Traps and Living Beings!

Not far beyond the steel prison cage Klaus had created himself.

Red sounds echoed as the scent of smoke churned, continuously pouring into the cave where Yuno was.

Lotus Whomalt wore a gloomy smile.

"Mars, don't you think these Clover Kingdom fools are ridiculous? At least for now, these two little mice are rather adorable."

"The one using Steel Creation Magic is indeed troublesome. The one beside him looks quite young, and his wind magic presence is definitely not weak either."

"And he actually possesses a Four-leaf Grimoire. In the Clover Kingdom, that makes him an absolutely remarkable figure."

"If we capture them and bring them back, we'll have rendered a great service."

"Mars, what do you think?"

Mars immediately dropped to one knee. The diamond mark on his forehead gleamed brightly, but he remained rather taciturn.

Lotus Whomalt waved his hand and laughed.

"You're one of the finest among Diamond Kingdom's modified humans, and your strength is unfathomable. It's a shame you're just a little too quiet."

"No matter what, all the benefits within the Dungeon Ruins belong to our Diamond Kingdom, and everyone inside must die."

"Your strength surpasses mine. With my traps, Weakening Smoke Magic, and your Ore Magic, I believe they won't be able to withstand our methods at all."

"The Diamond Kingdom's strategic mages are not as shallow as they are."

"Cooperation is the true path."

"Those idiots... where have they reached now?"

A sharp glint flashed through Lotus's eyes.

Mars lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

"They are exploring toward the trap. They are already very close to the woman who uses Plant Healing Magic."

Lotus immediately nodded and said to Mars:

"That woman is of no great use. It makes no difference whether she is there or not."

"Plant-type recovery magic may be rare, but it is not very useful."

"On the other hand, that Burgundy Witch must be watched closely."

"You, capture her for me and tie her up."

"I'm sure the Diamond Kingdom will be extremely interested in the strange power she possesses."

"When the time comes, she might even fetch a good price."

Mars nodded and replied:

"Understood."

Lotus then fully unleashed the smoke around him and let out a sinister cackle.

Even though he already held an absolute advantage, Lotus still hid to the side, continuously releasing his smoke and eroding that small space.

Within that tiny space, the fortress-like cage created from steel had already been corroded beyond recognition.

Lotus stood there calmly, anticipation in his eyes.

"Two little mice... let's see how long you can keep hiding."

Within the Dungeon Elven Ruins, Carl and the others continued searching in a fan-shaped formation.

Although they had been searching for quite some time, the elven ruins within this dungeon were simply far too vast.

Carl and the others had almost concluded that the core of these Dungeon Elven Ruins had to be at the very center.

In other words, the ruins spread outward in a spherical shape, creating the terrain before them.

The closer they got to the center, the fewer dangers there were.

Instead, these outer areas contained all kinds of traps, traces of lingering ancient magic, and even some peculiar magical fluctuations.

Carl guessed that

the Dungeon Ruins contained not only traps left behind by the Ancient Elven Ruins, but also threats left behind by unknown enemies.

From the black mist earlier and the pit traps that kept appearing, it was clear that things were not so simple.

Noelle suddenly screamed from ahead.

Carl immediately let out a roar, and everyone nearby rushed over upon hearing it.

Fortunately, Carl was incredibly fast and possessed formidable physical strength. He smashed straight through the wall and appeared before Noelle in an instant.

Terrifying translucent ore, like diamonds, kept closing in as it fell.

Noelle had stepped into a strange trap, one that prevented even her water magic—Sea Dragon's Cradle—from being cast.

Luckily, pale green steam rose from Carl's body at the critical moment.

The next instant, with a bang, he shattered the massive ore chunk falling above them with a single punch.

Noelle cried out, then recognized Carl.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she threw herself into his arms.

"Thank goodness it was you. I was terrified just now."

Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have gained +300 Noelle Affection.

Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have gained +512 Noelle Affection.

Noelle had narrowly escaped death, while Carl began examining their surroundings.

However, in the blink of an eye, the diamond ore around them seemed to have been provoked. It began growing continuously from all directions, pressing inward.

The diamond ore even reflected human figures on its surface.

Noelle immediately screamed, and Finral flashed over.

Seeing the situation, Carl stretched out his hand and shoved the two of them away.

At the very instant he pushed them out, the diamond ore completely sealed the area shut.

Noelle became frantic at once.

"Carl! Carl! Are you all right?"

Finral's expression was also extremely grave.

After all, Carl was the strongest among them. If Carl were trapped here as well, then their exploration of the Dungeon Elven Ruins would truly be a complete loss.

Yet Carl's voice from inside remained exceptionally calm.

"Don't worry. If I wanted to get out, I would have done so already."

"The moment that Ore Magic appeared, I discovered a special place beneath the ore."

"There even seems to be the faint presence of a living creature inside."

Hearing this, the others were immediately stunned.

Magna and Asta, who had rushed over from afar, had disbelief written all over their faces.

Asta swung his Demon-Dweller Blade, striking again and again.

Every heavy blow shattered large chunks of newly formed diamond ore. However, the diamond ore seemed capable of reproducing itself, multiplying endlessly.

Asta was panting from exhaustion nearby.

Meanwhile, Carl remained composed and calm inside.

He had already spotted the trap.

Carl's eyes lit up.

The next instant, the Eight Gates fully opened.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As his aura erupted continuously, the first, second, and third gates of the Eight Gates opened completely.

After the Gate of Life opened, the pale green glow around Carl's body grew increasingly intense.

Yet the power contained within it was incomparably domineering.

Then, Carl broke free of his Grimoire.

Relying solely on brute strength, he threw one punch and blasted a huge crater into the diamond ore before him.

Even the newly generated diamond ore could not keep up with Carl's speed at all.

Seeing the enormous crater before him and sensing the presence emanating from within, Carl confirmed once again that there truly were signs of life inside.

However, at such close range, if it were Vanessa, she would definitely have already formed a Soul Connection.

Then...

Who exactly was in there?