Arthur stepped through the swirling vortex of the portal, and the cold, crystalline air of the Second Floor was instantly replaced by a thick, suffocating humidity. The Third Floor was not a forest or a cavern; it was a vast, endless swamp under a sky that bled a permanent, sickly purple light.
[Ding!]
[You have entered the Third Floor: The Dark Swamp of Whispers.]
[Danger Level: A-Rank.]
[Warning: Environmental Hazard 'Toxic Miasma' detected. Constant HP drain active.]
Arthur felt a stinging sensation in his lungs as the greenish fog began to swirl around him. But before his health bar could even drop by a single point, a notification flashed.
[Ding! Passive Skill 'Eternal Sovereign's Wrath' detected.]
[Effect: Absolute Mana Dominance. Your body has automatically neutralized all low-level environmental toxins.]
Arthur took a deep breath of the poisoned air and felt nothing but a cool refreshing sensation. "This floor is designed to kill hunters before they even see a monster," Arthur muttered, looking at the bubbling black water beneath his feet. "But for me, it's just a playground."
From his shadow, Igris emerged without a command. The Drake Knight's spectral armor hissed as it came into contact with the swamp's miasma, but the shadow didn't falter. Igris pointed his claw toward a cluster of gnarled, leafless trees a few hundred yards away.
Splash. Splash.
The sound of something heavy moving through the mud echoed through the silence. Suddenly, dozens of glowing red eyes appeared in the fog.
[Warning! Swamp Ghoul Horde detected. Rank: A- (Undead Type).]
These weren't the brainless skeletons from the first floor. These were Ghouls—monsters that thrived on rotting mana and could regenerate their limbs in seconds. As they emerged from the fog, Arthur saw that there were hundreds of them, their bodies covered in slimy green scales and their claws dripping with necrotic venom.
"Igris, let's see how much EXP these monsters are worth with our new buffs," Arthur said, unsheathing his black sovereign dagger.
The Ghouls shrieked, a sound that felt like glass scratching against stone, and charged.
Arthur didn't wait for them to reach him. He activated his new skill. "Eternal Sovereign's Wrath!"
A shockwave of black electricity exploded from Arthur's body, flattening the trees and sending a massive wave of swamp water outward. The Ghouls in the front line were instantly vaporized, turned to ash before they could even scream.
[Ding! Host has killed an A-Rank Swamp Ghoul x15.]
[Base EXP: 150,000]
[100x Multiplier Activated: 15,000,000 EXP gained!]
Arthur's eyes glowed with an intense violet light. He moved like a streak of dark lightning, his dagger carving through the air. Every slash sent a wave of shadow energy that traveled through the ranks of the Ghouls, exploding their bodies from the inside out.
With the 500% damage boost, Arthur was no longer fighting; he was reaping.
Beside him, Igris was a whirlwind of destruction. The Drake Knight used his spectral wings to create miniature tornadoes of shadow, sucking the Ghouls in and crushing them into spheres of compressed mana.
As the battle raged, Arthur noticed something strange. One of the Ghouls was much larger than the others, and it wasn't attacking. It stood on a hill of bones, holding a staff made of human vertebrae.
[Ding! Target Identified: The Swamp Necromancer (Elite Boss).]
The Necromancer raised its staff, and the ground began to tremble. The hundreds of Ghouls that Arthur had just killed began to stitch themselves back together, their eyes glowing with a dark, unnatural purple light.
"You can resurrect your soldiers?" Arthur sneered, stopping his onslaught. "That's a neat trick. But in front of the Shadow Monarch, it's an insult."
Arthur raised his left hand, and the air around him grew cold. "I'll show you who truly rules the dead. Shadow Extraction!"
Arthur targeted the Ghouls he had just killed. Usually, extraction was a slow process, but with his new rank and buffs, it happened instantly.
From the shadows of the dead Ghouls, fifty new Shadow Soldiers emerged. They were identical to the Ghouls, but their bodies were made of dark smoke and their eyes were white.
"Kill the one who brought you back," Arthur commanded.
The new Shadow Ghouls turned and charged at their former master. The Necromancer shrieked in confusion, trying to regain control, but it was useless. The Shadow Soldiers were bound to Arthur's soul.
The Necromancer tried to cast a spell of disintegration, but Igris was already behind it. The Drake Knight's claw pierced through the Necromancer's chest, and Arthur appeared in front of it, his dagger at its throat.
"My turn to resurrect you," Arthur whispered.
SLASH!
The Necromancer's head fell into the mud.
[Ding!]
[Host has killed an Elite A-Rank Boss: The Swamp Necromancer!]
[Base EXP: 1,000,000]
[Base Loot: Staff of Whispers x1, Ancient Mana Core x1, 100,000 Gold Coins]
[100x Multiplier Activated!]
[Experience gained: 100,000,000 EXP!]
[Loot gained: Staff of Whispers x100, Ancient Mana Core x100, 10,000,000 Gold Coins!]
[Ding! Host has leveled up to Level 51... 55... 60... 65... 70!]
Arthur felt his body vibrating with power. Level 70. He was now entering the realm of S-Rank hunters. He looked at the 100 'Staff of Whispers' in his inventory. Each staff allowed a mage to control a small army of undead.
"System, can I combine these?" Arthur asked.
[Ding! You have 100 Epic-Rank items. Would you like to synthesize them into a Legend-Rank item?]
"Do it."
[Ding! Synthesis successful.]
[You have acquired: 'The Sovereign's Command Staff' (Rank: Legend).]
[Effect: Doubles the size and strength of your Shadow Army.]
Arthur looked at his shadow. It began to expand, covering the entire swamp for miles. The number of soldiers he could now hold jumped from a few hundred to several thousand.
He looked toward the horizon, where the massive silhouette of the Fourth Floor's gateway was visible. He knew that the world was now watching this dungeon. The news of the Boss kills would be spreading across every hunter agency in the globe.
"Zane and Elara probably think they are safe because they escaped to the upper levels," Arthur said, his voice echoing with a power that made the swamp itself go silent. "But they don't realize that I am coming for them. And I am bringing an army."
Arthur stepped forward, followed by Igris and his new legion of shadows. The Swamp of Whispers was no longer a threat. It was his territory.