The space beyond the stone door revealed a narrow passage roughly five meters wide and nearly four hundred meters long. The instant Marcus stepped inside, a heavy bang echoed behind him as the door slammed shut, sealing itself completely. He turned briefly and confirmed what he already suspected. There was no handle, no mechanism, no way to reopen it.

Forward was the only option.

Ahead, flashes of light burst into existence as groups of monsters materialized throughout the corridor. Stone Grunt Spearmen formed the front line while Stone Grunt Sorcerers appeared farther back, already raising their staffs.

"Stone Grunt Tomb Guardians..."

So these were the defenders of the trial.

Marcus frowned slightly. Nothing about them seemed particularly related to Water, yet the moment they appeared, several sorcerers launched ranged attacks toward him while the spearmen lowered their weapons and charged forward aggressively.

Apparently, passing this corridor required their approval.

"Kill!"

With a sharp command, his two Sea Demon Souls rushed ahead to intercept the charging spearmen, absorbing the initial wave of attacks. Marcus and Pebble followed closely behind, Corpse Demon Dark Soul Swords already raised.

The moment they entered striking distance, both unleashed Hundred Phantom Strike simultaneously.

But before Marcus could fully commit to the assault, an icy whistle sliced through the air.

An arrow of condensed frost energy shot down from the ceiling above.

-150

The ice arrow struck him squarely, cold energy exploding across his armor.

"Seriously?"

Even with 180 percent Water resistance, he still took 150 damage.

That meant a player with only 100 percent resistance would suffer more than 300 damage per hit. A Large Health Potion restored only 200 health. Anyone underprepared would be overwhelmed almost instantly.

Another arrow fell, then another.

Exactly one arrow every second. The realization came quickly. The corridor itself was attacking him.

"Super Health Potion."

Marcus immediately drank one, restoring steady regeneration as warmth spread through his body.

Meanwhile, his Sea Demon Souls successfully gathered the monsters’ aggro, holding the spearmen in place. Marcus and Pebble surged forward together, cutting into the enemy formation.

"Hundred Phantom Strike!"

Phantom blades swept outward, tearing through the clustered guardians.

"I get it now."

The falling ice arrows were the true mechanism of the Water trial. Unavoidable, relentless, and perfectly timed. Players could not dodge them. The only defenses were high Water resistance or overwhelming speed.

The monsters existed for one purpose only; to slow intruders down long enough for the trial itself to kill them.

If a player lacked sufficient resistance or combat strength, they would be trapped fighting while the continuous elemental damage drained their health away.

"Brutal design."

Marcus could not help but admire the cruelty of it.

Especially for parties. The Elemental doors split groups apart, isolating each member before subjecting them to lethal trials individually. Without genuine strength, clearing the Elemental Trial would be nearly impossible.

Even he felt the pressure. Without his 180 percent Water resistance and Super Health Potions restoring roughly 500 health per second, his health bar would already be declining. Under normal circumstances, he would have been forced to sprint straight through without fighting.

"Most players would need to be at least Level 60 to pass this," Marcus calculated quietly.

Level Four of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb clearly lived up to its reputation. He had not even reached Level 50 yet, nor completed his second class advancement.

"Need to stay careful."

For now, however, the combined damage from monsters and ice arrows remained below his regeneration rate. His health stayed comfortably full.

"Kill!"

Rather than rushing blindly, Marcus advanced methodically, clearing enemies as he went. Steel clashed, spells detonated, and phantom strikes carved through wave after wave of guardians.

One minute later, after consuming six Super Health Potions, he finally reached the end of the corridor and stepped out of the Water trial passage.

He paused.

"Still a passage?"

Marcus had expected a change in scenery, but another corridor stretched ahead. With a slight shrug, he continued forward.

A hundred meters later, the path opened into another hall.

"Huh?"

He stopped, staring.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Once again, glowing stone doors lined the far wall. Above them, the same two bold words were carved into the stone.

’Elemental Trial.’

For a moment, Marcus wondered if he had somehow walked in circles. But after counting carefully, he noticed something different.

There were only four doors this time. The Water door was gone.

Remaining were Metal, Wood, Fire, and Earth.

"So I have to do another one..."

He examined his resistances. Wood resistance was embarrassingly low, making that option dangerous. Since Water was no longer available, he chose the next safest choice.

Fire.

"Hopefully they don’t make me clear all five."

With a resigned sigh, Marcus stepped through the Fire door.

The interior passage looked nearly identical to the previous trial. The moment he entered, the door slammed shut behind him. Stone Grunt Spearmen and Sorcerers spawned once again.

"Same setup as before."

He had barely taken two steps when the air exploded with sound.

WHOOSH!

Flames erupted violently beneath his feet, blazing upward in waves of scorching heat.

-180 per second.

"Damn!"

He jerked slightly in surprise. The concept was identical to the Water trial, only now ice arrows were replaced by burning ground fire that inflicted constant damage.

Marcus immediately drank another Super Health Potion and pressed forward.

He fought while moving, cutting down monsters while advancing through waves of flame. Heat shimmered through the corridor as explosions and sword strikes echoed continuously.

"This tomb really shows no mercy."

He could easily imagine how devastating this would be for ordinary players. After surviving one Elemental Trial, they would immediately face another with a different damage type, often targeting a weaker resistance. Groups would be divided again, weakened one by one until failure became inevitable.

"Under normal conditions, you’d need to be well above Level 60 to clear all this."

His estimation of Level Four’s danger rose higher with every step. He still had no idea what level the true monsters of this floor were.

"Please don’t let Liam Windrunner have sent me somewhere suicidal..."

If the enemies ahead truly exceeded Level 60, escaping this tomb might take far longer than he wanted.

For the first time since entering, Marcus felt a faint longing for the outside world.

"Focus."

He tightened his grip on his sword.

He needed to finish this quest and escape the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb. More than that, he needed to escape the First Emperor’s Tomb itself, still sealed beneath the Golden Dragon Divine Sky Formation.

"Move!"

Increasing his pace, Marcus cut a straight path through the corridor. Less than a minute later, after consuming five more Super Health Potions, he reached the exit of the Fire trial.

Whoosh.

The moment he stepped through, the environment changed completely.

"The real Level Four..."

Marcus slowed to a halt.

Before him stretched a landscape so strange and breathtaking that he could only stare in silence.

"Beautiful..."

The word slipped from his mouth unconsciously as he gazed at the extraordinary scenery spread before him.

At last, he had passed the trials. He had truly entered Level Four of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.