Rolling lava spewed tongues of fire as a group of adventurers explored the volcanic lands with great difficulty.
They wore thick fireproof suits to withstand the high temperatures of the lava.
On their legs, they were equipped with heavy heat-insulating boots to resist the scorching heat of the ground.
If they had been wearing ordinary adventurer gear, their equipment would likely have spontaneously combusted and their soles would have burned through before they had even traveled three li through the lava zone.
Of course, such heat-insulating equipment came at a steep price.
The Lava Stratum had only recently begun to be explored. Even though the surface had diverted a large amount of resources for exploring the lava regions, the prices remained exorbitant.
The gear worn by the adventurers before them was merely an ordinary fireproof suit, yet the price was several times higher than usual.
This type of fireproof suit, which contained a small amount of mana, was not only heavy but also had poor heat endurance.
While wearing such equipment allowed one to resist the high temperatures of the lava, the feeling inside was anything but pleasant.
It was like being inside a steamer set upon the scalding earth.
The adventurers felt as if they were going to be steamed alive at any moment.
“What a trash dungeon! Why is there molten lava right beneath a freezing cold desert?!”
“We wasted so much time waiting for resources and squandered so much money!”
Beneath the thick fireproof suits, it was impossible to distinguish gender except by the sound of their voices.
The swordsman leading the group was Serafina of the Red Rose team.
Following behind her were the other members of the Red Rose team: Caspar, a second-rank priest; Isolde, a second-rank heavy warrior; and Leoward, a mage who had recently been promoted to the second rank.
There was also a temporary addition to the group, Remel, a first-rank peak swordsman.
Poor Remel. Once the strongest adventurer in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, he had now been left behind by several updates of the world.
He had become just another face in the crowd.
Remel was also feeling very anxious. In the entire Red Rose team, he was the only temporary member still at the first rank.
Even though he had been one of the first to arrive...
However, the Red Rose team had not violated their contract. They did not exclude Remel; instead, through battle after battle, they had come to accept this temporary member more and more.
Remel, who had always been subtly discriminated against because of his hair color, had never felt this kind of acceptance before.
The heavy fireproof suits didn't have much of an impact on the heavy warrior.
However, they posed a serious problem for the swordsmen in the team.
After all, swordsmen usually relied on light, quick movements to attack from the flanks. The fireproof suits severely reduced their speed, turning a swordsman's flanking maneuver into a slow-moving target.
Because of this, swordsmen went from being the elite of the first ten floors to the bottom-tier of the Lava Stratum.
In contrast, the ones who had received an epic upgrade in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment were the mages.
With Blessing Marks and monster cards, mages had unlocked the abilities of a summoner, allowing them to summon monsters to assist in combat.
They had gone from being elite to being the elite among elites.
Except for low-rank water mages, that is.
So, what about the powerful heavy warriors?
“Immovable Fortress!”
Isolde raised his great shield and quickly deployed a defensive barrier, blocking all the arrows fired from the shadows.
Possessing a noble area-of-effect defensive skill like Immovable Fortress, the heavy warrior naturally stayed put.
The team members quickly ducked into the defensive zone of the Immovable Fortress.
Serafina swiftly drew her sword. Although the heavy fireproof equipment slowed her down, as a third-rank swordsman, she was able to adapt to the gear quickly.
“It's torchmen! Flame skeletons!”
Serafina’s gaze locked onto the skeletons visible through the heat-distorted air.
She saw skeletons covered in flames, currently aiming crossbows at the Red Rose team.
At the same time, flame skeletons wielding steel swords charged from both sides.
According to the intelligence Serafina and her team possessed, these flame skeletons were prisoners who had sought the Forbidden Fire only to be consumed by it—eternally burning torchmen.
Even if their flesh was incinerated until only bone remained, the flames would never be extinguished.
“Remel!”
Serafina shouted. Remel, who had already developed a rapport with the Red Rose team, rushed out from one side of the Immovable Fortress's protection.
Serafina darted out from the other side.
A sharp Sword Qi slashed out, clashing with the steel swords of the flame skeletons.
Beneath the heavy fireproof suit, Serafina gripped her sword with both hands and swung down with force.
The sharp Sword Qi coating the blade instantly sliced a steel sword and the flame skeleton holding it in two.
Serafina took a few steps back, dodging a skeleton's attack from the side while simultaneously knocking away another skeleton's steel sword with an elbow strike.
Then, her Sword Qi slashed out again, shattering the skeleton's skull.
On the other side, Remel drew the bone sword from his back, fending off a crowd of skeletons.
Although these flame skeletons looked similar to the skeletal lizards in the desert, their strength was on an entirely different level.
Their attacks carried the fire element, making them scorching hot.
In the Lava Stratum, this intense fire element was further amplified, making it quite dangerous.
However, for an elite team like Serafina’s, they were not yet a significant threat.
Leoward had already finished his incantation.
Although he had only recently become a second-rank mage and was not yet proficient with the few second-rank spells he had mastered, he was unlikely to make a mistake while chanting under the protection of the heavy warrior at the back of the team.
“Rank-two magic: Corrosive Water Arrow!”
As the blue magic circle expanded, arrows composed of purple flowing water rapidly coalesced before it.
Bubbles and white smoke rose from these arrows; just floating in the air, they gave off a sense that they would corrode the very atmosphere.
Leoward raised his staff and locked onto the skeletons directly ahead.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The corrosive arrows pierced through the air, streaking toward the flame skeletons in front!
White smoke billowed from the skeletons struck by the corrosive water arrows, their white bones becoming pitted and corroded in the blink of an eye.
The flame skeletons hit in the spine or skull had their bodies dissolved and their heads melted away instantly.
The effect was outstanding!
Serafina seized the opportunity, her Sword Qi erupting in full force to create a shockwave that ground the skeletons in front of her to pieces.
She easily blocked the skeletons attempting to ambush her from the side.
The fireproof suit might be garbage, but its defense is actually quite good, Serafina thought.
Just then, the skeletons in front fired another massive volley of arrows.
Serafina and Remel raised their swords simultaneously, deploying Sword Qi barriers to block the incoming projectiles.
Under the cover of the arrows, flame skeletal knights—well-equipped, wielding knight spears, and riding lava skeletal lizards—began their charge.
Rate on N.U.
