Third Brother's figure materialized in the hall, and he immediately sensed the frozen atmosphere.
Before him, Second Brother's face was livid, Fourth Brother hung his head in dejection, while Eldest Brother resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption, lava churning restlessly within him.
He immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously, "What happened? How did that child end up in the Dungeon?"
"Ask him!" Second Brother angrily pointed at Fourth Brother, her voice suppressing a blaze of fury.
Fourth Brother lowered his head even further, the atmosphere around him exceptionally heavy.
Third Brother's heart tightened. Knowing this was not the time to assign blame, he hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"Now isn't the time for blaming anyone. What matters most is—"
"You're still making excuses for him!" Second Brother abruptly cut him off.
"If he hadn't neglected his duty, how could that child have—"
[Enough!!!]
Eldest Brother's voice exploded in their minds, sparks bursting from his lava-made body in his agitation.
Everyone fell silent, leaving behind only suffocating tension.
Eldest Brother let out a heavy sigh, exhaling scorching breath laced with sparks.
[Now isn't the time to discuss who was right or wrong! We have to move quickly!]
[Although a Dungeon's starting room usually has no monsters, no one can guarantee that Ifrit didn't run into a monster room!]
He looked at the three before him, his words full of resolve.
[That child... I was the one who brought her back. The responsibility is mine.]
[I'll enter the Dungeon and bring her back. Until then, stay here and prepare to receive us...]
"What kind of stupid thing are you saying?!" Second Brother roared almost the instant Eldest Brother finished speaking.
Third Brother and Fourth Brother's expressions also changed, and the previously quiet atmosphere grew tense once more.
"What do you take us for?!" Second Brother demanded furiously.
"You're not afraid, so you think we would be?!"
[That's not what I meant!] Eldest Brother was also angered by Second Brother's attitude, the bubbling of his lava growing louder.
[Why are you yelling at me?! You know what I'm capable of, don't you?]
[What's wrong with having the strongest one among us venture into the Dungeon?! Or do you not trust me?!]
"Of course we trust you!"
[Then why stop me?! I was clearly worried about you all, so—]
"Because we're worried about you too!!!" Second Brother's voice suddenly rose as she stared fixedly at Eldest Brother.
"You think you're the only one who cares about that child? The only one with a sense of responsibility? Excluding us is what you call 'worrying'?!"
"You arrogant bastard!!!"
Second Brother's furious roar echoed through the hall. Eldest Brother stared blankly at the emotional Second Brother before him.
Third Brother and Fourth Brother stood silently at Second Brother's side as well, confronting Eldest Brother in anger.
His resolve to shoulder everything alone instantly crumbled before such wholehearted concern.
Yes... they were one whole. They always had been.
[...I'm sorry.] Eldest Brother's voice calmed somewhat.
[I was too self-righteous.]
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over his brothers. There was no longer any hesitation in his eyes.
[Then let's stop wasting words. Together, we—]
"Wait!"
Second Brother spoke up, her sharp gaze abruptly turning toward Fourth Brother.
"You'd better immediately remember exactly what plants are growing in the Nursery right now, and what every single one of them does!"
Fourth Brother shrank his neck under Second Brother's glare. Not daring to delay in the slightest, he rapidly recited them as though memorizing a text.
"Mandrake Flower! Mandrake! Dragon Fruit Tree! Cactus! Cordyceps! Magic Flower! Golden Mushroom! And one more... Fantastic Flower."
After listing them, he cautiously looked at Second Brother.
Second Brother memorized the information, then immediately turned to Third Brother and issued orders at a rapid pace.
"Third Brother, immediately go claim every talent effect in the Nursery!"
"Me?" Third Brother froze for a moment and instinctively looked at Eldest Brother.
"Eldest Brother is the strongest. Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to give those buffs to him...?"
"No!" Second Brother swiftly interrupted him.
"Precisely because he's the strongest, those buffs will have the lowest marginal benefit on him!"
"And even if Eldest Brother is the strongest, we can't put all the pressure on him alone!"
"After becoming real, our talents can't be shared, so we can only concentrate them on one person!"
"And as a Druid, your core combat strength lies in your summons. Your talents can be shared with them as well."
"As long as you're still standing, your summoned army can keep coming without end!"
"Your survival and condition directly determine our entire team's firepower and sustained combat ability! You must prioritize keeping yourself safe!"
Third Brother still wanted to argue. "But what about you? You're also—"
"I'm too weak! Do you really have to make me say it?!" Second Brother suddenly growled, unable to conceal the urgency in her voice.
"I won't be much help! I might barely even be able to protect myself!"
"So give these resources that can immediately boost combat power to the person who can make the greatest use of them! What's so hard to understand about that?!"
She practically roared the last sentence.
"Stop talking nonsense! Those talent plants are renewable resources!"
"Now, immediately, go absorb all of them! That's an order!"
Third Brother was stunned by her almost harsh assessment, every word of protest lodged in his throat.
"...Understood." Third Brother nodded heavily, then turned and sprinted toward the Nursery.
In the Nursery, as Third Brother continuously touched the talent plants, brand-new talents gathered within him.
[Obtained-- Poison Shield: Immune to poison and slowing effects. Increases poison damage against enemies. Fire Shield: Reduces explosion damage, grants immunity to fire, and increases fire damage against enemies. Thorn Shield: Immune to damage from Charge and ground-spike traps. Life Bonus: Increases maximum health by 4. Mana on Kill: Restores 2 energy for every enemy killed. Shop Discount: Items purchased in shops receive a 50% discount. Ice Shield (obtained from Fantastic Flower): Immune to the frozen status and extends the duration enemies remain frozen. Personal Talent: Pet and Follower Enhancement. Pet: Mandrake Flower ]
The three brothers waited anxiously in the hall, their gazes locked on the slowly rotating Dungeon portal.
Every passing second was torment, terrible images of Ifrit encountering monsters in the Dungeon surfacing uncontrollably in their minds.
Just then, steady footsteps came from the direction of the Nursery passage.
They all turned to look.
Third Brother's tall figure emerged from the passage, his aura subtly changed from before.
Faint glimmers of energy from different elements flowed around him. His once-hunched back had straightened, and his steps were steadier and more powerful.
Second Brother suppressed her anxiety and asked as calmly as she could.
"How did it go?"
Third Brother did not answer. He lowered his head to look at his hands, then slowly clenched them into fists.
His knuckles gave soft cracks, while the sensation of abundant power surged endlessly through his body.
He could clearly feel the power of multiple elements flickering beneath his skin, and the overflowing vitality fascinated him.
There were no more grand declarations, nor was there any more time to hesitate.
Eldest Brother stepped forward, and his brothers swiftly followed, arriving together before the portal.
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[Eldest Brother: Are you afraid?]
Second Brother: "...Stop wasting words."
Third Brother: "Right now... I lack nothing!!!"
Fourth Brother: "With us brothers fighting together, who could stand against us!"
[Then let's go... just like before!]
"Into the Dungeon together!" x4
The scene shifted to somewhere within the Dungeon.
Dim light swayed over rough walls and frost-covered ground.
Ifrit clutched her increasingly uncomfortable lower abdomen, anxiously searching through the maze-like corridors.
Just then, she saw a figure standing around the corner ahead.
The person wore an earth-yellow miner's uniform, a safety helmet with a lamp on his head, and held a... massive drill?
"Um..."
Ifrit hurriedly jogged over and called out to the figure's back.
"Excuse me, do you know where the restroom is...?"
Miner: "..."
The other party did not react at all, standing motionless like a statue.
Thinking he had not heard her, Ifrit had no choice but to raise her voice.
"Hey! Did you hear me or not? I really need to go!"
Miner: "..."
Still silence.
Ifrit was so anxious that she forgot about politeness and reached out to pat him.
"Hey! Answer me!"
The instant her palm touched him—
"Crack..."
An abnormal rotating sound came from inside the miner's body.
Ifrit's hand froze in midair.
The miner's stiff body began to turn, accompanied by a grating sound that made one's teeth ache.
Beneath the brim of his safety helmet, where a human face should have been, was a patch of bottomless darkness.
As he fully turned around, two scarlet lights abruptly lit up within that darkness beneath the brim, locking firmly onto the small girl before him!
Ifrit: "!!!"
"Bzzzz—!"
The drill, as large as half a person's body, emitted a dangerous shriek and smashed down toward where Ifrit had just been.
Ifrit hurriedly dodged. The instant the drill struck the ground, the surrounding floor shattered.
The flying stones shot toward her like buckshot, smashing hard into Ifrit's back. She cried out in pain and staggered several steps.
"Hey! I only asked for directions! Was that really necessary?!"
Ifrit shouted in shock and anger, backing away step by step until she hit the cold wall.
Miner: "..."
The other party still said nothing, walking toward Ifrit one step at a time.
"What is going on?! What kind of place is this?! It's all walls, and even the people are so strange!"
"Bzzzz—!!!"
The electric drill in the miner monster's hand let out another piercing buzz, making Ifrit's entire body tremble in fright.
Those scarlet eyes remained fixed on her, but this time, the miner did not charge over.
At the tip of the rapidly spinning drill, unsettling scarlet energy began to gather, its glow growing ever brighter.
In the blink of an eye, a red energy sphere the size of a human head formed and shot straight toward Ifrit.
Fortunately, the energy sphere was not particularly fast, and Ifrit hurriedly threw herself sideways to avoid it.
"Boom!"
The energy sphere slammed into the wall she had just been leaning against and instantly exploded, a powerful shockwave spreading outward.
Ifrit only felt an invisible, tremendous force slam into her. She was shoved away and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Pain instantly spread throughout her body, while the spots struck by the stones burned especially fiercely.
But even more terrifying than the pain was the fear flooding into her heart like a rising tide.
He... he wants to kill me!
Why? I only asked for directions...
Am I going to die here? Die in this inexplicable place?
No! Don't!
Her turbulent emotions were like a spark falling into an oil depot, reigniting the restless power within her.
"Crack... crack..."
The miner walked closer step by mechanical step, aiming the drill at her again as energy began gathering anew.
"Y-you... don't come any closer!" Ifrit's voice trembled as she futilely shrank back.
"I'm strong! I really will kill you!"
The miner remained silent, with only the hum of gathering energy in reply.
"I said don't come any closer—!!!"
Driven by utter terror and the instinct to survive, Ifrit let out a desperate shriek—
"Boom—!"
Scorching flames erupted from her petite body, tongues of fire dancing wildly.
Flame Demon fragments manifested once more.
Yet before this newly born Flame Demon phantom could stretch its limbs and announce its arrival, a crimson sphere of energy that had just condensed shot straight at its face.
"Pfft—!"
The flaming body was struck head-on by the energy sphere, instantly blasted through with a massive hole.
Scattered flames sprayed backward like bursting fireworks.
"Roar...?"
The Flame Demon phantom let out a startled roar. Recovering, it furiously controlled the surrounding flames to fill the hole.
Just as it was about to throw back its head and unleash a roar of rage, it suddenly froze.
Its flame-forged head nervously darted its gaze around, and after confirming that a certain Lava Giant had not appeared—
It immediately straightened up and directed all its fury at the miner before it.
"Roar—!! (You lowly insect!)"
It swung an arm made of pure flame, sending a surging wave of fire rolling toward the miner monster and instantly swallowing it whole.
The miner monster continued charging mechanically, but under the relentless searing heat, it soon crashed to the ground and turned into a pile of charred fragments.
"Roar! (Pathetically weak!)"
The Flame Demon phantom let out a smug growl, its flames surging as it proclaimed its victory.
However...
"Clack... clack..."
"Clack... clack..."
At some unknown point...
More and more sounds, growing ever denser, came from the profound darkness around them.
The scrape of metal, mechanical footsteps, the hum of energy, inhuman roars...
Within this dim, lightless labyrinth, the fire-lit Flame Demon was exceptionally conspicuous.
And also...
Exceptionally enticing!
Before you continue