The group briefly explored several functional areas of the Energy Hall.
Forging station, safe, flowerbed, drink dispenser...
The facilities were all there and fully interactive, but...
"Good news: these facilities should theoretically work." Second sighed. "Bad news: we have no currency to interact with them..."
First examined the weapon forging station, his tone tinged with doubt. "Judging by the hall's style and the fully unlocked weapon blueprint library..." He turned to Fourth. "Is this your hall?"
Fourth: "Seems like it... I was the one hosting the last game before we crossed over. Could that be why?"
"In that case..." Second fiddled with the forging station controls, then looked disappointed. "The weapon blueprints are fully unlocked... but why are there zero crafting materials?"
"Ah? Impossible!" Fourth squeezed in, checking for himself in disbelief. "I clearly remember storing a bunch of materials! Iron ore, wood, parts... why is it all empty?!"
First stared at the empty material slots, his brow furrowed. "No materials, no weapons. Do we have to farm materials in the dungeon?"
Those words instantly silenced the group.
As if by instinct, they turned their gaze toward the most conspicuous presence in the center of the hall—
That shimmering, faintly glowing portal leading to the unknown.
"So..." Third whispered softly, his massive antlers swaying slightly with the motion, "this portal... does it still lead to that pixel dungeon?"
The atmosphere grew tense. Finally, First shook his head, rejecting the idea of venturing in: "We've been physicalized now, not data. Who knows what those once cute pixel monsters have become? The risk is unknown. Better to be cautious."
He looked at the other three and made a decision. "The priority is to familiarize ourselves with our own powers. Let's go to the test dummy."
The group gathered before the test dummy. Fourth, brimming with excitement, jumped forward first, hefting his massive "Breath of Death" scythe and preparing for a swing.
"Wait!" First stopped him, his tone serious. "I remember the Breath of Death consumes HP, right? Your body..."
"Relax, relax, First!" Fourth waved dismissively. "I was playing as a vampire! Watch me—"
Before he finished, his body spun sharply. The huge scythe carved a crimson arc through the air with a shrill whistling sound!
"One Sword Opens the Heavens!"
Accompanied by his chuunibyou-infused shout, an enormous ring-shaped blood blade shot out, instantly slicing the sturdy test dummy clean in half!
The blood blade, its momentum undiminished, flew toward the pixelated wall at the edge of the hall. Upon contact, it vanished like a stone dropped into water.
"Holy crap! That huge?!" Even Fourth was startled by the exaggerated effect, almost dropping his scythe.
The others were equally stunned. The force of that strike far surpassed anything they'd experienced in-game.
First reacted first, urgently asking in the mental link: [Fourth! Any physical discomfort? What about HP consumption?]
"Nothing major!" Fourth checked his condition and quickly replied. "Look at this!"
"[Bat Assault!]"
(Effect: Summons a swarm of bats to attack enemies and drain HP. If HP is full, there's a chance to restore energy and armor.)
A swarm of fluttering crimson "flying swords" materialized out of thin air, pouncing on the regenerated test dummy like sharks smelling blood.
(This skin's summoned bats turn into flying swords. I always mistook them for bottles before.)
As they attacked, a faint, barely noticeable flush appeared on Fourth's pale face.
"See," Fourth said, tilting his chin up smugly, "a little bloodsucking tops me right up. It's fine."
"..."
Complete silence fell. First, Second, and Third all stared at him with utterly strange expressions.
Fourth felt a chill under their gaze. "W-what... why are you all looking at me like that?"
Second's voice carried disbelief as it drifted over. "What you just used... was Skill 1?"
"Yeah! What about it?" Fourth answered reflexively, then his voice shot up as he realized, "Wait! I remember my last run using Skill 3! How could I use Skill 1?!"
They exchanged bewildered looks. An astonishing possibility surfaced in their minds.
"Could it be..."
Fourth swallowed hard, a mix of trepidation and excitement in his voice as he cautiously uttered another skill's name:
"[Vortex from Beyond!]"
(Effect: Creates a black hole that attracts nearby enemies and projectiles from both sides, while also draining HP.)
As he spoke, a twisting, swirling crimson black hole abruptly materialized in the center of the test area.
A powerful gravitational force instantly erupted, pulling even the invisible dust on the ground toward it.
"Holy—!" Second gasped. Her petite frame was caught off guard, nearly yanked off her feet by the strong pull.
"Watch out!" Third, closest to her, reacted swiftly, grabbing Second and holding her firmly in place.
Fourth hastily deactivated the skill, leaving behind a mess of residual energy waves.
"..." x4
Fourth stared blankly at his hands, then looked up at his equally stunned companions. His voice wavered with excitement: "I... I think... I can use all my skills?!"
This shocking discovery instantly electrified the group. They began testing their own abilities.
First roared lowly: "[Deification]"
Instantly, a surge of overwhelming power flooded his body. His already imposing molten form seemed to swell further. His back cracked, and two massive arms, forged entirely of searing magma, burst forth, flexing menacingly behind him and radiating a bone-chilling pressure.
Second raised her hand lightly: "[Nightmare Mark]"
A dull gray light flashed over the test dummy. Then, the space beside her twisted.
A flaming, one-eyed imp about half a person's height flapped its leathery wings into existence, hovering obediently beside her while emitting faint hisses.
Third went further, activating his three skills in sequence.
A giant shadow-raven and shadow-wolf coalesced in the air, casting vast swaths of darkness.
Giant, barbed vines, grotesquely twisted as if made of flesh, burst from the ground, thrashing wildly.
A massive, deer-headed spectral entity materialized with a roar, its savage aura instantly drawing the others' attention.
In almost the blink of an eye, the previously empty testing area was now occupied by these colossal creatures.
The enormous shadow-raven cast its shade; the ferocious shadow-wolf crouched low, growling; the sinister flesh-vines writhed and tangled.
And the largest of them, the deer-headed specter, occupied nearly half the space. The flickering candle flames burning upon its antlers cast a bizarre, shifting light across the entire hall.
"My god..." Fourth's eyes widened, taking in the scene reminiscent of a monster movie. "Third, your summons are that big? They could tear down buildings without breaking a sweat!"
Second scanned the overwhelmingly powerful summoned army, her calm voice tinged with suppressed excitement: "It's not just about size. Have you thought... maybe our skills can be combined?"
First pondered this, his molten arms clashing behind him with a metallic clang: "You mean..."
"Like," Second pointed at Third, "Third's Skill 1, [Frost-Ember Wolf Assault], buffs his summons' attack, size, and speed, and can give them frost/fire enchantments."
"Could that buff be applied to the creatures and vines summoned by his other two skills?"
Third paused, his massive deer head tilting. He attempted to channel Skill 1's enhancing power simultaneously, directing it toward the vine summon—
The next moment, a jaw-dropping transformation occurred!
The already sizable shadow-wolf and raven inflated like balloons, their forms swelling dramatically, with shadows flowing over them like flames.
But the truly terrifying change happened to the already massive flesh-vines!
They began a frenzy of growth and mutation!
The main vines thickened, thrashing like prehistoric serpents. Their height and coverage exploded, instantly bursting through the doorway and spilling out into the main hall.
What was once merely giant vines had now transformed into a wild, aggressive forest!
"HOLY CRAP!!!" Fourth was so excited he threw his scythe aside. "Third, you could cosplay as Hashirama Senju! This is literally 'Forest Emergence'!"
Third stared in awe at his own army of enhanced, titanic summons.
First looked at this strategic-level transformation, and a genuine smile—their first since crossing over—finally appeared on his molten features. It was a smile born of real, tangible strength.
"It seems..." his deep voice resonated in the mental link, carrying unprecedented confidence, "our chips for surviving in this world, even finding a way home, are far weightier than we imagined."
"More than that!"
Second grew even more excited, turning to First urgently. "First! Have you all noticed..."
"Our skills have no cooldown!"