The wind howled through the cave, slamming dust and gravel into Liam's face. The Alpha Wind Wolf stood across from him, its body half-shrouded in spiraling gusts that shimmered like glass. The beast's eyes gleamed with cruel intelligence.
Liam's lungs burned. Every breath felt heavy. His mana core pulsed weakly — a dull ember where there should have been flame.
If I misstep once… I die.
He straightened, sweat rolling down his temples. Fire flickered around his fists, weak but steady. "You're not the first monster to look down on me," he muttered, voice low, defiant.
The alpha's ears twitched. Then — a blur of motion.
Wind exploded. The creature vanished, appearing at Liam's flank. Claws sliced through the air, trailing thin arcs of compressed wind. Liam barely twisted aside; the edge of the blast grazed his arm, drawing a deep line of blood.
"Too fast," he hissed. He rolled, slamming his fist into the floor, and flames erupted around him, forcing the wolf to leap back.
The two circled each other. The cavern lights pulsed with shifting shadows — firelight against stormlight.
Liam steadied his breath. You rely on wind pressure for acceleration… but the tighter that pressure, the easier it is to detonate.
He lowered his stance and whispered, "Let's change the rhythm."
He dashed forward, flames trailing his steps. The alpha countered, the air around it slicing like blades. Liam ducked under one, blocked another with his forearm, and swung a burning hook.
Impact.
A burst of sparks.
The wolf roared, its shoulder singed. It retaliated instantly, a spiraling gust blasting Liam backward into a rock wall. Pain jolted through his ribs; his fire sputtered, threatening to go out.
He coughed blood. "You hit… harder than you look."
The alpha prowled closer, sensing weakness. Its body shimmered, half-ethereal, as it gathered wind into a storm sphere in its jaws.
Liam's heartbeat thundered in his ears. His vision swayed.
I'm at my limit. But… he clenched his fists, flames flickering faintly. If I'm dying, I'm taking you with me.
He inhaled deeply and began condensing his mana — drawing every last ember in his body into his chest. His veins glowed faint orange. His skin felt like it was tearing apart from the heat.
The alpha fired.
The air screamed. The spiraling wind sphere shot toward him, tearing up the floor in its wake.
Liam roared back, thrusting both hands forward.
A beam of fire burst out — unstable, ragged, and blinding. The condensed flame burned white at the core, screaming as it collided with the wind blast.
The entire cave lit up.
For a moment, time froze.
Then — boom.
The explosion shook the mountain. The shockwave threw Liam backward; rocks rained from the ceiling, fire licking the air. The alpha was hurled across the cavern, smashing into a wall with a bone-shattering crack.
Liam hit the ground hard, rolling across the scorched floor. His breath came in shallow gasps. The fire along his arms had extinguished completely, leaving his skin blistered and raw.
He pushed himself up, vision blurry. Across the smoke-filled cave, the alpha staggered, its once-shimmering fur burned black at the edges. Its left eye was gone, a melted ruin.
It still stood.
"You've… got to be kidding," Liam whispered hoarsely.
The wolf howled, a desperate, wounded sound. It gathered wind again, but its control faltered — the currents were uneven, wild.
Liam's gaze hardened. "This ends now."
He pulled his right arm back, summoning the last trace of mana in his body. Instead of forming a full beam, he compressed it into a small sphere within his palm — unstable, trembling.
"Condensed fire beam… round two," he rasped.
He stepped forward, thrust his palm forward, and released it.
The blast tore through the air — not as wide or brilliant as before, but far denser. It punched straight into the alpha's chest, drilling through fur and flesh.
The beast staggered, howling one last time before collapsing. The echo faded into silence.
Liam fell to one knee, gasping. The heat from his attack had nearly cooked the air itself; smoke rose from his hands. He stared at the fallen alpha, its wind aura slowly dissipating like mist in sunlight.
Finally, the system's cold chime rang in his mind:
> [Quest Complete: Kill 10 Wind Wolves]
EXP Gained: 3000
Random Reward: Pending…
He laughed weakly, falling backward. "About… time."
The cavern ceiling cracked. Bits of stone fell near him, but he didn't move. He was too tired to care.
He looked at his burned hands. The skin was red, trembling. "Still… couldn't stabilize it. Too much output, not enough focus."
His eyes drifted to the alpha's body — still faintly glowing from residual heat. Despite the pain, he couldn't help but feel pride. He'd fought something far stronger than himself… and won. Barely.
"Guess… I'm getting there," he muttered.
He tried to stand, but his legs gave out. Instead, he crawled toward the edge of the cavern, where the night sky peeked through a narrow crack. A faint breeze brushed against his face, cool and gentle.
Outside, the forest was silent — the lesser wolves scattered after their alpha's fall. Only the sound of crackling embers filled the air.
Liam closed his eyes, leaning against the stone wall. "I need a mana potion… before I pass out."
He fumbled through his pouch with shaking hands, pulling out a small glass vial. The liquid inside shimmered faint blue. He uncorked it and drank in one gulp.
Relief spread through his veins like a cool tide. His breathing slowed, his vision steadied.
"Not enough to fight again," he murmured, "but enough to walk."
He glanced once more at the alpha's corpse, its body flickered revealing glowing crystal in its chest.
A smile crept across his face. "A core, huh? Guess I'll take that."
He pried it loose, holding it up to the moonlight streaming through the crack. The gem pulsed softly, a swirl of blue and white within.
" maybe I can form new techniques for my lightening "
His voice was faint, exhausted, but laced with quiet determination.
As he stepped toward the cave's exit, his flames flickered once — no longer wild, but controlled, steady, refined.
Behind him, the alpha's ashes scattered into the air, carried away by the wind it once ruled.