Fire exploded from Little White's body, spiraling around him like a blazing inferno before surging forward in a searing wave. The monster's mouth opened, balls of energy surging from it, countering that of Little White's.
Seeing that they had reached a stalemate, Little White summoned more energy, his body trembling from the effort. He felt weak, but giving up was not an option—it only meant death.
AHHHRG!
He yelled as energy burst out from his body. The flame slithered out, encircling the monster. The intense heat forced a whimper from its mouth. The monster paced around, unsure of where to defend itself from. Dread flickered in its eyes as it gazed at the wall of fire surrounding it like a cyclone.
Its black eyes reflected the fiery red flames. For a moment, it stood frozen. It knew it was staring at death's face, but it wouldn't go down without a fight. With the last bit of its strength, balls of energy surged out from its mouth, colliding with the fire wall at every corner.
Its efforts were of no help as the flames descended on it in an angry rush—even its own power seemed to be nothing but a flicker in front of it.
By the time the fire died down, a burnt carcass of the monster came into view, smoke emanating from it, some parts of its body cracking with red-hot color.
Olivia's throat tightened. She should be relieved that he had protected her, but she wasn't. Her hand clenched as she struggled with being grateful or not. Now she realized that the system wasn't lying—she was as good as useless. She felt a pang in her heart at the word 'Useless.'
Her eyes locked on Little White's still-flickering body before drifting lower. She regretted it instantly when he suddenly turned toward her.
She quickly turned her gaze away, a pink blush forming on her cheeks. She hated the fact that she was feeling this way over her pet.
"Olivia," he called out. He hurriedly walked toward her. "Are you okay?" He tried to reach for her shoulders, but she took a step backward, using her hand to cover her chest.
His throat bobbled up and down before he turned his back to her. "We should get going. The real danger is coming." He had noticed that she was not comfortable with him gazing at her body.
"So… are we just going to keep running around naked?" she mumbled, hoping he wouldn't hear. But he still heard her clearly.
Olivia's eyes closed. She pinched the bridge of her nose, frustration surging through her face. She didn't know why they had to end up in such an absurd situation.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Congratulations, you have passed your mission.
Mission Complete: The Flame Bearer has been found. The path to the Land of Ruins begins.]
Little White stared at the screen in front of him with a puzzled look. He didn't read through what was on the screen; rather, he was busy scrolling up and down. 'What is this? Is this also part of being human?' he poked at the screen.
[I would advise you to refrain from touching.]
"Olivia, can you see this?" he called out, but he was still engrossed in it.
Olivia limped closer to him, but she could not see anything. "What is that? I can't see anything," she answered.
'Oh, it seems like I am the only one who could see it,' he thought to himself.
"Nothing. We should get going," he lied. He didn't know how to explain it, or maybe it was supposed to be known by just him.
"Hold on, can you conjure a sword or a knife?" she asked.
He casually conjured a sword. The sword's blade was stainless steel, its edge gold-laced with black intricate pieces of metal. A look of surprise flickered across her face, but she quickly masked it before she took it from him. 'He can even effortlessly conjure a sword.' The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. She turned back, limping toward the carcass. Getting to where it was, she sat beside it. The sword angrily cut through its skin.
'I hope you are edible,' she murmured.
Little White turned toward the screen after he made sure that Olivia wasn't looking at him.
[Choose your reward: A Relic or Basic amenities.]
"What do they mean?" He scratched the back of his head.
[A Relic: An object from the past that continues to exist. It can be useful depending on its properties. It can be magical and powerful.
Basic Amenities: These are clothes, water…]
The system answered his question.
"I choose the clothes," Little White interrupted the system's words. He didn't wait for the system to finish its explanation. Olivia had said they needed clothes, so it was the perfect choice.
[Are you sure?]
"Yes," he nodded his head, his eyes beaming with joy. He was going to surprise Olivia with this. He was sure she would be very happy to see it. Then she wouldn't be grumpy anymore, and maybe she would reward him with a kiss.
A smile tugged at his lips at the thought.
[Granted.]
Clothes, shoes, and bags appeared on his arm.
[This host prioritizes clothing over power. Your enemies will appreciate your fashion sense before they kill you.]
The system closed with a disappointed sigh.
Little White walked toward Olivia, his face beaming like a child who had found a jar of candy.
"Olivia! Look what I found!" His beaming voice called out.
Olivia, who was busy venting her anger and frustration on the carcass body—every stab and slice carved an angry opening into the carcass. 'B**ch, you can't even protect yourself. You can't even control your power. There is nothing you can do anymore.'
She stabbed it again, this time with more force. 'Even Little White is already this strong, while I'm still struggling… And yet, he wasn't always like this, was he? A snake, a dragon… now a man. What exactly is he?'
Her trail of thoughts was interrupted by his face.
'Speaking of the devil.' She turned, her eyes widened. She blinked a couple of times to make sure she was seeing clearly.
'Clothes?'
"Here, quickly get dressed. We should get going now." He handed some clothes to her. His eyes were calm, but his voice betrayed him. He was waiting to see the excitement on her face.
"Where did you get it from?" her brows arched in question. Suspicion clouded her eyes as she eyed the clothes.