Traps and Living Beings!

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

Crimson sounds echoed through the air as smoke churned and continuously poured into the cave where Yuno was.

Lotus Whomalt wore a sinister smile.

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

"That guy using Steel Creation Magic is indeed a little troublesome. The one beside him looks quite young, and his wind magic aura is certainly not weak."

"And he actually possesses a Four-leaf Grimoire. In the Clover Kingdom, that definitely makes him someone extraordinary."

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

"What do you think, Mars?"

Mars immediately dropped to one knee. The diamond mark on his forehead gleamed brilliantly, though he remained taciturn.

Lotus Whomalt then waved a hand and laughed.

"You're one of the finest among the Diamond Kingdom's modified humans. Your strength is unfathomable. It's a pity you just don't talk much."

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

"You're stronger than I am. With my traps, Weakening Smoke Magic, and your Ore Magic, I believe they won't be able to withstand our methods."

"The Diamond Kingdom's strategic mages are nothing like those shallow fools."

"Cooperation is the true path to victory."

"Where have those idiots gotten to now...?"

A sharp glint flashed in Lotus's eyes.

Mars lowered his head and replied in a deep voice,

"They are exploring toward the traps. They are already very close to the woman using Plant Healing Magic."

Lotus immediately nodded and said to Mars,

"That woman isn't particularly useful. It makes no difference whether she's there or not."

"Plant-based recovery magic may be rare, but it isn't very useful."

"On the other hand, the 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 answered,

"Understood."

Lotus completely released 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 smoke to erode that small space.

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

Yet Lotus simply stood there calmly, anticipation in his eyes.

"Two little rats... 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 too vast.

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

In other words, the ruins spread outward in all directions from the center in a spherical formation, creating the terrain before them.

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

Instead, the outer regions contained all kinds of traps, traces of lingering ancient magic, and even some strange magical fluctuations.

Carl guessed that

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

From the black mist earlier, as well as the pitfall traps that kept appearing, it was clear that things were far from simple.

Noelle ahead let out a scream.

Carl instantly shouted, and everyone nearby rushed over at the sound.

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

Terrifying translucent ore, like diamonds, continuously descended toward her.

Noelle had stepped into a strange trap. She could not even cast her water magic—Sea Dragon's Cradle.

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

In the next instant, with a bang, he shattered the massive ore falling from above with a single punch.

Noelle cried out, then saw that it was Carl.

Overwhelmed with excitement, she threw herself into Carl's arms.

"Thank goodness it was you. You scared me to death just now."

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

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

Noelle had survived the ordeal, while Carl began examining their surroundings.

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

Human figures could even be reflected on the diamond ore.

Noelle screamed again, and Finral flashed over.

Seeing the situation, Carl reached out and immediately shoved them both away.

At the instant he pushed them out, the diamond ore completely sealed off the area around him.

Noelle became frantic.

"Carl! Carl! Are you all right?"

Finral's expression was equally grave.

After all, Carl was the strongest among them. If even Carl was trapped here, then their exploration of the Dungeon Elven Ruins would truly end in disaster.

But Carl's voice remained unusually calm.

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

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

"There even seems to be a faint aura of living beings inside."

Hearing this, everyone froze for a moment.

Magna and Asta, who had rushed over from afar, were filled with disbelief.

Asta swung his Demon-Dweller Blade and struck continuously.

Every heavy blow shattered large chunks of the newly formed diamond ore. Yet the diamond ore seemed capable of reproducing on its own, multiplying without end.

Asta was panting from exhaustion nearby.

Meanwhile, Carl remained composed and calm within the enclosure.

He had already seen the trap.

At that moment, Carl's eyes lit up.

In the next instant, the Eight Gates opened completely.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As his aura continued to erupt, the first, second, and third gates of the Eight Gates fully opened.

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

Yet the power contained within it was incomparably domineering.

Then, Carl stopped relying on his Grimoire.

Relying on nothing but raw strength, he threw a single punch and blasted a massive crater into the diamond ore before him.

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

Seeing the enormous crater before him and sensing the aura emanating from within, Carl confirmed once more that there were indeed signs of life inside.

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

Then...

Who was in there?