Iris pushed Dulcie on her slime body and pinned her against the ground. The vines and flowers sprouted from beneath, but they struggled to outcompete the viscous slime. Unable to resist, Dulcie could only watch Iris strolled towards her, smiling complacently.

"It’s my win, Sis," Iris said. "Still, I'm glad you've improved a lot."

"Sis Iris, you're scary when it comes to fighting." Dulcie sighed, though pride still burnt in her eyes. "I've finally Metamorphosed twice, thanks to you. If you don't mind, I can pay you back."

Dulcie pressed herself against the soil, biting her lips, placing her hands on her belly and her forehead. Her eyes averted elsewhere and expressed its subtle invitation. As she exhaled, the warm breath aimlessly drifted, heating the room.

Iris coughed, turned around, and walked away, not glancing at the trembling Dulcie. Her soul pulsated strangely. Her mind swirled with indecent emotions, which her body accepted, but her principle rejected. She clenched her fists and increased her pace.

"Why don't you give in? Either you yield now, or fall faster at the peak," Dulcie said, playfully shaking her head. "I'm so jealous of Sister Lenmia. I also want to feed you, Iris."

"You want to kiss me, not feed me, but you won't ever get that chance. I'll become strong enough to digest the Soul Fruit myself."

"If I couldn't kiss you even once, my performance must be very disappointing. I can't disappoint my sisters, can I?"

"I know you won't." Iris turned around.

In the end, she walked back and pulled Dulcie up then spent the next ten minutes discussing their battle. Despite being a Rose Lady, whose temperament should be calm and delicate, Dulcie rushed in with big moves of the all-or-nothing tactic.

With Iris's ruthless tempering and lecture, she managed to refine her thought process. Ironically, her graceful movements instilled a more seductive quality than before, despite Iris's best intention to avoid that path. Dulcie felt ever so grateful to Iris, who helped her Metamorphose and strengthen her power.

As they chatted, Reta suddenly rushed into the room and shouted. According to Vilia's scouting, a group of five humans had arrived near the meteor landing site. The crisis came late, which meant the enemies were prepared.

With Reta and Dulcie, Iris rushed through the cave towards the entrance, where everyone else had already gathered. Her slimy body tensed and smoothened into the silhouette of her past life. With her increased control over her body, she moulded the slime into an opaque dress. It flowed with her movement, occasionally revealing her thick thighs as she ran.

Under the overarching Soul Tree, Vilia coiled around herself and sat on her tail. She excitedly waved to Iris, though the urgency prevented her from jumping forwards and hugging her like usual. Beside her, Lenmia fiddled her fingers, absentmindedly scanning the ground.

"Sister Lenmia, Sister Vilia, how's the situation?" Iris said, nervous yet also excited. It had been a week since she had come to this new world, and she was going to see a group of humans soon. "Are they strong? Can we fight them?"

"They are a battle-hardened group: a holy paladin, a mage, a spearwoman, a scout, and a priestess," Vilia said and turned to Lenmia. "Can I have the mage? She's my type and the second strongest."

"The spearwoman will protect the mage and the priestess. I'll leave her to Iris. Don't worry, I'll take on the paladin myself."

Reta couldn't sit back and raised her hand. Her face flushed as Lenmia and Vilia stared at her, but she wouldn't back down. She had also improved and would like to fight for her home, for her family.

"What about us?" she said. "We can take care of the scout. My web can counter his agile movement."

Tardi and Dulcie also spoke up, demanding a plan from Lenmia, who froze for a moment. An overwhelming sense of pride rose in her heart. She had raised her sisters well; they didn't hesitate to stand beside her. It was silly not to let them grow through the trials of life. She couldn’t protect them forever.

"I'm glad you're all very excited. However, there is no second chance. I know you won't back away, and that you'll all overcome the hardship, but do not underestimate your enemies." Lenmia put on a strict air. "Dulcie, you'll support Iris. Your coordination is superb. Tardi and Reta will take on the scout. Using webs and muds to slow his movement is crucial to your victory."

Lenmia told her sisters about the generic capability of each type of enemies. Though everyone had their unique specialization and powerset, it was better to know what to expect than none. Due to her fear of failure, she listed multiple common techniques of the spearwoman and the scout. Vilia had to stop her by groping Iris.

After a bout of teasing, they finally set on foot. Lenmia led everyone to the meteor site where she found Iris. Though she had already guided her sisters there a few times, she decided against planning traps or setting up fake trails.

The Pure Races were cunning. Anything out of the ordinary would alert them of their presence. They would only come to investigate the meteor site with some expectation of danger. Random traps would only give them information on the type of the Monster Girls and their cunning schemes.

"You'll have to judge for yourself when to retreat, but if I ever told you to run, don't hesitate to abandon me," Lenmia said. "Vilia and I have more experience and tricks to stay alive than you four. We can hold them back while you all escape."

"Sister, should we escape to the cave or separate then meet at the accepted location?" Iris said. The last thing she wanted would be to lose her home and sisters to the enemies. "I'm not saying we'll lose, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Lenmia patted Iris. "Don't be so down. We'll meet at Vilia's old hideout if things go astray. We can sacrifice the Soul Tree and the cave but not any of you."

"My hideout?" Vilia said, faking a shy expression. "It's been so long since anyone came to my place. I'll make sure the night is unforgettable for any of you."

Iris shivered, and everyone else laughed. The stress kept rising and sinking in motions as they journeyed across the mystical forest, passing through exotic flowers and thick bushes. The strange, colourful insects and hideous Wild Beasts made way for the Monster Girls, specifically Lenmia.

After a series of intensive training and feeding, the Monster Girls had significantly grown. Their control over their body and ability skyrocketed after a long period of stagnation. Aside from Iris, who had just become a Monster Girl, the rest were Monster Girls for years. Lenmia was too protective to let them grow.

Under the dark shade, they swiftly passed the trees and entered the dangerous zone, where a group of humans arrived to investigate the Fallen Light Incident. The Monster Girls laid in the shadow, suppressing their noises and staring at the empty zone in front of them.

From a distance, a few Wild Beasts howled and met their end by the investigation team. They gradually advanced towards the meteor site while clearing the area of any straying Wild Beasts. With minimal effort, they made a path for themselves and finally arrived at the site.

"It's bigger than I imagined," Vinesta said. She walked past Lamont, who failed to stop her, and inspected the sunken ground. "Don't be so boring, Lamont. This place is safe. I’ve already scanned it."

"You're underestimating the wilderness. We still have to run if we encounter a Savage Wild Beast."

"As if they would be somewhere as desolate as here. If there were one here, we wouldn't have to fight as many Common Wild Beasts as we did."

Lamont continued to lecture Vinesta, but she didn't pay any attention. She knelt and pressed her fingertip against the soil, brushing across the strange design etched on the ground. It ran across the landing site and expanded into multiple branches of other complex formations, even using the slope to create forms.

Vinesta closed her eyes and channelled her magic. She whispered a dead language, evoking a phenomenon. A thin veil expanded and encompassed the sunken ground, detecting any abnormal movement of the air and magic.

The world was silent, motionless, and eerie. A wind coldly blew across the forest, bringing humid and flora to the empty field. The insects and the birds and the animals concealed their noises as if they were afraid of waking something up.

Vinesta calmed herself, surveyed the outer edge of the site, and looked up. In the cloudless sky, the blazing sun oversaw the world. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't detect anything, despite the heavy premonition in her heart.

"Filia, come see this," she said, giving up on cracking the case alone. "It might be a lost language."

Filiavera excused herself from Errenia and walked to Vinesta. She held her dress and knelt, staring at the unknown symbols. Her mind quickly ran through her list of ancient languages, which she had read a lot during her time at the church.

Known as the Forgotten Languages, they were once languages of antiquity, lost in time and faded from history. Because of their extraordinary potential, they lasted through time and occasionally resurfaced to tell tales of legends. Those who learnt the arts in its completion were either powerful beings or ancient lifeforms.

"Either this is gibberish, or it's much more ancient than any languages I know. We might have discovered a new Forgotten Language unless it's a language from another dimension."

"Another dimension? Who in their right mind would openly summon something from another dimension? There is also not a single trace of magic around here, which shouldn't happen if something comes out of it."

Vinesta paused. The surrounding was too quiet. She glanced around. Everything was too normal compared to the strange symbols on the ground. There was no trace of magic or any Wild Beasts in the surrounding. The lack of anything was concerning.

Unlike the edge of the Dark Sinking Forest, the place here had no commotion whatsoever.

"Stand beside me, Filia. I'll try something," Vinesta whispered and drew something on the ground. She then randomly chatted with Filiavera, who smiled and played along.

Away from Vinesta, Errenia yawned. Without Filiavera, she lacked anyone else to talk to. Nelox was a man of few words and liked to spend his time listening, while Lamont would only lecture her about the tedious precautions and the Church's teachings.

"Teacher Lamont, permission to pick a flower?" she said and walked towards a thick bush where a sea of strange, glowing flower rested. They exuded a rosy fragrance as they swayed with the gentle breezes of the forest.

Lamont said to be careful, but Errenia merely giggled and continued with her carefree attitude. She reached towards the flower and only stopped when a gale blew the dark shade away.

Her eyes contracted as she darted backwards. A soft, greenish hand caught her arm and yanked back, using multiple thorned vines to restrain her. She swung her spear and cut through the vines but missed the hand. It retreated to its owner, Dulcie.

The commotion attracted every eye to Dulcie, whose pinkish eyes glowed under the darkness. She raised her hand, commanding multiple vines and leaves to rustle, creating a whirlpool of chaotic winds.

"Where are you going, Dear? I promise I won't hurt you if you comply," she said before she fell back into the darkness. Her giggle permeated the air, sounding faint yet haunting.

Errenia stomped her feet against the ground and rushed into the darkness. Her eyes burnt with both anticipation and embarrassment. No matter how Lamont shouted, she wouldn't listen to a single word.