit up.
"Can you teach me how to make skills?"
Ember's smile vanished.
"Don't be greedy. Creating skills means manipulating your Astral Energy directly. One mistake, and you lose everything—your class, your skills… everything."
Her tone was deadly serious.
Orion fell silent.
My class is already damaged from the forced awakening…
Better not push my luck this time.
"So," Ember continued, "want to keep training? Your body can now handle a larger portion of the soul fragment."
"…Alright. I'm ready." Orion was also very motivated
They took their positions again.
This time, the pain was just as fierce as before—but it was no longer mind-breaking, thanks to the immense increase in his endurance.
And he didn't black out this time.
He also managed to consume a large portion of the soul fragment, this time, much more than before.
"You're doing great," Ember said, clapping her hands.
"If we keep this up for two weeks, you'll fully absorb it."
Orion felt fired up.
"Then let's keep going."
"Pipe down," Ember snapped.
"Training without proper rest in between is not so efficient–you will die."
She snapped her finger, and a luxurious bed appeared beside him.
"Sleep now. We will continue your training when you wake up. I'm returning to my grave."
After lecturing him for a bit, she vanished.
Orion stared at the bed.
Diamonds. Emeralds. Gold.
But the real treasure—
The cushions.
"… So soft."
The moment he lay down, the bed seemed to pull him in. His consciousness faded instantly.
And within seconds—
He was asleep.