MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

He happily inspected his gains. They were bound to be bountiful considering the degree of difficulty this whole thing had. 

[ +10 Fire affinity! ] 

[ Acquired Burning Man F!] 

[ Acquired Fire Manipulation F! ] 

[ Acquired Fiery Soul: Super Hot! ] 

Fire affinity would increase his resistance to fire and the damage he dealt with that element. Its effectiveness would depend greatly on the enemy (similar to the armor rating). 

The burning man was a passive allowing one to be immune to the burn status effect. It would make it so he wouldn't have to care that much about the remnant fire in the fiery heart boss fight. 

The Fire Manipulation was similar to a classic fireball spell, less powerful but way more flexible. It didn't have a fixed shape and could obey its user's will. 

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Fire Manipulation

Rank F 

Level 5

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[Cost] 1 Mana

[Damage] 50% 

[Scaling] Intelligence

[Range] Flexible

[Element] Fiery

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As for the fiery soul...what?! Oh well, it was just the game telling him how hot he was. 

This was all good, but he wasn't the only one with newfound power. 

[Your pet has acquired Fiery Chicken Bloodline! ] 

[Your pet has unlocked Fiery Chicken Rain F! ]

[ Your pet has unlocked a combat form! ] 

Holy fucking shit! Jack couldn't help but cheer seeing this. The bloodline was perfect for it. This was because he had no desire to turn into a giant chicken at all! 

Fiery Chicken Rain sounded OP AF, but seeing its rank, it probably wouldn't be that strong just yet. It would require some testing for sure. 

Combat form?! Moon Moon had been trying so hard to fight, but there was only so much that it could do with its low stats. This was akin to rain to a man dying of thirst in the desert. 

Before, it had been cursed to barely do any damage and to die from a few hits. But now everything would change! It would finally be able to match a regular player head-on! (Most likely)

"Hey, Moon Moon. Why don't you show me that new combat form of yours?" 

"Woo?" (Confused) 

He chuckled lowly. This was bound to happen after such a sudden change. It wasn't used to its powers. 

"Do you remember how you felt while battling the heart? Focus on that feeling and make it course through your entire body." Jack instructed. 

The little wolf turned serious before doing as it was told. It looked so cute with its bright and big eyes, frowning as it did its best. 

"Woo." 

"Woo."

"Woo!"

With a victorious shout, Moon Moon's body began to change. The silly orange wolf suddenly turned the color of flames. It was as if a fire was swimming on its skin, emitting a powerful yet restrained aura. 

"Pfft—" Jack suddenly had to stifle a laugh. There were now two tiny white chicken wings on the wolf's back, excitingly flapping along its tail.

"Woo?" (Confused) 

"Don't worry about it. Try moving around." 

Moon Moon accelerated, only to instantly face-plant, surprised at its own power. It was faster, stronger, and more resistant than it had once been. It slowly rose, incomprehension filling its face. 

"Don't worry about it. You'll get used to it. Now, shall we go and—" Jack suddenly stopped talking as he noticed their surroundings. 

The heavy metallic door at the entrance was torn apart, showing signs of melting. The rest of the underground wasn't any better: it was utterly blackened and covered in ash. 

Oh god! What the heck?! What the fuck had happened here?! 

Was this really the result of their training session?! How were they still alive?! No, he knew…

The fiery heart had tried to turn them into an instrument of its vengeance against the whole world, not kill them. Heck, driving the instructor away was probably all part of the creature's plan. 

But it didn't change the issue at hand. Igor would 100% kill him! Should he consider a tactical retreat? No, this wasn't his style. 

Moon Moon whimpered lowly. Even its new combat form wouldn't save them from this! Jack and wolf shared a glance before resolutely going up…

━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━

Above ground, a commotion was happening. 

There were two distinct groups: the ones that knew what was going on and the ones who didn't— And both were freaking out! 

The ones that knew were going crazy as they stared at the rubble with awe. How had Jack even managed to create such a fantastic explosion?! Was it a spell? They really wanted to know! 

The ones that didn't know were going crazy for another reason. What the heck was happening?! Was the village under attack?! This had to be an event, right?! This meant loot! They had to get their asses there ASAP and call their friends! 

Every living thing was making its way over. This, of course, included the various NPCs. 

The Butcher came along with a curious gaze. Was there a party or something? 

The Blacksmith eagerly came to see. There was so much heat in this place. Had a fire-related treasure spawned? This could be damn useful in a forge! 

The Old Lady came over to complain. What was with the noise? She was busy crafting potions! Who dared disturb her?! 

Steven came over with a worried gaze. Was his shop in danger? Was his life in danger? Did he have to make a run for it? 

The Florist came over excitedly. This was the smell of magic, freaking magic! He had to study whatever had happened here. Was it a natural phenomenon?! Was it man-made?! 

Then there was the Village Chief. He was unlike all the others. He was royally pissed. He ran toward the commotion, his face twisted beyond belief and fury in his eyes, bellowing: 

"Who fucking dares to attack my village! Whoever it is, you're courting death, you bastard! I'll show you how red your blood is!" His voice echoed in the entire beginner village. 

The village chief saw the scene of destruction, saw the ash-covered Igor, saw the players, and glared at them for a second. Anyone meeting his powerful gaze would gulp and promptly lower their head. 

No, these wimps weren't the perpetrators. It was someone else for sure. 

That's when the debris began to shake, everyone collectively holding their breath. The silence felt oppressive as all eyes rested there. 

A few rocks were sent flying along with ash. Two heads had just popped out of the rubble, one human and one a wolf. They were out… 

"Damn, why are there so many of you?!" The Demon King uttered, shocked. 

"You bastard! You're dead!" the chief roared. 

This was going to end badly….