"Haahh… Haah… Haahh…"
Kael breathed heavily as he placed his hand on the final stone and pulled himself up.
Yes, he had climbed on top of the volcano, and it was…
He understood that this wasn't going to be easy the moment he took his first step, but this was nothing short of a nightmare.
The surface was unbearably hot. Each breath he took burned his lungs, and the air was thick with a harsh sulphur-like scent, making it difficult for him to focus.
Sweat dripped from his brow, evaporating almost instantly as it hit the ground. The heat was merciless, sucking out all his strength, making his movements sluggish.
Honestly, let alone a mountain, Kael had never even climbed a tree before. The only reason he even dared to do something so foolish was because he knew he couldn't die.
He had lost his footing more than once, barely managing to catch himself before tumbling backwards. At one point, the surface he stepped on fell, sending him sliding down several feet as his hands scraped against the coarse volcanic stone.
And this was just the beginning.
The higher he went, the more the volcano seemed to fight against him.
Sudden eruptions of steam hissed from the cracks in the rock, forcing him to dodge else the heat would burn him alive. More than once, he was forced to jump back—the only way to survive was to luckily find a surface he could grab before he fell.
Rivers of molten lava flowed dangerously close to him, radiating heat so intense that it made the very air tremble.
More than once, the surface trembled violently as a sudden earthquake shook the volcano, sending boulders down the slope, forcing Kael to jump around and avoid them—or sometimes even brace himself for the impact that pretty much crushed his body.
Sometimes the surface became so impossibly smooth that he was forced to use his sword to create small crevices his fingers could hold onto to pull himself up.
His muscles screamed in protest, his limbs felt like lead, his breathing was unstable, his heart rate uneven, and his vision blurred. He could tell he had more than one broken bone in his body.
He was a mess—a big mess.
To him, it was either death or reaching the top.
There was no other option.
And it wasn't all bad.
He could feel it—the higher he climbed, the more his body changed.
[Primordial Endurance]
The ability worked wonders. It allowed him to push himself to limits he never knew were possible—his fatigue dulled, his breathing steadied, and his senses sharpened.
He was getting… stronger.
Even though it wasn't being reflected in his system for some reason, he knew he was getting stronger.
So much so that Kael went against his body and continued to climb, wanting to see what reward he would get the moment he reached the top.
And once he got there, moving himself up with one final, desperate pull, what he saw made his eyes widen.
Not from the surprise or joy from the 'reward' he received.
Inside the volcano, instead of endless lava, there existed an entirely different world.
Another world with its own volcanoes, molten lava that moved around like a river, and… a horrifying monster that seemed to rule over this place like its god.
A towering 300-meter-tall figure, bigger than any volcano present here, its molten body was a grotesque fusion of searing magma and jagged volcanic rock.
It had a single burning eye filled with flames, something that seemed like a core was on its chest, its entire body pulsed with lava-like veins.
Its massive arms ended in claws large enough to crush mountains, while its legs seemed to be… anchored to a place, unable to move.
But this didn't make it any less monstrous—no, it just added to its monstrosity. It was as if the very world itself was stopping this thing from being unleashed.
It was something that… shouldn't exist.
And it wasn't just him—even Igni, who was hovering next to him, muttered in a somewhat… intimidated tone.
Kael's heart shook as he turned towards Igni.
The little dragon was frozen.
Yes, a Primordial Dragon, a being with endless pride and strength… was frozen.
He was intimidated by that monstrosity in front of them.
Kael couldn't help but call out.
Igni didn't know how to answer. The more the dragon reacted in such a manner, the heavier Kael's heart became.
Before Kael could say anything, Igni reacted and quickly grabbed Kael's clothes with his mouth, flying away in an instant.
The place where Kael stood was destroyed by the beam of intense heat that the monstrosity had aimed at them.
Another beam was aimed at them, and Igni, who flew in the air with Kael barely hanging onto him, moved as fast as he could to avoid the attack that would burn both of them to cinders in an instant.
"W-What in the hell is that…?"
Kael stuttered, staring at the monstrosity in front of him.
From the damage those 'beams' did to their surroundings, only one word came to Kael's mind.
That beam was no different from death itself.
Honestly, with how Kael was currently hanging in the air, he would have screamed in terror. Right now, however, all his focus was on the monstrosity in front of him.
Wanting to know how strong this entity actually was and see if they could somehow find a way to deal with it,
He activated the Eye of the Ancient, and his eyes turned golden, showing him the information he so desperately wanted to see.
[Race: Titan of the Crucible]
[Strengths: Fire Immunity, Immortality, Instant Regeneration (Mana and Wounds)]
[Weaknesses: Immobile, Lost Intelligence]
'What in the hell is that thing!?'
Kael's eyes widened in absolute horror.