Rei, Bart, and Eugene ventured deeper into the cave, the dry, stone-covered ground crunching beneath their feet. The air grew heavier, hinting at the magic beasts lurking within. Suddenly, a group of bull-like beasts, their bodies encased in gleaming metal armor, came thundering towards them. "Wow, looks like we attracted some armored bulls," Rei commented, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Bart immediately sprang into action. Using his sorcery, he roared, "Landslide!" The ground beneath the charging armored bulls buckled and fractured, sending them tumbling, unable to move effectively. However, a few of the bulls, with powerful kicks, managed to regain their footing and push forward. Bart followed up with "Stone Cannon!" but his projectiles simply shattered against the bulls' formidable metal armor.
Eugene quickly extended his hand, his palm glowing with golden light. "Holy Magic: Weakening!" he chanted. The armored bulls were enveloped in the holy light, their movements visibly slowing, though their strength remained formidable. Two or three of the bulls, despite the magic, surged forward, breaking free of the initial chaos.
"Not so easily!" Bart declared. He used his sorcery again. "Earth Fall!" A massive chunk of rock tore loose from the ceiling, crashing down and trapping the bulls beneath it. Still, it wasn't enough to kill the resilient beasts. "My earth spells aren't strong enough to take on metal," Bart said, a frustrated edge to his voice.
"It is," Rei countered calmly. "You just have to find the right attack to kill them."
As Bart pondered his next move, more armored bulls threatened to emerge from the initial landslide. Bart grew nervous, his thoughts scattering. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. "Yes, I can do this!" Bart exclaimed. He channeled his sorcery, shouting, "Shallowing Earth!" The ground around the armored bulls began to violently shake. The rocks beneath them shifted and formed into five massive, stony "fingers" that rose around the bulls. As these earthen digits reached above the beasts, they began to rapidly close in, collapsing onto them at high speed. In a matter of seconds, the armored bulls were completely buried, swallowed by the shifting earth.
"Now, Eugene, cover their top with a holy barrier to stop them from getting any chance to get out for air!" Bart instructed, his voice filled with newfound confidence. Eugene nodded, his hands already glowing. "Holy Magic: Holy Barrier!" he cast, and a shimmering, golden barrier formed over the buried bulls. Bart then repeated his spell, "Shallowing Earth!" burying the remaining bulls under the rubble, and Eugene again cast, "Holy Magic: Holy Barrier!" covering the new burial sites. Eugene maintained the barriers for two minutes before finally letting them dissipate.
Bart and Eugene collapsed to the ground, panting, completely exhausted. "Did we do it?" Bart asked, breathless.
"Why don't you dig to see?" Rei suggested, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
"Just give us some time," Bart gasped. "We are very tired."
"Sure," Rei replied. "By the time you take a break, I will look around to find some ores and magic krystallite."
Eugene, still huffing, managed to say, "Wait, I don't think you would get any krystallite around here."
"Who said I'm going to look around here?" Rei asked, his smirk widening. He then used a wind bomb beneath his feet, propelling himself high into the air, leaping towards the inner, deeper parts of the dungeon. Both Bart and Eugene were utterly shocked, their mouths agape as they watched Rei soar out of sight.
As Rei traveled deeper, using successive wind bombs to jump higher and farther, he constantly scanned his surroundings. "Tenko, where would we get ores and krystallites?" he asked. Tenko pointed to his right with his nose, and Rei immediately used a wind bomb to change direction mid-air. Soon, Rei felt the temperature significantly increasing, and the humidity becoming oppressive. Rei landed on the ground. "We're near, Tenko," he said. Tenko nodded and barked in agreement.
As they ventured even deeper, they discovered a truly remarkable sight: the dry, barren ground had transformed into a fertile landscape, teeming with various plants. Rei's eyes landed on one particular specimen. "These are Emberasia," he murmured. "They grow only in hot and humid air and are rarely found. They are one of the most coveted plants because of the impossible nature of getting them." Tenko barked in agreement. "We should take one of these plants," Rei decided. "It could help in my research on biology." Tenko barked once more, but before taking the plant, Rei's attention was drawn elsewhere.
He looked around for the source of this incredible environment. "It's true that a krystallite is responsible for this environment," Rei realized, "however, it's not just one krystallite. This place might have Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Plant Krystallites in hundreds of quantities, each balancing the other! And we are the people to find it, Tenko!" Tenko barked in excitement, his tail wagging furiously.
"We have to extract carefully," Rei cautioned. "If we extract randomly, we might make all the plants wither." Rei meticulously began his extraction process. He carefully extracted a Fire Krystallite from a very hot, almost volcanic area, a Water Krystallite from a highly humid spot, a Plant Krystallite from a dense cluster of flora, a Wind Krystallite from a very windy pocket, and an Earth Krystallite from a particularly nutritious patch of earth. He made sure to extract only from places that had an abundance of a single krystallite, ensuring his actions wouldn't affect the overall balance of the plants.
After extracting one of each of the five krystallites, Rei went to a nearby Emberasia plant. He took out a special box and carefully placed all the krystallites inside. Then, he added some soil on top of the krystallites, and finally, gently placed the Emberasia seedling into the box, making sure none of its roots touched any of the krystallites. This entire procedure was incredibly delicate, taking Rei many minutes to complete.
With the Emberasia sampling safely secured in its box within his bag, Rei emerged from the fertile area. He used his sorcery, calling out, "Earth Barrier!" With a powerful surge of energy, he covered the entire fertile field with a massive earth barrier, ensuring it wouldn't be found by anyone else and exploited again. The plants within could now live safely.
"Consider these five krystallites for protecting you," Rei said, looking at the newly formed earthen dome, a sense of quiet triumph in his voice.