As the corpse tumbled to the ground, Jonathan smiled. He had gained a level for his efforts after all. As the notification came in, they left the floor, heading for the next one. The dungeon was going quite quickly, at least in the early stages. However, it would likely grow far more difficult the further that they got.
It took them a few days to work their way through the next ten floors, and Jonathan gained another three levels during that time. There were no more chests, but they were able to confirm that there were bosses every five floors. The floors gradually grew harder and harder, and by the fifteenth floor, their current floor, the monsters were higher level than they were. All that really meant was that they were gaining a lot more essence than before.
The difficulty level had not gone up by any noticeable amount. The monsters were harder to kill, sure, but the damage that they could actually put out was minimal to say the least. Jonathan had experimented with this, and a full powered strike from the floor 10 boss had only left him with bruising. His armor was strong, of course, but his own durability was enough to keep up.
The current floor was filled with hundreds of monsters that vaguely looked like the Fetid Oozes of the Ash Heaps. They were made of blackened lava instead of flesh however, and they blazed with heat. They were hot enough to cause discomfort to even Jonathan if he got too close.
The floor looked like a volcanic grotto, filled with twisted lumps of cooled rock, and with rivers of lava coursing through the room. The entire place was filled with a profound heat, but Jonathan was more than durable enough to withstand it.
The final boss of the floor, visible from the farthest reaches, was a massive version of the smaller monsters that took up most of the small island that it was on. The island stood in the middle of the congruence point of the lava rives, and was about fifty feet wide. The boss was covered in veins of darkness, and although the rest of its body was made of lava, it was hard to see the glow beneath all of the blackness.
Jonathan watched the boss carefully as he fought his way through the smaller lava monsters, using his ranged skill more often than not. It was useful for clearing these beasts, as their bodies were dangerous to touch. Each use of Void Cannon blasted apart the blobs of lava, splattering the rock across the ground.
By the time they had reached the area surrounding the boss arena, the ground was covered in strange lumps of cooled lava. Jonathan eyed up the boss, taking in its massive form. The heat around it was immense, as if the air had been transformed into a furnace. The creature itself sat at rest, not bothered by the carnage of its brethren that was evident before it. It did not seem to have any distinguishing features, and was simply a larger blob of lava, otherwise completely identical to its smaller cousins.
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Jonathan gathered up energy within his palms, ready to start things off with a bang. Summoning the energy seemed to wake the monster however, and the lava began to churn as a massive geyser of fiery rock erupted from the lake. The lava ooze started to swirl, and it grew in size until it was standing on two lumpen legs. When it was finished, a squat, humanoid monster stood before them, its face made out of varying intensities of volcanic heat.
In its true form, it stood almost seventy five feet tall, and was a lot more imposing than it had been in its smaller form. Jonathan quickly let his skill loose, sending a spear of purple light across the space between them. The attack punched through the lava, detonating with a loud bang.
The monster looked down at him, unperturbed by the injury, and roared. The noise echoed through the cavern, and Edgar covered his ears. Jonathan bore it, and started to run forwards, gathering power to his fists. He would have to get close and personal for this fight. His energy skills were strongest at close range, and although he would likely take damage doing so, he would need to attack in a manner that best suited his strengths.
As he ran, a pillar of lava rose up out of the lake, directed by the monster. It flopped down next to him, dousing the area in lava. Jonathan dodged and kept running, leaping across the lake and towards his enemy. The monster looked even larger this close up, and the heat was truly immense. However, it was likely limited somewhat by the strange veins that criss crossed its form, which acted like heat sinks.
Jonathan’s enhanced senses could tell where the majority of the heat was coming from, and the black veins were much older, relatively speaking. He had no idea of the lore around this dungeon, save that it was something to do with the corruption of darkness, but at least it seemed to be useful here.
Jonathan dodged massive blows from the monster’s hands, and threw himself upwards, his titanic strength propelling him high into the air. As he came down, he coated his fist in the light of the Void, mixing it in with his Divinity and his Hungering Decay skill. The heat started to blister his skin, but it was nothing that he could not deal with.
As he fell down, he chopped at the lava ooze’s head with his open palm. Gravity did the rest. He fell down, tearing the monster in half. A blade of purple energy seemed to form around his hand, and he thrust down as he approached the midway point. The blade kept going, bisecting the monster. However, it was far from dead, and all that this had achieved was the creation of a minor inconvenience for the creature.