The Bustling Fourth Layer

"Mark, you've been here before and know this place better. You decide the specifics."

After observing for a while, Ireland turned to Mark Knights. As the team's captain, he had visited the Fourth Layer once before. Following his arrangements was the right choice.

"I'll first go over the information I know about this layer."

Mark turned to look at his teammates. Every one of them was an elite he had personally selected.

To ensure that no more accidents occurred during this Dungeon expedition, the lord had even paid some unknown price to invite a priest from the Church of Light.

"Based on my previous experience, most of the Fourth Layer is swamp terrain. The dense fog contains deadly toxins, but it isn't too dangerous to Formal Professionals for a short period."

"Besides those two dangers, the Fourth Layer also has a strange palm-sized monster. It isn't even as strong as an ordinary Slime, but it exists in enormous numbers. Most importantly, it feeds on blood."

"While sucking blood, it secretes a paralyzing toxin. More importantly, it injects insect eggs and all kinds of pathogens at the same time. If they aren't cleared out in time, the body becomes a breeding ground for larvae, and infection by the pathogens will quickly cause illness."

After Mark finished speaking, fear flashed through his eyes. When they had escaped the Dungeon last time, they hadn't paid much attention to the wounds inflicted by those monsters. But Mark and the others soon regretted that decision beyond measure.

That very night, several ordinary knights recovering from their injuries let out agonized screams. Under Mark and the others' horrified gazes, the knights' skin was bitten open, and hundreds, even thousands, of Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes crawled out from inside them.

Even now, Mark could not forget that scene. The knights had wailed and struggled madly as countless Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes crawled out of their mouths, eye sockets, and ears.

"In short, they're incredibly evil and dangerous monsters—perhaps even more dangerous than demons of the abyss!"

Mark repeatedly emphasized the terror and danger of the Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes. He had no wish to see that nightmare-like scene again.

"That's all I know about the Fourth Layer. Last time, we only explored the area near the entrance."

After sharing everything he knew about the Fourth Layer and discussing it with his teammates, the mage Oliver took a paper boat from the Alchemy Expansion Pack. As magic power flowed into it, the paper boat expanded to five meters in the blink of an eye.

A green breeze lifted the boat, suspending it half a meter above the swamp. At the same time, the dense fog nearby was dispersed, increasing visibility to around five meters.

"Clearwind Boat. I had this magical item specially commissioned for exploring the Fourth Layer."

Oliver looked at the paper boat before him with a pained expression. To create this magical boat, he had spent a considerable favor and a third of his wealth. If not for the exploration of a brand-new Dungeon, he would never have been willing to do such a thing.

After all, a mage could never have enough money. The more wealth he possessed, the better.

A mage with money was a true archmage. Without money... without money, what kind of mage were you supposed to be?

"Purification Blessing."

At that moment, Ireland, the priest, also bestowed a divine spell upon everyone. With its protection, they no longer had to worry about being poisoned, or about Purple Poison Giant Mosquitoes laying eggs in their bodies and injecting pathogens. Those harmful abnormal conditions would all be removed by Purification.

"Move out!"

Mark boarded the boat first, and confidence finally appeared on his face. This time, he would thoroughly explore the Fourth Layer and perhaps even find the entrance to the next layer.

Whoosh!

A few minutes later, the paper boat carried the group toward the depths of the Fourth Layer. The surging dense fog split open to form a passage, but it soon returned to normal as time passed. More than ten minutes after Mark and the others left, a burst of noisy commotion came from the entrance to the Fourth Layer.

Before long, a large number of adventurers emerged from the entrance, each of them staring excitedly at the brand-new layer before them. Nearly a hundred adventurers quickly crowded the entrance area, and more were still on their way.

"Brothers, we've reached the Fourth Layer! Treasure and wealth are waiting for us! Once we're done with this job, drinks are on me when we get back. Every one of you can order eight—the most expensive, wildest kind!"

"Boss Norton, we'll follow you to the death!"

"Loyalty! Boss Norton, I'll follow you for the rest of my life!"

Among the many adventurers, the largest adventurer team erupted in thunderous cheers. The other elite teams nearby immediately distanced themselves from them, yet none left. Instead, they watched that motley band of adventurers.

Most of those adventurers were not Formal Professionals. There were even a few rookie adventurers mixed in, wildly shouting their loyalty over their captain's promise to let them order eight dishes after they returned.

"What a bunch of idiots. They're being treated as cannon fodder, and they're actually happy about it."

In the distance, a cold-faced man stood with his arms crossed as he watched the commotion. A sneer curled across his lips as he muttered the mockery.

Most of the adventurers present could see through Norton's intentions at a glance.

But they merely watched coldly. After all, free cannon fodder willing to trade their lives for intelligence was a benefit too good to refuse.

As for those adventurers who would die as cannon fodder, they could only blame their own stupidity.

"Brothers, quiet down!" At that moment, Norton, who stood nearly two meters tall, raised a hand to signal his brothers to pause. He slapped his chest boldly and said, "Right now, we need a few brave and careful brothers to scout the nearby area first."

"If we want to explore this Dungeon long-term, we need a safe camp. So, which brothers are willing to go?"

As Norton's words fell, the adventurers who had just been shouting their loyalty and swearing to follow him to the death all lowered their heads, as if they had heard nothing—as if they hadn't been the ones shouting their loyalty moments ago.

Seeing this, anger flashed through Norton's eyes. But these adventurers were merely a rabble he had gathered temporarily.

Clink, clink~

The next second, the crisp collision of silver coins rang out. The adventurers who had been lowering their heads all turned their gazes toward the silver coins that had somehow appeared in Norton's hand.

"I forgot to mention..." Norton tossed the four or five silver coins in his hand, a guileless smile appearing on his face. "Every brother willing to contribute will receive one silver coin."

"Boss Norton, I'll go, I'll go! I've been fast since I was a kid!"

"What good is running fast? Boss Norton, pick me. I'm an assassin—a professional."

"Boss, look at me. I'm not afraid of death."

The adventurers who had just been lowering their heads instantly raised their hands, trying to catch Norton's attention, all so he would give the silver coins to them.