The layer of soil trapped beneath the birdcage heated up instantly.
The originally grayish-brown earthen spikes turned a translucent crimson in the blink of an eye, looking like branding irons fresh from a furnace. Tiny streams of lava even flowed across their surfaces. A tangible wave of scorching heat surged through the air, causing the surrounding temperature to skyrocket.
The air warped and distorted from the heat, blurring the outlines of the distant trees. Even the white fur on Su Yun’s body began to curl slightly under the blistering wave. The fluffy down pressed against his bone armor. A few strands near the armor were singed, releasing a faint *sizzle* and a scorched smell. Mixed with the scent of burning vegetation, the acrid smoke made him instinctively wrinkle his nose.
The black bone armor also took on a faint red glow, pressing against his skin with a persistent, dull sting. Luckily, the **[Tipsy]** magic had weakened ninety percent of his sense of touch, preventing the pain from hindering his movements and leaving only a trace of residual heat.
The wooden bars of the birdcage hissed under the high temperature, oozing thick resin that soon began to smoke. The dark green venom on the barbs grew more viscous, slowly dripping down the bars. Each drop that hit the ground instantly corroded a small black pit with a *pop*, releasing a faint green poisonous mist.
Su Yun’s brows twitched slightly.
‘Fine, I’m done playing.’
The moment the thought crossed his mind, the bone armor on his hands extended rapidly along his fingertips, instantly transforming into two half-meter-long bone blades. The blades were thin as a cicada’s wing, their edges lined with fine, serrated bone spurs that shimmered with a cold, metallic glint as if they could cleave the very air.
Immediately after, he activated **[Earth Magic: Silver Dragon Glide]**.
Pale silver mana flowed like liquid mercury, spreading rapidly across the surface of the bone blades to form a thin alloy film. Lifelike dragon-scale patterns swirled within the film, shimmering as the mana flowed. This caused the hardness and sharpness of the bone blades to explode several times over. The once-dull blades now gleamed with a frigid silver light. As they moved through the air, they created tiny atmospheric vortices that made a sharp *hissing* sound.
*Clang!*
The sound of metal grinding against wood was sharp enough to pierce eardrums. Su Yun snapped his wrists with sudden force. He swung the bone blades in a silver flash, hacking viciously at the wooden birdcage in front of him.
The cage, formed by the twisted trunks of dozens of trees nearly one meter thick, was as fragile as wet paper before the mana-enhanced bone blades.
*Crack! Crack!*
The moment the blades bit into the wood, the sound of splintering timber followed. Wood chips and sparks flew in every direction. The severed branches, engulfed in raging flames, crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and embers.
Then, Su Yun slammed his foot against the ground. Using the recoil, he sprinted out, stepping directly onto the still-glowing earthen spikes. The scorching heat transferred through his bone armor, causing a slight stinging pain in the soles of his feet. He frowned slightly but did not slow down.
His silhouette shot out of the fire like an arrow from a bow.
‘Is someone hiding in the shadows?’
Harnessing the power of the wind, Su Yun glided into the air. He scanned the Forest below from his vantage point, his blue eyes sharp as a hawk’s. However, aside from the densely burning trees and the crackling branches, there was no sign of anyone. The opponent had clearly used some form of concealment magic and was hiding exceptionally well.
‘It’s impossible to run.’
A cold, mocking sneer curled Su Yun’s lips. He could clearly perceive the lingering fluctuations of the other party’s mana. The purity was at the level of a Mid-Tier Mage at best. The mental strength of a Mid-Tier Mage was insufficient to sustain long-distance spellcasting. This meant the opponent was definitely lurking nearby.
But what did a Mid-Tier Mage’s inability to cast long-range or large-scale magic have to do with him, a Low-Tier Mage?
Su Yun hovered in mid-air as pale red fire elements and earthy yellow earth elements converged wildly around him. The two types of mana intertwined, forming spinning energy vortices that emitted a low *humming* sound.
**[Earth/Fire Magic: Smog Rain Meteor]**!
Countless lava orbs rapidly took shape around him, each the size of a football. Scalding magma flowed over their surfaces, emitting thick black smoke and a brilliant red light that illuminated the night sky for dozens of kilometers. Even the distant clouds were stained a dark crimson.
“Go.”
With a flick of Su Yun’s mind, the innumerable lava orbs plummeted toward the earth like a meteor shower. The dense points of light covered the entire Forest like a burning net.
The moment an orb made contact with the ground, it exploded like a firework. Scorching magma splashed everywhere, igniting everything in its path. The crackling of burning trees, the sizzling of melting rock, and the brittle snaps of the earth cracking combined into an infernal sea of fire.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The continuous explosions were deafening, making the very earth tremble. Fissures spread across the ground beneath Su Yun, and scalding steam erupted from the cracks. Within a few breaths, the Forest below was leveled, leaving nothing but charred, brittle earth and burning wreckage. Billowing smoke, thick with the pungent stench of sulfur and burnt wood, filled the air and blotted out the sun.
*Ding—!*
A cold, mechanical system notification rang in Su Yun’s mind, possessing a sharp, electronic quality that seemed to urge him to act quickly.
**[Congratulations! You have killed Red Name Mage Level 34]**
**[Base Reward: 20 Credits]**
**[Additional Reward: None (Target level too low, no extra drops triggered)]**
**[Optional Services:]**
**[1. Spend 5 Credits to automatically loot the current target’s spoils (Limited to this instance).]**
**[2. Spend 30 Credits to purchase a “One-Way Auto-Extraction Card” (Automatically loots all kill spoils until you die in this trial).]**
Su Yun didn’t even think before choosing the Auto-Extraction Card. Rather than wasting time scrounging for loot on the ground, he would rather kill a few more Red Name Mages. He could earn back the credits and clean up these future murderers at the same time. Even if there was no “merit” involved, it still felt good.
As soon as he confirmed his choice, a pale red virtual prompt popped up in front of him, displaying **[Purchase Successful!]** in bold, golden font.
A few faint golden light orbs then floated up from the burning ruins. They hovered before him like fireflies, encasing the translucent silhouettes of the loot.
Before he could clearly see the items within the orbs, another semi-transparent floating window snapped into view, occupying most of his vision. Its border flashed with a piercing red light, and the text was large and bold, carrying the heavy vibe of a cheap web game.
**[Friendly Reminder: Multiple spoils detected. Would you like to purchase a “Safety Bag”?]**
**[Important Note: Any items not stored in a Safety Bag will automatically disappear upon resurrection! No re-issuance will be provided!]**
**[Safety Bag Sizes and Prices:]**
**[One Cubic Meter: 50 Credits/Use]**
**[Three Cubic Meters: 100 Credits/Use]**
**[Five Cubic Meters: 150 Credits/Use]**
“Scumbags!”
Su Yun couldn’t help but curse inwardly as he stared at the pop-up.
‘What the hell? This isn’t a trial system; it’s a cash-grab mobile game! Entry fees, extraction cards, and now storage fees… the layers of charges are absolutely ridiculous!’
Despite the complaining, he gritted his teeth and selected the five-cubic-meter Safety Bag. It would be a waste if he happened to find something good later and had nowhere to put it. Even if his heart ached for the credits, it was money that had to be spent.
However, before he could recover from the sting of spending 180 Credits in a single moment, another pop-up appeared with a *whoosh*. This one even featured a flashing rainbow effect that was particularly eyesore.
**[Surprise Bonus! Safety Bag Skins are available for a limited time!]**
**[Available Styles: Cool Black-Gold (80 Credits), Dreamy Purple (100 Credits), Rainbow Gradient (Limited Edition, 200 Credits)]**
**[Note: Skins only change appearance and provide no stat bonuses~]**
Su Yun: “…”
He stared at the blindingly bright Rainbow Gradient skin on the pop-up, then looked at his own cold, hard black bone armor and pure white fur. A sense of speechlessness washed over him.
‘Confirmed. This is just a poorly made, trashy online game!’
He didn’t bother overthinking it and just clicked “Basic Yellow,” thinking to himself, ‘Just give me a low-key color.’
The window flashed, and a notification jumped out:
**[Congratulations! You have obtained the skin: Maiden Pink! (A random owned skin is applied. Current probability for a specific skin is 5%. You can spend 50 Credits to increase the probability by 5%.)]**
Su Yun looked down. A pink, palm-sized pouch had appeared out of thin air on his wrist.
‘Fine, fine. So even if I buy a skin, I still have to rely on luck to use it?’