Meeting of the Four

Their senses were violently tugged about, space seemingly crushed and reassembled by an invisible hand.

The next moment, his heavy lava body suddenly felt light, and the scorched stench of the Rhine Lab ruins was replaced by a familiar, tranquil atmosphere.

The focus of his perception cleared again, revealing the utterly familiar Soul Knight lobby before his eyes.

Aside from the absence of familiar figures in their usual spots, everything else was exactly the same as when they played together online.

"Boss, you're awake? You're already a pretty girl now!" A voice with an eminently punchable tone rang out.

Boss turned toward the voice and saw a figure standing before him with his hands on his hips.

The man wore dark red and black hunter's attire. A cynical smile rested on his pale face, while his scarlet pupils glimmered faintly in the dimly lit lobby. He also had an absurdly huge scythe slung over his shoulder—

It was the appearance of the Soul Knight Vampire skin, "Red Shadow Verdict: Vane." Only, the soul within that body now belonged to Fourth Brother.

Fourth Brother lightly poked Boss's hardened lava body with the shaft of his scythe.

"Boss, that look of yours is pretty unique. Can you still feel that ■■ exists?"

Boss instinctively wanted to curse him out, but all that rolled from his throat was a deep growl.

Fourth Brother froze. "This skin can't even speak human language?"

At that moment, another voice came from nearby, carrying a hollow exhaustion.

"He may have spoken. We just couldn't understand him."

Boss turned and saw the speaker. She was a tall woman...

She wore a midriff-baring outfit and torn black stockings that outlined a fiery, alluring figure. A cursed staff wrapped in an ominous aura floated beside her.

—It was the Necromancer skin, "Orange Flame Demon Eye: Vera."

"You're... Second Brother!?"

Boss's shocked voice exploded through the mental link, several fragments crumbling from his lava jaw.

"Hahahaha!" Fourth Brother laughed even more wildly, nearly unable to hold onto his scythe. "I told you Boss would be shocked! Second Brother, that skin of yours... tsk tsk, every shut-in's dream!"

"Shut up!"

Second Brother's voice was clearly embarrassed and annoyed. She instinctively tried to push up glasses that did not exist, then awkwardly lowered her hand halfway through.

"Is this really the time to discuss that? Boss, how are your injuries?"

Her reminder abruptly brought back the agonizing pain of having his body pierced by calcium crystal spikes.

He lowered his head toward his waist and abdomen. The huge cavity he had dug into himself was gone, and his lava shell was as intact as ever.

"I'm fine... It should be the effect of my skill..."

Boss stood and looked around. The materialized lobby felt exceedingly empty.

"Where's Third Brother? Why can't I see him?"

"I'm here..."

A timid voice cut in.

Only then did Boss notice the enormous figure standing in the darkness at the corner of the lobby.

It was a monster with a mighty deer's head and a towering body, black from head to toe, its deadwood-like antlers covered in candle flames—

It was the Druid skin, "Forest Envoy: Gorth."

At the moment, the enormous deer-headed monster looked rather lost.

"Third Brother, why are you standing so far away? Come over," Boss called through the link.

Third Brother hesitated before finally taking heavy steps and slowly walking over.

As he fully entered the light, the group could finally clearly examine what they all looked like now—

A ferocious Flame Demon, a fiery Necromancer, a gorgeous Vampire, and... a bizarre deer-headed creature.

The surreal sight made the atmosphere stiffen for a moment.

Then, Second Brother's voice suddenly sounded in a low murmur.

"So... we really did transmigrate..."

Hearing that, Third Brother instinctively lowered his head and looked at the claws covered in black fur and hard hoof armor. His voice carried undisguised fear.

"And we became monsters..."

Boss sighed, puffing out a small cluster of sparks carrying the scent of sulfur.

Clang—

Everyone turned toward Fourth Brother at once. He was trying to open the pixel-style refrigerator in the corner.

"What the hell? Why is there nothing in this fridge?"

He slammed the refrigerator door shut, then knocked on its exterior with the shaft of his enormous scythe, producing a series of clangs.

"..." x3

Second Brother rubbed her forehead helplessly. "How could there possibly be anything..."

Fourth Brother's interruption scattered much of the heavy, oppressive mood.

Second Brother took a deep breath and clapped her hands together in front of her chest with a crisp sound, drawing everyone's attention.

"Enough. Don't be so depressed. Now that things have come to this, blaming fate is useless." Her voice returned to calm. "It's time to sort out the information properly."

She looked around at the other three and spoke methodically.

"First, we can confirm that we have become the characters we controlled in Soul Knight, with the appearances, powers... and possibly even background settings granted by their respective skins."

She looked at Boss. "Boss, your flame abilities clearly came from the 'Hell Axe: Gregor' skin."

Boss nodded and opened his lava palm. A small ball of searing flame burned quietly in his hand, proving her point.

"I have a question!" Fourth Brother suddenly raised his hand, wearing an expression of utmost seriousness.

Second Brother looked at him with a trace of helplessness. "Speak."

Fourth Brother pointed at Second Brother's current fiery and alluring Necromancer body, his tone brimming with academic curiosity.

"Your current appearance... uh, that thing of yours... is it still there?"

The air instantly froze.

Second Brother's body trembled, and her Demon Eye suddenly lit up with a dangerous red glow.

"That question... is completely unimportant!"

Fourth Brother seemed oblivious as he nodded to himself.

"Oh, so it isn't."

"I'll smash yours right now!"

Second Brother roared, raising the seemingly heavy cursed staff and making as if to charge at Fourth Brother.

Fourth Brother let out a strange scream. He hurriedly mimed zipping his mouth shut, then ducked behind Boss's burly lava body.

"Enough. Stop messing around."

Boss's deep voice rang through the link as he used his shield to block Second Brother's symbolic swing of her staff.

Second Brother withdrew her staff, though her Demon Eye continued to glare menacingly at Fourth Brother.

After that farce, the atmosphere was somewhat chaotic, but most of the initial heaviness and panic had indeed dissipated.

Second Brother forcibly calmed herself and brought the conversation back on track.

"Back to the point. Aside from our appearances and powers, we have retained the skills from the game."

"Boss used [Energy Shield] just now, and Third Brother summoned... uh, a deer-headed monster?"

Third Brother quietly added, "It was [Summon Bear], the Druid's third skill."

"Right." Second Brother nodded. "Fourth Brother and I haven't tested our skills yet, but they should theoretically exist as well. They are essential assets for our survival in this world."

The moment Fourth Brother heard about testing skills, he perked up.

"Then should we try them right now? There are ready-made targets here!"

"Don't rush." Second Brother sighed.

Boss extended his huge hand and grabbed Fourth Brother's shoulder, intending to pull him back.

"Ahh—!! Hot hot hot hot!! Boss is on fire! Your hand! Take your hand off!" Fourth Brother immediately let out a string of miserable screams, frantically patting at the cloak fabric on his shoulder, which had been branded with a handprint and was giving off blue smoke.

Boss guiltily withdrew his hand, looked at his steaming palm, and gave a dry cough through the link.

[Sorry. I didn't notice the temperature.]

Second Brother ignored the little incident and continued her calm analysis.

"According to the information Fourth Brother provided, Saria is already considered among the upper ranks of combat power in this world."

"Then, judging by the fact that Boss could contend with her head-on... we should possess at least some ability to protect ourselves here."

"But survival is more than just fighting." Second Brother looked around at the other three, her tone turning serious. "Now we need to consider other, more basic but equally deadly problems."

Almost the instant her words fell, the four of them gave different answers in unison, based on their personalities and circumstances—

Boss: "Language." (He had just suffered badly from not being able to understand human speech.)

Second Brother: "Information." (The information gap was the greatest danger.)

Third Brother: "Food..." (His experiences on the Ursus Tundra had made him extremely sensitive to survival supplies.)

Fourth Brother: "Girls!"

"..." x3

Second Brother's Demon Eye narrowed dangerously, locking onto the innocent-looking Fourth Brother.

"Uh," Fourth Brother hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. "I mean... reliable local guides! Yes, guides! Preferably pretty ones, so we can integrate into society faster..."

Second Brother slowly raised her staff, her voice terrifyingly calm.

"I think before discussing food, language, and information, we should deal with the 'hazardous waste' within our team."

"Boss, save me!"

Fourth Brother cried out and hid behind Boss's broad body again.

Boss was helpless. "Enough. Be serious... The guide issue can wait."

"Our current priorities are language, information, and food."

He looked at Second Brother. "Language requires systematic study. Do you have any ideas?"

Second Brother glanced at Fourth Brother, signaling for him to explain.

Fourth Brother: "Ahem! Most countries in this world are based on countries from reality, including Huaxia."

Third Brother: "So we can speak Chinese?"

Fourth Brother: "No. Victorian—or rather, English—is the common language."

Boss nodded. They were university students, after all. They should be able to handle ordinary English conversation, right?

He looked at Third Brother again. "Food... Do these bodies of ours still need to eat? If so, what should we eat?"

Third Brother froze and instinctively touched his furry belly.

"Now that you mention it, I don't feel hungry at all..."

Second Brother guessed, "Perhaps it has something to do with us being game characters. After all, there's no hunger meter in the game."

Boss lowered his head and looked at his body. "Even if I did need to eat, I can't imagine what I could eat. Lava?"

Shaking his head, Boss returned to the main topic.

"In any case, we need to understand this world better—meaning information. Fourth Brother, you're our main source of intelligence."

Fourth Brother poked his head out from behind Boss. "Ahem, as for information... what I know is really just what happened in the game's plot, and I can't remember many details clearly. But I still remember the general picture..."

(During the explanation...)

The group fell silent. Boss spoke gravely.

"This world is way too dangerous, isn't it?"

Fourth Brother nodded. "Isn't that the truth? After all, this land has never lacked suffering."

Then he changed the subject and pointed at the lobby.

"We've learned the information... shouldn't we figure out what this safe house actually does next?"

"Other than letting us shout 'Home' and hide in here, does it have any other functions? For example... can we go directly somewhere else from here?"

"Or, like in the game, can we forge weapons, grow crops, and so on?"

Fourth Brother's words reminded everyone.

This lobby, which had rescued them from danger, might hold even more secrets concerning their survival and future.