"Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La… Damn! I think I've got it!"
Orson felt a jolt of realization course through him. His mind flashed back to the piano lessons he'd taken as a child at the orphanage.
The six vertices of the hexagram—could they represent six musical notes?
Combined with the ethereal melody echoing in his ears, it seemed the dungeon was guiding adventurers to harmonize across time with the Earth Elf Queen. Only by achieving this harmony could the unbreakable barrier be shattered.
But one thing still puzzled him.
Why had his earlier attacks been reflected?
"Was it because I played the wrong note?"
Testing his theory, Orson unleashed a [Explosive Fireball] in the same direction as before.
The moment the fireball hit the barrier, the fire vertex of the hexagram lit up brightly, while the other five dimmed.
"Holy crap!"
Orson's eyes widened. "I'm a genius!"
This proved his suspicion: each vertex not only represented a different musical note but also required a specific elemental attack to activate.
Excitedly, Orson switched his basic attack mode to wind magic: [Wind Blade].
It had been ages since he'd used anything other than [Blazing Burn], thanks to its synergy with his passive skills.
The wind blade ricocheted off the barrier harmlessly.
"Still wrong…"
Undeterred, he adjusted his angle and struck a different vertex. This time, a soft hum resonated, and the barrier displayed a faint damage value.
-10.
"It's working!"
Switching to earth magic: [Stone Spire], he struck the next vertex.
The barrier shuddered, and the damage value increased: -50.
By the time he hit the water vertex with [Water Bullet], the damage spiked: -250!
Excited, Orson noticed three more fruits falling from the tree.
These [Fruits of Rebirth] were worth a fortune on the auction market, each capable of permanently boosting HP.
But Orson wasn't content with just a few fruits.
"No, I want the whole damn tree!"
Orson's ambition soared. His goal wasn't just the fruits—it was to uproot the entire [Tree of Rebirth] and haul it home.
But as he prepared for the next round of attacks, he realized something was wrong.
"Wait… there's a problem."
He froze. Four elements activated successfully, but the hexagram had six vertices.
He was still missing Light and Darkness.
Without attacks for these two elements, there was no way to break the barrier completely.
After a few moments, the timer ran out. The barrier rapidly restored to full health, resetting the entire sequence. The melody looped again.
"Damn it!"
Orson scratched his head.
He could recruit other players to help, but finding a Light or Darkness user would be challenging. Dark elemental jobs like Cursed Sorcerers were rare, often ostracized by the Empire due to their association with monsters.
Even if he managed to assemble a team, how could he trust them to keep this sacred tree a secret?
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Bradley!"
That idiot wasn't just any player—he was a Light-Dark Sword Saint a perfect fit for this puzzle.
"Drop everything and join my party—NOW!"
Orson shot Bradley a private message.
Bradley, busy fielding public attention as the guild's vice president, groaned. "Do you know how swamped I am? People are lining up to kiss my boots! I'm—wait, what? A hidden treasure?!"
"Yes, you idiot. Now get over here!"
Bradley shouted to the guild channel, "Madman, I'm out. Hold down the fort while I help Orson with something big."
Madman growled, "Fine, you smug jerk. Just go already!"
As Bradley rushed off, a wave of female guild members bombarded him with protests:
"Wait, don't go! Add me on mobile!"
"Bradley! You promised to help me grind!"
Watching this unfold, Orson felt a chill. "Since when did we have so many girls in the guild? What's going on here?"
Madman chimed in bitterly, "Ladies, listen up—Bradley is a 280-pound neckbeard IRL. Save yourselves!"
After finally dragging Bradley into the dungeon, Orson spent half an hour explaining the mechanics. He even drew markers near the barrier to indicate the Light and Dark vertices, simplifying Bradley's task as much as possible.
But the plan hit a snag.
Before even reaching the [Tree of Rebirth], Bradley fell victim to the palace traps—five times in a row.
"Damn it, Orson! These fire-spewing rocks are cheating!"
Each time Bradley respawned, Orson had to painstakingly guide him through the traps, all while suppressing his frustration.
Two hours later, Bradley finally stumbled into the Celestial Refuge.
"Holy crap!"
Seeing the [Tree of Rebirth], Bradley's jaw dropped. "You weren't kidding—this thing is amazing!"
Orson tossed him two [Fruits of Rebirth].
Without hesitation, Bradley wolfed them down.
"Whoa! My HP just shot up by 2,000!"
Already boasting over 7,000 HP as an S-tier job holder, Bradley's health soared to nearly 10,000, putting most tanks to shame.
Orson handed him a third fruit.
Bradley tried eating it but stopped midway. "Nope. Says I've hit my limit."
"Same here," Orson muttered. He'd only managed two fruits himself.
They speculated the limit was tied to character level—possibly one fruit per 10 levels.
With everything in place, Orson barked orders.
"Alright, follow my lead. Switch between Light and Dark as I call it. You've practiced this before."
Bradley grinned. "Been dunked on hundreds of times—let's get chopping!"
Executing the plan was trickier than expected.
They failed repeatedly, either missing notes or overlapping attacks. The barrier reset several times, forcing them to start over.
Finally, after multiple attempts:
"Fire!"
"Wind!"
"Water!"
Orson shouted commands in rapid succession.
"Dark—now!"
Bradley swung his Dark Sword, and the hexagram resonated, glowing with brilliant notes.
"Light! Slash!"
Bradley's Light Sword cut deep into the barrier.
-6000!
The barrier trembled violently, and a cascade of dried fruits rained from the tree.
"It's working!"
Orson's excitement grew as the plan unfolded perfectly.
The pair launched a relentless assault, matching their attacks to the melody.
The [Tree of Rebirth] shook under the strain, shedding even more fruits.
Bradley roared, channeling his sword's full power. "Eat this, tree freak!"
A massive burst of energy slammed into the barrier, shaving off a staggering 30 million HP in one strike.