Chapter 56: Flame Demons

Liam focused his attention on one of the creatures.

[Flame Imp]

[Race: Flame Imp]

[Rank: F-Rank]

[Tier: 2]

[Level: 65]

’Not bad. Even the ordinary inhabitants are Tier 2.’

He checked the status of several other Flame Imps. Their levels ranged from the early sixties to the mid-seventies, with a few slightly stronger individuals among them.

Although they were considerably weaker than him, their strength was still enough to threaten ordinary Tier 2 fighters.

Liam closed the status window.

’For a dungeon recommended for Peak Tier 3, this seems reasonable.’

He stepped out from the passageway without bothering to conceal his presence.

One of the Flame Imps suddenly turned toward him.

"What’s that?"

The other creatures immediately stopped what they were doing and looked in his direction.

When they noticed Liam approaching, several of them exchanged confused glances.

"An Evil Eye?"

"What is an Evil Eye doing here?"

"Kick him out! This is the abode of the Flame Imps!"

Another Flame Imp snickered.

"Look at his size. He’s barely bigger than a child!"

The others burst into laughter.

Liam looked at them with an amused expression.

’They’re quite confident for creatures that can barely survive one of my attacks.’

He didn’t bother responding.

A dark scythe suddenly appeared beside him.

[Dark Scythe]

The weapon swept through the air, releasing a powerful crescent of dark energy.

The Flame Imps barely had time to react before their bodies were sliced apart. Several more dark blades followed, cutting down every creature in the area.

Within seconds, the entire group had been eliminated.

Liam glanced at the fallen monsters.

’Too weak.’

He continued deeper into the dungeon, occasionally encountering more groups of Flame Imps along the way.

Their reactions were mostly the same.

Some immediately attacked him, while others shouted insults after seeing his small appearance. A few even laughed at the sight of a child-sized Evil Eye wandering into their territory.

However, their confidence never lasted long.

Whenever they approached, Liam simply summoned his Dark Scythe and eliminated them.

As he ventured further inside, the cave gradually became larger. The crude structures also became more numerous, and he started noticing signs of a more organized settlement.

There were stone houses, crude storage chambers, and several large platforms connected by narrow pathways. Some buildings were decorated with dark red stones that emitted a faint glow.

’It seems these creatures have established an actual settlement underground.’

Liam examined the surroundings with interest.

Although their architecture was primitive, it was considerably more developed than he had expected from a group of demons.

He continued walking until he reached a large open area.

Several Flame Imps were gathered around a stone platform, seemingly carrying out some kind of ritual. A large stone structure stood behind them, with flames burning inside several openings along its surface.

The moment Liam appeared, the Flame Imps immediately noticed him.

"An Evil Eye!"

"What is he doing here?"

"Quick! Inform the Lady!"

However, before any of them could move, Liam casually raised his hand.

Black threads emerged from the ground and wrapped around their bodies.

[Black Crystal Silk Creation]

The Flame Imps struggled desperately, but the threads tightened around them before slicing through their bodies.

Liam walked past their corpses without giving them another glance.

’The Lady?’

He had heard the same title several times since entering the dungeon.

It seemed there was an important figure ruling over this place.

’Probably the boss.’

He continued toward the deeper section of the settlement.

As he walked, the temperature gradually increased. The walls became darker, and the faint glow of red stones was replaced by actual flames burning along the passageways.

Eventually, he arrived before an enormous stone gate.

Unlike the other structures, this gate was carefully constructed, with carvings depicting demonic creatures and flames covering its surface.

A powerful wave of heat poured through the gaps.

Liam looked at the gate.

’This should be the place.’

He reached out and pushed it open.

The enormous gate slowly moved inward, revealing a spacious chamber beyond.

Inside, several larger demons were gathered around a raised platform. Unlike the Flame Imps, these creatures had muscular bodies, thick red scales, and enormous claws. Flames burned across their arms and shoulders, giving them a much more imposing appearance.

One of them noticed Liam and immediately frowned.

"Another intruder?"

The others turned toward him.

"An Evil Eye? How did something like that get this far?"

"He’s probably lost. Kill him before he causes trouble!"

Liam glanced at them.

’These must be the stronger demons guarding the boss’s chamber.’

He casually examined their status.

[Flame Ogre]

[Race: Flame Ogre]

[Rank: E-Rank]

[Tier: 2]

[Level: 85]

The remaining demons had similar attributes, with a few being slightly stronger than the others.

Liam wasn’t particularly interested in fighting them.

He was here to complete his advancement trial, and wasting time on ordinary guards wasn’t necessary.

"Move aside. I’m looking for your leader."

The Flame Ogres stared at him for a moment before bursting into angry shouts.

"How dare you!"

"An Evil Eye thinks he can order us around?"

"Crush him!"

Several of them immediately rushed toward him.

Liam sighed.

’They really don’t understand when someone is giving them a chance.’

He raised his hand, and a dark aura spread throughout the chamber.

[Abyss Venom Domain]

A faint purple-black mist rapidly covered the floor.

The Flame Ogres immediately sensed something was wrong. Their movements slowed as the venomous energy seeped into their bodies.

Before they could recover, several black threads shot toward them and restrained their limbs.

Liam casually walked between the immobilized demons.

He could have continued using his existing skills, but there was no reason to waste time.

His Dark Scythe appeared once again.

With a single sweep, a crescent of dark energy passed through the chamber.

The restrained Flame Ogres were instantly cut down.

Liam glanced at the notification that appeared before him.

[You have defeated a Tier 2 Flame Ogre.]

[Experience Points Acquired.]

He paid little attention to it.

’The experience points are being stored until I reach the next tier.’

Because of the restrictions imposed by his current tier, he couldn’t immediately use the accumulated experience to increase his level. However, that didn’t mean the system stopped recording it.

Once he advanced, he would be able to use the accumulated experience.

Liam continued toward the raised platform.

As he walked, he noticed a small object among the remains of one of the Flame Ogres.

A faint glow caught his attention.

He picked it up and examined it.

[Skill Crystal]

[Skill: Fire Bomb]

[Rank: Uncommon]

’An offensive fire skill?’

Liam examined the crystal with interest.

Although it was only an Uncommon skill, it could still be useful. More importantly, he could use Reality Reversal to improve it.

He immediately absorbed the Skill Crystal.

[Fire Bomb has been learned.]

Liam opened his skill interface.

[Fire Bomb: Level 1]

Without hesitation, he activated Reality Reversal.

[Reality Reversal]

[Target: Fire Bomb]

[Reversing Skill Level...]

[Fire Bomb: Level 2]

[Fire Bomb: Level 3]

...

[Fire Bomb: Level 10 MAX]

The entire process took only a moment.

Liam closed the interface with satisfaction.

’Another max-level skill.’

He continued through the chamber, eliminating any remaining demons that attempted to stop him.

A few more Skill Crystals dropped along the way. Liam collected each one and absorbed them immediately.

One granted him a defensive flame skill, while another contained a skill that allowed its user to create explosive bursts of fire wave.

He learned both and used Reality Reversal to raise them to their maximum levels.

Although none of the skills were particularly impressive compared to his existing abilities, collecting more skills was never a bad thing.

After dealing with the remaining guards, Liam finally reached the enormous stone doors at the far end of the chamber.

He could already sense a much stronger presence behind them.

’Found you.’

A small smile appeared on his face.

The aura coming from the other side was considerably stronger than that of the demons he had encountered so far.

It was on an entirely different level compared to the ordinary inhabitants of this dungeon.

’The boss should be inside.’

Liam approached the doors and pushed them open.

A wave of scorching heat immediately swept across his face.

Beyond the doors was a massive chamber filled with flowing lava. Several stone platforms extended over the molten ground, connecting to a large throne-like structure at the far end.

A woman was sitting on that throne.

Unlike the other demons, her appearance was almost human. She had long crimson hair, pale red skin, and a pair of curved horns protruding from her head. Her eyes glowed like molten gold, while faint flames danced around her body.

She wore a dark outfit decorated with red markings, and a long tail rested beside her throne.

The moment Liam entered, she slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze settled on the small, child-like Evil Eye standing at the entrance.

For a brief moment, she seemed surprised.

Then she narrowed her eyes.

"An Evil Eye?"

Liam looked back at her calmly.

’So this is the boss.’