Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 239

Chapter 239

Over the next several hours, Jake delved deeper into this floor, traveling from one island floating over the sea of magma to another. He gained a few more levels, rising from 96 to 103. While some of his skills were close to hitting the 100% mark, they still needed a bit more time, so he decided to allocate all the skill points he earned to boost his attributes.

Body: 95 → 105

Mind: 85 → 100

Magick: 118 → 128

The majority of the enemies he encountered were dragonspawn. However, at one point, he came across two additional types of monsters: charred fiends and ash imps.

A charred fiend resembled the skeleton of a four-legged creature, roughly the size of a German Shepherd or a bit larger. Its bones were blackened as if they had been scorched, and the inside of its ribcage was filled with a blaze of flames, tongues of fire dancing and licking between its ribs. A charred fiend was a relatively weak monster to deal with. Usually, all it took to kill one was a single punch to its skull. Because of its physical weakness, a charred fiend usually kept its distance from Jake, attacking from afar by launching fireballs from its mouth.

Ash imps were small, winged humanoid creatures, standing about five feet tall. Much like charred fiends, they were fairly weak, but their ability to fly allowed them to hover above the ground. This didn’t pose much of a problem for Jake. Thanks to Gravity Leap, he could jump quite high, and with Acid Spit, he was able to hit enemies from a distance. Unlike charred fiends, ash imps couldn’t cast fireballs, but they had a different ranged ability. Utilizing a Chaos-based power, they could create globs of darkness that they threw like grenades. Upon impact, these globs detonated, spreading a cloud of impenetrable darkness. If Jake found himself trapped in such a cloud, the ash imps would swoop down to strike while he was disoriented and unable to see.

Jake continued his journey from one island to the next, eliminating every group of monsters that crossed his path. After defeating another group of dragonspawn, he made his way onto a bone bridge that arched perilously over a river of bubbling lava, leading to another island. Once he reached the far end and stepped onto the hard, ash-covered ground, he paused to survey his surroundings.

The island he had just arrived on was over three hundred meters wide, bustling with various monsters. Among them were the three known types of enemies: the massive, fire-breathing lizards known as dragonspawn, the undead charred fiends, and the small ash imps. Despite belonging to different species—the dragonspawn being beasts, the charred fiends undead, and the ash imps demons—none of them attacked one another. Instead, they moved about as if sharing the territory. 

As Jake’s eyes adjusted to the eerie landscape, he noted the heat rising from the ocean of lava that surrounded the island, causing ripples in the air. The dragonspawn occasionally let out deep roars, their eyes fixed on the lava, seemingly immune to the heat that emanated from it. The charred fiends shuffled along, while the ash imps flitted overhead, keeping a watchful eye on everything from above.

Jake knew he had to stay alert. Each of these creatures posed a unique threat, and since they didn’t attack each other, it was clear they would eagerly team up against an intruder. He took a moment to prepare his move. Would he confront the dragonspawn first, taking on the strongest foe, or would he focus on the numerous, more agile ash imps that could harry him from above? He considered his tactics carefully. He knew that while he could handle each type of foe with relative ease, he needed to devise a clever approach and a solid strategy to maximize his chances of survival against the diverse array of monsters that would surely attack him all at once. 

It was time to engage and free the island from its monstrous inhabitants. He started across the ground, closing in on the cluster of monsters and preparing to fight. Some of the creatures had already noticed him but refused to launch an attack just yet. He continued to weave his way through the rugged landscape. The island he was on was quite tall, rising above the ocean of lava by over two dozen meters. Rock outcroppings jutted from the ground, some smooth and round, while others were jagged and rough. The ground was dotted with holes of various sizes; some were just a few inches across, while others stretched as wide as a few meters. Since the island was very tall, all the holes were deep—over two dozen meters. Inside these holes, glowing pools of lava bubbled and churned, casting a bright orange and red light that contrasted sharply with the dark rock around them.

Jake realized that fighting on this island was going to be extremely dangerous. One wrong step, and he could easily fall into one of those huge holes. He needed to watch where he leaped while dodging enemy attacks. The ash imps worried him the most. The projectiles they launched created large clouds of darkness upon impact, greatly reducing visibility for those caught within them. Even with his enhanced sight, he couldn’t see well when surrounded by those clouds of supernatural darkness. Because of that, he would have to make sure to take out the ash imps before turning his attention to the other monsters.

Suddenly, two events unfolded almost simultaneously. First, Feral Instincts kicked in, warning him of impending danger to his right. Yet in his broad peripheral vision, he could clearly see that no enemies were there—all the threats lay directly in front of him instead. In the next instant, a tremor shook the ground beneath his feet. To his right, he glimpsed another gaping hole, feeling an ominous power rising from its depths. Wasting no time, he leaped to the other side. Just as he cleared the area, a powerful geyser of magma erupted violently from the hole, shooting skyward like a raging rocket.

The magma shot up, spraying glowing, red-hot rock in every direction. As the geyser exploded above him, a deafening roar resonated through the ground, drowning out all other sounds. Moments later, the molten lava cascaded back into the hole, creating a spray of fiery debris that illuminated the grim surroundings. Jake felt a wave of heat wash over him, once again reminding him of how dangerous the landscape he was navigating through was.

Damn, Jake thought. This level of the dungeon was proving to be far more perilous than the earlier ones. Here, it wasn’t just the various monsters he had to worry about—the very environment seemed intent on killing him. As he pondered his situation, a low rumble echoed through the air, prompting him to glance in the sound’s direction. To his alarm, he witnessed another geyser erupt from a hole approximately thirty meters away, hurling waves of lava crashing down to the ground and scattering fiery fragments of red-hot, molten rock in every direction.

Jake slowed his pace, scanning his surroundings as the last geyser finally settled. Eruptions seemed to be commonplace on this island. The ground was littered with small pebbles and fragments of cooled lava—evidence of previous explosions and the ever-shifting landscape. Heat radiated from the pools and geysers, creating a shimmering haze that distorted his view and made everything appear to ripple.

Walking here was a precarious endeavor. He had to carefully navigate around the edges of the holes, feeling the oppressive heat and hearing the ominous bubbling of lava below. But his challenges didn’t stop there—he needed to not only traverse this hazardous terrain but also fight with the various monsters that roamed the island. Unlike him, they seemed completely unfazed by the geysers that occasionally erupted around them, oblivious to the danger that lurked beneath the surface.

Jake came to a complete halt, turning his gaze from the last geyser to the monsters looming in front of him. He had battled plenty of creatures on this level over the past several hours, but this would be the first time he fought while geysers of lava erupted all around him. He would need to triple his concentration, being much more careful than he usually was. In this fiery landscape, even a split second of distraction could spell a certain death, whether it came from the relentless assault of the monsters or the ever-present danger of the lava down below. Sneaking past that group of monsters wasn’t an option. He wanted to receive an extra reward for achieving a 100% completion of this floor, and to do that, he had to kill every single creature around this place. 

Most of the monsters had noticed him by now, their evil gazes fixed upon him. While he was close to them, they still hadn’t charged yet. To trigger their aggressive behavior, he needed to get a little closer. He scanned the area, mentally calculating the most effective and quickest way to deal with his foes.

After a moment of contemplation, he raised his weapons in an offensive stance and steadily advanced toward the gathering of creatures. At that moment, a flurry of movement erupted. The ash imps flapped their delicate wings and soared high into the air, their eyes gleaming with hatred. The larger dragonspawn, overgrown lizards built for speed, scuttled toward him with alarming agility, their scales glistening ominously in the orange light. Meanwhile, the charred fiends opened their massive jaws wide, preparing to unleash a barrage of fireballs.

Keeping his guard up, Jake steeled himself for the tough battle ahead. The fight began.