Jon tapped on the [Green Fire Orb] icon, and a small blue system window unfolded in front of his eyes.
[Green Fire Orb
Consumption: 5 MP
Level: 1]
That was all. No description, no damage values, no casting time—nothing. Jon frowned in confusion, expecting more information. Before he could dwell on it, the demon's voice stirred in his mind.
'Ah, so my favorite ability made it through. I created it myself.'
Jon blinked, unsure how to respond. A part of him wanted to ask questions, but another, larger part, decided it was safer not to. Instead, he pushed the thought aside and started scanning his surroundings. He needed a target to test it on.
After several minutes of quiet, cautious movement through the brush, he spotted something. A rabbit—not an ordinary one, but a pale grey creature with twitching ears and a single black horn protruding from its forehead. The horn was at least four centimeters long, sharp and glossy.
Jon ducked behind a bush and observed it carefully.
[Horned Hare – Level: 3]
He narrowed his eyes. It was around his level—perfect for testing.
He tried to summon the orb by sheer will, but nothing happened. He gritted his teeth in frustration, but then the demon's calm voice flowed into his mind again, as though it had been waiting.
'Your mana gathers around your heart and flows through your blood. You need to redirect it. Focus on your palm—guide it there. Once you feel it, say the name of the spell in your head.'
Jon exhaled slowly and followed the instructions. He closed his eyes, visualizing the blood in his veins and imagining a stream of energy branching toward his palm. The moment he tried to push it there, his entire arm tingled, his veins buzzing under his skin like live wires.
Then it stopped.
His small green palm began to tremble. He clenched his jaw and, in his mind, whispered:
Green Fire Orb.
Suddenly, the veins in his hand lit up with a dark green glow. A small orb swirled into existence above his palm, crackling with green flames. It floated there, burning with an eerie, unnatural light.
[MP: 25/30]
Jon didn't hesitate. He locked eyes on the horned hare, extended his arm, and hurled the orb forward. It moved faster than he anticipated, streaking through the air like a comet.
The moment it struck, the rabbit screeched, engulfed in emerald fire. Its fur shriveled, flesh cracked and twisted, and within seconds, the once-living creature was nothing but a blackened skeleton curled in the grass.
[You killed the Horned Hare – Level: 3 – +30 XP]
[XP: 105/200]
Jon stared at the charred remains, wide-eyed, mouth ajar. He hadn't expected it to be so violent, so absolute. He had conjured death with a whisper and a thought.
And in his head, the demon laughed—a rich, deep, satisfied laughter that echoed like thunder in a cave.
'Hahahahahaha!'
Jon's body tensed, but the laugh didn't feel mocking. It was more like… celebration.
He shook himself from his awe and suddenly remembered the sword he had looted from that dead adventurer. He quickly opened his inventory, selected it, and the weapon materialized in his hand with a soft shimmer.
The blade wasn't anything impressive—iron, dull-edged, plain—but it was much better than the rusted dagger he'd been using. It fit well enough in his hand, though holding it was awkward. His long, bony goblin fingers didn't grip the hilt naturally.
Still, it would do.
He gave it a few testing swings, feeling the weight, the resistance in the air. Not elegant, but usable.
"Now I should test my strength in practice," he muttered to himself.
With newfound confidence and bloodlust barely cooling beneath his green skin, Jon turned away from the skeleton of the hare and stepped deeper into the forest, vanishing into the growing shadows beneath the trees.