Chapter 632: The Secret of The Third Floor.

Kael stared at Thoren for a few seconds before finally speaking, his expression calm now that the immediate tension had disappeared.

"I know you must have many questions after seeing our reaction."

Thoren calmly nodded as he waited for him to continue.

With everything he had seen so far, how was it possible for him not to have many burning questions?

Kael was not surprised by Thoren’s response.

"This is a routine for every member of our camp to explain what is going on in this world," he said calmly.

His eyes briefly moved toward the deeper part of the cave before returning to Thoren.

"Even if we do not explain it to you, when you enter the main camp, everything will be revealed to you. So telling you now is no different."

Kael spoke without any hesitation, making it clear that this was a normal routine for every newcomer that entered the camp.

There was no arrogance in his voice.

Instead, there was a strange sense of familiarity, as though this conversation was something he had repeated many times.

Kael took a deep breath as if arranging his thoughts before continuing.

"I believe you must have seen the Ash Tide?"

Thoren nodded calmly.

How could he not remember it clearly?

The Ash Tide was one of the first things that had made him realize how dangerous this floor was.

The enormous wave of ash tide that moved across the wasteland had seemed almost impossible to avoid, swallowing everything in its path.

Kael noticed Thoren’s calm reaction and continued.

"You must have thought the Ash Tide is the most deadly thing in this world, right?"

He paused for a moment. "You’re wrong."

Instantly, Thoren’s expression changed subtly.

His brows furrowed slightly as puzzlement appeared in his eyes, and he stared at Kael for a moment as he tried to understand what he meant.

The Ash Tide had already demonstrated enough destructive power to make even powerful awakeners cautious.

If that was not the most dangerous thing on this floor, then what?

However, Thoren quickly suppressed his curiosity and allowed his expression to return to normal.

Kael continued speaking.

"Have you killed a beast on this floor?"

He stared directly at Thoren as he asked the question.

"Yes..." Thoren replied without thinking of hiding the fact he had killed a beast on this floor.

Kael’s expression remained calm.

"Didn’t you notice there is no experience point awarded to you?"

Hmm?

Thoren’s eyes widened slightly and his heart skipped a beat. For an instant, his mind immediately returned to the battle against the Skybreaker Roc.

He remembers the enormous deadly beast that sent him flying, forcing him to the brink of death many times. Also, he remembered the deadly talon-like scythe that almost ripped his body into two countless times.

Killing the beast had forced him to reveal his two strongest undead servants and yet...

There had been no notification.

At the time, Thoren had been focused on the battle and everything surrounding it, so he had not paid much attention to the absence of the notification.

But now that Kael had mentioned it, the memory became painfully clear. He had not received any experience points after the Skybreaker Roc died.

Thoren’s pupils contracted slightly as realization struck him. He would not have noticed this if Kael had not brought it up.

His undead had killed countless beasts on the previous floor, and every battle had contributed to his growth.

The system had always provided him with experience after killing enemies, making the process of becoming stronger relatively straightforward.

But here, that system seemed to have disappeared. That single realization made Thoren’s heart become slightly heavier. ℯℯ𝑙.

If beasts on this floor did not provide experience points, then the rules governing this place were completely different from the previous floor.

Thoren remained silent for several seconds.

His mind rapidly reviewed everything that had happened since he entered this floor, carefully searching for any clue of what was going on but there was none.

Even though he was shocked, Thoren quickly regained his calm as he waited for Kael to continue his narration.

He did not try to interrupt him or try to reveal his thoughts.

Instead, he simply watched Kael with a composed expression while silently absorbing every piece of information.

"That’s right," Lucien added from the side.

"On this floor, you can’t earn any experience points to level or grow stronger."

His tone was much calmer than before.

The fear and tension that had filled his expression earlier had completely disappeared, replaced by the seriousness of someone that had experienced something beyond his understanding coming to terms with it.

Thoren looked toward him.

"So how are we going to grow stronger and clear this floor?"

This was the most important question for every awakener that arrived on this floor.

If the normal method of gaining experience had been removed, then there had to be another way.

Otherwise, how could awakeners possibly survive here?

More importantly, how could they become strong enough to overcome the increasingly powerful dangers of this floor?

Kael nodded slightly, as though he had expected Thoren to ask that exact question.

"Of course, there is a way for us to grow stronger, but it is entirely different from the previous floor," Kael explained calmly.

His words immediately caught Thoren’s attention.

Kael leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows against his knees as his expression became more serious.

"On the previous floors, strength was straightforward. You hunted beasts, gained experience, increased your level, and became stronger. The stronger the beasts you killed, the more experience you received, and the more powerful you became."

He paused briefly.

"But this place doesn’t work that way."

The cave suddenly seemed quieter and even Lucien remained silent.

Kael took a deep breath and continued. "Here, killing beasts is only a means of survival. It is not the ultimate end, but merely a tool to reach it."

"Even though we cannot gain experience points from slaying a beast, killing them still makes us stronger. We can physically feel the changes rippling through our bodies and souls, but accurately gauging our true strength remains difficult."

"However, since the primary objective of this floor is not to hunt monsters for power, most people do not focus their attention on it."