Martin, fearful yet slightly relieved, raised his head slightly and glanced around, feeling comforted by the surrounding impenetrable darkness.

Then, in the darkness not far away, he saw an unusual white light.

"Yikes!"

Martin shuddered violently, immediately imagining numerous horrific things. He squinted and bravely looked over.

That unusual light was, of course, the silhouette of the Four Kings of Little Londo.

The sight of armor blooming like a flower instantly etched a deep mark in Martin's heart.

Upon seeing this figure, Martin instantly understood everything Tusi had imagined before, instantly recognizing the identity of the person before him.

His turn to make a gesture came shortly thereafter.

Martin performed a grand gesture of bowing, his mouth full of praises for the Abyss and pleas not to hit him too hard.

This kind of "etiquette" is quite uncommon in modern civilized society, where most would bow or, at most, kneel on one knee.

"Gollum gollum gollum..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Martin buried his head in the sticky black sludge with a slippery sensation, never daring to lift it again to face one of the Four Kings of Little Londo.

Pale figures emerged one after another, the four kings attracted to the Abyss approached Martin in a sinister sliding motion, each extending a hand toward him.

The closer the Four Kings of Little Londo got, the more Martin trembled, until the moment these unprecedentedly strong abyssal auras surrounded him completely, his trembling could no longer be controlled.

A twisted hand landed on his head, the irritating tremor fell silent at this moment.

Martin's expression froze in an indescribable state.

The fear brought by the dark abyssal aura tightened his facial features into a contorted grimace, clearly showing he's scared witless.

Yet within this fear-molded expression lay a hint of "delight" in his demeanor.

These two emotions should be incompatible, but at this moment they paradoxically appeared on the same person's face, it's impossible to determine his actual attitude.

Four Kings of Little Londo raised their arms and an invisible force lifted Martin, dangling him in the air like a dead fish.

Something was being forcibly plundered from his body, causing his mighty muscular physique to slowly wither.

Yet somehow it seemed to shrink slower than Tusi. Was it a mere illusion?

I finally understood.

I finally comprehended!

Martin almost swooned from the exhilarating sensation of being plundered, yet through sheer willpower and the stimulation remained vibrant.

The scene shifted abruptly, he was still in that pitch-black space, still firmly held by one of the Four Kings of Little Londo absorbing humanity, but now he could vaguely make out distinguishable surroundings.

Within his sight, the Dark Moon Sword and Starfire Knights sprawled haphazardly, all deeply engulfed in the black mud, seemingly not even breathing.

It's not just everyone lying in disarray; it felt like there were fewer people, at least he couldn't spot the familiar Tusi.

These scenes greatly differed from the space he previously witnessed.

This was the true abyss of the dungeon, but what was the deal with the pitch-black extreme space just now?

Martin comprehended this point.

"We actually died when we fell, the abyss was eroding our souls in that pitch-black space!"

Once they fully understood they were destined to fall under the Dark Hand, the false darkness naturally dispersed!

Did we die from falling? No, the ground feels distinctly different, everyone retained conscious awareness while falling...

Was it the moment we contacted the Abyss when we near-simultaneously died?

Martin's dungeon exploration experience was notably richer among many companions, but when encountering anomalies like Sain Dungeon, nothing recorded in history applied, leaving him feeling lost.

However, there was one thing he could affirm, that coincidentally held the utmost significance on this day.

"The power of the abyss indeed surpassed the Demon King by far!"

He exclaimed with a raspy, strained voice, through words that resonated as truths within his heart!

Yet his body had shrunk to a point unable to bear external stress, his neck snapped with a crunch, life evidently faded away.

Though perished, his body turned into ash, unknown where he'd be revived at which bonfire.

Nevertheless, this expedition left Martin with greater gains.

He finally comprehended the axiom previously misunderstood!

Demon King, weak!

Abyss, strong!

Contact with Abyss, stellar!

Martin's consciousness vanished as his body turned to ash; in the last moment before disappearing, he seemed to see one of his fallen companions move slightly.

It was then those dozens of fallen figures suddenly flashed with lightning!

An eye-catching blaze burst forth, dispelling all surrounding darkness in an instant!

This fire... wasn't of sorcery affinity, but rather the simplest fire-related substance adventurers obtained in Sain Dungeon—Fire Grease!

When applied to weapons, it could imbue attributes and strength onto them, the burning blade now destroyed the engulfed darkness thoroughly, slashing one of the Four Kings of Little Londo before him.

"Bang!"

Sparks scattered in all directions from the clashing metals, hearing alone conveyed how invincibly tough the monster's body was!

"!"

The Four Kings of Little Londo's steel mask-like face showed no emotional shift, but a roaring sound came from beneath that "mask."

The armor blooming across his chest was scored with a scorched scratch; not lethal, nor an armor break, but highly unsightly, marring the original beauty!

The Four Kings of Little Londo glared at the attacker, wondering how could anyone possibly survive here. Contact with the abyss without mystical defense should lead to instant death, akin to everyone lying here.

These people were already deceased; everything seen was mere phantoms created from the Four Kings of Little Londo draining their last value.

"What did you do, you bastard!"

An angry accusation landed straight on the Four Kings of Little Londo.

And the voice belonged to a Starfire Knight!

He appeared confused about what transpired here, knowing only his comrades had been fatally harmed, due to which he furiously unsheathed his sword against the Four Kings of Little Londo, heedless of the terrifying aura they emitted.

This fellow touched the Abyss yet remained alive?

The Four Kings of Little Londo scrutinized the Starfire Knight, finally detecting a peculiarity on him.

Evidently, a power protected the Starfire Knight, preventing immediate demise upon encountering the Abyss.

And the source of this power, was something the Four Kings of Little Londo detested immensely!

It's the Starfire Knight's hand, bearing the [Wolf Ring] from Artorias's Painting World!

This object persistently released protective force benefiting the Starfire Knight; now showing cracks, likely breaking soon, and at that moment the Knight would die from Abyssal contact.

"Zzzttt!"

The Starfire Knight concentrated the Giant Thunder Spear in his hand, hurling it fiercely at the Four Kings of Little Londo.

Though he was unclear about the circumstances, he was the only one capable of harming the monster before him!