If a child is quiet, they're definitely up to something.
Knowing his brother's habits well, Gorth reasonably suspected that Vane had done something shady outside again.
As for why it's "again"?
In the hall, Gorth silently looked at the mess on the floor.
When he first came in and saw Vane's "corpse," his heart sank.
Before he could even get angry, Vane on the ground shuddered and muttered something.
"No, don't come any closer..."
After calming down, Gorth checked Vane's body.
No injuries were reported.
With a guess in mind, Gorth observed the surrounding environment again.
Sword marks on the wall and a black sword on the ground...
Silently, he got up and casually sent Vane's photo to the group chat.
[Gorth: @Everyone, Image: jpg]
[Gorth: Don't worry, he was just scared...]
Boom--!!!
A dazzling light shone as the erupting volcano returned in fury.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gorth immediately hid his eyes in the shadows.
[A furious roar] (Who is it!!!)
Flames spewed from the demon's mouth, turning the entire hall a fiery red.
The light flashed again, and Vera, who had just returned, was struck squarely by the flames.
Although no harm was done, a gasp still escaped its lips.
Vera's appearance calmed Gregor down slightly. He suppressed his anger and asked again, his voice trembling.
What happened?!
Taking two steps back, Gorth looked at the burning furniture with shame.
"It's nothing, I just fainted from fright."
The flickering flames suddenly stopped, and Vera patted Gregor, signaling him to tone it down.
"Alright, if something really happened, the third brother wouldn't have sent the picture in the group first."
[...]
Calming down, the expanding flames solidified again.
Vera looked at the mess around her and pulled Vane up from the ground.
"Did you give him/her the medicine?"
"Not yet..."
While Vera was feeding Vane his medicine, Gregor turned to Gorth.
What exactly happened?
"The fourth brother said he saw cockroaches, but I searched the whole room and didn't find any."
The shadows covered the entire room and spread to other areas.
"It's the same now, but judging from Lao Si's reaction... there might really be cockroaches."
"You mean..."
Vera tossed Vane, who had just been given the medicine, onto a cushion and clapped her hands in disgust.
"This guy was so scared by the cockroach that he fainted."
"It seems so."
"..." x3
In the silence, Vane awoke from his sleep.
"Um... what am I doing..."
"Useless fellow."
When Vane woke up, he didn't receive any comfort; the three men's disdainful looks stung his pride.
Vane's response was...
"Wow! You're finally back!"
Vane tried to hug the group.
Seeing Gregor's lava body, Vane shifted his position.
Seeing Vera's warning look, Vane slowed down.
The final target was the towering Wendigo.
He froze for a moment, then straightened up as if nothing had happened.
"Phew, anyway, it's so good that you're back!"
Was this guy just looking down on me?
Gorth felt a surge of annoyance, but he still got back to the main topic.
"How exactly did you faint? Did you really see a cockroach?"
When this issue was raised, Vane's face turned pale again.
"I told you there were cockroaches, but you didn't believe me before!"
He looked around frantically and answered in a trembling voice:
"Seriously! You have no idea how terrifying that cockroach was!"
"Hmm." x3
The three reacted indifferently, Vane became somewhat impatient.
"Seriously! It's huge!"
"Pfft--"
"... Third brother, were you laughing just now?"
Vane stared intently at Gorth, his expression grim.
"No, I was just thinking about something happy."
"Damn it! You have no idea what I encountered... that cockroach's muscles were even twitching!"
"Pfft--"
"... What are you laughing at now?"
Vane stared intently at Vera, who said seriously:
"I also remembered some happy things."
"You think I don't know this meme?! Get serious!!!"
Enraged, Vane simply drew on the ground with his blood.
"Look! That's what that cockroach looks like!"
The three people gathered around and looked at the drawing on the ground.
The muscular man with two tentacles on his head smiled, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.
[Pfft--]
"Enough! Do you think I can't see messages in the group chat? Besides, boss, you don't even know how to talk properly!!!"
Needless to say, the boy's blush spoke volumes.
The three coughed tactically, Gregor, pointing to the painting, asked in return:
Does this thing look like a cockroach?
"Is this some kind of resemblance? I've been attacked by this thing!"
Ignoring the two arguing, Gorth looked at the picture strangely.
"Don't you guys think this thing looks a little familiar?"
The group stopped what they were doing and observed carefully again.
The more Gregor looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
[I feel like I've seen this somewhere before... where was it again?]
"No matter where it is, let's find it first."
Vera looked at Gregor.
"Boss, can you use your special vision?"
I'll give it a try.
Gregor searched the House of Vitality, and the remaining three joined him.
After a long time... nothing was found.
Gorth looked at Vane and said with some helplessness:
Does that thing really exist? Or is it just your imagination?
"I've already said I don't have a mental illness..."
Vane was unable to reply and sighed repeatedly.
"We can't keep this house anymore, let's just move out."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Vera rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, and pondered.
"Since we can't find anything abnormal, let's look for things that aren't abnormal."
Needless to say, the unspoken understanding between the brothers made Gorth understand Vera's meaning.
The shadows surged and rushed into every corner, but there was still no reaction.
Even on a calm lake, there will be ripples, and in the calmest spot...
"Found it."
Following the signs, they arrived at the lobby, where everyone gathered around the trash cans, ready to pounce.
"I'm going to open it..."
"Wait! Let me get away first!"
Vane watched silently as Vera ran away, gripping the bucket lid, while the other two nodded in unison.
The attack was poised to strike, just waiting for the uninvited guest to show itself.
Open the lid!
"Prepare to die!"
The group attacked together, then stopped at the same moment.
"I don't know why, but I feel so disgusted..."
Vera frowned and moved away from the trash can.
"Yes, I feel like I'm going to throw up..."
Gorth left together.
[Right now, I just want to get as far away from this thing as possible.]
Gregor agreed, and the three of them retreated.
What are you doing?
In the distance, Vane peeked out from behind the table, an undeniable passage:
"Go get it! You guys can't be afraid of cockroaches too, can you?"
The three of them stopped moving at the same time, instantly realizing something was wrong.
We were just... affected?
Vera's expression was serious; Gorth had already summoned the demon spirit.
"This doesn't look like an ordinary cockroach."
A new attack was about to begin when Gregor suddenly stopped the two.
[Wait, I think I know what it is.]
Amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, Gregor summoned the translator, Ten Percent Off.
"Ancestral Bug, or is it yours?"
Vera and the other two were stunned for a moment, then immediately realized the cockroach's true form.
(Ancestral Bug: Appears as a pixelated cockroach, with occasional error-like blocky effects appearing around it; ability is to disgust enemies and reduce their desire to attack.)
After a brief silence, two tentacles emerged from the crack in the lid.
"It... it... it's out!"
Vane shrank back behind the table in terror, while Gregor approached curiously.
Once the thought of attacking subsided, the eerie feeling of nausea disappeared.
Ancestral Bug crawled out from the crack and stood on the lid of the bucket.
"It really is you..."
Gregor reached out, looked at the glowing red lava body, and fearlessly climbed up it, Ancestral Bug.
Turning around, Gregor looked apologetically at everyone.
It seems to be... my pet.
One hour later...
After a long period of cognitive restructuring, Vane finally accepted the Ancestral Bug only looked like a cockroach, but was not actually a cockroach.
"Okay... I'll just pretend he's not a cockroach."
Vane gritted his teeth and pointed to the Ancestral Bug that had been chasing after him for so long.
"But why can it transform?!"
As if hearing a key phrase, the Ancestral Bug turned its head.
With a bugged special effect, a muscular cockroach stands before you, grinning broadly.
Ding-a-ling☆ (Teeth flashing)
"..." x4
Vane's eyes began to roll back, and Vera pinched his philtrum, awkwardly glancing away.
"This looks like my pet..."
(The Attack Bug: A muscular cockroach-like creature wearing purple shorts who randomly gains buffs or debuffs during the game.)
"Revived, "Vane said in a trembling voice.
"With so many pets... why did you choose two cockroaches?"
"Because it's easy to use." x2
Needless to say, Gregor and his companion are clearly power players.
Vane's breath hitched, Gorth quickly patted his back.
"On the bright side, such a powerful pet will be very useful when going into the Dungeon!"
Upon hearing this, Vane's expression changed repeatedly.
The rabbit head and XP battled each other, and finally the rabbit head produced the sound of an extra-large cup.
"... I can accept going to the Dungeon with it."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"But!"
Vane's figure vanished in the light, leaving only an echo.
"Normally... it's either me or it's the other way around!"
The three looked at each other, Gorth said helplessly:
"Why is the fourth brother so afraid of cockroaches...?"
"It seems like I was frightened when I was a child."
Vera hesitated, as if she seemed to have heard Vane mention it.
[Let's put that aside for now. Who should it align with?]
Gregor waved, and the Ancestral Bug, which had reverted to its normal form, crawled over.
[Just to clarify, this isn't really suitable for me; at least I don't think Ifrit would like it.]
"I'll pass, it's not my pet after all."
Gorth politely declined; his image was already terrifying enough.
If you take it with you, what if a muscle cockroach suddenly jumps out of the camp...?
His body straightened instantly, Gorth's eyes showed a firm determination to join the Party.
"Second brother, you should do it. The Ancestral Bug can protect you."
"There's absolutely no need for that..."
Vera thought it was still worth discussing, but out of the corner of her eye she suddenly noticed Ancestral Bug.
The two tentacles drooped limply, and gray-white lines appeared all around its body.
Vera: "..."
Is it really necessary to be so fragile?
"Fine, I'll do it."
Vera seized upon the Ancestral Bug and held it in the palm of her hand.
"My safety is in your hands, can you do that?"
Realizing that he had been chosen, the special effects around the Ancestral Bug instantly turned into dazzling starlight.
Watching the tentacles dance so joyfully, Vera inexplicably thought of W.
"Pfft--"
[What's wrong?]
Gregor and Vera were somewhat confused, but Vera just smiled and waved her hand.
"I was just thinking about happy things~"