A Flame Without Parents
The sky had turned pitch black.
It was the hour racing toward midnight.
Inside a secluded workshop, a man and a woman were engaged in a secretive act.
Shanette swallowed nervously and slipped out of her dress.
Her smooth, pale skin—still unfamiliar even to herself—came fully into view.
The curves of her breasts and thighs looked so sleek they almost seemed to glisten.
Embarrassed, she quickly turned her gaze away.
“Don’t look.”
“No.”
“What?”
Kang Yoonsoo spoke with an indifferent expression.
“I said no.”
“Ehh?”
“Turning my head or closing my eyes is too much hassle.”
Shanette’s face flushed bright red as she glared at him.
She bit her lip, wearing a slightly resentful expression, then cautiously extended one foot toward the furnace.
It wasn’t hot.
At most, it felt like a warm bath.
Ever since receiving the Fragment of Power, Shanette had naturally developed a resistance to heat.
Ordinary flames no longer felt hot to her at all.
She carefully stepped into the large iron cauldron.
The moment the naked Shanette entered the center of the furnace, fierce flames wrapped around her body.
Yet she suffered no burns—not even a single hair was singed.
“Make the fire stronger.”
Kang Yoonsoo said from outside the cauldron.
She had no idea how to control fire, of course.
But strangely, Shanette understood exactly what to do.
The Fragment of Power nestled within her told her what needed to be done.
“Hoo… Hup.”
She took a deep breath.
Her hands traced delicate patterns in the air.
She focused her mind with fierce concentration.
Then something astonishing happened.
The flames that had once been her trauma, the very symbol of her fear, now felt intimately familiar.
The fire was her, and she was the fire.
Reddish flames bloomed around her, intensifying the heat.
Whoosh—!
Clang! Clatter!
The iron cauldron began to shake violently, unable to withstand the soaring temperature.
Kang Yoonsoo idly toyed with the Ring of Life Oppression on his finger.
On the Sylphia Continent, four types of spirits existed.
The fire spirit, Salamander.
The ice spirit, Icicle.
The light spirit, Bright.
The sword spirit, Sharpness.
The spirit Kang Yoonsoo intended to create was a Salamander.
To create a spirit, one first had to prepare the raw material that would form its body.
The material was the most crucial element in spirit creation.
The quality of the material directly determined the strength of the resulting spirit.
The material required to create a Salamander was a dragon’s breath.
Although he had placed the blade of a dragon soldier into the iron cauldron, it was nothing more than a candle flame compared to true dragon breath.
That was why Shanette had entered the cauldron—to raise the heat even higher.
It was to reinforce the foundation of the materials.
From inside the iron cauldron, Shanette let out a soft groan.
“Is this temperature enough?”
“More.”
When Shanette focused harder, the flames grew even more intense.
The iron cauldron twisted as if it would burst at any moment.
“Still not enough?”
“More.”
“Haaah…!”
The overflowing heat spilled outward.
Even Kang Yoonsoo’s face began to sting from the temperature.
But he was not satisfied.
He waited patiently.
Soon, one of the internal mechanisms inside the cauldron failed to endure the heat and exploded with a small pop.
Boom!
“Kyaa!”
“It’s fine.”
Kang Yoonsoo’s emotionless words offered Shanette no comfort whatsoever.
The temperature had reached its peak.
Now even parts of the iron cauldron were beginning to melt.
Shanette grew flustered.
Even for her, this heat was intense.
It was so hot that she could barely stand it.
Unable to endure any longer, she reached toward the iron door of the cauldron.
Clank.
The door wouldn’t open.
The handle had melted from the heat.
She no longer had the strength left to even pound on the door with her fist.
Thud!
A noise came from the iron door.
Crunch—!
Kang Yoonsoo’s greatsword shattered the half-melted iron door.
He reached in, grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her out.
His gloves burned away and the palms of his hands were scorched, but Kang Yoonsoo showed almost no reaction.
“Cough! Cough!”
Shanette suddenly began coughing.
Even the sealed air of the workshop felt cold now.
Kang Yoonsoo pulled her into a tight embrace.
Only then did her body warm up a little.
He took off his outer coat and draped it over her.
“I-is this temperature acceptable now?”
“Yeah.”
At that moment, a blinding light erupted.
The iron cauldron, unable to withstand the heat any longer, was finally about to explode.
The instant shards of molten metal flew in every direction, Kang Yoonsoo extended his right hand, the one wearing the black ring.
Spirit Creation — Salamander
Kwaaaaang—!
The iron cauldron finally exploded.
Red-hot fragments scattered in all directions.
Yet not a single piece flew toward Kang Yoonsoo.
Thick black smoke billowed everywhere.
“Ah!”
Shanette let out a gasp of amazement.
The flames inside the furnace gathered into a single mass.
It gave off a gentle warmth.
The violent, thrashing flames were gently embraced and soothed, forming a round orb floating in the air.
Its shape closely resembled a fetus.
Please determine the gender of the Fire Spirit Salamander.
Male Salamanders possess great strength but are ferocious.
Female Salamanders possess high magic power but are extremely stubborn.
The dragon breath contained within the blade is incomplete.
Without a choice, the spirit’s gender has been set to female.
The condensed fetus generated waves of flame.
Within the brilliant light, a new life began to take shape.
The dragon breath is too weak. The spirit’s age has been reduced.
Its body size has decreased. Its power has dropped. Power -47
Shanette’s warmth has strengthened the spirit’s soul. Magic Power +4
The dragon breath and Fragment of Power have achieved proper harmony. Firepower +12
Only one spirit of each type can be created. The opportunity to create a Salamander has been consumed.
Finally, the form was completed.
A beautiful red glow shone brilliantly.
A girl with scarlet hair tumbled onto the pile of ashes with a soft thud.
“Ouch.”
The girl who had face-planted into the ashes let out a muffled groan.
◈ Can be stored in the summoning category and called forth when needed.
◈ May become angry if summoned in cold places.
◈ The Salamander can transform between human and salamander forms.
Shanette stared at the girl in astonishment.
That little girl was a spirit?
She had heard that spirits were usually fairy-like beings who lent their power without revealing their forms.
The girl looked almost exactly like a human child, except for the clothes woven from fire she wore.
Kang Yoonsoo walked over and lifted the girl who was still buried face-first in the ashes.
She was a girl as red and beautiful as the evening sunset.
She appeared to be no older than ten.
The Salamander looked up at Kang Yoonsoo with a somewhat dazed expression.
“Achoo.”
When the girl sneezed, Kang Yoonsoo turned his head at just the right angle to avoid the spray.
The fire spirit sniffled, apparently cold.
Kang Yoonsoo wiped the ashes and snot from the girl’s face.
Only then did the girl speak for the first time.
“……Daddy?”
“I am not your father.”
Kang Yoonsoo replied expressionlessly.
The Salamander’s face grew slightly anxious.
The girl hurriedly looked around before turning her gaze to Shanette.
“……Mommy?”
“Shanette is not your mother.”
At that, the pretty girl’s face crumpled.
Her large eyes filled with tears, as if she would cry at any moment.
“Daddy. Mommy. Don’t I have any?”
“That’s right. You don’t have parents.”
Kang Yoonsoo spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.
“You are a life I created. You don’t have those.”
“Waaaaah!”
……He had made a newborn cry.