My Level Zero System

[Fire Control level 0] 95/200 (+95)

Looking at the scattered Zombie corpses on the ground, Kain dispelled his magic. The entire lightning network and surrounding flames vanished, plunging the environment back into its initial gloom and darkness.

This area was temporarily cleared, so Kain decided to move elsewhere.

Still using his old method, Kain lit a fire and waited for monsters to be drawn in. He wasn't sure if he was unlucky or fortunate, as the next spot Kain chose to ignite happened to be where a group of Tres was gathered.

Tres are a monster species with no flesh or blood, structured almost entirely like plants. They can be considered a type of highly mutated carnivorous plant. They hunt by mimicking trees, waiting for prey to approach before attacking with their toothy tentacles, tearing their victims apart. Their only drawback is that they cannot move freely; their range is limited by their root systems.

Seeing a group of Tres wriggling before him, Kain recalled a past incident where he was surrounded by four Tres. His [Thunder Magic] at the time wasn't strong enough, and its paralyzing effect had no impact on plant-type monsters like Tres. As a result, he had to rely on Myra and Mera's [Fire Magic] to counter the Tres and get out of that bind.

That was also the moment Kain resolved to learn [Fire Magic] to compensate for this weakness; his [Thunder Magic] was not entirely comprehensive without blind spots.

And now, he had succeeded.

Watching the closest Tres charge, Kain activated his magic. There was no need for a mid-class magic skill; a single [Fire Bullet] pushed to its low-class magic skill limit was sufficient.

Although a Tres's plant body was quite tough and sturdy, its pure hardness was still considerably less than a Roc's, so a low-class magic skill was enough to deal with these monsters.

Even so, Kain didn't waste a single shot. He quickly observed and determined the monsters' positions and range of movement. Tres are limited by their roots, so their range of motion is smallest closer to the roots. Therefore, a single well-placed [Fire Bullet] was enough for Kain to sever these monsters.

[Fire Bullet].

The magic skill activated, like a glowing orange-red thread cutting across the gloomy space, striking the Tres's body and immediately creating a small explosion that shattered its torso. This caused the Tres to shriek terribly and collapse to the ground, unable to move. And one by one, they fell.

Kain was like a diligent lumberjack, felling each tree, not with an axe, but with fire.

[Fire Control level 0] 108/200 (+13)

Just as he finished clearing out the Tres, Kain spotted a Zombie. It seemed to have detected the commotion and hurried over. Unlike ordinary Zombies and even the tall, slender Zombies, this one was a grotesque composite of three tall, slender Zombies, giving it six arms and three heads.

However, this creature didn't just run and pounce; it also knew how to use its limbs to build momentum for an attack.

Kain had encountered this type of Zombie once before, a guardian monster on one of the floors of a small-sized Dungeon. So, he wasn't particularly surprised and immediately took action.

[Thunder Bullet].

Under Kain's absolute control, [Thunder Bullet] struck the three-headed Zombie's body, causing it to halt, paralyzed and damaged by the lightning.

[Enhancement Body].

[Enhancement Tool].

[Enhancement Magic].

Following that, Kain was seen accelerating directly towards the Zombie, dagger in hand. With just three precise stabs, he pierced the monster's three heads, followed by a clean cut that severed the central Zombie head.

The three-headed Zombie crumpled to its knees, its lanky body with six jagged arms toppling forward. Kain carefully stepped aside.

Having dispatched his prey, Kain showed no expression, simply allocating the newly earned skill points to [Fire Control].

"Time to light it up." He murmured, and a new circle of fire emanated from him, transforming the surrounding area into a living beacon, inviting the surrounding monsters into Kain's deadly hunting ground.

By simply repeating this strategy, Kain literally burned his way through the Inverted Forest area, a stark contrast to his previous difficulties. If before Kain was just a single-system low-class Magus, now he was a multi-system mid-class Magus.

This truly shows how terrifying a Magus's combat power can be. A Magus is literally a sophisticated army with terrifying destructive power.

[Fire Control level 1] 83/250 (+175)

Compared to the rock cave area with Rocs and Moleds, Zombies and Tres were much easier to kill. As a result, despite being active for quite a long time, Kain felt he was still relatively energetic and didn't need a deep rest before entering a new battleground.

Currently, the only thing separating him from the guardian monster's room was a transition area: the branching labyrinth.

Previously, Kain would have had to precisely map the labyrinth by locating monster hotspots as landmarks, but now, he could go straight through without worrying about anything.

And Kain did just that.

It wasn't because he was less "intelligent" than before. A truly wise person would choose to "optimize efficiency and resources" rather than "try to complicate matters," unless it involved personal preference or other special situations.

Before, Kain's team was on the verge of exhaustion from being hunted, so he had to extend the time to allow himself, Myra, and Mera to rest. At the same time, he mapped the labyrinth to find the safest path with the fewest engagements, aiming to optimize their advantage before fighting the guardian monster.

Now, Kain didn't need to waste so much time. So, he simply took the easiest route, going straight until he reached his destination.

Kain walked through the labyrinth, clearing out monsters he encountered and changing direction at dead ends. Kain's memory was excellent, so he wasn't afraid of encountering the same dead end twice.

During this process, Kain also conveniently tested his newly upgraded [Fire Control]. The results highly satisfied him.

Some typical examples include: if he now activated a [Fire Cannon], with [Fire Control], Kain could not only adjust its trajectory and attack range, but he could even, to some extent, split the original [Fire Cannon] into multiple smaller [Fire Cannon]s. This was perfectly suited for multi-target attacks without needing to activate multiple magic skills simultaneously, increasing efficiency while reducing consumption. Although practicing it was still very difficult, Kain was confident that as [Fire Control] leveled up, he would perform this more easily and quickly.

In this way, Kain swiftly traversed the monster labyrinth, facing the large stone door—the entrance to the guardian monster's room.