Chapter 125: The Volcanic World

Compared to the dark, subterranean world of the Underdark, these volcanic lava caverns are even more dangerous and terrifying. The lava passages here are cracks and conduits formed in the solid mountain rock by violent geological activity, harboring immense uncertainty.

Perhaps while walking through a crimson-lit tunnel, you might be reduced to charred bone by a sudden blast of searing heat venting from a fissure in the wall. Or, one misstep could send you plummeting into a bottomless rift, dropping you into a soul-shattering pool of molten lava.

Although the volcano has entered a period of temporary dormancy, intense geological activity persists in certain pockets. If a thundering crustal subsidence occurs right beside you, you are highly likely to be crushed into pulp by suddenly closing caverns or shifting rock strata. Therefore, moving through this place requires constant vigilance regarding the stability of the surrounding rock. Absolute safety does not exist; every apprentice must tread carefully to avoid being swallowed by sudden geological shifts.

Danger stems not only from volcanic instability but even more so from the exotic creatures inhabiting this region. Fire spirits, lava hounds, lava monsters, fire lizards, flame imps, flame guards... there are dozens of named fire-based entities, and countless other nameless, exotic species.

These creatures, which live and feed on fire, treat this volcano as their home, forming a unique food chain within this molten world. At the apex of this chain are, naturally, the terrifying Magma Giants. They are akin to highly intelligent giants of flame, possessing elemental powers no less formidable than those of human wizards. Unfortunately, their existence is too heavily dependent on the environment; once they leave the volcanic world, their power wanes rapidly. Thus, the Magma Giants dwell in the deepest reaches of the subterranean volcano and are rarely seen by the outside world. It is safe to say that a wizard apprentice’s abilities are insufficient to penetrate such deep regions, making any encounter with them impossible.

In the volcanic world, the bottom of the food chain belongs to the annoying flame imps. They resemble goblins in appearance, save for their crimson skin. They possess no flesh and blood; rather, they are the product of a core of flame fused with fragmented consciousness. They chatter as they shuttle through the lava tunnels, searching everywhere for areas dense with fire elements. They spontaneously attack any intruders entering their territory, using simple fire bolts as their weapon of choice. Once they realize they cannot defeat an opponent, they simply dive into a lava pool or a stream of searing flame and instantly teleport elsewhere. If a treasure hunter lets even one flame imp escape, within a short time, they will be swarmed by a horde of these creatures.

However, these flame imps are pathetically destitute. After going to great lengths to destroy them, you are left with nothing but a pile of volcanic ash; there is no other loot to be gained. In this regard, the cost-effectiveness of flame imps is far inferior to fire spirits. While fire spirits are also at the bottom of the volcanic food chain, defeating them at least yields some fragmented elemental cores, which is far better than the nothingness left by a flame imp. Flame imps possess fire bolts and flame teleportation; in the outside world, they would be troublesome elemental entities. But in this volcanic world, where fire resistance is universally and perversely high, their strange abilities are largely ineffective against other fire-based creatures. This is the fundamental reason they remain at the bottom of the food chain.

Grim did not choose to travel with others; instead, he slipped into a lava tunnel on his own, moving rapidly along a downward incline. There are no straight paths or regularly shaped tunnels here; everything winds and coils according to the terrain, with numerous branching paths. The volcanic world is like a colossal beehive, with rugged, winding roads and interconnected caverns. Without a way to navigate the path, one could easily fall into a labyrinthine trap, eventually dying of heat exhaustion once food and water supplies are depleted.

However, this was not a problem for Grim. As he delved deeper into the volcanic world, his very flesh became restless and active, vibrating with excitement at the density of the fire elemental particles. Even without an elemental shield, the faint red glow surrounding him could not harm him; on the contrary, it provided him with considerable nourishment. Nevertheless, for the sake of decorum, he still had to maintain a high-temperature force field to prevent his clothing from igniting in the intense heat. After all, he was human and lacked the "nudist" habits of fire-based creatures!

With no map, nor any need for one, Grim did not hesitate at the hundreds of forks in the road, striding forward directly toward the depths of the earth. What guided him was the concentration of fire elemental particles in the air! He was not here to hunt for treasure, but to "soak" in the environment, so he followed the path where the concentration of fire particles was highest. The rugged, winding roads might deceive him, but the fire elemental particles drifting in the tunnels would not. Thus, without any deviation, he arrived before a small pool of molten lava.

This was not yet the true depth of the volcanic world, but rather a natural depression. When the majority of the molten magma receded back into the earth, a small portion remained trapped here, pooling into a small lava lake. Currently, a group of flame imps and a lava hound were gathered there, bobbing in the lava pool, joyfully bathing their bodies in the scorching magma. Among these monsters, the lava hound clearly held a higher status, occupying nearly half the space for itself, while the flame imps were forced to crowd into the other half, never daring to approach the hound.

Upon seeing the human emerge from the tunnel, the lava hound, possessing a stronger sense of territoriality, leapt from the pool first. It blocked Grim’s path, crouching low, and opened its flame-spewing maw to emit a threatening growl.

*So, this is a lava hound?*

Grim stopped, blue light flickering in his black pupils as he scanned the internal structure of the strange creature. It was a flame creature comparable in size to a tiger from his previous life. Its body was largely composed of semi-molten, scorching lava, with turbulent, searing flames wreathed around its surface. As the lava hound opened its mouth to threaten him, the molten liquid dripping from its fangs even etched small holes into the floor beneath it. This indicated that the magma within its body was even more terrifying than natural lava, as the fire elements contained within possessed a much stronger corrosive nature.

A moment later, the biological data projected by the chip appeared in Grim’s mind: *Lava Hound, a semi-elemental creature unique to the subterranean volcanic world. Power Level: Intermediate Apprentice. Physical Data: Strength 9, Agility 13, Constitution 10, Spirit 8. Individual Abilities: Rapid Charge, Flame Leap, Flame Breath, Savage Bite.*

Some of this information was derived from scanning the creature’s structure, while the rest was supplemented by reference materials. As the data merged, all its secrets were laid bare before Grim. Although the chip labeled this lava hound as an Intermediate Apprentice, in this specific environment, an average Intermediate Apprentice would find it difficult to handle.

Just as Grim was rapidly analyzing the secrets of the lava hound, his silence thoroughly infuriated the beast. With a powerful kick of its hind legs against the floor, the lava hound’s sturdy frame lunged through the air, slamming heavily into the temporary fire shield Grim had erected.

*Thud.*

With a dull, heavy sound, the lava hound skidded off the shield and circled to Grim's side. With a nimble twist of its muscular body, it adjusted its direction and lunged again. By then, the four deep, striking claw marks on the fire shield had not yet fully faded.

The lava hound struck the shield once more! This time, the fire shield could no longer withstand the attack of the flaming claws or the heavy impact of the hound’s body; it shattered into a spray of fiery debris with a loud *bang*.

With a flick of the Flame Lord's Scepter in Grim's hand, a new Blazing Shield erupted, repelling the lunging lava hound. Grim frowned; it seemed the basic fire shield was no longer suited to the current intensity of battle. If even an ordinary lava hound could shatter it in two rounds, then one could imagine that against a stronger flame creature, the fire shield would be no more durable than a soap bubble. The Blazing Shield, however, lived up to its name as an upgraded version, with defensive capabilities more than five or six times stronger. Grim stood his ground, allowing the lava hound to attack at will, and it took nearly ten rounds to bring the Blazing Shield to the verge of collapse.

After adjusting the necessary parameters through combat, Grim lost interest in "playing" with the beast. With the toss of an elemental crystal core, a massive rock python, occupying nearly half the cavern, emerged from the ground.

Seeing the intruder, the lava hound still lunged recklessly, determined to defend its home. Unfortunately, its self-righteous assault was a farce in the face of the giant python. Before it could tear even a few rocks from the python's hide, the serpent clamped its jaws around the hound’s body, thrashing it against the walls and floor of the cavern until the creature was torn to pieces.

Once the lava hound’s body disintegrated, Grim picked up a still-burning firestone from the scattered lava fragments. This was the only thing of value within the hound. Grim remained where he was to process the stone, while the summoned rock python slithered toward the remaining flame imps.

*Pop, pop, pop...*

A continuous barrage of fire bolts rained down on the python’s grey, rocky head, leaving only shallow, egg-sized pits. Such damage was not even a tickle to a creature made of rock. The python lunged forward, snapping its jaws, whipping its tail, and crushing the imps with its massive coils. In no time at all, it had wiped out most of the flame imps. Seeing the turn of events, the remaining imps dove into the scorching flames of the lava pool and instantly vanished. The entire subterranean cavern finally fell silent.