Cain made his way toward the center of the island, where the ground opened into a massive circular crater.
At the bottom, a faint orange glow came from deep beneath the scorched earth.
Heat rose from the crater in waves, making the air above it shimmer.
This was the hottest place on the island.
Cain took a slow breath before carefully making his way down the slope. The ground was loose beneath his boots, forcing him to slow down as he descended.
The deeper he went, the hotter it became.
His skin burned, and each breath felt heavier, but his [Heat Resistance] allowed him to keep going.
When he finally reached the bottom, he steadied himself and looked around.
It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for.
The bastard appeared as soon as Cain arrived.
[Inferno Cinder Rat E-Tier]
It was much larger than the other Cinder Rats.
Its body was lean but heavily muscled, covered in tightly clinging, charred fur that was almost black in some places. Thin, ember-like cracks ran along its limbs, glowing faintly beneath its fur.
Its eyes burned with a bright orange light.
Even from several meters away, Cain could feel the heat coming from its body.
He barely had time to take it in before the Inferno Cinder Rat charged.
It pushed off the ground with its hind legs and rushed toward him.
Cain twisted to the side, but he wasn’t fast enough.
Its claws scraped across his arm, tearing through his clothing and leaving several deep cuts.
"Aaargh!"
Cain stumbled and rolled across the ground, clutching his arm as pain shot through it.
He quickly forced himself back onto his feet.
The Cinder Rat was already coming at him again.
Cain immediately activated [Smoke Puff].
Thick smoke burst from his body, spreading across the crater and blocking the creature’s view.
Cain didn’t stay where he was.
He quickly moved to the side, putting several meters between himself and his previous position.
Against the other Cinder Rats, this had been enough to confuse them.
He expected the same thing to happen here. It didn’t.
A shadow suddenly moved through the smoke.
The Cinder Rat burst out of the haze and appeared right in front of him.
Its claws came down.
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
He raised his blade and activated [Heat Slash].
Heat surged along the blade as he swung.
The Cinder Rat twisted its body at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the attack. Its claws then swept toward Cain’s legs.
Cain quickly pulled his feet back.
The claws scraped against the ground where his legs had been a moment earlier.
Cain immediately countered, bringing his blade down toward its head.
But the Cinder Rat had already moved.
It slipped to the side and avoided the strike before charging again.
This time, it was even faster.
Cain barely had time to react.
The creature slammed into him with its full weight, knocking him onto his back.
The Cinder Rat’s claws dug into his chest as it climbed over him.
Cain grunted and raised his arm, catching it by the neck before it could reach his face.
The Cinder Rat snapped its jaws repeatedly.
Its teeth came dangerously close to Cain’s face each time.
Cain gritted his teeth and activated [Heat Grip].
Heat poured from his palm into the creature’s neck.
The fur beneath his hand began to burn, filling the air with the smell of singed hair.
The rat screeched in pain. But it didn’t back down.
Instead, it pushed harder against Cain’s arm, trying to force its way closer.
Its jaws snapped again.
Cain’s arm began to shake from the strain.
The flames were hurting it, but not enough.
At this rate, the rat would bite him before [Ember Touch] could do enough damage.
Cain gathered his strength and pushed upward with his legs.
He managed to throw the Cinder Rat over his head.
The creature crashed onto the ground behind him.
Cain immediately rolled away and got back on his feet.
He grabbed his blade.
The Cinder Rat was already charging again.
Cain activated [Scorch Dash].
His body shot backward, putting distance between them.
At the same time, he activated [Ignition Zone].
A faint circular mark appeared on the ground beneath him before disappearing beneath the scorched earth.
The Cinder Rat kept coming.
Cain tried to activate [Scorch Dash] again, but the skill was still on cooldown.
He had no choice but to rely on his own speed.
Cain pushed off the ground and jumped backward as the creature reached him.
The Cinder Rat landed directly on the spot where he had been standing.
The mark from [Ignition Zone] suddenly reappeared beneath it.
A second later, the ground erupted.
Flames shot upward, engulfing the Cinder Rat.
It screeched and thrashed inside the fire.
Cain didn’t wait. He knew the flames wouldn’t kill it.
As the Cinder Rat forced its way out of the burning area, Cain stepped forward.
He activated [Heat Slash] and swung his blade.
The heated blade cut across the creature’s face, slicing through both of its eyes.
The Cinder Rat let out a piercing shriek.
Blood poured from its ruined eyes as it stumbled backward.
Now blind, the creature began attacking wildly.
It snapped its jaws and swung its claws in every direction, relying on its hearing and instincts to find Cain.
But Cain stayed close.
He watched its movements and attacked whenever he saw an opening.
Even without its sight, the creature could still react to some of his attacks, but its movements were no longer as precise.
Cain slowly forced it back.
Then the Cinder Rat made a mistake.
It lunged at where it thought Cain was.
The creature’s momentum carried it forward, causing it to stumble.
Cain immediately took advantage of the opening.
He stepped in and swung his blade.
The strike severed one of its limbs.
The Cinder Rat screeched and immediately lashed out in Cain’s direction.
Cain stepped back, then drove his boot upward beneath its jaw.
The kick knocked the creature onto its back.
It struggled to get back up.
Cain didn’t give it the chance.
He closed the distance and swung his blade with everything he had.
The blade cut cleanly through its neck.
The Cinder Rat’s head fell to the ground.
A moment later, its body collapsed beside it.
A system screen flashed before Cain.
[You have killed Cinder Rat]
[You have levelled up]
[You have levelled up]
[Attribute point automatically distributed]
[You have ascended to D Tier]
[All of your skills have been upgraded to D-Tier]
[You have awakened skill Fireball (D)]
[You have awakened the skill Inferno Whip (D)]
Cain stood there, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as his heart pounded in his ears.
All of his skills had advanced, and two new ones had been added.
It was significant. But that wasn’t what held his attention.
[Congratulations, Cain]
[You have passed Phase 1 of the trial: Ember Isle]
[You are now officially a Hero Candidate]
[You can now return to your world, but you will be resummoned for Phase 2]
[Phase 2 will begin in ... days]