Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

"I'm not rejecting your offer, it's just that my team is in no shape to continue diving inside the dungeon. we have just surfaced a few days ago after exploring the 40th floor, my team is tired. It would be asking too much for them to dive again without resting for a few days. So I hope that this Sir will not mind".

Xandros came up with a perfect excuse. Of course, he was interested in the reward that the grey haired man offered. However, he also knew the dangers of this dungeon more than anyone in this tent.

In these many months of exploring the dungeon, Xandros was never able to see through its truest depths. The more he dived deeper, the bigger the dungeon became and along with that his shock deepened.

He has never seen the master of this dungeon, however, his years of adventuring senses were telling him that something ridiculous, something very powerful resided within the deepest floors.

Xandros trusted his senses more than anything, no matter how high the reward, one can only enjoy it when they are alive. It would mean nothing if he ended up losing his life in a moment of greed.

The expedition team made up of the twenty biggest guilds was strong but so was this dungeon. Xandros couldn't tell who would win in this clash thus he decided to refrain from joining.

"I see in that case please rest well".

How could the grey haired man not see through such a ruse? Getting your way using Sophistry was something he was also adept at.

The meeting inside the main tent was adjourned and the primary teams of the twenty guilds camping on the 20th floor were rallied under a single main unit and led by Brutus Sarge, the guild leader of the Savannah Beast Guild, started moving once again after three days.

Their objective—conquering the dungeon.

------

34th floor, deep inside the mysterious ruins that was discovered near the south-eastern region of the floor. The paths inside was meandering and the walls and ceiling here were made of hardened stones that would even make a person above level 200 sweat to put a scratch.

At the end of the meandering path, were seven large doors. carved on those doors were pictures of fierce monsters.  At the other end of each door was a gigantic space and a mountain of treasures glimmering at the end.

Deafening explosion sounds erupted everywhere as magic and skills collided. The dark space was lit up with its light. On the ground, one could see numerous corpses strewn everywhere, their blood and entrails littering the floor.

These corpses were of monsters but one could also see the bodies of some adventurers amidst those mountains of corpses. In fact, if one looked carefully all around this space, one would notice quite a few bodies of the adventurers lying dead.

At the centre of this space, was a large group of adventurers tightly maintaining a formation as they continuously fended off tides of monsters that came rushing at them from the ground, air and everywhere.

The battle which had been going on for a couple of hours slowly chipped at the strength of the adventurers and with time, their casualty rates started going higher and higher. Yet it didn't seem like the endless horde of monsters they were facing showed any signs of stopping any time soon.

The scene where the fire raged and bodies dropped down robbed of their life, was truly a painting straight out of the battlefield.

Similar scenes were currently happening inside all of the seven doors.

A couple of hours ago, near the centre of the 34th floor where the entrance to the next floor was, a group of approximately 7,000 adventurers, divided into seven teams, was currently assembling one after the other.

"Heh, it looks like our guild was the first one to arrive here after all".

Marcus commented sitting on top of a rock. He was decked out in a [B] tier golden armour from head to toe, his weapon the large blade, shined with a faint green light indicating that it was made of Mythril.

Each and every item on his body was very rare and released a shine that told other that the gears, was extremely expensive and precious. So much so that it could make the eyes of the ordinary adventurer go green with envy.

It was not only him who was donned head to toe in expensive armours, even those close adventurers around him were so. Although their armours couldn't be compared to Marcus' all of the things on them were nonetheless precious items.

In fact, the items donned by each and every member of this tertiary team could be compared with the primary teams of other guilds. What's more all of this was just on a tertiary team. This made one wonder to what extent the quality of items on the primary team of savannah beast guild's has reached.

"Tch Marcus don't be so smug, you were just lucky to have arrived here before us. If not because we were delayed due to certain reasons, we would have been the first ones to have arrived here".

The one to speak was a man wearing a gaudy red robe and holding a rare looking staff in his hand. He had short black hair and frown lines on his forehead. His eyes were sharp and he wore a solemn face all time round.

A badge of explosion was hanging on his chest representing the guild he was from. He was Kenan Lantz from the Crimson Demolition Guild.

Behind him walked his twin brother Jason Lantz, wearing a similar garb. Anyone that looked at them would immediately be able to tell that they were identical.

Behind Kenan and Jason walked another pair of twins. But unlike the Lantz brothers, one of the two was wearing a magician's robe while the other twin donned a warrior's armour. They were Connor Rees and Tyler Rees.

All four of them were participants in the Battle of the Finest tournament.

These four people walked towards Marcus, they all wore items and gear that weren't too shabby compared to his own and hung a badge of explosion on their clothes.

"Heh, all four of you were also placed in the tertiary team by your guild to gain experience I see". Marcus glanced at all four of them, his eyes shined with a peculiar light indicating that he was using the [Analysis] skill.

"Hm? what a surprise, it looks like all four of you have also broken through level 400. I suppose congratulations are in place".

Marcus smiled, although he wasn't able to see through their skills because of some items on them barring his attempt of [Analysis], he nevertheless still managed to see through their levels.

"Hmph, don't act like you are superior to us. Your talent might be superior to mine because of that beast inheritance you have got from your guild. But if you think that allows you to look down on my guild you are sorely mistaken".

Kenan snapped back. He disliked Marcus' attitude that seemed to be talking down on them from above.

More than half a year ago, during the battle of the finest tournament, he was around the edges of reaching level 400 while Marcus had already breached it. Now that he had broke through level 400, he learned from his guild master that Marcus had inherited the beast inheritance of his guild.

It was part jealousy and part inferiority complex that made Kenan hate Marcus' guts.

Marcus' simply smiled facing Kenan's hate filled glare and shifted his eyes to other teams slowly walking here.

Kenan and the tertiary team of Crimson Demolition Guild he was leading, also turned to face this batch of newcomers that arrived just after them.

The arrival of this group stole the eyes of all the people and immediately filled the place with a clear and fragrant scent. Their charms and every movement they made tugged on the heart of these adventurers.

The previously sombre atmosphere on the 34th floor was quickly replaced by an atmosphere of spring with their arrival.

The team that just arrived, had the lowest number compared to all the other six teams. However, their presence and aura wasn't weaker than any of the tertiary teams present on the floor.

Another thing of note was that, this team was made up of all female magicians thus setting them apart from all the other teams.

The Mage Guild was here.

Marcus whose eyes were similarly looking at this group of females, immediately spotted the three figures that were leading this group. The three of them also felt Marcus's group and saw the geniuses f the various guild gathering beside him.

There was Lantz and the Rees brother from the Crimson Demolition Guild, Park Garrett and Max Rose from Sea God's Trident, Gallio Stallard from Assassin's Guild and other geniuses from the big guilds that had taken a spot in the top thirty of the battle of the finest tournament.

Tiana Lowe settled her team in an open field before taking her two sisters with her to meet everyone.

Marcus stood up and smiled at the three who were coming over to greet him. Of course his eyes were glancing mostly at Hallie May, the girl who took the fourth spot, ranking right after him in the tournament.

"As I thought so, you were indeed the first one to reach the 34th floor. Then it is decided that that guild master Brutus will be leading the expedition" Tiana commented coming to a stop in front of all the geniuses from the top twenty guilds of the kingdom.