chapter 175

“The transportation magic squares are still working the same,” I muttered.

I took a closer look at the ability to merge floors and found that the transportation magic squares remained intact. Actually, it was possible to add a few more. There would be no difficulty in moving around in the dungeon.

“Well, merging floors is possible. But, Master,” Lyhee reasoned, “Lyhee thinks there will be problems if the floors are suddenly reduced.”

I touched my chin. What Lyhee said was reasonable. Some monsters would not be able to adjust in the sudden change. I initially thought that there would be no major problems.

“Monsters in my dungeon are strong,” I stated. “They have higher capabilities than other dungeons’ monsters. Also, they have their own culture and adapt well to environments.”

I wasn’t sure if it was because of the Tree of Origin or the level of the dungeon, but the monsters in my domain were better than the others. I did not mean that they were unbeatable or something, but they were surely stronger than others.

That’s why I was strongly convinced that combining the floors would stimulate their developments.

Now was the perfect time to do it. Maxium, Roy, Rose, and Krithli were drawing attention from outside the dungeon. It would allow some time for the monsters to adapt.

A thought suddenly occurred to me, ‘There is no development without stimulation.’

There was probably a reason why the system brought up the topic about merging floors. It must have been recommended to strengthen the monsters not just in arms but also in thoughts.

The food chain would be established, and that would stimulate to create stronger monsters. If it succeeded, I would be free from most constraints. There would be no need to be nervous about auctions or read other demons’ faces.

“Do it,” I ordered Lyhee.

“As you wish, Master. But before that, it would be better to give warning and time to prepare, right?”

“That would be good.”

“Lyhee-hee. Okay.”

I agreed with Lyhee’s suggestion without hesitation. It would be better to warn the monsters in order to reduce the aftermath.

As Lyhee moved her wings, some sort of pixie dust fell off from them. It was a phenomenon that hadn’t occurred before. The pixie dust made “harmony” in the place where it fell.

“She might be able to become a Fairy King one day.”

I had only seen it in literature, but I had read that the Fairy King could make such a phenomenon. Life blossomed in a place where the Fairy King passed.

Lyhee had not reached that level yet, but perhaps, one day, she would become a Fairy King.

There was no Fairy King for a long time. If I wasn’t mistaken, the throne had been vacant for tens of thousands of years. That’s why the fairies accepted the suggestion of the demon god to decide the next Fairy King.

If Lyhee became a ruler of fairies, what choices would other fairies make? Would they celebrate the coming of a new Fairy King?

At least, there would be no need for them to maintain their contract with the demons. Of course, they would not unilaterally breach a contract. If they did, they would be extinct. No fairy would do such a bold act. However, I was sure that there would be some changes among the fairies, either their personality or behavior.

“The extinction of the soul…”

Thinking about the extinction of the soul reminded me of the Shadow Emperor. Had I not figured out about the Dark Elf Hayer Sheila and the curse, I would think the Shadow Emperor had been extinct for a very long time. Because when I got the first Easter Egg and the heart of the Hell Lord, I had heard his struggling voice and had seen the message that he was extinct.

However, traces of the Shadow Emperor had been found from Devildom. Even his closest ally, Maxium, had admitted it. According to him, the mana from the statue of Sheila was close to the Shadow Emperor.

Also, the Dark Elf Hayer, who was the highest monster at level 4, had died because of the curse. It seemed like Sheila had tried to fight the Shadow Emperor, but she could not defeat him.

I was sure that, at present, there was someone very strong in Devildom.

All the Archdukes were on Earth. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an acceptable explanation other than the Shadow Emperor.

However, it was just my assumption. There was always the possibility of a third party with similar mana to the Shadow Emperor.

“He’s the one who tried to make a comeback, even fooling the gods. So, he might engineer some other things. Or, I guess someone else inherited his power.” I shrugged.

Anyway, the Shadow Emperor had made the Underworld and prepared to be a true god.

“Yes, a god. He prepared everything to be a god, so he must have the Seed of the Beginning somewhere, too.”

It was likely to be in his Treasure Warehouse. All the items from the warehouse were registered in the Achievement Store, but I could not find anything similar to the Seed of the Beginning.

“It may be called with a different name, or something may be related to it. I’ll look closer.”

I spent a few days scanning through the Achievement Store.

***

Ironically, the people who gathered in Seoul started to build their power near the dungeon. Some people expressed concerns, but no monster wave had occurred since the invasion of monsters and demons from overseas.

Besides, the “Cores” that replaced oil and electricity could only be obtained from the dungeon. It was the most suitable place to train as well as long as there was no monster wave.

“Damn it. Where did they go in this freaking busy time?” Kim Yongwoo, the guild master of the Guild of Heaven’s Will, muttered.

At some point, Yoo Eunhye and Edward had disappeared. Since the two main people of the guild were missing, running the guild at the moment was especially difficult. It was a crucial moment for everyone. Kim Yongwoo sighed as he cleaned up a pile of paperwork.

Rattle!

At that moment, Lee Jihye showed up.

“Hey, guild master. Are you not going to work?”

Instead of robes, she was wearing casual clothes and holding a shovel. Dust covered her face. She looked as though she badly needed a shower.

At the same time, Kim Yongwoo had a stiffened expression. “Hey! I am a guild master. Do I really have to go to such a place? I already have tons of work here.”

“You have to go because you are the guild master. Take the initiative and set an example. The population is increasing every day, and it is hard to build shacks. Don’t you think it is a good idea to show that we are doing a good work?”

“Damn, you are a convincing speaker.”

“And we can’t transfer the guards. More people are coming these days, and there are so many terrors.”

“I know. Those old government agencies…”

People who stood out to recover Seoul had been divided into two groups: First, those who followed Kirin, waiting for the coming of the sage king; second, those who wanted to revive the government with a president like in the past.

The controversy raged on. In the end, the latter group staged an armed protest. They didn’t hesitate to use violence. The other group managed to drive them out of Seoul, but they did not relent in their attacks.

“They should have done things well from the beginning,” Lee Jihye grumbled.

Kim Yongwoo nodded in agreement. “Yes. They committed too many irreversible mistakes. They could have prepared well, but they did not. That’s why our country is like this.”

There were many opportunities. The invasions of demons and monsters were abrupt, but if the government pulled together and dealt calmly with the crisis, they would have managed to save many people.

But people in the government had been in panic. They had abandoned the citizens and hid during the invasions.

Many people totally turned their backs to the old government because of the atrocities they had committed.

Lee Jihye grinned. “So that’s why we ended up with the decision to choose our king. I hope the sage king appears soon.”

The coming of the wise king to end this turbulent age… That was what all the awakened heroes wanted and hoped for.

“I hope that the sage king emerges from our guild.”

“You sound like a snob. Who cares where the king comes from? We just need one as soon as possible.”

“Well, our guild is a pretty good one. Don’t you agree? We pursue a great cause. Rather than somewhere else, I would prefer the king to emerge from our guild so that we can do a better job. I will support the king well from behind, too.”

“Sure, you will,” Lee Jihye replied sarcastically.

“I will, seriously. Anyway, where are Yoo Eunhye and Edward?”

“They left a letter and disappeared. How the hell am I supposed to know where they went? They will come back when the time comes.”

“But I feel strange…”

“Well, your forebodings are usually wrong. They are skilled heroes. Don’t worry.”

Lee Jihye didn’t worry about them. She had a firm belief that they would come back all in good time.

Kim Yongwoo licked his lips. “Whatever. Let’s just go to work. We don’t have time to chat.”

“Oh! But you started it!”

“What? Hey, you…”

The two of them were very friendly after going through life and death situations together. Although both hated losing, they got along well.

Kim Yongwoo shook his head and changed into his work clothes. As he picked up a shovel, something happened…

Rumble!

The land began to shake.

“Earthquake?”

Kim Yongwoo quickly approached Lee Jihye and bent his body.

Rumble!

The shaking of the ground worsened.

“Damn! What is going on?”

“Oh my god!” Lee Jihye exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?”

“The dungeon…”

“Dungeon?”

Lee Jihye was looking at something from a distance. She seemed like she had just seen a ghost.

Kim Yongwoo followed her gaze and was shocked at what he saw. “The dungeon… It is changing!”

***

The dungeon, which once replaced the Bukhan Mountain, was now being transformed into a huge castle.

It was huge that people could not even see the end of it at a glance. Its width stretched out for dozens of kilometers. As for the height, it was beyond anyone’s imagination. It reached the sky.

“The dungeon exploration will be prohibited until a clear cause is determined,” Kirin declared.

She climbed on the platform, emitting her mysterious atmosphere.

“We don’t have much Core left,” Kim Yongwoo disagreed. “Everything will stop in three days if we stop exploring the dungeon.”

He was one of the few awakened heroes who could have a private meeting with Kirin. Only the guild masters from the large guilds were able to do so.

Seven guild masters, Kirin, and two dark elves gathered in a small hall. They were going to discuss precautions to implement in certain situations.

“Many awakened heroes have kept their concerns in check while exploring the dungeon. If we stop them, they will burst out and cause a lot of trouble,” Arin, the guild master of the Guild of Marten, commented.

People agreed with her, but Kirin was adamant.

Roy, who held the magic sword, said, “There are no problems with the Dungeon Cores.”

“Do you mean we can get them without exploring?” Kim Yongwoo asked.

Roy nodded his head. “Yes. My master sent me a lot of Cores.”

“Oh…our savior sent Cores?”

“Yes. He also sent me a weapon to deal with those who are causing troubles.”

Clap!

Roy clapped his hands once, then something fell from the ceiling.

“What the!”

The guild masters were surprised because they hadn’t noticed its existence.

It was a naked, hairless male monster. Its height was approximately at an adult human’s shoulder level. The eyes were completely black, and it rolled its long tongue in and out.

“This is homunculus. It’s actually a subpar one, but would be enough to handle the terrorists.”