Level Up The Colony
Chapter 35: Lava

Chapter 35: Lava

With his plan set, Timothy sprang onto the next ledge.

The Drake that had thrown the first spear barely had time to react before Timothy rammed its own weapon through its chest.

Without hesitation, he turned his gaze toward the Drakes on the opposite side.

Now positioned twenty-five meters away from the next ledge, he took full advantage of his growing arsenal.

Every time he felled a Drake, he reclaimed its spear and hurled it across the cavern.

His aim sharpened with each throw, his strength ensuring the weapons punched clean through their durable armor.

He moved like an assassin, silent, efficient, swift.

By the time the Drakes noticed him, it was already too late.

When he finally reached the end of the cavern, twenty-eight Drakes lay dead in his wake.

But despite his effort, he had only gained two level-ups.

"Leveling up is getting harder these days," he muttered.

Then, something unexpected happened.

He had reached Level 25.

And with it, a familiar notification appeared before him:

[Clear the dungeon to receive a Level 25 reward.]

It felt almost like the system was taunting him.

He opened his status screen, confirming the truth, with no immediate rewards.

The sounds of battle had faded into the distance.

The other hunters were still behind... for now.

But Gray had already warned him—they were moving fast.

He had no choice but to descend.

The problem? Another group of armored drakes stood below, shields raised, spears at the ready.

They were on high alert, likely the dungeon’s last line of defense.

The cavern’s low lighting worked in his favor, keeping him hidden.

But with the others closing in, he couldn’t afford to stall.

Timothy opened his inventory, retrieving his Blessed Thermoflask.

A quick sip restored his stamina.

That was when he noticed something else inside his inventory.

Small, round, and three in number.

As he pulled one out, a system notification flashed before him:

---

[Nebulux Orb] (Consumable)

Effect: A compact, palm-sized sphere that, when crushed or thrown, erupts into a thick, swirling mist covering a 20-meter radius for 30 seconds.

The dense fog severely limits visibility and muffles sound slightly, making it harder to detect movement.

Note: "Born from forgotten alchemy, its veil shrouds both hunter and prey alike."

---

Three of them? Perfect.

This must have come from the random item draw earlier.

A bomb might’ve been better, but this would do just fine.

Satisfied, he checked his stats:

---

Level: 25

HP: 8700

MP: 70/80

Fatigue: 20

Strength: 55

Stamina: 37

Agility: 40

Intelligence: 40

Perception: 45

Free Stat Points: 14

---

Nodding to himself, Timothy flicked the Nebulux Orb into the middle of the drakes formation.

The moment it struck the ground, a faint puff sounded, and then thick, rolling fog swallowed the area.

Taking his chance, Timothy leaped down.

Fifteen meters from the ground, he yanked out his machete and stabbed into the cavern wall, slowing his descent until he dropped the last five meters with barely a sound.

The drakes thrashed in confusion, turning wildly in search of an enemy they couldn’t see.

But Timothy was already gone, slipping deeper into the cave.

Darkness swallowed him.

His run slowed to a jog, then to a walk... then he came to a halt.

Ahead, the cavern opened into a vast space, bathed in dim red moonlight filtering through an opening above.

And resting at its center, its massive form covering nearly the entire area was a beast.

Timothy stepped forward, his heart hammering.

The veins that had been faintly visible throughout the cavern walls now pulsed brightly around the beast, casting eerie, molten-red patterns across its scales.

It looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

Then the system spoke:

[Lava Wyvern]

Blood-red text.

The beast’s eyes snapped open.

Slitted pupils locked onto him, its breath deep and slow, its horns towering like jagged spires.

Even in its resting state, it dwarfed him.

At best, he barely reached the height of its maw.

The ground beneath it cracked as it rose, molten lava seeping through the stone where its claws had rested.

With a single powerful flap of its wings, a blast of searing wind swept through the cavern.

Then came the roar.

A deafening, primal declaration that shook the very mountain.

Every hunter in the vicinity froze.

Timothy, however, did not.

Instead, a grin curled across his lips.

Not one of fear.

No, this was something else entirely.

Excitement.

His thoughts scattered from "Can I kill it?" to "I’m going to kill it."

His scarf unrolled from his waist, wrapping around his wrist as he drew his machete.

The Lava Wyvern’s voice rumbled through the cavern.

"Humans dare trespass on my territory?"

Its form loomed high, nearly a quarter the height of the entire mountain.

Timothy stared up at the beast, eyes alight with anticipation.

"My name’s Timothy," he said, lifting his weapon.

"What’s yours?"

The Wyvern said nothing.

Timothy’s smirk widened.

"What? Isn’t that what two warriors do before battle?"

His gaze locked with the wyvern’s, unshaken.

A massive glob of molten lava suddenly hurtled toward Timothy, but with his agility, he swiftly sidestepped out of its path.

"Foolishness," the wyvern sneered, spewing more lava in rapid succession.

Timothy, however, kept moving, his speed allowing him to seamlessly dodge each attack.

As the battle raged on, the entrance he had come through became sealed behind a hardened layer of black, tar-like substance, the result of the molten lava being spewed merging with the rocky surface.

The wyvern finally halted its breath attack, realizing its efforts were futile.

With a powerful flap of its wings, it sent a fierce gust of wind at Timothy.

He braced himself, blocking against the force, but before he could recover, the wyvern shot upward, hovering high in the cavern.

From above, it unleashed another barrage of lava, this time in explosive bursts.

Timothy had no means of attacking, his only advantage was his speed.

He zigzagged across the platform, avoiding the falling projectiles, when suddenly, the wyvern dived straight down.

Instead of striking him directly, it twisted at the last second, slamming its massive weight and claws into the stone floor.

The impact sent tremors through the cave as the wyvern soared back into the air.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground beneath Timothy’s feet.

He kept moving, leaping from spot to spot to avoid the collapsing terrain.

Then, a sudden wave of heat filled the cavern, making him sweat profusely.

His stamina was burning away at an alarming rate.

"Add five points to Agility and three to Stamina," Timothy commanded.

Stats Updated:

Level: 25

HP: 8,500/8700

MP: 80

Fatigue: 20

Strength: 55

Stamina: 40

Agility: 45

Intelligence: 40

Perception: 45

Free Stat Points: 6

...

His stamina had never dropped below twenty, so he wasn’t worried about exhaustion just yet.

The wyvern, still circling above, dove once more, striking the earth again in an attempt to destabilize the platform.

’Is it trying to make me fall to my death?’ Timothy wondered as he continued evading.

By now, Gray had already warned him that the hunters were engaging the last team, but Timothy remained calm.

There was a reason he hadn’t attacked yet, he couldn’t find an opening.

If he got too close, the wyvern’s wing beats would send him flying.

If he stayed back, he was just a moving target.

Wyverns were truly difficult to kill.

The beast unleashed another wave of molten lava and mist before diving down for another ground-shattering impact.

Just as Timothy prepared to counterattack, his Perception flared in warning.

’What?! Where is the danger coming from?’ His mind raced as he calculated the risks.

The shockwave from the wyvern’s attack wasn’t enough to throw him off, his planned move should counter it.

But his instincts screamed at him.

Then he realized it.

A loud BAM echoed from the blocked entrance.

But it was too late.

The moment the wyvern struck the ground, Timothy leaped, using the force of his jump to counteract the tremors.

The shockwave pushed against him, but he had timed it well, his own momentum barely wavered.

In that instant, the scarf wrapped around his arm shot forward, coiling around the wyvern’s horns.

With a firm pull, Timothy reeled himself in.

The wyvern roared in rage, flapping its wings as it ascended.

Below, the ground shattered completely, revealing a pool of molten lava beneath the platform.

If Timothy had lingered even a second longer, he would have been reduced to nothing but ash.

At the same time, the barricaded entrance finally collapsed.

The hunters who had been trapped behind it stumbled forward only to find themselves teetering on the edge of a deadly lava pit.

Their eyes widened in horror.

"This... this isn’t just a mountain," one of them realized.

"It’s a volcano and it’s erupting!"

Timothy urgently transmitted a message to Gray, ordering him to evacuate to a safe location.

Meanwhile, he wrestled to keep hold of the wyvern’s horns as it thrashed violently, slamming its head into the cave walls.

Rocks crumbled from the ceiling, striking Timothy and dealing minor damage, but he refused to let go.

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