Chapter 29

"Did you say you're going to tell me my attribute now?"

Raon frowned as she looked at Rimer's disheveled hair and clothes. It seemed she didn't believe him at all.

"You have the eyes of someone who's seen a fraud."

Rimer bent slightly and chuckled.

"I may be a bit lazy, but my teaching is solid, you know."

"..."

That was true. Although his method didn't bring many students, he did take responsibility for the growth of a few.

"Stop doubting and come with me."

"Isn't this the place?"

"Of course not. Get ready and follow me."

"...Understood."

Raon went into the room and took out her outer coat.

-What a day to run into a pointy-eared elf at dawn. My luck is bad today.

'So what? We meet every time.'

She put on the coat and left the annex.

"Where are you going?"

"To Bukmang Mountain."

Rimer pointed to the mountain that rose behind the annex. It was a massive mountain that surrounded the entire Sigurd, connected not only to the annex but also to the main building.

"Let's go."

"Understood."

Raon followed Rimer up the mountain.

"This should do."

Rimer stopped after about 20 minutes of climbing. It was a flat, treeless area like an open space.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Raon's voice was calm, but inside, she was ready to react to any of Rimer's movements.

"There's no need to be so tense. I just want you to feel it."

"Feel it?"

"Yeah."

With Rimer's laughter, a deep green wind blew.

"Trust me and stand still in that spot."

"Even if you tell me to trust... hmm?"

The wind, like the scent of spring that erases winter, gently blew and ruffled her bangs.

Then, a cool wind, like the one you might feel in a summer forest, cooled her heated body as she climbed the mountain.

The third was winter. A cold wind, like a fierce storm, pressed against her skin, making her bones ache.

The wind changed again.

The deep green wind, which had contained the four seasons, turned into a sharp blade, swirling around Raon.

"I wanted to create a blade of wind to protect my lord."

Rimer's voice came from the midst of the green wind's wave.

Kwaah!

A blade storm that could tear everything apart rushed at her, but Raon neither retreated nor advanced.

"This is the wind I chose."

Raon stood still, feeling the green storm.

Hoo!

The fierce wind subsided, and a sly smile appeared on Rimer's lips.

"Weren't you scared?"

"Since you had no intention of attacking and told me not to move, I wasn't."

"Sure enough, you're not 13 at all."

Rimer chuckled and snapped his fingers. The wind around them disappeared completely.

"Attribute-based cultivation techniques can exert powerful force compared to other techniques, but they are not easy to master."

His calm voice made the wind dance.

"I, an elf, have felt the wind since birth, but you, a human, are different. Your mana circuit is filled with cold, so it will be harder for you."

"That's true."

Raon nodded. Not only was the cultivation technique difficult, but she also had to handle an energy opposite to the cold she had since birth, making it even harder.

"There are different types of wind. Warm, cold, or sharp. I wanted a wind blade that could pierce everything, and I achieved it."

When he spoke in the past tense, Rimer's expression was more proud than sad.

"You need to find yours. Think about the image of fire you want to possess."

"Image..."

"To create an image, feeling its attribute is most important."

"But this is the north. Unless we set the mountain on fire, it's hard to see proper flames."

"Then we'll both have our necks cut off nicely."

Rimer chuckled and waved his hand. Green wind rose from his feet.

"Follow me."

"Where are we going now?"

"Since you've felt the wind, we need to see fire."

* * *

Raon followed Rimer up the mountain. After about 20 minutes of running, Rimer's pace slowed.

Hoo!

A thick mist rose from the cold forest, like a heat wave had passed through. The temperature was completely different from before, making her skin tingle.

'There it is.'

A house made of red bricks and a gray kiln were attached. Heat was flowing out from inside the kiln.

'It's hot.'

This is the north, the coldest place on the continent, yet it was so hot here. The heat emanating from there must be intense.

"Hey, old man. I'm here!"

Rimer walked in as if it were his own house. She followed behind.

The heat intensified as they approached the kiln. Her clothes were drenched in sweat.

"Ugh..."

Unaccustomed to the heat, the cold in her mana circuit stirred. She frowned in pain and entered the house.

Inside the house, there was only one thing.

The hearth. The kiln's hearth, which made the entire house seem distorted, was emitting an enormous amount of heat.

An old man with a head of white hair and a face full of wrinkles sat in front of the hearth. Despite being drenched in sweat, he didn't take his eyes off the hearth.

'Is this the fire I know?'

Raon swallowed. In her previous life, she had seen many flames, from campfires she had lit herself to the advanced fire magic that wizards cast.

But nothing could match the heat of the flames rising from the hearth.

Goo!

The cold in her mana circuit screamed, and the mana around her moved according to the flow of the cultivation technique she hadn't even mastered yet.

The sound of the flames rising hit her ears, and her heart beat with the surge of heat. She couldn't take her eyes off the hearth, as if possessed by a ghost.

"Old man, your focus is still as sharp."

Rimer waved his hand, using the green wind to cool the heat.

"Your heat didn't die down because of this brat, did it?"

"Hmph... Of course, I failed again today."

"Grunt..."

The old man glared at Rimer, then sighed and threw a gray lump into the hearth.

Hoo.

The heat, which seemed capable of melting the earth, subsided, and the flames became warm.

"Ah..."

A sigh escaped Raon's lips. As soon as the flames went out, the flow of the cultivation technique in her mana circuit dispersed. Her fingertips trembled with regret.

"What did you bring this time? Who is this?"

The old man frowned as he looked at Raon. His downturned mouth and raised eyebrows showed that he was a stubborn man.

"Tsk! What kind of rude talk is that to the lord's grandson!"

Rimer, who spoke informally and rudely, was telling him to be polite.

"Hmph, I'm just an old man who has retired. Unless the lord comes himself... hmm?"

He stopped as he stood up, looking at Raon's eyes and hair.

"Blonde hair and red eyes? And that face..."

"Similar to the lord, right? Raon is much better-looking, though."

"Hmm."

The old man nodded in agreement.

"I'm Balkan. If you want me to be polite, go somewhere else."

'Balkan!'

Raon's lips tightened as she looked at the old man's hazy eyes, which seemed to be looking at burnt charcoal.

'This person was here.'

Master. A man known as a master blacksmith on the continent, famous for creating the Jinchun Sword of Glen Sigurd.

His last activity was 30 years ago, and he hadn't created any swords worthy of the name since the Jinchun Sword.

"I am Raon Sigurd."

Raon bowed, ignoring Balkan's informal speech. It was a gesture of respect to a giant who had reached the pinnacle of his craft.

"Hmm..."

Balkan's wrinkled face relaxed a bit at the polite greeting.

"What did you tell him about me?"

"Nothing."

Rimer shook his head and turned around.

"This old man is a blacksmith of Sigurd."

"Retired."

"Right. A retired blacksmith. Anyway, this old man has been burning fire here for over 10 years."

Rimer pointed to the extinguished hearth and turned around.

"This is the place where you can feel the hottest and most passionate fire in the north."

* * *

"Fire attribute cultivation technique...?"

Balkan frowned as he listened to Rimer's explanation.

"So you brought him here for that?"

"The old man cultivates fire here all year. Where else can you feel proper fire?"

"There are the workshops of the blacksmiths."

"That's too conspicuous. I don't think it's good to show it until he masters the cultivation technique."

"Not good?"

"Because Raon is Sylvia's child."

At the mention of Sylvia's child, Balkan's gaze swept over Raon again.

"Hmm..."

He turned his body, as if pondering, to look at the burning crimson embers.

"I won't interfere. Just let him feel the fire."

Raon bowed to Balkan.

'I want to see it again.'

When Balkan burned the embers, her heart raced, and her mana circuit surged. She wanted to feel the breath of those flames again.

"I'm just making charcoal."

"Charcoal?"

"Golden charcoal, which can produce a much stronger heat than white or black charcoal. As long as you don't interfere with the process of making golden charcoal, you can do whatever you want."

"Thank you."

"Hmm..."

Raon bowed again. Balkan, embarrassed by the increased politeness, turned his head.

"Since I've allowed it, that's it. Raon, come here to practice the cultivation technique during your early morning training. There's no one around, and this old man doesn't know about cultivation techniques, so you don't need to worry."

"Understood."

Raon nodded. As Rimer said, she couldn't sense any mana from Balkan.

"Old man, come here for a moment."

Rimer clapped his hands and led Balkan outside.

"The old man is still as kind as ever."

Rimer chuckled, putting his arm around Balkan's shoulder.

"If you take good care of Raon, I'll bring you good wine later. Do you like fruit wine?"

"It's not because of you."

"Huh?"

"When the boy came, the embers in the hearth burned more intensely. The sudden heat almost ruined the charcoal."

Balkan narrowed his eyes, looking at the burnt charcoal.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this color."

"Indeed, the old man felt it too."

"I'm a master. I couldn't miss the surge of the flames I've seen all my life."

Balkan's gray eyes, which seemed to have turned to ash, twitched.

"The boy's breath contains the power to move the flames."

* * *

The next morning.

Raon ran to Balkan's charcoal kiln before the sun rose. It wasn't hard to find the kiln, as the red heat rose from the dark mountain.

Hoo!

Balkan didn't even look at Raon, despite hearing her footsteps, and only stared at the hearth. His refusal to take his eyes off the hearth, despite the sweat streaming down his face, showed that he wasn't just called a master blacksmith for nothing.

'This heat...'

Raon stood in the spot where the heat burned most intensely.

The intense heat wind made her clothes stick to her body, and her skin burned. The cold in her mana circuit attacked like a wild beast.

"Grind..."

The pain made her clench her teeth, and a gray breath escaped her mouth.

The pain was so intense that she wanted to run away, but her heart beat with excitement from feeling the flames.

Joy filled her heart. She recited the cultivation technique, following the breath of the flames that came through the pain.

The mana she inhaled carried a hot breath, and the impurities in the air she exhaled were expelled.

Raon closed her eyes and circulated the cultivation technique, rotating the fire element.

Goo!

As her concentration reached its peak, the pain disappeared, and only the joy from the heat filled her heart.

"..."

Balkan turned around. His gesture softened as he watched Raon, who was breathing with her eyes closed.

Crack.

The sound of burning firewood quietly echoed in front of the hearth where the two of them stood.

* * *

Three months had passed since Raon started going to Balkan's charcoal kiln for cultivation.

She was now so familiar with the mountain path that she could reach the kiln in 10 minutes.

Hoo!

The charcoal kiln emitted a more intense heat than when she first saw it, pressing down on the space. The area around the kiln was filled with mist as thick as a finger.

'Still the same.'

Balkan knew she had arrived but didn't turn around or speak. He only stared at the hearth with concentration.

Raon approached him without making a sound.

The hotter air enveloped her body with each step toward the kiln.

Her breath was cut off, and her back was drenched in sweat. The cold in her mana circuit growled like a wild beast.

"Hoo..."

The pain was still unfamiliar, but Raon smiled. Now, just seeing the flames made her heart race.

'Fire...'

Now I understand.

As Rimer said, spending time with fire made her understand what fire was.

People say fire is the most terrifying and powerful attribute, but when handled properly, it is the most stable of all attributes.

Feeling the scorching heat, she took another step forward.

Hoo!

The energy of the cultivation technique she hadn't yet mastered awakened on its own, drawing in the heat that scorched the earth.

The embers in the hearth rose like a demon's tongue, turning a deep red in response to the mana.

"Hoo..."

Raon exhaled the remaining breath in her lungs and accepted the fully matured mana.

She guided the boiling mana, like lava, into her mana circuit. The cold that had fled from the heat was drawn into her dantian by the flow of the cultivation technique.

'Image.'

When the cultivation technique was on track, Raon thought of Rimer's advice. He had said she needed to create an image.

'The fire I need