Before he finished speaking, Mario exclaimed in surprise because he felt the ground slightly give way under his feet, and he was slowly sinking into the earth.
What's going on? Quicksand? Swamp?
Before Mario could figure it out, there was a "crash," and the ground beneath him suddenly gave way, causing him to fall into a tunnel below.
"Swish!"
The nearby soldiers quickly gathered around to watch Mario, who had fallen in, from above ground.
Mario shook his head and stood up, looking around the tunnel with some confusion and bewilderment at first, then his eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid.
"Huff—huff—"
"This... this is it!"
"Ah!" Mario screamed with excitement, stumbling over his words, "I... take back what I said earlier, the people above aren't fools, there's really a tunnel here, there is! I... I'm going to get promoted, my rank is going up... up three levels! Three levels!"
