After a few rounds of flying back and forth, Fike finally brought everyone to the black front door of the Exotic Beast Tower.

The terrifying aura radiated from behind it made them all shiver in fear as they stared blankly at the ominous entrance in a daze.

Hankov spoke first.

"This Exotic Beast Tower holds a Magic Time Mirror left behind by the evil god. This mirror can change the flow of time, making time pass much faster inside the tower than it does outside.

"This is also part of the reason why the Exotic Beasts here are much stronger than the ones in other places."

Fike gulped, swallowing down his nervousness.

"Let's go in!"

The group nodded in agreement.

Lan Xi stayed behind Fike, looking on anxiously as he slowly approached the black doors.

Fike pushed hard with both hands, and the door made a sizzling sound, like the whisper of a demon.

Suddenly, they swung completely open.

The first thing that greeted their eyes was a long black corridor, with numerous lamps that emitted an ominous green smoke dotting each side of the walls.

The interior of the Exotic Beast Tower was very strange indeed, but as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single shadow of an actual Exotic Beast.

"Let's go!"

Fike rallied the group.

However, the second that the last person of the group stepped into the first floor of the Exotic Beast Tower...

The door slammed shut behind them.

They each tried their best to open the door, but no matter how hard they tried, it wouldn't budge.

"Let's go!" Hankov said.

"How can this be? This has never happened to me before!"

"Let's find the Demon Overlord-tier Exotic Beast as soon as possible!"

Fike said.

They hesitated for a moment, but proceeded to carry on inside anyway.

Fike took the lead in front while Lan Xi walked beside him, hand in hand.

The Prismatic Ring on her hand was silently emitting a weak glow.

Fike noticed this as he glanced at her.

"I think I know what's going on!

"The Prismatic Ring must be preventing the lower-levelled Exotic Beasts from daring to come out!"

He realized.

Seeing that everyone else was still confused, Fike explained how the Prismatic Crystal and the Demon Repelling Array worked.

Once they understood, Cisco said.

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean that any Exotic Beasts we encounter later will only be above Demon Prince-tier?"

Fike nodded and said.

"That sounds about right. Everyone, follow closely and be careful!"

After passing through the long corridor on the first floor, they finally arrived at the stairs leading to the second.

After walking up, they realized that the layout of the second floor was designed like a forest.

"Why would there be a forest in this Exotic Beast Tower?"

Casey asked, puzzled.

"I don't know either. I've never reached the second floor before!"

Hankov replied.

"The Overlord Exotic Beasts on the first floor already gave me a headache! I wonder what kind of monsters will be here on the second floor..."

Before he could finish his sentence, three King-tier beasts darted out from the foliage around them, their eyes a deep crimson as they rushed to attack the group.

"Everyone, get ready! Get into positions!"

Cisco quickly took out his staff and started chanting to cast spells.

Fike prepared to shoot out a Demon Slaying Ray at the beasts as well, as the other three professors immediately unsheathed their weapons.

They were ready for battle.

Cisco finished accumulating power before releasing a surge of countless blue undercurrents through the dense forest, taking down one of the King-tier beasts.

Thor unsheathed a tachi as well as he rushed toward another one of the Exotic Beasts. With a swift flick of his hand, the head of the King-tier was sliced clean off.

Meanwhile, Fike had finished accumulating his power as well, and released a burst of golden rays, fiercely burning toward the last King-tier Exotic Beast left standing.

The spells that Casey and lamas were channeling gathered onto the beast's body as well.

Boom!

The last creature fell heavily to the ground.

Seeing that the three King-tiers had fallen so quickly in succession, Fike couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief after witnessing the strength of these four professors.

Especially Thor. This was the first time he had seen the man's strength.

It was as expected of a professor from the Melee School.

"Let's keep moving."

Thor said apathetically.

Fike looked at the corpses of the King-tier Exotic Beasts lying motionlessly on the ground, confused.

'Why didn't any treasure chests drop? Moreover, there's no message from the hidden information!'

Noticing his hesitation, Hankov explained.

"I think the beasts here are more like replicas. They aren't true life forms, so they won't drop any rewards!"

"There are still 34 floors above us! Everyone, be careful!"

Cisco called out from in front, cutting through their conversation.

"Let's get a move on, then!"

Casey responded.

As they passed through the dense forest, they noticed that there were even crows and bats perching on the branches of the trees here.

There was even a small stream.

Despite enjoying the strangely placed scenery, the group remained on guard, watching out for any potential dangers around them.

"I see the stairs to the third floor!"

Thor, who was leading the group, called out.

"Let's speed up!"

They soon approached the stairs to the third floor, which seemed to lead to a brightly lit floor.

This made everyone curious.

Thor was the first to emerge on the third floor, and was immediately stunned by the scene that greeted him.

The third floor was designed to look like a market, but something was eerily amiss.

There was no one here.

As the others emerged as well and saw the layout of the third floor, they couldn't help but feel more and more confused.

"What? Is this really still the Beast Tower?"

Lan Xi asked.

Fike looked at the marketplace before him, feeling as if he was back in the streets of the Royal City of Romon.

"Why is this place so strange?"

Cisco wondered skeptically.

As the group continued onward, they didn't manage to detect the dangerous pair of eyes stalking them.

Thor was still leading in front, followed by Cisco.

Fike and Lan Xi stayed in the middle.

Hankov trailed behind them, while Casey and Iamas took the back.

Just as they were about to reach the stairs leading to the fourth floor, Fike's hidden message abruptly erupted.

[Hidden Information: Danger! Danger! Danger! A Demon King-tier Exotic Beast is approaching. Please evacuate immediately! Please evacuate immediately!]

While Fike was still in a daze, the ground beneath had suddenly begun to shake violently.

"What... What's going on?"

Iamas stammered.

"This can't be good!"

Fike looked behind him and yelled.

"Get down!"