That night, Jayce collapsed onto his bed. His work didn’t stop when afternoon training ended. After that, Jayce would study in either the library or in Marin’s workshop until the sun went down. Both places had their advantages, and either of them was better than his room, which didn’t even have an information console. Even after he retired for the night, Jayce had several physical and mental exercises that he would practice in his room before finally crawling into bed and passing out. The only difference between tonight and other nights was that Jayce didn’t fall asleep immediately. Jayce wasn’t too surprised by this, because he had just made two big decisions.

The first was his decision to return to the Frozen Expanse. Excitement and apprehension warred in his chest when he thought about revisiting that place.

The second was something he had been wavering on all week. It was only after Marin brought up the Gate of Fortune that he finally made his decision. Jayce felt a lot of pressure from the advantages he’d received and while he wanted to be cautious, what he feared most was letting those blessings go to waste.

---

The next day.

“A bonded flame?” old Verne parroted Jayce’s words, managing to sound impressively dismissive despite his high-pitched voice. “I don’t know where you heard about those, but do you think artifact refiners are just handing them out? There are many kinds of bonded flames and even the lowest ranked ones can’t be purchased with money. I certainly won't be giving you one.”

Jayce smiled awkwardly. “No, you misheard me. I’m saying I have a bonded flame.”

Stopping his work, Verne turned to stare at Jayce. “I once told you that humanoids lie to get ahead but you need to exercise discretion.”

“I’m not lying. Watch carefully because I can’t do this for very long.”

Extending his hand, Jayce waited until Verne approached him before he closed his eyes and focused. Through his mind’s eye, Jayce saw his purple-tinged soul blazing brightly along with the listless spirit of freedom and a black coal surrounded by violet flames. He carefully drew out a strand of fire from the coal and directed it through his body until it sprouted from his fingertip. Once it was outside his body, the fire became exponentially harder to control and Jayce immediately started sweating. The flame wavered violently, and it only lasted a few seconds before it burst in a tiny explosion.

Used to these minor failures, Jayce mechanically transferred monster blood from Star Girdle into his mouth and swallowed. He still had quite a bit of blood from his first trip into the Frozen Expanse and with Star Girdle’s temperature control functions, it wouldn’t expire for a while. Bloody Vitality’s healing effect was amplified and the burns on his finger started fading rapidly.

Meanwhile, Verne was stupefied. “You really…How did you get this flame?”

“It was…forced on me during a chance encounter. I didn’t lie when I said that I have no knowledge of refining.”

Jayce was still reluctant to reveal his Soul Forger class, and he didn’t think much would change even if Verne knew about it. As for explaining what happened with Kulve, Jayce didn’t know where to start telling such an unbelievable story.

“By the way,” Jayce continued, “do you know what rank this flame is? I heard it was called soulfire.”

“Soulfire is just another name for a bonded flame. If we’re talking about intensity, you’d have to be a demigod to endure anything beyond the lowest rank, so there’s no need to ask. The purple color is odd, though. It might have a special characteristic.”

“Characteristic?”

“Soulfire can take on certain characteristics, just like how materials can hold different aspects. Some examples would be icefire and poisonfire, which are only useful for creating certain kinds of artifacts. To my limited knowledge, the two most famous characteristics are creation and life, but this soulfire isn’t either of them. It will be hard to guess what its characteristic is before you learn how to control it.”

Jayce nodded, placing a hand on his chin. No characteristics came to mind when he thought of his many Soul-Guided Forging sessions. He could only put this mystery aside for now and focus on mastering his control over the fire.

“Considering how fast you’re learning, I was already thinking about speeding things up,” Verne said, pulling Jayce out of his thoughts. “The greatest advantage of a bonded flame is that its owner doesn’t need to bother with a complicated forge or large numbers of tools. You are capable of molding vessels in a much more intimate way. Right, the first thing you’ll need to do is refine a companion tool. This is a well-known rite of passage for refiners.”

“Companion tool?”

“It’s the refining tool you use most often. Sometimes this is actually a set of tools, but the important thing is that you make it yourself and upgrade it as your skills increase. In your case, it should be something to help you control your soulfire. Just because I said you don’t need many tools doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of technology.”

Outwardly, Verne seemed to be taking the news of Jayce’s soulfire in stride. Jayce only noticed his teacher’s excitement after he was told to take the rest of the day off to research companion tools. With Verne’s help, Jayce soon settled on a basic design. His companion tool would be a pair of gauntlets.

Later that day, Jayce slowly swiveled his head while releasing a frosty breath. He had a guarded look as he took in his surroundings.

Visually, the Frozen Expanse was exactly how Jayce remembered it. Within the wide, cavernous space, pillars of ice rose to connect the floor to the ceiling. This ‘forest’ was lit with bright blue light that flowed through these pillars like blood through veins. Some pillars had monster burrows while others twisted and overlapped with each other in strange designs sculpted by nature. The frosty ground beneath Jayce’s feet was tough and sometimes slippery. It was also inhospitable for most plants, though some flora could be found around certain ice pillars. Divided into a staggering number of diverse territories and shrouded in frigid mist that sapped one’s warmth and concealed lurking threats, this enormous wild dungeon was not a place to be underestimated.

And yet, Jayce felt that the atmosphere was completely different to when he’d first entered. Instead of an oppressive feeling that ground him down and fried his nerves, Jayce felt a bearable weight that sharpened his senses and even excited him. This change was partially because Jayce no longer had to worry about a team of giants hunting him down, but it was also because he himself had changed.

The ground around Jayce suddenly froze and that rapidly growing ice even crept its way up Jayce’s ankles. As he struggled to free himself, the dirt in front of him burst apart to reveal a limbless creature over four meters long with a pelt of coarse white fur. It opened its enormous maw and released an intimidating cry.

Jayce’s hands remained steady as he brought his Tiny Hammers out of storage and pointed them at the monster’s gaping mouth. Two gunshots rang out and the beast recoiled. Its body trembled and it was unable to advance any further. Jayce knew that a monster this large couldn’t be stopped by the force of his bullets, so he had added a paralysis tag on each of his gun barrels.

Switching to Seeker, Jayce used an Acceleration Tag empowered shot to drill a hole through the stunned monster’s head. The fight ended after a few more bullets pierced its skull. After breaking the ice restricting his legs, Jayce stepped towards the monster to see what part of its body had randomly become a talisman.

“Trying to get me with the same trick twice,” he chided.

This monster was a glacial worm, the same creature that had swallowed Jayce when he first arrived on Caelum. In the Frozen Expanse, it was an ambush predator that wandered around without any set territory. Jayce had managed to dispatch it quickly because he hadn’t been caught off guard. Every so often, Jayce would use his mutated soul to search for life within a 15-meter radius. This innate ability he’d received from nearly having his soul melted by soulfire required a lot of concentration and couldn’t be used all the time, but it was very helpful in an environment like this.

Blinking, Jayce realized that this mutation might actually be a clue to his soulfire’s characteristic. Although, he didn’t know what kind of characteristic could allow one to sense souls or how that would be useful in crafting.

Several minutes after he stored the glacial worm’s corpse, Jayce’s body suddenly stiffened. He heard the familiar sound of claws scraping the ground up ahead. Remembering the scene where he was surrounded by kobolds, Jayce backed up and prepared to run. Wind swirled around his body to support his escape, but Jayce hesitated. Even if he found himself in the same position as last time, he would be far from helpless. Jayce’s newest ability, Explosive Blood, was excellent at handling crowds of enemies. He could even retreat whenever he wanted with his improved Bands of Freedom.

The obsessive glint in Jayce’s eyes became a bit brighter. More important than the odds was the fact that those enemies were an excellent source of stimulation for his classes.

Jayce readied his weapons, but he was surprised to see that the kobolds bursting out of the mist were already severely injured. A figure flashed into existence over one of the monster’s heads and kicked it to the ground. They then tossed a blade into another kobold’s neck with impressive precision. A third kobold seemingly escaped, but then it stumbled before collapsing into a shivering heap. Jayce noticed that the blood flowing from its wounds had turned a sickly black. Once all the kobolds were dealt with, the figure turned to address Jayce.

“So, you’re here.”

“Hey, Yule.”

After an exchange of decidedly flat greetings, Jayce took a closer look at the village head’s short-tempered grandson. Short and lean, Yule really didn’t fit the image of someone who had just chased down and killed several dungeon monsters. The lemur-tailed youth’s hair was slicked back, and he had his arms folded in a cool and collected posture. It seemed that he was still hung up on imitating his grandfather. Jayce was happy to see this because it meant that Yule would at least pretend to be a reasonable person.

“Wow, wow, what are you doing in the Frozen Expanse?” Naya’s voice swept through the area right after her figure appeared from the dense mist.

Leon also came to see what the fuss was about, but he didn’t make any comments.

“I just wanted to practice against monsters for a change,” Jayce replied in a guarded fashion.

Even though they dueled frequently, Jayce had only established a superficial relationship with Yule’s group. He hadn’t even considered asking to join their team because he understood why these three had become friends. Yule was the grandson of the most powerful person in the village while Naya and Leon were the children of the village’s best alchemist and refiner, respectively. The three of them carried a particular kind of pride because of their heritage and it would be difficult for the trio to accept anyone who lacked that, especially an outsider.

“Running around the dungeon alone is dangerous,” Yule replied, feigned concern coloring his tone like cheap paint. “Even if this is a low-order zone, do you think you’re Marin or something?”

Jayce blinked at the mention of Marin. He remembered her brother saying that she used to hunt alone in the Frozen Expanse, but it was surprising to hear Yule bring that up. “Do you have a grudge against Marin?”

“Of course I have a grudge against her,” Yule snapped, losing his calm. “That thing used to be so arrogant! It drove me crazy. Still, it’s unfortunate that she doesn’t train or visit the Frozen Expanse anymore. A strong conviction is needed to shoulder greatness, and Marin just doesn’t have that.”

“Her smile is scary, haha...” Naya added, looking more uncomfortable than Jayce had ever seen her.

Surprisingly, the harshest opinion came from Leon. He scowled and muttered, “I can’t believe the elders let her drive that corpse around the village. Her entire existence is an insult to us.”

“Corpse…?” Jayce breathed.

“Hmm?” Leon’s tone switched from hateful to derisive. “I heard a rumor that you were visiting her every now and then, but you didn’t know? That’s not her real body. It’s something between a puppet and a corpse. Her real body is hiding inside…”

Without warning, Jayce suddenly accelerated towards Leon. Jayce’s improved Bands of Freedom weren’t fully charged, but they had accumulated a decent amount of momentum while he was walking around. After sacrificing that momentum, Jayce was able to arrive in front of Leon in a single breath. He raised a hand and clapped it over Leon’s mouth, cutting off the blue-feathered youth’s words.

Jayce met Leon’s shocked eyes and said, “Alright, that’s enough.”

When Jayce stepped back, Leon’s lips parted to reveal clenched teeth. Meanwhile, Yule looked ready to say something, but Jayce preempted him.

“If you don’t have a problem with me being in the Frozen Expanse, I think we should just go our separate ways.”

Yule’s tail flicked testily. “I would have a problem if a fellow villager was trying to get themselves eaten by monsters, but I don’t care if you want to.”

Jayce nodded and strode off, not caring that Leon’s cold glare was piercing his back. Getting lost in one’s thoughts was very dangerous in a dungeon, so Jayce quickly found somewhere to stop and process what he’d heard.

Marin’s body being some kind of puppet was so outlandish that he had never considered it. Jayce had to admit that it explained some things, like why she didn’t feel much pain when her shin was broken. Still, Jayce had been in direct contact with Marin when he walked her home after that incident. Even though her skin was pale, her body was warm, and there was certainly blood flowing through it. Right when he started to wonder about the real body that Leon mentioned, he quickly shook his head.

“Instead of brooding over this, I should be worrying about how to act normally around her.”

Since the entire village knew this secret, it was impossible that Marin’s parents didn’t. Stout had called Marin his daughter and treated her normally, so Jayce felt there was nothing wrong with him doing the same…minus the daughter part. Despite this accident, he was still going to keep his promise to her.

Jayce stood up and set out again with his emotions reset. Unfortunately, he ran into Yule’s group again less than an hour later.

“Ah, I guess it’s getting late, and neither us want to stray too far from the entrance,” Naya speculated with a dry chuckle.

Yule was about to lead his team away again, but Jayce stepped forward. Now that he was calmer, he realized there was something he should ask these three.

“Yule, do you know where plants like glass ice flowers grow? I don’t mind paying you for the materials or information on where to find them.”

Compared to searching deeper in the Frozen Expanse and potentially running into trouble, Jayce would prefer to pay for the materials. Killing monsters to raise money was more efficient than hunting for the materials themselves and it also allowed Jayce to raise his levels faster.

Yule’s lips started pulling into a scowl until Jayce mentioned payment. The ring-tailed youth was about to speak when Leon cut in asking, “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m a refiner. Why do you think I want to know?”

Leon folded his arms. “You just started learning refining at your age. Obviously, you won’t be able to make anything except junk for months. What’s the point in gathering materials?”

“Months? I’m planning on making my companion tool in less than a month. I’ll need these materials soon after that.”

“Do you really think refining is that easy, or do you believe you’re some kind of genius?” the blue-feathered youth sneered. “If you can make anything that isn't scrap within a month, I’ll bow down and say you’re just as much of a freak as Marin.”

Jayce didn’t shrink back, but he was inwardly surprised by the vitriol in Leon’s words. When he thought about Leon’s hostility, Jayce received a small epiphany. Jayce had been the one to tell Leon that he was new to refining, and Leon hadn’t belittled him for it. Up until now, Leon had always acted neutrally around Jayce. He had also generously praised the artifacts that Jayce carried. Only now did Jayce realize that Leon’s neutral attitude was a show of conceit. Because he wasn’t a threat, Leon hadn’t felt competitive.

‘Now that I think about it, I must look very strange trying to learn refining at nineteen. Most kids become apprentices after the system baptizes them at sixteen—with children like Leon learning even earlier. That’s probably also why Marin is convinced that I have no talent and was abandoned by my supposed teacher. If I could only make shoddy artifacts after three years of hard work, then I really would be hopeless.’

“I don’t want you to bow,” Jayce replied crisply, unable to stop some annoyance from seeping into his tone. “If I can refine something that isn’t shoddy in a month, how about you give me a material with fire aspects?”

“Is that another material for your project?” Leon scoffed. “If you want to bet, then you’ll have to put up something for when you lose. Even before today, I always thought Spirit Nail was wasted on you. If you eat your words in a month, hand it over.”

Jayce didn’t reply immediately. Materials with aspects of fire existed in his teacher’s storage room, but Jayce knew they would be expensive. These materials couldn’t be found naturally in a frigid place like Snowdrift and they were in high demand. Jayce was fairly confident, and he wanted to save himself some money and effort with this bet, but Spirit Nail was too important to risk. While the weapon itself was unique and valuable, Jayce was more concerned with its use as a shackle for the spirit in his chest. He had no idea how to lock up the spirit of freedom without that artifact.

When Leon saw Jayce hesitating, he narrowed his eyes. A tiny data package appeared in his hand and he tossed it to Jayce. “My father has stockpiled plenty of materials over the years. If you win, you can pick out anything from this list.”

Jayce sent his mental energy into the veined crystal and his eyes quickly widened. “Fine, it’s a bet.”

After getting a disinterested Yule and an enthusiastic Naya to act as witnesses, the two finalized their bet and went their separate ways. Once Yule’s team had vanished into the mist, Jayce found his lips arcing into a grin.

As long as the reward was worth the risk, he didn’t mind making a bet that he was confident in. Jayce certainly wasn’t knowledgeable enough to recognize everything on Leon’s list, but he knew that a couple of those materials were valuable enough to purchase his shopping list three times over.