As he spiraled down the restrictive abyss that he had so bravely plunged into, Yi Qiang had to think on his feet. If he allowed himself to fall freely, there was no doubt the fall would kill him no matter his stats. Thus, the marksman quickly summoned two pickaxes with Empyrean Dragon's Armaments, stabbing them into the narrow walls before his momentum grew any further.
They slowed his fall in short order, bringing it to such a slow pace Yi Qiang had to sharpen his pickaxes, allowing them to cut through the rock more quickly and speeding up his descent.
The crevice was even deeper than he had imagined. Even after minutes of falling, the floor was nowhere in sight.
Yi Qiang supposed that he could likely just climb back up from where he was as it was impossible for the bloodthirsty horde he had escaped from to still be waiting above the crevice, patiently expecting his head to pop up any time now. So it was entirely safe for him to make his way up and continue with the second round. However, Yi Qiang couldn't suppress his curiosity about what lay at the bottom of such a mysterious crack in the ground, nor did he have any reason to do so.
The marksman wasn't particularly worried about wasting time, either, as he had been provided with ample breathing room by his standards. Yi Qiang reckoned that, if he set his mind to it, he could have the round completed in a matter of two days, conservatively.
Even if there were no bounty at the end of this, it wasn't too big a deal, so there was little reason for Yi Qiang to give up halfway through.
He descended in this fashion at a controlled pace, holding himself aloft with only his arms for a full ten minutes before the bottom was finally in sight.
Yi Qiang was tempted just to let himself drop to the bottom, but he couldn't assume there was no danger there, and it was wiser for the marksman to take it slowly.
His sharp eyes surveyed what he could see. The floor was unusual, made up of the black rock that composed everything on Huoshan, but there were orange, glowing lines running through it.
They look almost like... lava.
If his guess were accurate, Yi Qiang would have to be very careful with where he stepped. His skin was more resilient than the realm of possibility back on Earth, but the marksman was in no way confident in his capability of withstanding the heat of the lava. Especially not the magically-enhanced lava that Huoshan could conceivably sport.
It would also mean the rock could be heated to unsafe temperatures as well, though he didn't know just how well the material conducted heat.
I knew I was submerged in the volcano, but not so deep that the floor would have lava in it. I wonder what's here...
Finally, Yi Qiang's feet touched down on the ground.
He raised an eyebrow at the surprisingly cool feeling of the stone. Either my skin is a lot more impressive than I thought it was, or this rock is unusually resistant to heat.
The suffocating heat in the area, though, suggested it was the latter.
Without anywhere else to go, Yi Qiang followed the path directly forward, being extremely careful not to brush against the molten rock flowing along the floor in fiery veins.
The originally-narrow chamber widened quickly, and Yi Qiang was very soon left with far more breathing room as he continued down the mysterious hallway.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he came across a long, expansive chamber. Immediately, they were drawn to the pulsating red sphere at the end of the hall, emanating incredible amounts of heat like a miniature, molten sun. Countless thin lines of what looked like pure energy branched out from it, stabbing into the walls. Almost like the sphere was a heart, it was constantly beating, bumps traveling across the connecting lines with each pulsation.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Is that a... core?
----------------------------------------
Elsewhere, submerged at the bottom of the lava pool in Huoshan, the Absolute's eyes shot open, the man losing his composure for the first time in years.
Accompanied by his loss of control, waves of power rolled off of him. His tight grip on the energy his comparatively small frame contained loosened somewhat, a small part of it came spilling out, making the lava surrounding him tremble in its sheer quantity.
In an instant, though, the wild emotions in his eyes cooled once again, and the Absolute assumed a standing position.
"That kid... maybe I was a little harsh with him."
With those quiet words to himself, he vanished.
----------------------------------------
As Yi Qiang stood in the chamber, dumbfounded, a figure appeared in front of him.
Even thrown off by the sudden teleportation, Yi Qiang's reaction was only slightly slowed as he rolled backward and summoned a golden bow in the same movement out of instinct before realizing that any being capable of teleporting so silently was impossible for him to handle.
His fighting spirit somewhat extinguished by the thought, it disappeared altogether when the marksman saw it was the Absolute, along with the bow that was never necessary.
What is he doing here?
"Chosen. You've really opened my eyes as to the amount of trouble one can get out of. I'll be honest with you - I meant to kick you down a notch by placing you in a hopeless situation where I would have to come and save you. But then, not only did you kill the two beasts I specifically chose to counter you, but then you also managed to escape from the hopeless situation even I hadn't seen coming. I think there were at least several thousand monsters in that horde.
"And greatest of all, you managed to stumble upon this thing here. So, good job. I congratulate you. As a reward for surviving everything I've thrown at you, I'll waive your requirement for passing the second round. You can just stay here for the time and hunt the countless powerful monsters here - I know you Chosen get stronger as you kill more beasts. So, I'll teleport you back up to the top - there's no need to climb all the way back up; who knows how long that would take."
Processing his words as the Absolute reached out to grasp Yi Qiang's shoulder, the marksman instinctively raised a hand.
"Hold on."
The Absolute's hand stopped and fell as the man gazed at Yi Qiang curiously.
"I think I deserve an explanation for," Yi Qiang gestured at the pulsating core in the room, "that."
The Absolute sighed.
"I should have figured you would ask that."
Slowly, solemnly, he turned to the object. Almost reverentially, he began to speak.
"That is the core of Huoshan. This volcano isn't exactly a mundane one - the lava is hotter than normal volcanos, and the ambient mana here is much richer than almost any other area in the kingdom. That's because of this object here.
"This supplies the entire mountain with enough mana and life force to sustain the countless beasts roaming around and flood the surroundings with mana. It's extremely rare, but not unique, and is commonly referred to as a Divine Core. That's because it's formed entirely by the providence of the heavens and the power of nature, and has almost infinite mana. The energy it expends in maintaining Huoshan is regenerated by numerous magical processes that you couldn't come close to understanding. Not just because you're too young," he eyed Yi Qiang, "but because you no longer use mana. How could you understand?
"Anyway, this has to be protected at all costs. The core is extremely fragile despite the fact that it contains almost infinite amounts of energy. That's not helped by the fact that there has to be a direct connection to the surface, lest the core lose its effect on the surface. Warriors from rival kingdoms would love nothing more than to sneak in here and pulverize the core, destroying one of the kingdom's most effective training areas. The moment that heart is shattered, the volcano would wither within weeks, becoming nothing more than an ordinary landmark.
"That's why I can't let you stay long in here. There's nothing you can do with me here, but I still can't help but be nervous. Are you happy?"
Shocked by the importance of the object, Yi Qiang mutely nodded, allowing the Absolute to take his shoulder and warp space, bringing them to the top of the crack, in the sunlight and finally away from the blistering heat of the chamber.
"Bye, kid. Don't get in too much trouble, because next time, the only way you're getting out of a hopeless situation is by crushing that token."