"I should leave now," Max muttered. There were so many mysteries about this dungeon, but he had no answers. Moreover, he had gotten what he wanted.
After scouring the secret chamber one last time for anything valuable, Max returned to the area below the hellhole where he had landed.
He looked up at the long path ahead and contemplated for a moment. 'Let's use the power of Draconic Essence,' he decided.
Moving to the center of the hellhole, Max used the power of six Draconic Essences. Raging strength coursed through his body as he activated the power within them.
He focused all the energy into his feet and jumped up.
FWOSSH!
Cracks appeared on the ground where Max took off like a rocket, flying upward.
Only a moment later, he soared through the air above the lava fountain region and landed just beside the hellhole from which he had jumped earlier.
"Look, he's out!" Amy shouted in joy upon seeing Max emerge from the hellhole.
"And he seems fine too," Alice said, gazing at Max's figure in surprise. "Looks like he did find the secret chamber down there." She muttered in contemplation.
Just at that moment, Max appeared before them with a smile. "Told you this is where the secret chamber is," he said, a hint of smugness in his tone.
"Good for you, and it seems you leveled up inside too," Alice shot back with a snort, folding her arms and pretending not to be impressed before changing the topic. "And I wonder what the others are doing in the dungeon? Why haven't they killed the boss yet?"
"I wonder that too," Max said, pondering. "Maybe they've encountered a problem or something." He shrugged.
"Then let's go to the Storm Canyon," Alice said, taking the lead. Amy followed right after her.
Max followed behind. "By the way, I thought that volcano would be the lair of the boss." He pointed at the volcano in the distance, bubbling with lava.
"Nah, it's at the edge of this region," Alice said without looking back.
Max nodded lightly. "I hope the boss isn't killed before we reach the Storm Canyon," he muttered, following Alice and Amy quietly.
---
After another hour of navigating the rough, unforgiving terrain, they finally arrived at a dried lava riverbed. The once-molten flow had long since cooled and solidified, leaving behind a jagged, cracked surface that stretched out before them like a natural pathway leading directly into the canyon ahead.
"This is one big canyon," Max muttered in slight astonishment.
The canyon stretched endlessly before them, its vast expanse disappearing into the horizons on both the left and right. Max squinted, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make out where it began or ended.
The jagged cliffs on either side towered imposingly, and the sheer depth of the canyon made it look as though the earth itself had been torn apart, leaving behind a deep, narrow valley carved into the ground.
Just at that moment, seven bat-like figures engulfed in flames flew toward them.
"They are Molten Bats… Do not let their spit hit you if you don't want a hole in your body," Alice warned Max and Amy as her hands also ignited in flames.
Max nodded as he activated the Three Dimensional Body skill.
"Let's try the new skill," he muttered, activating the Flames Creation skill.
Immediately, both his hands engulfed in flames, but that was it. He could neither control the flames nor produce any more.
'It's like I wore a glove made of flames,' he thought, very disappointed in the skill. Still, he didn't worry about it. He believed that if he mastered the skill to level 100, there would be much more he could do with it by then.
"Stay close to me!" Amy shouted. "I have a skill that can protect us from the spit."
Max turned to her and saw a circular shield of green light floating above her. It wasn't big, but it was enough to protect three people.
"There's no need," Max replied as he put away the flames and drew his sword.
He then turned to Alice and saw that seven flaming arrows hovered above her hands, ready to launch.
"Wait!" Max called out to her. "You wanted to see my strength, right?" he asked, smiling.
Alice stared at Max for a moment, then smiled in interest. "Alright, show it to me."
Apart from their little bet, where Max had only focused on blocking her attacks, she hadn't truly seen him in action. The duel had been more of a test of skill than a real fight, leaving her curious and unsatisfied.
She wanted to witness the full extent of his abilities, to see just how far his true strength could go.
"Watch closely… Maybe you can learn a thing or two," Max smirked at her as he gripped his sword tightly, which began to tremble lightly.
Almost instantly, both Amy and Alice felt a slight pressure on them. It was like something heavy was weighing down on them, making it difficult to breathe, but they could tell it was just a light sensation, as if they weren't the target of the pressure.
Vroom!
Their attention snapped to Max as his sword began to emit a faint light-blue glow. The radiance grew brighter with each passing second until the entire blade was bathed in an ethereal, shimmering blue hue.
The glow pulsed rhythmically, exuding an aura of power that seemed to resonate with the pressure they felt.
Max then raised his sword high, the radiant blue glow intensifying until it illuminated the surrounding area like a beacon.
'It's time.' With a swift, deliberate motion, he brought the sword down in a powerful swing.
'Divergent Slash!'
SWISH!
A luminous arc of light burst forth from the blade, slicing through the air with a crackling hum. It surged toward the seven Molten Bats with speed, leaving them no time to evade.
Bang! Bang! Bang!…
One after another, the arc struck its targets, cleaving through the bats mid-flight, cutting them in half.
Their molten remains scattered in the air before falling unceremoniously to the ground in smoldering heaps.
"That… That is Sword Aura!" Alice exclaimed loudly, her voice cracking with shock.
She now realized the reason behind Max's strength as she recalled how effortlessly he previously blocked all her attacks like it was nothing.
"But—But how did you comprehend Sword Aura?" she asked after calming down.
As far as Alice knew, only the most prodigious talents at the Adept Rank had ever managed to touch upon the elusive Sword Aura in the Core Region. Such individuals were celebrated as once-in-ten-thousand-years geniuses, their names etched into the annals of history.
But what about Max?
He had comprehended Sword Aura while still at the Novice Rank, a feat so unprecedented that she couldn't even fathom what kind of genius could achieve something so extraordinary.
The thought sent shivers down her spine.
What kind of monstrous potential was lying dormant within him?