Silas pushed the door open, awaiting the presence of the mini-boss to be in front of him, but it was just a normal chamber that didn't contain the beast.
Silas looked here and there, trying to scan his surroundings. A small sigh escaped his mouth as his voice came low. "Seriously!? Are you kidding me? I thought this was the Mini-boss's chamber, and there's no one here?"
Silas went deeper into the chamber. The more he walked in, the more the air felt like a punishment. It brushed against his skin—thick, heavy, almost as if the entire cavern wanted to choke him out before some monster approaches him.
He reached a tunnel, which was not so broad. "Well, I hope there's no monster in here, I'll not be able to fight in this small place." A small groan escaped his mouth as he stepped into the tunnel.
Every step he took made a creaking sound when his boots made impact with the ground while walking. The obsidian tiles glowed faintly from the molten currents that were flowing under them. It felt like the floor itself had a heartbeat made of fire. Thin vents in the walls spat out bursts of smoke and sulfur, each puff stinging his throat and making his eyes water.
Silas took his hand to the collar of his half-burnt jacket and slowly lifted it to cover his mouth with the help of the collar.
The heat was still pressing against his skin, making his shirt cling to his body like a sweaty glove. As he moved forward, the tunnel opened up into a wide chamber that almost felt like a hidden arena.
It was huge—circular, hollow, and ringed by tall volcanic stone pillars that radiated heat like open furnaces. Light from the lava below gave the entire room a reddish glow, like he'd stepped inside a monster's stomach.
And then his eyes fell on them. Small bodies hopped and danced around the cracks of the floor, dozens of small creatures. Their skin looked like molten lava—deep red with cracks of glowing orange which were running across their limbs.
Their eyes were too large for their tiny bodies, too bright, like flickering candle flames that stretched deeply across their face, covering most of them. Their claws were long and razor-thin; at the tip, they were glowing with a bright orange colour. Smoke curled from their mouths as they let out high, shrill crackles.
They were ugly. But weirdly… kind of funny to look at.
A small smile curled up on—
Silas smiled and let out a slow breath. "Oh… these look fun."
He cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, and shook out his arms like he was warming up before a workout, not stepping into a deadly fight.
"System," he muttered under his breath, voice firm. "What am I even looking at?"
[Species: Lava Imps.]
[Level: 45.]
[Threat Level: Moderate–High.]
[Note: Group intelligence detected. Uses swarm tactics.]
A smirk curled up on Silas's face, voice came low yet deep. "Five whole levels above me, huh? Nice, let me see how far this will make me push myself."
Before the imps even finished screeching, he charged forward towards them, his hand went to his waist as he pulled his sword out of its sheath.
His boots slid for a moment on the hot spot, sparks erupted as his boots' leather made an impact with the floor, moving fast and sharp, but surprisingly organised. The imps spread out in a wider formation like they had planned this way before.
"Oh? You're not some dumb fucks, huh?" Silas let out a small chuckle. "Good, let's have fun then."
One of the imps shrieked and threw a fireball straight at Silas's head. Silas leaned to the side, and the fireball went past him., His cheek got slightly brushed with it, and as it went by, it left a hot trail behind.
Another imp rushed at him without wasting any time, came from Silas's right with its claws ready to hunt. Silas twisted his body, feeling the heat singe the edge of his t-shirt.
"You fucking idiot," Silas let out a small groan as the grip of his sword's hilt tightened. He swung his sword in a wide sweep, a nd one jumped straight into the sword's,; it blew apart into small chunks of glowing, fresh molten lava.
But two more of them were left, waiting for their chance to get a hold oofSilas's flesh.
They attacked from both sides. One jumped onto his back, clawing at his shoulder, and another sliced his thigh, which sent sharp pain up his leg. A third hurled a firebolt at his chest. Silas blocked it, but the impact shoved him half a step backwards.
[Health: 80/100.]
The system's voice echoed inside his brain; it sounded bored, like this was a normal day.
A sharp sting hit his bicep. A strong groan escaped his mouth as he gritted his teeth, driving his sword through the insides of the imp behind his back. It dropped on the ground with a low thud.
[Health: 60/100.]