Chapter 27

I left the Fields of Ash and headed toward the rivers of lava. Even from a hundred meters away, the heat blasted against me—perfect for grinding. Ten more steps and...

Damage Taken: 50 HP (Ignored: 0 HP)

870/920 HP

A few more steps.

Damage Taken: 150 HP (Ignored: 0 HP)

736/920 HP

Fire Resistance +0.02%

Thermal Damage Ignored: Up to 12 HP/sec

And there it was—the desired result. Lava, molten rock with temperatures ranging from 500 to 1,200 degrees. The heat radiated far. The closer I got, the more intense the thermal damage became. I only felt 10% of the pain, but damn, it was excruciating. It felt like my skin was burning, the sensation worsening with every step. The heat was area-wide, scorching my entire body. Another step.

Damage Taken: 250 HP (Ignored: 12 HP)

508/920 HP

My Vitality regenerates 17 HP per second. Let’s go deeper.

Damage Taken: 325 HP (Ignored: 12 HP)

217/920 HP

Minor Heal! And another step.

Damage Taken: 405 HP (Ignored: 12 HP)

515/920 HP

Fire Resistance +0.02%

Thermal Damage Ignored: Up to 36 HP/sec

Life Magic has leveled up to 112, boosting healing spells by 112%. Minor Heal now restores 1,030 HP per cast, totaling 2,183 HP after the bonus. More than my max health. I’ve mastered this spell so well that a mere thought activates it—magic already gathering in my left palm.

I’d forgotten a crucial detail about monster spawning in this world. They emerge straight from the ground.

An imp crawled out of the lava and stared at me. Meanwhile, I was too busy checking my status screen like an idiot.

Demon, Imp, Level 102.

"Huuuuman meeeeat!!" it screeched, lunging at me.

Damage Taken: 250 HP (Ignored: 834 HP)

338/920 HP

I felt no fear. I didn’t believe it could kill me. For a full minute, it clawed, bit, and gnawed—but my skin held. The only damage came from fire. Two critical hits to the eye and neck? Ignored. Almost died for that mistake. Some body parts have partial resistance bypass. At least imps are weak.

After stepping back ten paces, I killed it. The little creature was a head shorter than me—and I’m just a kid. Combat analysis: Half their stats go to Strength, a quarter each to Agility and Stamina. Weak opponents overall. They rely on claws, two rows of razor-sharp teeth, flight, and full fire immunity.

The imp dropped wings and horns—my first real food in Hell. Once, my father and I ate raw fish straight from the boat during a hunt. The imp wings tasted similar, juicier, with oddly pleasant blood.

You have consumed Imp Wings.

Strength +26

Agility +17

Duration: 59 min, 59 sec.

Demonic Conversion: 0.2%

Your soul is bound to this world. Your flesh adapts to its order.

So, eating demons turns me into one? No disgust, just curiosity. More to eat!

Raw wings? Can’t cook ‘em. Maybe smoke or dry them?

Over the next three hours, I ate thirteen imps while grinding fire resistance. Later imps stopped increasing Demonic Conversion. Kept pushing closer to the lava, enduring greater heat and damage.

After three days, a pattern emerged: Demonic Conversion caps at +1% per day. Each imp gave 0.1%.

A week later, I could stand ten meters from the lava—any closer was unbearable.

Damage Taken: 3,350 HP (Ignored: 2,207 HP)

827/1,970 HP

Need to get closer.

Damage Taken: 3,750 HP (Ignored: 2,207 HP)

455/1,970 HP

Minor Heal! One more step.

Damage Taken: 4,100 HP (Ignored: 2,207 HP)

77/1,970 HP

Minor Heal! Better stop. The fire was mesmerizing—lava flows, gas flares. Oh, another imp.

Moved to safety and killed it. More wings!

Demonic Conversion: 10%

Unlocked Passive Ability: Second Stream of Consciousness

Now you can multitask two actions simultaneously.

Warning: Accepting this will deduct 100 INT and 100 WIS to create a separate mental channel.

Accept? Yes / No

I’d only read about this. High-tier mages and Grandmasters cast multiple spells at once—but how? Now I knew. Losing 200 stats was like losing 40 levels. But unlike them, I only sacrificed INT/WIS. My cap is 200, so I could theoretically create all eleven streams. Worth testing. Accept!

Oops—didn’t account for healing efficiency loss. Let’s check my stats.

- Status Window!

[Full stat block translated similarly...]

Minor Heal is pitiful now—only 1,127 HP. But Vitality’s great: 30 HP/sec. Full recovery in a minute, even without healing. Time to test dual-streaming.

Turns out, it’s hard. Head aches when casting different spells simultaneously. Easier with duplicates. Needs practice. Max out healing first, then experiment.

While dual-healing, I tried:

Damage Taken: 4,100 HP (Ignored: 2,207 HP)

66/1,970 HP

Minor Heal! No need to manually cast—just visualize the spell on my body. Glowing patches marked healed areas. Hands free now, but mental strain persisted. Assumed a combat stance: tense, shift weight, strike! Repeat!

Damage Taken: 4,100 HP (Ignored: 2,207 HP)

107/1,970 HP

Close call, but it works! Hands free for combat. No more aiming spells. Faster now. Imps didn’t notice, but I felt it—muscles surging, ligaments taut, fists cutting through scorched air. Exhilarating! Needed more training. Father’s lessons, Fynx’s drills… Painful memories. Galboa, Dad… How are you? Humans are so fragile…