James rested for a few more minutes before entering the 20th floor. Its heat raged and James scanned the environment and made note of the trap locations all over again. He stepped slowly this time around as he moved to a more optimal location.
The demon was ready to kill James and ran forward. It saw that James had no bow ready initially and threw out a few basic fireballs. James dodged them and readied his volley attack. Four arrows whizzed through the air and pelted the demon’s hardened skin. Clawed hands removed the arrows leaving only welts on their skin.
It bared its claws and got close enough that James felt the heat from its flaming mouth. Not wanting to stay close any longer than he had to James fired off his next volley with a twist. The bowstring was held back a little longer and a little more mana was put into the bow. The piercing arrows went right through the demon’s body at such close range. The arrow tips tore through the monster’s muscle and bone. It dropped to one knee and shuddered.
The demon pounced from below at James. He used his bow as a simple shield and blocked one of the demon’s claws while the other went across his chest. The demon was thrown overhead by his arms and pushed into one of the vent traps.
Hot steam and then fire covered the demon. The fire and heat did not cause much damage to the demon except for irritating some of its open wounds. It did however have a strong effect, that James was looking for, on its eyes. The vents and steam blocked its sight as James prepared an attack it would normally try and dodge.
The water arrow hit the demon’s head before the steam could completely fade. The demon reacted violently to the water arrow as its body fought against the opposing energy coursing through it. James put a few more arrows in it as the magic arrow did its work. A minute later the demon was dead.
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James lay on his back in the safe zone. His eyes were closed as he felt the damage to his body heal and the magic within himself return to maximum capacity. He smiled at the fact that he had soloed the spider queen and the demon back-to-back after a few tries. He could finally move on and test the other parts of the dungeon.
In one hand he spun the fire-resistant ring around. A few times throughout the trip so far he had considered wearing the enchanted items while fighting. Ultimately he decided to go without even when dying several times. For now, the items collected would go to the novices. They needed them and James could go without for now as he had a far greater ability he could use.
James felt the air within the dungeon shift, and he knew he had to leave the floor soon. He pocketed the ring even though it would not be used. He adjusted his coat and tied some cloth around his face as a makeshift bandana. In one hand he held a torch with the other empty. He would not be fighting the floor and was generally seen as a waste of time. If he wanted to fight the frost giants he could do so on the 22nd floor.
The cold winds hit him as soon as he started walking away from the portal. James held his torch close to stay warm and then activated some movement skills to hike faster. He wasn’t quite going his maximum speed but faster than sprinting. It was far too dangerous to go any faster without missing the signs of traps in the area.
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His feet stayed above the snow allowing him to avoid buried traps as he made his way toward the bridge. James slowed once he reached it. Going by himself across the bridge was far easier than with a group. With his previous experience on this floor and general training elsewhere he made his way across without issue.
James continued his trek and avoided the frost giants. He had a few close calls as he dodged, and the snow shook under him as parts of the mountain became swept away with avalanches of snow.
It started to snow as James reached the portal. He shivered and stepped through to the 22nd floor. Despite the nomenclature, the 22nd floor was the other half of the 21st floor. If one could fly or climb to the other side of the mountain then they in theory could find the ‘22nd floor’ and its challenges. Few attempted it, however.
James traveled to the other side of the mountain where he faced frost giants and worsening cold. He attempted to keep warm, but the monsters became a distraction to his efforts. The cold seeped into his bones and it caused a slip-up and then his death.
James returned to the 17th floor again.
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James shivered instinctively as he opened his eyes. The warmth had returned to his body so suddenly. James thought back to his most recent death. As with most of his deaths so far it was a bit unpredictable and avoidable. He had been traveling through the quickest path he knew towards the exit when he was ambushed by too many of the monsters. He had killed a few and even used one of his magic arrows uses but was stabbed from behind and things fell apart from there.
James started processing his mistakes and experiences on the most recent floors as he went through his routine. He started to think of possible changes and was preparing to implement them before he reached the demon.
The fights against the spider queen and then the demon were done with a break in between but was tiring, nonetheless. Each of the fights was consistent and starting to feel predictable as he learned each of the boss’s moves and main attacks. There was little they could do to trip him up enough that he had to use any of the materials he carried in his bags.
James entered the 21st floor with a torch strapped to his back. The simple contraption he had set up held the lit torch behind him and to the side allowing him to use his bow instead of a single knife. He had tested it a little and found that as long as he did not become too off balance the torch would stay in place.
James’s hike through the 21st floor was slower than his last because of his cautious steps. He also became harder once he encountered the frost giants that wished to harass him and smash him with the weight of the snow of the mountain. Towards the end of his journey the torch’s flame flickered out and he was forced to replace and relight it. He did a mental check of his body at that point and found that he was doing well in the cold compared to last time but would need to be quicker if he wished to outlast the temperatures and the monsters.
The 22nd floor was silent as the packed snow deadened the sound of James’s footsteps and those of the monsters. James shivered as he walked. The torch seemed to give off less heat every passing second. It did do its job however and James was able to stay relatively warm while fighting off enemies. James avoided the ambush spot and dealt with the monsters much easier the second time around.
When James found himself in front of the boss monster on the floor he had both charges of his magic arrows ready to go. They were both used in quick succession after repeated volleys and a few single-charged shots to bring down the boss monster and clear the floor. Not wanting to wait any longer on the freezing floor James stepped through the exit portal onto the 23rd floor.
James felt the darkness and just laughed to himself as he returned to the 17th floor without pain.