All Talents Activated, Activated, Activated!

Third's figure materialized in the hall, and he immediately sensed the frozen atmosphere.

Before him, Second's face was livid, Fourth was hanging his head in dejection, while First resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption, lava churning restlessly within him.

He hurried forward and asked anxiously, "What happened? How did that child end up in the dungeon?"

"Ask him!" Second snapped, pointing furiously at Fourth, barely restraining her rage.

Fourth lowered his head even further, the air around him unusually oppressive.

Third's heart clenched. Knowing this was not the time to assign blame, he hurriedly tried to smooth things over:

"Now isn't the time for blaming anyone. The most important thing is—"

"And you're still making excuses for him!" Second abruptly cut him off.

"If he hadn't neglected his duties, how could that child have—"

[Enough!!!]

First's voice suddenly exploded in their minds. Sparks burst from his lava-made body as his emotions surged.

Everyone fell silent, leaving only suffocating tension behind.

First let out a heavy sigh, spraying scorching breath flecked with sparks.

[Now isn't the time to argue about who was right or wrong! We have to move quickly!]

[The dungeon's starting room usually has no monsters, but no one can guarantee that Ifrit hasn't wandered into a room with monsters!]

He looked at the three before him, his words resolute.

[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, you stay here and prepare to receive—]

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!" Second roared almost the instant First finished speaking.

Third and Fourth's expressions changed as well, and the previously quiet atmosphere became tense again.

"What do you take us for?!" Second demanded angrily.

"You're not afraid, so you think we'll be afraid?!"

[That's not what I meant!] First's temper flared at Second's attitude, and the gurgling of his rolling lava grew louder.

[Why are you shouting at me?! You know what I'm capable of, don't you?]

[What's wrong with the strongest one going into the dungeon? Or do you not trust me?!]

"Of course we trust you!"

[Then why are you stopping me?! I was clearly worried about you, so—]

"Because we're worried about you too!!!" Second's voice suddenly rose as she glared fiercely at First.

"You think you're the only one who cares about that child? The only one with a sense of responsibility? Is excluding us what you call 'worrying'?!"

"You self-important bastard!!!"

Second's roar echoed through the hall. First stared blankly at the emotional Second before him.

Third and Fourth stood silently at Second's side as well, confronting First in anger.

His determination to shoulder everything alone instantly crumbled before their unreserved concern.

Yeah... they were one whole. They always had been.

[...Sorry.] First's voice calmed somewhat.

[I was too full of myself.]

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across his brothers. There was no hesitation left in him.

[Then let's stop wasting words. Together, we—]

"Wait!"

Second spoke up, her sharp gaze suddenly turning toward Fourth.

"You'd better immediately remember exactly what plants are currently growing in the nursery, and what each one does!"

Fourth shrank back under Second's glare. Not daring to delay in the slightest, he rapidly recited them as if memorizing a lesson.

"Datura! Mandrake! Dragonfruit Tree! Cactus! Cordyceps! Mana Flower! Golden Mushroom! And one more... Wonder Flower."

After finishing, he looked cautiously at Second.

Second memorized the information, then immediately turned to Third and issued orders at a rapid pace.

"Third, go take every talent effect in the nursery right now!"

"Me?" Third froze for a moment and instinctively looked at First. "First is the strongest. These buffs should go to him for the greatest benefit..."

"No!" Second quickly interrupted him.

"Precisely because he's the strongest, these buffs will have the lowest marginal benefit on him!"

"And even if First is the strongest, we can't put all the pressure on him alone!"

"Now that we've become 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 too."

"As long as you're still standing, your army of summons will keep coming without end!"

"Your survival and condition directly affect our entire team's firepower and sustained combat ability! You have to prioritize keeping yourself safe!"

Third still wanted to argue. "But what about you? You're also—"

"I'm too weak! Do you really need me to spell it out?!" Second suddenly growled, unable to suppress the urgency in her voice.

"I'm not much use! I might barely even be able to protect myself!"

"So give these resources that can immediately increase combat power to the person who can put them to the greatest use! What's so hard to understand about that?!"

She practically roared the final sentence.

"Stop talking nonsense! Those talent plants are renewable resources!"

"Now. Immediately. Go absorb all of them! That's an order!"

Third was stunned by her almost harsh analysis, every word of protest lodged in his throat.

"...Understood." Third nodded heavily, turned, and sprinted toward the nursery.

In the nursery, as Third continuously touched the talent plants, one new talent after another gathered within him.

[Acquired—

Poison Shield: Immune to poison and slow 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 charging attacks and ground-spike traps.

Life Bonus: Increases maximum health by 4.

Mana on Kill: Restores 2 energy for every enemy defeated.

Shop Discount: Receive a 50% discount when purchasing items in shops.

Ice Shield (obtained from Wonder Flower): Immune to Frozen status and extends the duration enemies remain frozen.

Innate Talent: Strengthens pets and followers.

Pet: Datura]

The three brothers waited anxiously in the hall, their eyes fixed on the slowly rotating dungeon portal.

Every passing second was agony, as horrifying images of Ifrit encountering monsters in the dungeon kept surfacing uncontrollably in their minds.

Just then, steady footsteps came from the direction of the nursery passage.

They all turned to look.

Third's tall figure emerged from within, and compared to before, his bearing had subtly changed.

Faint glimmers of energy from different elements flowed around him. His back, once hunched from his skin's movements, had straightened, and his steps had become steadier and more powerful.

Second suppressed the anxiety in her heart and asked as calmly as she could, "How did it go?"

Third did not answer. He lowered his head to look at his hands, then slowly clenched them into fists.

His knuckles gave a faint crack, and a sense of abundant power surged endlessly through his body.

He could clearly feel the power of multiple elements flickering beneath his skin, while the overflowing vitality left him entranced.

There were no more grand declarations, and no more time for hesitation.

First stepped forward. The others quickly followed, arriving before the portal together.

[First: Are you afraid?]

Second: "...Stop wasting words."

Third: "Right now... I lack nothing!!!"

Fourth: "With all of us brothers going in together, who could stand against us!"

[Then let's go... just like before!]

"Into the dungeon together!" x4

Elsewhere in the dungeon.

Dim light flickered, illuminating rough walls and frost-covered ground.

Clutching her increasingly uncomfortable lower belly, Ifrit anxiously searched through the maze-like corridors.

Then she saw a figure standing at the corner of the passage ahead.

The person wore a dirt-yellow miner's uniform, a hard hat with a lamp on his head, and held a... huge drill?

"Um..."

Ifrit hurried over at a light jog and called out to the figure's back.

"Excuse me, do you know where the restroom is...?"

Miner: "..."

The other party gave no response, remaining 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.

Too desperate to care about manners, Ifrit reached out and patted him.

"Hey! Answer me!"

The instant her palm touched him—

"Click..."

A strange rotating sound came from inside the miner's body.

Ifrit's hand froze in midair.

The miner's rigid body began to turn with a grinding sound that made her teeth ache.

Beneath the brim of his hard hat, where a human face should have been, there was only bottomless darkness.

As he fully turned around, two scarlet points of light abruptly ignited in that darkness beneath the brim, locking firmly onto the small girl before him!

Ifrit: "!!!"

"Bzzzz—!"

The drill, nearly half the size of a human body, let out a dangerous shriek as it smashed down where Ifrit had just been.

Ifrit hastily dodged. The instant the drill touched the ground, the surrounding floor shattered.

Flying stones shot toward her like buckshot, slamming 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 pressed against the icy wall.

Miner: "..."

The other party still did not speak, merely 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 emitted another piercing buzz, making Ifrit tremble all over.

Those scarlet eyes remained locked on her, but this time the miner did not charge at her.

At the tip of the rapidly spinning drill, unsettling scarlet energy began to gather, its glow growing brighter and brighter.

In the blink of an eye, a red energy ball the size of a human head formed and shot straight toward Ifrit.

Fortunately, the energy ball was not especially fast. Ifrit hurriedly threw herself to the side to evade it.

"Boom!"

The energy ball slammed into the wall she had been leaning against and exploded instantly, releasing a powerful shockwave.

Ifrit only felt an invisible, enormous force slam into her. She was shoved violently to the ground.

Pain spread through her entire body at once, while the places struck by stone fragments burned fiercely.

But even more terrifying than the pain was the fear flooding into her heart like a tide.

He... he wants to kill me!

Why? I only asked for directions...

Am I going to die here? In this completely inexplicable place?

No! Don't!

Her turbulent emotions were like sparks falling into an oil depot, reigniting the restless power within her.

"Click... click..."

The miner approached step by mechanical step. His drill aimed at her again as energy began gathering anew.

"Y-you... don't come any closer!" Ifrit's voice trembled as she futilely shrank backward.

"I'm strong! I really will kill you!"

The miner remained silent, with only the hum of gathering energy as his response.

"I said don't come closer—!!!"

Driven by extreme terror and the instinct to survive, Ifrit let out a desperate shriek—

"Boom—!"

Scorching flames erupted from her petite body, tongues of fire thrashing wildly.

The Flame Demon fragment manifested once more.

However, before this newborn Flame Demon phantom could stretch its limbs and announce its arrival, a crimson sphere of energy that had just condensed shot straight into its face.

"Pfft—!"

The flaming body was struck directly by the energy sphere, instantly blasted through with a massive hole.

Scattered flames sprayed backward like exploding fireworks.

"Roar...?"

The Flame Demon phantom let out a startled roar. Recovering its senses, it angrily controlled the surrounding flames to fill the hole.

Just as it raised its head to unleash a roar of fury, it suddenly froze.

Its flame-forged head nervously darted its gaze around. After confirming that a certain lava troll had not appeared—

It immediately straightened up and directed all its rage at the miner before it.

"Roar—!! (Wretched insect!)"

It swung an arm made of pure flame, and a surging tide of fire swept toward the miner monster, instantly swallowing it whole.

The miner monster continued charging mechanically, but beneath the relentless scorching flames, it soon crashed to the ground and turned into a heap of charred fragments.

"Roar! (Pathetic!)"

The Flame Demon phantom let out a smug growl, its flames surging high as it proclaimed its victory.

However...

"Clank... clank..."

"Clank... clank..."

No one knew when it had begun...

From the deep darkness all around came more and more sounds, growing ever denser.

The scrape of metal, mechanical footsteps, the hum of energy, inhuman roars...

Within this dim, lightless labyrinth, the Flame Demon radiating firelight was now dazzlingly conspicuous.

And also...

So very enticing!