The journey had finally begun—a journey that was not merely a passage through space, but a crossing from the shores of childhood and weakness to the banks of absolute power and dominance. The master, Hwan, walked with steady, deliberate steps that concealed a speed beyond human perception, while his disciple, Rin, followed closely behind. Rin's unique, unblinking eyes scanned the horizon as if searching for a truth long forgotten by the world. The path was treacherous; the mountain terrain rose like jagged stone fangs attempting to thwart their progress, and the air grew colder with every step toward the heart of the peaks. Yet, Rin's resolve was like a glowing coal hidden beneath the ashes, waiting for the wind to ignite it.
As night fell, a heavy darkness cloaked a small village nestled in the mountains—a village that seemed erased from the ledger of time. There, in a silence that bred suspicion, a piercing scream erupted. It was the cry of a woman, tearing through the stillness like a poisoned dagger. Rin did not hesitate for a single heartbeat. His body launched forward like an arrow from a taut bow. With a single strike, he shattered the wooden door of the house, finding himself face-to-face with the Frost Fox, the very beast whose brothers Hwan had slain in the past.
Rin spoke in a voice dripping with menace: "You treacherous wretch... did you think the shadows of night would hide your claws from our sight? What business do you have here among the weak?"
The fox trembled as it glimpsed Master Hwan's silhouette standing outside and fled through the window in terror. Rin bolted after it, leaving his master to protect the family, initiating a frantic chase through the dense forest. The fox leaped with the grace of a phantom, attempting to lure Rin into a calculated trap, but Rin blindsided it with a punch to the jaw that left the beast reeling in shock. The fox thought as it spat blood: (This boy... he is no longer just a disciple. His speed defies logic, and his mental sense pierces the darkness as if he sees with a non-human mind!).
Suddenly, dozens of red eyes emerged from the gloom of the forest. A full pack of beasts had surrounded Rin. But Rin felt no fear; instead, he felt something far stranger—the beast dormant within him began to smile. His features sharpened, becoming cold and terrifying. He moved among them like an invisible wraith, striking to kill and moving to vanish. He applied the lesson of "avoiding the rain" in its most magnificent form; if he could avoid raindrops for an entire night, how could the blades and claws of beasts even graze him? Bodies fell one after another until it ended with Rin tearing the heart of the last fox out with his bare hands, after hearing cryptic words about a "Great Ice Wall" and a larger world inhabited by death itself.
The Path of Flame: Birth of the Heir
After returning to the Master and resting in the home of the migrant family, they resumed their trek toward the Cave of Dusk. Along the way, Rin asked with a voice full of passion: "Master... I have seen the power of the foxes and the strength of our foes. Is it time for me to learn your style? Is it time for the 'Flame Technique'?"
Hwan stopped and looked at his disciple with a profound gaze. He pointed to Rin's chest and said: "It is already there, my son... in your heart. Fire is not manufactured; it is summoned. Ordinary warriors control energy, but you—the Flame has chosen you to be its heir. Your unblinking eyes are the nexus where heat particles have gathered since the day we met."
Rin began his training under Hwan's supervision. He closed his eyes, attempting to conjure the latent heat in his veins. At first, his energy nearly consumed him from within, but under his master's guidance, he learned to tame that fiery beast. He watched his master shape a bird from fire and wind, and Rin wanted to leave his own mark. With a fluid, circular motion, Rin erupted a vortex of fire. Moreover, he managed to manifest a "Flame Clone" of himself that walked side-by-side with him—an achievement that stunned Hwan, who had taken years to reach such precision.
In the Depths of the Dusk Cave: Confronting the Master of Webs
They finally arrived at the mouth of the cave, a place that made the strongest hunters tremble. Hwan spoke with a tone of both farewell and pride: "Here my role ends and yours begins. This cave is your final trial. Your mission is to purge it of every beast that dares cross your path. I will wait for you here... do not fail the eyes that watch over you."
Rin entered the cave, greeted by a silence as heavy as the grave. He cast a "Kinetic Field" extending ten meters around him. As he ventured deeper, the foul stench intensified, and the tunnels widened. Suddenly, the air vibrated with a sharp "hissing" sound. High-speed arrows made of a hardened substance launched toward his chest, but Rin, with his mental sense, tilted his body by mere millimeters. The arrows whizzed past him, shattering against the rocks.
From the dark ceiling of the cave, a massive creature descended—a spider the size of a horse, covered in skin as rough as scales, with multiple eyes gleaming with malice. The spider spoke in a distorted, human-like voice:
"A brave human... or a foolish one? You have entered the 'Spider's Grotto,' where the threads are merciless and escape is impossible. I will turn your body into food for my children, and those eyes of yours will be jewels in my crown."
Rin stood firm, feeling the heat coursing through his veins. He replied with a chilling coldness:
"I have heard this script from beasts before you, and they are now beneath the earth. You are but an insect that has overstepped against one whose power you do not comprehend. Do you truly think your flimsy threads will hold against a flame that melts stone?"
There, Rin stood amidst the darkness, his eyes glowing with a red spark, as the spider began to weave its lethal webs around the cavern with staggering speed. So, how will Rin deal with this first obstacle? Will he rush forward with his physical might to tear those threads apart, or will he unleash the newly mastered "Flame Style" to turn the grotto into a raging inferno? And how will his unique eyes react to the spider's treacherous speed?