The Infinite Flame bloodline relied on the colorless flame. This colorless flame transformed into a Vitality Flame by absorbing a small fraction of the Vitality Intent present in plants and trees.
But what exactly is Intent?
When a user masters the use of a sword or an element, the relationship between the two grows closer and closer. The user then perceives the Intent of the element or weapon they are using. This doesn't mean that one person's sword Intent is the same as another's. For example, the first person's Intent with a sword might be killing, while the other's Intent might be destruction. Everyone is born with a certain affinity towards a specific element.
Intent has levels, and when Intent reaches its final level, it evolves into Comprehension. When Comprehension reaches its final level, it evolves into a Law. However, Damian and Arthur are currently far from comprehending Intent at their current level, let alone Comprehension or Law.
Of course, this doesn't mean that the Vitality Flame is Intent. It's not Intent and won't be unless Damian learns Vitality Intent. The Vitality Flame is more akin to acquired skills, whether from skill cores, skill books, or even self-created skills. Skills are merely a means to learn Intent. More accurately, they are a closed gate, and behind that gate lies Intent. The more a person uses a skill and understands it, the more that gate opens, little by little, until it is fully opened.
After an hour of the duo walking through the forest and facing random groups of goblins, they had extracted many mana cores and reached Level 3 in the Novice Rank. Damian had also gathered ten coins from continuous killing, but nothing had appeared in the Primeval Shop yet.
Half an hour later, the duo arrived at what appeared to be a goblin village and found many of their classmates fighting groups of goblins.
Amelia, ranked third after Damian and Arthur, was fighting groups of goblins with her team, wielding an axe in each hand. She heard a voice from beside her. "Amelia, look! Aren't those the monster duo?" Amelia turned to the source of the voice, which was her friend, then looked in the direction her friend pointed. She saw two young men walking calmly and leisurely as if they were strolling in a park, not in a goblin dungeon. Although Amelia was immediately third after these two, she was the only one who knew the difference between her and the second-ranked Arthur, not to mention the first-ranked Damian, a young man against whom she had no chance. She was sure she couldn't scratch him before awakening, let alone after awakening.
"Yoo-hoo, Amelia! Do you need help? You seem to be in trouble, hahaha!" Amelia's eyes turned red with anger. How could she not recognize that voice? It was Arthur, the second-ranked, who never let a match between them pass without mocking her in front of everyone. She knew he didn't do it out of anything personal; that was just his personality.
"Shut up, you idiot! If you're not going to help, then leave! Who needs your help anyway?"
"Oh, Amelia, how can you be so cruel? The hero of justice has come to save you children! As you know, heroes always arrive in times of danger," Arthur said, placing his hands on his waist and puffing out his chest as he spoke.
Amelia looked at Arthur, her eyes growing redder as she bit her lip. She then decided to ignore him because she knew if she kept looking at him, anger would blind her, and that would eventually lead to her death at the hands of a stupid goblin.
Seeing Amelia ignore him, Arthur sighed, then felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Damian's hand. "There's a high chance the Goblin Chief is here in the village, then we can leave. Let's go before the other students gather all the monster cores." Arthur nodded, and the duo rushed into the village. Upon entering, they split up, each helping other students and advancing deeper and deeper towards the center of the village.
After five minutes, the battle conditions changed. Groups that had been pushed back by the goblins were now on the offensive. After killing another goblin, Damian stored its corpse in the Primeval Shop, then looked back at the injured students who were looking at him with admiring glances. Damian approached the injured, created a green flame in his hand, and threw it towards them. The injured felt panic as soon as they were hit by the flame, but the feeling of panic disappeared when they felt a wave of vitality and then a sensation of their injuries slowly healing. They immediately thanked Damian, who no longer looked at them and continued walking towards the center of the village.
Amelia looked at this scene with a complex expression. Damian had displayed spatial storage ability and a flame-related healing ability. Before awakening, Damian was the most mysterious person to her, and now that mystery had multiplied hundreds of times for her. But she didn't care much; although she was considered an inspiring and brave leader among the students, and Damian and Arthur were like lone wolves, she knew she wasn't close to their level.
As for Arthur, he hadn't used any runes for a simple reason: he hadn't learned any. But he was efficiently using his bloodline. His eyes had many advantages, including seeing weaknesses and predicting upcoming movements. This didn't mean he saw the future, but when he observed an opponent's movements and recognized their pattern, it was easy to predict their next move.
Damian and Arthur sat away from the other students, then took out mana cores and absorbed them. After five minutes, the duo reached Level 4 in the Novice Rank.
The duo then stood up and walked towards their final objective: the Goblin Boss.