Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Although Rain wanted to speed run the dungeon, he didn't want to miss anything, so he took his time exploring it. Up to the third floor, he only found slimes and on the third floor, they took their time trying to appear behind him silently and bombarding Rain from behind with Fireballs. Still, even without looking at them, Rain was able to destroy them with ice attacks.

The skill Ice Shard received 50 experience points.

The skill Ice Shard received 50 experience points.

The skill Ice Shard received 50 experience points.

…

"They keep trying to attack me from behind, even though they failed dozens of times… as expected, these kinds of dungeons don't have cores and they operate automatically," Rain thought. "The motherfucker that created spells that last one hundred years deserves some praise… and a kick on the balls as well.

As Rain descended to the fourth floor of the dungeon, the architecture underwent quite a shift. The once red-hot bricks that dominated the terrain on the levels transitioned into a rougher, more earthen wall structure. Here, the surroundings transformed into a sandy expanse reminiscent of a scorching desert landscape.

The sand beneath his feet radiated an intense heat, searing through his boots and causing an uncomfortable burning sensation against his skin.

Initially, Rain attempted to endure the blistering heat, relying on his boots for protection and his experience against the meteor dragons. However, the relentless intensity of the scalding sands began to take its toll. The extreme temperature proved too much for his boots, causing them to gradually succumb and melt under the searing conditions.

With his protective boots deteriorating, Rain found himself increasingly annoyed by the scorching heat of the sand.

"I don't have spares, but I guess these wouldn't last that long on the lower floors…" Rain thought. "It can't be helped, considering the environment here."

To add to the already challenging environment, the transition to the fourth floor brought forth a menacing evolution in the dungeon's enemies. The fire slimes, which previously occupied the dungeon, gave way to a new threat—fire skeleton warriors. These monsters were armed with blazing shields and swords, wreathed in flames that intensified their already fearsome presence.

Rain observed that these fiery warriors seemed to grow stronger with time, their power escalating the longer they remained in battle.

The skill Ice Shard received 100 experience points.

"The spell is losing effectiveness… it is a low level, so it can't be helped," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Still, if this kind of environment is already affecting my magic this much already, things will get troublesome deeper."

As Rain thought about Terra's fighting style, he acknowledged her proficiency—or lack thereof—in elemental magic and her preference for unarmed combat since that was what he taught her. Terra's approach diverged significantly from conventional elemental magic users or warriors reliant on weaponry.

This stark difference left Rain hesitant to use the excuse that he couldn't fight without weapons or magic in that situation.

Aware of Terra's dedication to hand-to-hand combat after this much time, Rain couldn't help but worry about the toll it took on her. Delving deeper into the dungeon's depths using only her fists showcased her determination and endurance and a bit of madness as well.

Despite her limitations in elemental magic or weapon usage, Terra's determination to progress deeper into the dungeon was evident. Rain admired her resilience and resolve, and he wanted to achieve that much as well, otherwise, he would feel really embarrassed.

"Well, it is time to make things get a bit more personal…" Rain said and then assumed his fighting stance. "I need to recover my senses, after all."

It has been so long since Rain punched anything that he felt a bit weird, assuming his usual fighting stance. Still, when the first fire skeleton appeared, Rain didn't hesitate in punching the chest of the creature and making it spin toward the ends of the corridor. The skeleton was smashed to smithereens and never had the chance to get up.

"Ah… no experience since I didn't use any skill… all the skills that are related to punches have been mastered already," Rain thought and then sighed.

In the end, Rain summoned the smaller version of the giant ice fists to cover his arms… after punching a few skeletons, they began to melt, but they stopped melting when Rain activated Artic Aura.

Level 15: Arctic Aura - Deepen your connection to the frozen fields, increasing your maximum mana by one hundred points per level and increasing attack and resistance to ice-based attacks by one percent per level.

It felt like cheating a bit, but Rain decided to ignore that since his desire to find Terra sooner was stronger… in the end, just by running normally, Rain crossed the fourth, fifth, and sixth floor in half an hour. It was also relaxing to smash skeletons while he punched them without having time to stop.

The skill Icy Grasp leveled up. Intelligence + 01

The Diligence path received 200 experience points.

The skill Artic Field leveled up. Intelligence + 01 Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

The Diligence path received 150 experience points.

"I need to increase my strength and vitality as well… just having high attack power when it comes to magic won't work on the dragon god," Rain thought when he found the passageway to the seventh floor. "At the same time, I need more intelligence and wisdom to understand his skills faster."

While Rain was thinking about that, he followed another spiral staircase that led him downward…. he thought that the dungeon would have like dozens of floors, but the next section already looked like a volcano a fair bit.

In the third section of the dungeon, the environment took on an even more drastic and hazardous nature. Small ponds of bubbling lava could be found on the floor, emanating intense heat that infused the air with a noxious, almost toxic quality. The noxious fumes, rising from the bubbling lava, pervaded the atmosphere, creating an oppressive and suffocating ambiance within the dungeon…