Mike was silent for a second.

"Ten percent is fine," he said calmly. "Its more than enough."

Melina looked at him sideways. "Most people would hesitate and wait to gather more powerful ingredients to boost the percentage."

"I'm not most people," Mike replied. "And even Ice and Darkness affinity alone would already be a big gain."

Linda nodded slightly. "Then I'll prepare for the highest possible grade. To do that, I'll need more materials."

She looked deeper into the forest. "Rare frost plants, abyss-touched spores, and at least one high-grade core. All of them exist in this dungeon—but the deeper we go, the stronger the illusions become."

Melina smiled faintly. "That's fine. I'll deal with anything that tries to confuse him."

Mike sighed. "Good. I don't trust my luck with mind tricks."

They continued forward.

As they moved deeper, the forest grew darker. The trees twisted unnaturally, and the air felt heavier with every step. From time to time, Mike saw things at the edge of his vision—shapes that looked like people, familiar places, even faces he recognized.

Then he saw Misty.

She was running toward the open mouth of a massive carnivorous plant, its petals spread wide like a trap.

Mike's heart jumped. He almost rushed forward to grab her—

—but a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.

He blinked.

The scene shifted.

It wasn't Misty running toward the plant.

It was him.

"…They got me," Mike sighed, steadying himself.

Melina shook her head calmly. "It's okay. These illusions can trap beings of their own rank. You're many times weaker than them—this is normal."

Mike nodded, taking a slow breath.

"Just let me hold your hand until we leave this place," Mike said quietly.

Melina smiled and nodded. "Of course."

She took his hand, her grip firm and warm.

The moment they made contact, the pressure on Mike's mind eased slightly. The whispers in the forest dulled, and the false images became easier to ignore.

"Stay focused," Linda said from the front. "Physical anchors help. Touch, pain, movement—anything real."

They moved forward together.

Soon, the ground ahead began to pulse faintly with green light. Thick vines formed a natural clearing, and at its center stood a massive plant creature—its body like a tree trunk, covered in layered petals hardened like armor.

A deep thudding sound echoed as it shifted.

"Found one," Melina said. "Guardian-class."

Mike looked at the blue patterns running across the plant's body. "It's Ice-type?"

"Yes," Linda replied calmly. "This dungeon doesn't have a fixed element. You can find all kinds of plant variants here."

As if reacting to their presence, the massive plant tilted its flower-like head toward them. Cold energy began to gather at its core, frost spreading across its petals—

Before it could finish.

Linda flicked her wrist.

A single dagger flew out.

The plant was sliced into four clean pieces mid-motion, collapsing before it could even release an attack.

Dead—before it could act.

Mike stared for a moment.

…Right. Rank 9.

Unless another Rank 9 existed here, everything in this dungeon was a one-shot kill for her.

As the guardian dissolved, Linda moved without pause, kneeling to harvest its core and other valuable ingredients.

Meanwhile, Mike and Melina walked toward the spot where the monster had fallen. Two beams of light rose from the ground.

"It dropped something," Mike said.

Melina nodded. "From Rank 5 onward, drop rates increase sharply—even if a higher-rank being kills a lower-rank monster."

She reached down and picked them up, then handed them to Mike.

"Legendary-rank skill: Lunar Nova," she said. "And a Unique-rank skill: Frost Guard."

Mike took them without hesitation.

Two more powerful gains—added just like that.

Mike looked at the two skill books in his hands for a moment, then stored them away without activating them yet.

"I'll check them later," he said. "No point stopping now."

Melina nodded. "Good choice. The deeper we go, the better the drops."

Linda finished harvesting the guardian's core and stood up. "This core is high grade. It will help stabilize the potion and slightly increase the success rate."

"By how much?" Mike asked.

"Two to three percent," Linda replied honestly.

Mike smiled faintly. "I'll take it."

They moved on.

The forest became denser, the illusion pressure stronger. The air shimmered faintly, and even Melina could feel the dungeon trying to slip into their senses.

Vines occasionally moved on their own. Some plants whispered. Others showed reflections that didn't match reality.

Mike kept his eyes forward and his grip on Melina's hand steady.

A sudden scream echoed from somewhere to the right.

Mike's body tensed—but he didn't move.

"That's fake," Melina said immediately.

Linda added, "Sound-based illusions. Ignore them."

They continued walking.

Soon, Linda stopped again and pointed ahead. "Rare frost plant. Abyss-touched."

Ahead, growing at the base of a frozen tree, was a pale-blue flower covered in dark veins. Cold mist leaked from its petals, and the ground around it was frozen solid.

"This is perfect," Linda said. She approached carefully and harvested it with precise movements.

As she stored it away, the forest reacted.

The ground trembled.

Multiple plant creatures began emerging from the surroundings—thorned vines, snapping flowers, and twisted humanoid plants stepping out from behind trees.

Mike swallowed. "More guardians?"

"No," Melina said calmly. "Trash mobs."

She raised her hand.

A wave of pressure swept outward.

Every plant within range collapsed instantly, crushed into the ground without even reaching them.

Silence returned.

Mike exhaled slowly. "I'm starting to understand why you said Rank 6 is nothing for you."

Melina smiled slightly. "This dungeon is dangerous for most people. Not for us."

Linda checked her storage. "We have enough materials now. We can leave whenever you're ready—or continue farming."

"Our original goal is the Four-Leaf Clover," Melina said.

Linda nodded in agreement. "Then we'll leave after we find it."

"Alright," Mike said. "Let's do that."

Linda looked ahead into the forest. "There's a region deeper inside where Light- and Life-element plants grow in abundance. That kind of environment is ideal for a Four-Leaf Clover to form."

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