For a heartbeat, silence ruled over the massive cavern chamber. The Magma Queen was dead. Only three Hosts against a High-threat level monster, and they still won. Without a single casualty, no less.

  Then Isaac spotted something falling toward the ground.

  Carmela, in her Legacy form.

  He tried to activate Burst, to maybe somehow catch her, but his Viron refused to obey, or rather, there was none left to obey. And so, all he could do was watch as she slammed into the ground not that far away from him.

  Dust went up, momentarily obscuring his vision. Still, he dashed forward with all the strength left in his body. This was his teammate after all.

  What he found at the crash site made him flinch.

  Shit.

  Carmela had already reverted to human form and lay motionless on the cavern floor, only her dazed blinking showed that she was still alive. Blisters marred her skin, and deep cracks ran along her arms and neck. Worse, a faint white glow leaked from those cracks, further damaging the flesh around them.

  Isaac cursed again, quickly summoning a health potion from his Storage Brand. By some miracle, the woman must have noticed him and opened her mouth without a prompt, allowing him to feed her the mixture.

  Nothing visible happened at first, but based on the soft sigh she let out, the potion must have helped a bit. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her out of the small crater her crash-landing had created.

  Now where’s Ha—

  As if on cue, the air beside him shimmered and broke apart, revealing Harry’s battered form. The man was still standing, hobbling toward Isaac, but obviously, he also didn’t have much left in the tank. The blood running down his left arm wasn’t a good sign either.

  They exchanged a silent nod and together lowered Carmela back on the ground, where she could lean against a nearby rock. Harry sank to the ground, too, and produced another potion out of nowhere, this one much brighter than what Isaac had used.

  “It’s Superior-grade,” the man said, voice strained. “Let the lady have it.”

  Isaac glanced between Harry and the potion before finally taking it. After a quick check with Analyze, he fed the mixture to Carmela again, who thankfully remained cooperative.

  This time, the effects were visible right away. The white glow in her cracked skin dimmed a bit, while the few shallow cuts on her arms and legs closed in front of their eyes. No changes to the blisters, though.

  “Feeling better?” Isaac asked.

  “Ye-yeah,” Carmela rasped, coughing. “Thank you. Just… give me a minute. We can… move soon.”

  Isaac smiled faintly and sat beside her and Harry. “Don’t stress it. We all need a breather anyway. Besides, it’s not like the Interface is giving us anything.”

  And wasn’t that the sad truth? Despite killing the supposed Guardian of the Quarantine, the Interface remained silent. Aside from the kill confirmation, there was nothing. No points. No levels. No skill progression.

  “That’s… good,” Carmela muttered, pulling his attention back to her. “For the record… I do not recommend using ultimates after you have already hit your limit.”

  Isaac blinked. So that was what happened to her. It explained how she had managed that final plasma shot after burning through what looked like two ultimates already. At first, he had assumed it was just another high-tier skill—apparently not.

  Guess it’s a good thing I never tried to go over the limit then, he thought, taking another glance at Carmela. The white glow… Mana. Must be it. She overused it and poisoned herself.

  He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. At the very least, now he knew to only ever go over the ultimate limit if there was no other way. Putting himself in a state like this… Yeah, he would rather avoid that.

  His eyes opened, turning toward Harry. “You good?”

  The man tried for his usual radiant smile, but this time it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Simply tired, friend. I can still fight.”

  Isaac nodded. That was something, at least. They still had to get out of here, and protecting both of his teammates was out of the question. He wasn’t looking too hot himself either, after all.

  “Ten minutes,” he decided. “Ten minutes, then we move. Can’t risk staying longer.”

  To no surprise, nobody objected.

  Isaac was about to summon an energy potion for himself when the Magma Queen’s corpse began to steam. Right away, he sprang to his feet, the Root already in his hand. One of Harry’s flesh monstrosities also emerged beside him.

  No way, right?

  Seconds crawled by as the corpse hissed and steamed, the vapor thickening until it hid the entire body from view. Then, suddenly, the sound stopped.

  Isaac’s grip tightened around his blade, heartbeat pounding in his ears.

  Come on…

  Bit by bit, the steam vanished, and to his relief, there was no new monster hiding within. Instead, only a long blade remained, half-buried in the ground. It looked as though it had been forged from magma itself, save for a silver-metal handle that shone in the dim light.

  Isaac activated Analyze, but it failed. Either he was too far away, or the item was somehow protected. He chanced a look at his teammates.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “You mind?” he asked.

  “Take it,” Harry said simply. Carmela, on the other hand, just offered him a light shrug.

  All right then.

  With that thought, Isaac stepped forward, dismissing the Root. The moment he did that, his tattoo pulsed, spreading warmth across his arm. He took another step, and the sensation intensified.

  You want it? He asked, still struggling to decipher the Root’s strange form of communication.

  Another pulse answered him.

  “Okay,” Isaac muttered and closed the remaining distance to the new blade. Without hesitation, he grasped its handle.

  Then, it happened.

  Crimson tendrils burst from his tattoo and wrapped around the sword inch by inch. After a couple of seconds, they snapped back, pulling the blade right into his flesh.

  Isaac gasped, feeling his arm burn. He fell to his knees, watching helplessly as the last of the blade and tendrils vanished beneath his skin. A heartbeat later, the tattoo began to shift, adding more lines and curves to the already complicated tapestry. Some even extended past his shoulder, reaching all the way to his neck and chest.

  There, however, they stopped.

  Dammit, Isaac hissed as the burning subsided. A little warning would have been nice.

  The Root didn’t answer this time, so after standing up, he summoned it back to his hand.

  Oh…

  Despite his reaction, the weapon remained mostly the same. Still crimson, still serrated with a single sharp edge. Yet, there was one very important addition to the blade.

  Dark veins ran along its length now, all filled with liquid fire that shimmered, bathing the blade in a faint orange glow. Stranger, the glowing lines moved, their hue changing as if they were alive.

  What in the…

  For once, though, Isaac didn’t have to wonder. The Interface flickered to life, offering an explanation.

  Root of Blood has absorbed a compatible weapon. Its strength and efficiency have grown. Fire attunement awaiting Origin Fusion.

  Oh, so that’s why you wanted it, Isaac thought, a smile tugging at his lips. Thanks.

  Another warm pulse spread across his arm—hotter than any he had felt before. His smile widened. It vanished, however, the moment the ground beneath his feet started trembling.

  Can’t catch a break, huh?

  Wasting no time, Isaac sprinted back to Carmela and pulled her to her feet with Harry’s help. Once she was leaning against the other man for support, he scanned the chamber for enemies.

  There were none.

  Instead, on the far side of the cavern, a new tunnel opened in the wall. This was followed by a notification appearing in front of his eyes. Afterward, the shaking stopped.

  Finally.

  Final data processed. To complete neutralization of this instance, enter the Vault and destroy the Heart of the Mountain. Failure to do so within 10 minutes will close the path leading to the Vault.

  Guess the choice is out of our hands, Isaac thought, exchanging a look with his team.

  Harry gave him a firm nod and slung Carmela’s arm over his shoulder. Then, a second monstrosity spawned next to him.

  “Lead the way, friend,” the man said. “I will take care of the lady.”

  Isaac returned the nod and adjusted his grip on the Root.

  Just like that, the three of them slowly entered the new tunnel. For several minutes, they walked in silence and darkness. No lava here. No monsters. Just a simple, long, narrow tunnel.

  What awaited them at the end, however, was anything but simple.

  The tunnel opened into a massive stone chamber, nearly as large as the Queen’s lair. Lava filled most of it, forming a vast, glowing lake. Only a narrow rocky path led to a small island in the center—their destination.

  Isaac stepped right onto the path, eyes locking on their final target.

  The Heart of the Mountain.

  It was a gem, one larger than himself. It floated a couple of feet above the island, pulsing with a deep red light. To make the view even more interesting, the Heart had dozens of thin crimson veins stretching outward, all connecting to the walls of this chamber.

  “Be ready to run once I destroy it,” Isaac said as they neared the island. “Think you can carry her with your Legacy?”

  “I’m… fine,” Carmela slurred, still leaning heavily on Harry. “I can…”

  Whatever she mumbled next was lost when Harry nodded. “It will be a challenge, but I shall do my best.”

  Isaac snorted. A simple ‘yes’ would have worked, but sure.

  They reached the island a moment later. Instantly, Harry transformed and, with a quick “Forgive me for this,” grabbed Carmela with translucent tendrils that his form definitely didn’t have before. At this point, the woman was so out of it that she barely noticed the shift in her position.

  Fine, my ass. Isaac rolled his eyes, stopping just a few feet from the floating Heart. With a deep breath, he raised the Root and, in one swift motion, plunged it straight into the core of this Quarantine.

  It pulsed once. Twice. Then promptly exploded.

  The mountain shook.

  A notification flashed before his eyes.

  Well done, Hosts! You have managed to neutralize this Unregulated Quarantine Site. Full rewards and any missing level progression will be distributed upon your successful escape. Deconstruction in progress. Prepare yourself.

  Of course it couldn’t be that easy, Isaac cursed as the centralized earthquake continued.

  There were some good news, though. He had already spotted another tunnel opening on the far side of the chamber. A way out, maybe. On the other hand, however, the lava lake around him began to boil, spitting out dozens upon dozens of fist-sized Magma Queens.

  “Harry!” he shouted. “Get the hell out of here. I will cover you!”

  The older man didn’t hesitate. At once, he dived for the new tunnel, Carmela still in his grasp. But the miniature spiders were already coming for him, swarming and swinging across the chamber to reach their target.

  Oh no, you don’t, Isaac growled and pulled on every little bit of power he had regained during their short break. He transformed and, with Cursed Draw ignited across his body, shot for the beasts trying to take down Harry.

  He became a blur of crimson feathers to his enemies, disintegrating them with a single touch of his skill. He was running on fumes, but he refused to let a swarm of cheap imitations of the Magma Queen stop them now.

  Symphony of Blood finally flared to life, and with its help, he cleared the way until Harry and Carmela reached the tunnel. He followed right after and, with a single Crimson Death, collapsed the entrance.

  The rest of the escape was less violent but no less tense thanks to the entire mountain trembling around them. Before long, though, light appeared ahead.

  Moments later, they burst into the open. For once, Isaac greeted the scorching heat of the desert. Still, he didn’t stop and guided Harry further away from the mountain.

  It was a good call.

  Just a couple of seconds after their escape, a deafening roar echoed behind them. Isaac turned just in time to witness the ground split apart. The mountain shuddered once… twice… and then collapsed in on itself, sinking beneath the sands.

  By the time the dust settled, there was no sign left of the mountain. No stone. No lava. Just an empty red desert.

  “Holy shit…”