36 nearing the end 6

"The method you mentioned, I have indeed considered it..." I carefully weighed my words.

The reason I didn't do as Agent Kong suggested is actually quite simple.

Perhaps to others, my superpower is innate, a natural part of me, but I have never thought of it that way.

Why did I awaken to my superpower—this has been a question on my mind since the day I awakened. Was it really because I was naturally predisposed to it, which allowed me to awaken during my adolescence? Or was the method I was obsessed with back then, "igniting a candle with my gaze," truly effective, suggesting that persistent effort could indeed awaken the ability to manipulate flames?

Or perhaps my ancestors bore demon or Divine blood, which manifested powerfully in my generation? Or had I recently encountered some external trigger that allowed me to awaken my superpowers, and I simply couldn't recall it?

I always felt the origins of my superpower were mysterious. When I thought about lighting a candle, that's exactly when I awakened the corresponding superpower, and the rate at which this superpower developed also alarmed me.

At first, I was incredibly excited by the inexplicable power that emerged within me, repeatedly practicing the manipulation of my superpower in seclusion; and during this process, my superpower grew rapidly, as muscles do with frequent exercise.

But gradually, I noticed anomalies.

It seemed that even without intensive practice, my superpower grew on its own. Though not as quickly as when I actively practiced, my sense was that even when I casually lay on a lawn, my superpower would strengthen with each breath I took. Over time, this power grew to a point that even I couldn't fully comprehend.

Is this really a power that a human being can possess so casually—I often doubted this.

In many superpower-themed stories, superpowers are not retained forever; they might degrade or even disappear due to various factors. In some stories, superpowers appear only during adolescence and, no matter how immense the power previously held, disappear with the passage of time as one matures into adulthood.

What is gained unknowingly could also be lost unknowingly someday.

I have never looked at this mysterious power with a sense of entitlement and have always prepared myself for the possibility that it might become unusable at any time. Under such circumstances, I naturally couldn't take it for granted as my own inherent asset, using it as a foundation for my future in broad daylight before the masses.

Of course, when necessary, I would cast aside all my concerns and use this power generously. When threats like the Fallen Demon Hunter emerged, if I still foolishly pondered about the days beyond tomorrow, I would end up not even surviving today.

Furthermore, I didn't plan on taking my superpower to the grave. Although I still viewed the nature of this power with scrutiny, the "adventure beyond reality" was my primary interest. If I hadn't found what I sought through tracing supernatural tales before graduating and entering society, I would have revealed my power in public to attract the attention of supernatural organizations.

Fortunately, Luo Mountain appeared before me before I took that step.

Seeing that I hadn't replied for a long time, Agent Kong kindly reminded me, "If it's inconvenient to answer, there's no need to force yourself."

"It's not that it's inconvenient to answer, it's just that it's a long story…"

Just as I spoke these words, my ears suddenly caught an extraordinary sound.

It was a sound like vigorously stirring a stick in a viscous liquid, dull and odd, and it seemed familiar. This indescribable familiarity made me instantly shut my mouth and look in the direction of the sound.

It was a shadow at the edge of the roadside, not far away. It had become abnormally dark and dense compared to the surrounding shadows, spreading and enlarging like ink spilled on the ground. From that bizarre shadow, bubble after bubble furiously emerged, the surface undulating continuously, the sound originating from there.

Immediately, an incredibly thick arm suddenly reached out from it, splashing shadowy liquid like ink paint around. This scene was all too familiar; it was how the Fallen Demon Hunter had appeared before me last night. Quickly, a demon monster, identical to the Fallen Demon Hunter, climbed out from under the shadow.

Moreover, the change didn't stop there; other nearby shadows also began to undergo the same transformation, with second and third demon monsters subsequently climbing onto the ground. One appeared in front of us, just like the first, while another blocked our retreat in the back. The three demon monsters ominously stared us down.

If only one demon had appeared, I might have guessed whether the Fallen Demon Hunter from last night had revived, but with three appearing, I could only assume that there had always been more than one Fallen Demon Hunter.

These three demons did not speak in human tongues but emitted a bestial, deep growl, saliva dripping from their mouths. Perhaps they were not transformed from humans.

Indeed, the Fallen Demon Hunter incident was not yet over.

What was their purpose in showing up here? Was it revenge for last night's incident? Were their targets only me, or was Agent Kong included as well?

Was it related to the grudge between the Fallen Demon Hunter and me?

It was really unfortunate. If it had been just me here, it would have been fine, but there was also Agent Kong, who wasn't good at fighting.

Upon seeing this scene, his voice began to tremble, "Zhuang Cheng…"

"Agent Kong, I'll handle them; you find the right moment to escape."

I wasn't sure if these three demons possessed different abilities from the Fallen Demon Hunter last night, so I didn't say everything.

"…No, seeing their arrangement, I won't be able to escape," Agent Kong steadied his emotions and pulled out a handgun from his chest.

I couldn't help but glance over. It was a gray revolver with a relatively long barrel, engraved with bizarre symbols. It seemed to be a piece of equipment used for handling abnormal creatures.

"This is a weapon supplied by Luo Mountain for the agents. Although it's a subpar emergency weapon, we'll have to make do with it for now," he said with forced calmness. "Next, we…"

He seemed to want to discuss with me how we would cooperate next, but reality isn't a turn-based game. It's not as if the enemy can't act while we haven't finished our turn.

Before he could finish speaking, the enemies launched their attack and charged at us.

As they charged, I turned my focus back on them and activated my superpower.

The demon at the forefront, directly in my line of sight, burst into flames spontaneously, burning fiercely as if doused in gasoline.

The flaw in this skill, igniting opponents with my gaze, is that I can only target one at a time.

Because the principle of this skill is to transfer my focus—or more specifically, my spirit—to my opponent.

Often, when we talk about "transferring one's spirit to an object," it actually means shifting one's attention to that object. Since humans rely on sight, concentrating one's gaze on a specific object means shifting attention to it.

Thus, eyes are often metaphorically described as the windows to the soul; the direction of the gaze is where the spirit moves. And the focal point of the gaze becomes the resting point of the spirit.

Although the flames can expand the area my gaze covers—strictly speaking, this already exceeds the definition of physiological vision and could only be described as supernatural perception—as long as I, the user, am still human, some principles remain the same. Presumably, no one can focus their eyes in multiple directions simultaneously, and my "focus of attention," or "resting point of the spirit," can only be in one place at a time.

The second demon directly in front of me immediately used the ignited demon as a shield, pushing it forward as it continued to charge at me. Although this would result in burns from its blazing companion, it avoided my direct gaze.

From this reaction, it was clear they knew my gaze could mediate a fiery attack, probably from information gleaned about last night's battle. However, they didn't realize that where the fire reached, my gaze also reached.

Moreover, just because I can only attack one target at a time with my gaze-igniting skill doesn't mean I can only use one skill at a time.

I used this skill because it was the first superpower I had learned and the one I was most adept with. As soon as I saw the enemies move, I reflexively used it. At the same time, I quickly lifted my right hand and summoned a small "Firefly" from my palm.

A large amount of Spiritual Power was poured into it, and the "Firefly" rapidly expanded into a massive fireball and detonated.

A overwhelming torrent of flames swept in all directions, engulfing the three attacking demons from the front and rear. The area around me turned into an inferno filled with flames, and the excess bright light temporarily rendered human vision useless.

This time, because I had to protect Agent Kong by my side, I was not in a relaxed mood to hold back. I infused the flames with a serious intent to destroy.

Under the impact of the devastating flames, the charging demons were instantly swept away like fish caught in fierce rapids.

They didn't even last the blink of an eye and were promptly reduced to ash.