NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1335 Magma Sea
1135 Chapter 1335 Magma Sea
After spending one more day in the Lamias' town so that Relia could finish some negations with its leaders, Marcus' party set off once again.
The route they would be taking was through a considerably dangerous part of the Darklands that was just above a great sea of magma, since the usual path to Relia's home was currently blocked by hordes of warring monsters.
Relia had believed that they could push their way through if necessary. However, the possibility of being swarmed by high-level monsters and slowed down considerably was what convinced her to go a different way.
With a bit less caution than they had taken at the start of their journey, Relia led the four of them at a fast pace.
While it could hardly be considered more than a light jog for individuals at their levels, all of them were still constantly running at over a hundred kilometers an hour.
Naturally, their rush attracted the attention of some of the denizens of the Darklands, and more than once decently powerful monsters or beasts would dash out from cervices or from around corners to attack them.
Taking the lead, Quillon cut down anything that got in their way. Having been unable to do much of anything in the Lamias' town, he was dead set on proving himself useful when it came to battle.
"Don't you think he is pushing himself too hard. Shouldn't we take shifts as the vanguard?" Relia said, watching Quillon mercilessly butcher a dozen high level beasts that had charged them.
"No, it's best to let him do what he wants. And anyway, this could hardly be considered a warmup for him. Normally he likes to go rampaging through Tralenstein's single high-level dungeon in search of boss monsters to fight."
Lyra's unconcerned reply seemed to assuage Relia's worries. And watching Quillon easily take down the monsters in their way that she would have some trouble dealing with was more than proof enough that he was capable of carving a path for them.
It was a few hours later that the first signs of their next major obstacle was approaching.
The temperatures began to rise, and the air became filled with noxious gases.
This was no problem for Marcus or Relia since they were immune to most poisons, but Quillon and Lyra needed to put on enchanted mithril masks Marcus had made to filter the air.
"From this point on, we need to take things slower. As capable as the three of you are, I don't think you want to take a magma bath." Relia cautioned.
They had now reached the edge of a sea of magma that went on for tens of thousands of kilometers.
Currently they were around fifty meters above it, following the path that Relia had chosen. However, there were occasional holes in the floor that a soft orange glow could be seen creeping through. A warning about the molten expanse that lurked below.
Of course, the magma was likely to be the least of their concerns. More dangerous would be the beasts and monsters that had somehow adapted to live in such conditions. From what Relia had told them, a multitude of dangerous creatures made this area their home. Normally she would have avoided it at all costs.
Still, they were likely to have an easier time than continuing along the normal route that was currently overrun. There was only a possibility of running into hazardous entities going this way, rather than the certainty of the other path.
And as fortune would have it, the tunnels just above the magma sea remained quiet for the rest of the day. Other than the heat which Marcus eliminated with his chill zone race ability, there were no issues to be found.
"We should be able to rest here." Lyra said, having found a decently sized chamber along the path that was raised and nearly a hundred meters above the magma.
While Marcus could pretty much go indefinitely, Lyra, Quillon, and Relia all needed sustenance to fuel their bodies.
Naturally, providing the food and drinks was Marcus' duty. His high-level cooking skill meant he was always the one others looked towards to provide a good meal. Even Relia, who could technically get by just drinking some blood, insisted that he make her the same things he fixed for Lyra and Quillon with just a bit of blood mixed in.
"Okay, any requests?"
Marcus had all manner of goods stored away in his item box, and despite sounding a bit exasperated, he did enjoy cooking for his friends. And also, Relia.
Except as he was taking their orders and mentally cataloging everything he would need to take out, his heightened senses detected something approaching.
"Looks like we're going to have company soon." Marcus said, turning his head towards the only entrance into the chamber.
Just moments after he noticed dozens of creatures coming their way, Lyra and Quillon had as well.
Relia was the only one that took a bit longer to truly pick up on what was going on. Something she was unaccustomed to as a high-level Vampiress.
Around twenty minutes later, the first of the monsters appeared.
It looked like a giant centipede that instead of a chitinous carapace, its exoskeleton was composed of molten rock.
The creature's limbs were likewise a light red coloration, and it undoubtedly had a astoundingly high tolerance for heat and specialized organs and abilities to live within magma.
"It's called a Hell Centipede. How fitting." Marcus mused without an ounce of worry.
Certainly, this seven-meter-long monster would have normally been enough to cause unbearable despair for most people. Yet, it did not even constitute a threat to anyone here.
At level thirty-seven, it might as well have been a plush toy. The only way it could harm Marcus, Lyra, Quillon, or Relia, was if they sat down and let it attack them without intervening in any way.
"I suppose that I'll deal with these things as well."
Languidly unsheathing his sword, Quillon stepped forward. He took no pleasure in fighting such weak enemies, but until they were disposed of, Marcus would not be able to cook their dinner. Something he was very much looking forward to.