Once the walls cooled down enough for him to touch, Leo resumed his climbing efforts, as he pushed his hands against the scorched surface and began hoisting himself up the vertical shaft once more.
His fingers found hold in the scorched rock grooves that were still warm but no longer searing, as he dragged himself upward inch by inch, feeling his back muscles work after quite a few days.
Ten feet.
Twenty.
Forty.
His muscles and bones ached due to the movement, but the climb was manageable now— no longer a death sentence, as after drinking the stamina potion, he felt his energy levels hold steady throughout the ascent.
Finally, at around a hundred feet, his hand touched a rough ledge jutting out from the wall, and just past it was a narrow tunnel that branched out horizontally, with a ceiling no higher than four feet tall.
