The instant they stepped into the dungeon, a suffocating wave of heat crashed over them—far more brutal than anything outside. The air shimmered with floating sparks and drifting ash, each breath searing their lungs with a burning sting.
[Environmental Effect: Extreme Heat – Lose 8 HP per second. Fire damage increased by 50%.]
The system's message was cold and merciless.
"Potions, now!" Lina barked, her voice low but firm. She was the first to uncork and gulp down an [Advanced Fire Resistance Potion].
A faint red glow wrapped around her form, forming a fragile shield against the environment's relentless assault.
The others quickly followed suit. Violet's [Light of Healing] fell almost instantly, gentle green radiance weaving against the constant trickle of red damage numbers, barely keeping everyone's HP stable.
"This place doesn't let us relax for even a second." Kiriya clicked his tongue. Two of his summoned phantoms stood guard beside him, their posture alert and tense.
The scenery ahead was nothing short of perilous. They stood upon a narrow lava pathway, flanked on both sides by bubbling lakes of molten magma.
The path itself was jagged and uneven, with bursts of scalding steam erupting periodically from fissures in the rock, each jet of flame forming sudden deathtraps.
Further ahead, hulking figures of stone patrolled slowly. Their bodies were rough black rock, and from their joints pulsed streams of glowing molten lava— [Lava Golems].
Their movements were heavy, but each thunderous step made the ground tremble faintly.
Floating silently above, ever-shifting flames took form as [Explosive Fire Spirits], flickering dangerously in the smoky air.
[Lava Golem]
[Level: 32]
[Attack Pattern: Extremely high physical defense. Attacks include knockback and ignite effects. Periodically slams the ground, triggering localized magma eruptions.]
[Explosive Fire Spirit]
[Level: 31]
[Attack Pattern: Self-destructs on death or heavy impact, dealing AoE fire damage. Also uses ranged fireball attacks.]
"Golems have insane physical defense, and the fire spirits resist magic. Plus, they'll explode." Lina quickly analyzed, her tone sharp and commanding.
"Kiriya, have your phantoms draw off the golems. We focus fire on the spirits first. Mira, crowd control and burst are yours. Violet—keep my HP stable and handle dispels."
Her orders were crisp, and the team moved without hesitation.
At Kiriya's mental command, a phantom darted forward with [Blink Step], its blade flashing as it struck a golem with pinpoint precision.
The attack instantly drew the hatred of two nearby golems. Swiftly retreating, the phantom lured the lumbering giants away from the main path.
Almost at the same time, Mira raised her staff high.
"Cold Current!"
A wave of freezing energy surged outward, locking onto the drifting fire spirits. The collision of ice and flame produced a hissing "sssshh," and the fire spirits faltered, their movements slowed dramatically.
"Ice Rose: Crystal Shard Arrow!"
Without mercy, Mira swept her staff forward. A storm of razor-sharp ice shards coalesced into a volley of crystalline arrows, bursting forth in a wide arc.
They pierced the sluggish fire spirits and sprayed shrapnel into the golems behind them.
Against flame-born creatures, the ice carried an even more devastating sting. The fire spirits shrieked, their flickering bodies destabilizing.
At the front line, Lina braced with her shield, intercepting a golem's massive fist.
"Boom!"
The blow rocked her frame, scattering shards of frost from her shield's surface. But her [Frost Shield] was already active.
A thick layer of reinforced ice spread across the shield, absorbing the impact. For an instant, the golem's fist froze solid, its molten flow stiffening as its movements slowed.
Meanwhile, Kiriya's main body and remaining phantom flanked the fire spirits.
"Phantom Slash!"
Twin arcs of blade energy crossed in unison, slicing through a fire spirit's core. Sword flashes rained down like a storm, each strike triggering his [Phantom Blade] passive—extra critical numbers flashing rapidly in midair.
—987
One fire spirit shrieked, its unstable form swelling—
"It's gonna blow!" Kiriya shouted.
Lina reacted instantly. "Ice Wall Barrier!"
A solid ice wall erupted upward between the spirit and the party.
"BOOM!"
The spirit exploded violently, shockwaves battering the ice wall with cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. But it held. Most of the force was absorbed.
Violet's healing shone like a conductor's baton—precise, timely, and unyielding. Lina's HP was kept steady, while [Purification] dispelled the occasional Burn effects flickering on Kiriya's phantom or Lina.
Her [Prayer] passive kept her mana regenerating just enough to endure the constant casting.
Their coordination was seamless. Within minutes, the first wave of elites had been wiped out.
[System: Lava Golem x2, Explosive Fire Spirit x3 defeated. EXP gained: 15,000.]
[System: Items obtained: Molten Core x3, Obsidian Fragment x5, Gold: 50.]
[System: Equipment acquired: Scorch-Resistant Robe (Uncommon).]
"Loot drop." Kiriya picked up the faintly warm robe and handed it directly to Violet. "Healers get priority survivability." Lina and Mira both agree that there is no objection.
"Thank you." Violet accepted softly, donning it at once. The oppressive environmental damage eased ever so slightly.
The party pressed forward. The path only grew more treacherous—flame jets erupted more frequently, and soon a vast magma lake barred their way entirely.
Only a few dark-red stepping stones floated upon the molten surface, unstable and sinking. They were far too fragile to carry the team across. On the far bank, more monsters prowled.
"No way across." Lina's brows knitted.
All eyes turned to Mira.
She inhaled sharply, her ice-blue eyes flashing with resolve. The Ice Rose staff blazed with crystalline radiance as she slammed it into the ground.
"Ice Rose: Domain!"
A surge of frost burst outward from her core—not to attack, but to overwhelm the molten expanse. Piercing cracks echoed as ice fought magma, steam erupting in a blinding cloud.
When the mist cleared, a narrow but solid ice pathway stretched across the lava, winding unsteadily toward the opposite bank.
"Go! It won't last long!" Mira's voice trembled with strain—the spell was draining her heavily.
Without hesitation, Lina took the lead. Kiriya flanked her with his phantoms, guarding the sides.
Violet followed closely, Mira bringing up the rear, reinforcing the path beneath their feet as it hissed and thinned against the magma's fury.
Halfway across, disaster struck.
The lava roiled violently. Smaller, swift figures burst from the molten depths—[Lava Lurkers], leaping directly toward their healer and mage.
"Watch out!" Kiriya commanded.
One phantom flashed forward with [Blink Step], intercepting a pounce meant for Violet, losing half its HP in an instant. Another phantom swung its blade, diverting the one lunging at Mira.
Lina couldn't turn back—monsters on the opposite bank had already noticed them. Fireballs streaked through the air. She raised her shield with a roar, [Frost Shield] flaring brilliantly.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Explosions rattled the icy path, nearly throwing her off balance.
Violet kept her composure, instantly casting [Light of Healing] to restore the phantom's health, while purging the Burn debuff with [Purification].
Mira countered, stabbing her staff into the melting path beneath her. [Ice Rose: Thorns] erupted upward—spikes of ice hampered the lava lurkers' movements, slowing their vicious leaps.
"Cold Current!" She unleashed a frosty breath point-blank, freezing one attacker midair.
Kiriya's blade flashed cold. [Phantom Thrust] drilled clean through another lurker's core, slaying it in a single strike.
By a hair's breadth, the party dashed off the ice bridge, reaching the far bank and finishing off the monsters there.
The moment the last foe fell, a soft radiance enveloped each of them.
[System: Congratulations! You have reached Level 25.]
[System: Congratulations! You have reached Level 26.]
[System: Congratulations! You have reached Level 19.]
[System: Congratulations! You have reached Level 27.]
The surge of power instantly refilled their HP and MP. Spirits lifted, their exhaustion eased.
"Well done, Mira," Lina said earnestly. "Without your ice magic, we wouldn't have made it a step further."
Kiriya gave her a thumbs-up in agreement.
Mira exhaled slowly, her magic thrumming stronger with her new level. The determination in her ice-blue gaze only sharpened. She gave a small nod, already staring into the twisted, heat-warped air ahead.
From the depths of the path, a violent, oppressive aura stirred.
The first boss… was waiting not far ahead.