The third layer of Hell.
The Hell of Pit of Fire.
The whole land had longed to turn to black. This is due to the extremely hot lava flowing from the ranges of active volcanoes in the area. The temperature of this layer is too hot to bear and there would be random lava rain falling in this place. Unless one had hidden under some thick caves of something, they would end up getting directly burned and melted by the fiery lava.
There would be some player running over the molten land. But the eruptions of active volcanoes had no fixed time when they would explode or not. Every time a volcano would erupt, the land would shake, and fissures on the earth would appear. In some worse cases, the land would split and a fountain of lava would splurt within the land.
Some players caught in surprise would either fall in the lava instantly dying or their lives hanging by a thread. They would be pitiful to look at and their deaths were either by burning or melting altogether.
The sound of the earth rumbling and the volcanoes erupting covers the whole layer. There would also be endless screams coming all over the place. No one knew whether the one who screamed would live or not.
RUMBLES~ BOOM! BAM!
AAAAAAHHHHHHHH~
Outer Region of the third layer in Diyu.
Walking through the dangerous land is a group of players who decided to work together as a group. There are also some who have found their teammates as this is already the 3rd layer of Diyu. The temperature in this land is too high, there were steams that could even burn your skin if touched.
This group of players chooses to pass through the farthest way to check the outskirts of this layer. They choose this to avoid the range of active volcanoes. These volcanoes were no joke. Most of them are active and they even cause tremors on the land itself.
"We've already walked through more than half of the land in this layer and still haven't found that elevator to cross layers!"
"Shut up! It's already so hot and you're being annoying. God! Aren't we at the farthest distance from those volcanoes!? How come it is still so hot!"
"We are about to completely survey the outer region. If that elevator is not here the… It might be in the center instead."
Hearing everyone in the group was rendered speechless. In the last two layers, they had found the elevator hidden in the outskirts of the layers. They thought that the third layer would be the same as well. But it is a fact that they had roamed around the outer region and even seen the marker they've left before. This could only mean they had already walked throughout the outskirts in a circle once but the elevator that could bring them out of this place is not found.
Seeing the marker they left before deciding to look around the outer region made their face pale. Seeing the marker could only mean that the elevator is not found at the outskirts of the land. Instead, there is a high probability that it is found at the center where the range of volcanoes is found.
"The elevator is not found in the outer region. Are we entering the danger zone to look for the exit?"
"It's not like we have a choice!"
"Rest for half an hour and prepare yourselves. We are going to the center of the land after we rested enough."
They've all sat on the ground avoiding while staring at the volcano range at the danger zone. The rumbling of the land has never stopped ever since they entered this layer.
"Shit! No matter how much I look at it, those volcanoes are about to erupt!"
BOOOM! BANG! BANG!!
As soon as his words finished, a loud explosion was witnessed by everyone in the team. One of the volcanoes had erupted under their gaze. They witness the lava spurting from the mouth of the volcano splashing like a fountain.
"I-It… It really… Erupted!!!"
"Fuck! Can't you hold back your crow's mouth!"
"Damn! Look in the sky, there are meteors. How pretty~"
"Idiot! Run! Those are not meteors!!"
"Those are Lava stones that flew out when the volcano erupted."
"Where to go!!?"
"Run towards the center to avoid the direction of the volcano that just erupted!"
But in the end, they ran too late, some flaming stones fell on their group. The unlucky ones had some falling on them directly.
AAAAHHHHHH!!
One of the players was hit by a lava stone that is twice larger than its head. But this flaming stone seems to be alive, it directly opened its mouth and bit off the player's head. Everyone besides them witnessed that scene.
"Huh? AH~ it burns… Hiss~ W-what is this!? I-It's moving. It's alive!!"
CHOMPED
"Ahhh!!! It's a monster! A Lava monster!!!"
"There are too many of them?!"
"They appeared when the volcano erupted. Most of the time whatever the volcano spew had flown towards the outer region. This place is not safe after all!"
"Ah! AH! RUN! RUN towards the center!"
There are more and more flaming stones falling to the outer region of the layer. It is as if the volcanoes had erupted loudly just to fling these monsters to the outskirts where most players were hiding. It seems that the outer region of this land would become the most dangerous area every time a volcano erupted.
Surrounded by hundreds of lava monsters the human players gathering at the outskirts were massacred by monsters. Those who wish to live had no other choice but to run towards the danger zone to live. Some were even cruel and would push whoever is the closest to them towards the monsters as a sacrifice.
Pushes~
"NO!!! You fucking bastard! AAAHHH!"
"S-Sorry… Must survive. I need to survive!"
"H-Hey! Look over there!! Is that… Is that…!!!?"
"The Elevator!!!"
There are some players who noticed an elevator appeared in thin air not far from them. They felt lucky to have finally rubbed on them and we're hopeful of escaping death.
PING! The door of the Elevator opens revealing what is inside.
—-
Meanwhile…
As soon as Chu Mo reached the peak of the mountain of knives, what welcomed him at the top was a strange elevator that could bring him up and down. Only then did he realize that each layer must have an elevator like that that could bring them to the layer above or the layer below one couldn't skip a layer at all.
Unknown to the players, only the elevator in the last layer would allow a player to choose whatever layer the player wanted to enter, and unless one had completely gathered the eighteen stamps the button that would bring them to purgatory would remain deactivated.
Chu Mo cursed, "Shit! There's an elevator, why did I have to make a hole in the ground before! Stupid Manager, you didn't inform me at all!"
[Warden's complaint cannot be understood by the subsystem me. Please contact the main system for clarifications.]
"That's right. You don't have your own ego. Moreover, unless I ask you won't be answering at all. Not even giving me suggestions. Sigh~ whatever… Just locate the next elevator in this layer. We need to go down to the layer where my lover is waiting for." said Chu Mo.
He rode the elevator and pressed the button with 3 on it. This would allow h to enter the 3rd layer.
As the elevator moves down intending to bring him to the next layer. A sound indicating his arrival resounded.
PING!
{You have arrived at the third layer. As soon as the player comes out. This elevator would disappear. Welcome to the Hell Pit of Fire.}
SWOOSH!
The door of the elevator opened. As soon as the door opened, Chu Mo witnessed the scene of hell. Moving flaming monsters made of lava were surrounding human players and massacring them. The sight of Chu Mo no… the elevator's appearance made those dying players hope to live. They all run towards the elevator like savages even ignoring the fatal injuries all over their bodies.
Bewildered Chu Mo said, "What's with this scene?" He was frowning at the scene of chaos before his eyes.
It's the elevator!
Run towards it!
There is someone inside!
Who fucking cares!!! Just get inside!!
To avoid getting stuck in the elevator, Chu Mo jumps out of it before the players even enter. Some successfully entered but some were left behind. That elevator is supposed to only bring Chu Mo down to the third layer after he went off the elevator's destination. For the other players to enter means they would be returning once again to the second layer or the first one.
Those who were left behind stumbled on each other making a small pile of human players forming a hill. They've become the lava monsters' main target.
ROAARR!!
AAAAHHHHHH! MONSTERS! THEY'VE CAUGHT UP!
THE ELEVATOR DISAPPEARED!!!
NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE.
CRUNCHES~ ROARR~ BITES~
Some monsters target Chu Mo but he had covered himself with a wind barrier. It would lessen the heat around him at the same time sending those who approach him fly away. He would even kick some annoying ones who dared to target his head. Instantly destroying these lava monsters to sand.
Chu Mo surveyed his surroundings and was a bit delighted. Ignoring the deaths and suffering of the other players around him, he just scanned the new layer he had just arrived at.
"Wow~ This place looks a bit similar to one of the fire prisons in the Nether System." He then grabs a struggling lava monster that tried to jump on him. "We don't have this though… should I suggest this to the lord? By the way, where is the exit?"
[Warden. The exit is at the volcano ranges in the central region. You need to jump. Inside the biggest volcano. The Elevator that leads to the next layer is there.]
Chu Mo asked, "Are the locations for the Elevator exit random each time?"
[Yes, it would be randomized every time a player exited a layer. That's why it's faster to create a hole to enter the next layer though it would mean falling from the sky of the next layer.]
The warden remembered falling from the sky of the second layer when he made a hole in the first layer. If he didn't have any way of flight, he could fall to his death instead.
"It's because you know I can control wind elements that you've made me punch through the land ha?"
[Warden asked the shortest path to reach the location of Prisoner Yun. I've just given you the most effective way to do so.]
Chu Mo asked, "It wasn't illegal to move through a layer by brute force?"
[No. Players that are able to destroy the layers are rare. Warden just happened to become one. If it's illegal that fallen would have apprehended you right from the start.]
"True." Chu Mo noticed that the Fallen named Fa Yue who was supposed to give him a stamp every time he entered a new layer is coming late. "That Fa Yue is late. Is he not going to give me my stamp?"
[A demon follower is approaching.]
A huge bat flew down from the sky and landed before Chu Mo. He morphed back to its chibi ogre mode and lowered his head before Chu Mo.
Demon followers spoke, "Apologies to Mr. Reaper. We would like to inform you that the stamps would be given at the latter layers after accumulating them. Please continue going through the layers. When Lord Fa returns we would be giving the players that passed their stamps."
"No stamps. You would give it away all at the same time as long as the layers were completed. What happened?" asked Chu Mo.
The demon follower hesitated to answer but before he was the second strongest player in the abyssal world.
"The stamps were missing. No, it was stolen by another player who beat up Lord Fa Yue." answered honestly by the demon follower.
Chu Mo was a bit startled. He had seen the fallen called Fa Yue himself. He gauges his cultivation and that fallen is at least at a Demigod level. A player stronger than a Demigod exists in this realm. Doesn't that mean an outsider entered this place?
"Where is Fa Yue?" asked Chu Mo.
Demon follower replied, "The Lord is chasing after the player. The stamps should be taken back soon."
"Did you know who the player who had stolen the stamps was?" asked Chu Mo.
"It's a newbie player called Hei. This player is OP. I heard from the Lord that he even made an Ice Mansion in the 10th layer."
As soon as Chu Mo heard the name Hei he had choked in the air he had inhaled as he abruptly inhaled more than usual in astonishment.
Cough. Cough!
"Hei!? Player Hei!?"
"Yes. Does Mr. Reaper know this newbie?"
Chu Mo didn't answer right away and instead pats the demon follower's shoulder with eyes as if looking at some extremely unlucky.
"Give up! You guys won't get it back anymore," said Chu Mo.
Meanwhile Chu Mo's thoughts at the moment, 'The stamps are already at Lord Hei's hand. So he is in the 10th layer, that's the Hell of Ice. Nothing in there would be able to harm him. I should look for Ming'er as soon as possible.'
The demon follower was dumbfounded with what he heard but before he even asked why Chu Mo had already flown towards the central region of the layer looking for the exit.
