Chapter 8 Skill unlocked

The giant flaming hammer lit up the dark forest. The massive armored wolf snarled loudly, showing teeth like sharp daggers. I looked at the fifty exhausted rebels standing in a tight circle around me. Their armor was cracked and their swords were dull. They were ready to die for a king they just met. I could not let them be slaughtered. I had to pay the terrible price.

"Accept the purchase," I whispered to the glowing blue screen. "Take the five years."

[Purchase confirmed. Five years of lifespan deducted.]

[New Skill Unlocked: Dragon Hellfire Barrage.]

A searing pain ripped through my chest. It felt like my heart was being squeezed by a burning iron fist. I gasped for air, falling to one knee. My vision blurred. Five whole years of my life vanished in a heartbeat. I felt a cold chill settle inside my bones, but I also felt an ocean of terrifying power rising up inside my veins.

"Look at him," the giant man on the wolf laughed. "The fallen king is already begging for mercy. Kill the rebels and bring me his head!"

The thousand soldiers let out a deafening war cry and charged forward. Kaelen raised his heavy broadsword, his face tight with grim determination.

"Stand your ground!" Kaelen roared loudly to his men.

I forced myself to stand up. The dark green scales on my arms began to glow with a blinding toxic green light. The air around me grew impossibly hot. The wet leaves on the ground instantly dried up and burst into tiny flames.

"Get back!" I shouted to Kaelen and the rebels. "Everyone get behind me right now!"

Kaelen saw the glowing light building in my hands. He quickly ordered his men to retreat behind my position. The enemy soldiers were only a few feet away. I could smell the foul sweat and cheap iron of their armor. I thrust both of my hands forward.

"Burn," I commanded.

A massive wave of pure green fire erupted from my palms. It was a literal ocean of roaring flames that expanded outward like a magical tsunami. The heat was so intense it turned the muddy ground into solid glass. The green fire crashed into the front line of the charging army.

Hundreds of soldiers were instantly turned to white ash before they could even swing their swords. The green fire spread like a hungry beast, jumping from one metal armor suit to the next. The dark forest lit up brighter than the noon sun. The giant man on the armored wolf stopped laughing entirely. His eyes went wide with pure terror as the wall of green fire rushed toward him. He tried to turn his massive beast around, but the flames were much too fast. The green fire swallowed the giant rider and his terrifying wolf in a single gulp. They did not even have time to scream.

In less than ten seconds, the entire clearing fell completely silent. The terrifying army of a thousand elite soldiers was completely gone. Only a thick blanket of smoking grey ash remained on the glass floor. The trees around us were scorched perfectly black.

I dropped my hands. The glowing green scales on my arms turned back to their normal dark color. The magical System screen chimed softly in my head.

[Mass destruction complete. Ten Thousand Experience Points gained.]

[Level Up achieved. Current Level: Ten.]

[Level Up Cost applied. Two Hundred and Ten days of lifespan deducted.]

My heart stopped beating for a second. The System was double charging me. Not only did I pay five years to buy the spell, but gaining so much experience caused me to level up seven times at once. And every single level cost me thirty days of my life.

My legs gave out completely. I collapsed onto the hot glass ground. Kaelen and his men rushed forward to help me. Their faces were pale and filled with absolute awe and pure fear. They had never seen magic like that before.

"My King," Kaelen gasped, grabbing my shoulders tightly. "Are you alright? That was the most incredible power I have ever witnessed."

I tried to answer him, but my throat was entirely dry. I looked down at my hands. The skin was noticeably paler and slightly wrinkled. The massive cost of the magic was physically aging me.

I forced my eyes open and looked at the updated numbers on the blue screen.

[Remaining Lifespan: Two Years and One Month.]

I had started this terrible day with decades of life ahead of me in the real world. Now, I barely had two years left.

"We need to move," Kaelen said urgently, pulling me to my feet. "That blast will attract every single monster and soldier within a hundred miles."

I nodded weakly. I could barely walk. Two of the rebels carefully lifted my arms over their shoulders to support my weight. We started walking away from the smoking clearing.

Suddenly, a small glass bottle rolled out from the dark trees and stopped right at my feet. It was filled with a glowing blue liquid.

A young woman stepped out of the shadows. She wore a dark hooded cloak and carried a large bag filled with strange glowing herbs. She looked at the smoking ash and then directly at me.

"That was a very foolish spell to cast, King Valen," she said with a smooth and mysterious voice. "You just burned five whole years of your life to kill those guards. At this rate, you will be a dead man before the weekend."

Kaelen instantly drew his heavy sword. "Who are you and how do you know the King?"

The woman smiled brightly and pushed back her dark hood, revealing sharp purple eyes.

"My name is Elara," she said softly. "And I know exactly how to cheat your cursed magical System."