A brilliant flash of light tore through the void, depositing the four brothers into the depths of the Dungeon.
Beneath their boots lay a thick carpet of pristine white snow.
Frost crusted the jagged rock walls enclosing them, and the stagnant air carried a bone-chilling cold that bit right through their clothes.
“It’s a snowfield map,” the second brother exhaled, his breath instantly crystallizing into a thick white mist.
“Whew…
the temperature is dangerously low.
Everyone stay alert.” The eldest brother’s molten gaze quickly swept across the cavernous space, finding nothing but undisturbed snow and ice.
The room was completely empty.
“She’s not here!” The fourth brother immediately pointed a pale finger toward the only exit at the far end of the cavern.
“There’s only this one path forward!” “Let’s move!” the eldest brother growled, taking the lead with heavy, melting strides.
The third brother did not dare delay.
With a sharp wave of his hand, the shadows beneath his feet violently surged and boiled.
A massive Shadow Wolf clawed its way out of the darkness in an instant.
However, the moment the Shadow Wolf materialized, it carried an unspent aura of raw ferocity.
It snapped its jaws open and lunged forward, only abruptly skidding to a halt when it recognized the familiar scent of its master.
‘Was the Shadow Wolf fighting just a moment ago?’ the third brother wondered silently.
But the thought of Ifrit, whose life currently hung by the thinnest of threads, forced him to shove those questions aside.
He channeled his energy and activated his skill once more.
[Frost Ember Wolf Assault] A deafening roar shook the cavern.
The Shadow Wolf’s body expanded rapidly, its muscles bulging and its fur bristling until it transformed into a terrifying, five-meter-tall beast in the blink of an eye.
“Get on!” The third brother leaped onto the massive wolf’s back first.
The others followed closely behind, securing their grips on its thick fur.
The Shadow Wolf dug its shadowy claws into the frozen earth and sprinted fiercely down the solitary corridor.
Rushing into the first adjoining room, the sight before them made everyone’s hearts tighten in their chests.
The chamber was an absolute ruin.
The rock walls and the stone floor were heavily scorched with overlapping burn marks.
Twisted, blackened corpses of unknown creatures were scattered everywhere, and the cold air was now suffocatingly thick with the acrid stench of burning flesh and ozone.
“This fire!
It’s definitely that child!” the eldest brother confirmed immediately, his massive body sputtering streams of volatile fire as his emotions violently fluctuated.
The second brother quickly scanned the perimeter, his sharp eyes keenly noticing other signs of structural destruction far beyond mere burn marks.
Deep gouges and shattered stone littered the area.
“The monsters’ abilities and physical attacks have been massively enhanced after materializing in this world.
Everyone be careful!” the second brother warned, his grip tightening on his staff.
The room was piled high with shattered debris, and the broken walls created dangerous blind spots.
The dim, flickering light made searching the wreckage even more difficult.
The third brother patted the Shadow Wolf’s thick neck.
“Can you smell anything?” The giant beast sniffed the air hard, then shook its head with a low whine.
The thick, overpowering stench of charred remains completely masked any lingering traces of a specific scent.
The fourth brother was so anxious that cold sweat broke out across his pale forehead.
“The Flame Demon Fragment must have gone completely berserk inside her!
We have to speed up!
The raw power of the Flame Demon Fragment will constantly erode her physical body and her mind!” “I know, of course…” The eldest brother hadn’t even finished his sentence when his glowing lava pupils suddenly locked onto the suffocating darkness directly behind the fourth brother.
In the pitch black, a single point of scarlet light suddenly flared to life.
[Energy Shield] A searing scarlet beam of concentrated energy shot straight for the fourth brother’s back, but it was instantly swallowed by the automatically deployed lava domain before it could even make contact with his skin.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat.
They immediately assumed their battle stances, weapons drawn and magic flaring as they scanned their surroundings.
Click…
click…
Low, hair-raising sounds echoed from every direction of the dark corridor.
One by one, more and more scarlet lights ignited in the shadows, like the eyes of starving predators.
A massive horde of monsters, drawn by the commotion of the previous battle, was rapidly converging on the ruined room.
“Weren’t the monsters in this room just cleared out?
Why are they respawning?!” the fourth brother asked in shock, his fangs bared.
“Because this isn’t a game anymore!” the second brother said grimly, his eyes darting across the encroaching horde.
“Monsters from the adjacent rooms will be attracted by sound and light.
Watch your backs, we’re completely surrounded!” “We don’t have time to waste on this trash!” The eldest brother’s anger boiled over, and the molten lava covering his massive frame suddenly flared into a blinding inferno.
Crimson waves of liquid fire swept forward in a wide fan shape.
The enemies caught at the very front of the horde were instantly incinerated, their bodies melting into slag under the extreme temperature.
The fourth brother acted in perfect synchronization.
A dark red energy black hole ripped open in the dead center of the monster horde.
Its powerful, crushing suction forcibly dragged and gathered the surrounding creatures into a tight cluster.
Following closely behind the gravitational pull, a blood-colored blade ring spun out like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, cleanly slicing the gathered monsters in half at the waist in a spray of dark fluid.
The second brother wanted to step forward to assist, but the third brother blocked him with his tall, imposing frame.
“Let me handle it.
You’re too fragile for the front lines!” “Not necessary!” The second brother pushed the third brother aside, visibly annoyed.
The tip of the uniquely shaped Staff of Sorcery in his hand exploded with a brilliant purple radiance.
Jagged purple energy blades shot out through the air, accurately piercing the distant monsters trying to flank them.
Some of the creatures hit by the light blades were blown backward by the kinetic force, while others were instantly coated in an eerie purple glow upon contact, their frantic movements suddenly freezing in place.
[Special Effect – Staff of Sorcery: Critical hits freeze the target for one second.
When the cumulative critical hit count reaches 10, a special attack is unlocked, releasing a large-scale time-stop field that lasts for five seconds.] However, the sheer number of monsters pouring into the cavern seemed endless.
Hulking miners, corrupted snowmen, and jagged crystal bugs swarmed over the debris.
As the sounds of battle echoed louder, increasingly dense footsteps poured into the room from the deepest, darkest reaches of the Dungeon.
“It’s endless!” the fourth brother shouted over the din.
‘You guys step aside, let me take the hits!’ the eldest brother transmitted through their mental link.
“You should be the one to dodge!” the second brother countered loudly.
“Let me use my second skill to summon a meteorite and clear the field!” Just as the chaotic battlefield threatened to overwhelm them, a deafening roar cut through the noise.
“EVERYONE—GET—OUT—OF—THE—WAY!!!” It was the third brother.
Pitch-black shadows violently surged from the deer-headed druid like a bursting dam, instantly flooding the entire stone floor of the room and spreading wildly toward the surrounding tunnel entrances.
From the dark areas completely covered by his shadows, a sickening gurgling sound echoed, like thick liquid boiling over a fire.
The next moment, countless twisted, hideous flesh vines violently erupted from the shadowed ground.
The massive vines crowded the room, instantly crushing and strangling the monsters caught in their grip, but the third brother knew that alone was not enough to break the siege.
[Frost Ember Wolf Assault] [Gigantification] [Strength Buff] [Attack Speed Buff] [Ice and Fire Enchantment] The already terrifying flesh vines expanded wildly once more, thickening and hardening until they resembled ancient, towering trees.
The physical space of the cavern was instantly compressed.
The giant, writhing trees, heavily laden with biting frost and raging fire, twisted and rolled crazily across the battlefield.
A thunderous rumble shook the foundations of the Dungeon.
Dust and pulverized stone rose everywhere, as if a nest of dragons were violently turning over beneath the earth.
Under this overwhelming, apocalyptic strike, the entire monster horde was instantly wiped out, crushed into nothingness beneath the elemental bark.
The battlefield, which had just been a cacophony of shrieks and explosions, instantly fell into a dead, heavy silence.
The only sound left was the wet, writhing noise of the giant vines as they slowly retracted back into the boiling shadows.
The third brother’s violently efficient field-clearing left the others stunned in place for several seconds.
They had never imagined that the usually calm, quiet, and reserved third brother possessed such a brutally destructive side to him.
“Wow,” the fourth brother muttered, staring at the empty cavern.
“Talk about a World Tree Descent…” The third brother fully retracted the shadows beneath his boots and turned to look at the group.
“The path is clear.” The second brother snapped out of his daze and asked anxiously, “Third, can your stamina hold up after that?!” The third brother felt the steady flow of energy circulating within his core and replied quickly, “No problem.
With the kill-to-restore-mana talent, energy replenishment is incredibly fast, and the overall consumption isn’t high.” The eldest brother had no time to marvel at the destruction.
His glowing gaze quickly swept over the massive room, which now offered a completely clear view after being emptied of debris and enemies.
After the physical obstacles were pulverized by the third brother’s vines, three deep, dark corridors leading in completely different directions were clearly exposed at the far end of the chamber.
“Three paths…” The second brother’s face turned grim when he saw the diverging tunnels.
He gritted his teeth and made a prompt, tactical decision.
“We must split up!
It’s the only way to find that child as quickly as possible!” The eldest brother instinctively objected.
‘It’s too dangerous!
I’ll go alone, you guys stick together…’ “No!” the fourth brother interrupted the eldest brother with a rare, unyielding firmness.
“It was my negligence that led to that child being in danger in the first place!
How can I hide behind you now?” He stepped forward, his eyes flashing crimson.
“Don’t forget, my third skill can also absorb damage!
Even if my body isn’t an energy form like yours, combined with my lifesteal ability, I have more than enough power to protect myself and clear the field!” No physical expression could be read on the eldest brother’s lava-composed face, but the heavy sigh transmitted through their mental link signaled his reluctant concession.
‘Fine!
Then we’ll split into three groups!’The eldest brother did not hesitate any longer and quickly assigned their routes.’Second, you follow the third!
His summons can ensure your safety to the greatest extent!’ The second brother opened his mouth, wanting to argue that he didn’t need special protection, but seeing that the third brother had already moved his tall frame to block the space in front of him, he swallowed his pride.
“Understood…” “Move out!” With a mere thought from the third brother, the shadows beside him surged upward once again, revealing the first skill’s other primary summon—the Shadow Crow.
Under the third brother’s silent command, the Shadow Crow also activated Gigantification.
Its dark, feathered wings spread wide enough to easily carry the eldest brother’s massive, burning lava body.
With a shrill caw, the giant Shadow Crow took flight, carrying the eldest brother straight into the leftmost corridor.
The fourth brother was not to be outdone.
A dense, chattering swarm of blood-red bats materialized around him, lifting his slender body off the ground and carrying him swiftly into the middle corridor.
The Shadow Wolf let out a low, rumbling growl and rushed headlong into the last, right-hand corridor, carrying the second and third brothers on its broad back.
In the fleeting moment before their figures completely disappeared into the suffocating darkness of the Dungeon, the exact same anxious prayer rang out in all four of their hearts simultaneously.
‘Please, don’t be hurt.
We’re coming right now!’ Deep within another isolated sector of the Dungeon.
A surging pillar of intense fire violently erupted, instantly swallowing the grotesque monsters rushing forward from the gloom.
After releasing this massive wave of flame, the fiery aura surrounding the Flame Demon Fragment visibly shrank.
The flames were no longer as solid, bright, or violently explosive as they were when it first materialized.
Its raw power was being constantly drained, and the ancient consciousness attempting to control this mortal vessel was becoming dangerously unstable due to the relentless, continuous fighting.
The phantom projection of the Flame Demon Fragment let out a deafening roar to bolster its fading momentum.
“Roar—!
If that monster isn’t here, I am invincible!” A massive, crushing impact suddenly exploded from directly behind it, causing the already unstable flames to shake violently.
The edges of the fiery projection nearly dissipated from the sheer kinetic force.
The Flame Demon Fragment let out a furious roar of pain and shock, whipping its body around to face the new threat.
The pupils made of pure fire widened in genuine terror.
Looming in the dim light was a miner monster standing over three meters tall, its thick, armored shell shimmering with an ominous, pulsing purple light.
Without a single warning sound, the Elite Reinforced Miner raised its massive impact drill directly at the Flame Demon Fragment.
In the very next second, a huge, condensed energy projectile blasted out from the spinning drill!
The Flame Demon Fragment roared, its ancient instincts sensing the lethal threat.
It rapidly retreated while simultaneously driving its remaining flame energy forward in a desperate counterattack.
Crimson waves of fire surged out to meet the attack, but compared to its previous infernos, this wave severely lacked stamina and density.
The flames and the purple energy projectile collided violently in mid-air.
The flames were forcibly torn apart by the drill’s energy.
Although the majority of the projectile’s destructive power was neutralized in the clash, the remaining kinetic force still slammed heavily into the Flame Demon Fragment’s chest.
The protective flames around its body dimmed significantly, shrinking down yet another circle.
The Flame Demon Fragment instantly realized that this new arrival was completely different from the mindless small fry it had been slaughtering.
Its ancient power had already waned drastically during the continuous gauntlet of fighting, and Ifrit’s young, fragile body was far from strong enough to bear the massive energy consumption required to maintain the Flame Demon Fragment form.
Backed into a corner, the Flame Demon Fragment let out a desperate, guttural roar, violently squeezing every last drop of potential from Ifrit’s physical body.
A blinding torrent of concentrated fire erupted from its core, attempting to completely swallow the Elite Miner in a sea of molten heat.
But on the Elite Miner’s spinning impact drill, a two-meter-large energy projectile instantly formed.
The dense purple energy actually pushed directly against the surging flames, parting the fire as it shot straight toward the Flame Demon Fragment.
The Flame Demon Fragment roared in defiance, gathering all the ambient flame energy it could muster directly in front of itself to form a shield.
The erupting pillar of fire barely managed to hold off the advancing energy projectile, detonating it prematurely in mid-air.
A violent, blinding explosion ripped through the space between the two combatants.
Using the thick smoke and shockwave as cover, the unstoppable pillar of fire pierced through the haze and slammed hard into the Elite Miner’s chest.
The Elite Miner’s incredibly sturdy outer shell finally began to melt and shatter under the extreme, concentrated high temperature.
Its massive, armored body wobbled unsteadily for a moment before crashing heavily to the frozen ground, dead.
The Dungeon corridor fell into a brief, heavy silence, and the flames clinging to the Flame Demon Fragment grew even weaker, flickering like a dying candle in the wind.
Click…
click…
Low, scratching sounds surged once again from the surrounding darkness.
The Flame Demon Fragment frantically scanned its surroundings.
At the wide crossroads where it currently stood, dense, shuffling movements were echoing from the two adjacent corridors, cutting off its escape.
Only the single path directly behind it remained dead silent.
A faint, lingering, unnatural chill seeped out from the mouth of that dark tunnel.
Hesitating for only a fraction of a second, the Flame Demon Fragment dragged its dim, flickering body away from the approaching horde and plunged straight into the silent darkness.
In its desperate flight, it did not notice that the moment it crossed the threshold into that specific corridor, the massive monster tides surging from the other two tunnels instantly stopped dead in their tracks.
Countless scarlet eyes watched the exact direction where the Flame Demon Fragment had disappeared, yet not a single creature dared to take another step forward.
Beyond that invisible boundary line lay a forbidden realm that even the mindless monsters of the Dungeon dared not step into.
A freezing, deathly wind flowed out from the absolute depths of that corridor.
Upon closer observation, the thick layers of jagged frost covering the walls of this specific tunnel were far deeper and older than in any other area of the map.
That silent, freezing path was the entrance to the Boss room.
[Rhodes’s Note: Enjoying the operation so far, Doctor?
(This daily grind literally pays the landship’s rent!
to use the links!)