"Third brother... do you understand?"
"In a person's life, there will always be things that must be done, which often break with convention and bring about new changes."
"I thought this kind of thing was far removed from me, but I never expected... it would happen so quickly."
Gorth tugged at the vine to check its tightness.
So what exactly are you trying to say?
"Don't you understand yet!" Vane's face showed heartache.
"Back in the day, we were also the renowned Gemini, but after ascending to the upper realm, we were tragically suppressed by a powerful being..."
"But now that a powerful being has failed his tribulation and fallen from grace, don't you think this is a golden opportunity for us to turn things around!?"
You're right.
Gorth lowered his head, Vane's face lit up with joy.
"Since that's the case..."
"But I refuse!"
"What!?"
Ignoring Vane's astonishment, Gorth tied him up and hung him up.
"At least other rebels know how to make empty promises, but you're just talking the talk?"
"Wait! The price is negotiable!"
"I refuse."
He took out a fruit and stuffed it into Vane's mouth, then tied it up with vines.
As Vane struggled, Gorth slowly crouched down and whispered:
"Don't blame me, fourth brother. The eldest brother is willing to spend a lot of money to teach you a lesson..."
"Hmm!?"
"That's enough. We'll run into each other again soon. Don't push things to the extreme."
Vane put him down, with a look in Wayne's eyes Vera seemed to be that of a savior.
"Aren't you right, boss?"
"That's true, this habit of his hasn't just started overnight..."
Amidst complex accents, the Beheaded emerges from the darkness.
Upon hearing the two men's pardon, Vane not only did not relax, but instead began to writhe violently like a maggot.
As expected...
"But!"
Gregor crouched down, making a fist with one hand and slowly approaching Vane.
"He may escape the death penalty, but he can't escape punishment. To prevent this from happening again, we should at least leave him with some lasting impression."
His palms were outstretched, and his wings trembled.
As Vane's vision bulged, the Ancestral Bug lunged at his face, crawling up his skin and into his clothes.
"Ugh!!" (A heart-wrenching groan)
"Oh dear... What a sin, what a sin."
Gorth turned his head away, unable to look any longer, and Vera gradually felt a pang of pity.
"Isn't this a bit too much?"
What if you're the one suffering next?
"... How about turning this Ancestral Bug into Attack Bug?"
Hearing Vera's emotionless voice, the two people still standing simultaneously shivered.
"Garlic Bird, Garlic Bird, if you strengthen him any more, he'll die."
Looking at Vane, whose eyes were rolling back and who was convulsing on the ground, Gregor said helplessly:
"Consider it desensitization training. You'll have to come into close contact with cockroaches when you go into the Dungeon, so why are you always afraid of them?"
"Let's just say that..."
Vera shook her head and looked at the Nursery.
"Your talent has matured, boss, have you received it yet?"
Gregor nodded, Gorth asked curiously:
"What random talent did the Fantastic Flower get this time?"
Fantastic Flower--
These plants, which were previously only available once in the game, can now be obtained repeatedly. Gorth gained an Ice Shield, while Vera gained enhanced photoelectric immunity.
Now--
"Well... I'd say it's a good match, right?"
Gregor raised his sword and looked at Vera.
"Second brother, fire two energy blades at me."
Vera didn't understand, but she did as she was told.
A purple arc of light flew out from the Hex Staff. Gregor swung his sword down, and the arc of light, which should have disappeared under the effect of the special ability, slightly increased in size and returned along its original path.
Vera raised her sword and killed him, exclaiming in delight:
"Melee weapon ricochet?"
[When using melee weapons to slash, bullets are no longer deflected; instead, they are ricocheted.]
"What a useful talent!" Gorth couldn't help but exclaim.
In Dungeons where bullet hell is the primary means of damage output, coupled with unrestricted slashing speed after being materialized, this talent can be considered a natural enemy of magic.
"I wonder if the talents of Beheaded and Paladins are shared," Vera worried about another aspect.
"It doesn't matter if it's not there, the refresh every 7 days is enough to make up for it all."
Gregor didn't care; he was more concerned about something else at the moment.
The Paladin's [Energy Shield] is an area-of-effect skill; ordinary projectile spells will be negated if they touch the edge of the area.
But with the added talent of Melee Reflect, can barrage spells be reflected by the field?
Gregor cared about this quite a bit.
The invincibility effect of the domain is powerful, but its excessively wide range leads to damage absorption too quickly, gradually increasing the risk of going berserk.
If the area can reflect spells, and then Holy Shield can be used to defend against melee attacks, then the possibility of going berserk is almost nonexistent.
Gregor silently memorized it and looked at the vending machine.
"What about the drinks this time?"
"Red wine." Gorth took it out from the shadows.
[Red wine effect: Increases maximum health by two after drinking.]
"Boss, would you like a drink?"
"Keep it... it might be useful for Ifrit's condition."
Gregor lifted Vane from the ground with one hand and looked around.
Personnel deployed--
Gregor [Beheaded / Paladin], equipped with [Holy Shield, Dark Grand Knight's Sword].
Vera [Necromancer], equipped with [Hex Staff, Demon King's Oath, Spare Crown]
Gorth [Druid], carrying weapons such as [Attack Horn, Void Sword, etc.]
Vane [Vampire], wielding the weapon [Breath of Death].
Aid providers--
Ten Percent Off: Combat power is practically nonexistent; translator and atmosphere-maker.
Yellow Giant Owl: Reconnaissance position, provides flight vision.
Ancestral Bug: Possesses some combat strength, primarily relying on innate abilities to provide evasion and defense.
Zekrom: A level 3 boss, a powerful support character.
Reshiram and Mandrake Flower: Did not participate in the battle.
What a star-studded lineup!
Are you ready?
Looking around, one sees calm, languid, or excited expressions.
"Then let's go."
Amidst a variety of responses, figures walked toward the teleportation portal.
The third Dungeon adventure begins.
Shirayuki, frost, and ice fields.
The relentless low temperatures have sculpted this desolate land; it is a forbidden zone for humans, but a paradise for ice and snow spirits.
"A map of the Snow Mountains, it brings back some memories."
He raised his hand to catch a falling snowflake, watching it melt in his palm, before turning Gorth gaze to the ceiling.
"How is it possible to have snowfall without any lighting or clouds...?"
"It's not important. We're here to clear the gates, not to investigate the ruins."
Exhaling a breath of cold air, Vera surveyed her surroundings.
"Unlike the initial room from the first time, is it really random after all?"
"Random is fine, as long as I don't encounter monsters face-to-face."
Touching the back of his head, which was frequently attacked, Gorth hoisted the still limp Vane onto his back.
"How should we proceed this time? Speedrun or loot?"
"Let's loot, and while we're at it, let's check if the map has refreshed."
Gregor set the tone and began dividing the teams.
"Third brother, you and fourth brother are in one group, second brother and I are in another, and Zekrom and the others will follow us first."
I have no objection.
After the groups were finalized, Vera reminded everyone as they separated:
"Be careful in the boss room. It seems most bosses are hiding now, so don't get ambushed."
"Understood, I'll summon my mount to share my health first."
"Okay, let Shadow Wolf come with us. It'll make it easier to rendezvous later."
"Learn."
The two groups separated at the intersection, Gregor's group continued forward, soon engaging the monster in battle.
Unsurprisingly, the Snow Mountain monsters on the first floor weren't too troublesome.
The only thing to watch out for is the Yeti's attacks; the forced freezing effect can definitely cause trouble.
But--
"Roar--!"
The dark figure, radiating incredible heat, charged relentlessly. Having always been suppressed in his training with Gregor, Zekrom was now truly experiencing the joy of the dragon charge.
The ice and snow melted, and the corpses were cremated.
The monsters couldn't even offer a moment's resistance, demonstrating the overwhelming power of the third-level lord.
Seeing that the frolicking baby dragon was about to fly towards another passage, Vera impatiently used time stop to pull it back.
"Don't go too far. If you run around like that again, you'll end up like your brother, stuck outside."
"Hold head high..."
Zekrom reluctantly flicked its tail, opened its mouth in disappointment, and burned the approaching yeti to ashes.
"You..."
Vera rubbed the dragon's head, then turned to look at Gregor was crouching down studying the miner's physical form.
What are you looking at?
"... They had no bodies."
"A monster? Isn't it normal that there's no corpse?"
Vera, confused, looked down at the ground.
Wisps of black smoke billowed from the melting mining equipment.
"That's not what I meant." Gregor shook his head.
"From beginning to end, I never saw their bodies..."
Gregor searched through the other equipment, but none of the miner-type monsters had physical bodies.
"Second brother, try to revive them. Humanoid monsters should have intelligence."
Vera realized something and immediately activated her skill.
Orange flames rose from the corpses, and the dead monsters were reborn from the flames.
The two men approached the motionless miner, lifted their goggles, and fell silent.
As Gregor suspected, there was no flesh behind the miners' goggles, only surging darkness and nothingness.
Something's not right...
Vera also noticed something was wrong.
They hadn't paid much attention before, but after fighting the Ashen Fire Dragon, they began to suspect that there might be a real world behind the Dungeon.
If that's the case, then the mining monsters must have originally been real miners.
"Varkolyn's doing?" Gregor guessed.
"No, Varkolyn should be controlling the monsters with poison."
Vera shook her head. Based on the limited plot of Soul Knight, she knew that many civilizations existed on the Vitality Continent.
Varkolyn, on the other hand, used poison to drive the lords of various civilizations into a frenzy, and by instigating war, allied with the UFOs to steal the Magic Stone.
"Was that the work of aliens?"
Gregor guessed again, then shook his head.
No, the UFOs cannot directly invade; even their army consists of mechanical soldiers whose consciousness is uploaded.
"Perhaps it was the work of another civilization."
The Vitality Continent is not monolithic; there are other civilizations besides the kingdom where the knights reside.
Lava monsters from volcanoes, snow monsters from the Snow Mountains, pirates from the sea, lost civilizations underwater... and even another mechanical continent and an ancient continent.
When the Dungeon, which had always been considered a copy, was set against a real world, Gregor began to question the Dungeon's purpose.
The Magic Stone... Why would such a priceless treasure, vital to the world, be sealed away in Dungeon?
If the monsters in the Dungeon are not what they originally looked like, then why did so many civilizations unite to form this fortress?
Gregor pondered quietly, the starlight at the center of his head constantly flashing.
"... Boss... Boss!?"
"Huh!? What's wrong?"
Gregor snapped out of his daze and saw Vera looking helpless in front of him.
"Stop worrying about it. We're not archaeologists. Let's just focus on doing our jobs."
"... Yes, you're right."
Gregor dismissed the speculation in his mind.
He's not some savior; protecting his brothers and getting them home is his primary mission.
"However, while the miners didn't have any corpses, the Yetis and Ice Crystal Bugs were quite normal."
As she spoke, Vera resurrected a Yeti.
With the help of Ten Percent Off translation, the two of them did indeed hear some vague information.
[Expel... Protect... The King...]
It was not conscious talk, but rather instinctive babbling.
Nevertheless, the limited information they had made them take it seriously.
"Wang... does he mean the King Snow Ape?"
Vera tried asking questions, but the Yeti didn't respond. She tested other Yetis, and got the same result.
"What a pity... I should have asked back then."
Gregor couldn't help but sigh.
As the first lord they encountered in the Dungeon, their battle with the King Snow Ape was rather hasty; in retrospect, they should have tried to communicate with it.
"No... perhaps it's not too late now."
Gregor was taken aback by Vera's words, then quickly realized what she meant and said:
You think the map won't refresh?
"You'll understand once you try it out."
Vera continued forward, and the group followed. The battle, which had been going around in circles, finally came to a stop.
After quickly cleaning up the monsters in the new room, Vera looked around with a delighted expression.
"What's wrong?"
Gregor was confused, so Vera pointed to the signs of battle around them.
"Boss, doesn't this look familiar?"
Gregor glanced around and was surprised to find that the battle marks around him were scorch marks.
But Zekrom didn't make a move just now, which means --
"This is what we left behind, or rather... it's an attack left behind by Ifrit."
After they finished speaking, the two fell silent.
This suggests that the map remains the same, and the resurrected King Snow Ape may still be located here.
While overjoyed, the two couldn't help but think of another problem.
Since the Dungeon itself doesn't respawn, what about the resources?
"Looks like I'll have to be more careful with my money from now on..."
"We still have to spend the money we need to; the extra money is useless to us anyway."
Vera, who has a large family to take care of, begins to worry, while Gregor, who is still single, is not.
As for now--
"Let's go find that guy first. Do you think he'll listen to you after he's resurrected?"
"Probably. If they don't listen, we'll just kill them again."
As they talked, the two walked toward the passage they remembered.
But before they even reached their destination, a message came through the group chat.
[Gorth: Gregor, boss, we've found the Boss room.]
The two stopped and looked at each other.
[Gregor: Which one?]
[Gorth: Image JPG]
The image shows a vast ice cave, with its surrounding rock walls covered in alternating ice crystals and translucent blue crystals.
Moreover, unlike the pristine white bricks and stones elsewhere, the ground here is quite rough, even covered with soil.
More like...
[Vera: The Mine?]
[Gorth: It seems so. We suspect that the iceberg in the very center is Crystal Giant Crab.]
The two examined the image again and finally spotted the mine that occupied almost half the frame; judging from its size, it was only the head of the mine.
[Gregor: It's bigger than I expected...]
[Vane: They're already called Crystal Giant Crab, so it's reasonable for it to be a bit bigger, right?]
[Gregor: It's back to normal?]
[Vane: Huh? Boss, what are you saying?]
[Vera: Have you lost your memory?]
[Gorth:... It was probably too painful, so the fourth brother deliberately blocked out that memory.]
[Gregor:6]
[Vane: I don't understand what you guys are talking about... So, bosses, are you guys coming or not? If not, I'm starting a raid now.]
[Gregor: etc.]
"Go straight there?"
Vera glanced at the road ahead; they were almost at their destination.
"Go ahead, you can come back later."
Gregor turned around, and the group followed suit.
Riding on the back of the Shadow Wolf, Vera glanced back.
"..."
Vera closed her eyes to rest, trying to give the command in her mind.
If you're still here, catch up.
"We're here! We've finally arrived!"
In front of the ice cave room, Gorth and his companion finally waited for the group to reunite.
"How's the situation?"
Gregor stepped forward to observe, and the sleeping iceberg was far more impactful than it appeared in the photograph.
As shown in the picture, the sleeping Crystal Giant Crab resembles a giant mine.
Transparent blue crystals with a beautiful luster are scattered across it, interwoven with the black rock formation.
If one didn't know the plot, no one would imagine that the mine in front of them was a terrifying monster.
"Looks like he's still sleeping. Should we try something sneaky?"
Call out--
Before Gregor could answer, a swift black shadow rushed inside.
"Roar--!"
A powerful Dragon's Roar accompanied by a sudden burst of flames shook the ice cave, and its master awoke.
"... Looks like there's no need to worry about it anymore."
Vane shrugged and jumped inside.
"Then I'll go too."
Gorth nodded and charged forward on his demon spirit.
"Ugh... none of them are any easy to deal with."
Vera, supporting her forehead, complained angrily:
"Boss, you should do something about this. If you really can't bear to do it, I'll take your place."
"..."
"Boss?"
Vera turned her head; Gregor's spot was empty.
Directly ahead, the Beheaded had already charged straight up along the lord's giant pincers.
Vera: "..."
With veins throbbing on her forehead, Vera followed, grumbling and cursing.
To be honest, after the previous battle with the Ashen Fire Dragon, the Crystal Giant Crab's defenses are indeed sturdy, and it shouldn't be able to hold them off for too long.
But the lord's reaction surprised everyone.
Initially, facing numerous attacks, the Crystal Giant Crab, who had just woken up and was immediately stunned by a barrage of blows, flew into a rage.
The giant pincers slammed down, causing the ice cave to tremble violently.
In an instant, countless thick crystal prisms surged in from all directions.
Everyone instinctively retreated, as the massive crystal pillars, each over ten meters tall, pierced straight at the Crystal Giant Crab in the center.
Suicide?
A question flashed through his mind, but in an instant, Vane understood what the Crystal Giant Crab was about to do.
"Buhao! Stop it!"
Amid Vane's exclamation, the crystal beams struck their targets.
But before the tragic attack that pierced itself occurred, Crystal Giant Crab did something that disgusted countless Soul Knight players.
It crouched down.
"Damn it!" x4
In an instant, the four men burst into angry curses.
As the lord of a village, the Crystal Giant Crab isn't actually that strong, but it has one mechanic that's disgusting even among the most awful monsters.
[The Crystal Giant Crab crouches down, protecting its face with its giant pincers; any attacks launched at this moment will restore its health.]
A Cancer's squatting posture can bring about miraculous healing.
Seeing the huge wound he had inflicted heal instantly, Vane couldn't help but curse.
"What kind of dung monster is this!"
Gorth, who was standing to the side, gave him a subtle look.
In terms of healing ability alone, aren't you two the same?
"What do we do now?" Gregor looked at his palm.
"Do you want me to turn back into Paladin?"
"No, no! Boss, are you trying to blow us up by changing back now?"
Vane, his face filled with terror, tried to stop him, then pointed at Vera.
"Why not just let the second brother do it? He can keep healing after the time stop, though it might be a bit tiring."
"I'm fine..." Vera pointed ahead.
"Then you have to get it up, otherwise no matter how much damage you inflict, it will be ineffective."
As if realizing that the people in front of it were no match for them, the Crystal Giant Crab remained still, its eyes hidden behind its giant pincers coldly staring at them.
[Incomprehensible hissing]
Can crabs talk?
Gorth was somewhat surprised and took out Ten Percent Off brochure, attempting to have it translated.
"Never mind that, let's think about how to turn it over first."
Vane released the Breath of Death, and Otherworldly Vortex condensed in his hand.
"I designed a powerful move before, now's the perfect time to test it out... What's that noise?"
Before Vane could even begin his experiment, the once quiet ice cave began to tremble violently once more.
The hissing Crystal Giant Crab narrowed its eyes and excitedly waved its massive pincers.
"Attack?"
The four were on guard, while Zekrom disdainfully prepared to retaliate with flames.
[Excited hissing!]
At this moment, even though they couldn't understand each other's languages, the four of them could feel the emotions of the Crystal Giant Crab.
It raised its massive pincers, as if to show off its power to this person.
The next moment...
Boom--!
As the four had anticipated, the attack came from below the Crystal Giant Crab.
The solid ice and rock shattered instantly, and the massive glacier surged upwards.
Amidst the crab's terrified and painful hissing, a giant hand rose from the ground and fiercely seized the crab's eyes.
"Roar--!"
With a familiar roar, excited and arrogant, the owner of the giant hand slammed the Crystal Giant Crab into the ground.
The next instant, a violent bombardment resounded.
One sound after another, like a giant hammer striking the rock wall.
Amidst this terrifying roar, the crab's hissing grew even louder.
Boom--!
[A scream of extreme agony!!]
The Crystal Giant Crab's enormous body soared high into the air, then tumbled and landed on the ground.
The enormous arthropods thrashed wildly, telling people of its suffering.
Where the eyes should have been prominent, one eyeball was completely empty.
"Roar--!"
The giant, dark blue hand gripped the ground, its five fingers digging in, and with a sudden burst of force, the eyeball it was holding exploded into flesh and blood.
In an instant, the enormous Behemoth, accompanied by the howling of ice and snow, leaped out from the ground and slammed heavily into the crab's belly.
With fists pounding against his chest, the overlord of the icy plains announced his arrival with blood.
"It really is you..."
The four people, stunned by the series of changes, finally came to their senses, Vera slowly stepped forward.
With a powerful slam of its fists, the giant crab groaned and sank into the ground.
Vera arrived at the battlefield of the Behemoth, and everything fell silent.
Amidst the howling wind and snow, the silvery-white Behemoth slowly bowed to its king.
"Long time no see, King Snow Ape."