As Vex struggled with his decision, Garrik spoke up. “Orion, I want to play this game too.”

  Nyx smirked. “Yeah, it sounds like a good challenge. Can we all participate?”

  Orion crossed his arms, looking at them with a knowing expression. “That’s fine. You can all join, but remember—you cannot help each other. And Vex, are you sure you want this?” His golden eyes gleamed under the dim dungeon light. “Ether is not easy to master. The pain is unbearable. It will make you want to kill yourself. Even I tried… at least three times.”

  Vex clenched his fists but didn’t waver. “I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Orion sighed before nodding. “Alright. In five hours, the crystals will teleport you all back here. Take one each.” With a snap of his fingers, four additional crystal orbs materialized in front of them.

  Celia stepped forward, smirking. “Alright, then. Five… four… three… two… one… go!”

  Without hesitation, everyone sprinted in different directions. However, as soon as Orion left, Garrik, Lysara, Nyx, and Celia immediately regrouped with Vex.

  Vex narrowed his eyes. “Why are you all heading in the same direction as me? We’re supposed to hunt separately.”

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  Nyx shrugged. “You looked pitiful.”

  Vex groaned in frustration. “If you’re only here to rub salt in the wound, I’d rather hunt alone.”

  Celia chuckled. “Do you know anything about Orion’s fighting style?” She crossed her arms. “Because I do. Better than anyone else. I can help you win, which means you’ll have a real chance at learning Ether.”

  Vex hesitated but ultimately agreed. Garrik grinned, eager to fight alongside him.

  Lysara, however, looked concerned. “Will Orion be okay on his own? His Ether has already drained significantly. I’m worried.”

  Nyx smirked. “If Celia’s here with us, it means Orion isn’t completely dependent on Ether. He’ll be fine.”

  Lysara still felt uneasy, but she didn’t argue.

  Vex turned to the group. “Should we go deeper into the forest?”

  Garrik immediately nodded. “Yes. The deeper we go, the stronger the monsters, and the more our crystals will darken.”

  Celia, Lysara, and Nyx, however, were hesitant.

  “If we go too deep, plant monsters will ambush us,” Celia pointed out. “Not to mention the increase in poisonous creatures.”

  Nyx folded her arms. “Yeah, and there’s a higher chance of running into something way out of our league.”

  Lysara added, “We could also fall into a trap. We have no way to communicate with Orion, and doing something reckless could put our lives at risk.”

  Vex exhaled sharply. “We need to take the risk. Orion wouldn’t have issued this challenge so confidently if he didn’t have a plan to win. If we hesitate, we’ll fall behind.”

  Despite their hesitation, the group ultimately agreed and ventured deeper into the dungeon.

  After a while, Nyx tensed. “Something’s not right. This place is too quiet.”

  “We should turn back,” Lysara suggested uneasily.

  Vex scowled. “We haven’t encountered a single monster. That’s odd…”

  Celia furrowed her brows, deep in thought. “…Could this be Orion’s doing?”

  Vex turned to her. “How can you be so sure?”

  Celia hesitated. “I mean… he’s skilled in setting traps. It wouldn’t be strange if he’s already taken down the monsters around here.”

  Before anyone could respond, a deafening roar echoed through the dungeon. A massive, mutated minotaur emerged from the darkness, towering over them.

  Garrik’s eyes lit up with excitement, and before anyone could stop him, he charged.

  “Garrik, wait!” Vex shouted.

  But it was too late.

  The minotaur swung its enormous battle hammer with terrifying force. The ground trembled as the weapon came crashing down—right toward Celia and the others.