After eating a piece of the fish's raw meat, I grabbed another piece and approached the va pit. As soon as I got closer, I began to feel my skin burning, but my Fire Resistance was protecting me. I also increased my defense just in case.

  I moved closer to the va and pced the meat directly on the ground beside the va pit.

  I even tried to find something to make skewers with, but I couldn't find anything. I could try using the fish's bones, since it had "spines" like any other fish.

  However, they were all broken into very small pieces.

  I had destroyed its body—even if it was by accident.

  'Urgh, I think this will work.'

  Soon I started to smell something good, so I flipped the meat over. The ground was so hot that it basically worked like a grill. I'm surprised my "feet" can endure this much heat.

  After less than five minutes, I grabbed the fish with my mouth.

  'Ah! Hot! Hot!'

  I started to feel pain in my mouth, but I didn't care. I chewed and swallowed the fish.

  While chewing, the fvor that filled my mouth was so good that I almost felt like crying. It tastes even better than when it's raw.

  However, cooking all that meat like this is out of the question!

  If I keep cutting pieces and grilling them, I'll waste too much time.

  Besides, more monsters could appear.

  So I approached the fish's body and started eating it raw.

  The taste is good even without roasting it. That's fine.

  [ Skill proficiency achieved. ]

  [ The skill "Fire Resistance LV4" became "Fire Resistance LV5" ]

  [ The skill "Hit LV1" has been learned ]

  I finished eating almost the entire fish, and my stomach was full.

  I managed to increase the level of Fire Resistance, and I also gained a new skill called Hit, which I have no idea what it does.

  But thinking about it more carefully, it's the second passive skill I've obtained.

  I tried to check what the Hit skill does, and I succeeded. It helps me make more precise attacks. Even if an enemy tries to escape, this skill can help me hit them.

  I'm not sure if it makes much difference, since my speed is already far higher than any enemies around here. They wouldn't be able to dodge my attacks even if they prayed to God for help.

  I smiled in satisfaction and decided to leave this room full of va pits.

  However, as soon as I left, I came across another wide area full of va pits. This time I could even see some monsters inside them.

  'I think I might be able to find a Fire Dragon here if I search carefully. I'm curious to see how strong it is.'

  Is it stronger than that variant that appeared in the Upper Stratum?

  Let's keep killing these monsters to level up while I try to find a dragon.

  ####

  Pov: Third Person

  The Great Elroe Labyrinth is the rgest byrinth in the world, connecting the continents of Daztrudia and Kasanagara underground. It is also one of the most explored byrinths. Thousands of adventurers venture into it every day.

  Most of them explore the Upper Stratum, where the weaker monsters live. However, some more experienced adventurers manage to go deeper.

  Recently, some strange things have begun to happen in the byrinth.

  The number of deaths has increased drastically.

  "Hey, Fernand, do you think this is okay?" a man asked the leader of his group. The group had eight people—swordsmen, spearmen, archers, and even a mage.

  The leader, named Fernand, replied,

  "It's fine. This area is pretty safe. We're not that far from the entrance of the byrinth. The area where the deaths are happening is far from here."

  "Even so…"

  "If you want to go back, you can. No one will stop you."

  The man heard the leader's words and looked at his companions. They were all looking at him as if he were a coward.

  Tsk!

  He clicked his tongue and said,

  "Don't say I didn't warn you."

  He had a bad feeling ever since entering the dungeon.

  Over the st five days, many reports of deaths inside the byrinth had spread. There were also rumors about strange and very powerful monsters appearing in the Upper Stratum.

  Many people still doubted those reports despite the confirmed deaths.

  Well, people say adventurers usually give up their brains in exchange for bigger muscles. I guess that makes sense.

  Fernand continued forward and soon shouted,

  "Elroe Frog ahead!"

  The archer prepared to shoot, but before he could, the frog was already right in front of Fernand.

  "What!? Why is it so fast!?"

  Fernand used his shield to block the frog, but he was thrown backward, crashing into his companions. He was doing his job as the tank, but it wasn't enough.

  The frog was much stronger than he expected.

  Then the frog spat.

  Normally, an Elroe Frog's acid isn't that corrosive, although it can seriously injure a low-level adventurer.

  But this frog was different.

  Its acid hit Fernand's shield, and the shield immediately began to melt.

  "What the hell is this!? What kind of frog is this!?"

  Fernand finally noticed that the frog's body had several brown scales.

  They were scattered across its body, as if they had only recently begun to grow.

  Fernand realized something:

  Even if it was just a frog, they couldn't handle it.

  "We need to run! Right now! Archers! Mages!"

  The archers and mages tried to hit the frog to distract it, but the frog was smarter than normal. It avoided every attack by jumping back and forth before leaping directly onto the group.

  Then it happened.

  Projectiles appeared beside the frog while it was still in midair and shot toward them.

  "Earth magic!?" Fernand shouted.

  The projectiles flew at high speed and struck all of them. Their armor prevented the projectiles from hitting their vital points, but they were still injured.

  The frog nded on top of one of the spearmen.

  Before the man could even scream, his face was melted by the frog's acid.

  The frog then looked at Fernand with empty eyes.

  'This isn't normal. What is something like this doing near the entrance of the byrinth!?'

  ParodyGirl