“So, you do not plan to explain that thing?” Igris asked.
“Shadow of Malice, a malicious creature or substance whose cause of appearance is unknown. It can be killed. It launches surprise attacks from behind when the person being tracked loses sight of it. It is very similar to the Tracking Shadow, but the latter is not aggressive and will not be seen by a second person.” Pasa seemed to also understand that he could not hide it from the curious Igris, so he explained in a flat tone.
“You just arrived here, right? Then you probably do not know the specific situation of this city. I can only tell you… it is best not to go out at night. No matter what your previous identity was, this place is far more dangerous than it looks.”
“But we are even chatting on the street.”
“That shadow is the retribution.”
This person was indeed somewhat annoying when he spoke, but he did not seem to have any intention of probing deeply into Igris’s identity.
Or rather, did he actually know something?
“So?”
“We need to return to the station. Chrisuna’s disappearance is a very serious matter. The longer it drags on, the less safe she is.” Pasa thought for a moment, then still opened Igris’s handcuffs.
“Did you not say it was regulation?”
“Regulations are meant to bind honest people.” He was not an honest person, at least not now.
“All right, I should thank you.” Igris moved her elbow and looked at the night around her, slightly frowning.”Did you smell it?”
“If what you want to ask about is that faint burnt smell, then yes, we should go.” Afterward, this officer, completely disregarding Igris behind him, suddenly began to run.
“You know… I might not be very good at physical exertion…”
Igris looked at Pasa, who had suddenly started running, and hurriedly ran after him, but because this body’s stamina was truly too poor, she could not hold on even after running for two minutes.
“Wait… wait for me… no… damn it…” Igris tiredly supported her knees with both hands, gasping for breath.
Her lungs burned painfully, and every step even felt like tearing muscle.
But the danger behind her would not show tenderness.
Along with a more intense burnt smell, Igris instantly dropped to the ground.
The next moment, a strange flying object passed over her head and landed on the road before her.
Countless surging flames began to burn out of thin air, even wrapping her within them.
The high temperature continuously roasted Igris’s body, also making her slightly break into sweat.
Outside the ring of fire, a figure slowly walked over.
Its body seemed as if burned, and a huge burnt smell also appeared in the surrounding air, even making Igris’s breathing become especially difficult.
Igris knew what this was, so she also knew she was most likely in danger now.
Ember, a humanoid anomalous creature.
Its true body is a charred human.
It will actively attack humans and ignite them by setting fire, until the other party loses their life.
Only then will the Ember disappear, but people killed by the flame will become the next Ember.
Just like its name, it burns fiercely and endlessly.
The way to deal with it was also very simple: run.
The Ember fears the warmth of home, so it will actively stay away from human gathering places.
And Igris’s current situation of being alone was precisely the most dangerous.
“Hah… Can I handle it… with this body as it is…?” Igris cursed inwardly, but this was not her fault.
After all, if Pasa were here, she probably would not be so dangerous, at most getting burned.
But now, she probably had no chance to escape at all.
“Tch… Can we make peace?”
The charred figure probably did not have the ability to answer either.
It crossed the ring of fire, and flames once again ignited on its body, like burning charcoal, gradually approaching Igris.
Igris could even hear the flames crackling on its body, and could feel the increasingly scorching temperature approaching before her, almost about to burn her.
She slowly retreated, but behind her was a higher wall of fire, blocking her path.
What should be done at a time like this?
What would a legendary investigator do?
Igris did not know, but she was prepared to try a brawl.
Waiting to die had never been her style.
“Go to hell!”
Igris looked at the approaching figure and directly kicked out.
The surging flames instantly climbed onto her body, almost igniting her skin.
But likewise, the other party’s body was also sent flying by this kick, stumbling and falling to the ground.
The flame was still burning, still scorching Igris’s body, igniting her limbs and skin, trying to melt her flesh and bone marrow.
But she did not care.
She did not care at all.
No one could kill her and remain safe.
No one.
Not even the flame itself, let alone this never damned piece of charcoal before her!
Bang!
Igris once again charged at the figure lying on the ground, completely ignoring the blazing flames on its body, and directly grabbed its neck, probably its neck this?
After all, from the bodily structure, it indeed seemed so.
Severe pain spread through her palm.
Her flesh was almost instantly ignited, emitting a terrifying crackling sound.
But the next moment, Igris’s fist heavily smashed into its face.
One punch after another, the force growing greater, her body growing more painful, and her fury growing ever stronger.
Finally, when she felt it was not enough to vent her anger and was preparing to use her only remaining leg to step on it as well, the surrounding wall of fire suddenly went out. Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.
And before she could react, that charred figure extinguished the flames on its body and ran away without looking back.
Yes, ran.
Was beaten away.
This was probably the first example?
Igris did not know, but she had thought it could be beaten away.
“Hah… I really wish my investigator notes were still here. I definitely have to write this down.”
…
[Your madness makes even the flame itself feel fear. You won, you are the Ember itself. Obtained title: Flame Frenzy. ——You do not fear the temperature of flames. Igniting yourself only makes your injuries recover faster. Note: You are probably the first person to beat back an Ember. It probably needs to consider changing to a safer “profession,” after all, where there is one, there are two, and where there are two, there are three.]
…
The prison formed by flames slowly dissipated, and Pasa’s figure also appeared before Igris again, looking toward the flames on her fist that had not yet been extinguished.
“What did you do?”
“Saved myself, and incidentally beat it up.”
Igris shook the flames off her hand, completely extinguishing them, and looked somewhat reproachfully at Pasa.
“You left me behind. Or rather, you never thought about protecting me at all?”
“I just did not expect you could solve it yourself.”
Pasa swung the portable fire extinguisher in his hand, probably something he had moved from somewhere by the roadside, but this indeed also made Igris feel much better.
After all, this fellow had not truly decided to abandon her.
But this title also seemed even stronger than imagined.
Not fearing flames, and even able to recover injuries from flames.
Igris might consider becoming a firefighter.
This was probably the most powerful title she had obtained, though the conditions were indeed somewhat special.
Repelling flames?
This concept itself was probably hard to understand.
“Since you are fine, then do not stand there dazed. We are almost there.”
“Is your nighttime commuting always this dangerous?”
“Today is an exception. Perhaps because there is an extra burden by my side.”
“I hope you have an internal complaint system.”
“There indeed is one, but I am in charge of it.”
“No wonder.”
+++
T/N: I suddenly understand why the title says she’s not an investigator.
It all comes down to throwing hands.