Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me Chapter 771: The Fourth Floor

Upon stepping into the fourth floor, Daniel anticipated a dramatic shift, perhaps bone-crushing pressure or spatial distortions.

Instead, his feet landed softly, as if he had always belonged there.

He had bypassed the lobby entirely, reaching this level of the tower without delay.

The surrounding forest was unnervingly silent.

Trees stood rigidly, perfect and unmoving. Not a tremor disturbed their branches, as though the very concept of wind had ceased to exist here. Mana permeated the air, but not organically; it felt arranged, compelled.

Daniel surveyed his surroundings, searching for any anomaly or threat. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, at least if one disregarded the tree directly before him.

He advanced a few steps, bringing the object into clearer view.

It was a tree, certainly, but unlike any he had ever seen.

Its trunk gleamed with a silver luster, shimmering as if under an unseen light. Roots, partially unearthed, writhed as if reluctant to stay buried. The branches were bare, devoid of leaves, exuding an aura of lifelessness.

At its apex rested a single fruit, small and seemingly unripe, a peculiar blend of white and gold.

Daniel gazed at it, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him, an inexplicable connection.

In that moment, a voice resonated directly in his mind, and a holographic screen materialized before his eyes.

[Welcome Daniel Noir to the fourth floor of the tower]

[Floor Name: The Cursed Tree]

[Difficulty: Hell]

[Phase One Description: Protect the cursed tree until its fruit fully grows]

[The Mother System wishes you the best]

No timer was visible, nor were any restrictions mentioned—only a singular objective: safeguard the tree.

Daniel's gaze shifted from the fruit to the trunk, his silence stretching for several seconds.

"...Merely defense?" he questioned aloud, pondering what exactly he needed to defend this tree from.

The necessity of protecting a tree seemed illogical, but then again, logic had never been a hallmark of the tower's floors.

He felt certain there was an underlying reason, likely tied to the tree's unique nature. His peculiar sense of connection wasn't mere coincidence.

"A cursed tree, you say? I wonder why a tree would be cursed. Could it possess sentience?" he mused, his voice low.

While a sentient tree might seem extraordinary, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility, especially given his past experiences.

However, before he could delve deeper into speculation, a distinct sensation alerted him.

He raised his hand, and The Heavens Honor materialized within his grasp, its edge crackling with a faint pulse of lightning Qi.

A gust of wind swept through.

Yet, it made no sound. No leaves rustled. Then, one of the surrounding trees... unnaturally... shifted.

It wasn't a physical movement or bend, but rather its spatial orientation changed. Shadows detached themselves from the dense foliage.

Forms coalesced from the darkness, their boundaries indistinct. Though their shapes were bizarre, their scent and aura left no doubt as to their nature.

Beasts of corruption.

Even more startling was their power level—all of them were at the peak of A-rank.

Their advance was direct, but not aimed at Daniel. Instead, they moved with singular focus towards the cursed tree, their intent clearly to destroy it.

Daniel surged forward. In a blur, he closed the distance. His sword flashed, a swift arc of blue light slicing through the air, bisecting the first creature instantly.

Its body didn't fall or disintegrate but dissolved into fine particles, which were drawn towards the tree and vanished into its silver trunk. Simultaneously, the fruit on the tree visibly grew, albeit by a few millimeters.

"...Intriguing." Daniel's eyebrow arched slightly.

Several other corrupted beasts bypassed him. This time, instead of pursuing, Daniel retreated, drawing them closer to the tree.

Then, he struck. His movements were impossibly swift, not even disturbing the air around him.

One.

Two.

Three.

A rapid succession of strikes, each precise and merciless, tore the creatures apart at a designated distance from the tree. The dark particles, like inverse rainfall, were siphoned into the tree.

The fruit swelled slightly, emitting a faint luminescence. Daniel's eyes narrowed in understanding.

"So... that's how it is." He began to grasp the reason behind the tree's moniker.

Another creature approached. Daniel raised his left hand this time.

A different form of energy, something more profound than mere mana, took shape in his palm.

A miniature flame, appearing composed of every hue imaginable.

The Primordial Flame.

As the creature entered his reach, Daniel unleashed the flame with effortless grace.

No detonation occurred, no sound was produced, yet the creature's form ignited, consumed by an ethereal fire.

Not in a physical sense, but almost as if the 'corruption' residing within it was being eradicated from its core.

Mere seconds went by, and absolutely nothing was left; the corrupting beast had been utterly annihilated. Composed entirely of corruption energy, it dissolved without a trace.

However, it seemed that if a regular beast succumbed to corruption, it might be possible to simply burn away the corruption, restoring the beast to its original state.

Daniel’s gaze remained fixed. For a fleeting instant, his thoughts drifted to the mark that the Corruption Worshippers had embedded within him.

If this purifying flame possessed the ability to consume corruption, then surely it could also obliterate that mark.

"...I can purify it." With that declaration, he lowered his sword.

"Not yet." He decided it would be more advantageous for the Corruption Worshippers to pursue him. This way, he could hunt them down with greater ease.

His attention refocused on the battlefield.

The initial onslaught posed no further threat. He had dispatched them all with minimal effort. Had he not intended to conduct certain experiments on them, their demise would have occurred much sooner.

He seriously doubted that any other corrupted beasts would dare to venture close to this vicinity.

Yet, just as everything appeared deceptively simple, the environment shifted. The very ground beneath Daniel's feet began to subtly tremble.

And from the shadowy depths between the trees, a new entity emerged.

A grotesque amalgamation of decaying flesh and plant matter, its roots writhed like serpentine tendrils across the ground, and its surface underwent constant, unsettling transformations.

Daniel regarded it from his vantage point, his disinterest palpable.

"It appears I underestimated the intensity of these monsters' animosity towards this tree," he remarked with a sneer, murmuring to himself.

He then raised his sword once more and delivered a seemingly gentle strike. Despite its appearance, the power contained within that blow was nothing short of monstrous.

Boom!