54 Fire And Lava

After spending some more time on the Third Floor, Mark made his way to the Second Floor alongside his Underlings.

The stones that made up the walls quickly became rocks, giving the tunnel they were going through the appearance of a cave.

"The terrain is changing oddly..." Levi commented.

'Yeah. It'll change some more, I think...'

After walking for about 15 minutes, light could be seen at the end of the tunnel.

Mark, Light, Levi, Calamity, and Fiery, with the Moonlit Feline on her back, entered the Second Floor.

'It's as I thought. Except worse.'

"This won't be simple it seems, my Lord."

Due to the heat, the Moonlit Feline and Levi could already feel their Endurance Points draining.

As if the group was inside a volcano, molten lava flowed freely.

A single pathway surrounded by burning lava led forward.

Bubbles of lava popped here and there.

Splashes of lava fell on the pathway's sides.

'Let's stay close to the middle. Fiery and I already have Heat Resistance. Just gotta find some weak Monsters now.'

The next second, Fire Balls flew towards the group.

'Fiery.'

Immediately, a barrier made of burning flames appeared over them.

The Fire Balls turned into smoke as they hit the barrier.

From the lava, Monsters climbed onto the pathway, encircling Mark and his Underlings.

[Magma Larvae: [E-] Ranked Monsters.]

They were about one meter long.

'[E-] Rank Monsters on the Second Floor? I wished for weak Monsters but... This is too much.'

After quickly positioning himself in front of one of the Monsters, Mark's claws pierced through its body.

'Their body is soft too.'

Meanwhile, Levi, Fiery, and the Moonlit Feline had launched ranged attacks, finishing off the rest of the Monsters.

'Huh. I wonder if we can even develop good Passive Skills by devouring these guys-'

The next instant, a Magma Larvae jumped out of the Lava and towards Mark.

Instinctively, he raised his Aura-covered arm towards it.

The Magma Larvae opened its mouth and swallowed Mark's hand.

'Is it... Sucking on it? What the hell is up with these Monsters-'

The next second, he felt sharp fangs pierce through his Aura.

Shoo-

'This thing could have taken my hand... They're pretty stealthy I guess.' Mark thought as he flexed his arm muscles.

The frozen Monster broke into pieces, before turning into a green sphere of energy that Mark swallowed.

'Looks like devouring one of them won't be enough to develop a Passive Skill...'

Mark turned towards his Underlings, only to find that Levi had already rounded up the dead Magma Larvae together.

'Good.' He thought as he turned the pile of dead Monsters into a consumable sphere.

'Here.'

Mark threw the condensed sphere towards the Moonlit Feline who swallowed it right away.

[Your Underling has developed a new Passive Skill.]

[Your Underling has developed a new Passive Skill.]

'Good. Levi, Light. You'll have to endure the heat for a bit longer.'

"I am thankful, but you do not need to worry about me, my Lord." Levi assured, even though his breathing had gotten heavy.

'It would be best if we can attract another swarm of these before proceeding further. We need you to fight at your best.'

Of course, allowing Levi to resist high temperatures was a priority.

He was a being that was much more comfortable in cool waters.

Being anywhere near something as hot as lava was very taxing on his body.

'Hmmm...'

Mark looked around him for a bit.

'The Monsters here can move in and out of the lava easily while we're obliged to stay on this pathway, where we can be easily spotted. Don't know how many nor what Monsters can attack...'

Immediately, a giant bubble appeared in the middle of the lava.

Seven Monsters exited the lava and hovered above using their black wings.

A smile appeared on Mark's face.

'So. This is where you guys are from, huh?'

Six of the Monsters were similar.

They were "Lower Demons".

Their Rank was [C+], a huge leap from the "Inferior Demons" whose rank was [E+].

What seemed to be their leader, on the other hand, was bigger.

Its muscles were more developed and the Aura it exerted was nothing to scoff at.

[Lower Demon Warrior: [B] Rank.]

Even though these Monsters were versions much stronger than those Mark had already fought, he wasn't scared at all.

'The last time a demon was an issue was back on the Tenth Floor...' Mark thought as he spread his wings.

His superior speed and agility gave him an obvious advantage.

A Lower Demon immediately fell, its chest pierced through.

Mark quickly used Bone Manipulation to make its unmoving body on the pathway instead of the burning lava.

'... You'll need a Higher Demon to pose a threat to us.'

Mark's confidence was at an all-time high.

But of course, he had no idea what kind of being a "Higher Demon" was.

...

Hundreds of miles away, in a castle worn by time and war,

"So? Everything's going well? How's that Circle coming together?" Raven asked as he entered a large room.

The walls were hidden by shelves filled with countless books.

Some looked ancient, as if from another age.

On a desk, lay many pieces of paper, where various emblems and designs had been drawn.

Nia stood in front of the desk, studying the Magic Circles.

Some had been created, while others recreated.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She said mischievously.

"Oh, come on. You know I'm just trying to make some small talk. Magic Circles and Spells have never interested me." Raven answered as he abruptly sat on the desk.

"What is it that interests you, then?"

"Our glorious and promising Candidate, of course. Is he still alive? How is he doing? What happened to him? How far along is he-"

"I'll check on him. Get off my desk first. He was doing pretty well last time I checked."

"You know he's my favorite, right? Gotta make sure he's doing good."

"Right, right. Didn't you say the same thing to Arani and Cyd?" Nia asked as she closed her eyes.

"Well, I mean... I mean yeah. Gotta check on all the candidates..."

"Currently on the Second Floor. He's making quick work of a hoard of Lower Demons."

"Lower Demons? Why is he still fighting weaklings?" Raven asked.

"Strength is relative. Seems he hasn't noticed the enemy that has joined the party though..."

"Haha! Diving in headfirst without properly looking around you, huh? I like that."

"Right. He's very cautious at times. But almost as hot-headed as you are a lot of the time too." Nia commented.

"That's good." Raven said while chuckling. "So? What's this enemy that joined the party?"

"I didn't think a Monster like that would appear inside the Dungeon. I guess there is much I don't know about when it comes to other Species' Evolution Trees..."

"Oh! Now I'm even more curious. Excited too! Can I watch?" Raven asked.

"Ugh..."

Nia opened her eyes.

Something akin to a digital screen appeared in front of the two.

"Ouuh! A little Fire Dragon under the lava, huh? How cute. And dangerous..."

Nia chuckled lightly, although a drop of anger and indignation could be noticed in her tone.

"A Dragon? Barely. But..."

Mark could be seen swiftly dealing with the Lower Demon Warrior.

"It'll give him trouble, for sure." Draconia continued.