B3—Chapter 38: The Flavor of Fire

Author's Note

OK, boys and girls.

I managed to complete the mammoth today!

🏋️‍♀️ 💪🏋️‍♀️💪🏋️‍♀️💪🏋️‍♀️💪🏋️‍♀️💪🏋️‍♀️

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After leaving town, we walked for about an hour and saw a few people. There was a wagon pulled by two piggish horses, three people pushing handcarts, and a group of four that I suspected were adventurers. At first look, they didn’t stand out—all wore regular clothes, not armor. But two of them had swords, and one had a bow slung over his shoulder and a quiver of arrows. I assumed the last one was a mage, since he had no visible weapons. A few minutes after they disappeared around a bend in the road, I stopped and facepalmed. Why didn’t I use Identify on them instead of guessing?

Oh well, maybe next time.

When Rue and I were about an hour’s walk from town, we reached a fork in the road, waited until two separate people saw us at the fork, and left the road, walking deeper into trees. The forest contained mainly conifers, which at least somewhat resembled the trees on Earth. They were different, like cedars, but much rounder around, with a more pointed top end. Christmas tree farm owners would go crazy over these trees; they were so symmetrical. Still, the thread of familiarity was welcome. I already noticed that many things in different worlds looked different, but they were also similar. It is as if they all started from the same source but developed differently in each world.

Deeper in the forest, the temperature dropped, and the air was cleaner and fresher. The smell was amazing, green and alive, without the town smells of sweat and food. Here, it was just nature.

There was a carpet of dry needles on the ground, muffling my footsteps. Rue, of course, walked like a shadow. Despite his size, if he padded, I couldn’t hear him. I could hear the thump of his paws hitting the ground while running, but not when he was walking.

Once hidden from view, we both cast Invisibility and flew back toward the town, heading straight for the copper mine.

The townspeople built a makeshift barricade at the entrance to the mine, built from rough stones with skins draped over them. Three guards stood behind the barricade: two with spears and one with a bow. The area seemed quiet, with no monsters in sight. Two guards were relaxed, leaning on the barricade and talking quietly, while the third was alert, looking into the mine entrance. I recognized two of them as people I had healed from burns; the third was unfamiliar; he was older and scowling. It was unclear if it was at the mine or at the other guards for not being alert like him.

Rue and I quietly flew past the barricade and toward the mine entrance. “Activate stealth,” I told him telepathically. “Let’s make sure they don’t hear us.”

When we entered the mine, the atmosphere changed again. The tunnel was about three meters high and wide, with rough-hewn walls that felt damp and cold to the touch. The air was stale and musty, with a faint scent of metal and sweat. We had to land just a few meters in because the ceiling kept getting lower. Al would have needed to stoop here. After another twenty meters, we reached a larger chamber with three tunnel openings.

“Can you smell which way to go?” I asked Rue, hoping his nose might give us a lead.

After a minute or two, he replied, “Rue not know,” sounding frustrated.

“It’s okay, buddy. We’ll find the right one.”

I chose the right tunnel, and we continued further in, my footsteps echoing faintly as the tunnel narrowed.

The mine became even quieter as we went deeper into the right shaft. The air was thick with dust and had a more pungent metallic scent. It became darker and harder to see. I still saw where we were going, but I was sure regular people needed lanterns.

Or maybe miners have dark vision?

Who knows?

The tunnel wound and turned with each step, leading us further in. We came to a fork in the tunnel three times, and I chose the right side each time. After what seemed like forever, the path abruptly ended at a solid rock wall. We turned around and retraced our steps. In the same way, we also checked all the branches, but each time, it led to a dead end. After what felt like hours of walking back and forth, we had to return to the main chamber.

In the main chamber, we now took the middle tunnel. The air here was cooler, and the walls were slick with moisture, making them appear darker and more ominous. At first, the tunnel seemed like a good idea—it descended gently, the air growing damper, the scent of earth more pronounced. But soon, the passage narrowed, squeezing in on us until it was barely wide enough to walk through. Finally, the tunnel ended in another dead-end chamber filled with loose rocks, debris, and broken mining tools. Rue let out a short, angry huff, his frustration mirroring mine. We turned back once more. At least in this tunnel, there were no branches; it was just one tunnel to the dead end.

That left the third tunnel. We descended, the slope steeper than before, each step more challenging as the walls grew slicker and the air cooler; it was hard to breathe here. I felt like I was breathing in coppery moisture. We passed four intersections, three with two branches and one with two. Every time I took the left branch. After what felt like hours, the tunnel twisted sharply, only to end abruptly at another enormous chamber—another dead end. It was getting annoying, and I was regretting not asking more questions in town.

We returned to the main chamber with the three tunnel entrances, and I tried to think what to do. A flicker of movement caught my eye as I stood there, pondering our next move. A red lizard ran out from the left tunnel, claws clicking against the stone as it dashed toward the mine’s entrance. Instinctively, I tensed, ready to strike, but then relaxed. A single lizard wasn’t a threat, and the guards at the entrance could handle it. But I got an idea as I watched the creature disappear toward the entrance.

“Rue,” I sent, grinning. “We’re going to follow the lizards.”

We waited in the chamber, watching the dark tunnel entrances. It wasn’t long before another lizard ran out from the left tunnel, darting past us, following the same path as the first. I felt delighted that the lizards didn’t sense us. It wasn’t that far from the entrance. If we had to fight, the guards would have heard us.

We moved slowly and quietly down the left tunnel. We had to wait at every fork in the tunnels, patience wearing thin as we waited for another lizard to show us the way. Sometimes, there was just one; other times, two or three. The lizards seemed to know the mine better than any map could show, guiding us through the labyrinthine passages. It was slow, nerve-wracking work, but better than wandering aimlessly.

At one point, as we hid in the dark, waiting for another lizard, I heard faint voices echoing down the tunnel.

I tensed and sent it to Rue, “Push yourself against the wall at the widest point, as high as you can under the ceiling.”

The voices grew louder, and soon, three figures emerged from the darkness. I recognized them immediately—the three adventurers from the inn.

We waited quietly, keeping a safe distance. The adventurers moved cautiously, pausing frequently to consult a map they had made on a piece of paper. Now and then, they stopped and talked quietly among themselves. We followed them, tracking their movements as they easily navigated the tunnels. They seemed to know the mine better than us, or their map did. After several more turns, they approached a narrow tunnel.

As they approached the opening, three lizards leaped out of the darkness, hissing. The men quickly drew their weapons, forming a defensive line. The two swordsmen positioned themselves strategically, while the third nocked an arrow, ready to strike.

“Stay back,” one of them growled, his voice low and intense.

Rue and I remained in the shadows, watching the battle unfold. The lizards moved startlingly fast, darting in and out of the adventurers’ reach. Their red scales gleamed in the dim light, giving them an almost ethereal quality. The adventurers were skilled, but the confined space made it difficult for them to maneuver.

Suddenly, one lizard pulled its head back, thrust it forward, and spat fire at the group. One adventurer quickly cast a barrier. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. The magical shield blocked the fire and kept the rest of the party safe. The archer ducked just in time as one lizard lunged at him. His arrow hit the lizard in the side. It let out a high-pitched screech and fell over in a heap. As the last two adventurers pressed the attack, their blades flashed as they killed the other lizards. The barrier caster continued to protect them from the lizards’ fiery breath.

After the last lizard died, the adventurers looked around for any other threats. Once they were sure they were safe, they turned back toward the tunnel. The sharp and metallic smell of lizard blood hung in the air.

We waited for them to move ahead before slipping through the entrance ourselves. We followed the adventurers, keeping a safe distance as they navigated the caves. Occasionally, they stopped to consult their map before pressing on, their path illuminated by the faint glow of their lanterns.

After about twenty minutes of following them, the adventurers reached the point where the miners had broken into the caves. Their movements became more cautious, their voices hushed as they discussed their next move. I couldn’t hear most of their conversation, but from the words I caught here and there, I could piece together the context. They had no map for this part of the mine and planned to rely on the lizards to guide them.

Ha! I thought of it first!

There was no need for Rue and me to continue tailing them—they were just as uncertain of the way forward as we were, and I wanted to reach the dungeon before they did. We passed through the hole in the wall and found ourselves in a large cave with a high, vaulted ceiling. The walls were jagged, lined with stalactites that hung like the teeth of some ancient beast, while the floor was uneven, scattered with sharp rocks and the occasional glimmer of quartz embedded in the stone. A faint, cool draft blew through, carrying with it the earthy scent of the underground.

We flew up, taking advantage of the height to navigate in the air. I sent a telepathic message to Rue, “Stay as close to me as possible.”

The cave connected to another, and then another. With small and narrow walls that seemed to press in on us, the first cave forced us to land and stealthily make our way on foot. The second opened slightly, its floor littered with broken stones and lizard tracks winding through the dust. The third was bigger, with a low ceiling that forced us to fly close to the ground. Like the maw of some great beast, the fourth had a jagged arch at its entrance, and the air inside was thick with the smell of damp earth. Occasionally, a lizard would run past us, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as it appeared. I could hear the group fighting behind us and judged that they were further and further back.

The last cave was the largest, easily the size of a football stadium, with a ceiling that soared high above us. Massive rock outcroppings jutted along the walls, forming natural platforms Mahya would have loved. They were perfect for her to jump on. In the far corner, almost hidden by the gloom, was the portal of doom. We had found the dungeon.

When we entered the dungeon, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. We entered a cave identical to the one we had just left, down to the last rock outcropping. But the air—oh, the air was different. Something far more oppressive replaced the cool, musty, humid air that had clung to my skin. Here, the air was dry and acrid, hot as a desert breeze, with a sharp, biting scent of sulfur that burned the back of my throat.

At the end of the cave was an opening, and when we passed through it, a scene straight out of hell greeted us. The ground looked scorched and cracked, with rivers of molten lava snaking through the landscape like fiery serpents. A massive volcano loomed in the distance, its peak shrouded in ash and smoke. The heat was almost unbearable, the air thick with the smell of burning sulfur. The dungeon was enormous, a sprawling expanse of destruction that stretched as far as the eye could see.

I remembered a story Lis told me when we were still living in London. He mentioned an ancient dungeon he cleared that had no floors. Instead, the dungeon expanded in width, and he described its size as comparable to the English Channel. In the middle of the dungeon stood an enormous mountain, and because of the sheer size of the place, it took him and his party several days to reach it.

Inside the mountain was a labyrinth, and the final Guardian was at the center of the labyrinth. Looking at the size of this dungeon, I was sure it was the same scenario. It was too vast to have floors along with this immense space.

The volcano was a towering behemoth, a mass of molten fury that looked like it could rip the sky apart. Rivers of lava flowed down its sides, carving fiery paths through the charred landscape. The molten streams cast an eerie glow, illuminating the jagged rocks in a sinister light.

Dark, swirling clouds filled the sky, and fiery lightning illuminated them. Energy pulsed through each bolt of lightning, causing a deafening roar that echoed across the desolate landscape. The lightning glowed red, like fire. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, the heat of molten earth making it hard to breathe.

This wasn’t just a mountain—it was a force of destruction. Its anger was palpable, vibrating in every tremor beneath our feet and every lightning strike that shattered the sky. I was sure the volcano was the location of the dungeon’s final guardian. Or it might actually be its final guardian—a colossal entity of fire and rage that would annihilate anyone who dared approach.

We retreated to the entrance cave, the enormity of the dungeon pressing down on me like a physical weight. This place demanded a different strategy that accounted for the sheer scale and the hundreds of lizards I saw. Charging in blindly would be suicide.

As I mulled over our next move, a lizard suddenly ran into the entrance cave. Instinct took over—I fired a lightning bolt at it without a second thought. But to my shock, the lizard merely touched the ground with its tail, grounding my lightning as if it were nothing more than a mild inconvenience. Its eyes locked on my locations, and with a swift, sharp motion, it pulled its head back before thrusting it forward, spitting fire in my direction. Only the reflexes honed by countless hours of playing aerial hockey saved me from being scorched.

Two more lizards ran into the cave, their eyes glinting with malice. This was bad—my most effective weapon, lightning, was useless against them. The first lizard looked unfazed, as if the lightning had no effect.

I quickly instructed Rue, “Stay at the top near the ceiling, don’t go down. I need to figure out what to do.”

The thought of the fire hitting him sent a jolt of fear through me—his thick fur would ignite instantly, which was a risk I couldn’t take.

I fired a mana dart at one lizard. Two mana darts streaked toward it, but the lizard was too quick. One dart missed completely, and the other only grazed its leg. It did slightly injure the lizard, making it turn slower with a limp, but the damage wasn’t nearly enough. These lizards were too fast, almost impossibly so.

As soon as I released the darts, the three lizards reacted with unnerving synchronicity, pulling their heads back before flicking them forward, spitting fire in the direction the darts had come from. But I wasn’t there anymore—I’d learned my lesson from the first lizard.

I opened my profile, trying to think of a solution as I flew around, positioning myself behind the lizards. With a quick decision, I cast Exude Mana on one of them and immediately shot back up into the air. The lizard I targeted slowed noticeably, as if the spell drained its energy, but the other two remained as fast and deadly as ever. They both spat fire at the spot where I had been, and then the third one joined in, unleashing its flames after completing its turn.

This wasn’t good.

I drew out a crossbow and quickly shot at one lizard, immediately shifting my position. The bolt struck true, embedding itself in the lizard’s body. This time, the lizard wasn’t too fast to dodge—but the bolt ignited, burning as the lizard screeched in pain.

Again, I had to dodge the incoming fire spits. My mind raced, searching for a solution. I tried something different. Once again, I flew behind the lizards and cast Exude Mana on one of them. When the third lizard turned and pulled its head back to spit fire at me, I quickly clamped its mouth shut with telekinesis. The lizard began convulsing violently. As the third one prepared for another attack, I shot it with a mana dart. This time, it wasn’t fast enough to dodge. The first lizard collapsed, dead, and so did the third. The second one continued convulsing before it, too, fell lifeless to the ground. I relaxed, but just then, two more lizards ran into the cave.

My method was effective, but limited. I couldn’t keep it up with too many lizards. As I searched for another solution, I remembered the guns Mahya had left for me. Turns out she was right—”just in case” happened. I quickly pulled out a rifle and loaded a magazine, but I realized too late that the gun wasn’t invisible. The two lizards immediately charged at me, forcing me to dodge more fire.

I flickered into visibility and then quickly returned to invisibility, this time ensuring the rifle vanished along with me. I aimed and squeezed the trigger, the sharp crack of the shot echoing through the cave. The noise worked to my advantage; one lizard fell dead instantly, and the second lizard whipped its head around, searching for me but unable to locate my position. Probably, the echo confused it.

Just then, three more lizards ran into the cave. I hovered even higher, having already gauged the maximum height their fire spits could reach, and carefully lined up my shots. I picked them off one by one. Only one dodged the first shot, but not the second. The other two died immediately.

I had found a solution—not one that thrilled me—as I preferred to handle things with magic, and still strongly disliked guns, but this was the situation. I had to adapt to the circumstances.

I turned all the lizards into crystals and said to Rue, “Stay in the cave. If more enter the cave, don’t go near them unless you want to get set on fire.”

I flew out of the cave and practiced sniping on the lizards scattered across the area. The heat in the air was intense, making my lungs feel like they were drying out, and sweat immediately began pouring down my face.

After taking down a few lizards, I descended to a lower altitude and turned them into crystals. However, I quickly encountered two significant problems. First, more and more lizards started swarming into the area where I was, making it impossible for me to land and transform them into crystals without risking being burned alive. The second issue was that the rifle in my hand was heating rapidly, becoming so hot that it was already hurting my palms.

I retreated to the cave, but six lizards followed me inside. I couldn’t tell if they had sensed me or if the entrance was just conveniently located for them. Without wasting a moment, I shot each one, turned them into crystals, and quickly healed the minor burns that blistered on my hands. I slipped on a pair of leather gloves—much better.

Steeling myself, I flew out again and resumed sniping at the lizards. But as I continued, a creeping sensation of dread settled in. Little by little, I felt worse and worse. My breathing became labored, each inhale dragging in the air that seemed to scorch my lungs from the inside out. The oppressive heat was relentless, searing my throat and making every breath a painful effort. My skin, already slick with sweat, felt like it was burning from the inside, the heat radiating from my core.

But it wasn’t just the heat. There was something else, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. My limbs felt heavy, as if invisible chains weighed them down, and my head pounded with a dull, throbbing ache. A strange fatigue crept over me, seeping into my muscles, making it harder and harder to stay aloft. My vision blurred at the edges, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear it, but the feeling only intensified.

The surrounding air seemed to grow thicker, almost like it was getting solid, as if it was more than just heat—it was like I was breathing in something heavy and unnatural, which clung to my lungs and weighed down my entire body. My thoughts became sluggish, and I struggled to focus, a deep sense of unease gnawing at the back of my mind. I was getting weaker and more dehydrated with every passing second, my energy draining away as if something was leeching it right out of me.

I returned to the cave again, feeling the oppressive heat finally taking its toll. I quickly drank at least two liters of water, gulping it down as if it were the elixir of life itself. No lizards followed me this time, and the momentary reprieve was a relief. After finishing the water, I felt a little better, but something was still off—I wasn’t completely fine.

Curious and concerned, I checked my profile. Health: 4,200/7,150. That didn’t make any sense! I wasn’t injured, and the fire didn’t touch me, so what caused my health to drop so much?

I cast Healing Touch, expecting the usual surge of vitality. My health increased, but only by five points. That was even more illogical. When I first got this spell, I had to cast it multiple times to close a cut or wound, but as the spell leveled up, it became significantly more effective. When it maxed out at level 25, a single cast was enough to close a gunshot wound, even after making a deep cut and digging out the bullet. And now, my health has increased by just five points. I didn’t understand what was going on here.

The situation felt increasingly bizarre, and I couldn’t shake the growing dread that something was wrong, something I couldn’t yet see or understand.

I continued to cast Healing Touch, but my health only increased by five points each time. After five casts, frustration mounting, I tried something different. I cast Fortify Life Force, and my health jumped by two hundred and fifty points this time. I stared at my profile in disbelief for a minute or two, trying to process what was happening. Then it hit me—the air inside this dungeon wasn’t injuring me in the usual sense. It was draining my life force.

For the first time, I truly understood why health was tied not just to Constitution but to Vitality as well. The dungeon was sapping my vitality, the very essence that kept me alive and resilient. I realized I might be more resistant to this effect with a higher Constitution, but the actual victim here was my Vitality. This dungeon was a relentless, unseen predator, slowly wearing me down without leaving a visible mark.

As I mulled over this revelation, four more lizards ran into the cave. I quickly shot them down and turned them into crystals, my mind still racing with the implications of what I’d just discovered. I also understood why Mahya was always so affectionate with the rifle and kept kissing it as if it were some lucky charm. While I didn’t feel the urge to kiss the gun myself, I felt an almost overwhelming need to give it a reassuring pat and say, “Good boy.” I only refrained because I didn’t want to risk Rue getting jealous.

I stayed in the cave, repeatedly casting Fortify Life Force until my health was back to full. With my health restored, I returned to the hellish plains again, shooting more lizards. But when I wanted to turn them into crystals, I couldn’t. A swarm of over thirty lizards ran toward my location, forcing me to retreat once more to the relative safety of the cave. Again, I was losing focus and becoming disoriented. The cave was still unbearably hot, but at least it wasn’t the inferno on the other side.

Once again, I restored my health and began thinking of another solution. Some lizards ran in, but with the rifle, it was easy to handle them. Meanwhile, Rue had to land—he was running low on mana. I instructed him to stay in the farthest corner of the cave, well away from the opening.

I tried a different tactic. Standing at the mouth of the cave, I made myself visible and shouted, “Hey, you stupid lizards, come and get me!”

Immediately, I retreated into the cave, turned invisible, and floated in the air, ready for the onslaught. A hoard of lizards charged into the cave, drawn by my taunt. I picked them off one by one. Only three of them required more than one shot. I also closely watched Rue’s area, first killing any lizards that ventured too close to him.

This strategy worked much better. I turned the lizards into crystals, but I had a new problem. The fire they had spat during the fight had raised the temperature in the cave even further, and the air became more oppressive, thick with the lingering heat and the stench of burnt blood.

I checked my profile, and sure enough, my health had dropped again, though more slowly than on the hellish plains.

After healing myself, I rested and waited for the temperature to drop. It took a while, but the cave became tolerable again. I went out, became visible, shouted at the lizards, and returned to the cave invisible.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

Another swarm of lizards.

Heal myself and wait for the cave to cool down.

It went on like this for hours and hours. I lost count of how many times I had to reload the rifle, nearly emptying an entire crate of bullets. Little by little, the number of lizards I pulled decreased. At first, over thirty came each time, sometimes even fifty. Now, it was down to twenty or less. I was also feeling exhausted. I didn’t know how long I had been at this, but from experience, I knew many, many hours had passed.

While I preferred to sleep at night like a normal person, I could stay awake for a very long time if I had to. When I first built my loot spell, I was up for maybe three or four days straight before I had to sleep for a few hours and continue working. But now, I was done.

During the breaks, when I healed myself, Rue napped. I was sure he would watch over me if I got some sleep. The problem was that he didn’t have an effective way to deal with the lizards. Their fire was too dangerous, and he could only catch one at a time with telekinesis. More than one, he would be in trouble. I racked my brain trying to find a solution; then I remembered Al had given me some stamina potions, or “endurance,” as he called them.

I took out one potion and drank it. Within a minute, I felt much better. More energetic. But after another minute, I realized I was in trouble. With every passing second, I became increasingly horny. And it wasn’t the usual kind—it was the overwhelming horniness that made it impossible to concentrate. I wanted to kill him. I thought I’d get energy, not a magical Viagra!

At least it woke me up. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity, so I pulled more lizards. This round was terrible. It was nearly impossible to concentrate on shooting lizards with a raging erection that consumed eighty percent of my attention. I shot the lizards and cursed him—first in my head, then out loud.

“Son of a bitch.”

Bang! Bang!

“Motherfucker.”

Bang! Bang!

“Bastard.”

Bang! Bang!

“Dumbass.”

Bang! Bang!

“Asshole.”

Bang! Bang!

“Dickhead.”

Bang! Bang!

My horniness was getting worse and worse, and I had to take care of it. But just the thought of floating in the air in a dungeon more hellish than anything I’d ever experienced and jerking off was too awkward to even put into words. Plus, even though I was invisible, I was sure Rue would know precisely what I was doing. The connection between us was too strong; he would feel exactly what I was up to.

In the end, in despair, I flew out of the cave and back to the hellish landscape. I was sure that if it could suck the life force out of me, it could also suck the horniness out, too.

The scene outside had changed, and now only a few lizards were visible here and there, whereas there were hundreds before. I felt myself growing weaker, but thankfully, the horniness faded as well.

Thank you, Spirits.

I became visible, shouted at the lizards, and waited for them to approach before shooting them. Finally, the horniness dissipated, just like the monsters on the ground. I didn’t even bother turning them into crystals—I didn’t want to go anywhere near the lava. I was also fully alert—as if I had just woken up from a few hours of good sleep. Apparently, the potion did something, despite the unexpected side effects.

Well, I suppose I’ll forgive him and not mention that I cursed him out.

There was no point in wasting my alertness, so I became visible, yelled at the lizards, drew them to me, and shot them. Occasionally, I cast Fortify Life Force to keep myself going and combat the growing weakness. At one point, I yelled as loud as I could for a minute or two straight, but not a single lizard appeared.

Feeling weak and sick again, I checked my health: 1,090/7,150. I needed to find a solution to this problem. To conquer the dungeon, I needed to navigate it fully, not just linger near the entrance cave.

I deployed my Mana Sense, closing my eyes and focusing intently on the surrounding mana. It had a familiar flavor—something I knew but couldn’t immediately place. I guessed it was fire mana, but it had something else in it as well. I didn’t recognize the mix by the “flavor” alone, but given the conditions, I guessed it had to be lava—not just pure fire, but fire intertwined with the essence of molten stone.

Lyura would have significantly benefited here.

With this understanding, I picked apart the separate threads of stone and fire. I was pretty sure the stone aspect wasn’t harming me; what was sapping my health was the fire aspect. I sank deeper into the fire aspect, probing it with my senses.

Determined to figure this out, I advanced a few feet at a time, still hovering in the air, delving deeper and deeper into the aspect of fire with each step. The fire mana was richer and thicker the deeper I got into the dungeon. The process was slow—painstakingly so—and took a long time. I kept my focus sharp, immersing myself further into the fire aspect until it became almost second nature, though the effort took its toll. The surrounding air grew hotter, and the smell of burning intensified, but I pressed on, too absorbed in the mana to notice much else.

I felt my body absorbing more and more fire, as if I were slowly transforming into the very essence of the element itself. The sensation was intense at first, the heat searing through my veins like molten lava. Every inhale brought a surge of fire that seemed to consume my life force, but instinctively, I continued to cast Fortify Life Force; the spell becoming as natural as breathing.

The more I attuned to the flames, the more I felt them permeate every fiber of my being. The burning sensation intensified with each breath, a relentless heat that filled my lungs, yet there was no physical damage—no scorched skin or blistered lungs. Instead, the fire seemed to consume something deeper, something intangible.

My mana.

I realized the fire wasn’t harming my body; it was burning through my mana, transforming it, reshaping it. With each passing moment, my mana became more attuned to the fire, taking on its characteristics. What began as a painful, chaotic blaze gradually evolved into something more controlled, more integrated with my essence. The fire and I were no longer separate entities but becoming one.

As this transformation progressed, I noticed a shift in the nature of the fire itself. What had once been a wild, consuming force started to feel almost... familiar. The heat that had initially threatened to overwhelm me now coursed through me with a sense of purpose. It was no longer just fire; it was power flowing within me, amplifying my strength.

Then, suddenly, everything clicked. The next breath I took felt natural, as if I were breathing ordinary air. The fire was no longer a foreign element—it was part of me, as if I had mastered it, or perhaps it had accepted me. I was no longer just surviving in the flames, but thriving in them.

But there was a cost.

Something in the environment shifted. A strange smell—burnt cloth and singed hair—permeated the surrounding air. Then, I realized I had felt nothing physically, but something was off. I turned off my invisibility, and to my shock, I looked down to find myself looking like a human torch. The fire incinerated my clothes completely.

I stared at myself, half in disbelief, half in awe of what I’d just put myself through.

I opened my profile, and sure enough, under Wizard abilities, there it was—Fire. The mana I had been absorbing had finally granted me control over it. But as I looked at the new ability, I couldn’t help but feel that I still wasn’t at the level of a true mastery of fire. It wasn’t a specific feeling, but pure logic. My clothes wouldn’t have been reduced to ashes if I were a true master.

Absentmindedly, I reached up to run a hand through my hair, only to discover I didn’t have any. The realization stunned me for a moment. My fingers met only bare skin where my hair used to be. I blinked, processing the unexpected change, but then a thought popped into my head that made me chuckle despite everything.

Well, I wanted to get a haircut, anyway. Maybe not like this, but let’s just count it as a haircut.

I was exhausted, and I desperately needed to rest. A part of me hesitated to open my house in such a dangerous place, but then I remembered what Lis had told me—his house had fire protection. Knowing him, there was no way he hadn’t provided the same protections for my house as well. Trusting that, I opened the house, activated the mana-absorbing shield, closed the shutters, and set the second-stage defenses. Although my lightning hadn’t affected the lizards much, I had nothing better at the moment.

Rue and I settled in to rest. Before heading to bed, I soaked in a cold bath for a long time, letting the icy water soothe my overheated body. The only good thing about this hellish place was that, despite drinking what must have been over fifty liters of water, I never had to pee. All those fluids just poured out through sweat.

You always have to look on the bright side of a situation.

That was the only positive thing I could find in this hellscape.