Lihan stood before the dungeon entrance, surrounded by the guards who had fought alongside him against the magma creatures. The air still vibrated with residual heat from the battle, and small fragments of volcanic rock smoldered on the cracked ground. His boots crunched over the hot gravel as he observed the remains of the defeated monsters.
The guard captain, still panting from the recent combat, approached with an expression mixing gratitude and concern. His armor, already stained with soot, now showed new marks from the magma shards that had flown during the fight.
"Good work out there, kid," he said, patting Lihan's shoulder. "That tactic of separating them from the magma sources was brilliant. We never thought of that."
"Thank you," Lihan replied, wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "It was just observing their movement patterns."
The younger soldier, with blonde hair singed at the tips, approached carrying a small leather pouch.
"By the way, kid, Mayor Lord Aldren wanted us to give you this before you entered," he said, handing over the pouch. "It's additional provisions like food and some water bottles that will help you combat dehydration. They won't protect you from direct burns, but they'll help you keep a cool head in there."
Lihan accepted the pouch, feeling the comforting weight of the provisions. He quickly checked the contents: several water bottles and what appeared to be dried food wrapped in cloth.
"Also..." the soldier hesitated, looking nervously toward the entrance. "I'd also like you to be careful in there. Everyone who entered that dungeon never managed to get out. Which leads us to believe they're dead."
The captain nodded gravely.
"We can't risk any more to find out. We've already lost good soldiers, and their families were devastated by the event. The only logic for why they didn't escape was that it was a trap dungeon. As the mayor warned you." The captain sighed heavily. "Whatever the case, there's no way to know how dangerous this dungeon can be, so stay alert, kid."
Lihan nodded, feeling the information settle in his stomach like a cold stone. He adjusted his backpack straps, checked that his sword was properly secured, and that his potions were safe in the side compartments.
"Understood," Lihan replied, trying to make his voice sound firmer than he felt. "I promise I won't fail the people of Solvanta. I'll do everything possible to stop this threat."
The guards exchanged looks of respect. There was something in the young adventurer's determination that reassured them, despite knowing the dangers he would face.
"You're brave, kid," the captain said. "But remember: courage without prudence is simply a quick way to die. Keep your head cool in there."
Lihan turned toward the dungeon entrance, and for the first time since the battle, he really observed it carefully.
There wasn't a door in the traditional sense. Instead, an arch of reddish stone rose between two volcanic formations that seemed to have grown naturally from the ground. The rock had an organic texture, as if it had been molded by giant hands instead of carved with tools. The runes carved into its surface didn't follow any pattern Lihan could recognize; some seemed like arcane symbols, others resembled scars or wounds in the stone itself.
Most disturbing was the light. The runes emitted a weak, pulsing glow, like the heartbeat of a giant heart. The light wasn't constant; sometimes it shone brighter, other times it faded almost completely, creating dancing shadows that played tricks on the eye.
And the sound... There was a humming. So low it was more vibration than actual noise, but impossible to ignore once you noticed it. It was as if the air itself vibrated with contained energy.
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Lihan asked, not taking his eyes off the arch.
"Never," the captain replied. "It appeared three weeks ago, out of nowhere. One day the volcano was normal, the next... this was here. As if it had always existed."
Lihan approached slowly. The heat intensified with each step, but it wasn't just temperature; there was something more, a pressure that seemed to push against his skin and thoughts. His boots crunched against the volcanic gravel.
One meter from the arch, he stopped. He could feel the magic emanating from it like heat waves, but magic of a type he didn't recognize. It was ancient, powerful, and had a taste in the air that reminded him of rusted metal and lost time.
"Ready?" he asked over his shoulder, though the question was more for himself than for the guards.
"Be careful in there, kid," the captain said. "And remember: if something looks too easy, it's probably a trap."
Lihan nodded, filled his lungs with the relatively fresh outside air, and took the final step.
The moment his left boot crossed the threshold, the world shattered.
It wasn't a gradual transition. There was no step through a portal, no walk into darkness. It was instantaneous and disorienting, as if reality itself had been cut with a knife and he had fallen through the crack.
For an infinitesimal moment, he felt he didn't exist. There was no ground beneath his feet, no air in his lungs, no him. Only a void that tasted of static and sounded of absolute silence.
And then, as abruptly as it had disappeared, reality returned.
He was standing on black, cracked stone, but it was no longer the same world.
The dungeon stretched before him like a cathedral forged in the heart of a primordial volcano. The ceiling rose so high it was lost in dancing shadows, supported by natural pillars of molten rock that still dripped incandescent magma. The floor was a complex network of obsidian platforms connected by natural bridges, some no wider than his foot.
Between the platforms, pools of magma bubbled and hissed, sending columns of steam into the thick air. The heat was immediate and intense, like opening an oven door, but there was something more: the air itself seemed alive, charged with energy that made his hair stand on end and made every breath taste of copper and sulfur.
The walls were veined with crystal veins that pulsed with their own light, creating a hypnotic pattern of lights and shadows. Occasionally, jets of steam escaped from cracks, creating temporary geysers that illuminated impossible rock formations.
But what disturbed him most was the silence.
It wasn't an empty silence, but dense, as if the air itself were waiting. He could hear his own breathing, the bubbling pools of magma, the strong beating of his heart, and the creak of his clothes as he moved. But there was something else beneath all that, something his mind couldn't completely process.
He turned instinctively, searching for the exit, the arch through which he had entered.
There was nothing. Just as the townspeople had warned him.
Where the portal should have been, there was only a solid wall of volcanic rock, smooth and intact, as if it had been sealed for centuries. He approached, pressed his palms against the surface. It was hot, rough, and completely real. There were no runes, no residual magic, nothing to suggest an entrance had ever existed.
"I guess I'm trapped in this dungeon," Lihan murmured nervously, feeling panic begin to climb up his throat. "Calm down, Lihan. You're just alone in a dangerous lava dungeon, with monsters that will want to kill you the moment they see you. Nothing serious."
Due to his nervousness, Lihan hit the wall with his fist, then with both fists, desperately searching for some hidden mechanism, some way to activate the return portal. Nothing. The rock remained cold and immutable before his efforts.
"A trap dungeon, huh?" Lihan whispered, and the words seemed to echo in the vast space, distorting until they became incomprehensible whispers.
He remembered the stories he had heard: dungeons that didn't let you out, magical structures that closed behind their victims, trapping them in labyrinths of challenges until they completed their purpose... or died trying.
His hands trembled as he stepped away from the wall, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He breathed deeply, forcing himself to think clearly. Panic wouldn't help him. Rei and Ashe trusted him. He had come here for a reason, and letting fear take over wouldn't bring him closer to fulfilling his mission.
That's when he heard it.
Tick... tock...
The sound was completely out of place in that primitive, volcanic environment. Too precise, too artificial, like the beat of a giant mechanical clock.
Tick... tock... tick... tock...
He turned slowly, searching for the source of the sound. His eyes stopped on something that hadn't been there moments before.
Floating in the air, with no support or physical connection to anything, was a symbol. It wasn't solid, not even a complete illusion. It was more like a presence, a visual echo made of faint lines of silver light that seemed to be carved into the air itself.
A ghostly clock.
It had no body or frame, just the essence of a clock: a translucent sphere with hands that moved at erratic speeds. Sometimes they moved so slowly they seemed motionless, other times they spun so fast they became blurred. The numbers around the sphere weren't numbers at all, but runes that constantly changed, as if time itself were being rewritten in real time.
Lihan found himself walking toward it, fascinated despite his apprehension. As he approached, he could see that the clock didn't conventionally mark time. The hands moved independently, sometimes in opposite directions, and occasionally stopped completely before jumping forward with spasmodic movements.
"Time..." he murmured, and understanding hit him like lightning, making a knot form in his stomach. "Time doesn't work normally here," Lihan realized.
The revelation settled in his mind with crystalline and terrifying clarity. Obviously, time was altered by this dungeon, and what most disturbed Lihan was not knowing in what way. Did the dungeon advance faster here inside compared to the real world, or did it advance slower than the real world?
How much time had already passed since he entered? Minutes? Hours? Days? He had no way of knowing. Outside, Rei and Ashe could be waiting for him for weeks, months, or he could leave this dungeon and find out that barely seconds had passed.
He could be trapped here for months and come out as if it were the same moment he entered, or he could spend hours in here, and months could pass outside. Lihan hoped for the former over the latter. If it were the latter, his sisters might come to think he had died, and besides, who knows what that guy Trent would do with his sisters.
The idea filled him with desperate urgency and, paradoxically, with strange calm. If time were unpredictable, then speed didn't matter as much as efficiency.
He forced himself to breathe deeply, inhaling the thick, mineral-laden air. The taste was harsh, but his body seemed to be gradually adapting to the hostile environment.
"Alright, Lihan," he said to himself, his voice sounding small in the vast space. "It doesn't help to despair over unknown variables. For now, think that the people of Solvanta need you to succeed."
The mention of the town brought with it a wave of determination. He could visualize the streets oppressed by heat, the exhausted faces of the citizens, and the genuine concern in Lord Aldren's eyes. He had trusted him with this mission, had believed he had the necessary skills to face any challenge he encountered.
Maybe they saw him as something more than just a passing adventurer. Maybe... maybe he could really make a difference.
That idea gave him strength.
He looked toward the interior of the dungeon, evaluating the terrain. The main path serpentined between platforms of molten rock, with natural bridges crossing bubbling pools of magma. Some of the bridges seemed solid, others were barely rocky ledges that had formed by geological accident.
In the distance, beyond the immediate platforms, he could distinguish more complex structures: what appeared to be rock towers rising from the cavern floor, connected by dubious-looking bridges. And beyond that, barely visible in the heat haze, something that could be an artificial construction.
But what caught his attention most was the movement.
Something was moving in the depths of the dungeon. A gigantic silhouette that glided between the rock formations with a grace that contrasted with its evident size. He couldn't distinguish what it was, but the way it moved suggested intelligence and purpose.
"The final boss," he murmured, remembering the typical patterns of magical dungeons.
But before reaching that, he would have to navigate through all the intermediate challenges. And with time behaving unpredictably, every decision he made could have consequences impossible to foresee.
He checked his equipment once more. His sword was well secured, the healing potions were safe on his belt, and the blessed water canteen hung at his side. Everything was in order.
He looked one last time at the ghostly clock. The hands had begun spinning faster, and the runes around the sphere glowed with more intense light. Whatever controlled time in this place was reacting to his presence.
"As long as I don't lose control," he told himself. "As long as I remember why I'm here."
He took the first step toward the depths of the dungeon, feeling the heat intensify with each meter he advanced. His boots crunched against the volcanic gravel, and the air became denser, more charged with arcane power.
The real challenge was just beginning.
And now, with time as an unpredictable enemy, each step took him deeper into the unknown.
Day 1 - The First Encounter
Lihan had walked for what seemed like hours through the serpentine paths of the dungeon. The heat was constant, oppressive, but he had learned to breathe in a controlled manner, taking small sips of the heat resistance potions the guards had given him. The ground beneath his feet was a treacherous mixture of solid rock and cracks that occasionally let escape jets of steam.
It was when he approached a natural obsidian bridge that he saw them for the first time—a monster in the dungeon.
Magma Sliders. The same monsters he had faced at the dungeon entrance.
They were smaller than he had expected, approximately the size of a large mouse, but they moved with speed that defied logic. Their bodies were an amalgamation of igneous rock and molten lava, leaving small magma trails as they slid across rocky surfaces as if they were ice skaters.
The first one attacked without warning.
A burst of magma shards flew toward him, and Lihan barely had time to roll to one side, feeling the scorching heat graze his cheek. His sword came out of its sheath in a fluid movement, and when the Slider approached for a second attack, he pierced it cleanly through the center.
The creature disintegrated in an explosion of sparks and rocky fragments.
"Easy," Lihan thought, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Then five more appeared.
Day 3 - In the Lava Dungeon
Lihan had completely underestimated the nature of these monsters. The Magma Sliders weren't dangerous individually, but they never attacked alone. They appeared in groups of three, four, sometimes up to eight, coordinating their movements with precision that suggested collective intelligence.
He found himself cornered on a circular platform, surrounded by six Sliders moving in concentric circles, launching magma shards from different angles. His left arm already had several small burns, and his warrior's clothing was singed in several places.
"I can't keep fighting defensively," Lihan told himself, observing their movement patterns.
Then he noticed something: just like the monsters he faced outside the dungeon, these ones needed a moment to recharge their internal magma after each attack. It was a fraction of a second, but it was enough.
Lihan waited for the first one to shoot, then launched himself toward it in a straight line, using the momentary confusion to break through their formation. His sword found two targets before the others could react.
The tactic worked, but it cost him a deep burn on his shoulder when a shard reached him during his escape.
That night, sitting in a small cave he had found, Lihan applied one of his healing potions while chewing the dried food the guards had given him. The taste was terrible, but he had no choice.
"How long have I been here?" he wondered, looking at the ghostly clock that occasionally appeared floating near him. The hands kept moving erratically, giving him no clue about the real time elapsed.
Worry began to gnaw at him from within. Had a day passed? A week? What would be happening in Solvanta? With Rei and Ashe?
Day 8 - The Fire Turtles
When Lihan encountered his first Fire Turtle, he initially thought it would be easier than the Sliders. After all, it moved slowly, almost lazily, and seemed to be in no hurry to attack him.
That complacency almost cost him his life.
His first sword strike bounced off the creature's reinforced shell, sending painful vibrations through his entire arm. Before he could react, the Fire Turtle rose on its hind legs and let itself fall, creating a small lava explosion that launched him backward.
Lihan landed hard against a rocky wall, feeling several ribs protest from the impact. His clothes smoldered where lava splashes had made contact.
"Damn," he muttered, slowly getting up. The Fire Turtle was approaching calmly, as if it had all the time in the world.
Lihan studied the creature more carefully. The shell was practically impenetrable, but there had to be a weakness. All creatures had one.
Then he saw it: when the Fire Turtle prepared for another explosive attack, it had to stick out its head and legs to generate momentum. At that moment, its belly was exposed.
The next time the creature prepared to attack, Lihan didn't retreat. Instead, he slid forward, rolling under the beast's body at the last moment. His sword found soft flesh, and the Fire Turtle collapsed with a guttural moan.
But flipping it had been pure luck. The next Fire Turtle he encountered wasn't as cooperative.
Day 15 - The Labyrinth
The dungeon was a labyrinth. There was no other way to describe it. Lihan had thought he could navigate directly toward the structure he had seen in the distance, but every path he took seemed to lead him in circles. Worse still, the layout of the tunnels seemed to change. Passages he had been sure he had explored appeared in places where they shouldn't be.
"It's as if the place were alive," Lihan muttered, frustrated, remembering the cursed forest. He moved his hand to wipe sweat from his forehead while resting on a rocky ledge.
He had fought against three groups of Magma Sliders that "morning" (if he could call it that), and two Fire Turtles. His potion reserves were running low, and the burns on his arms and legs were becoming harder to ignore.
But he had learned. He had developed a tactic for the Sliders: he used the terrain to his advantage, forcing them to approach him one by one instead of allowing them to surround him. For the Fire Turtles, he had perfected the flipping technique, using their own weight against them to expose them.
Still, each victory cost him. His endurance was being tested in ways he had never experienced.
Day 22 - In the Lava Dungeon
Lihan woke up in a small grotto he had converted into his temporary refuge. His body ached in places he didn't know could ache, and the burns on his arms had formed scabs that cracked every time he moved.
He had been counting the days as best he could, but time had become something abstract in this place. The ghostly clock appeared sporadically, but its hands moved senselessly. Sometimes it seemed only an hour had passed, other times it seemed like entire days.
"I'm a prodigy," he told himself to give himself some confidence, repeating the words he had heard from his sisters and other envious people. "I'm supposed to be good at this."
But here, in this living furnace, surrounded by the constant sound of bubbling magma and escaping steam, he didn't feel like a prodigy. He felt like a scared young man who was very far from home.
He took the last portion of dried food from his backpack. The taste was even worse now, but he chewed it mechanically while considering his situation. He had made progress; he had found several routes that led him deeper toward the central structure. But each advance seemed to reveal new challenges.
"What am I doing wrong?" he wondered, staring fixedly at the dancing flames of a nearby magma pool.
Maybe the problem was that he was thinking too much. Whenever he stopped to plan exhaustively, he ended up doubting himself. His best work had always been when he trusted his instincts, when he adapted on the fly.
Day 25 - The Advance
Lihan had developed a rhythm. He would wake up (though the concept of "morning" was purely mental), apply healing potions to his most serious wounds, eat (turtle meat from the magma turtles, since he had run out of dried or canned food), and then venture deeper into the dungeon. He had learned to recognize the sounds Magma Sliders made when approaching, and had perfected a technique for flipping Fire Turtles that involved using his sword as a lever.
But progress was slow. Too slow.
That day, he had managed to reach a new section of the dungeon. The walls here were different; smoother, more deliberately constructed. This wasn't natural formation like the rest of the place. This had been made by something intelligent.
There were also more enemies. Magma Sliders appeared in larger groups, and he had found Fire Turtles that seemed to work in pairs, coordinating their explosive attacks.
During a particularly intense battle against eight Sliders, Lihan had been forced to use one of his most potent healing potions. The wound on his side had been too deep to ignore, and blood had begun mixing with the magma on the ground.
While healing, sitting in a rocky crevice that offered some shade, Lihan reflected on his situation.
"I've probably been trapped here for a month," he murmured. "Damn." Lihan ran a hand through his hair while thinking about his sisters.
The possible time figure hit him like a hammer. An entire month trapped in this place, fighting day after day, barely surviving. What would be happening in Solvanta? Had they sent someone else? Had they lost hope?
Guilt twisted in his stomach like a serpent.
Day 28 - The Exhaustion
Lihan no longer counted the battles. He had lost count after the twentieth time he had flipped a Fire Turtle. His movements had become mechanical, efficient, but without the grace he had had at the beginning.
His provisions had run out days ago. Now he depended completely on healing potions to sustain himself, along with eating turtle meat that he considered chewable. Besides, the healing potions were starting to run out. His body had lost weight, and his clothes hung loosely over his now-thin frame.
But there was progress. He could see the central structure much more clearly now. It was massive, like a tower forged in the heart of a volcano, with rock bridges extending toward it from multiple directions. He could see movement within it, shadows moving with purpose.
"The final boss," he murmured, feeling a mixture of apprehension and relief.
But getting there was still a challenge. The labyrinth had become more complex as he approached the center, with more vertical levels and more treacherous bridges. And the enemies had increased in both number and aggressiveness.
That night, huddled in a rocky crevice that was barely large enough for his body, Lihan looked at his hands. They were covered with burn scars, calluses from gripping the sword, and cuts that had healed poorly. These weren't the hands of a young adventurer. They were the hands of a veteran.
At least that's what Lihan thought, so as not to describe himself as a vagabond and ruin his confidence.
"I guess I'm not so bad at this," Lihan thought to himself, feeling a spark of his old confidence. He had managed to survive alone for so long in the lava dungeon without lava's help. His sisters would probably be proud of him and hysterical because he put himself in unnecessary danger.
Day 30 - The Final Stretch
Lihan had reached the last level before the central tower. He could see it clearly now, rising before him like a colossus of rock and magma. Flames danced around its base, and occasionally, he could see the silhouette of something massive moving within.
But the final path was blocked by the most challenging encounter he had faced so far: a group of twelve Magma Sliders working in coordination with three Fire Turtles. It was a formation he hadn't seen before, and as he watched from his hidden position, he could see that the Sliders were using the Fire Turtles' shells as mobile platforms.
"Smart," he murmured, feeling a mixture of admiration and terror.
His last healing potion hung from his belt. His sword, though still sharp, showed signs of wear from constant use. His body was at the limit of endurance.
But he had come so far. A month of suffering, adaptation, and growth. He couldn't stop now.
As he planned his approach, Lihan felt something he hadn't experienced in weeks: hope. Not just hope of completing the mission, but hope that maybe, just maybe, he had found something about himself in this infernal place.
Something that would make him the adventurer he had always wanted to be.
The suffocating air no longer felt so oppressive. The constant heat had become part of him. And the pressure of distorted time had stopped mattering.
Only the next step mattered.
Lihan breathed deeply, gripped his sword, and prepared for the final advance toward his destiny.
Day 32 - The Threshold Guardians
Lihan observed the formation from his hiding place, but something had changed. The Magma Sliders and Fire Turtles he had seen before had dispersed, as if they had been called elsewhere. In their place, two imposing figures stood guard before the entrance to the central tower.
Magma Guards.
He had never seen creatures like these. They were humanoid, but massive, built as if someone had carved warriors from pure volcanic rock. Their bodies radiated visible heat, waves that distorted the air around them. They patrolled slowly around the magma pools, their heavy footsteps making the ground tremble with each step.
"Damn," Lihan muttered, feeling sweat accumulate on his forehead. "This is going to be different."
He had learned to deal with the Sliders' speed and the Fire Turtles' resistance, but these... these were something completely new. They were slow, he could see that, but their size suggested a force that could crush him effortlessly.
Lihan studied their movement patterns for several minutes. The Guards moved in a predictable route, but they never moved far enough apart to allow him to face them individually. He had to find a way to separate them.
Then he noticed something: one of the Guards seemed to favor the left side of his route, getting closer to a particularly large magma pool. If he could create a distraction on the opposite side...
Lihan gathered several fragments of volcanic rock, the largest he could find. His plan was risky, but it was the only option he had.
Carefully, he slipped toward the right edge of the area, staying hidden behind rock formations. When the nearest Guard moved away, Lihan threw a rock toward the opposite end, where it bounced against the wall with a crash that echoed throughout the cavern.
The effect was immediate. Both Guards turned toward the sound, but the one closest moved forward to investigate, creating exactly the separation Lihan needed.
He moved quickly, approaching the second Guard from behind. His sword found what he thought would be flesh, but it was like hitting a stone wall. The impact sent painful vibrations through his entire arm.
The Magma Guard turned with surprising speed for something so massive. His fist, the size of Lihan's head, crashed against the ground where he had been standing a second before. The impact created a heat wave that launched him backward, and Lihan felt as if he had just been hit by the wind from a furnace.
"Shit!" he yelled, rolling to avoid the second blow.
The first Guard was already returning, his heavy footsteps approaching rapidly. Lihan found himself trapped between both, with no room to maneuver.
That's when he remembered something he had noticed about the magma pools: the terrain near them was unstable, with cracks and rock formations that had been weakened by constant heat.
It was a desperate plan, but it was all he had.
Lihan ran directly toward the largest magma pool, feeling his movements become slow and clumsy as he approached. The invisible pressure from the magma made each step an effort, as if he were running through thick honey.
The Magma Guards followed him, their massive fists hitting the ground on either side of him. Each impact created heat waves that stunned him, but he kept running.
When he reached the edge of the pool, Lihan stopped abruptly and turned. The Guards, with their massive momentum, couldn't stop in time. Lihan threw himself to one side, rolling over hot rock that burned through his tunic.
The first Guard hit the ground next to the magma pool with both fists, creating exactly the effect Lihan had hoped for. The weakened terrain cracked, and an entire section collapsed, taking the Guard into the bubbling magma.
But the second Guard had learned from his companion's fate. He stopped just before the edge, his bright eyes fixed on Lihan with what seemed to be... respect. Or maybe it was just hunger.
"One down," Lihan muttered, feeling his legs tremble from the effort.
The remaining Guard was more cautious now. He approached slowly, his movements more deliberate. When he was close enough, he struck the ground with both fists, creating a heat wave that hit Lihan like a solid wall.
The impact sent him flying backward, and Lihan felt as if he had just been cooked from the inside. His vision became blurred, and the taste of copper filled his mouth.
"No... I can't fail now," Lihan murmured, forcing himself to stand. "Not after everything I've been through in this hell."
The Guard approached for the final blow, but Lihan had noticed something during his previous attack. When the Guard created the heat waves, he had to plant both feet firmly and open his chest to generate the necessary power. At that moment, there was a small crack in his natural armor, right where the neck joined the torso.
It was an impossibly small target, but it was his only chance.
Lihan pretended to be more hurt than he was, dragging his feet and panting exaggeratedly. The Guard, confident in his victory, approached for the final blow. He planted his feet, opened his chest, and began generating another heat wave.
At that moment, Lihan launched himself forward with all the speed he had left. His sword found the exact crack in the Guard's armor, penetrating deeply into whatever served as the creature's vital system.
The Guard staggered, surprised, before collapsing backward with a crash that made the entire cavern tremble.
Lihan stood there, panting, with his sword still buried in the Guard's motionless body. The pain in his body was intense, and he could feel burns in places he hadn't known could burn.
With trembling hands, he reached for the last healing potion hanging from his waist. The bluish liquid tasted of mint and something else, something that reminded him of cooler days and clear skies. He felt the pain gradually fade, though the most serious burns remained sensitive to touch.
He sat on a rock, looking toward the entrance of the central tower. Now that the Guards had been defeated, he could see that the entrance wasn't really a door, but rather an opening carved into the living rock, with runes that pulsed with intense red light.
"One hour," Lihan told himself. "I just need one hour to recover my strength."
But as he rested, Lihan couldn't help but wonder what awaited him beyond that entrance. He had fought the dungeon's lesser creatures, had survived the distorted rules of time, and had limited magical healing resistance. He had learned to move on treacherous terrain near magma, had developed tactics for enemies he couldn't have imagined before.
But this... this was different. This was the end.
An hour later, or what seemed like an hour in a place where time had no meaning, Lihan stood up. His strength had returned, though his body still carried the scars of a month of constant battles.
He walked toward the entrance, feeling the heat intensify with each step. The runes on the entrance glowed more intensely as he approached, as if they recognized his presence.
When he crossed the threshold, the world changed.
.
.
.
The Heart of the Volcano
The room blazed with an intensity that would have been blinding if he hadn't been in the dungeon for so long. But this wasn't the red, flickering light of magma he had come to know. This was something more: a light that seemed to emanate from the air itself, as if every particle of dust and vapor was incandescent.
The chamber was massive, larger than any space he had seen in the dungeon. The ceiling disappeared into darkness high above, and the walls were covered with crystalline formations that reflected and amplified the light, creating a spectacle that was both beautiful and terrifying.
In the center of the room, rising from a lake of magma that stretched from wall to wall, stood it.
The Fire Colossus.
Lihan had thought he was prepared. He had imagined a large, powerful creature made of rock and fire. But nothing had prepared him for the reality.
The creature was... majestic. There was no other word to describe it. Its body was carved from volcanic rock, but it wasn't crude or primitive. It was as if a master artist had spent centuries creating the perfect representation of pure elemental power. The cracks in its skin radiated not just heat, but a light that seemed to come from the very core of the earth.
Its head was like an ancient helmet, with no facial features except for two eyes that glowed with an intelligence that immediately made Lihan feel like a child looking at an adult.
When the Colossus spoke, its voice resonated not just in the room but in Lihan's very bones.
"So you're the one who has been killing my servants?"
The words were slow, deliberate, as if each one was carved in stone before being spoken. There was intelligence there, but it was simple, direct. Not malicious, simply... present.
"You have been in my domain for a long time, human. My rules have tested you. The heat, the limited healing resistance, the slowness near magma... and yet, you remain."
Lihan found his voice, though it came out as a raspy whisper.
"I've come to stop you. Your dungeon... It's harming an innocent town, and I can't allow this to continue," Lihan said, though he also wanted to get out of this cursed place.
The Colossus tilted its massive head, and Lihan could hear the sound of rocks grinding.
"A town? Interesting. I didn't know little humans cared about anything other than themselves." The monster paused. "But I must admit... I'm impressed. Few have managed to adapt so completely to the absolute rules of my domain. Most die in the first few days, cooked by their own impatience."
"You... you have learned. You have grown. You have found ways to use my own rules to your advantage." The Colossus's eyes blazed more intensely. "For that, little human, I will give you the honor of death in combat, instead of simply crushing you where you stand."
Lihan felt his heart racing, but he also felt something else: a spark of the confidence he had lost weeks ago.
"Sorry, but I didn't come here to die," Lihan said, frowning as he unsheathed his sword. "I came here to win."
The Colossus rose to its full height, and Lihan realized the creature had been stooping during their conversation. Now, standing completely upright, it was like looking at a building made of living rock.
"Then come, little human. Show me what you have learned in my domain."
The final battle began.
The Colossus's first attack wasn't physical. It raised one of its massive hands, and the magma from the lake began to rise, forming projectiles the size of Lihan that flew toward him at deadly speed.
Lihan threw himself to the side, feeling the searing heat as the magma passed by him. Where it struck the ground, it solidified immediately, creating new obstacles on the already treacherous terrain.
"Damn it!" Lihan muttered, realizing that the Colossus wasn't just attacking, but also changing the battlefield to its advantage.
He ran toward the creature, dodging another magma projectile, but when he got close enough to attack, his sword simply bounced off the Colossus's rocky skin. It was like striking a mountain.
The counterattack came in the form of a massive fist that crashed into the ground where he had been standing. The impact created a shockwave that launched him through the air, and Lihan landed hard against a crystalline formation.
"Is that all?" The Colossus's voice sounded almost disappointed. "I expected more from someone who had survived so long."
Lihan got to his feet, spitting blood. His body was already protesting, and they had barely begun. This was different from everything he had faced before. The Magma Sliders were fast but fragile. The Fire Turtles were tough but slow. The Magma Guards were strong but had weak points.
This... this was simply superior in every aspect.
But there was something the Colossus had said that kept echoing in his mind: "You have learned to use my own rules to your advantage."
The rules. The limited healing resistance. The slowness near magma. The constant heat drained stamina.
These rules didn't just affect him. They also affected the Colossus, right?
Lihan observed more carefully during the next exchange. The Colossus launched another barrage of magma projectiles, but this time Lihan noticed something: after each attack, the creature moved slightly slower, as if the effort of manipulating the magma had a cost.
And when it approached the edge of the magma lake to generate more projectiles, its movements became more deliberate, more careful.
"The rules affect you too!" Lihan shouted, feeling a surge of hope.
"Clever little human. Yes, the rules of my domain are absolute. Even I must obey them." The Colossus sounded almost pleased. "But that won't help you. I am part of this place. I was born from it. You are just a visitor."
Lihan dodged another attack, this time carefully observing the Colossus's movement patterns. The creature was powerful, but its attacks were predictable. It telegraphed every move, taking time to generate the necessary power.
For the next several minutes, Lihan focused on surviving, learning his enemy's patterns. He dodged magma projectiles, avoided massive punches, and gradually began to understand the creature's limitations.
It was during one of the most intense attacks that he saw it: when the Colossus was crouched, its face staring at him fixedly as it prepared for its most powerful attack, the monster's eyes blazed with blinding intensity, but for a fraction of a second, they opened completely, exposing what appeared to be a core of pure energy.
"There!" Lihan shouted as he tensed his legs with force and then took a very long leap, launching himself forward with his sword pointing directly at the Colossus's eyes.
His sword found its target, penetrating deeply into the creature's left eye. The Colossus roared, a sound that shook the entire chamber, and staggered backward.
For a moment, Lihan thought he had done it. But then the Colossus straightened completely, and though its left eye no longer glowed, its voice was heard again, now with a tone of amusement.
"Impressive! Truly impressive. But now that I know your strategy, I won't fully open my eyes again." The Colossus laughed, a sound like rocks colliding. "You'll have to find another way, little human."
Lihan backed away, feeling despair beginning to take hold of him. He had found the weak point, had managed to damage the creature, but now that advantage was gone.
His strength was waning. He had no healing potions. His sword, though still functional, showed signs of wear from the constant heat. And the Colossus... the Colossus seemed to be just getting started.
"There has to be a way," he muttered, dodging another attack. "There has to be..."
It was then that an idea occurred to him. It was crazy, completely suicidal, but it might work. The problem was that it required him to get very close to the Colossus, closer than he had been before.
But first, he needed a distraction.
"Hey, pile of rocks!" he shouted, running to one side to avoid another magma projectile. "Want to hear a joke?"
The Colossus stopped, clearly confused.
"A... joke?"
"Yes! What did the magma say when it met the rock?"
"What... what did it say?"
"That they had chemistry!"
The silence that followed was so profound that Lihan could hear the bubbling of magma in the lake.
"That... that was terrible," the Colossus finally said.
"Wait, I have more! Why are volcanoes never stressed?"
"Why?"
"Because they always let off steam!"
"Little human, those jokes are so bad they could cool lava."
"Exactly what I was hoping for!" Lihan shouted and launched himself forward.
His plan was simple and desperate: while the Colossus was distracted by the terrible jokes, he would run directly toward it, climbing up its massive body. Once he was close enough to the head, he would drive his sword directly into the only other weak point he had identified: the crack at the base of the neck where the head connected to the body.
The problem was that he would have to endure the direct heat of the Colossus's body during the entire ascent. It would be like climbing an active furnace.
But he had no other choice.
Lihan ran directly toward the Colossus, dodging a surprised swipe from the creature. When he reached the monster's massive feet, he began to climb, using the cracks in the rocky skin as handholds.
The heat was immediate and intense. He could feel his skin beginning to burn, his clothes singeing and disintegrating. But he kept climbing.
"Little human! What are you doing?"
Lihan didn't answer. He was too busy fighting the pain and staying conscious. Every second he spent in direct contact with the Colossus's body was like being slowly roasted.
When he reached the creature's chest, he could feel the flesh of his palms blistering and peeling away. The pain was indescribable, but he kept climbing.
"Get down from there!" The Colossus tried to reach him, but Lihan managed to stay on the blind side where the creature's massive arms couldn't reach.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the neck. He could see the crack clearly now, a fissure in the rocky armor that glowed with internal energy.
With the last strength he had left, Lihan raised his sword and buried it deep in the crack.
The reaction was immediate. The Colossus roared, but it wasn't a roar of pain, but of surprise. Its body began to glow from within, and Lihan realized he had found something critical.
But the heat... the heat was too much. He could feel his sword melting in his hands, the metal becoming liquid that dripped between his fingers. His right arm was completely burned, the skin blackened and cracked.
The Colossus staggered, and Lihan threw himself backward, landing hard on the chamber floor.
When he looked up, he saw the Colossus slowly collapsing, its massive body beginning to disintegrate from where his sword had penetrated.
"Impossible..." the Colossus murmured, its voice now weak. "A little human... has defeated me..."
Lihan lay there, panting, watching as the massive creature slowly turned to dust and ash. His right arm was a mess of burned flesh, and he no longer had a sword.
But he had done it.
He had defeated the Fire Colossus.
The dungeon began to shake, and Lihan realized that with the death of its master, the entire place was starting to collapse.
Lihan exhaled a shaky breath before falling unconscious.