Ryuji''s axe tore from the neck of a dead lizardman with a wet snap as he pulled back. "It feels like these guys are getting weaker." Erika then brushed past him with a dagger and dismantled the corpse while Simon and Paul dispatched the last of the pack.

    [Tattoo Upgraded]

    Fire-Type Lizardman (Epic)

    Increase All Attributes by 3

    Attacks deal a bonus amount of fire damage.

    Decreases all fire damage taken by half

    Dark Vision - All lizard men can see in the dark (Free passive)

    -

    Lizardman Warrior (Epic)

    Increase Grit by 5

    Damage taken decreased by 40%

    Dark Vision - All lizard men can see in the dark (Free passive)

    ***

    He kept the Lizardman warrior tattoo despite the upgrade to his fire-type tattoo. It seemed difficult to go past the current level as they killed dozens of lizardmen over the past few hours. Little did they know, greater challenges awaited them, lurking in the shadows of the next level.

    "Ahh, thank God there is no boss on this floor! I''m dying from the heat," Alicia complained while wiping the sweat from her brow. The prickly heat only grew worse as they pushed forward.

    Most of their water canteens were almost emptied.

    Thankfully, Alan, always prepared, gave Simon a chilled barrel of iced water, which would refill them on the next floor. "Deal with it. We''re all hot. Look at Ryuji lugging that enormous axe and still not complaining!" The cool water was a minor comfort in the scorching heat but brought a slight relief to the team.

    ''It''s hot though...'' Ryuji thought while wondering if his body became strange, no matter how hard he worked in the heat.

    He didn''t sweat, and neither did the heat cause him to become irritated like in the past when he would fight his mother for the air conditioner remote.

    ''That was a nostalgic time when she suplexed me through the coffee table because I called her old and spent ten hours in the emergency room. Come to think about it, that was the first time I saw Mother crying.''

    "Ryuji? Focus, we''re going up the stairs. Be careful for a last-minute ambush." Paul''s kind voice awoke Ryuji, returning his mind to the hot, sticky cavern filled with lava and arrow traps.

    "We have enemies in front and behind."

    "Everyone, stop!" Paul ordered, with his sword in one hand and a torch in the other. He felt the ground vibrate and quickly dodged to the right.

    A burst of sharp ice shards shot towards them as a monster landed.

    The creature looked like a deformed man in black fur armour; its body was hunched over as though it were a monster hiding from the light. However, they stood at roughly two metres tall and held a crude axe and shield in each hand.

    They snarled and charged forward in a disjointed run, unlike that of a normal human. Paul stepped forward, flinging three of his wooden runes into the air, as huge shields of flame blacked the rear of the party. "I will hold them off! Take out the pack in front!"

    Paul snapped his fingers, then he placed them together, like a prayer, with both index and little fingers elongated and pushed together, the rest curled. "Lady of flames, I seek your protection and guidance to allow your warming fires to permeate this bitter cold! Wall of Fire!"

    ''Paul is so damn cool!''

    The spell required a lot of magic and energy to perform, but it worked.

    A wall of fire separated Paul''s side from the front and trapped the monsters at the rear in a sea of flames as his hands remained pushed together, and he muttered the spell continuously.

    "Ugh..."

    There was no chanting or channelling; the monster just swung its axe, and a sharp piece of ice tore through Ryuji''s armour and flesh.

    He slid back on the slippery floor, smacked his fists into the ground, and absorbed considerable strength to regain his balance.

    Two of the black variants took advantage of this moment and swung down at his sides; he couldn''t help but swirl his body, performing a whirlwind with his heavy axe to block their blows.

    His axe shattered the other axes, and as he glanced at the metal chunks flying in the air, he couldn''t help but grimace in disgust.

    ''That filthy monster tried another sneak attack!'' Ryuji thought as he planted his axe firmly on the ground and launched forward with the cold iron tip breaking apart the ice.

    His attack hit one, but the other monster activated some strange magic, creating a shield of ice that stopped Ryuji''s axe and pulled him closer as it raised its axe to strike him down.

    However, before it could complete the blow, a woman''s voice echoed through the cavern.

    "Filthy craven! Touching my mate!" The next moment, a sharp blade sliced its cheek while a claw-shaped hand tore off its ear and penetrated its eye.

    With the monster blinded by the pain, Yumiko moved smoothly and slammed her hands against the ground, causing the broken ice shards to shoot out towards the other monsters, penetrating them like bullets.

    "Thanks, Yumi!"

    Ryuji wasn''t ignorant and knew that the monster was about to pierce his body with another of those deadly ice shards, the one still lodged in his abdomen, causing a throbbing pain.

    The monster reared back and covered its face with its shield as the battle reached a stalemate.