Chapter 140: Lava Canyon! The First High-Purity Fire Core! [1]

Outskirts of Redrock Canyon.

Scorching air surged from cracks in the rocks, distorting the surrounding atmosphere with its intense heat. On a hillside covered in black gravel, Victor made his way in the direction marked on his map.

Nearly two hours had passed since he entered the secret realm.

During this time, he had encountered several fire-attribute magical beasts above Level 20. Most had been dealt with along the way, while a larger group of Crimson-Armored Fire Lizards had simply been avoided.

After all, his primary purpose in entering the secret realm was not only to hunt magical beasts.

Of course, if he encountered a suitable opponent to practice against, he would not pass up the opportunity.

Through these encounters, Victor had gradually adapted to the combat environment.

Although the concentration of fire elements inside the Inferno Prison Secret Realm made it noticeably easier to mobilize mana when executing fire-attribute sword techniques, the magical beasts inhabiting this place also possessed considerable resistance to fire.

Ordinary flame attacks were far less effective against them than one might expect.

This further convinced Victor that successfully exploring the secret realm would require more than simply overwhelming enemies with fire-attribute power.

"According to the map, Redrock Canyon should be just ahead."

Standing on a rocky elevation, Victor unfolded the map in his hands.

Several hundred meters ahead, a long, narrow canyon stretched downward between two enormous black cliffs. A faint crimson glow flowed along the canyon floor, while countless irregularly shaped rocks lay scattered throughout the surrounding area.

Judging from the map, the canyon already lay at the edge of the secret realm’s middle region.

This was the first high-purity fire core production area marked in the academy’s records.

Unfortunately, the information provided about this region was rather limited.

Aside from noting that high-purity fire cores had previously been discovered here, the records warned explorers that the fire-element ley lines within the canyon were extremely active and that certain areas might experience sudden eruptions of lava.

Victor put away the map and studied the canyon floor.

Before long, he noticed numerous traces of human activity along the cliffs on both sides.

Some sections had clearly been cut by swords or mining tools, while several rocks still bore the remains of extinguished fire-attribute magic formations.

Evidently, this was not a place that had remained untouched by explorers.

"Looks like someone has already been here."

Victor was not surprised.

The Inferno Prison Secret Realm opened once every year, and high-purity fire cores were extremely valuable resources. Naturally, a known production area like this would become one of the first destinations for many explorers.

Still, the fact that others had already visited did not necessarily mean there was nothing left to discover.

The fire-element ley lines were constantly active, and as long as the conditions were suitable, new resources could gradually form.

With this in mind, Victor tightened his grip on the Crimson Flame Fang and headed down the slope toward the canyon entrance.

...

Ten minutes later.

Redrock Canyon.

Upon entering the canyon, Victor immediately noticed how different the environment was from the surrounding region.

The cliffs on either side rose dozens of meters into the air, their vast surfaces of black stone covered in dark red patterns. Lava flowed through some of the cracks, while prolonged exposure to intense heat had baked the canyon floor exceptionally hard. With every step, he could feel warmth rising through the ground beneath his feet.

More importantly, the fire-element mana here was not evenly distributed.

In some areas, its concentration was roughly the same as outside the canyon, but near certain cracks in the rock, exceptionally dense fluctuations of fire-attribute mana appeared without warning.

Victor stopped before one such crack and extended his right hand, attempting to sense the changes in energy within it.

Thanks to his High Level Fire Element Affinity, he could clearly perceive what seemed to be a fire-element ley line flowing deep beneath the rock. The surrounding crimson patterns were special minerals formed after prolonged exposure to the ley line’s influence.

Victor considered what he had discovered.

The formation of high-purity fire cores was evidently closely related to these ley lines, but mana concentration alone was not enough to determine the location of a core.

Most fire-attribute ores within the canyon possessed some degree of mana fluctuation. If he excavated every suspicious location he discovered, he might spend an entire day searching without finding anything genuinely valuable.

After examining the surrounding terrain once more, Victor prepared to venture deeper.

Just then, the sound of clashing metal came from ahead.

Clang!

Several voices rang out immediately afterward.

"Damn it! It burrowed back in again!"

"Don’t chase it! There’s a ley line fissure ahead!"

Hearing the commotion, Victor stopped.

Not far away, behind an enormous boulder, several professionals were fighting a magical beast whose entire body was covered in black and crimson armor.

It was a giant rock scorpion nearly four meters long, with a thick tail raised high above its body and a crimson stinger protruding from its tip. Both of its enormous pincers were covered in fiery light that flowed like molten lava.

Victor focused his attention on the beast.

[Name: Molten-Armored Rock Scorpion]

[Level: 30]

[Life Tier: First Tier]

[Attribute: Fire]

[Characteristics: Possesses exceptionally strong carapace defenses, excels at concealing itself in rocky environments, and can release high-temperature fire poison through its tail stinger.]

Level 30!

The peak of the First Tier!

Meanwhile, none of the three professionals surrounding it appeared to have reached Level 30.

A Level 28 Shield Warrior stood at the forefront, his heavy shield already covered in several cracks from the scorpion’s attacks. The other two wielded a spear and fire-attribute magic respectively, attempting to find an opening from the sides.

Unfortunately, the Molten-Armored Rock Scorpion’s carapace was simply too hard.

The spear could only leave shallow marks on its back, while the fire-attribute spells barely inflicted any noticeable damage beyond making the surrounding rocks even hotter.

"Retreat! Fall back for now!"

Realizing that continuing the battle was pointless, the Shield Warrior finally called for his companions to withdraw.

But just as they prepared to retreat, the Molten-Armored Rock Scorpion slammed its tail into the ground.

Bang!

Scorching fragments of rock scattered in every direction, forcing the three professionals apart. The spearman stumbled back, clutching an arm scorched by the flying debris. Taking advantage of the opening, the scorpion burrowed into a nearby fissure and disappeared without a trace.

The three professionals made no attempt to pursue it.

They had clearly suffered enough. After briefly adjusting their equipment, they supported their injured companion and headed toward the canyon exit.

Victor remained at a distance, waiting until they had left before directing his attention toward the fissure where the scorpion had disappeared.