Chapter 70: Mount Ignis
Vince stood at the jagged base of Mount Ignis, his boots planted firmly against the scorching obsidian rock that radiated intense heat from deep within the earth’s fiery core.
He tilted his head back, his gaze sweeping upward with a mixture of calculated assessment and quiet determination.
The mountain didn’t just rise into the sky—it dominated the horizon like a massive, rough-hewn fortress of jagged dark stone, bleeding static heat into the oppressive atmosphere all around.
Heavy ring-clouds of pitch-black ash and suffocating volcanic smoke coiled tightly around its upper slopes, completely obscuring the peak from any ordinary observer below.
At erratic intervals, violent flashes of red lightning tore through the dark clouds, illuminating the chaotic weather swirling near the top in bursts of ominous crimson light that painted the sky in fleeting, hellish hues.
Vince silently calculated the sheer scale, measuring the elevation against the brutal terrain that stretched out before him in a seemingly endless challenge of rock, ash, and peril.
Looks like a five-day climb for the average climber.
Vince noted mentally, adjusting the position of his trousers with a casual shift of his stance.
Without a second of hesitation, he began his ascent, his body already attuned to the demanding environment ahead.
The climb was relentless. The mountain paths were less like trails and more like fractured, steep sheets of volcanic glass and loose shale that crumbled under heavy pressure, sending small cascades of debris tumbling down into the shadowed depths below with every careful yet powerful step he took.
As the hours blurred together in a haze of exertion and endurance, the weather grew progressively worse, testing the limits of even the most prepared adventurers.
Toxic sulfur fumes whistled through narrow ravines, carrying with them the acrid bite of chemicals that could sear the lungs of lesser beings, and gusts of scalding wind whipped ash into the air, burning hot enough to singe normal leather and leave painful marks on unprotected skin.
Yet, Vince remained completely unfazed by the mounting hostility of the environment, his focus unwavering as he pressed onward through conditions that would have broken many others long before reaching this point.
Driven by his upgraded physical attributes and the continuous flow of mana circulating through his muscles like a steady, empowering river of energy, his movements were fluid, precise, and terrifyingly fast, each motion executed with an almost supernatural efficiency that belied the extreme difficulty of the terrain.
He leaped over wide chasms of bubbling subterranean magma that glowed with an infernal orange-red light far below, scaled sheer, vertical cliffs with effortless grips that found purchase where none seemed to exist, and pushed through the thinning air without his heart rate spiking once, his enhanced physiology allowing him to maintain peak performance even as the altitude increased and oxygen grew scarce.
What should have been a grueling five-day trek was shattered by his sheer speed and unyielding resolve.
By the morning of the second day, after navigating countless obstacles and pushing through layers of increasingly hostile volcanic activity, the dense sulfur fog gave way to the absolute apex of the mountain, revealing the peak in all its stark, imposing glory.
As his boot hit the smooth, heat-warped rock of the summit, a crisp, purple system interface flashed silently in his vision, confirming his arrival at this critical threshold:
[NOTICE: You have entered the territory of the Crimson Calamity — Vetra.]
Vince dismissed the floating text with a slight blink, taking in the desolate wasteland surrounding him with a measured scan of his surroundings.
"What an awful place to call home,"
He muttered under his breath, his voice low and contemplative amid the constant rumble of the volcanic forces at play.
The apex of Mount Ignis was choked in a suffocating fog of thick gray ash and swirling smoke that hung heavily in the air like a perpetual shroud.
The ambient heat was absurdly high—a direct result of the active volcanic core churning beneath the stone, heavily amplified by the overwhelming passive presence of a dragonkin titan whose influence seemed to permeate every inch of the peak, infusing the very atmosphere with raw, primal power.
Vince squinted, but his normal eyesight was useless here amid the dense obstructions. The density of the smoke reduced visibility to less than three paces, turning the surrounding landscape into a wall of dark gray haze that swallowed details and created an eerie, disorienting isolation.
Sight is useless here,
Vince thought calmly, his mind already shifting to more reliable methods of navigation honed through countless battles and explorations.
With a subtle mental command, he stopped relying on his eyes and fully expanded his
passive perception,
allowing the ability to take full command of the situation.
Instantly, his mind mapped out the environment in sharp, multi-dimensional detail, constructing a vivid internal representation that surpassed what ordinary vision could ever provide. The heat signatures, the structural density of the volcanic rock, and the flow of volatile fire mana in the air painted a clear, uninterrupted visual of the peak in his consciousness, revealing hidden contours, potential hazards, and pathways that remained invisible to the naked eye.
"Much better,"
Vince said softly, a note of satisfaction coloring his tone as clarity returned to his awareness.
He stepped forward, his boots making a soft crunching sound against the ash-covered ground that echoed faintly in the heavy air. As he walked, he gradually expanded the radius of his perception, sweeping through the desolate plateau with increasing range and precision, probing for any signs of life or structure in this barren domain.
A few hundred meters out, his mind caught a distinct structural anomaly—a massive, high-arched cavern mouth carved directly into the heart of the volcanic peak, its entrance suggesting an ancient and formidable presence within.
He let out a quiet, hummed breath, processing the discovery with steady composure.
Hmm.
Changing his path, Vince headed straight toward the cavern, his steps purposeful and unhurried despite the growing tension in the air.
As he drew closer, the howling winds settled somewhat, and the suffocating ash fog cleared slightly, framing the towering entrance in stark, dark stone that loomed like the gateway to another world. The air here was heavy, thick with an ancient, predatory pressure that seemed to vibrate the ground beneath his feet, carrying an unmistakable aura of immense power and danger.
Then, from deep within the pitch-black abyss of the cave, a sound reached his ears, cutting through the ambient rumble of the mountain itself.
It was a low, heavy growl—rhythmic, terrifyingly dense, and echoing in slow, measured intervals like the purr of a sleeping leviathan, each resonance hinting at a creature of colossal size and untamed might.
Vince paused at the mouth of the cave, absorbing the auditory cue with heightened alertness. A confident, dangerous grin slowly spread across his face as his hand slid into his pockets, ready for whatever confrontation lay ahead.
"Guess someone’s home."