I slowly turn around, taking in my surroundings from all directions.

The air ripples and bends from the incredible heat, making it near impossible to see without the aid of my perception skills. The intense royal blue glow by my side from Maria shines brighter than I've ever seen before.

Waves of fire-imbued magic force their way through her defenses, constantly inching closer to burn her skin, but the ice mage pushes onwards digging deep into mana stores unused in any past battles.

Even without the level of mana control I possess, or the mana manipulation skill, Maria manages to withstand the heat.

She does have nearly double the natural mental strength attitude of a normal hunter, and she's about the same level as me. Considering her stat-boosting gear as well, her magic power may be stronger than mine right now...

Although Maria is burning through a full MP potion every 10 seconds, it looks like she'll stand this boss room just fine.

That's the least of our worries though.

Coming up from the bubbling pit of lava on all sides, I watch half a dozen 7-meter-long mutant Salamanders emerge all around us.

I turn, now standing back to back with Maria.

There's no exit portal in Boss Rooms like this, so we're all alone, standing on a black circle battlefield of stone. The two of us are about to face the final wave of mutants, then take on the master of this dungeon.

The hard ground beneath my feet shakes as the group of flaming Salamanders walks onto my side of the ring. There are 3 more that approach on the opposite end, eyeing Maria down with the same amount of pure killing intent.

I scan the trio in front of me to see what exactly I'll be facing. I only let my gaze shift across their levels and skills.

[Lv. 395]

[Lv. 391]

[Lv. 389]

Active Skills:

Combat Magic [Advanced Fire Summoning]

I grip my sword, holding the mana control output of my makeshift shield steady, and increase the intensity of the dark flames that surround my body.

Then, speak to Maria as the ground starts to shift and crack as the mutants approach.

"Whatever you do, do not get hit by their flames. It's an advanced version of the fire magic. It... doesn't go out easily. One hit could be fatal."

She nods.

"Understood, I wasn't planning on getting hit anyways."

We both run forward, separating from each other, charging our blades, and getting ready to face the mutants that crawl towards us from nearly 70 meters away on both sides.

This plan quickly turns sour...

After taking just a few steps away from the center of the battlefield, my heart skips a beat....

"This... can't be real..."

I swallow hard, gasping for air as the temperature drastically rises. I stop running forward at once. I've barely made it 10 meters and this heat has tripled its intensity.

I feel the burning hot pressure on my forearms and shins where my mana shielding is the weakest.

After a moment of hesitation, I take another step forward. The intense heat that's closing in on me breaks through my shielding, searing the top layer of my skin instantly.

I let out a grunt and jump backward, meeting Maria breathing heavily while kneeling down on one knee. For a moment we stare at each other with the same concerned and disoriented look on our faces.

My gaze immediately shifts to analyze our surroundings, there's no time for concern.

She gulps.

"I-Impossible. It's too hot."

I nod, looking around and healing my minor burns while Salamanders continue to approach slowly.

The hard black rock beneath their feet cracks and breaks away, so that every time they take a step more fragments of the small island we stand on fall into the molten pit of rock we float on.

I close my eyes and think... then speak.

"Stand up, and get ready. We may not be able to make it far out into the dungeons, but we can still fight them once they come into our territory."

Maria nods, replying.

"I can withstand the heat until about 10 meters out from the center, any further and I can't combat the heat."

I nod.

"Same, 10 meters is my comfort point. I could make it further out if I push myself, but we haven't even seen the Boss yet. It's best not to put ourselves at risk until necessary. We'll let them come to us."

The mutants waste no time in crawling across the hard rock, making their move.

At nearly 50 meters away, I charge up my blade to roughly 1000 MP. An attack at nearly half my entire MP bar.

The mutants outside weren't proficient in mana control in the slightest. These creatures are nearing level 400, so I wouldn't be surprised if they summon some kind of shielding.

As my attack flies through the air, my prediction becomes a reality. I watch the first mutant up front activate a layer of shielding, but my thin blade of mana-imbued fire slices right through without a hint of resistance.

A thin red line appears across the monster's neck as its decapitated on the spot. Its entire body begins to glow yellow and orange while molten rock leaks from its back. The mana blade continues to fly, missing the 2nd Salamander entirely, but slicing an arm off the 3rd without a sound.

The blade is not disrupted at all, it just soars off into the distance. Before I can watch it make contact with the dungeon wall, the first mutant I beheaded explodes into a fiery molten display.

It's much more impressive than the others outside, making a blast radius of nearly 30 meters. It covers its counterparts in hot molten rock.

They don't seem to be affected, and continue to charge forward. Even the monster missing a limb runs at me like nothing happened.

Dripping with yellow and orange rock, and staining the jet-black battlefield with their trails of liquid stone, the two monsters stare ahead at me and charge.

I let out another attack, with the same amount of power, slicing the closet monster in two. It explodes just like the last, glowing bright yellow for a fraction of a second before its demise.

Once the flames and molten debris clear, I let out another, defeating the final mutant before it gets any closer.

It erupts into a display that shows my victory is final.

With a grin, I turn to watch Maria.

The approaching mutants aren't injured at all yet, she just stares ahead, with her eyes locked on the monsters.

I think about asking if I should step in, but the determination on her face tells me otherwise. I watch intently, staying on high alert, ready to defend myself if necessary.

She whispers under her breath.

"Stand back, and shield yourself. I can handle them."

I do as she wishes and take a few steps backward until the heat from the Dunegon becomes uncomfortable. I'm at the outer edge of our miniature safe zone.

The 3 massive mutant mobs come charging at her in an erratic fashion while Maria stands completely still watching them crack the ground, flooding more and more lava onto the slowly sinking battlefield.

Only 5 seconds pass, but it feels like minutes in my eyes.

The Ice mage glows darker and darker in the royal blue tone from before. Her sword glows and hums with mana-imbued ice magic.

Finally, the 3 beasts come within the 10-meter radius that we can handle moving around in. Maria makes her move.

The ground beneath the Mage's feet starts to turn white and blue. The flames of the Dungeon aren't strong enough to fend off the cold at the rate of her ice magic being summoned.

The monsters come closer, all coming together with open mouths and heavy limbs reaching forward.

Then, Maria lets out her full-powered attack.

A massive thick crescent of white, baby blue, and dark royal blue energy all twist together to make a buzzing high-powered attack.

It's not refined magic by any means, but it's more than enough power to get the job done. That's for sure...

It impacts the first monster's head fractions of a second later, exploding into a massive ball of mana, fire, rock, and ice.

I activate my earth summoning skill to create a barrier imbued with mana to block out the incoming debris. Maria created a dome of ice around herself.

I hear massive chunks of monster parts and molten rocks fall from the sky as I shield myself from the gore-filled mess above.

After the distant cries of dying monsters fade, and the room falls silent again, I lift my cover.

The ground is covered in flesh and red hot rocks. Maria's dome of Ice slowly melts away and she reveals herself to be unharmed.

We both stare off into the burning abyss of black and red flames with smiles across our faces. I lean over to her with a whisper.

"Not bad, not bad at all..."

Immediately after these words leave my lips, I feel the floor beneath our feet rumble again.

The edge of the island we stand on begins to crack and crumble away at an alarming rate. I watch one side of it begin to raise. It looks like an enormous ball is lifting out of the lava pool.

Then, the rock fragments fall away to reveal what is really underneath.

I see it...

The head of an enormous beast peaks out of the lava pit below. Covered in jet-black skin matching the color of the rock we stand on. With fiery red eyes leaking dense mana, it locks its gaze onto me from across the entire room.

I feel a shock wave of energy hit me at once.

It's a familiar feeling. I grit my teeth and bare the intrusive sensation while Inspecting and Appraising the monster that lurks deep beneath us.

___________________________

[Lv. 449]

Active Items:

[Skin of the Volcanic Salamander] +80% Mental Strength +80% Fire Magic Resistance

Active Skills:

Intimidation

Combat Magic [Advanced Fire Summoning]

___________________________