NOVPUBVinelord had just shouted when Zeka immediately retorted, "What the hell are you talking about? It's just an ordinary pillar of fire, don't try to scare me like that."
He spoke as he moved closer to the pillar of fire.
At that moment, Vinelord could no longer stay calm. Just because Zeka couldn't see it didn't mean Vinelord couldn't either.
On the contrary, Vinelord saw it all too clearly—he saw countless souls screaming in agony and despair.
He saw the horrors of hell, and he even saw… his own death.
Vinelord realized this fire was certainly not ordinary. It was most likely the Fire of Hell.
Though he didn't understand why the Fire of Hell would appear here, he knew one thing for certain: if they didn't run, he would definitely die.
Vinelord used his vines and immediately bound Zeka's body tightly.
[Don't act recklessly. You'll die for sure. This is no place for jokes.]
Though restrained, Zeka still didn't believe Vinelord's words.
He was the one chosen by fate, possessing an SS+ rank talent. How could he possibly die so easily?
'Wait! If I die, he could just look for another host, but he's not doing that… Could it be that he's bound to me?' Zeka thought to himself.
'Or maybe he just doesn't want to leave me. He knows I'm the one chosen by fate and only wants to cling to me.'
Zeka scoffed inwardly, then laughed and said, "You worry too much. I feel like this is my opportunity—my destiny. I'm sure I can tame this flame."
"If you're scared, you're free to leave my body and find another host to parasitize."
Vinelord: [...]
At that moment, Vinelord was mentally cursing Zeka's entire family line.
Damn it! Did some dog eat this guy's danger instincts or what?
Suddenly, a thought struck Vinelord—perhaps Zeka really could tame or absorb this flame.
Otherwise, how could someone be this stupid?
Besides, Zeka did seem like someone chosen by fate. Despite all the danger he had faced, he was still alive, still pressing forward on his path to power.
Vinelord was a Dark God, so he understood better than anyone the significance of those chosen by fate.
After thinking it through, he decided to gamble.
[Fine! I'll risk it all with you.]
"Hahaha…" Zeka laughed loudly. "Don't worry, I can do this. Watch closely… this is the power of one chosen by fate, one protected by the Goddess of Luck."
Hearing Zeka's words, Vinelord immediately put his faith in that very possibility.
[Looks like… Zeka really is the one chosen by Fate. In that case, he might actually be able to accomplish the impossible,] Vinelord thought to himself.
At that moment, the vines that had restrained Zeka retracted and hid back inside his body.
Zeka didn't want Elara to take this risk with him, so he gently laid her down on the ground and softly said, "Wait for me. I'll come back. After that, no matter how vast this world is, we'll go wherever we want—no one will be able to stop us."
Vinelord: [...]
[Do humans these days all like to say such cheesy lines?]
"Huh! What would you know about love?" Zeka snapped angrily.
[For fuck's sake! You've only known this girl for less than thirty minutes—where the hell is the love coming from?]
"You're truly an idiot," Zeka sighed. "Love is like lightning—it strikes the moment you meet. Falling in love at first sight is perfectly normal."
Vinelord: [...]
"Alright, watch closely what's about to happen," Zeka said confidently. "Once I gain this power, we're going after that bastard from earlier."
Zeka seethed with anger at the memory of Alex.
Now that he was about to possess new strength, he couldn't believe he had nearly been killed—defeated by a mere Lord from this backwater region.
He couldn't accept it. He wanted revenge.
Besides, if he could kill that guy, he might even receive a powerful buff in return.
Zeka took a deep breath to calm himself, then stretched out his hand and touched the flame.
"AAA!!!" The fire immediately scorched his finger and then surged forth, engulfing his entire body.
But Zeka didn't flinch—instead, he shouted with excitement, "It's mine! This is my opportunity! AAA!!!"
BAM!
From Zeka's body, a shockwave of pressure exploded outward, followed by a raging gust of wind sweeping in all directions.
The flames surrounding his body rapidly receded and then vanished completely.
Vinelord had been bracing himself for a catastrophe, but in the end, he only wanted to ask: [That's it? That's all?]
Yes—it was that simple. Vinelord hadn't even felt any pain. All he sensed was a terrifying chill creeping into his mind…
…but even that faded away almost instantly.
Zeka didn't dwell on it. He looked at his left hand, then waved it upward.
In that moment, a flame orb, blue-green in color and the size of a tennis ball, floated above his palm.
Seeing this, Vinelord immediately trusted his earlier hunch—without a single doubt.
Zeka was the one chosen by fate, protected by the Goddess of Luck.
Otherwise, Vinelord truly had no explanation for what had just happened.
Still confused, Vinelord extended a vine and touched the pillar of fire. But right after that…
[AAA!!! It burns! It burns so much!] Vinelord roared in pain, quickly severing the vine.
Moments later, the vine was reduced to a pile of ash on the ground.
Seeing this, Zeka burst into laughter. "Hahaha… Vinelord, not everyone is like me. Taming this flame isn't so easy for others."
[Tsk!] Vinelord clicked his tongue but couldn't help feeling fortunate to have parasitized someone chosen by Fate.
This way, even if the road ahead was more dangerous, Zeka would surely survive.
And if Zeka didn't die, then neither would Vinelord.
Just like that, Vinelord fully placed his trust in Zeka, no longer doubting his instincts.
After obtaining this strange flame, Zeka didn't leave immediately. Instead, he remained where he stood, staring thoughtfully at the pillar of fire.
"Strange… I feel like the flame I've acquired isn't exactly the same as that pillar of fire."
As he spoke, Zeka brought the flame orb he had conjured closer to the pillar.
Vinelord looked as well but couldn't detect any difference between the orb in Zeka's hand and the massive pillar of flame in front of them.
[Perhaps it's because your level is still too low, so you can't recreate the same type of flame as that in the pillar.]
Hearing that, Zeka nodded in agreement. It made sense.
"You're right. But… I want to absorb the entire pillar. If I can do that, my power will skyrocket," Zeka said confidently.
Vinelord now completely trusted Zeka, but he still felt that was an impossible task.
Before Zeka could do anything more, the ground suddenly trembled violently as if about to crack open.
Startled, Zeka muttered, "Could it be… that since I tamed the flame, this area is now about to collapse?"
"Hahaha… that's fine. From now on, no one but me will ever be able to claim this flame."
He smiled in satisfaction, then lifted Elara into his arms and dashed toward the exit.
After Zeka left, two figures appeared—Malrik and Drakhan.
Drakhan looked confused and asked, "Malrik, you're just letting that brat go? And… did he really absorb and tame your flame?"
"Hahaha…" Malrik laughed. "You really think the 'Hellfire' can be tamed that easily?"
"It was just a trap. He's like a mouse in my eyes—I could crush him anytime I wanted."
"However, he still has value to our Master. That's why I have to keep him alive."
"But…" Drakhan started to say something, but Malrik interrupted him.
"Don't worry. That flame simply makes it easier for me to monitor him," Malrik replied with a grin. "Right now, he's completely in our hands."
"Wow!" Drakhan's eyes lit up. He chuckled and said, "Need me to do anything?"
"Not for now. Just keep recording everything, exactly as the Master instructed," Malrik said. "When the Master returns, he'll want all those records."
"Got it!" Drakhan said, then immediately flew off.
Malrik gazed into the distance, chuckling softly to himself. "So far, three Fate Holders have appeared. I wonder how many more will show up in the future…"
"Master, I hope you'll still be standing when this war comes to an end. I've placed all my bets on you."
