"Well... what should I do today?"

After returning home from school and finishing her chores—dinner, exam prep, and the like—Chika logged in.

She found herself in the desert town and began thinking over her game plan.

"Hmm... Okay, let’s try progressing through the field today."

After mulling it over for a while, Chika decided to play it safe. She left the desert town and started her journey across the desert field.

She advanced a short distance, fending off attacking monsters along the way, until she arrived at the next field.

This field wasn’t defined by its desert-like appearance, but by its black, rocky terrain. At a glance, it looked like an ordinary rocky field—but that wasn’t its most striking feature.

It was the heat.

And the magma.

It flowed everywhere around her.

Looking toward the back of the field, she saw a mountain so massive she had to crane her neck to take it all in. The molten rock appeared to be flowing from its summit.

The field’s name: Western Magma Zone.

"I wonder what would happen if I touched this...? I’m curious, but too scared, so I’ll pass."

For now, she needed to find a town and unlock teleportation. From there, she could start searching for dungeons and monsters.

In reality, few people ever got to see magma this close. Chika gazed at the flowing lava with clear interest, but she had no desire to touch it—she never came within a meter of it.

She began walking quietly.

A few minutes later, after enabling teleportation to the field’s town, Gray Town, Chika resumed her exploration of the Western Magma Zone.

"Is there anything...? Oh, that’s..."

A monster appeared before her.

Rumble... rumble, rumble...

"A rock monster..."

Its appearance: a spherical rock with tiny arms and legs attached. The rock had a face-like design, and magma dripped from what seemed to be its mouth.

Its name: Magmastone Lv41.

"It doesn’t look like it’s going to violate me, so I’ll take it down. Water Lance...! And Thunderbolt!"

Gurgle!? Gurgle, roar...!

Judging from its harmless appearance, Chika quickly unleashed her magic, eliminating the Magmastone before it could do anything. Considering how far she’d come from the starting point, Middle City, the monsters here were much higher level—but they were no match for her.

△△△△△

Equipment

Weapons

· Magic Book Lv42 (equipped) – Special: Compounding, Magic Enhancement

· Flame Scroll Lv38 (equipped) – Magic: Flameball, Flamewall

· Water Flow Scroll Lv40 (equipped) – Magic: Water Lance, Water Cutter

· Discharge Scroll Lv38 (equipped) – Magic: Thunderbolt, Thunder Area

· Book of Rocks Lv36 (equipped) – Magic: Stonewall, Stone Lance

· Gust of Wind Book Lv38 (equipped) – Magic: Wind Sword, All Wind

· Enchantment Scroll Lv38 (equipped) – Magic: Boost

· Book of Mercy Lv5 (equipped) – Magic: Plenball

Armor

· School Uniform Lv40 (equipped) – Defense: 5 | Special: Magic Enhancement, Reduced Cooldown

△△△△△

While enjoying the game, Chika also made time to level up regularly. As a result, her current equipment was quite powerful. Even monsters above level forty posed no problem whatsoever.

"Okay... let’s move on."

After confirming that the Magmastone had disappeared, Chika resumed her exploration. She walked a little further, defeating more Magmastones with magic along the way—

Then she found a dungeon.

"This is... an unknown dungeon. Alright, let’s go in."

The dungeon looked like a hole in the ground. Inside, a staircase led downward, but beyond that was pitch black—impossible to see anything.

Its name: The Cave of Heat.

There was no information available on this dungeon. But since she’d gone to the trouble of finding it, Chika headed down the stairs without hesitation.

"Ugh... it’s hot... it really lives up to its name..."

The moment she stepped inside, the heat hit her. The air grew thick with stifling, sauna-like steam. Chika fanned her hand in front of her face as she checked the room.

"Well... the inside is pretty normal, I guess... but it’s hot."

The interior looked like an ordinary cave. There was nothing particularly unusual about the area straight ahead or to the left and right of the staircase. But Chika winced as the steam cast a white haze over her vision.

"Uhh... Oh, right. I’ll try adding heat resistance to my equipment."

Her head felt like it might explode from the heat. The moment the thought came to her, she immediately began fiddling with her equipment.

△△△△△

Armor

· School Uniform Lv40 (equipped) – Defense: 5 | Special: Magic Enhancement, Reduced Cooldown, Heat Resistance

△△△△△

Unlike Shiori, who adapted to all environments, Chika’s resistance was solely for heat. The addition was completed without sacrificing any other abilities.

"Ah... that’s better. Yes. I can keep going like this. Okay, let’s go."

The ability had already activated. Her expression softened, and she resumed her dungeon exploration.