— So this is the second floor.
The walls were rocky and uneven, with some plants sprouting among the stones.
The floor was stony, with stalagmites and pillars scattered throughout.
The ceiling was adorned with stalactites with roots and other sticky plants hanging down.
— This place is just as I expected. Good thing the tremors have stopped.
The second floor of the dungeon was just like the map I found on the first floor described: a cavern full of irregularities and sharp rocks.
The scene was quite similar to the first floor, which had dark, dirty corridors. However, there was a clear difference between the two locations.
— It's hot... very hot — I said, throwing my school jacket to the ground, leaving only my dress shirt on.
The second floor had wider corridors than the first, with lava pits and hot water scattered all around, almost as if they were saying this was a place for the strong.
There was so much lava everywhere that my "Night Vision" ability was automatically disabled.
— That's good. I'll probably reach my goal on this floor.
On the previous floor, there was nothing to eat or drink, but on this floor, there was a heat source to cook with and drinkable water.
— If I find "that place," I can rest a little before going to the next floor.
Despite the hostile climate, this was the perfect floor to physically and mentally recover from the last two days of non-stop battles against carnivorous rabbits. That's why I was so eager to get here. Finally, I would have a place to rest and satisfy my hunger.
[Warning!]
[Assassination intent detected!]
The only problem is that, to survive in this extremely dangerous environment, one must be extremely strong.
"Damn! One of them is already nearby!?"
The minimum strength required would be enough to withstand a fall into lava.
"We don't have time, I need an escape route immediately."
[Analyzing...10%...50%...100%]
According to the map, the inhabitants of this floor are none other than Lizardmen: half-human, half-lizard creatures with skin as tough as steel and the strength of bulls.
[Analysis completed]
[Escape route created!]
Suddenly, a semi-transparent blue screen appeared right in front of me, showing the entire path I should follow to reach the next floor.
"ZZIIIIRG"
As soon as the map appeared, a high-pitched sound of metal scraping against the ground echoed, signaling that the enemy was approaching. I looked back, and there he was, 10 meters away, with mossy green skin, slit-shaped eyes, and massive muscles.
At least 3 meters tall, with an axe in his right hand, he advanced slowly, licking his own eyes.
"Looking at this ugly thing makes me miss the rabbits."
The upside of the second floor was that I already had the layout of the place, allowing me to create escape routes easily.
"What are my chances of surviving in combat?"
[Analyzing...100%]
[Analysis completed]
[The user would have a 15% chance of surviving in combat]
The downside of being on the second floor was that it would be much more difficult than the first, explaining why I stayed longer on the previous floor than necessary.
I leveled up as much as I could to face them; I had also simulated countless scenarios in my mind on how I could defeat them, but that didn't necessarily mean I could actually beat them.
— "Parallax Vision" — I readied my sword for combat and faced the creature, saying — "X-Ray Eyes".
To ensure the maximum chance of survival, I created three emergency measures to ensure my escape.
"If the information I obtained is correct, they are slower than the rabbits."
[Warning!]
[It is not advisable for the user to enter combat!]
"I need to make sure my plan works."
Due to my Rank limitations, I can't defeat these monsters by strength, and I couldn't outrun them with just the physique of a normal man. However, thanks to my abilities, I discovered a pretty useful piece of information about these creatures.
— Hey, ugly thing, I'm waiting! — I shouted at the Lizardman.
Apparently understanding my taunt, he put his axe on his back and placed his hands on the ground, glaring at me fiercely while wiggling his tongue.
"Stay calm! Stay calm! Stay calm!"
Preparing for the attack, I took one last look at the map, studying the layout of the dungeon carefully.
"As long as "Parallax Vision" is active, there's nothing to fear!"
Confident that I could block the beast's attack, I waited patiently.
"BOOM"
Surprisingly, the monster moved at a speed exceeding 60 km/h from my perspective, which was ten times slower than its actual speed.
"What absurdity. He's faster than the rabbits. Is that what a Rank C monster can do!?"
It didn't take long for him to be right in front of me, ready to bite my shoulder, but to his surprise, I reacted.
"SNAP"
At the last second, I dodged his mouth and moved my sword toward his face.
The Lizardman reacted quickly, jumping away and drawing his weapon.
Without hesitation, the beast advanced at high speed, closing the distance quickly.
In the midst of chaos and destruction, two weapons clashed.
"CLANG"
The silver axe and the bronze sword collided, sending sparks flying over the lava pools and echoing off the cave walls.
"CLANG"
Feeling the power of the impact, my bones trembled with the blow, aching as if they were breaking, throwing me backward.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it! The status difference is too great!"
The powerful 3-meter-tall beast raised its weapon to launch its most powerful attack, aiming at its enemy's weak point.
— Aaaaarrrg.
In a vertical slash, my arm was severed by the Lizardman's mighty axe.
— Aaarrg... Huff... Huff... Deactivate... my sense of touch!
[Affirmative]
With a river of blood gushing from the right side of my body, I looked with concern at the creature in front of me, who grimly licked the blood off its weapon.
— KAAAAARRRRR — the Lizardman rejoiced with glee.
He was strong, at least strong enough to kill me with a single blow.
I probably would have died if I hadn't blocked his first attack, but that wasn't necessarily bad, as my main goal in this battle was never to defeat him.
— It seems I've reached my limit, but I don't intend to die now — I said, watching the Lizardman prepare for his final strike, while I was stopping the bleeding.
— Aaaaarrrrg! — the creature screamed, giving its final sentence.
Sure, here's the English translation of your text:
---
Seeing the axe coming down towards me, I didn't look away or try to run; I just waited for the right moment to counterattack.
Second by second, the blade was descending, ready to take my life. I was nervous because any mistake would be my end, but without a doubt, it was the only way to achieve my goals.
"Now."
[Affirmative]
Suddenly, a strong light emanated from my body, completely illuminating the place and turning everything white, as if a lighthouse had been switched on in the middle of a storm.
The powerful light intensified, blinding the Lizard, who couldn't lower its weapon to deliver the final blow.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I extended my remaining hand, ready to begin my plan.
— "Arcane Ray"!
From the palm of my hand, blue energy particles gathered before being fired as a small beam of light, piercing the creature's eye.
[Warning!]
[Due to a lack of Divinity, your ability "Regeneration" has been deactivated!]
— Huff... Huff... Huff... It worked.
The Lizard, stunned by the blinding light and the loss of one of its eyes, began to scream in a frightening manner, pacing back and forth without knowing what to do.
Its face was full of green liquid dripping from the hole created by the attack, resembling mucus, and it clawed at the spot as if in excruciating pain.
"Damn, I managed to injure it, but I've already lost a lot of blood. I need to be quick because I can't regenerate."
My goal was to get a piece of the creature's tail.
According to the information I had found, these giant lizards tend to flee when threatened, leaving a piece of their tails behind to gain more speed.
The skin on their bodies is resistant to physical blows and heat, and the inner part has soft and succulent meat. Before coming to this floor, I planned methods to fight them and obtain parts of their bodies.
Although it's difficult, judging that they are much stronger than me in terms of strength, the only thing I needed to do was scare them.
To do this, I used the skill creation function of the "Divine Eyes" to create some skills that could be used both for attacks and to create escape plans.
"How long until a new limb grows?"
[Analyzing...10%...50%...100%]
[Analysis complete!]
[15:59:59]
I created, in total, three skills that could be used both as emergency measures for escape and for attack.
The first was "FLESH", a blinding light bomb emanated from my body, basically a Rank D stunning technique.
The second was "Arcane Ray", an attack skill capable of piercing the enemy but with low destructive power. Fortunately, I discovered that the main weakness of these creatures was their eyes. Unlike the rest of their bodies, which were incredibly resistant, their eyes were weak, at least enough to be pierced by my skill.
[Warning!]
[Due to severe injuries to the host, your chances of survival in combat have dropped!]
The problem with these skills is that both rely on Divinity, disabling my "Regeneration" ability.
"Damn, it seems he won't flee. I think I'll have to retreat."
The third skill I created would be useless in combat but perfect for escape. I planned escape routes before entering combat, in case something went wrong.
— The effect of "Flash" will soon pass. I didn't want to resort to this, but "Ol—..."
"ROOOOARR!"
Before I could finish speaking, a strong tremor occurred, accompanied by a powerful roar that scared the reptilian creature, making it step into a pool of lava.
— Huff…Huff…That sound again. It's probably…
[Warning!]
[It's probably a skill from the transcendental being called Tiamet]
"I thought so."
The memory of talking to him before crossing the portal was still fresh in my mind, but that wasn't enough to make me give up. Even knowing I was defeated with a single glance, I felt even more determined to become stronger.
"I don't know why he's angry, but I think it's your fault and that sub-skill you awakened."
[...Affirmative]
For some reason, I felt happy, unlike the lizard, who seemed much more scared by the earthquake and Tiamet's roar than by the blindness.
— Aaarrg! Aaaarrrg! — the lizard screamed, searching for its weapon on the ground with a scared face.
"This might be my chance!"
Seeing the creature crawling on the ground and feeling the ground shaking, I had an idea. "How much Divinity do I still have?"
[0.6 points]
"Is it enough to use another "Arcane Ray"?"
[Sua potência será 20% menor do que o anterior.]
"It should be enough."
With blurred vision from blood loss and weak legs, I pointed the palm of my hand towards the ceiling, aiming as precisely as I could at one of the stalagmites.
— …"Arcane Ray"
The connection between the rock and the ceiling was broken, causing it to fall precisely onto the lizard's back. It wasn't injured but became extremely scared and screamed loudly before fleeing.
— Aaaarrrg!
As I expected, a piece of its enormous tail remained behind, making it much faster.
"BOOM!"
Unexpectedly, I fell to my knees on the ground, happy to have achieved my goal.
— Huff…Huff…Huff… I did it. I reached the second floor and got something to eat. Now I just need to get to "that place" and everything will be fine.
Despite being satisfied with the result, I felt a strange urge to sleep, and my body was getting colder. The blood wouldn't stop flowing from my shoulder, and I had no more strength to stand up, but I felt strangely calm and at peace with the situation.
— Huff…Huff… I did my best, so I think it's okay.
Yes, it was okay. From the beginning, I did my best to survive. I didn't care about unpleasant comments from my uncles or unnecessary trials from those around me. I felt it was okay to rest.
— Huff…Huff… Mom, I did my best and didn't give up, so I think I did enough.
My vision started to blur, and I slowly closed my eyes, waiting for the sweet embrace of the end.
[Analyzing...10%...50%...100%]
[Analysis complete!]
[User's death confirmed!]
[Initiating emergêncy protocol !]