Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Labyrinth 21st Floor (3)
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Salamanders were monsters that inhabited lava lakes. They possessed flame resistance one step superior to the other monsters on the 21st floor, so naturally, no one should expect to take down such a salamander with fire magic.
-Sizzle!
To hunt the salamander, she tore the scroll she had prepared, and mana swirled as a chill rose into the air.
"Freeze Shell!"
Instead of her usual fire magic, she infused mana into the magic circuit engraved on the scroll to activate the spell. The surrounding heat subsided for a moment, and an icy prison materialized, binding the salamander's movements.
-Psssh!
"Shaaak!"
Feeling the cold chill wrapping around it, the salamander roared in displeasure, flames and lava surging from its scales. The prison restraining its movements couldn't hold out and melted away.
"Burnnnn!"
Thanks to the fleeting moment the prison bought them, Karina closed in successfully and bellowed
[War Cry lv.5]
while bringing her axe down.
-Clang!
"Krack!"
"Kishaaaak!"
It wasn't like striking skin—it felt like swinging at a lump of metal. A sharp whoosh cut the air amid flying sparks, and Karina's axe bounced off. But thanks to the ice enchantment she'd applied to the axe beforehand, frost settled on the struck scale, cracking it slightly.
-Psssh!
"Ice Wall!"
As the salamander spewed flames with eyes full of rage, Lena tore her second scroll, and an ice barrier erupted, blocking the path between Karina and the blaze.
"Hup!"
From the shadow of the rising barrier, Hiss sprang out, thrusting a shadow-wreathed dagger beneath the salamander's chin.
-Kagak!
"Ugh...!"
'So tough!'
Her wrist stung from the swing, and as flames poured from the sliced spot, Hiss retreated swiftly. Her shadow manipulation clashed poorly with a monster that spewed endless flames.
But even so, the frosted dagger weakened its scales all the same.
"Look over here!"
[Taunt lv.5]
[War Cry lv.5]
As the salamander's head began to turn toward Hiss, Karina roared and slammed her axe down with both hands.
-Kwajik!
"Kishiyaaat!"
She struck the scale infused with chill again—the one she'd hit earlier with the axe.
The cracked scale shattered, splitting the skin it had protected and sending blood spurting out.
-Chiik!
"Krk!"
Drenched in that blood up close, Karina groaned involuntarily.
'Can a living creature's blood be this hot?'
A temperature that could make one mistake its blood for lava coursing through its veins. But while she held its gaze, Lena—who had torn three scrolls in a row—unleashed her magic.
"Ice Spear!"
Three scrolls engraved with the same spell. The air's temperature plunged noticeably, countless ice spears materialized in midair, then rained down on the salamander.
"Kiii... Kishaaat!"
-Pssh!
To fend off the ice spears, the salamander inhaled deeply and exhaled a massive flame breath. But it couldn't block them all, and soon several spears lodged in its body.
"Huff... huff... Hiss! Karina! Target the ice spear embeds!"
"Got it!"
"Burnnnn!"
The two women heeded Lena's call, slipping through the gaps in the salamander's flames to strike the chilled spots where the magic had pierced. Unlike before, their blades now shattered scales and sliced skin successfully.
'We can take it down!'
Fatigued from the relentless mana drain, Lena chugged a mana potion and chilling potion at once, flashing a hopeful smile.
The assortment of cold magic scrolls bought with earnings from their long stall on the 21st floor. And trusty comrades. If they held position and kept up the pressure, the salamander would fall smoothly.
Of course, barring any surprises.
-Bubble... bubble...
As she recovered mana and drew a fresh scroll to support her melee allies, Lena failed to notice the lake beside her bubbling furiously.
She wasn't using
Inactive
—she was too busy shoving mana into the scrolls to trigger their spells.
And.
-Pssh!
The boiling lava erupted violently, and something burst from its depths.
"What?"
She urgently canceled her ongoing spell and threw up a hasty shield to block the flying lava chunks hurtling her way. Lena's eyes wavered.
"Kishyaat!"
"...Two?"
From the lava emerged not just the first salamander they were hunting, but another. It fixed Lena with murderous eyes.
'No way...? Salamanders feud fiercely over territory—two shouldn't share a lava lake.'
Salamanders absorbed fire mana while dwelling in lava lakes and such. Another in the same spot meant less mana to go around. She'd never heard of two emerging from one place...
-Pssh!
"Ugh... Shield!"
The surprise was brief. The new salamander from the lava spewed flame breath straight at Lena. She gritted her teeth, staff in hand, erecting a barrier.
"Kyaa!"
"Kuh! Ancestors!"
Without Lena's magic support, the salamanders absorbed the ambient fire aura, their bodies heating fiercer by the second. Hiss and Karina—who'd cornered the first—began getting pushed back.
Spotting Lena's plight upon turning, Hiss and Karina rushed to join her. But sensing it, the beast spewed even hotter flames, blocking their path.
"Ugh... Explosion!"
Lena barely held the flames at bay with her shield, seizing the lull to unleash a spell. The salamander took the blast head-on but only staggered—no real damage—and pressed its assault more viciously.
'Kuh... Mana!'
She dodged flame bursts and tail swipes by a hair's breadth, but her mana would hit zero soon.
She'd burned too much fighting the first. Even this shield wouldn't hold much longer.
"Lena! Kuh! This bastard..."
Karina eyed Lena desperately, trying to snag the second salamander's aggro with
[Taunt]
, only to get intercepted by the first repeatedly.
With two salamanders dragging things out, their prepped fire resistance potions and enchants were fading.
"Huff! Huff!"
Hiss too felt the creeping heat while brainstorming counters—and sensed something.
'Another adventurer?'
Party's best at detection, she clocked someone nearing. Not monster presence. Human. Solo.
Not far.
"What."
I reached the ore vein spot my
skill had pinged, tilting my head.
"I came for the vein, but... monsters?"
First kind I'd seen since hitting 21. Two of 'em. Why so scorching? Some spots feel cool, though.
Not just monsters—adventurers mid-fight too... Huh?
'Lena? Hiss?'
And beside 'em... orc? Chick, right? Orc gals are jacked—tough to tell.
Seeing 'em more than I thought. Nah, more like—Hiss hit 21 already? Sure, party's way unlike my solo run, but damn, leveled up nice. Shadow tricks? Since when?
And if not imagining...
'They're getting pushed.'
Fighting solid, but rear mage Lena catching heat? Not normal. Felt it in the ruins—she's melee-weak for mid-tier mage. Doesn't look deliberate.
"For now..."
Dunno what flak for crashing their fight uninvited, so I spectated from range. Lizard with Hiss/orc gal had cracking scales—might drop without me? Struggling now... but who knows.
What're these beasts? 21-floor newbies... Flames hit harder than prior fires, scales scream high def.
-Clang! Clang!
'Not bio-scales—straight mineral. That what
pinged?'
Metal clashes every axe-scale hit confirm hardness. Flames gush per clash.
'Juicy.'
means mineral-ish, fire-spewing? Monster trait? Scales keep power post-peel?
Tsk... Snag one solo? Their hunt though—butting feels rude...
-Kwaang!
"Kyaa!"
"Kuh!"
Lost in thought, orc gal's muscles deflated—standoff crumbled. She blocked tail fine but buckled mid-block, flung back. Lizard exploited, flaming at Hiss.
"No!"
Lena yelled urgently, swapping 'Shield' target. Blue dome popped by Hiss, halting flames.
"No! Lena!"
Her own shield dimmed instead. Second beast—probing lightly—inhaled deep, maw roiling with blaze.
[Limit Break lv.4], [Leap lv.4]
Saw that far—I kicked off, activating
[Limit Break]
too. Downed spare fire-res potions—just in case. No
Inactive
, yet skin-heat vanished.
-Pssha...
As the lizard exhaled to flame, I hovered over its crown.
"Shut your trap."
-Thud!
Fist straight to crown—familiar boom echoed. Jaws snapped shut forcibly, face cratering the ground.
Lena, braced for heat, blinked up at me.