Ember smirked. "The real hell is just beginning."
For the next several days, Orion's life became nothing short of torture.
Each day followed the same relentless cycle: combat training, consuming the soul fragment, and then enduring the fragment's aura to strengthen his body and soul. But with each passing day, the aura weakened as Orion gradually consumed most of it. Eventually, Ember decided to halt that method.
When Orion had consumed half of the soul fragment, he wanted to merge it with his soul—but Ember quickly denied him. "Merging after consuming all of it will be far more efficient. Yes, it will hurt more—but it'll make your soul stronger."
It was as if she were determined to make him suffer. Orion had to admit—her training had made him far stronger than he had ever been .....but still, he can't help but think she was doing it all just to make him suffer and to satisfy her twisted sadistic desire.
Orion's days went by very slowly.
One time, when Orion tried to complain about the training, Ember didn't even glance at him. She simply vanished—and a moment later reappeared holding a handful of D-rank magic stones. Orion had no idea where she had gotten them; the goblins' stock should have been long gone.
Before he could even react, she shoved the stones into his mouth without a word.
"Don't be lazy. We have a lot more to do today," she said, her sexy voice sounded like poison in Orion's ear
"Beam me up… Jesus", Orion muttered. He was certain he'd die before ever leaving this dungeon.
"What was that?" Ember snapped.
"Nothing… anyway, let's get this over with," Orion replied reluctantly, bracing for another round of hellish training.
This must be what hell feels like.
Ten grueling days passed.
The evidence of his suffering was clear—his body was covered in small cuts. According to Ember, however, the marks made him "even hotter," and Orion couldn't help but agree.
"Right… I guess it's time to check my progress," he said, excitement bubbling over. He hadn't checked his status in ten days, and he couldn't wait to see the results.
Ember leaned over as he opened the interface.
[Status]
[Name: Orion]
[Race: Dragonkin]
[Title: Otherworlder, Holder of the Red Dragon Legacy]
[Rank: D → C]
[Class: Dragonborn (S-Rank)]
[Skills: Appraisal (B), Odorless (B), Flash Movement (A)]
[Attributes:
Strength: 67 → 160
Stamina: 50 → 130
Agility: 40 → 100
Vitality: 62 → 147
Endurance: 80 → 200
Mana: 44 → 122
Astral Energy: 22 → 50 ]
Orion's jaw nearly dropped. He knew he had grown stronger over the past days, but this… this was on a completely different level. His rank had risen, his attributes had exploded, and even his Astral Energy—which Ember had once said was nearly impossible to increase—had surged dramatically.
"My god… I can't believe I'm saying this, but that hellish training… it was worth it," he whispered, tears threatening to spill.
"Your growth is… frightening," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Don't go flaunting your skills or your growth rate when you reach civilization. There are plenty of people out there who would do anything to become stronger."
Orion nodded.
Then, Ember's mischievous spark returned.
"By the way… you never told me about your world," she said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Come on—did you have a girlfriend?, tell me"
Orion smirked. "Of course… she was a tall, cool woman in a black dress…five foot nine, beautifully tall." He quoted from one of his favorite songs.
He was in a great mood thanks to his power growth.
Ember, however, didn't realize he was just joking, and she pouted.
Orion noticed the faint spark of jealousy in her eyes.
"No matter how beautiful she was… she couldn't be more beautiful than me," she blurted out, realizing immediately how she sounded.
She knew she sounded like a jealous girlfriend.
"Come on, it was just a song. I didn't even have a girlfriend… , I was too busy studying."
A while ago, Orion shared a little about his old world—school, technology, politics, and more. Ember listened intently, absorbing every detail. So whenever Orion mentioned his old world, she would have a rough idea of what he was talking about.
"Oh… so you're just a little virgin boy," she teased.
"I'm not! I had plenty of sex" Orion said, looking smug.
"Hmph!" she pouted, "I don't care about your sex life"
Then why did you ask.
"Oh, come on! That was a long time ago. You don't need to be jealous," Orion said, seizing the rare opportunity to tease her back.
Ember's eyes narrowed, and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Jealous? Me? Hmph… don't be ridiculous," she huffed, clearly trying—and failing—to hide her irritation.
Orion felt a pang of amusement at how cute she looked when angry, but wisely decided not to push his luck.
"Okay… I'm sorry. Now can we focus on something important? I think it's time I consume the remaining soul fragment."
"Hmph," Ember snorted, gesturing for him to prepare.
Once again, they took their positions, and Orion began consuming the final portion. This time, the amount was far greater than before, and pain surged through him almost immediately.
After enduring a brief—but intense—wave of pain…
He finally finished.
"Congrats… you did it," Ember said, smiling.
Orion stared at the empty space where the fragment had been. "Ha… ha… ha… I finally did it!" he screamed in triumph.
"Okay… don't get too excited. You still have to merge it with your soul. That's the most challenging part," Ember reminded him.
"Oh, come on," Orion groaned. "Why do you always have to interfere when I'm having a moment?"
"Because I like it," she replied, laughing.
"You really are a sadist," he muttered.
She heard him, but she didn't care. Instead, she produced more high-quality magic stones. Orion ate them and then took a long rest, preparing his body for the dangerous, soul-merging process ahead.
After resting, he felt refreshed and full of energy.
"Are you ready?" Ember asked, serious now.
Orion gulped. "Yes."
They sat cross-legged. Ember began chanting in an ancient, imposing language. The air around them grew heavy and ominous.
Orion sweated buckets but focused intently on merging the souls within him. The pain was excruciating, the red mist surrounding him feeling as if it were burning him alive. Words in an ancient script could be seen among the red mist.
The souls began merging. The pain intensified, unbearable. Orion rolled on the ground, clutching his head.
"Ahhhhhh… agh… ack… aghhhhn!" he screamed.
"Oh… no… no… no… just hold on a little longer… it's almost done," Ember urged, her voice trembling with panic. She could feel that something had gone terribly wrong.
"AGHHHHHHGHHHHHHHH!" With a final, deafening scream, Orion went still.
"No… no… no…" Ember whispered, trembling. She rushed to him, hands shaking as she checked his body.
"Orion… are you alright?" she asked, panic rising as she realized his body had gone cold.
then–
"Noooooooo…"