While Naomi was busy, adventurers slowly but steadily explored caves on the third floor. It was a proper maze, There wasn’t any clue in which direction you should go next to find an exit. One tunnel even takes you back to the room you exited. Adventurers also discover two big caverns with galleries. Different tunnels lead to the upper and lower levels of the cave, but on both levels are spiders. Dungeon Mistress didn't prepare any way down, however, some adventurers speculated that with ropes you can do that. No one tried, because of darkness and hiding in it spiders waiting for you. Spiders who can’t reach adventurers, because they were on different levels, still observed them and even tried to shoot with nets sometimes. As a map of the floor starts to take shape, exploration gets easier and faster. However, reaching the end of the third floor takes almost the entire day.

  With the fourth floor, Naomi decided to risk a little and use woodland as a base pattern. For her, it means she will need to use some animals to make it feel real. She hopes that some birds, squirrels, and a few other small animals will be too boring for adventurers to bother with hunting them. Also, she makes sure there will be a lot of places to hide for them, or just run away. The entrance to the floor will be in the cave hidden behind some bushes. A maze of paths and animal trails will start with a hunter shack surrounded by a short fence. Each path leads to another clearing with a random number of enemies. As for enemies Naomi builds golem wolves. They were guarding a discarded backpacks with food in it. In the hunter's shack, because she didn't want to see yet how people were doing it for real, she placed freshly killed and partially butchered deer. At the end of the maze, she built a little better hut, as woodcutters camp.

  In the camp were five wolves to destroy, and plenty of different supplies as prizes. Naomi decided to help a little with building a proper town next to her oasis so she prepared logs. It wasn't enough to properly start building anything. But in Naomi's opinion, it will help. Transporting anything big and heavy through the desert was a costly endeavor if possible at all. She also was thinking about how to help with the bricks but that probably needed to wait for the next floor or even sixth. The floor had one unique future. Adventurers weren't forced to use pathways, they could go wherever they wanted. Well, almost. Naomi made sure that only paths were easy to walk, rest of the wood was full of bushes, some even with thorns. She added a few marshy grounds and some boulders big as minotaurs. The roots of trees covered with moss also made traversing wood harsh. But she also included a scenic pond full of fish and a fishing camp with freshly smoked fish. However, there is no nice road leading to this place. The exit from the floor leads through a tunnel in the cliff face. For someone who can climb, he can try to search nests of birds for fresh eggs. Naomi goes through the floor a few times before she is satisfied with her work and confirms the creation of the fourth floor.

  Nurmela led the first team which found a new floor.

  “I have a feeling that we have a new floor.” She smiled seeing some bushes blocking the exit from the cave.

  “I hope we got a better place to rest. I hate cold and wet caves.” Grumbled Nonisa.

  “It’s above ground for sure,” Iason said.

  And it was. When they moved the branches to see what was on them, they saw a dense but quite light forest.

  “Nice,” Iefer said.

  “Be ready, something is behind that shack.” Warned Iason, and all raised their shields and readied weapons.

  “Wolves ha.” Nurmela smiled, taking the first hit from the golem who jumped from behind the shack. “I think that Dungeon Mistress is trying to get revenge on you for your constant beating her, Paoli.” She laughed.

  “I'm a desert fox. Foxes are better than some stupid wolves. They even look different.” She was offended.

  The fight was relatively short. They had experience destroying golems, and even if this one moved better than rats and spiders, it still posed no significant threat.

  “Let’s see what we can find here,” Nurmela said.

  “I already found something good.” Iason smiled. “There is fresh, partially prepared deer.

  ”Oh, gods. Yes. Finally!” Paoli shouts.

  “Inside shacks are also some interesting things.” One of the helpers said. “It looks like our hunter not only hunts animals. He has a collection of ancient artifacts.”

  “Shame that they are fake.” Nonisa sighted after a brief check.

  “Still I like it. It’s like Dungeon Mistress found a way to connect floors through the story.” Iefer said.

  “Yea, you are right. First, this vault under the palace could be built on remnants of an ancient dwarven kingdom deeper down. And now we exited through a cave on this clearing and found the hut of some hunter dealing with some shoddy business.” Nonisa agrees.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Too much effort.” Nurmela shakes her head. “Iason, look around. We need to decide what we should do next.”

  “On it.” He went in the direction of a small trail.

  Fifteen minutes later he was back.

  “What took you so long?” Paoli asked.

  “I was checking something.” He answered. “We can safely leave paths and camp on the side.”

  “Good. Without camp, we can’t explore this floor. It’s too deep.” Nurmela nods. “And how many wolves are in the next place?”

  “Two, and they are guarding a backpack with something in it.”

  After checking everything and taking a short break they decided to fight with a pair of golems.

  When they emerged in the ring above ground they were beaten and half of them were helping each other to walk.

  “Dear goddess, what happened to you?” Pinera jumps in immediately to check on them and heal any serious injury.

  “We overestimated our strength a bit,” Nurmela said.

  “And wolves,” Iason added.

  “Wolves?” Pinera asked surprised at first, then she understood. “Fourth floor?”

  “Yes. And we will have a feast.” Paoli smiled. ”We will have deer for dinner.”

  “Dungeon Mistress allowed to hunt animals?” The Guild Master asked appearing unexpectedly.

  “It was already hunted and partially prepared for taking,” Nurmela explained.

  Around the same time, an undead monster, acting as a messenger arrived at the citadel of the dead. The necromancer who made a mistake a month ago and brought incomplete news about the new dungeon, sighed with relief. He even has a few hours to read and check if someone doesn't try to falsify it and get rid of him. But he didn't find anything suspicious. A few other necromancers considered delaying messenger, but decided it was too risky, especially if the news will be bad. So nervous but with plans what to do with some possible rewards he goes to the Archlich throne room.

  “Great Undead Lord. As ordered I bring you rapport with all of the findings about the new dungeon.” He prostrated before Archlich.

  “You were in no hurry.” Archlich's voice boomed in the hall. One of his servants gets a scroll. This one was in her past life a beautiful elven maiden. Now after her death, her body was carefully preserved for everyone to see through the revealing dress. Only her face was hidden behind the veil because her face was frozen in an eternal grimace of terror and pain. Archlich slowly read through the scroll. The news there was ridiculous. Two patrons for the start. He somehow can believe that, because it could be that false gods try to prevent inevitable. But they were at least fifty years too late. However, two more gods watching the new dungeon saying it’s ridiculous is an understatement of the century. In all history, it happened only once and it was one god. Next, it was an enormous oasis surrounded by tall walls and towers. That was a little warring if, of course, it was even true. Assuming that the new dungeon master does that, it means that there is some conspiracy going on. The middle of nowhere, hidden behind walls, was a good place to hide something nasty. It doesn’t matter in the long run but any delay is still delay. When he started reading about the dungeon master he almost started laughing. She welcomed the caravan, was nice, and a little shy. What did the person who wrote this drink? But the second part confused him. Devices and traps that don’t use magic to work. Anyone can do that, nothing special. Some false floor over pitfall. Maybe a rolling boulder. But without magic, you can’t do too much. There are no computers, microprocessors, or even simple electricity. Without them, you can’t do anything. You need to use magic to replace modern technology.

  “So you think I'm a fool!?” Shouts Archlich after a few minutes of pondering what to do with rapport. He uses it as an excuse to kill an overly ambitious necromancer. “Take him. And I don’t want to see him again!” He ordered his servants. They catch and drag away screaming and pleading men. “The rest of you. Organize spies, but someone smart and not drinking too much beer. I don’t want to see jokes about nice and shy dungeon masters. I need facts about what is happening there!” He raised his voice speaking to necromancers who gathered on both sides of the throne room. They were here to see how the messenger would die, and they got that. None of them was interested in a special task from Archlich himself, but they got that too.

  The next day when Naomi goes to ask the Guild Master if someone has reached the fourth floor she sees something strange. The adventurers packed their backpacks with camping gear.

  “Good day, Dungeon Mistress,” Lucius said, when she entered the adventurer's tent.

  “Hello everyone.” She smiled. “I saw when I was walking here that almost everyone was packing. Did something happen?”

  “Nothing bad Mistress,” Lucius answered. “Your fourth floor is too deep to explore without making camp there.”

  “Oh. And once again I didn't check everything.” Naomi was a little embarrassed. “I should see or ask first how long it takes to go through my upper floors.” She sighed.

  “It's a minor issue if at all. We checked yesterday and it looks like we can venture outside paths,” Paoli said entering a tent carrying a bowl of stew. She had a noticeable limp on her right leg.

  “Yes. If you forget about all the obstacles I placed there.” Naomi nod. “And what happened to you?”

  “Nothing big. A few minor scratches and bruises. We underestimated your wolves a little.”

  “You got beaten enough to need at least a day of rest and you say it is nothing big?” Naomi couldn't believe what she was hearing.

  “It is nothing special Dungeon Mistress,” Guild Master agrees. “A day or two rest after a short run to heal eventual wounds and rest is typical routine. Adventurers who came with the first caravan are skilled and experienced. For them, your first floors weren’t too dangerous. However, two days ago a caravan with one more team and a few soloist adventurers arrived. They were master level at best and you, Mistress, should be prepared for serious accidents.”

  “Great.” Naomi sight. “Don’t worry. I promise I won't shut myself in my quarters and stop doing anything. I probably will be in a bad mood for a few days.” She added seeing how seriously the Guild Master was looking at her.

  “Understood.” He answered.