A few hours later, Hilda wakes up, annoyed at the fact she fainted and more annoyed as she checks her inventory to find only one of her elixirs left despite having somewhat expected it.

As looks around, finding herself on the ground, lying against the wall, feeling pain when she tries to move.

“Fainted, of course, what a waste of time.”

“Hilda, you're awake?”

“Yea, need something?”

“Even if I did, you wouldn't be able to help”

“I know it was expected, but the elixir said it could even revive a person.”

“You were on the verge of death and the elixir was already partially used from the fight with the abomination.”

“Wasn't that only like… a few drops?”

“I may have fed you more back then… secretly.”

“...”

“But, your mana got basically destroyed so it took more than with the abomination”

“So… what about the achievements?”

“3 are useless, one basically debuffs you since you usually work alone.”

“So I gained nothing?”

“Not really, the achievements may have future benefits, and thanks to destroying your mana paths, you now have 5 more mana, making your mana balanced with the other stats.”

“You also have access to the 17th floor now.”

“Nice?”

“Also the guide said that he wouldn't take away the item since ‘He owes you one for the abomination’.”

“Why would he even do so?”

“It's not meant to be on this floor at all, if you used it every floor while fighting, you could pass them all.”

“So, can't I?”

“Well you could… but unless you're gonna pull more elixirs out from nowhere, I suggest not doing so.”

“So if I had money, I could?”

“Yea.”

“Financial difficulties sucks.”

“I agree. Should we get going?”

“Sure, but where's Jamine?”

“Sleeping, she does need rest, you know?”

Shila prepares to teleport them before stopping and crossing her arms in front of Hilda.

“What?”

“The killing of the giants gave you a bunch of points.”

“So?”

“Get me a skill!”

“Didn't we agree after the maze?”

“I refuse to wait! I protected you while you slept!”

“You have no patience, you know?

“Hilda opens her status, going to the shop and seeing ‘points: 301,425’.”

“What the hell? Each of those gave 100,000 points each?”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Exactly!”

“Fine, but whatever skills you want up to 100,000 points but no more.”

“Sure!”

Hilda watches as Shila checks through the shop despite knowing already inside of it, a perk of being the system, causing her to tilt her head.

“Shila… why are you looking through?”

“To find what I like.”

“Don't you already know everything inside? Also the recommendation does exist.”

“The recommendation can't give me anything if I don't know what I want!”

“Ok… calm down, what's with the sudden shouting?”

“I don't know what I want.”

“Doesn't mean you have to shout, why don't you just try looking again later?”

“Fine, but I'm not getting anything specifically to help you unless you give me more points for that.”

“Sure, I got it. Let's go to the next floor now?”

“Fine.”

Shila sends them both to the next floor with her facing a wall similar in appearance but much taller with a much bigger space in front of her.

Instinctively, Hilda already knows what the situation on the 17th floor is, with a surge of hot air hitting her as she sighs, not liking it already.

“Shila.” Hilda doesn't turn back, not wanting it to be true.

“Yea?”

“Is… is the whole floor… perhaps… on fire?”

“Not fire technically…”

Hilda's mood gets slightly better, before hearing Shila talk again.

“But… instead of fire… it's magma, magically made magma so it's a lot hotter. If It makes you feel better… the floor is smaller like… half since the walls are much thicker so there is less space.”

“Magma… of course, my… favourite…”

Hilda slowly turns around, grimacing at the sight of the hell-like environment. The floor on fire despite being rocks and small puddles of magma all around.

“It looks like a volcano.”

“This floor was originally one.”

“Floors can change?”

“Yea, the 16th floor originally was ruled over by giants, being the 43th floor instead but due to something, they mostly died and the floor got demoted to the 16th.”

“Floors can change and get demoted? That's new and useless information.”

“Floors made by the guide lie the trials can't be changed though.”

“Makes sense I guess… should I buy any skills?”

“For what, specifically?”

“The heat.”

“For someone with strong will according to your trait, you give up oddly easily.”

“It just means that I can deal with things, not that I don't like or get affected by them!”

“Yea, I know, I just felt like saying something not as kind.”

“ ‘Not as kind?’ you usually aren't kind anyways.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Hilda gets annoyed and remembers herself saying something similar before, which she knows Shila held a grudge on, probably why she used the exact same words.

“Just suggest some skills!”

“Fine, get the cold blood trait.”

“Seriously?”

“Either you do or you don't.”

Hilda sighs, going to search ‘cold blooded’ up as she finds a total of 4 before looking back at Shila.

“Get the one that's an active skill, and says literally.”

Hilda glances back, finding the active spell with one that actually says literally before buying it for 1,000 points.

“Why are there 2 passives 2 active with one active and one passive that says literally?”

“If you got the other one without literally, it would change your personality.”

“The active is to help control it, it takes barely any mana anyways, if you're changing to the temperature of the environment near you of course.”

Hilda tries the skills out, feeling the environment getting warmer, or as pointed out by Shila being a smartass in Hilda's words, her own body getting hotter.

“I guess this works, but why does it say literally?”

“I just explained it.”

“No, like why ‘literally’ the guide usually names it normally.”

“Cus I named it for you, the guide didn't name those because either you had an upgraded system or you have to guess.”

“What's the point of that?”

“I assume for fun, or laziness. Stop procrastinating and start with the maze!”

“Fine.”

Hilda starts walking, turning right on her first turn before getting scolded by Shila.

“What now?!”

“You still have the map! Floor 16-20 are connected somewhat! You can use it!!!!!” Shila shouts back, angry and annoyed by Hilda's shouting and stupidity.

“oh…”

“It's a map, made with magic!”

“Right…”

“You didn't even bother to check!”

“Yea…”

Shila sighs before teleporting back into the system with Hilda standing there, not even angry at Shila's scolding, and just disappointed in herself at how she didn't bother to think.

“Ah… I should probably get going…”

Hilda starts walking, making sure to avoid the magma and fire to keep her legs in one whole and not a half, something still considers important to do as she continues navigating, avoiding any monster she meets due to the dangerous environment to fight in.

As she continues navigating through, the environment starts getting hotter, indicating that she is getting closer. Small sparks now flickering around, causing her clothes to end up with some very small holes in them along with her mental mask, causing its effects to be weakened, annoying Hilda severely.

“If I don't get a new damn mask, this one is going to actually be burnt to nothing.”

“Maybe I should get a new mask… if somebody with high enough mental resistance meets me, they'll see through my gender and somewhat of my face immediately.”

“Nah, I'll be fine… probably.”

“If I bring Jamine here, this would be so much safer… for me of course since Jamine is oddly flammable, courtesy of Jamine herself trying to put a marshmallow over fire and catching herself on fire.”

Hilda chuckles slightly, remembering how Jamine started panicking despite her regeneration being sufficient but the fire showing no signs of stopping, causing Hilda to pour water on Jamine immediately.

“But no, seriously, I'm so bored I'm talking to myself right now.”

Hilda sighs, looking at the map in her hands.

“At least I've got th–”

The map gets burnt.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Well… I still remember the path… but… what about the next 3 floors?”

Shila appears, hitting Hilda on her head.

“You're a stupid idiot.”

“... I won't even refute that.”