Takizawa Laura

As soon as the group crossed the gate, three roads appeared before them.

With no information to go on and the possibility of fierce battles if they chose the wrong path, Bukubukuchagama turned to Momonga and asked,

"Momonga-san, you should have some magic that can guide us, right?"

"Don't worry. Leave it to me."

Momonga nodded confidently and immediately began casting a summoning spell.

Two hexagonal magic circles slowly unfolded before him. One summoned the Blessing of Titania, while the other summoned Yata Crow.

An elf and a three-legged crow appeared before the group.

The elf wore a crown and fluttered butterfly-like wings as she drifted lightly ahead of them. The three-legged crow also spread its wings and led the way.

Yata Crow's ability was to guide players along the shortest route to the end of the dungeon, while the elf summoned by the Blessing of Titania showed them the route with the least danger.

The six followed closely behind their guides. Along the way, monsters appeared only at a few junctions, and just a handful of traps stood in their way.

After walking for a while, Ulbert couldn't help complaining.

"This dungeon is way too boring. There are barely any monsters or traps. I don't get to do anything!"

"Going by the pace of a typical dungeon, we should only be about halfway through. We're still some distance from the final boss. If a monster you need to deal with shows up now, we'll have no choice but to use the item Yu gave us."

"Ulbert, maybe you shouldn't tempt fate. Don't you think you're jinxing us?"

"Momonga-san, could I trouble you to contact my younger brother? The monsters haven't put much pressure on us so far, so we could exchange information with the other teams."

"Understood."

Momonga immediately cast a communication spell, setting Peroroncino as the target. After ten seconds of ringing, he successfully made contact.

As soon as the call connected, Momonga heard the sounds of battle booming from the other end. He apologized,

"Sorry, are you still fighting?"

"Yeah. Two monsters suddenly showed up here. They caught Yu completely off guard, and now he's running them over with a road roller."

Momonga was stunned. He couldn't remember Mu Fengyu bringing out anything like a road roller, and besides, his class wasn't even related to crafting.

"Oh? I see. Then Yu really must have been startled."

"Pretty much. What's up?"

"We're making our way through the graveyard. Where were you sent?"

"We ended up in the lava region. We were attacked by fire monsters as soon as we got in, and monsters even pop out of the magma."

"How are things over there? Can you make it through?"

"We can, though Yu's a plant-type, so the fire buff here affects him badly. He's had to revive four times already."

"Got it. Good luck."

Momonga then contacted the other three teams. From them, he learned that everyone had been sent to one of five areas: the glacier, the lava region, the Underground Lake, the forest, or the graveyard.

That was the layout of the entire dungeon. Unlike the graveyard, the other areas had no undead; instead, they were home to various monsters suited to their environments.

The scene shifted to Mu Fengyu's team.

"Takizawa Laura, da!"

Mu Fengyu shifted into his second form, hoisted the road roller high, and repeatedly ran over the monsters beneath it. On closer inspection, the road roller was actually crushing two fire lizards.

Under its heavy weight, their bodies became a bloody mess, and the crisp snap of breaking bones rang out. Their once-sturdy scales were now shattered, and the flames burning across them gradually went out. Their blood evaporated instantly in the intense heat, sending up wisps of black smoke.

Peroroncino stared at the scene in disbelief, then couldn't resist stepping forward to ask,

"Yu, when did you get a weapon like that? It looks really high-tech."

Mu Fengyu panted and patted the road roller in front of him, speaking proudly.

"This is Takizawa Laura. Don't let its road roller shape fool you—it's actually a shield. I just spent a ton of data crystals changing its appearance and size."

"After all, when I'm in my second form, I'm not restricted to any particular weapon and can use all kinds. I just can't use the skills I've learned, so I have to keep switching weapons to trigger their special abilities."

"And I modified the blocking skill triggered by Takizawa Laura, too. Just like you saw, it can run over an enemy three times in a row. Pretty impressive, huh?"

As he spoke, he planted his hands on his hips and surveyed the area as if he had everything under control.

The others silently wiped away sweat that wasn't there.

The surrounding flames still roared, while the monsters that had been crushed were completely lifeless, leaving behind only a pile of loot and low-grade data crystals. After cleaning up the battlefield, the six continued onward.

They hadn't gone far when the road suddenly narrowed, and a wave of scorching air surged toward them.

Genjiro warily scanned the area. A small stone fell from above, and he looked up, shouting in alarm,

"Watch out, something's coming!"

Before he could finish speaking, countless fire spiders scurried down the rock walls on both sides.

Their bodies were bright red all over, their eight legs shimmering with heat, and they spat out streams of fiery webbing.

Siyou Qilong immediately activated his skill and charged at the fire spiders.

"Watch this!"

He let out a loud shout as his mechanical body continuously reconfigured itself. Gears shot out from inside him, slamming straight into several spiders and sending them flying.

However, even more monsters kept pouring in.

This time, it was a pack of fire wolves. Their eyes gleamed with a savage light, and the flames around them burned more fiercely than ever. Mu Fengyu called out a warning.

"Everyone, be careful!"

Relying on the tremendous strength of his mechanical body, Siyou Qilong repeatedly rammed into the fire wolves, buying time for his teammates. Their attacks struck him, scattering brilliant sparks, but his defenses were as solid as a rock.

Genjiro moved in a flash, weaving through the monsters like a ghost. His katana struck the fire wolves' weak points with precision, and every blow left one of them briefly paralyzed.

Peroroncino stood at a distance with his bowstring drawn taut. One arrow after another, each infused with the power of fire, whistled through the air and struck the fire wolves in their weak spots, dealing them heavy blows.

Bellriver swung his swords with both hands while chanting a spell. The light on his blades intertwined with the magic, forming a powerful wave of attacks that drove back the fire wolves in front of him.

Garnet focused on casting healing spells on her teammates. Waves of green light enveloped the group, keeping them in good fighting condition.

Mu Fengyu charged at the very front, carrying Takizawa Laura as he fought the fire wolves at close range. His second form possessed astonishing strength, and each attack came with tremendous force, driving the fire wolves back again and again.