I moved deeper into the tunnel, feeling the ground sloping downward.
The walls glowed with cracks of molten rock, casting an eerie red light. The heat pressed against my skin, heavier than before.
Sweat dripped down my body, but I barely noticed.
My Generator Core hummed, absorbing the heat and converting it into Essence.
The deeper I went, the louder the air rumbled, like a beast breathing beneath the surface. The tunnel twisted, and then I saw them—another group of Orcs.
Four of them, all level 13.
They stood at the center of the tunnel, their glowing red eyes locking onto me. Their rocky, magma-filled bodies radiated heat, and their spiked clubs dripped with molten rock.
One of them roared and charged first, swinging its weapon down.
I burst forward, my knee collided with its head shattering its head. The others came next, attacking in unison. I weaved between their swings, my fists smashing through ribs and skulls. The fight was over in seconds.
The tunnel fell silent again.
I stepped over the broken remains and kept moving forward. The slope grew steeper, the heat even more intense.
The heat grew worse with every step, and my feet burned against the scorching ground.
I pushed forward, realizing I had descended almost 70 to 80 feet below the volcano's mouth. The air felt thick, heavy with heat and the scent of molten rock.
Then, I entered a vast hall.
I slowed, surprised.
'A space like this shouldn't exist inside a volcano.'
Massive stone pillars stretched up, supporting a ceiling nearly two stories high. The walls and floor looked carved and reinforced, as if something had deliberately shaped this place.
Despite the structure, the heat was unbearable, just standing there made my skin sting.
But what caught my attention were the magma pods.
They covered the floor, the walls, even parts of the ceiling, pulsing faintly with energy.
Inside each pod, I could see Orcs, their massive bodies curled within, their forms barely visible through the thick, molten shell.
I frowned and scanned them, but no system alert appeared.
Then, my gaze shifted to the center of the hall.
Three Orcs stood there, gripping their spiked clubs.
Their glowing red eyes locked onto me, their molten veins pulsing with heat.
I scanned them.
Level 16.
A grin spread across my face.
"Finally, some good action."
I rolled my shoulders and stepped forward to meet them.
The Orcs didn't wait.
As soon as I stepped forward, they charged. Their heavy bodies shook the ground, their skin glowing like molten rock beneath hardened black plates.
The heat pouring off them was intense, I could feel it scorching my skin with every step they took.
The first orc swung its club in a wide arc, aiming to crush me in one blow. I braced my legs, channeled Essence into my arms, and caught the club with both hands.
My muscles tensed, the force behind the swing pushing me back an inch, but I held firm.
Before I could counter, the second orc lunged from my right, its weapon crashing down toward my shoulder.
I twisted, letting the attack skim past me, the heat searing across my bare skin. But the third orc was already moving, faster than I expected.
A fiery fist slammed into my ribs, sending a shockwave of pain through my body. My feet slid across the stone floor, the heat making it hard to maintain my footing.
I exhaled sharply.
"Ouch"
I pushed Essence into my legs and burst forward. The second orc lifted its club for another swing, but I was faster—I slammed my fist into its gut, the impact cracking its hardened skin.
It staggered, and before it could recover, I spun and drove an elbow into its jaw.
The third orc lunged at me from behind, but I caught its movement from the corner of my eye.
I ducked just as its club whooshed overhead. In the same motion, I grabbed its arm and, with a surge of Essence, twisted my body and hurled it into the first orc.
The two of them crashed into a pillar, the stone cracking under their combined weight.
The second orc recovered, letting out a guttural roar as it came at me again. I met its charge head-on, Essence flooding into my arms.
My fist slammed into its chest, this time with enough force to shatter through its rocky armor. Magma leaked from the wound as the orc choked, staggering back.
The other two pulled themselves from the wreckage, their eyes burning with fury. They rushed me together.
I welcomed it.
I pivoted, dodging the first club strike while slamming my knee into the third orc's stomach.
At the same time, I caught the first orc's wrist mid-swing and twisted it violently, snapping the joint. Its weapon clattered to the ground.
With a final burst of Essence, I grabbed the weakened orc by the head and drove it into the stone floor.
The impact shattered its skull, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the ground.
Two left.
The second orc let out a bellow of rage and swung wildly. I sidestepped, my speed overwhelming its sluggish movements, and delivered a clean uppercut to its jaw.
Its head snapped back, and I followed up with a sharp kick to its knee, forcing it to buckle. A final strike to its neck put it down for good.
The last orc hesitated for a split second. I was already in front of it.
I caught its throat with one hand and squeezed, lifting it off the ground.
Essence surged through me, and with one final motion, I slammed the orc into the nearest pillar. Stone cracked, and the creature's body went limp.
Silence settled over the hall, broken only by the distant rumble of the volcano.
Then I saw the message.
[Level Up!]
[Level 14 → Level 15]
I rolled my shoulders, my skin still burning from the heat. A smirk tugged at my lips.
"That's more like it."
I added two points to Strength and three to Constitution, feeling the immediate shift in my body.
Then, I pulled up my status to take a look.
[Status]
----------------------------------------------
Name : Billion Ironhart
Race : Human
Class : N/A
Laws : N/A
Level : 14
Talent :
- Generator 2
- Essence : 5/10
Attributes :
- Strength: 40
- Constitution: 33
- Dexterity: 28
- Psynapse : 36
Unused Stats: 0
Skills:
- Essence Manipulation (Innate) Level 2
- Psynapse Boost (Innate) Level 2
- Seismic Fist Level 1
----------------------------------------------
I put points into Constitution to withstand the heat around me.
Taking a deep breath, I let my Essence Generator absorb the lingering heat in the air, fueling my body.
If level 16s were guarding this place… what else was waiting deeper inside?
I picked up two clubs, one in each hand, giving them a few test swings before heading toward the end of the hall.
Another tunnel stretched ahead, its entrance framed by the glow of magma.
Leaving the pulsing pods behind, I stepped inside.
I moved through the tunnel as it twisted downward, the heat growing thicker with every step.
Finally, I reached a gaping hole in the ground.
Peering down, I spotted another floor below.
Without hesitation, I dropped down.
I landed smoothly from nearly twenty feet, my body absorbing the impact with ease.
The space around me stretched wide, a massive cavern carved deep within the volcano.
Unlike the structured hall above, this place felt raw and untouched.
Jagged black rocks jutted from the walls and ceiling, some glowing red-hot from the heat.
Magma dripped from cracks above, hissing as it splattered onto the stone floor.
Pools of molten lava bubbled across the cavern, casting flickering light against the rough, uneven walls.
The ground beneath me was a mixture of hardened lava and smooth black stone, cracked from the heat.
And then there were the pods.
They covered everything, hanging from the ceiling like bloated sacs, lodged into the walls, clustered together in uneven piles along the ground.
These weren't like the ones above. They were larger, their surfaces thicker, and they pulsed with slow, deep movements.
Whatever was inside them was bigger, stronger.
I turned around to take in the entire space—then froze.
"What the fuck."
I jolted back, my breath catching.
Standing right in front of me was our commander, Arkas Rayleigh.
"Hooo, is that how you greet your commander?"
I snapped to attention.
"Soldier Billion Ironhart, reporting, Commander."
Arkas tilted his head, rubbing a hand over his bald head.
"Commander? I thought you preferred to call me 'bald demon.' Didn't you?"
I stared straight into his eyes and kept my mouth shut.
"What happened? You're usually full of energy, but now you don't even have the strength to speak?"
'We'll talk about energy when I'm as strong as you, bald demon.'
"No, Commander," I replied.
"What do you mean, 'no, Commander'? Are you saying you're not energetic?"
"I am energetic Commander. Very energetic." I replied.