Lucius descended carefully, his new skill 'heat resistance' dulling the worst of the ambient temperature. Sweat dripped down his face, and the air tasted like the remnants of flames, which he was not fond of and it left him choking every once in a while.
[Heat Resistance Lv1: Reducing environmental damage by 15%]
He had killed three more Magma Hounds so far. Each absorption added to the vial and his skill proficiency, making him stronger and slightly faster.
[Essence Vial: 32/100%]
[Heat Resistance Lv1 → 68% progress to Lv2]
But the deeper he went, the stronger the beasts became. Each, making him wrestle for his life.
[Appraisal activated!]
[Target: Higher level Corrupted Beast - Ember Stalker]
[Level: 12]
[HP: 220/220]
[Abilities: Flame Cloak, Ambush Strike, Explosive Death]
This one was different from the Magma Hound. It was sleeker, faster, and covered in flickering flames that made it hard to see clearly.
It spotted him first, almost immediately. Like it had a 360 visual prowess.
The Stalker blurred, closing the distance in a heartbeat of a second. Lucius barely raised his arm in time before its claws raked across his forearm, flames searing his flesh.
[HP: -16]
He kicked it back, drew his axe, and hurled it as quickly as he could.
The blade struck its shoulder, tearing through. The beast screeched and its body began to glow, from dim to a bright light.
The system noticed the reaction and immediately alerted him.
[WARNING: Ember Stalker entering Explosive Death state!]
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me—"
Lucius sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him out of there.
*BOOM!*
The explosion rocked the tunnel. Flames washed over him, scorching his back as he narrowly escaped the explosion.
[HP: 72 → 51]
[Status Effect: Severe Burns]
He hit the ground hard, rolling desperately to smother the flames that engulfed him. The pain was brutal, a merciless bite that seared through his skin and sent shockwaves screaming through his nerves to his brain.
It was like his whole body was on fire, amplified by the fact that the flames seemed almost... otherworldly. Corrupted divine flames, a paradox of agony that left him gasping for air.
"Damn it…"
[Survival Instinct (Passive) - Triggered]
[Warning: Structural integrity compromised. Cave-in imminent in this section.]
Cracks spread across the ceiling and walls as rocks began to fall.
Lucius scrambled to his feet and ran deeper into the mine, the only safe route, far away from the collapsing tunnel.
As he ran, he stumbled into a massive cavern and froze.
The chamber was enormous, its walls glowing with visible cracks of molten rock. At the center was a pool of liquid fire, bubbling and hissing and it was surrounded by dozens of corrupted beasts.
Magma Hounds, Ember Stalkers and something new, something he hadn't seen since the journey into the mine began.
He stared at the system appraisal message that appeared in front of his field of vision
[Appraisal activated!]
[Target: Corrupted Beast - Inferno Warden]
[Level: 18]
[HP: 450/450]
[Abilities: Magma Manipulation, Flame Burst, Territorial Rage]
[Threat Level: EXTREME]
The Warden was massively big, twice the size of a bear if you could compare with a body made of layered stone plates, rivers of larva flowing between them, adding simple aesthetics to the menacing body design. Its eyes burned like miniature suns, lighting up any area it stared at with light.
Standing there surprised, the beast suddenly noticed his presence and roared. As if under a command or spell, every beast in the chamber turned.
"....Damn, I'm going to die here."
Lucius didn't have time to think, he just moved.
He grabbed a Magma Hound, activated absorption mid dodge, drained it while using its body as a shield against another's fire breath.
[HP: 51 → 63]
[Essence Vial: 40/100%]
An Ember Stalker lunged at him but he rolled, threw his axe, caught it mid explosion and absorbed the residual energy.
[HP: 63 → 58]
[Essence Vial: 48/100%]
He wasn't even done with the others when the Inferno Warden charged at him.
Lucius dove into the larva pool's edge, heat searing through his skin but not killing him thanks to his skill 'Heat Resistance', and came up behind a cluster of hounds.
He didn't waste a second, he touched three of their cores at once.
'Absorb!'
[Absorption skill activated - Multiple targets!]
[HP: 58 → 82]
[Essence Vial: 68/100%]
[Heat Resistance Lv1 → Lv2!]
[Heat Resistance Lv2: Reduces fire/heat damage by 30%]
The Warden roared, his thunderous voice shaking the ground as he slammed his fist down. Magma burst forth in fiery geysers, a Y-shaped torrent of molten lava streaming down. Lucius was caught in the blast, hurled against the wall with bone-jarring force, leaving him dazed and disoriented.
[HP: -21]
He coughed up blood, his vision blurring as the impact sent shivers through his body.
'I can't…. I can't beat this thing head-on.'
He managed to lift his head up slightly, and noticed a crack in the ceiling directly above the larva pool. It was a structural weakness he could use to his advantage.
"Streetwise…" he whispered.
[Streetwise (Passive) - Triggered]
[Environmental hazard detected: Unstable ceiling support. Collapse possible with sufficient force.]
Lucius grinned through the pain.
"Come on, you bastard. Just a little closer…"
The Warden became infuriated and charged at him, while Lucius waited. It moved closer but he still waited.
Then as soon as it crossed a threshold. 'Now.'
He rolled aside and watched the Warden's massive body slam into the wall beneath the crack.
The ceiling groaned weakly. Seizing the opportunity, Lucius grabbed a loose boulder and hurled it at the fracture and watched the ceiling give way.
Tons of rock collapsed onto the Inferno Warden, burying it in rubbles. Its roar died down abruptly, and there was silence.
Then a system notification rang, drawing his attention.
[Inferno Warden: DEFEATED]
[Experience gained!]
The remaining beasts, leaderless, scattered into the nearby tunnels. Lucius watched them until there was none left, then he collapsed to the ground, gasping.
*****
He dragged himself to the larva pool's edge and held out the Essence Vial. It pulsed, absorbing the residual corrupted energy from the slain beasts.
[Essence Vial: 68% → 85% → 100%]
[Objective Complete: Corrupted Mine Cleared]
As he completed the absorption, something moved in the rubble.
A small, glowing orb floated up from the Warden's corpse. It was the size of a fist, pulsing with golden-orange light.
[Appraisal activated!]
[Item Detected: Corrupted Divine Core Fragment]
[Type: Divine Essence (Degraded)]
[Effect: ???]
[WARNING: Absorption may cause severe internal damage]
Cophey's warning echoed: "If you see a beast with a golden core…run."
But Lucius was exhausted, hurt and he was tired of running mostly because there was nowhere else to run.
"Screw it."
He reached out and reached the core, grabbing it fully with his hands.
'Absorb!'
[Absorption skill activated!]
[Target: Corrupted Divine Core Fragment]
[WARNING: EXTREME RISK DETECTED]
[Divine energy purity: 40% corrupted, 60% unstable]
[Proceed? Y/N]
"Yes."
The core exploded into his hand and fire flooded his veins. Not like the cold absorption he feels anytime he absorbs a core, this one was different. It was pure, burning agony.
His skin blistered, blood vessels boiled and his nerve endings screamed in protest as the burning sensation increased.
[HP: 61 → 42 → 28 → 15]
[SYSTEM ALERT: HOST UNDERGOING FORCED EVOLUTION]
[Divine energy integration in progress...]
[WARNING: Failure rate 73%]
Lucius's scream tore through the air, a raw, growling howl that seemed to rip from his very soul.
His vocal cords shredded as he bellowed, the sound morphing into a primal wrawww... a mix of anguish and defiance that echoed through the cavern. His eyes bulged, vision blurring as the pain threatened to consume him.
Then suddenly, there was silence.
[Integration... SUCCESS]
[New Skill Acquired: Minor Fire Manipulation Lv1]
[Fire Manipulation: Conjure and control small flames. Cost: 10 MP per use]
[MP unlocked: 0 → 50/50]
[Heat Resistance Lv2 → Lv4 (Divine Integration bonus)]
[STR +5, VIT +8, INT +6]
Lucius collapsed, his body a smoldering husk, smoke curling up from his charred skin. He laughed, a weak, raspy sound, making his cracked lips split further.
"Worth it..." he whispered, a defiant smirk twisting his ruined face, as if daring the universe to throw more at him.