Chapter 287: Fourth Floor: The Faster You Kill, the More Things Wake Up [1]

The slight sensation of weightlessness from the teleportation quickly disappeared. When Zich opened his eyes again, the dark and damp Shadow Hunting Ground had completely vanished, replaced by a black wasteland that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

The sky was an oppressive dark crimson. There was no sun and no stars, only vast gray white clouds rolling slowly overhead. The ground beneath his feet was covered in intersecting cracks, while enormous black stone pillars jutted diagonally out of the wasteland toward the sky, looking like the exposed ribs of some ancient beast that had died long ago.

Even more noticeable were the monsters sleeping beneath those pillars. A Crimson Armored Demon Scorpion over three meters tall was curled beside a boulder. A Six Legged Rock Wolf rested with its head buried between its forelegs. A gigantic rhinoceros covered in gray white bone armor lay motionless on the ground, while farther away, Zich could even see a Blackscale Giant Lizard nearly ten meters long.

There were many of them. Within the area his vision could reach alone, there were already close to forty monsters. Yet all of them seemed to be fast asleep.

[Fourth Floor Trial: Slumbering Wasteland.]

[Trial Objective: Reach the end of the wasteland and destroy the Slumbering Altar.]

[Current Distance: 12 kilometers.]

[Special Rule 1: All magical beasts in the wasteland are in a state of deep slumber.]

[Special Rule 2: Whenever a magical beast dies, it releases a Blood Awakening Pulse that awakens nearby sleeping magical beasts.]

[Special Rule 3: Awakened magical beasts will relentlessly hunt the challenger until the challenger dies or the trial ends.]

[Warning: Blood Awakening Pulses can stack.]

After reading the final line, Zich looked back at the sleeping monsters in the distance and quickly understood the true difficulty of this floor.

He could not kill recklessly. If these were merely dozens of Level 20 plus magical beasts, his current summons would not consider them much of a threat.

The problem was that killing the first one would awaken even more nearby monsters. Killing the second would trigger another Blood Awakening Pulse. The more he killed, the more monsters would wake up, until eventually every magical beast scattered across the twelve kilometer wasteland might be awakened by his own hands.

"Interesting."

A faint smile appeared on Zich’s lips.

The first three floors had tested escorting, multi front control, and scouting with counter detection. The Fourth Floor finally began restricting the challenger’s most direct solution.

A normal player, seeing a wasteland filled with sleeping monsters, would probably try to avoid every single one and carefully squeeze through the gaps.

Zich did not move immediately. He crouched down and placed one hand on the ground, his gaze sweeping across the wasteland ahead.

Twelve kilometers did not sound far, but the sleeping beasts were scattered irregularly. Some areas had only two or three monsters, while others were so densely packed that there was almost no room to pass. Relying only on his eyesight to find a route would be far too inefficient.

A small summoning array appeared and Slimy jumped out.

"Don’t touch anything yet." Zich gave a quiet reminder.

Slimy’s soft body trembled slightly before remaining close beside Zich, ready to react if anything unexpected happened.

A second summoning array opened, and Blood Leech landed silently on the ground.

"Scout ahead."

Because blood leech poses silent steps he was she best summon for this task.

Fwoosh!

The slender crimson figure moved forward without making the slightest sound, carefully weaving between the sleeping magical beasts as it searched for a safe path through the wasteland.

Taking the Silverback Ape Grunt and four Undead Skeleton Soldiers with him, Zich began advancing.

The first two kilometers went unusually smoothly. Blood Leech continuously scouted the road ahead, while Zich observed the surrounding monsters and adjusted their route according to the information transmitted through the summoning contract.

The four skeletons spread out around the team acting as another form of detectiom Even when they occasionally encountered monster groups completely blocking the path, Zich chose to detour instead of fighting.

However Everything changed when they entered the third kilometer.

Blood Leech suddenly stopped.

Through the summoning contract, Zich saw a massive ravine stretching across the center of the wasteland. Both sides of the ravine were filled with sleeping magical beasts, while the only black stone bridge crossing it was blocked by a beast far larger than any surrounding monster.

It resembled a wolf, but its body was covered in thick gray black armor, two curved bone horns extended backward from its forehead, and its claws were embedded directly into the stone bridge itself.

[Slumbering Dire Wolf King]

[Level: 28]

Zich narrowed his eyes. To bypass this place, he would have to travel at least another two kilometers. To cross the bridge, he had to pass right beside this Level 28 monster.

Killing it would not be difficult But once it died. Zich’s gaze swept across both sides of the ravine. Within a radius of only five hundred meters, more than sixty magical beasts were sleeping.

"They said I can’t kill. That doesn’t mean I can’t move it."

The thought appeared, and Zich smiled.

Moments later, the Silverback Ape Grunt quietly arrived at the bridge. The four skeletons carefully moved into position around the Dire Wolf King, preparing to help stabilize its body.

After everyone was in position, Zich raised his hand.

"Lift it."

The Silverback Ape Grunt bent down, sliding its thick arms beneath the Dire Wolf King’s body.

Boom!

Its muscles instantly tensed, and the sleeping Dire Wolf King, weighing several tons, was lifted completely off the bridge.

Its eyelids trembled slightly as though it was about to wake up, causing the summon to pause for a moment..

With a calm expressionless face, Zich said, "Slowly."

The ape immediately slowed its movements. The four skeletons carefully supported the Dire Wolf King’s limbs and drooping claws, preventing them from striking the ground as the Silverback Ape Grunt carried its enormous body away from the bridge.

It was a truely bizzare scene in this dangerous wasteland and if the outside people could see they would have been speechless!

And just like that, the Level 28 Dire Wolf King was carefully carried aside by five figures like they were moving a piece of oversized furniture!