Phoenix

"A... Phoe...nix...?"

Kyle muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on the huge red phoenix lying in the distance. Instantly, he froze in his place and held his breath, hoping the creature would ignore his tiny presence.

The phoenix's eyes were initially closed, and its breathing appeared irregular. But then, in a sudden moment, it opened its eyes, and a pair of glowing eyes met Kyle's in mid-air. Yet, only after a second, it closed them again.

The silver tips of Kyle's hair fluttered as he took a startled step back. But to his surprise, even after a few seconds, the phoenix remained motionless.

Kyle blinked and stared at the phoenix, dumbfounded.

'Is it not going to attack me!?'

He remembered hearing about phoenixes before, but seeing such a large one now, he was certain it was at least (S-)-Rank!

Kyle's forehead and palms turned sweaty as he made the decision to approach the phoenix. He cautiously stepped forward, and the closer he got, the more he could feel the intense heat radiating from the phoenix's body.

After closing a significant distance, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and tossed a few mana stones toward the phoenix to further illuminate the hidden corner of the cave.

"It's injured!"

Kyle glanced at the phoenix and sucked in a deep breath. It was lying in a pool of blood, and one of its wings was missing. Also, judging by its condition, it seemed like it wouldn't survive much longer!

He immediately remembered the group of students he encountered earlier. They were talking about battling a phoenix, and it looked like they were the ones who gravely wounded it.

At that time, he didn't pay much attention to their conversation. But now, seeing the scene himself, he wasn't sure if it was fortunate for him to stumble upon the injured phoenix.

Normally, it's very rare to come across a phoenix, and if he sold its body, he could make a good amount of money. Maybe if he extracted the core, he might even find a valuable skill. Plus, the fact that the phoenix didn't attack him even though he was trespassing means it's on the verge of death.

Kyle was pretty certain that even an unawakened person could kill it now!

But for some reason, he felt a sense of pity toward the creature. He knew that phoenixes were considered monsters, but when the phoenix opened its eyes and looked at him, he sensed a deep sadness within those glowing eyes. It was as if the phoenix had already accepted its fate.

Kyle felt conflicted about whether he should kill the phoenix or not. It would undoubtedly fetch a high price, but after contemplating for a while, he decided against it.

He didn't want to carry the guilt of taking a life for something so trivial. Kyle may not have a lot of money, but he didn't want to earn it in such a way. He let out a sigh and refocused his attention on the flowers.

'I'm here for the flowers, not to kill!'

With the cave owner injured, Kyle's hesitation vanished, and he made his way directly toward the red snow flowers with confidence. His feet brushed past the precious herbs scattered on the ground, but he didn't mind.

'I'll pick them after I get the ones I need!'

When he reached the red snow flowers, he eagerly bent down and grabbed them.

['Human, why didn't you kill me?']

Kyle flinched when he heard a monotonic voice inside his head. He quickly turned around and was met with the same pair of glowing eyes staring at him.

But Kyle's eyes showed no fear. Of course, it's because he knew the latter could not do anything to him in its injured state. He was a bit shocked to hear a voice in his head, but instead of being scared, his curiosity got the better of him. He looked at the phoenix with wide eyes.

"Are you the one talking to me!?"

The phoenix was surprised by Kyle's nonchalant attitude. It knew it was injured, but still, as someone superior, a weak human should naturally feel fear under its gaze.

['Hmm, you are a rather strange human.']

Kyle stared at the phoenix in disbelief.

"You're really talking inside my head! How is that possible!?"

It was the first time he had ever encountered a phoenix, let alone one that could communicate with him. He wondered if anyone would believe him if he shared this incredible experience!

The phoenix looked at Kyle, but then it suddenly closed its eyes. It seemed like it was getting difficult for the phoenix to maintain its conscious.

['It's possible, there are some creatures who gain intelligence after attaining enlightenment.']

['And it was easy making a connection with you, considering you are so weak even after having a bloodline superior to me.']

Before, Kyle was looking at the phoenix with astonishment, but then it turned into respect when he heard the word enlightenment. After all, humans spend their whole lives seeking enlightenment. He got another shock when he heard the phoenix talking about bloodlines.

"Bloodline! Do you know about my bloodline? How?"

Now, Kyle was getting anxious because even after spending a week inside the library, he didn't get any information regarding the 'Celestial Bloodline'.

['I sensed it when you were fidgeting outside my cave, and seeing how you went for the red snow flower instead of picking any other herb, it seems you are already aware of it.']

['Also, I don't know about your bloodline, but because it's affecting me, it's probably superior to mine. That's why, I think those red snow flowers won't work on you.']

"Why.."

Kyle stared at the cluster of flowers in his hand. After putting in so much effort, he hoped for some kind of result. But now, realizing it wouldn't work, he felt disheartened.

"Why won't it work?"

Kyle exclaimed loudly, his voice filled with frustration, as he clenched his fists.