Me, the Heavenly Killing Star?

Seeing the Cradle: Mage Gallery freak out made me chuckle.

"They're really hyping it up."

I got that they wanted to celebrate a newbie like me after so long, but these guys were going overboard with their reactions. If I let it go to my head and flew too high, the fall would hurt.

From their usual posts alone, it was clear they were mages on a whole different level from me.

'Doesn't work on me.'

It was just a flame the size of a baseball, at best.

It had briefly soared into the night sky before fizzling out.

In rank terms, an F-rank hunter's level of power. Objectively speaking, a pretty trivial achievement.

A lighter with strong firepower might even be more convenient and practical.

But a lighter works through science—gas release and friction.

That's why anyone could use it. My insight was something far more fundamental.

[Humans can kindle fire simply by intensely desiring to wield □□.]

A concept that hadn't existed in this world until moments ago.

A burning sensation had swept through my body once, etching the answer to that blank into my brain.

"□□."

I could open my mouth to explain, but for some reason, the word stuck in my throat like a fishbone.

'Restriction.'

That was the conviction that hit me. Insights into magic couldn't be uttered aloud.

Another change was the cold energy pooling inside me.

'This must be what they call mana.'

Magic defies the laws of the world. It was only natural to pay a price each time it was used.

'At this rate, I could use it more than ten times a day.'

But the firepower was lacking.

You couldn't take down a B-rank disaster like Arakhan with F-rank flames.

Was there a way to boost its performance?

As I pondered while staring at the grimoire—

To my surprise, the blank space now listed the magic I'd just learned.

The key details ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were "1st Tier" and "1/10."

"No way…."

With that strange conviction, I extended my hand beyond the balcony again.

"Ignite."

I didn't even check the flame flying off—my eyes were fixed on the grimoire.

"It's here, fuck yeah!!"

I yelled without thinking. Jackpot. The grimoire's meaning was clear: eight more uses, and my flame magic would grow.

In this shit situation, hope was starting to peek through, bit by bit.

This is doable.

'Guess there's no law saying I have to die.'

I went for one more. As I thrust my hand out beyond the balcony again—

"What kind of lunatic shoots fireworks from home at this hour?! Let us sleep, for fuck's sake!"

The upstairs neighbor's justified complaint made me stop immediately. Neighborly consideration mattered. Even if I had a week until death.

Time to find a spot where I wouldn't bother anyone. As I threw on a jacket against the chilly weather—

"Huh?"

A nagging feeling like I'd forgotten something made me glance at my right forearm.

'The burn is healing.'

It should have been a severe burn that would scar. Come to think of it, the pain had stopped a while ago.

'I thought it was just dopamine from casting magic for the first time.'

Recalling the grimoire, there had been a line about gaining flame resistance at the same level.

'Feels like I'm becoming less human….'

In a daze from the shock, I fiddled with my forearm, now covered in fresh skin.

Still, I had to do what needed doing.

In case someone spotted me, I'd come pretty far out for a quick getaway.

I'd chosen a neighborhood of abandoned houses slated for redevelopment.

Rumors had dragged on for years without action, leaving it deserted.

Perfect for secretly practicing magic.

"Ignite!"

Fwoosh!

The flame hit the iron wall, leaving scorch marks.

"Ignite!"

Fwoosh!

I kept repeating it. From the fourth time, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I stopped just grinding reps. What I ultimately had to fight wasn't an iron wall—it was a living monster.

Magic control.

Contrary to expectations, it was surprisingly smooth; I could strike the desired spot on the wall easily.

Next, faster.

"Ignite!"

Whoosh! Adding a bit more mana let me control the flame's speed too.

Was this supposed to be this easy? A twinge of doubt, but no worries.

I had dozens of senior mages to answer my questions.

'These guys have such filthy mouths.'

In a way, I got it.

From what I'd sensed so far, mages who could enter the Cradle were incredibly rare—maybe one per dimension.

No one to face-to-face share dilemmas or breakthroughs with.

Training alone in their rooms, connecting only through this community—they were bound to lose their social graces.

In the meantime, new comments popped up.

'Even reliable Sage bro….'

Should I thank him for the help or get pissed? First time in my life hearing someone spit out crap like that.

One thing was clear: he was just another average crazy mage.

Tsking my tongue, I resumed training.

"Ignite!"

I sensed something off on the eighth cast. My head felt foggy, like it was shrouded in mist.

"Huh?"

For a moment, my legs buckled beneath me, and I faceplanted onto the ground.

Drip, plop.

Cold sweat poured out as blood trickled from my nose. The mana in my body drained away, rapidly depleting my mental energy.

I craved something sweet.

"Ughhh…."

Smack!

I slapped my own cheek hard. My mind snapped clear.

'I don't wanna die yet.'

A simple principle anyone would have. If I could survive just one more day, I was confident I'd do anything.

It wouldn't be forever. Just hold out a week.

"Ignite."

Fwoosh!

Bright light flashed between the abandoned houses. At the same time, the grimoire appeared before my eyes.

I'd finally filled the grimoire's quota of ten casts.

Just like when I first acquired the spell, a dizzying headache assaulted me.

A acrid burnt smell from my nose, my brain felt like it was on fire. The difference was that this fire felt hotter and larger.

After the brief agony passed, I could feel my understanding of flame magic had deepened.

'So this is 2nd Tier? Train it 50 more times for 3rd Tier?'

A profound sense of fulfillment from the new magical insight washed over me. My foggy mind cleared like a lie.

I wanted to test my achievement right now.

"Ignite."

Swoosh—all remaining mana in my body got sucked out. The flame gathering at my fingertips was incomparable to before.

'At least C-rank!'

Having watched plenty of hunters during my civil servant days, I could tell.

2nd Tier magic was no joke. The flame's power was swelling to a terrifying degree.

'Safe to fire?'

I even worried about that.

The heat brushing my face was on another level from 1st Tier. My heart pounded thump-thump.

In the end, I couldn't hold back the urge to unleash it outward.

These were just ruins anyway. They'd be trampled by disaster in a week.

Fwoooosh!

The flame cleaved through the darkness and hurtled toward the iron wall… but didn't hit it.

Whoosh!

"Huh?"

Just before impact, the fireball's trajectory bizarrely curved. Upward, then right. Left again. Like a guided missile with a clear target.

And then.

BOOM!

"Gaaaaaaah!"

A man's scream shattered the night. Right after the fireball landed.

What the hell? What was that, really?

If I looked in a mirror now, my face would surely be drained of all color. Did I control it? No way.

That level of spell manipulation was impossible for me.

'I didn't even know anyone was there.'

I couldn't comprehend what had happened.

Still, my legs moved to handle the aftermath. Please don't be too late. After rounding a few alleys, I reached the ruins still radiating heat.

"…."

A man engulfed in flames lay there. Skin charred crisp, no movement at all.

"You okay?"

No response, naturally.

He was dead. I'd killed someone by accident while practicing magic.

It didn't feel real at all. Standing there blankly, a sudden doubt crept in.

'Accident? Was that really an accident?'

The trajectory had been blatantly intentional.

If something weird happened to me out of the blue, nine times out of ten there was one reason.

"Grimoire!"

As I gritted my teeth, the Forbidden Book of Divine Punishment materialized in my palm.

"Your doing?"

Flutter!

As if answering, the pages turned, revealing text.

"You're fucking insane…."

Memories swirled chaotically.

The corner store owner's advice that nothing in life was free.

Sage's warning that every miracle demanded a price.

And my own carelessness in glossing over the clearly stated terms.

<2. Punish evil.>

That's what this shit meant?

My head throbbed from the mental whiplash, but there was no helping it. Even if I could turn back time, I'd have signed anyway.

'Heavenly Killing Star, huh….'

My head pounded.

'Since I had no intent to kill, it picked a victim on its own.'

No wonder the Cradle mages shunned grimoires like this.

"Hoo."

I let out a short sigh and looked at the corpse. Enough whining—time to deal with the mess.

But then.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Listening closely, a strange noise came from nearby bushes. Approaching, I found a woman in the darkness, limbs bound, collapsed.

"Agh! Hunter, you're a hunter, right? Thank you so much for saving me!"

As I peeled the duct tape from her mouth, she bowed repeatedly.

Taking in her disheveled clothes from rough handling and the man's neatly folded underwear nearby, the situation clicked instantly.

Come to think of it, the corpse had its pants off. I couldn't help but smile genuinely.

"Wow, talk about lucky."

The woman blinked in confusion at my relief.

"Y-yes…?"

"A guy who deserved to die bit the dust. Was worried it'd blow up. Anyway, I'm kinda busy right now."

No one would care about an unidentified criminal's body.

With disaster looming, it'd get shelved without proper investigation.

Not having to hide the corpse was a huge stroke of luck. I was already at my limit; the thought of shoveling like some hike from hell made me dizzy.

"Let's call tonight a forgettable accident. For your sake too. You get what I mean?"

"Y-yes, of course."

Her face was still frozen in horror, like she'd seen a cockroach—probably hadn't shaken off the shock.

What a horrific crime. Definitely a clear-cut evil, that rapist.

'Glad the contract's straightforward.'

Punish evil, huh.

If it'd been some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upstanding citizen, my sleep would've been wrecked for days.

Blocking criminals? Hell, just say the word next time! Now I could stretch out and sleep easy.

After seeing the woman hurriedly flee the scene, I pocketed the rapist's wallet from his pants and stood.