Why Is There a Flame Demon Here?

Linden, following far behind the Adventurers, felt that something was wrong the farther he went.

Why did this road look so familiar?

Wasn't this the road to the Flame Demon's home?

Linden knew very well that no battle had taken place near the Flame Demon's lair. Otherwise, the Mushrooms he had stationed nearby would definitely have detected the fluctuations in magic power.

Could it be that the Flame Demon had never returned after going out that time, and they had missed each other when these people came down?

He had always assumed that these people had descended by a route he did not know about. After all, no one knew how vast the Deep Zone was. There had to be more than one entrance; he simply lacked the ability to explore them.

Since they had gone through the Flame Demon's lair, the question now was—had the Flame Demon returned home?

"Ha, now I can finally relax."

Having found the Duke's Daughter, Garr's mood brightened as well. What Adventurer wouldn't covet the reward of an entire city?

"Captain, you have no idea how despairing I was when you said the direction had changed on the ninth floor. I thought she really had fallen into some tra—"

Before he could finish, Night Owl kicked him.

Seeing the pink Puji in Night Owl's arms, he finally remembered that Inanna was still here. What he had just said had been rather too careless.

"Ahem."

As usual, Captain Nova stepped in to change the subject.

"Ivan, are you confident you can undo Miss Inanna's transformation?

Should we find some professional curse-breakers after we get back up?"

Ivan did not like hearing that. "Do you think I'm inferior to those third-rate hacks?

She only used a stabilization potion after transforming. You think that can stump me?

It won't be harder than turning you back from Straw Men after that time in Scarecrow Abyss."

Nova had only wanted to change the subject, but he had unexpectedly stepped on Ivan's sore spot. All he could do was laugh awkwardly.

"I don't understand, I don't understand. As long as you're confident..."

Before they knew it, they had returned to the entrance leading to the upper levels.

It was as hot as ever here.

Night Owl already could not stand the heat, and now she was carrying a Puji, making it even hotter.

But Inanna was still a young lady, even if she had turned into a Puji. It would not be appropriate to casually let a man carry her.

Night Owl could only endure the heat, though her steps quickened slightly.

Inanna, in her arms, showed little reaction to the scorching environment. After all, all her resistances were LV6.

"Wait!"

The Mage Ivan's abrupt voice stopped Night Owl and the others in their tracks.

"The magic fluctuations are different."

[Scout]

"Night Owl," the Mage said evenly, "take the young lady and go."

Night Owl glanced at Ivan. Though the old Halfling often went mad when his magic addiction flared up, when sober, he was the most experienced member of the entire team.

Without hesitation, she took Inanna and merged into the elongated shadows cast by the group, darting into the passage at incredible speed.

The second she disappeared, the entire Cave began to tremble.

The lava pools on both sides suddenly churned like boiling blood. Thick golden-red bubbles burst one after another, while sulfurous smoke and waves of heat billowed forth.

Night Owl's departure made the hidden enemy realize it had been discovered. Now, it had no intention of letting its remaining prey escape.

Accompanied by an inhuman roar, a massive figure rose from the lava pool.

Its mountain-like upper body was pieced together from half-solidified lava and charred bones. A dark-red rocky shell wrapped around its body like armor, enclosing the Lava Heart within.

At the same time, numerous human-height flame monsters resembling miniature versions of it leaped out around them, blocking their path.

Gulp—

The Half-Dragon swallowed hard.

"Flame Demon... and Lava Golems..."

"Careful, it's level 64." Ivan, who had already used Scout, revealed the Flame Demon's strength.

There was no time for further discussion. The Flame Demon had already swung its enormous lava fist down at them.

[Shield Domain]

Garr raised his shield, forming a massive phantom shield before him that barely blocked the blow.

However, the difference in levels meant he did not emerge unscathed. Blood continuously seeped from beneath his armguard.

[Revival]

[Life Potential]

Nova drew a sharp breath and cast both a healing spell and an enhancement spell. Only then could Garr barely maintain the Shield Domain.

With another roar, seeing that it could not directly crush these insects to death, the Flame Demon raised a colossal wave from the lava pool beneath it.

Seeing that things were going badly, Ivan decisively embedded an A-Rank Magic Crystal into his abdomen. At the same time, he cast [Clarity Art] to preserve his sanity amid the surging magic power, though it would cause him immense pain.

Facing a level 64 Flame Demon, he did not dare hold anything back. The moment he acted, he unleashed 300% of his full strength.

[Ice Ring]

The embedded Magic Crystal granted him a power boost far beyond that of an ordinary staff. The Ice Ring spread outward from the three of them.

It froze the rocky ground and the Lava Golems, then collided with the massive wave of lava, barely solidifying it.

"We... need to run quickly."

The immense pain stimulated every nerve in Ivan's body. He could not maintain this state for long.

Even with such an explosive boost, his magic could only barely match the Flame Demon's ordinary strength. If this dragged on, they would undoubtedly die.

"I'm afraid it won't be that simple."

The Flame Demon had actually taken advantage of their efforts to block the lava wave and moved near the passage entrance, blocking the three of them.

Ivan even cursed at the sight.

"Fuck, if we make it back alive this time, I'll definitely apologize to Kemo. Last time, when she said Flame Demons were highly intelligent, I laughed at her..."

"What do we do? Should we retreat?"

The Half-Dragon looked toward the passage they had come through. If they retreated now, they should still make it in time.

"No. Hold on a little longer."

Nova's tone sounded as if he had made some sort of decision. Garr, who had worked alongside him for ten years, immediately knew what he was thinking.

"You want to use that? Even then, it might not be enough to deal with this Flame Demon!"

Ivan said nothing. After blocking another wave of lava, he was in too much pain to speak. His remaining strength had to be saved for the next spell.

Nova did not explain. He merely glanced at the Half-Dragon, who could only choose, as he always had, to trust his captain.

Nova took a small branch with two tender sprouts growing from it out of his clothes.

Linden, who had been watching from afar, immediately noticed that this item had a Panel.

[Artifact: Life-Seeking Wood Core (Fragment)]

Another Artifact!

Magic power flowed into it—but not only magic power.

A vast amount of Nova's life force was drained away as well, and his face visibly grew gaunter.

After finally feeding the Artifact enough, Nova pointed it toward a corner of the Flame Demon's chest—there was a faint crack in the rocky shell there.

It was because he had noticed this that he dared to counterattack here.

One of the tender sprouts transformed into a streak of green light and flashed past, piercing the Flame Demon's armor and shattering the Lava Heart within its chest.

The Flame Demon, which had believed victory was assured, suddenly suffered a fatal blow.

With its core shattered, it could no longer support its enormous body. It collapsed beside the lava pool, letting out one final weak wail.

The strongest Monster Linden had ever seen—the one that had trapped him here for years—had died just like that.

Feeling the Sun Stone Fragment still warm beneath his shell.

So this was an Artifact...