My Magic Has No Upper Limit

Gray’s interest was piqued. "A Steam Trap... I’ve never run into one of those before."

Hill didn’t say a word, just crossing her arms and watching with amusement from the side.

Zelir was about to object, but...

’Actually, I’m also quite curious to see what this so-called Steam Trap is really like, and just how powerful it is.’

’Maybe it’s not nearly as terrifying as Wells described.’

"Alright! Everyone back up!" Gray shouted.

The squad all retreated outside the doorway, peeking around the edge of the stone entrance to watch Gray’s performance.

Gray, full of bravado, wound up his arm and hurled the stone with all his might.

The fist-sized piece of brick sailed in an arc, flying across the entire eco-garden and landing on the high-temperature floor tiles of the corridor.

In an instant!

"BOOM!!!"

Like the roar of a fire dragon, billowing steam instantly erupted from the corridor walls and the cracks between the floor tiles!

High-temperature steam immediately filled the entire passage, and a powerful, hot blast surged down the corridors on either side with overwhelming force.

There was even a flash of red light!

Even from dozens of meters away, the squad members could feel the temperature rise sharply.

The high-temperature steam blasted for more than ten seconds before gradually subsiding.

The corridor was now filled with hot steam, reducing visibility to almost zero.

"CRUMBLE..."

More layers of rock peeled off the walls on both sides.

"Holy shit..."

They subconsciously threw their arms up to shield their faces, their expressions a mask of shock.

The blast was far more powerful than they had imagined.

There was no doubt that if they had triggered it...

It really could cost a Middle Level Warrior half their life, and might even kill them outright.

Even Zelir wasn’t confident he could have taken that hit with his Ring of Resistance without being injured.

’Besides, the Magic Barrier can’t block high temperatures.’

"Let’s go, let’s go..."

Marcus waved his hands again and again, his heart still pounding. "We need to be more careful with traps from now on..."

The path was not smooth after they left the botanical garden through the stone doorway.

The vegetation here was even more tangled and chaotic than in the antechamber.

Thorny bushes and vines were tangled together, forming a solid green wall.

Marcus drew his Battle Saber and led the squad, hacking a path forward.

Finally, the cluster of gray-white ruins was no longer what lay before them.

It was as if they had returned to a primeval forest.

They had already passed through the antechamber and the Central Courtyard Garden of the ruin’s first level.

Now, only the final, unknown area was left.

Even the map from Wells didn’t cover this area.

Marcus opened his booklet to a new page and began to sketch with a charcoal pencil.

"What are you doing?" Gray asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Drawing a new map."

"We’re probably one of the first squads to reach this area," Marcus said without looking up. "This is valuable intelligence."

"Oh, right!"

Gray slapped his forehead. "If Wells can make money selling intelligence, so can we!"

"If we’re the first to find the glowing passage to the second level, plenty of people will be willing to pay for that information!"

Zelir nodded in agreement.

"If we sell the intel for, say, Ten Gold Coins, and sell ten or twenty copies... that’s a few hundred Gold Coins in our pockets."

’It would be a crime not to take that money!’

’Letting more people know where the entrance to the second level is wouldn’t be a bad thing for us, either.’

’This journey has been full of too many hardships and obstacles.’

’The more people who come to explore, the sooner the glowing entrance to the third level of the ruins will be found.’

"Let’s go! Onward!"

Filled with motivation, the squad pressed onward.

But enthusiasm alone couldn’t negate the harsh environment.

After leaving the Central Courtyard Garden, the terrain of the unknown region became even more complex than the antechamber’s.

The light grew dimmer, a faint mist perpetually hung in the woods, and the humidity rose.

Moreover, Trap Vines, Corrosive Beetles, and various other poisonous flora and fauna were much more densely packed.

Once, while scouting ahead, Marcus nearly stepped into an acid bog concealed by leaves.

Just a brief touch to the sole of his boot was enough to corrode away some of the leather.

By their reckoning, the squad had been walking for at least two or three hours, yet they still saw no change in their surroundings.

"Damn it..."

Gray sliced through a fern blocking his path with his Longsword. "Where the hell is the glowing passage to the second level...?"

"Who knows how big this first level of the ruins is..."

Valles sighed softly. "Let’s just keep walking and see."

Zelir’s brow was also furrowed in thought.

’I really hate this kind of environment, too.’

"The fog is getting thicker," Hill said suddenly.

"That doesn’t matter, does it?"

Gray scratched his head. "Marcus can find the way no matter what."

"No, what I mean is..."

Hill paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "This fog isn’t thickening on its own."

They exchanged a look and stopped in their tracks.

「A moment later.」

"HROOOOAR..."

A low, guttural roar echoed from all directions, a sound that shook them to their core.

With this roar, the surrounding fog began to roil and churn, and visibility plummeted.

The air reeked of killing intent!

This signature entrance, this scene that felt so familiar...

Every member of the squad, Zelir included, instantly realized what it was.

This sound, this scene... they were all too familiar with it!

A Fog Demon!

As if to confirm their thoughts, a huge, dark shadow flashed past them before disappearing again.

It was enormous, dangerous, and overwhelmingly oppressive.

Like a deep-sea shark waiting for the right moment to strike, it circled its prey slowly, deliberately.

Accompanied by the THUD, THUD of heavy footsteps, the fog grew even thicker!

Without a word, the squad snapped into their battle formation.

Just like before, Marcus was in front, shield raised in defense.

Gray was to the rear left, his Longsword drawn.

Valles was to the rear right, an Arrow nocked on his bow, faintly crackling with electricity.

Zelir held the center.

"Prepare for battle!" Marcus said grimly.

"I heard stories about you back in Black Stone Town..."

Hill didn’t seem nervous at all; a smile played on her lips.

"That your squad took down a juvenile Fog Demon on your very first mission together?"

"That’s right."

Zelir gave a small smile. "You could say we’re old friends."

’That was the first Demon I ever hunted in my career as an Adventurer.’

’Not many Adventurers can probably say their first kill was a [Challenge] rated Demon.’

’I never expected to meet one again here on the first level of the ruins.’

But compared to his panic back then, Zelir now only felt a sense of excitement.

’More experience for leveling up.’

The trickiest thing about a Fog Demon is its Energy Barrier, which can block physical attacks—the very same Fog Flowing Gauze that Zelir himself had learned.

This Energy Barrier can only be broken by Fighting Qi or Magic.

And in their squad... everyone could break the Fog Demon’s defense!

"I assume you’re all quite adept at dealing with them, then?" Hill said.

"Of course."

"Then I can rest easy..."

Hill stepped back slowly, her form melting into the dense fog.

She fully activated her Shadow Fighting Qi.

Hill’s Fighting Qi already had the ability to conceal her form. Now, empowered by the thick fog, she had become practically invisible!

"HROOOAR... HROOOAR..."

The roars echoed all around, rising and falling through the woods, seeming at once far away and right beside them, creating a bizarre, multi-layered echo.

One moment the sound was in front of them, the next it was right at the back of their necks.

Their vision was compressed to its limit by the white fog; anything beyond five meters was unknown.

In these conditions, it was impossible to accurately judge its position.

The Fog Demon was one of the few Demons that an Adventurer Squad couldn’t get the drop on with a surprise attack.

The Fog Demon’s innate, wide-area fog almost guaranteed that it would always be the one to initiate the attack.

But Zelir wasn’t about to sit back and wait.

’If there’s a mist, I’ll just have to disperse it!’

The tip of his Night Peace Staff flashed red, and several bright Fireballs materialized!

Fractal Fire!

Seven blazing Fireballs, like blooming red lotuses, blasted out in all directions.

A rolling heatwave swept out like a hurricane!

The white fog, once so thick it seemed almost solid, was instantly vaporized and dispersed by the high-temperature shockwave!