The Path of Ascension 6: A LitRPG Adventure

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Some testing had shown that non-combat items functioned fine with mana, but any item designated for combat failed to manifest its function with mana. So as long as they didn’t try to attack with the amulets, they would work fine.

Even with that knowledge, Matt wished that he had a better way to block the heat but was unwilling to spend Genesis Energy on [Cracked Phantom Armor] to completely block it out. Having a resource he didn’t create endlessly was an annoying change of pace for him; he was so used to having an unending stream of spells at his disposal.

If Luna hadn’t trained them for this, he would have fared far worse in adapting to the new circumstances. The floor theme forced a change of mindset on Matt that Susanne didn’t really have to adjust to, and Liz also had a far easier time adjusting than he did. She just enjoyed being able to have far, far more staying power than most mages, whereas his limitless mana was a cornerstone of his entire fighting style, and always had been.

He either could barely cast the spell or didn’t have a large enough max mana to cover the initial cost. He’d simply never been in a situation where the casting of spells cost him anything valuable. For better or worse, his spells were also far more potent than normal…but so too was the magic of all the monsters around them. It mostly evened out, as they were all very used to fighting against overwhelming power, but it still was troublesome.

Inside their current ruin, the oppressive heat pressed in at them from all sides, and he didn’t think their protective amulets would last very long under the conditions. The only good thing about this ruin was that the monsters seemed to be aquatic, or as aquatic as molten rock counted for. Lava turtles, while aggressive, didn’t have any ranged attacks, meaning the four of them were able to sit in the air and attack with near impunity.

Which is exactly what they did. Matt had a crossbow crafted for Minkalla, and finally pulled it out along with a bundle of bolts. Susanne and Liz both had more traditional bows that they withdrew as well. Aster was once again left to be their de facto scout, unable to shoot without thumbs or magic.

With enchanted arrows and bolts, they massacred their way through the ruin, gathering Genesis Energy with every kill. Killing the turtles was annoying, but not hard. They simply needed to land an attack on the exposed heads while avoiding the flaming backs of the turtles, which were hot enough to melt and burn their bolts and arrows.

But with enough well-placed attacks, they were able to kill the lava turtles and carefully swept the area clean of any monsters. What was essentially free Genesis Energy couldn’t be passed up so easily.

The only downside with the turtles was the fact that they couldn’t get any of the items and skills they dropped before they were pulled under the lava flows, ruining the drops.

Liz did have them stop for a while to collect some Lava Dandelions, which grew in abundance along the lava flows and seemed to be a snack that the turtles enjoyed. They were only useful as secondary ingredients in some fire type potions, but they were there and free for the taking, so she didn’t leave a single one behind.

Matt, upon inspecting them, wanted to try and make a chili out of the spicy ingredient.

As Liz was collecting the flower, Aster noticed a challenge room hidden behind a lavafall.

To enter the place, they needed to have Matt part the falling molten rock with [Lava Manipulation], but that cost was minuscule when compared to the potential rewards. Thankfully, the challenge room crystal was standing far enough away from the lavafall that they weren’t in danger of getting splashed.

“Any idea what this one is? I just get the idea that it’s not fighting,” Liz asked after she inspected it.

Matt shook his head as he spent the Genesis Energy to run his AI for a few seconds.

Nothing came back with a match, but this challenge pillar didn’t really give them much to work with, unlike the others they had found.

After talking it over, they decided to enter.

An hour later, they re-materialized, staring numbly into the distance.

“I never want to see another penguin for as long as I live,” Susanne grumbled.

Aster whimpered agreement, as she dug through her storage ring, tossing several cartons of Marshmallow Fluff ice cream out on the ground, where they almost immediately melted upon contact with the hot stone of the ruin.

Meanwhile, Liz nodded silently as she grabbed the pair of [Ice Manipulation] skill shards they got as their reward while their spirits refilled with Genesis Energy, once her mouth was free from the taste of vomit.

Matt pulled out their house, giving them all a much-needed break before they resumed thSajan took a step forward and paused. The darkness around him was oppressive, and with only his spiritual sense able to give him any feedback, he was stumbling around like a blind man.

That in and of itself would have been fine, but he was terrified, and despite not being able to feel it, he knew he was sweating through his armor.

When his team entered Minkalla, they had been four close friends who, upon reaching the peak of Tier 13, wanted an opportunity to grow.

As dwarves and members of clan royalty, they should have lived lives of luxury and been able to idle their time away, but they were only branch members of their respective clans, and life wasn’t so easy for them. They weren’t treated badly; even Sajan couldn’t say that, but they were given none of the treatment that the clan heirs were given.

But the four of them wanted that treatment, and they knew that Minkalla was their best opportunity to turn their fates around.

Except, they had gotten the worst floor possible for their skillsets.

They were strong in a stand up fight, and while they had issues fighting with their senses blocked on the first level, they had no luck left on the second level.

Carla had just vanished from their group, and none of them had seen her leave or a monster take her.

One moment they were four, then they were three.

It had caused them to race ahead, but it hadn’t helped. Oh, it had gotten them away from whatever killed Carla, but they ran directly into the next ambush.