I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

A deep underground abyss.

The ghoul tide is still surging wildly.

After that enormous heartbeat subsided, the ghouls grew more ferocious than ever before, their carapaces gleaming with a dark green sheen, and their speed and force as they charged forward were significantly greater than before.

Klaus swung his bone sword, striking the neck of the giant ghoul that had recently jumped out.

The moment the bone sword pierced through, he felt a hard reaction in his wrist. The usually invincible blade was stuck in the middle of his neck and failed to cut it off in one go.

What used to be a simple matter of one slash now requires another.

Klaus frowned slightly, twisted his wrist, and the dark green crystal exploded from the cut, blasting the thing's head and half of its neck away.

But then, another seven or eight roared and pounced on them.

The Blue Knight's rapier sliced ​​horizontally from the side, first severing the arm of one of them by the root, and then flipped the longsword, severing the necks of four or five more that pounced at him.

The flesh on those cut surfaces on the necks had hardened considerably, and when the blade sliced ​​through, it even made a slight metallic scraping sound.

The Blue Knight's brows furrowed slightly.

What's going on? How could the ghoul be so much stronger?

The servants were not having an easy time either.

A net woven from purple light covered several openings on the left wing, but when the giant ghoul crashed into it, the net, which should have shredded them, did not exert its original force; instead, it was dented in several places.

In the past, an impact of this magnitude wouldn't even cause a ripple.

The attendant frowned, twisted his wrist, and the purple light suddenly tightened, crushing all the creatures that had rushed in.

The moment it was shredded, the splattered blood landed on the nearby rock wall, making a sharp corrosive sound, and quickly burned several finger-sized pits into the stone.

The giant ghoul not only became physically stronger, but its polluting power was also more than twice as strong as before.

Adrian's holy light hovered above everyone's heads, but the area it covered was much smaller than before.

The old bishop's face was a little pale; the blessing he had just received had taken a toll on him, but fortunately, the Holy Light should be able to sustain him for a while longer.

Margaret punched a giant ghoul that lunged at her, shattering it in two, the water membrane shielding her from the splattering blood and flesh.

She clenched her fist, her eyes now serious, seemingly still savoring the moment she'd just fought that special individual. Clearly, she hadn't had her fill of the battle.

Another beam of light shot out from the chest of the Great Ascended One, instantly piercing through the few large ghouls that had surged to the front.

Previously, a single beam of light could clear out a large area, but now it can only penetrate the few in front of it.

Those mutated carapaces blocked most of the damage, and even such a high-intensity beam of light couldn't penetrate very deep.

Everyone present could feel that these giant ghouls, accompanied by that heartbeat, were several times stronger than before.

Lu Yuan huddled in the very middle of the line. The gray and white text in front of him kept flashing.

[Environmental Sensing: Low-level pollution sources detected...]

[Environmental Sensing: Low-level pollution sources detected...]

These kinds of prompts are everywhere. But unlike before, these prompts now come with a few more words.

[Detection Target: Giant Ghoul (Contamination) (Catalyst) (Advanced)]

Lu Yuan stared at the two new terms "catalysis" and "advancement" for a couple of breaths, his gaze darkening slightly.

Previously, the Great Ghouls only had one label: "Contaminated." Now, each one has two more labels.

Clearly, something is actively accelerating their alienation, pushing them to a higher level.

What made him even more uneasy was that the section on weaknesses was completely blank, with nothing at all.

Previously, when you encountered a ghoul, there would at least be a weakness warning, but now they're all gone.

It seems the flesh below has started to act, forcibly giving birth to these giant ghouls.

'But doesn't this also mean that it's getting anxious?'

Before Lu Yuan could think any further, another giant ghoul broke through Adrian's holy light slowing circle and pounced towards him.

Margaret waved her hand, and the moisture in the air condensed into a long whip, lashing it out from the side and sending the thing flying. It crashed into the cavity wall, leaving a large dent in its chest, and it could no longer stand up.

"Stay close." Margaret didn't even turn her head.

Lu Yuan shrank back a few steps to the center of the group without saying a word.

Anyway, he doesn't need him right now. If it weren't for the fourth fragment, he wouldn't want to go this deep.

The ghouls continued to surge forward, killing one wave only to have another arrive, significantly slowing down the group's progress.

Klaus cleaved the giant ghoul in front of him with a single sword strike, but did not immediately face the next one; instead, he paused for a moment.

The bone ring slowly turned on his finger, his gaze passing over the scattered pieces of flesh and landing on the passage deeper inside.

The pause lasted only two breaths, but everyone saw it.

Klaus clearly had new plans. It's worth noting that in the past, when faced with decisions to be made, he was always the first to make the decision; he was never indecisive.

This time, however, he stood still, his gaze fixed on the depths of darkness, and remained silent for a long time.

The attendant witnessed this scene from behind the purple net. While maintaining the net and cutting off the path of the ghouls, he spoke, his voice not loud, but somewhat hoarse.

Are you sure you want to continue?

Klaus did not answer immediately.

The servant didn't wait for his answer and continued speaking.

"We still haven't counted all those special individuals, at least three, and we haven't killed a single one." He casually crushed a large ghoul that had crashed into the net, his face pale. "The moment that heartbeat sound came out, the ghoul clearly became stronger. If we get any closer, our situation will only get worse."

He didn't look at Klaus, but the meaning was clear.

The team's current condition is not suitable for further exploration.

Klaus knew perfectly well what the attendant had said.

He knew, of course, that the servant was right. Given the current situation, the safest course of action was to retreat and find a safe place to wipe out the ghouls as quickly as possible.

If we kill a few thousand or tens of thousands of them, the ghouls in the abyss will eventually be overwhelmed, which will at least greatly reduce the danger to Bronze City.

"Besides, we also have some low-ranking members in our team," the attendant added, without looking at Lu Yuan, but it was clear who he was referring to.

Adrian turned a few more pages of his scripture, and the holy light spread outwards slightly. The old bishop's expression remained calm, his gaze fixed on the darkness deep within the passageway, revealing no inclination whatsoever.

Margaret chuckled and glanced at Klaus.

"What are you afraid of? If something really comes out, aren't Blue Knight and I the ones who will hold it off?" His tone was tinged with excitement and provocation, clearly indicating that he didn't intend to dwell on the topic any longer.

No matter what Klaus says, she will support him unconditionally.

As for the Great Ascendant, he did not immediately express his opinion. His silver-gray pupils turned to the depths of the passage, his eyes filled with undisguised interest.

Lu Yuan, standing to the side, saw it clearly.

The Ascension Society, once again, began to plot against that piece of flesh and blood.

He suddenly remembered what happened in Grimport and felt a bit speechless.

Klaus had clearly noticed everyone's reaction.

His gaze sharpened, as if he had made up his mind, and he swung his bone sword, cleaving a ghoul in two.

"Let's continue."

The attendant's purple light paused slightly.

Klaus didn't look at him, but continued to clean the ghoul in front of him while speaking, pausing between each sentence.

"If you withdraw this time, there might not be a next time."

That's the first reason. The seal on the Bronze City is currently collapsing, yet it's still holding up.

Given the current rate of collapse, this retreat will likely prevent them from launching another dive.

Klaus flicked his wrist, and the bone sword was held horizontally in front of him, blocking the attack of several large ghouls. He then raised his hand, and the bone ring on his ring finger glowed green.

"I left marks on those special individuals to prevent them from getting lost down there."

Those dark green crystals were a backup plan that Klaus had laid long ago.

The underground area was like a maze; without guidance, no one dared to venture deep in blindly. The few special individuals were retreating at full speed; they only needed to follow the markings to figure out what lay below.

This is the second reason.

The attendant didn't speak this time, but simply stabilized the purple light net again. He hadn't known about leaving a mark before.

"To this day, we still don't have a single piece of conclusive evidence to prove that what's sealed below is a forbidden entity."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan's heart stirred.

"It's true that thing can speak human language, but the fact that the Ghost Bell works on it means it's no higher than the fifth rank. If it's no higher than the fifth rank, it can't be the original forbidden entity; at most, it's a byproduct related to the forbidden." Klaus's voice was particularly clear amidst the ghoul's roar.

"Whether we defend Bronze City or not, whether we report to the central government or not, is all closely related to this matter."

He glanced at everyone present, his bone sword glowing green, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"Currently, there isn't enough evidence, nor is there enough inference. We must see it with our own eyes or collect relevant evidence."

"Otherwise, are you willing to be buried with Bronze City?"

This is the last reason.

After Klaus finished speaking, he didn't ask for anyone else's opinion.

The Blue Knight pinned the charging ghoul to the ground with a single stroke of her sword, and as she withdrew her rapier, she gave Klaus a slight nod. She agreed with Klaus's reasoning.

The attendant remained silent for a few moments, then the purple light in his hand became even more concentrated, and the net transformed from blocking the hole into a fan-shaped surface that pushed forward. His attitude was clear; he had finally been persuaded by Klaus.

Adrian nodded slightly, and the coverage of the holy light began to shrink, becoming smaller but more solid.

As for the Great Ascendant, its silver-gray pupils flickered, gears began to turn, and its entire mechanical body stepped into the depths of the passage.

Margaret and Lu Yuan need no further explanation; they both unconditionally obeyed Klaus's arrangements.

The seven men quickly reached a consensus during a lull in the fighting.

Lu Yuan stood in the very center, already having his own plans in mind.

Klaus's desire to delve deeper suited him perfectly.