As the saying goes, red and blue have always been a classic color pairing.
In a romance drama, such an unexpected encounter is often the beginning of a love story.
Unfortunately, although one of the protagonists, Zekrom, is very tempted by the body of the Cave Ice Worm, it is only in a physical sense.
"Roar--!"
The crimson dragon flames shot straight at its face, the terrifying heat scalding the mouthparts of the Cave Ice Worm and causing them to retract inwards.
Knowing that this was a formidable enemy they had never encountered before, the Cave Ice Worm immediately burrowed into the rock strata.
The relentless dragonfire scorched the rock wall and ignited the remaining tails of the Ice Worms.
Sensing the energy rapidly draining from its body, the highly intelligent Ice Worm immediately chose to sever its own tail.
After a brief moment of panic, he realized just how tiny the so-called great enemy was.
A simple estimate led to the conclusion regarding the Cave Ice Worm.
You can kill them!
The giant crabs above the rock strata were still digging, the rumbling of the rock walls echoing, but the Cave Ice Worm remained completely still.
Just as Zekrom was about to incinerate everything around it, the rock above it rippled like water.
The Ice Worm, which had been lying in wait for a long time, opened its mouth wide and charged downwards like a missile.
Clang--!
The special attack of the Flame Titanium Sword was activated, and illusory crimson wings enveloped Vane's body.
Before them, the spiral-shaped ice teeth of the Cave Ice Worms spun like chainsaws, yet they could not break through this impenetrable barrier of sighs.
"Oh? You can even launch sneak attacks?"
Upon realizing what was happening, Zekrom roared in fury, and seeing that its attacks could not break through its defenses, the Cave Ice Worm immediately considered retreating.
But it was clear that he didn't understand the skills of the Flame Titanium Sword.
The strength of the counterattack after a defensive maneuver... is determined by the number of blocks.
"Full Counterattack!"
As Vane's excited voice faded, countless bloody hands emerged from the top of the cave, their dense numbers resembling the red spider lilies of the underworld.
Although they have no sight, the intense vibrations transmitted through the rock walls alerted the Cave Ice Worms to the danger.
Before he could dive into the ice, countless bloody hands, like long snakes, stabbed out and forcibly pulled him from the rock wall, slamming him hard into the ground.
The ice layer cracked, Daichi collapsed.
Before the Cave Ice Worm could recover from their dizziness, a tremendous whooshing sound descended from the sky.
[Excited hiss!] x2
With the exhilaration of beating a drowning dog, Giant Crab Twins descended from the sky and slammed into Ice Worm's back.
"Sand--!"
Its enormous body swayed wildly as the Cave Ice Worm tried to entangle the Crystal Giant Crab, using its blade-like ice shards to cut through its shell.
At the same time, the two Cancers made the same choice.
Crouch down to protect your eyes.
As the ice shards tore apart, the two giant crabs' previously damaged armor was instantly restored.
"Sand--!"
[Ice Worm profanity!] It's you two disgusting bastards again!
The attack had no effect, but fortunately, the Cave Ice Worm managed to withdraw its body while the crab was defending, and immediately changed its strategy.
As a long-time rival of the Cancer, he naturally knew the weaknesses in their defenses.
Just burrow underground and overturn them from below...
"This place is already full."
Rumble--
The four people who had fallen had already arrived at the battlefield before the Ice Worms burrowed into the ground.
The shadow beneath Gorth's feet expanded, and a giant, bluish-black fist emerged from it, slamming hard into the face of the Cave Ice Worm.
Amidst screams of agony, two enormous ice fangs spun and flew to the ground.
Upon seeing someone initiate a group chat, both Cancers stood up simultaneously.
The giant pincers slammed down, and crystal and gold pillars rose up from the ground, imprisoning the enormous body of the Cave Ice Worm.
Pain, panic, fear.
The Cave Ice Worms had never been so disheveled.
In the chaos, all available power surged forth.
The ice cave trembled violently, and icicles fell from the sky.
On the Ice Worm's body, the upright ice crystals glowed with points of crimson light, and a barrage of blood-red bullets rained down.
The bruised face rose again, following the scent of blood, and bit down hard on the King Snow Ape's shoulder.
Unfortunately, this was a gang fight.
The flames transformed into a sea of fire, and the dragon's flames swept away the ice pillars.
The twisted giant tree lashed out wildly, shattering the barrage of bullets along with the ice crystals covering its body.
Within the time-stopped light screen, dazzling lightning burst forth from his head and neck.
The frantic struggle abruptly ceased, and fine lines of lightning illuminated various parts of the Cave Ice Worm.
Vera landed mid-air, and the segments of the Cave Ice Worm scattered with her.
[A hesitant, murmured sound?]
The Crystal Giant Crab picked up the Ice Worm's corpse with its pincers, wondering why the battle had ended so quickly.
Seeing this, Gregor, who had originally intended to emulate the powerful Skull-Splitting King Snow Ape, could only regretfully put down the insect head he was holding.
"Easy as pie, so easy!"
Shouldering the Flame Titanium Sword, Vane kicked at the pieces of corpse on the ground.
"How boring, Cave Ice Worm. I think I'll forget about you soon."
"Get out of the way, what are you so smug about, you're barely dealing 10% damage?"
Pushing Vane, Vera began the work of resurrection.
"You can't calculate it like that. If you do it that way, the boss's output is still 0%."
"... I'm so sorry the output was zero."
Gregor tapped Vane on the head and quietly retrieved the shield he had thrown.
I subconsciously used [Explosive Flying Shield], almost forgetting that I was using a new mecha.
"Just kidding~ So many people ganging up on the Cave Ice Worm is already giving the hidden boss a lot of face."
Adjusting his hat, Vane glanced around in confusion.
"Isn't this the Boss room? Why haven't the portal and treasure chest appeared yet?"
"It might take a while."
Gorth answered casually, and began examining the minerals on the Cave Ice Worm.
Unlike the Magic Crystal Ore of the Crystal Giant Crab, the new mineral resembles ice but has an unprecedented hardness.
"It's much longer than I expected; the whole body is almost 50 meters long."
"Is it long? I think it's a bit short." Vane turned his head.
"I remember this boss can grow larger by consuming ice ore; I was all set to fight the Behemoth."
"Wouldn't an excessively large size increase energy consumption? Perhaps he needs to control his energy expenditure."
"Who knows? Just ask this bug when it comes back to life."
Nodding, Gorth looked at Vera, who hadn't made a move yet.
"What's wrong? Are you running out of mana?"
"No..." Vera shook her head.
"This guy... seems unable to be resurrected."
"Um?"
The group was startled and immediately moved closer to observe.
Enveloped in the flames of resurrection, the fragments of the Cave Ice Worm remained completely unresponsive.
"No way? The Dungeon's difficulty level has increased so quickly?"
Vane clutched his head and wailed:
"Monsters having intelligence is one thing, but Dungeon with anti-theft measures is just too outrageous!?"
"No, it shouldn't be Dungeon."
Observing these pieces of corpse, Gregor guessed:
"A worm... it won't die even if its body is severed, right?"
"..." x4
The four of them turned around at the same time and looked at the King Snow Ape.
Where's the head?
The Great Snow Ape King instinctively covered its head, then pointed to the ground after realizing what had happened.
Isn't it right there?
The four remained silent. The Ape King lowered his head, and despite being the lord who ruled over extreme cold, beads of cold sweat trickled down his skin.
On the ice surface, the Ice Worm's head, which should have been there, has disappeared.
No... it's gone!
Vane: "This guy's pretty intelligent, he even knows how to play dead?"
Gorth: "I've been tricked..."
Gregor: "Is it the ability to blend into the ice?"
Vera: "... Looks like I'll have to cut it vertically next time."
The King Snow Ape scratched his head in confusion. Despite losing sight of their target, the four of them didn't seem worried at all.
After all...
"He may run away, but he can't hide. Even if we turn the whole map over, I refuse to believe we can't find him."
Vane turned and walked towards the cave entrance. Gregor called out:
"You're going to act alone?"
"Don't worry, it's just a head left, what kind of trouble can it cause?"
Seeing Vane walk further and further away, Vera sighed:
I went to see him.
Vera disappeared from sight, and the two exchanged a glance. Gorth spoke first.
"Want to come together? This map happens to have something I'd like to collect."
"... good."
Gorth summoned the Shadow Wolf, and Gregor scratched its chin before mounting it.
"Gurgle~"
The group of figures departed in another direction, while on the other side, Vane was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
Not long after leaving, Vane encountered a monster unique to the cave map.
Its enormous body floated in mid-air, composed of ice-blue crystals.
The beast-like head and sharp, massive claws made Vane cry out:
"Mon3tr? You've come to the Dungeon too?"
"Ha--!"
The ice pillars that pierced the ground were blocked by the titanium blade, while the ever-expanding lightning blade flew out from behind, slicing the enemy vertically in half.
What are you hesitating for? Why aren't you fighting back?
Vera frowned and stepped forward to check if the enemy, who had been torn in two, was dead.
"It's alright, it's alright, I won't get hurt anyway."
Vane waved his hand and pointed to the ground with great interest.
"Let's revive it; the Crystal Giant's combat power is still quite good."
Yes, this monster that resembles Mon3tr is called the Crystal Giant, and like the Fire Grand Knight, which is also an elemental life form, it is a major monster in the cave map.
"What are you thinking about now? Don't we have enough Fire Grand Knights by the boss's side?"
"What are you talking about? The Flame Demon has returned, so why can't the Icewing Demon be sent back to the factory?"
"The meaning is unclear..."
Vane did not answer, but continued hunting, constantly presenting Vera with new material.
Although she didn't understand the Icewing Demon that Vane mentioned, Vera still resurrected the crystal Giants on the ground.
"They've been resurrected, what do you intend to do with them?"
"Hmph... of course it's very useful!"
Vane rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a piece of Originium.
As we all know, Mon3tr, although a Spine that has come to life, can also transform into a beautiful girl.
Then... a crystal Giant resembling Mon3tr wouldn't be out of the question!
So--
"You're a beautiful girl, you're a beautiful girl, you're a beautiful girl, you're a beautiful girl..."
Vane muttered to himself, bringing the Originium he was holding closer and closer to him.
"You're a beautiful girl... Now's the time!"
Pieces of Originium were stuffed into the crystal Giant's mouth, and Vane raised his hands and shouted.
"Transform!"
"Get the Originium beauty pack! I want white hair, red eyes, 160cm+ tall, 50kg, big freak, long legs, mature woman type... Pfft!"
With a single punch, Vera knocked him to his knees, then grabbed Vane by the neck with a ferocious expression.
"I thought you had some other ideas... but it turns out you just wanted to use my abilities to do something like this!?"
"Cough cough..." Vane reluctantly raised his hands in surrender.
"Actually, I have other ideas."
Taking a deep breath to force herself to calm down, Vera gritted her teeth and decided to give this guy another chance.
"... explain."
"If you're not the mature, older woman type, a young girl is fine too."
Vera: "..."
"Not even a young girl? What about that girl...?"
"Go to hell! You hopeless scum!"
Boom--!
The cave trembled as ice spikes fell, smashing to pieces on Gorth's bones.
"There's a lot of commotion on the second brother's side. Did he run into the Boss?"
"I guess so."
Raising his shield to block the ice spikes for Gorth, Gregor looked at the shattered mech on the ground and said:
"Is this what you've been looking for?"
"Well, after all, this kind of mech only appears in cave maps."
[Sentry Piloted Mech]
As a unique monster found only in cave maps, it is one of the few special monsters whose "human-carrying" feature is included in its design.
Although Vane promised to retrieve the equipment from the sea, Gorth was not going to just wait idly.
He had seen the efforts of Talulah and the others, Gorth believed it was time to offer them some strong support.
With the Sentry Piloted Mech as a blueprint, and other armor blueprints used for modification, the workload and error rate will be greatly reduced.
The skill was activated, and the vines instantly grew into a giant tree, pulling in the monsters that were about to attack from a short distance away.
Work Mining Robots, unlike Sentry Piloted Mech, are fully automated mining machines.
Gorth decided to study it together.
Even if you can't fully understand it, its armor and weapons are still valuable resources.
Watching Gorth fiddling with the parts and shaping them into forms he couldn't understand, Gregor felt a surge of emotion.
Although not much time had passed, the brothers had changed so much that they were completely different people from before.
Before they could even decide to change the world, it seemed the world had already changed them.
Is this a good thing...?
"Incredible..."
Gorth's murmur drew attention back, and Gregor continued:
Is there anything strange about it?
Gorth stood up and put the parts into the shadows.
"The internal structure of these automated machines is actually not complicated. Although they are automated, they do not have Crystal Core support; instead, they are spherical terminals."
What does this mean?
"This means that the world of Yuanqi follows a completely different technological path, perhaps because it's mixed with magic?"
"Isn't the [Doctor] on the second floor a proper scientist? I remember she even researched wormhole detectors."
"That's why it's incredible that these civilizations, with completely different development paths, actually came from the same world and have even merged perfectly together."
Gorth couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"If all of this were just a trip, I'd love to witness firsthand the true meaning of the collision between technology and magic."
"Unfortunately, based on the words of the time-traveling ninja, even if people a hundred years from now master time travel technology, they will still not be able to unlock the mysteries of magic."
Gregor patted Gorth on the shoulder.
"So let's explore those later; it's time to continue the sweep."
"... Yes, you're right."
Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Gorth calmed down and focused on expanding the shadows.
With the logistical support of the Crystal Giant Crab, the Black Forest aggressively devoured the Dungeon's territory.
Such a blatant act could not possibly escape the notice of the Cave Ice Worms hiding in the cave.
He, who was previously only a head, now seems to have returned to normal, and even his body has grown considerably.
But the Cave Ice Worm knew that this was just an illusion.
What sets him apart from the many Ice Worm larvae is not only his intelligence, but also his unique talent.
The ability to grow stronger by consuming ice ore naturally comes with its own burdens.
As some people guessed, the larger the body, the more energy it consumes, and the more high-quality minerals are needed to break through the limit of size.
Without sufficient magic and minerals, even the glittering ice spikes are nothing more than ordinary ice blocks that shatter at the slightest touch.
But now... his capital for recovery is gradually disappearing.
The Cave Ice Worm knew they couldn't just sit and wait to die.
"Sand..."
Special organs on both sides of the head emitted a buzzing sound, and the peculiar sound waves traveled through the entire cave along the rock strata.
"Um?"
On the ground, Gorth paused in his forward movement.
"What's wrong?" Gregor, becoming alert.
"Monsters are coming! Lots of them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dense rustling sound came from all the surrounding rock walls.
The next moment, a scene that sent chills down their spines unfolded.
Dense cracks appeared on the rock wall, and ferocious mouthparts emerged from them—hundreds and thousands of Ice Worm larvae.
[Wendigo profanity!]
One after another, writhing maggots fell like dumplings, and Gorth's expanding shadow suddenly froze, then quickly retracted.
"The third brother?"
Gregor turned around in surprise and saw Gorth bent over, retching.
As he had mentioned to Vane earlier, Gorth absolutely hated putting living things in the shadows.
A few bosses were already the limit of my patience, and now these dense swarms of Ice Worms...
He really felt like throwing up.
"Hold on, I'll take them down right away!"
Noticing his brother's discomfort, Gregor stepped forward.
With the Holy Shield slung across his back, the Dark Grand Knight now displayed his unparalleled martial prowess.
Kneel, step forward, charge.
The crimson storm swept through the land unchecked, instantly shredding the Ice Worms into pieces.
But as Gregor went away, the Cave Ice Worms that had been lurking there began to stir.
Gorth immediately sensed something was wrong and just raised his hand.
"Be careful, boss!"
Boom--!
The enormous Ice Worm, which had more than doubled in size, slammed into Gregor, carrying him toward the rock wall.
Without Gorth's prompting, Gregor's innate fighting instincts made him raise his shield to defend himself.
Just as he was bracing himself for the impact of the rock wall behind him, the Cave Ice Worm activated its ability, pulling Gregor into it along with it.
It's a wonderful feeling.
The rock face, which should have been solid, parted like water from both sides, but Gregor had no time to care about anything else at that moment.
The Cave Ice Worm carried him rapidly downwards; were they planning to bury him deep underground?
Actually, that's not the case.
For the Cave Ice Worm, his only goal was to separate and defeat everyone.
Since the body has not yet recovered, it's natural to choose the weakest one.
Therefore, Gregor, who had not caused any damage in the previous battle, became the first choice.
Gregor was unaware of the Cave Ice Worm's intentions and was currently comforting his brothers in the group.
Just as he was worrying that his transformation might cause the entire cave to collapse, the surrounding light suddenly brightened.
After landing, the Cave Ice Worm carried Gregor to the real boss room.
"Sand--!"
The lord of the ice cave roared at Gregor, vowing to bury him there.
"... one-on-one?"
Not understanding the mind of the Cave Ice Worms, Gregor treated this as a duel.
The roaring Cave Ice Worm froze, as if it were its imagination; something seemed off about the creature in front of it.
With one of his twin swords strapped to his back, Gregor held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, and an inexplicable aura began to rise within him.
"Come."
Suppressing their fear, the Cave Ice Worm launched a tentative attack.
A dense barrage of ice spikes rained down on Gregor.
The Holy Shield radiates light, and under its golden field, all attacks instantly turn back as if defying the laws of physics.
Boom!
The dense attacks backfired on the Cave Ice Worm, which, in its anger, realized that ranged combat was useless.
Then let's fight in close combat!
Its massive form sank into the ground without causing any tremor, rushing towards Gregor like a ghost.
The ice beneath his feet rippled like water, and Gregor immediately jumped backward.
The massive body of the Cave Ice Worm suddenly twisted and turned at an extremely fast speed toward Gregor's location.
His physical structure allows him to adjust his position at will, making dodging futile.
Then block it head-on!
Gregor raised his shield to meet the attack, and a second before the Ice Worm was about to strike, he unleashed a skill to kick the ground.
[Spartan Kick]
Beheaded's Only Skill
Kick the enemy hard; if the enemy hits a wall or other enemy, it will cause additional damage.
It doesn't sound impressive, but even such a simple skill has an amazing attribute.
Invincible during a flying kick.
Boom--!
The massive head slammed into the shield, but Gregor remained unmoved, while the Ice Worm's body jerked violently upwards.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Ice Worm was stunned, Gregor raised his sword-wielding hand backward.
Since a flying kick is considered a skill, then... what if it's performed with your hands?
"Sand--!"
With a swift strike, the Cave Ice Worm's ferocious mouthparts were almost completely severed, causing it to violently rear up in pain.
Not missing a good opportunity, Gregor slammed his foot into the ground and sprang up instantly.
The skill's radiance once again enveloped his arm, and another horizontal slash followed the previous wound, nearly slicing the Ice Worm's head into flower petals.
Its enormous body writhed wildly as the Ice Worm howled and tried to burrow into the ice.
He remembered! He remembered what that feeling was like!
When he was still a cub, those little men dressed in tin... were their leaders!
"Escape?"
Seeing the Ice Worm's movement, Gregor leaped up again.
They fell vertically, their feet landing squarely on top of the Cave Ice Worm.
In an instant, the rippling water vanished without a trace, and the enormous body of the Cave Ice Worm froze in place.
[Spartan Kick Follow-up Effect: Enemies kicked into the air will be stunned upon colliding with a wall.]
It is known that the skill has no cooldown.
Secondly, reality is not a two-dimensional picture; the ground can also be regarded as a wall.
Conclusion: An attack from above causes the enemy to collide with the Daichi, resulting in stun.
Therefore, the equation holds true.
The radiance of the Holy Shield gradually faded, and the crimson light on the black sword began to glow.
Under this light, the Beheaded's cross-shaped star gradually turned blood-red, intertwining with the knight's phantom behind him.
Feeling its stiff, immobile body, the Cave Ice Worm let out a humble sigh.
"Sha... (Sigh... Can we make peace?)"
There was no response; a cross-shaped beam of crimson light flashed across the sky.
As the Ice Worm's head, now split into four pieces, landed, a portal and a treasure chest rose from the ground.
Thanks to the Cave Ice Worm, this hardworking lord has shown us with his life.
The seemingly weakest member of an oddball team...
That's often the biggest cheat.