Liam didn't finish it with the sword. Instead, he leaned in, silver hair shadowing cold eyes. With [Chicken Soup] buff humming in his veins, he gripped the Ogre's shoulder and did something that defied game logic.
He bit.
Liam's teeth sank into the Ogre's neck, tearing free mana-rich flesh.
"GAAAHHHH!"
The Ogre shrieked, cracking the remaining stone pillars in the ravine. It wasn't just pain—it was existential horror.
"A HUMAN?! YOU DARE DEVOUR ME? I'M THE MOUNTAIN. THE HUNTER. YOU—YOU BITE ME?!"
The Ogre clawed at the air to pull Liam off, but Liam swallowed the burnt meat.
"You're just meat," Liam growled. "And you're burnt to hell."
He slammed his Vulcan Gauntlet into the wound.
"ABSORB."
The white light from Liam's Vulcan Gauntlet imploded, not flashed. This wasn't sterile blue mana like the Mages used, but the [Hearth]—the primal furnace of first fire. To survivors, it was as if the sun dropped into the ravine. The Ogre General didn't shatter into pixels; it melted, leathery skin and obsidian armour drawn into Liam's palm as raw essence.
[BOSS DEFEATED: Ogre General - Grogthe (Mutant)]
[EXP Gained: 1,500,000 (Level Gap + Hestia 10x Multiplier)]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Level increased: 18 -> 24. All stats improved significantly due to level advancement.]
Liam stood at the centre of the scorched crater. The air shimmered with his new stats; wood smoke and musk hung so thick it pressed on the chests of the nearby women.
[Character Status]
Level: 24
EXP: 120,500 / 2,100,000
Titles:The Apex Butcher (Equipped)(Friend Of Spring)
HP: 1,200 / 1,200
Stamina: 1,200 / 1,200
Speed: 100 / 1,200 (Sonic Step Active)
Attack: 210 / 1,200
Defence: 180 / 1,200 (+50 from Vulcan Greaves)
Available Stat Points: 120 (Stored for Breakthrough)
Skills: [Gourmet's Touch], [Bull Rush], [Spin to Win], [Legendary skill → Absorption(Level 2)], [Mana Leech], [Sonic Step]
As the Ogre's remains vanished, two items manifested in the air, glowing with a deep, volcanic purple. Liam reached out and snatched them.
[Loot Obtained: Vulcan's Grease-Proof Greaves (Epic)]
Defence: +50
Effect: Heat Suppression. Allows the wearer to handle or walk on objects up to 2,000°C without taking damage.
Flavour Text:"Why fear the dragon's breath or a spilled deep-fryer? Step into the inferno and come out without a singe.
[Set Bonus: The Eternal Forge (2/5)]
Wearing the Vulcan Gauntlets and Vulcan Greaves increases all EXP gains by an additional 10%.
Liam kicked off his scorched starter boots and slid his feet into the new greaves. They snapped shut with a hiss of steam, the black iron plates moulding perfectly to his shins.
He turned to the survivors. Of 100 raiders, 34 remained, mostly women; only Johan and one other spearman were male. Iron Hearth wasn't dead, just hollowed out. Saffron sat in the dirt, her Greatsword snapped, tiger ears drooping.
"Liam," Saffron rasped, struggling to her feet. "We... we were wrong. The Beta data, the formation... it was all trash. You saved us. You're the only reason 34 of us are still breathing."
Liam didn't smile. He didn't even look relieved. He looked at Saffron with a cold, piercing gaze that made her breath hitch.
"That's it?" Liam's voice was a low, dangerous rumble. "Seventy people die, and all you have to offer is 'Are we wrong?' You abandoned the only person actually working because a simulation told you to. This isn't the Beta, Saffron. This is the real world. Here, pride gets people killed. And now you've paid the price."
Saffron flinched as if he'd slapped her. She looked at the blood-stained ravine, the weight of his words hitting harder than the Ogre's club.
"I know," she whispered, voice cracking. "It's official. You and Ellie are in: no restrictions, zero guild taxes, first pick on loot, drops, and equipment from any raid or event. We supply manpower; you provide miracles."
She paused, looking at Ellie, then back to the silver-haired man who looked like a deity of war. "We need you, Liam."
"Touch my partner again, and the next Mutant finishes you off. Understood?"
Ellie's pink ears suddenly stood straight up. Her face turned a deep, burning crimson, and she stumbled slightly, her tail lashing behind her in a frantic, confused rhythm. "P-partner?" she squeaked, hiding her face behind her hands, though her eyes were peeking through her fingers at Liam's broad back.
"She's right about one thing, my little chef," Hestia's voice purred in his mind, dripping with a mixture of disgust and pride.
"These mortals are absolute refuse. To let their pride kill so many... how pathetic. But the terms? Oh, the terms are delicious. First dibs on every scrap of power in this world? Yes. Use them. Grind them into the dirt if you have to, but keep them as your footstools. I am so proud of how brave you were, standing in that filth. My brave, beautiful butcher."
Liam looked at the survivors. "Everyone, move. Together. No formations, no Beta nonsense. If you can walk, you move now. The portal is closing."
He opened his recipe book. He needed that Level 3 Hearth settlement.
[Recipe Locked: Smoked Salmon Ogre Toast]
Requires: Level 3 Hearth (Settlement Upgrade).
Ingredients:
Ogre Marrow (Obtained),
4 Slices of dried salmon,
2 Slices sourdough bread.
2 tbsp cream cheese
2 tbsp of baby capers
salt & peper
A drizzle of lemon
"Soon," Liam whispered, the white light of the hearth flickering in his eyes as he led the broken remains of the Iron Hearth Guild out of the ravine.[Tool Tip Lore: The Origin of the Hearth]
In ancient game code, the Hearth was the first 'Safe Zone.' Before cities or guilds, players had Fire.
The Hearth isn't just a mana pool; it is a sentient echo of the first flame. While Mages draw power from the cold, external Leylines of the world, a Vanguard Chef carries the fire inside them. This is why Liam's power smells of wood smoke and spices; it is the literal heat of creation.
As players further their connection to the Hearth, its influence grows. As the Hearth levels up, it changes the user.
Level 1: The fire warms the body (Gauntlets).
Level 2: The fire weapons of the hands (Greaves).
Level 3: The fire consumes the heart (The ability to refine Boss-tier ingredients).
The White Light Liam emitted during the absorption wasn't magic; it was the Hearth 'eating.' By consuming the Ogre, the Hearth grew stronger. In this wasteland, everyone wants to be near the fire—even if it burns them to ash. picture Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle,