Chapter 103: Inner Ring

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Inner Ring

The air inside the massive lava tube grew stiflingly dense as Squad 07 advanced down the primary tunnel. Flanking their narrow path were wide, bubbling pools of liquid flame, casting an ominous orange luminescence across the jagged cave walls.

Spurt! Spurt!

Without warning, the molten surface ruptured. Two concentrated streams of high-pressure lava erupted from the side pools, shooting directly toward the vanguard.

Reacting on pure instinct, Barney and Caelen executed flawless synchronized backflips, leaping backward just as the searing jets scorched the basalt where their boots had rested a fraction of a second prior.

The viscous liquid splashed uselessly against the tunnel wall, hissed violently, and dripped back into the glowing depths. The surface of the molten pools churned as massive, heavy silhouettes broke through the fiery liquid. Two colossal Lava Turtles emerged, their thick, craggy shells forged from cooling magma and obsidian plates. Smoke billowed from their nostrils as their glowing, red eyes locked onto the squad, their heavy beaks snapping with enough force to shatter solid stone.

"Lava Turtles!" Barney called out, landing lightly beside Caelen and slamming his vanguard shield into the stone, instantly extending a defensive barrier to block any follow-up liquid sprays.

"They were hiding submerged beneath the ponds," Caelen said, his grip tightening around his heavy greatsword as he analyzed their heavy armor. "That shell insulation is insane. Standard slashing attacks won’t do much."

From the core of the formation, Seraphina quickly scanned the beasts with her slate. "Their carapaces are reinforced by high-density magma minerals! Physical shockwaves or precise elemental strikes to the exposed neck joints are your best bet!"

In the rear, Princess Lyra’s golden aura flared brightly, her runic sword humming as she stepped into a flank-guarding posture alongside Mirei, who already had two ice-infused arrows notched and ready to fire.

Rowan tipped the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, his sharp eyes evaluating the giant reptiles. Through his Gardener of Eden perception, he could see the dense earth-and-fire core pulsing within the turtles’ heavy carapaces—along with the valuable primordial mineral deposits embedded in their shells.

"Barney, draw their aggro and hold the central line!" Rowan commanded smoothly, stepping forward as green vitality mana flared around his right hand. "Caelen, target the right joints when Mirei snipes their vision. Let’s breach their defense!"

Mirei didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second. Standing anchored in the rear, she drew back her Breeze-Striker Longbow, channeling condensed frost mana into twin elemental arrows. With two sharp thwacks, the arrows shattered the thermal haze, burying themselves with pinpoint accuracy directly into the glowing red eyes of both Lava Turtles.

The giant reptiles let out guttural roars of agony, thrashing blindly as frozen mist hissed violently against their scalding carapaces.

Taking full advantage of the vision loss, Barney slammed his vanguard shield into the basalt, unleashing a roaring taunt wave that locked both creatures’ aggro onto the central line. The blinded turtles lunged toward the source of the shockwave, their snapping beaks crashing uselessly against Barney’s impenetrable defensive barrier.

Vibrant green vines infused with Rowan’s Gardener of Eden life force instantly burst through the cracked obsidian floor beneath the beasts. Resisting the intense surface heat, the dense tendrils coiled tightly around the turtles’ legs and neck seams, binding their heavy bodies into place.

"Now, Caelen!" Rowan called out.

Caelen darted into the opening like a flash of steel, his heavy greatsword enveloped in dense, razor-sharp aura. With two powerful, downward cleaves, he hammered the exposed right limb joints just as ordered, the heavy blade shearing cleanly through the softened stone seams and shattering the structural integrity of their carapaces.

Princess Lyra seized the final moment, stepping forward alongside the core. Her runic sword flared with brilliant golden mana as she delivered two swift, decisive thrusts straight through the vulnerable neck gaps exposed by Caelen’s strike.

The two giant Lava Turtles collapsed onto the edge of the molten pools with a heavy thud, their fiery mana rapidly fading into static blue system notifications: [Lava Turtle Defeated — +200 EXP].

"Flawless execution," Rowan said, tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat as he stepped forward to harvest the high-tier fire-elemental shells and mineral cores from the defeated beasts. "Let’s keep moving before the noise draws more of them out."

***

The heat hit them like a physical wall as Squad 07 crossed the threshold into The Inner Ring — The Infernal Caldera (~55°C). Rivers of liquid magma roared through expansive, glowing canyons, and the ambient temperature spiked so violently that even their full-body anti-heat suits strained to dissipate the sweltering atmosphere. Swirling thermal distortion made the distant basalt spires shimmer like mirages across the molten landscape.

After three relentless hours of continuous battle and exploration—carving through subterranean lava worms, defeating armored lava turtles, and charting untamed territory—the squad’s physical endurance and mana reserves were finally showing signs of fatigue.

Recognizing the need for a secure staging ground before pushing deeper into the caldera, Rowan took point near a towering ridge of solid obsidian rock. Channeling his dense life force, he thrust his hand into the scorched cliff face. Soft green light surged into the stone as Rowan used his nature manipulation to hollow out a deep, spacious sanctuary within the mountain wall.

Once the cave was carved, Rowan unleashed his Breath of Eden.

A soothing, radiant wave of emerald vitality swept across the cavern interior. Rapidly growing tendrils of heat-resistant, moisture-dense flora surged from the earth, lining the ceiling, floor, and walls in a lush blanket of cool, living moss. The Breath of Eden actively filtered out the sulfurous fumes, purified the oxygen, and created a dense thermal barrier that rejected the boiling 55°C heat outside, dropping the cave’s internal temperature to a crisp, refreshing environment.

"Inside, quickly," Rowan instructed, motioning the team through the hidden entrance.

Barney was the first to unclip his heavy vanguard shield, sinking against the soft, mossy wall with a long, exhausted sigh. Caelen unstrapped his greatsword, leaning the heavy weapon against the living insulation before slumping down beside him. Seraphina immediately set her mapping slate down to record their position, while Mirei carefully unstrung her longbow to inspect the limbs for heat stress.

Princess Lyra stepped inside, her eyes wide with genuine marvel as she felt the instant drop in ambient temperature. Her radiant golden aura faded into her armor as she sheathed her runic blade, running a hand over the cool, moisture-beaded green walls. "I’ve read about divine nature manipulation, but turning a volcanic furnace into a lush oasis in seconds... Rowan, your versatility never ceases to amaze me."

Rowan tipped the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat with a modest smile, pulling chilled spirit fruit and fresh water from his inventory to hand around to his teammates. "A good gardener always knows how to build a proper greenhouse. Let’s take some time to rest, recover our mana, and prepare before we tackle the caldera floor."