Debut on the Fourth Floor

Smack!

"What an annoying monster!"

On the fourth floor, Mark slapped the Purple Poison Giant Mosquito on his leg to death. Its bloated abdomen burst open, spilling blood everywhere. But that was not the end of it. Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes that smelled the blood buzzed loudly and swarmed toward them in groups.

"Flame Storm."

Scorching flames formed a massive wall of fire. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes burst apart beneath the blazing heat, and a strong burnt stench filled the air.

"Damn dungeon. Can't it have a normal environment and normal monsters for once?"

Oliver, the mage, lowered his staff and pulled his foot out of the mud. His face was full of irritation and complaints. At that moment, he dearly missed the dark, oppressive cave environment of the previous floor. Compared to the fourth floor, that place had practically been paradise.

Half a day had passed since they entered the fourth floor, yet their exploration had made no progress whatsoever. In fact, they had suffered heavy losses.

At least three Knight Apprentices had sunk into the swamp, never to return. The others were not much better off. Every one of them was covered in rotting mud, while Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes lurking everywhere made them impossible to guard against.

With such overwhelming numbers, there was always one that could break through their defenses. Several knights with weaker constitutions had already lost a great deal of blood, contracted diseases, and completely lost their ability to fight.

Despite suffering such losses, they had only explored an area less than a hundred meters from the fourth floor's entrance. They did not dare venture any deeper. No one knew whether the next step would lead them into a bottomless swamp.

The three knights who had died after sinking into the swamp earlier had vanished right before their eyes in exactly that way. With one step, they had gone under with a gulp and disappeared.

Bang!

At that moment, the sound of something heavy hitting the ground came from behind them. Mark turned around and saw several knights lying unconscious on the ground, their bodies twitching uncontrollably. He hurried over, helped them up, and opened their helmets to inspect them.

"Poisoned?"

Oliver leaned in for a look. The knights who had suddenly collapsed were burning with fever, their skin beginning to ulcerate and ooze pus, while large amounts of white foam spilled from the corners of their mouths. The signs of poisoning were unmistakable.

"Poisoned? But they don't have any..." Mark found no wounds on them as he examined their bodies. How could they have been poisoned? Then, in the next instant, he looked at the purple-black fog around them and realized something. He immediately shouted, "Everyone, be careful! This fog is poisonous!"

The entire fourth floor reeked of rot and decay. Having just entered it, the group had been eager to explore the dungeon as quickly as possible, so they had overlooked the unusual color of the thick fog.

Moreover, as knights, their constitutions far surpassed those of ordinary people. Common poisons were useless against them, so no one had paid it any mind.

Only now, after people had collapsed, did Mark and the others take it seriously.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Mark's warning came too late. Less than half a minute after he spoke, several more knights collapsed one after another. They had only explored a hundred meters beyond the fourth floor's entrance, yet a third of the forty knights had already fallen.

"Mark, we have to retreat!" At that moment, another knight squad captain approached, his expression grave as he stared ahead.

The purple-black fog began to churn continuously. His sharp senses as a professional knight had detected the danger in advance. His feet, sunk in the mud, could feel faint tremors. Something was approaching them.

Without anyone noticing, it had already surrounded them all.

"Ahhh!"

Suddenly, a shrill scream rang out beside them. An ordinary knight at the edge of the group was dragged into the thick fog. In less than a second, he vanished before their eyes, and a chilling sound of flesh being torn apart came from within the rolling mist.

"Oliver, find a way to disperse the fog!" Mark stared ahead with bloodshot eyes and shouted without looking back. "The rest of you, carry the wounded. The three knight captains and I will cover everyone's retreat."

"We'll fall back to the third floor first."

"Gale Spell."

Almost the instant Mark finished speaking, a cyan gale blew away the thick fog around them. Once the knights saw their surroundings clearly, they could not help sucking in a cold breath. Hundreds of monsters had silently surrounded them completely.

"Oliver, clear the way! Everyone else, charge with me!"

In the face of danger, Mark displayed astonishing decisiveness. Scarlet flames ignited across the brand-new greatsword in his hand as he drove like a sharp blade into the weakest point of the encirclement, forcibly tearing open a gap with the power of an Official Knight at the peak of his rank.

"Move!"

"Leave us behind. Remember to take care of my family when you get back."

Several knights, pale from blood loss and too weak to move after falling ill, struggled to their feet. They pushed away the companions trying to take them along. In their current condition, bringing them would only slow the retreat.

The fourth floor's entrance was only a hundred meters away, but in this swamp filled with poisonous fog, while surrounded by hundreds of monsters, even the slightest burden would be magnified without limit.

"Go!"

Oliver looked at the knights still hesitating. After reminding them, he immediately followed close behind Mark and the other Official Knights. If they delayed any longer, not only would the wounded die, but all of them would perish here as well.

With Mark and the other three Official Knights charging with all their strength, together with Oliver's support, they ultimately managed to break out of the encirclement and return to the third floor.

But of the original forty-man knight squad, fewer than twenty remained. Everyone else had died on the fourth floor, forever left behind in that poisonous swamp.

"Mark, we have to retreat." Oliver walked over, panting heavily as he looked at Mark's unwilling expression. "If we want to explore the fourth floor, we need to make thorough preparations."

"Whether it's magical equipment for dealing with poisonous fog, boats for crossing the swamp, or large quantities of antidotes, all of these are necessities."

"Not like now, going into a swamp in armor as heavy as an iron coffin. When the time comes, the armor that was supposed to protect you will only make you sink to the bottom of the swamp like stones."

"Retreat!" Mark gritted his teeth and gave the order.

The remaining knights immediately regrouped and headed toward the upper floors of the dungeon. Before leaving, Mark turned back to look at the entrance to the fourth floor. Next time, he would never flee in such a sorry state again.

"Thanks for the donations, everyone! Come again next time!"

In the deepest part of the fourth floor, Luo Ao watched Mark and the others leave, his heart full of gratitude toward them—the sincere kind.

[Devoured Flesh ×23, Primordial Power +23, Devoured Souls ×23, Primordial Power +46]

"I can level up now."