There are always a few unexpected surprises in life and that's what makes life more interesting. Like you think, you understand something better only to be surprised by it afterwards.

The same thing was currently happening with me as I saw a bright green flame coil around my arm like a maiden in love, clinging to me with the desperate affection of something that didn't know what boundaries were.

This was my affinity.

Arcane Jestfire.

Its description had been simple enough: I could control its heat and shift it however I wanted.

What it failed to mention, though, was the clingy, obsessive and borderline tsundere personality of the damn thing.

I was crouched beside the rubble that blocked the only exit, thinking that if I could melt my way through, maybe, just maybe, I could still reach my investment in time.

But the moment I summoned the flame and willed it toward the rubble, it wrapped itself tighter around my arm like an overprotective lover.

Naturally, I was surprised. I mean, who wouldn't be?

So for the last few minutes, I had been locked in a battle of wills—me trying to send the flame toward the rubble and the flame stubbornly refusing to leave me, like it had abandonment issues.

But no matter what I did… this damn fire just wouldn't listen.

From the abandonment issues, I recalled the girl who had tried seducing me just a few moments ago.

Seraphina.

She was watching my little fire show with wide eyes.

Her earlier nervousness had completely vanished the moment she realized I was just as stuck here as she was. I could almost see the relief wash over her face.

I mean, she was a smart one.

She probably thought that as long as I stayed trapped down here, she didn't have to worry about survival anymore.

After all, it's much easier to stay alive when your strongest card can't leave the table.

I almost couldn't believe she was the same girl who tried that pathetic attempt to seduce and make me stay even when she knew the entrance was blocked.

But in her defence, the situation was like that.

She was freshly trapped and attacked by a disgusting orc bastard before a Prince Charming—yours truly—saved her life after appearing out of nowhere.

Honestly, anyone in her position might've snapped a little. She probably thought I had some cool teleportation powers or some divine escape trick. Which, to be honest, I really wish I had.

So when her lovely little abandonment issues kicked in, her brain probably screamed: "Seduce the magic guy before he vanishes!"

In any case, she now sat on a rock a little distance away from me, watching me struggle with my rebellious flame like it was the most entertaining thing she had seen all day.

Viola cared about her, enough to introduce her to me back on the SkyCruise. And yet here I was, acting like a complete stranger. Not out of malice… but because I honestly found her pathetic.

That's why I had avoided her since the beginning.

She was everything I wasn't.

She loathed herself.

She saw her own existence as a burden to others.

She was the kind of person who would rather fade into the background than take control of their story.

Completely opposite to me.

I didn't loathe myself. I adored myself, sometimes maybe a little too much and maybe that was why I found her annoying.

Fuck… I got distracted again.

I swear my attention span has been getting lower and lower recently.

I focused back on my flames.

I nudged it gently to flow towards the rubble but it swayed a little as if it was going to do that before turning back to my hand.

I swear, I heard a "Hmph!!" Sound in my mind or it might've been just me overthinking.

Either way, it seems my flame is truly a tsundere… and for some reason it's mad with me about something.

Honestly, it was annoying.

Still, the worst thing you can say to a tsundere is Fuck off.

I could currently feel two kinds of fire within me.

One basic.

And one this Jestfire.

Sure, I could've used the normal flame but it didn't have the heat-shifting trick that made the Jestfire so special.

So, I did what any sane and devastatingly handsome man like me would do.

I tried to convince the flame.

Yes. Convince it.

And after a bit of careful coaxing, it finally gave in and I felt something shift.

I didn't like the fact that I would have to negotiate with my own fire every time I wanted to use it… but as if mocking my concern, a new status window popped up before my eyes.

[Arcane Jestfire Has Accepted You as Master]

[New Abilities of Arcane Jestfire is Being Revealed]

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◈ Affinity: Arcane Jestfire

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◈ Description: An evolved flame born from the fusion of contradictions. Arcane Jestfire carries both heat and chill and burns not with rage, but with wit. A flame that jests. A fire that remembers. Neither wholly kind nor cruel, it dances on the edge of meaning, mocking the laws of nature with a cackle.

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◈ Traits:

☉ Dual Temperament: The User may shift freely between searing fire and cold, ghostly flame.

☉ Pyromorphic Form: The flame may adopt any visual form for a while and yet retain its elemental nature.

☉ Ember of Jest: Carries a will of its own but will listen to its user unconditionally.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

As I scanned the new description my eyes widened.

Only one new effect had been added… but, it was a good one.

Not flashy or overwhelming but quietly dangerous. It was the perfect tool for deception.

Definitely something I could use.

A grin crept across my face before I could stop it.

The world really did have a sense of humor, giving the Trickster more ways to trick.

But alas, I didn't have any more time to waste entertaining any more villainous monologue.

With a sigh, I placed my palm against the rubble.

The green flames seeped from my hand, curling through the cracks and licking across the stone's surface.

The temperature rose sharply.

The once-playful flame grew denser, its glow deepening as it devoured my mana faster than anything I had ever felt before.

The heat wasn't just physical.

Sweat started forming on my forehead but I didn't care… I continued pouring my mana… the dark cave stone turned bright orange as its form started melting.

I didn't need to melt the whole pile, just one stone would do.

One well-placed melt and the entire rubble would collapse, clearing the path. It was simple and efficient.

Soon enough, the first stone began to soften under the green flame, its surface glowing faintly before shifting into a molten drip.

The liquid rock hissed as it hit the cold cavern floor,

steam rising through the air.

A faint vibration followed, a quiet, ominous crack echoing through the rubble.

It was working.

Maybe a little too well.

The stones began to shift rapidly, grinding against each other as the structure started to give way.

Without wasting a second, I summoned my Card of Arcana with one hand and flicked it toward the far side of the cavern, still within my domain but safely distant.

I mean, I was far too young, handsome and clever to be dying so soon.

So, the moment that rubble came down, I would teleport straight to the card using [The Magician] effect, which, to be fair, was the only effect I hadn't tested yet.

It was risky for sure but honestly, when has that ever stopped me?

The trembling deepened as the entire chamber rumbled.

The cracks spread fast.

I didn't need a genius to tell me what was about to happen.

"Ah, shit."

That was all I managed before the world above me gave out.

A roar of falling rock swallowed the cavern as tons of rubble came crashing down.

Before the rubble could bury me, I focused on the card, my only exit.

"The Magician."

The command left my lips just as the first boulder came down.

A surge of heat exploded from my chest.

The world went white-green as my body was swallowed by flames.

Boom.

The next moment , the whole world flipped as I reappeared from the card I had thrown a few moments ago.

The fire still clung to me for a second before dissipating.

I straightened up, brushing off the imaginary dust,

and exhaled.

"Well…" I muttered, smirking faintly. "That worked."

The teleportation worked not bad for a test run that could've ended in me becoming modern art under a pile of rocks.

But the satisfaction faded as my eyes lifted toward the newly opened passage.

Because only now did I feel it…

The ominous aura that filled the whole cavern.

Something felt strange and yet… familiar about that aura.

"What the hell…" I murmured, narrowing my eyes. "What is that power?"

I didn't know but I sure as hell was going to find it out soon.

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