Reincarnated With The Degenerate System-Chapter 220 - 16th Floor Part 1

The new area stretched wide before us, the sky clear and bright, yet the ground was muddy and uneven, telling a different story.

Weirdly enough, dead trees stretched in every direction instead of the lush forest usually found in such wet ground, their trunks twisted and scarred, bark stripped bare of any sign of life.

Above them, layers of thick green webbing hung across the canopy, uneven and heavy.

Unlike the webs from the lower floors, these had a jelly-like texture, making them look like slimy palm fronds from a distance.

I crouched down and touched the ground. Whatever made this area wet was not water.

Frowning, I raised my hand.

"Everyone, helmets on. Now."

The team moved at once. Seals clicked shut, nano suits flowing upward to form visors and filtration masks.

A low vibration followed as the gears activated and adjusted to the environment.

Omega Unit from ’National Motors’ had to be manually maintained, so they attached a portable canister to replenish the air filtration system.

The toxicity in the air wasn’t enough to kill Seekers outright, but prolonged exposure would weaken them and eventually make them unconscious.

S-Ranks has higher tolerance, able to breathe it in for hours without issue. As for me, I could survive here for a year before even showing signs of sickness.

"Camp here," I continued, gesturing toward the tunnel entrance. "Fortify the area and hold position."

They spread out, deploying portable inflatable tents with a single press of a button.

The fabric expanded smoothly, frames locking into place as air filled the structure, and within moments the empty ground had turned into a functional camp.

Each tent was large enough to house twenty people, sturdy despite its light build, and fully sealed from the outside environment.

"This will be our base. Form search groups and start scouting for anything valuable. Plants, minerals, anything worth money. Report everything."

As the first guild to conquer this floor, we had exclusive rights for three full days before the area would be opened to the public.

Until then, the Sixteenth Floor belonged to us alone, and every resource it held was ours to claim.

This privilege mattered a lot.

Monsters would return no matter how many times they were killed, which was why their corpses sold for almost nothing. The only exceptions were those rare creatures that possessed cores.

Resources were different. Plants, crystals, and rare metals followed rules that could not be forced. Some needed years to grow back. Others took decades. Most would never return at all.

Now, to find the entrance to the boss of this place.

"Alexa, Rhea, Lian, and..." I said, turning toward them. "Split up and scout. Different directions. Come back after two hours, and if you run into a dangerous situation, use your flare gun."

"Yes, Sir."!

"Healers stay," I added, then stepped forward.

Space folded.

The camp disappeared as I reappeared several meters away.

I then started moving, dashing from tree to tree and teleporting short distances to cover ground faster, weaving through the dead forest.

Soon, I drew the attention of the monsters, their enhanced senses reacting instantly to my presence.

Branches snapped overhead as shapes dropped from the canopy.

Spider monkeys emerged from the shadows, their long limbs unfolding as they locked onto me. They resembled the ones from the previous floor, but the corruption that ruled this forest made them mutate.

Sickly green streaks pulsed beneath their fur, veins glowing through stretched skin, and their black eyes, though clouded, burned with aggression.

One of them shrieked, and webbing burst from its mouth, splattering against a nearby tree.

The bark hissed and melted a little.

I tilted my head slightly. "That’s new."

It lunged, claws swinging for my chest while green liquid sprayed from sacs along its torso. I shifted just enough to let the strike graze my shoulder, allowing the poison to coat my armor.

The Nano suit shimmered once, then held steady. The toxic liquid slid off without resistance.

One billion credits were well spent.

"Now it’s my turn.!" My spear drove cleanly through its throat, the force carrying it backward before I tore the weapon free and let the body collapse.

Another dropped from above, followed by two more, shrieking as they sprayed webbing across the ground in an attempt to slow me down.

I moved through it, boots barely touching the surface as I vaulted onto a tree trunk and ran along its side, web splattering uselessly below.

Frankly, I could have ended this quickly, but I decided to train a little, testing the Nano suit’s defenses by letting the toxic substances cover me.

It worked perfectly, taking the attack with little to no damage.

Such an effect might not matter much to someone like me, but for Alexa and the others, it was a lifesaver, letting them strike harder and move without worrying about dying from poison.

More came, swarming in from every side as they hurled slimy webbing toward me, trying to bury me under sheer numbers.

"You know," I called back over my shoulder, "if you’re going to ambush someone, timing helps."

I kicked off the trunk and came down hard, spear splitting one skull in a single motion before I twisted and hurled the weapon through the chest of another as it tried to retreat.

The impact pinned it to a tree, the trunk cracking under the force as the creature screamed and then faded into nothing.

I resummoned the spear calmly, scanning the area as more movement stirred in the forest.

They came in a pack this time, swarming from multiple angles with reckless speed.

After the smaller ones fell, the ground began to tremble beneath my feet.

The trees parted as several larger variants stepped into view.

Each of them dwarfed the others, easily five times their size, muscles swollen and corded beneath skin stained a deeper, toxic green.

Thick web sacs pulsed along their backs, swelling and contracting, while their eyes locked on me.

"EEEEEK!"

Green webs shot out at high speed, striking with enough force to create a shockwave. This time, I dodged the attack, unwilling to risk my Nano suit failing under such a powerful strike.

The tree trunk that took the hit exploded into fragments, wood and bark blasted outward as if struck by artillery.

Calling those attacks webs was an understatement. They hit more like cannons, dense and compressed, carrying enough force to tear through solid ground.

More followed.

Shots screamed through the air from different angles, ripping apart trees and leaving craters where they landed.

I moved between them, reading the timing, then raised my spear and met the next wave head-on. The shaft rang with each impact as I redirected the attacks, twisting my wrists just enough to send the force aside instead of absorbing it.

Once their rhythm broke, I went on the offensive.

I closed the distance in flashes, accelerating between strikes and driving the spear into joints, throats, and other vital organs.

One by one, the larger variants fell, their massive bodies collapsing.

They left behind cores.

I didn’t hesitate. I absorbed them on the spot, the energy flowing into me as easily as breathing, strengthening my power.

When the last of the monsters disappeared and the forest fell silent, I pressed forward, moving deeper.

I reached what seemed like the edge of the area, but there was still no sign of the entrance.

Disappointed , I shifted direction and continued my search.

That’s when I found it—hidden near a pond of boiling green liquid.

The surface bubbled and hissed, releasing faint plumes of toxic vapor.

Just looking at it made one thing very clear: handling the boss in this area would require a lot more preparation than I anticipated.

The air alone was lethal enough to slow even the strongest A-Ranks without proper protection.

"Should I head back?" I mumbled to myself, glancing at the area and seeing the maximum number needed to take the boss was 150. But then an idea struck me.

What if I fought the boss alone to get information? There was only one of me, which meant I could escape anytime. Even if things went south, I could always resummon my clone.

I had tested this tactic before, back on the lower floors when I retrieved the Monkey Paw. It worked then, and there was no reason it wouldn’t work now.

The more I ran the calculations in my head, the more certain I became of my decision. With that resolve, I stepped inside.

The ground was treacherous—slippery, mold-covered stones making each step risky. I decided to use my shadow to glide just above the surface, avoiding direct contact with the toxic floor. After a few minutes, I reached a chamber.

It was smaller than the last one, but way more dangerous. The floor was flooded with green, bubbling toxic liquid, at least four inches deep, and it sloshed quietly as if the poison itself was alive.

Just the density of the liquid alone would slow down my guild members significantly, so we would have to factor that.

Looking ahead, I spotted a platform, and standing on it was a thin-looking monkey. Its fur was white, with green leaves wrapped around its body like water lilies.

Though it was only about twenty feet tall, its proportions told me it was built for speed.

That wasn’t all. It had six arms, each ending in a sharp, blade-like edge, reminiscent of a mantis. Its eyes were equally unusual—hexagonal like an insect’s, a pattern not even the previous boss had.

"I should at least send my greetings," I chuckled as I summoned my Dragon Moonlight Spear.