After climbing one hundred meters without a pause, Rylan felt his spiritual energy nearing its limit.
"Does this never end? How long have I been here?" he murmured. With no alternatives, he pressed on. Like a spider, he stretched his left hand as far as it could go, his fingers searching for cracks in the rock. Once he found a hold, he poured all his remaining strength into pulling his body upward, advancing with his right hand.
Repeating this painful process for another fifty meters, exhaustion began to take over. His muscles protested, and his mind showed signs of weakness. His vision started to blur, and whispers of giving up echoed in his thoughts.
"Keep going!" he shouted, forcing his body to move, inch by inch, until he reached the 190-meter mark. But there, exhaustion finally won. His spiritual energy, drained to the extreme, was completely depleted.
Then the inevitable happened. As the walls were fragile and he lacked the spiritual energy to execute his control technique, he lost his grip.
"Damn it!" he shouted reflexively, panic filling his voice. He felt his body plummeting uncontrollably, his fingers scraping against the surface of the solidified lava, desperately searching for a hold.
It was useless. His attempts to grab onto something only made things worse. The cracks in the wall widened, and chunks of rock began to break off, falling toward him.
"Ouch!" Rylan cried out as a rock struck his head with force. A sharp pain shot through his body, and he clenched his teeth. "Damn it! I hate this place! Has anything gone right since I got here?!"
Frustrated, he channeled his anger into a kick against the solidified lava. The impact was fierce, and his entire leg sank into the wall. A scream of pain escaped as his skin tore and the heat seared his exposed flesh. Blood flowed, but the impulsive move ended up anchoring his leg into the rock. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he realized that, for the first time, he was stable.
Seizing the opportunity, despite his heavy breathing and agonized body, he began to execute the Natural Breathing method. Each deep breath extracted traces of spiritual energy from the environment around him. Using his control technique, he formed a green aura that began to envelop him again.
With a determined look, he pressed his hands against the wall and pulled his leg free from the crack, ignoring the blood pouring freely. Wasting no energy on healing the wound, to conserve his strength, he resumed his climb.
Every two hundred meters, he repeated the strategy of anchoring his leg into the wall to secure a foothold, even though it cost him more blood and pain.
After climbing 990 meters, something finally changed. Through his blurred vision, he caught sight of a different light ahead, and he knew he was near the top. With an exhausted yet triumphant smile, Rylan used his remaining strength to climb the last few meters.
When his hands touched the flat surface, he saw the scorched ground once again. "Finally…" he murmured, his voice laden with relief. "I climbed out of this hell."
Walking slowly, Rylan moved to a wider area and sat on the ground. Closing his eyes, he began channeling his spiritual energy to heal his wounds.
The lacerations on his leg and bruises across his body started to regenerate. Gradually, the pain subsided, and he felt revitalized.
Standing, he surveyed his surroundings. His gaze landed on a pool of bubbling, molten lava.
"So, we're supposed to enter this pool? Is the crystal at the bottom?" Rylan thought, feeling a pang of regret. "I really hate the White Devil… and I hate myself even more for taking on this mission to kill Triton."
He sighed, recalling the challenges since entering the Infernal Realm. Aside from the initial advantage in the mine, everything seemed like a constant disaster. Yet, there was a spark of determination in his eyes.
"At least now, I have my advantage back. I'm not afraid of lava anymore." He smiled, enveloping his body with his aura to protect the only piece of clothing he had left: his pants. Without hesitation, he leapt into the pool.
As he submerged, the lava was harmless. As he had suspected, it had no negative effect on him. Swimming with ease, Rylan observed his surroundings. That's when he saw human figures.
They were people dressed in noble attire and wearing armor that protected their bodies.
"So, the second type of person has been eliminated. Currently, only the nobles remain. This is getting complicated…" he murmured, his thoughts drifting to Yell and Lucy.
"Are they okay?" He felt the green bird's presence through their bond, but he had no idea where Lucy might be. Sighing, he dove deeper, focusing on finding the fire crystals.
At the bottom of the pool, his vision was filled with crystals that looked like solidified flames. Grabbing one with both hands, he pulled with all his strength. With a sharp crack, he broke off a piece of the crystal.
"Even though this region is tough, it's been good for my evolution. Before, I couldn't have even managed to extract a crystal like this. I'm getting stronger." He smiled, holding the crystal like a trophy.
"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." With that thought, he surfaced, feeling rejuvenated.
Back on solid ground, Rylan focused on the bond to contact Yell—a perk of being the firstborn; no matter where his familiar was, he could reach them.
"Yell, are you still in the Burning Desert?"
"No, Firstborn. I'm in the Ice Valley. Are you done? Come quickly; a mysterious castle has appeared here."
"A castle?" Rylan was surprised. Why would something like that appear in the trials? What's in this place?
"Tell me where the Ice Valley is."
"To the left of the volcano," Yell promptly replied.
Following the indicated direction, Rylan advanced along the steep path until he reached a raised ledge. Below him, the scenery changed drastically: a valley covered in ice, with white mist hanging over the sky.
"Yell, are you reliable?"
"I don't understand…"
"Be ready to catch me. I'm going to jump from here. If you fail, I'll die, and our story ends here. Can I trust you?"
"Jump! I'm faster now. I've advanced to a level-2 spiritual beast."
'Why haven't I felt any change in my cultivation? Could it be that, since my cultivation level is higher, I don't sense minor realm advancements?' he wondered before taking a falling leap off the volcano.
"Yell, my life depends on you!"