Liam continued his relentless ascent towards the Skyfall Peaks, the air growing thinner, the chill biting deeper with each passing day. The journey was a brutal test of endurance, pushing his powers to their limits. The landscape transformed from lush forest to a barren, craggy wilderness, dominated by towering, snow-capped giants. The wind howled a mournful tune, threatening to rip him from the sheer rock faces.
As he climbed higher, battling not just the elements but the sparse, ice-touched creatures that inhabited these desolate reaches, his System interface registered new adaptations:
> ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE ACQUIRED!
> * Anti-Cold Resistance
> * Anti-Freeze Adaptation
>
His body began to adjust, allowing him to push through the numbing cold that would have long since claimed an ordinary man. He fought ice elementals that coalesced from the very air, and snow leopards with teeth like icicles. With each victory, the experience points accrued, steadily pushing him forward.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of climbing, as he scaled a precarious, ice-glazed ridge, the System screen flickered once more:
> LEVEL UP!
> Liam – Level 101/∞
> * Title: Assassin
> * Strength: 505
> * Agility: 505
> * Endurance: 505
> * Magic: 505
> * Dark Force: 252
> * Green Attributes: 11 (Restoration - Tier 1)
> * Health: 25250/25250
>
The rush of power was subtle but invigorating, confirming he was on the right path. He pressed on, the summit within sight. The air here was frigid, cutting, but it held a strange, acrid scent—like burnt rock and ozone. He knew he was close.
He reached the very peak, a windswept plateau of jagged black rock and eternal ice. Before him, nestled in a caldera that pulsed with an internal, hellish glow, was a sight that stole his breath: Ignis, "The Sky-Scorcher." The dragon's information flashed on his screen, a stark warning of the power he faced.
> ENEMY DETECTED!
> Ignis – Level 150
> * Title: The Sky-Scorcher
> * Strength: 700
> * Agility: 700
> * Endurance: 700
> * Magic: 700
> * Health: 35000/35000
>
The dragon was immense, its scales shimmering with the coppery gleam of molten metal, crackling with arcs of blue lightning. Its eyes, ancient and predatory, glowed with an internal inferno. Steam hissed from its nostrils, and its roars reverberated through the mountains, rattling the very foundations of the world. Ignis was a true apex predator.
But it was not just the dragon that held Liam's gaze. Below, in a makeshift camp near the caldera's edge, he saw them: gaunt figures of all races—humans, smaller dragonkin, and even stoic, humanoid beastmen—all chained, toiling under the watchful eyes of the dragon's reptilian minions. Slaves. The sight ignited a cold fury within him. He wasn't just here for power; he was here to end this tyranny.
Liam stepped forward, his boots crunching on the ice. His presence, though small against the dragon's majesty, rippled through the frigid air. Ignis's head swiveled, its fiery gaze fixing on him. A low growl rumbled deep in its chest, shaking the ground.
"You trespass on my domain, small one," the dragon's voice echoed in Liam's mind, a guttural telepathic roar that vibrated through his bones. "Do you come seeking death? Or do you come to offer yourself as tribute?"
Liam met its gaze, unflinching. "I am Liam. And I am here for your power," he declared, his voice cutting through the wind, infused with an unshakeable conviction. "I serve no one. And I will not tolerate this." He gestured towards the enslaved.
Ignis let out a booming laugh, smoke curling from its nostrils. "Foolish mortal! You speak of service when you stand before a god? I am Ignis! The Sky-Scorcher! Your words are nothing but the pathetic squeals of a rodent!"
With a terrifying roar, Ignis unleashed its might. A torrent of superheated plasma erupted from its maw, followed by jagged bolts of crackling blue lightning that struck the earth around Liam, turning rock to slag and melting ice into instant steam. The air shimmered with oppressive heat and ozone.
But Liam was no longer the boy who had cowered in Oakhaven. His reflexes, honed by years of relentless combat, were superhuman. He blurred, activating "Dark Force Teleport," appearing behind a jagged spire of rock just as the plasma engulfed his previous position. He darted and weaved, a dark, agile phantom amidst the dragon's devastating onslaught.
As Ignis prepared another breath attack, Liam went on the offensive. Instead of dodging, he extended his hands, and the Dark Force flared, swirling into a dense, compact shield of compressed shadows. The dragon's plasma slammed into the shield. The shadowy energy buckled and hissed, absorbing the raw power of the inferno. Liam gritted his teeth, pouring his own Dark Force into the shield, not just to block, but to consume.
"My turn," he growled.
With a surge of will, he reshaped the energy. The shield twisted, compressing the absorbed plasma and his own dark magic into a single, blinding point of violent purple energy. He unleashed it in an instant—a piercing lance of pure power that shot across the caldera and struck Ignis squarely in the chest.
The dragon bellowed, a sound of pure shock and pain, stumbling back as the lance of dark energy tore through its molten scales, leaving a deep, sizzling gash. The System in Liam's mind updated instantly.
> ENEMY STATUS
> Ignis – Level 150
> * Title: The Sky-Scorcher
> * Strength: 700
> * Agility: 700
> * Endurance: 700
> * Magic: 700
> * Health: 32000/35000
>
A grim smile touched Liam's lips. It was possible. The god could bleed.
Ignis, recovering from the initial shock, fixed its gaze on Liam. The amusement in its eyes was gone, replaced by a burning, murderous fury. Its roar was no longer mocking; it was a promise of annihilation. The real battle had just begun.