Chapter 152: Test

Jet slowly exhaled, only for a stream of golden flames to escape from his mouth.

His eyes widened as he immediately covered his lips, watching the flames disperse into tiny golden sparks that floated through the cave before disappearing.

He lowered his hand cautiously, feeling the extraordinary warmth circulating throughout his body.

It was a strange sensation, almost as though a miniature furnace had taken residence inside his chest, continuously supplying his body with energy.

However, unlike the unbearable agony he’d experienced during the awakening, this warmth was comfortable and surprisingly invigorating.

"What the hell? I haven’t even activated anything yet," Jet muttered, examining his fingers before attempting another careful breath.

Fortunately, no additional flames emerged, although he could still sense the newly awakened power responding to his thoughts.

Jet slowly stood up, his joints producing several faint cracking sounds as he stretched his arms and shoulders.

His body felt stronger and more energetic than before, despite the terrible ordeal he’d just endured.

The passive effects of Solar Physique were already becoming apparent, particularly the enhanced vitality and endurance that accompanied its awakening.

Combined with the Asura Physique, Jet suspected his physical capabilities had improved considerably, although he would need actual combat to determine the extent of those changes.

After retrieving a spare shirt from his inventory, Jet left the cave and pushed aside the vegetation concealing its entrance.

The enormous trees of the Thousand Boughs greeted him, their branches stretching high above the forest floor. However, when he looked toward the sky, he discovered that the sun was already approaching the horizon.

Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting long shadows across the surrounding vegetation.

"Already evening?" Jet remarked, raising an eyebrow. "That awakening must have taken longer than I thought."

He wasn’t particularly concerned. The Beyond was dangerous regardless of the time of day, and he had no intention of leaving without properly testing Ilios.

He adjusted the Vorpal Blade strapped horizontally behind his waist before heading deeper into the forest, searching for monsters that could serve as suitable opponents.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to search for long.

---

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Jet discovered a clearing where six monstrous creatures were gathered around the carcass of an unfamiliar animal.

They resembled enormous hyenas with reptilian characteristics, possessing muscular bodies covered in dark green scales, elongated jaws filled with serrated teeth, and jagged bony protrusions extending along their spines.

Each creature stood nearly two meters tall, and their powerful forelimbs ended in curved claws that appeared capable of tearing through ordinary steel.

The moment Jet focused on the nearest creature, the Red Moon System displayed its information.

[Ding!]

[Beyond Monster Detected!]

[Name: Carrion Spineback]

[Rank: Lesser]

[Type: Pack Predator]

[Attribute: Physical]

Jet examined the creatures with interest. Unlike Mana Beasts, which originated from Earth’s native animals undergoing Bloodline Regression, Beyond Monsters belonged to the strange ecosystems of the Beyond.

Their appearances and abilities frequently differed from anything found on Earth, and some possessed physical characteristics that made their original ancestry impossible to determine.

However, Jet wasn’t particularly interested in studying their biology.

He needed opponents.

"Six Lesser-Rank monsters," Jet murmured, rolling his shoulders. "That should be enough to get started."

He stepped into the clearing.

The nearest Carrion Spineback immediately raised its head, releasing a threatening growl that alerted the others.

Within seconds, all six creatures had turned toward him, their jaws opening as they spread out into a loose semicircle.

Jet smiled and activated Samadhi Flame.

Golden fire erupted across his right forearm before spreading over his shoulder and down his torso.

Within moments, his entire body was surrounded by magnificent golden flames, their movements responding naturally to his thoughts.

Despite the extraordinary heat radiating from them, Jet felt no discomfort. Solar Physique protected him from his own Divine Fire, allowing the flames to flow across his skin without causing injury.

One of the Spinebacks suddenly lunged.

Jet moved.

His right foot struck the ground, releasing a concentrated burst of golden fire that propelled him forward. He crossed the distance almost instantly and drove his burning fist into the creature’s chest.

BOOM!

The impact produced an explosive burst of flames that sent the monster crashing backward, its scales cracking beneath the combined force of his punch and the detonation.

Jet glanced at his fist.

"Now that’s more like it," Jet remarked, grinning.

Before the creature could recover, another Spineback attacked from his left. Jet twisted his body and delivered a spinning kick, his leg becoming engulfed in golden flames as his heel struck the monster’s jaw.

The resulting explosion sent it tumbling across the clearing, leaving a trail of scorched earth behind its body.

Two additional monsters immediately charged.

Jet raised his left hand, allowing the flames surrounding his forearm to extend outward. Rather than releasing them as an ordinary projectile, he shaped the fire into a long, flexible whip that cracked through the air with a sharp report.

The golden whip wrapped around the nearest Spineback’s neck.

Jet tightened his grip and pulled.

The creature was dragged off its feet before he swung it into its approaching companion, sending both monsters crashing into a nearby tree.

The trunk cracked beneath the impact.

Jet released the whip, allowing it to dissolve into scattered golden embers.

He was beginning to understand something important.

Samadhi Flame wasn’t simply an ability that allowed him to produce fire. He could shape, compress, extend, and manipulate the flames according to his intentions, transforming them into weapons or reinforcing his physical attacks.

And because he possessed Weapon Master, using those flame-constructed weapons felt surprisingly natural.

---

The remaining Spinebacks spread out again, apparently recognizing that their opponent was far more dangerous than expected.

However, Jet had deliberately limited the intensity of his flames, allowing the injured creatures to recover enough to continue attacking.

He wanted to experiment with different applications before ending the battle.

One monster approached cautiously from the front while another circled behind him.

Jet extended his right hand.

Golden flames gathered along his forearm before extending beyond his fingers, forming a magnificent sword composed entirely of concentrated Divine Fire.

Its blade was nearly a meter long, with a brilliant golden-white edge surrounded by flickering flames.

Jet examined the weapon briefly before smiling.

"Let’s see how sharp you are," Jet murmured, turning toward the approaching monster.

The Spineback lunged.

Jet stepped forward and swung the flaming sword diagonally.

The blade passed through the creature’s reinforced scales with astonishing ease, leaving a deep burning wound across its shoulder. Before the monster could retreat, Jet reversed his grip and delivered another strike, severing its neck.

The creature collapsed immediately.

Jet didn’t stop moving.

A second Spineback attacked from behind, but he twisted sideways and dismissed the sword, allowing the flames to gather around his elbow instead.

He drove his elbow backward.

BOOM!

The explosive strike connected with the creature’s skull, shattering its armored scales and killing it instantly.

Jet turned toward the remaining monsters, his golden flames intensifying.

He suddenly wondered whether he could create something longer.

The fire surrounding his right arm stretched outward, compressing into a magnificent golden spear with a sharply pointed tip.

Jet gripped the weapon and charged.

His movements were fluid, combining the footwork he’d practiced with Alessandro and the weapon proficiency granted by the Eight-Armed Asura.

He thrust the spear toward the nearest Spineback, deliberately targeting its shoulder rather than its head.

The weapon pierced its scales.

Jet immediately twisted the spear, causing the flames concentrated within its tip to erupt outward.

The monster was thrown backward, its shoulder completely destroyed.

Another Spineback attempted to escape, but Jet accelerated with a burst of flames beneath his feet, appearing directly in its path.

He dismissed the spear and raised both fists.

Golden fire engulfed his arms.

Jet delivered a rapid combination of punches, each strike producing a concentrated explosion that shattered the creature’s scales and drove it backward.

His final uppercut lifted the monster completely off the ground before a violent burst of flames consumed its head.

The creature collapsed.

Within moments, the remaining injured Spinebacks were also dead.

Jet lowered his fists, allowing the golden flames surrounding his body to diminish.

The clearing had been transformed into a battlefield of scorched earth, broken trees, and burning vegetation.

However, Jet was smiling.

"This is incredible," Jet remarked, flexing his fingers. "And I haven’t even used the Asura Arms yet."

The possibilities were almost endless.

He could fight with burning fists, create weapons from Divine Fire, enhance his movements with explosive propulsion, or combine several applications simultaneously.

More importantly, he could integrate those abilities with the Eight-Armed Asura.

Just imagining himself fighting with four arms while wielding multiple flame-constructed weapons was enough to make his excitement grow.

However, before he could continue experimenting, a furious roar erupted from the surrounding forest.

---

The ground trembled as an enormous creature emerged from the undergrowth, crushing several smaller trees beneath its weight.

It resembled the Carrion Spinebacks Jet had just killed, but its body was considerably larger, standing nearly four meters tall at the shoulders.

Thick black scales covered its muscular frame, while several enormous bone spikes protruded from its spine. Its crimson eyes immediately settled upon the corpses scattered across the clearing.

Another notification appeared.

[Ding!]

[Beyond Monster Detected!]

[Name: Carrion Spineback Alpha]

[Rank: Greater]

[Type: Pack Leader]

[Attribute: Physical]

Jet examined the creature before glancing at his right hand.

A Greater-Rank monster.

Perfect.

He had already tested Samadhi Flame extensively against the Lesser-Rank Spinebacks. Now he wanted to discover the destructive capabilities of Ilios’s third innate ability.

Pashupatastra.

The Carrion Spineback Alpha released another furious roar before charging toward him.

Jet didn’t retreat.

Instead, he lowered his stance and extended his right arm.

Golden flames erupted around his body, gathering rapidly along his shoulder and forearm.

Unlike Samadhi Flame’s ordinary manifestations, the energy produced by Pashupatastra immediately began drawing enormous quantities of Mana from his reserves.

Jet’s expression changed slightly.

The consumption was considerably greater than he’d anticipated.

Nevertheless, he continued.

The flames surrounding his arm compressed, becoming increasingly brilliant until the golden fire transformed into an almost blinding white.

Several intricate rings of concentrated Divine Fire revolved around his forearm, while the temperature throughout the clearing increased dramatically.

The charging Spineback Alpha suddenly hesitated.

Its instincts recognized the danger.

But it was already too late.

Jet clenched his fist.

The compressed flames gathered at his knuckles, forming a brilliant concentration of destructive energy.

Then he stepped forward and punched.

"Pashupatastra!" Jet shouted, driving his fist toward the approaching monster.

A devastating torrent of golden-white Divine Fire erupted from his punch.

The attack struck the Carrion Spineback Alpha directly in the chest.

For a fraction of a second, the surrounding forest became completely silent.

Then everything exploded.

BOOOOM!

An enormous eruption of golden-white flames engulfed the Greater-Rank monster, incinerating its body almost instantly. The destructive energy continued expanding, tearing through the surrounding forest with terrifying force.

Enormous trees were reduced to burning fragments.

The ground split apart beneath the overwhelming heat, while rocks melted into streams of glowing magma.

Within moments, everything across a hundred-meter area had been consumed by the explosion.

A colossal pillar of golden fire surged toward the sky, illuminating the Thousand Boughs as though a miniature sun had suddenly appeared within the forest.

Jet staggered backward, his right arm trembling violently.

His Mana reserves had fallen sharply, and a painful strain spread through his muscles and Mana pathways.

However, his attention remained fixed upon the destruction before him.

When the flames finally subsided, the once-dense clearing had become a devastated expanse of blackened earth and molten stone.

The Carrion Spineback Alpha had been reduced to burnt fragments.

Jet stared at the enormous crater.

"Holy shit..." Jet whispered, his eyes widening.

He had expected Pashupatastra to be powerful.

But this was far beyond anything he’d imagined.

He slowly examined his trembling right hand before looking toward the devastation stretching across the forest.

That attack had been unleashed by a 2-Star Awakener.

And Ilios was only his second awakened Divine Rune.

A grin gradually spread across Jet’s face.

"If this is what two Divine Runes can do..." Jet murmured, clenching his fist as the remaining golden embers drifted through the air.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen when all ten were finally awakened.