[Red Dungeon - Dragon Hell.]
[Difficulty - Hell Rank.]
WHOOSH!
The sensation of teleportation was instantaneous and disorienting. One moment they were in the cool, climate-controlled Dungeon Hall; the next, the air itself seemed to be on fire.
Carl, Grace, and the rest of their teams appeared in a flat, charred landscape that stretched endlessly to the horizon. The ground was a mosaic of blackened rock and glowing veins of magma. Without warning, the earth groaned, and geysers of lava shot up from the ground into the air, arcing like liquid fire before crashing down, bathing the ground in a splash of fire and destruction. The heat was physical, a heavy weight that pressed against their armor.
".....?!!"
The group of ten stood frozen, staring at the view before them in pure shock. The sheer hostility of the environment was unlike anything they had prepared for.
"Um... Isn't this Hell rank too dangerous?" Ken asked, already sweating from the heat. He wiped his forehead, his breathing shallow. As an assassin, he relied on agility, stealth, and light armor; he didn't have the heavy plating or the natural elemental resistance found in knight or warrior bloodlines. Here, there were no shadows to hide in, only blinding light and searing heat.
"Something isn't right here." Daniel, the scout for Team Ten, moved his gaze around the open field. He sensed a disturbance in the energy density—it was too thick, too chaotic. He raised his hand, and placed one finger on his forehead, channeling his spirit energy into his optic nerves.
"Archer Gaze!!"
WHOOSH!
A green hue coated his pupils. His eyesight expanded, zooming past the heat haze, bypassing the distortion of the rising thermal waves. His gaze moved tens of kilometers away, scanning the horizon until he finally saw a dense treeline—a forest with trees that looked like twisted obsidian—which was the only exit ahead.
He squinted, his enhanced vision piercing the gloom of the distant woods. He saw movement.
"Ok, it seems we need to get pass this land, and ahead of us is a Forest. Even with my eyes, I can't see beyond it." He turned to their leader, Carl, his voice dropping an octave. "But there are humanoid creatures in there. It might be humans or maybe monsters. But."
He paused. Everyone stared at his serious expression, their faces grim. Daniel was known for his precision; hesitation from him was terrifying.
"I don't know the strength of those things. I am now a Lv35 archer, but I can't even see the levels on those guys. If this is a Hell difficulty in a normal dungeon, the monsters shouldn't be above Lv50." He said. If his eyes skill couldn't appraise them, the level gap was lethal.
"So you think this is a red dungeon?" Carl asked with a serious tone, staring at Daniel. The playful confidence he usually wore was gone, replaced by the steely focus of a leader realizing they were in deep water.
"Probably. But it's impossible. We all entered a Normal dungeon, there is no way a normal dungeon will transform into a red dungeon. Or have any of you heard of such a thing!" Daniel asked, looking for reassurance that he was wrong.
"I haven't... But nothing is impossible." Grace said, her voice calm despite the circumstances. She was staring intently at the lava shooting into the air from the holes on the ground, her mind already shifting from panic to analysis.
"So what is the plan?" Nina asked fearfully. She clutched her spellbook tighter. If this is truly a red dungeon, they are dead, there's no other way around it. The stories of Red Dungeons were stories of graveyards, not adventures.
"Let's leave then, we can still exit this dungeon." Gabby yelled, panic overtaking her reason. She turned around, expecting to see the swirling vortex they had stepped through.
To her horror, the gateway was gone. Behind them was only a wall of shimmering heat distortion.
"No! This can't be!" She raised her wrist, activating her Galaxy Bracelet. She tapped the screen vigorously, hoping for a signal, an emergency extraction protocol, anything. But the screen simply flashed red: Signal Lost. Her face paled dramatically.
"We are so dead here." Ken yelled, panting heavily, the heat getting to his head.
"Calm down!!"
The sharp sound of metal on sheath cut through the panic. Mitsuki drew her sword, the blade gleaming with a cold, blue light that offered a momentary respite from the red glare. She stood in front of the group, her stance protective.
"All of you, stay close to me... Let's go." She took a step forward, intending to force a path through the danger.
"No!"
Grace yelled, her voice sharp and commanding, freezing everyone in place. It wasn't a request; it was an order.
"Um... Why?" Philip asked in confusion, looking between his teammate and the swordswoman.
"We can't just enter such a land without knowing when or where the lava will burst out from!" Grace yelled at them, pointing at the scorched earth. "Look at the ground! It's not random!"
"Yes, she is right... So what's the plan, Grace?" Carl asked, stepping back to let her take the lead. He recognized that while Mitsuki had the brawn, Grace had the brain for this puzzle.
Grace stared at the holes for a long time, ignoring the sweat trickling down her neck. She moved her gaze around, counting the seconds between tremors, watching the subtle swelling of the crust before a rupture. She was trying to pinpoint a pattern or anything that could help them navigate the minefield.
"The gateway is gone, so we can't go back, the only way we can leave is by killing the boss, without leaving this spot, we can't achieve that." Mitsuki stated with a slight frown, though she lowered her sword slightly, acknowledging the stalemate.
"Yes. But if we go and die, that won't help us with anything!" Janet added, supporting Grace.
Mitsuki frowned. She turned to Carl, who nodded at her, signaling her to stand down. "We wait."
The group stood silently for a while, the only sounds being the hissing of steam and the bubbling of molten rock. The wait was agonizing, the heat leeching their stamina by the second.
Finally, after some minutes of intense observation, Grace nodded her head. She had cracked the code.
"Listen."
BAM!
As if on cue, the hole northwest from them erupted, sending a pillar of fire into the air. In sync, the one at Southwest followed. Grace didn't flinch. She moved her finger to the east, and a second later, it erupted. After the two subsided, they were quickly followed by the five north, twenty meters away from them, creating a wall of fire.
"This is tricky, but we will survive if you all follow me. Get caught up in those lavas and you are dead." Grace explained, her eyes locked on the rhythm of the earth. She turned to the nine anxious students. "The eruptions follow a localized pressure cycle. I can predict the next safe zone."
Carl moved his gaze around, he was clearly still confused. He didn't see the pressure cycle; he just saw death geysers. He doesn't know what will come out first, or what will be last, all he knew was that Grace kind of knew when and which hole will erupt.
"Ok, We are right behind you..." He said.
Daniel and his team stared at Grace, then turned to Carl, hesitating. Trusting a member of another team with their lives was a big ask.
"Are you sure about this leader? One mistake and we're all dead." Gabby whispered, eyeing the bubbling magma.
"Don't worry, I trust Grace, she knows what she is doing." Carl said, his voice firm. He looked at his team, projecting the confidence they needed. He gestured to himself:
"You four can just trust me. We will make it pass this."
The four looked at one another, then at Carl. They remembered his strength, and his leadership so far. They nodded their heads with determination.
"We trust you, leader."
"Good! Grace! Lead the way!" Carl yelled with a smile, drawing his weapon, ready to face whatever lay beyond the field of fire.