Snap!
A bolt of lightning immediately appeared, striking straight at the horde of monsters.
Then Baron snapped his fingers again, causing the monsters to be continuously electrocuted.
Thanks to the chain-lightning effect of the electricity and his gear, his mana no longer drained as quickly as before.
And yeah… he was spamming it quite enthusiastically.
The monsters, after being thoroughly roasted, collapsed one after another. Baron then continued forward to search for the missing people.
"…Why the hell am I even doing this… Or is it because Kai is here? Ehhh, that sounds kinda gay…"
After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped.
"…Maybe it really is true, damn it! I wish someone would give me the same kind of affection he gives… otherwise I'm seriously gonna turn gay!!!"
Baron clutched his head, looking like he was having a hard time accepting it.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps nearby and immediately raised his hand, preparing an attack stance.
"Kuh… Should've walked slower… now I'm completely separated from the group."
"And somehow I ended up getting lost together with you."
"Hey! Don't say it like it's my fault!"
Both of them finally revealed themselves and saw Baron crackling with terrifying lightning all around him.
"…Your names?" Baron asked in a threatening tone.
"Ah, umm… I'm Violet, and this little guy is Reito. Please don't kill us!" Violet said straightforwardly, while Reito just looked done with life when he heard her.
'Violet? Oh, she's a student from our school. Now only Irelia, Kanna, and Kai are left…'
"You're lucky. I came here to look for you guys — specifically, the students from Blue Sky Academy."
"Oh nice! We're saved!"
"But… there's still brother Kai."
Hearing that, Baron turned to look at Reito.
"Hey kid, why does the way you say his name sound so… familiar and intimate with Kai?"
"Well, we're in the same party—"
"Shut up Violet. I've known brother Kai for a long time already," Reito explained.
"You better not be lying."
After that, the two began explaining the situation, though most of the talking was done by Reito.
"A group of monsters that can adapt and develop countermeasures? That sounds seriously dangerous."
"Yeah… After that, brother Kai and Kanna fell into a pit."
"…Wait, a pit?"
"Mm. The ground broke and the two of them fell down. We managed to run away, but then we got lost afterward."
"…Oh hell nah!"
Baron immediately turned around, startling both of them.
"Oi oi oi!! Why are you running like that?! Don't tell me you secretly love Kanna or something?!" Violet shouted while running after him, panting.
"I don't give a damn who she is! The important thing is Kai is down there! I came here mainly to save him!"
Right after that, Reito caught up and ran side by side with Baron, glancing at him.
"You and brother Kai… are friends?"
"…Not exactly, but I owe him a lot."
"No problem, no problem. I respect that. Brother Kai is a good person… just a bit too much of a brocon, that's all… I also want to be his little brother, honestly."
"…I respect that."
Seeing the two of them talking about Kai so fondly, Violet started to seriously question their sexuality.
'Wait… is that why Kai doesn't seem interested in girls at all? Because he's got a full-on male harem…?'
But they didn't get far before all three heard something extremely loud approaching.
"…?"
Baron suddenly felt his body reacting violently… like… like two electrical currents clashing against each other.
Then a thunderous roar exploded, forcing all three to cover their ears.
"What the hell?!"
In an instant, the ground shattered. A gigantic creature burst upward, revealing its full form.
"…oh"
It was a Raijindori. Enormous. Exuding terrifying power.
Baron instinctively knew — if he wasn't careful, his body would be absorbed by it… because after all, his body itself was made of lightning.
"…What do we do now?"
"What kind of question is that? RUN!!"
But they barely took a few steps before the Thunderbird instantly appeared right in front of them.
"…ahh shit, this thing is deliberately targeting us!"
Having no other choice, Reito used his skill. A small black hole appeared, sucking in part of the bird's body.
But it didn't seem very effective. The Thunderbird simply shifted position, causing the black hole to suck in air and random debris instead.
"Let me attack!" Violet quickly drew her dual pistols and fired.
And yeah… the bullets passed right through the bird without causing any damage.
"…Did you forget that physical attacks are useless against lightning elementals?"
"…But rubber—"
"Do you have any?"
"…"
Seeing Violet fall into depression, the other two just stared at the Thunderbird.
It continued hovering there, looking at them.
More precisely — it was looking at Baron.
'Why is it staring at me like that? Does it want to absorb me?' Baron felt anxious while carefully observing every movement.
The bird's eyes locked onto Baron for a long moment, then it suddenly spread its wings with tremendous force.
A violent gust of wind mixed with lightning exploded outward. All three were pushed back, and when they looked again… the Thunderbird had vanished.
"…Did it… let us go?" Reito asked.
"Maybe… phew… Wait? Why is your body continuously sparking like that?" Violet blinked at Baron in confusion.
Both of them stared at Baron — his entire body was now radiating electricity nonstop, his eyes glowing brightly with arcs of lightning.
"This is… No way!"
Baron quickly opened his shirt to look at his chest. There, he saw a tattoo exactly like the Thunderbird.
"This is… a blessing? No… it's a Mark!"
Then he snapped his fingers toward a wall.
**Snap!**
A terrifying bolt of lightning shot out, completely obliterating the wall.
"This insane power… and the mana consumption is reduced this much…"
He turned to Violet.
"Shoot me with your gun."
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me, just shoot—"
**BANG!**
The bullet passed straight through his body. Not a single drop of blood.
Violet was stunned. Reito looked at her like "You really didn't hesitate at all, huh?"
"Complete immunity… I hadn't even mastered it yet, but now my body has it as a passive ability… Coming on this trip was seriously the best decision I've ever made!"
Then he looked at both of them.
"Do you guys have any lightning resistance gear?"
"…No?"
"…Alright then. You two stay here. I'm going to find Kai."
"Wait, don't—"
In an instant, Baron turned into a streak of lightning and vanished.
"…Don't leave me alone with her."
"OI! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Meanwhile, Baron was extremely excited.
"Moving at this speed and only consuming this tiny bit of mana?! This is insane! Absolutely insane!!"
Then he spotted the pit and jumped straight in.
'Kai, wait for me!'
…
"Hm?" Kai suddenly looked around.
"What's wrong?" Aura, who was staring at the three passageways, turned and asked when she heard Kai's voice.
"I don't know… It feels like my little brother (Baron) is calling for me."
"I think we should get him out of here as soon as possible. Letting his delusions go on for too long isn't healthy," Lily said, while Kanna was calmly drinking water.
"Hmm… then there's only one way left, right?"
Aura took a deep breath, clenched her fist.
And thus began the great process of smashing this dungeon to pieces!