Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

With a resolute nod, Adam's flames crackled and danced in the tunnel, their soft radiance illuminating Karna's noble face and gentle smile.

Every few minutes, his eyes couldn't help but drift to it while his ears perked up to assimilate his wise teachings. Yet, a nagging feeling as grating as the shrill noise of someone clawing a chalkboard blossomed in his mind.

The worst part? It didn't happen with Wukong and Achilles. After all, his heart pounded against his chest when he saw the first's unrestrained character and abilities. Despite his admiration for his skills and legends, Karna went a step further. As for Achilles? He was anything but soft during training and wouldn't make his chest warm with each spoken word.

He rolled his eyes.

'I should be glad not to feel my life slip away when he trains me.' He scratched his head. 'But why do I feel different with Karna? It's as if he's treating me like a close friend...'

The flames dancing on his fingers flickered erratically as his mind wandered to find the answer through his memories.

His eyes brightened a second later.

'Unlike the others, he remains silent and observes most of the time. Even if it doesn't look like much, it gives his words more impact. But there is more to it.'

He frowned, remembering everything he had said as Karna's brows raised. Yet, he ignored his mentor's questioning glance. He had to find out why, or his focus would flicker like his flames.

And a minute later, his eyes sparkled as he remembered his mentor had hidden his fists after his earlier success.

'I feel like I'm progressing without becoming complacent.' He clenched his fists, putting out the uncontrollable fire and continued. 'Is it because he balances encouragement with challenges and always calms me down when my emotions spill?'

As he pondered, Karna's sigh pierced the settling silence.

Then, he moved before Adam, his firm eyes and stoic voice adding weight to his words.

"I once gifted the Kavacha and Kundala I was born with to a stranger. They are the source of my invincibility, but I still did it." He exhaled and shook his head. "Not because I wanted rewards or recognition, but to help this man..." His voice trailed off, and his eyes dimmed. "Even if I knew he was disguising and tricking me."

Adam's eyes widened as a realisation crashed over his mind like a tidal wave.

He had heard Karna's desire to help the people and seen his supportive nature. But This revelation caused his voice to crack as he understood the magnitude of his selflessness.

"That's how you lost your invincibility?" He rapidly shook his head, focused on the message hidden behind his story, and muttered. "It's not just with me. You're that generous with everyone. That's why you listen more than talk and offer spot-on advice."

With a humble nod to answer that showed his reluctance to continue on the subject, Karna pointed at his empty fingers and smiled.

"Now that your curiosity has found answers, why don't we spice your training up? After all, we're here to do that, not reminisce."

He fished a brown leaf from his belt and pointed at its withered veins.

"You can control inactive soft flames for a few seconds. But that's not what we aim to achieve. Instead, I want you to nourish this leaf with your them." He chuckled at Adam's twitching brows. "I'll demonstrate the method and guide you through the process. So, stay calm and don't give up even if you fail a few times."

Just like that, Adam delved into his essence control training.

Sometimes, he frowned, sweated, and cursed at his failures and how inflammable the leaf was. But Karna's supportive words always came at the right moment to clear his wavering mind of distractions.

Emboldened by his presence, his eyes narrowed into fiery slits as he burned a leaf, then two that became four. Even after ten, he bit his lips and channelled his flames in a relentless pursuit of improvement.

Like a whetstone sharpening a piece of junk, each failure served to increase his understanding. By now, his eyes remained steady—the leaf and crackling fire, the only things he saw and heard.

He pushed his hand to the leaf, his movement slow and calculated.

Sweat dripped down his furrowed brows and burned his squinted eyes, but he ignored the discomfort. He had to encase it with his flames at least once today.

Slowly, his hand hovered lower and lower, approaching its target as a hopeful inner yell pierced his mind.

'Just a little more!'

Eyes reddening and heart drumming in his ears with every centimeter he crossed, his focus on the temperature of the flames increased until...

CRACK

A soft crack reverberated louder than a thunderbolt in his mind as he touched the withered leaf without igniting it.

Urgency fueling his movement, his thumb and index clenched around it before he raised it in front of Karna and roared.

"I DID IT!"

Karna observed the exhaustion twisting his face, his half-closed eyelids, and the dripping lines carved on his forehead. Then, his lips curled into a bright smile, and his fists shook behind his back as he saw Adam's beat-red cheeks and the happiness causing his arms to tremble.

But more than that, his chest warmed, and his brows rose at his student's rapid success. Still, he hid it with the fact that he had expected him to fail for two days and nodded.

"Well done. But you only met the basic requirement to nourish it." His steady voice echoed before he stepped towards the tunnel's entrance. "We'll continue tomorrow and hopefully start your evening training."

Adam scratched his head and walked behind him.

Before he could ask why they wouldn't proceed with the schedule shared this morning, his abused legs buckled, and the tunnel blurred in his constricting pupils.

'What's happening?!'

With his remaining mental strength, he yelled his confusion and the fear gnawing at him.

Yet, the only answer he received was the soft plop of his body meeting the unforgiving ground.

Meanwhile, Karna's lips curled into a wry smile as he returned to him.

"That's the reason. Neither were your body nor mind accustomed to vigorous efforts. Today's training pushed them beyond their limits, leading to this reaction." He passed his hand under Adam's back and raised him. "They'll probably need a week to adapt, so focus on learning until then."