"You must be brave enough to stand before me," Kairoth said, a faint trace of admiration threading through his voice.
It wasn't mockery—at least, not entirely. There was something genuine in it, something ancient and evaluative. "No other mortal than you has stood in that position for the past… century."
Zachary frowned slightly, confusion flickering across his face. Then he noticed it—the way Kairoth stood. His posture wasn't casual or careless.
It was deliberate. Tall, firm, arms slightly open as if welcoming a challenger, his expression calm yet sharpened by experience. It was the stance of someone who had faced countless battles…
and won every single one.
Kairoth's gaze sharpened.
"But I don't sense any strong mana from you," he said, his tone shifting into something colder.
A quiet scoff followed, disappointment slipping through. To him, Zachary's presence didn't match his boldness.
It didn't make sense.
Zachary didn't move.
"That's because I'm a… level 1 mage," he replied.
For the first time, Kairoth's expression cracked—not with anger, but disbelief.
His eyes narrowed slightly, scanning Zachary again, as if trying to find a hidden truth behind the statement. A level 1 mage… standing in front of him like this?
"Level 1… mage?" Kairoth repeated slowly.
Then his voice hardened.
"Show me a skill."
Zachary blinked, caught slightly off guard. "Okay…" he said after a brief pause. Then he tilted his head a little. "Any skill?"
"Yes," Kairoth replied without hesitation. "Show me anything."
Zachary exhaled quietly.
"This is… just something random I learned."
He spread his arms outward, and for a moment, nothing happened.
Then—mana began to gather. Not overwhelmingly, not impressively—but steadily. It flowed from the center of his body, thin streams converging in front of him.
Then something strange happened.
From that point in the air… bones began to form.
Not summoned from the ground. Not constructed from a visible source.
They simply… appeared.
Piece by piece, tiny fragments of bone connected together, assembling themselves midair with unnatural precision.
Kairoth's eyes widened slightly, the first real sign of shock breaking through his composure. This wasn't a known spell. Not one he recognized.
The bones kept forming.
Shaping.
Connecting.
Until—
A small hamster took form.
It floated there briefly, a fragile, eerie creation made of bone and faint flesh.
For a moment, everything went still. Even the distant sounds of battle seemed to fade.
Kairoth stared.
Silence.
Then—
POP.
The tiny creature exploded.
A burst of flesh and bone fragments scattered into the air before falling lifelessly to the ground. The spell ended as abruptly as it began, leaving behind nothing but silence…
and confusion.
Kairoth didn't move.
For the first time since his arrival—
He looked completely stunned.
"…What," Kairoth muttered quietly, his gaze still fixed on where the small creature had just exploded.
Zachary lowered his arms slowly, unfazed by the reaction. "I can only use that skill if mana is condensed," he said, his tone calm, almost explanatory.
To him, it didn't feel special—just something he had figured out over time.
For the first time, Kairoth let out a soft chuckle.
It wasn't mocking.
It was… intrigued.