Who Designed This Dungeon

"Under my brilliant leadership, the Sein Dungeon has achieved outstanding results time and time again."

"The Abyss Watchers successfully escaped the crisis of being sidelined. Reduced difficulty and increased rewards have brought the player flow back."

"Liurnia of the Lake has sparked a hundred schools of thought—elves and professors are even paying out of their own pockets to attract adventurers. The blacksmith and the underground area opening have made this region flourish."

"The Catacombs and the forest are operating steadily. Roguelike runs and hunting have both gained a loyal following."

"There's no need to mention the gourmet zone—it's one of the key reasons Sein went viral. Now, with the combination of food and Pokémon, it's more relaxing than any resort."

"Bedford City's economic benefits have increased countless times thanks to my efforts. The entire region is thriving with vitality. So…"

Wade looked at the two corpses laid out before him. His expression darkened as he muttered:

"So why are incidents like this still happening?"

The two bodies belonged to "Shadowless" Geralt and another adventurer. Their faces looked peaceful, as if they had simply fallen into a deep sleep. You might even say they didn't look too bad in death—but all their bones were gone.

Their bodies were limp, reduced to nothing more than sacks of flesh.

Wade covered the corpses and fell into thought.

He had seen plenty of vendettas between adventurers. In the dungeon, fights often broke out over uneven loot distribution, sometimes escalating into outright slaughter. But methods this cruel—and the deliberate dumping of bodies inside the dungeon—this was a first.

Their deaths were bizarre, almost ritualistic. And by coincidence, Wade discovered that both victims possessed unique talents.

Digging deeper revealed an even stranger pattern—their talents were both related to speed.

Geralt's title, "Shadowless," came from his ability to instantly dash thousands of meters. Though it had a cooldown, it was extremely useful in combat. He often joined exploration teams from the Adventurers' Guild, leaving a lasting impression on Wade.

The other adventurer was obscure. His talent resembled Mirian's Vanishing, but without invincibility frames—essentially an instant invisibility combined with teleportation. A true lone wolf, he had never revealed his ability to others. Only Wade, who constantly monitored the dungeon, had uncovered his secret.

A targeted massacre of speed-type talent users—why?

Some kind of sinister ritual?

He replayed the footage from the day the bodies were dumped. The culprit was tightly covered—hood and mask—but in a few frames, a strand of brown hair was visible.

Wade memorized the person's build and gait. If he encountered them on the street, there was a high chance he could identify them.

But what would he do if he did?

First, he needed to understand the motive. Then he could decide—kill them directly, hand them over to the guards or the guild, or ignore it altogether.

Come to think of it, Geralt was somewhat notable within the guild. Yet there had been no reaction to his death.

Thinking more conspiratorially… what if the guild itself was involved?

Wade stored the suspect's physical traits in the dungeon interface. If someone matching that profile appeared, he would be alerted immediately.

He didn't have time to wander the streets anyway. Daily maintenance and adjustments of the dungeon already consumed most of his time.

Then, another issue surfaced.

He took out a letter—blue-green in color, unlike any he had received before.

It had arrived when he first opened Liurnia of the Lake to adventurers, sent from the "Unicorn Dungeon."

The sender claimed to be part of the Astar Alliance. Wade had verified this—it was true.

The letter was simple, almost blunt. Just one sentence:

[The altar seal of Eagle Dungeon has loosened. Do you want to join us in sending forces to suppress it?]

An altar seal? Loosened?

Wade stroked the altar beneath him—now effectively his chair. He recalled that when he first became Aldwin, he had tried to unlock it, only to receive the message: Insufficient Authority.

Even now, at level-three authority, it still wasn't enough.

Later, through knowledge crystals left by Kidd, he learned the true purpose of altars and dungeon lords:

[Every dungeon seals a calamity that has already gone extinct from the world.]

These calamities could be evil monsters, warlike races, diseases—even abstract concepts.

Without exception, they had once caused great disasters. But once sealed by dungeons, all memory of them vanished from living beings—like devils eaten in Chainsaw Man.

How were they sealed? Unknown. Perhaps the work of gods.

Dungeon lords collect mana to sustain the dungeon—and use it to maintain the seal. The lord themselves acts as a keystone, which is why they cannot leave.

But seals can occasionally loosen. When that happens, fragments of the sealed entity may escape. If not destroyed in time, they could return to the world.

When Wade first learned this, he didn't even dare sit on the altar anymore. But after deeper study and communication with the Astar Alliance, he realized:

Such loosening might not occur even once in hundreds or thousands of years. A dungeon could pass through several generations of lords without ever encountering it.

The altar's seal was like background lore—rarely affecting daily dungeon life.

Wade had been incredibly "lucky" to encounter this once-in-a-millennium event. When he asked why they had invited him, the Unicorn Dungeon replied:

[You ended your first life-and-death battle in half a day. The boss thinks highly of you. This suppression mission is mainly led by him—we're just showing up. He only invited promising new dungeon lords. It's a great opportunity—maybe you'll gain something from him.]

The so-called "boss" was the Red Fang Dungeon.

Its red territory spanned two entire nations, even covering a large portion of the Kingdom of Yanor.

Without question, it was a giant among dungeons—no wonder it was called the boss.

Eagle Dungeon had been dormant for a century. But with the seal loosening, the sealed Burning Demon began to emerge, prompting a call for aid.

Red Fang took responsibility. As one of the largest dungeons, it had the strength to eliminate the weakened demons that escaped.

As for inviting Wade and other newcomers—it was likely an attempt to build connections.

With such a powerful figure leading the effort, Wade saw no reason to refuse. He might even gain something valuable from the experience.

He consulted the Astar Alliance, which praised Red Fang as a "loyal defender of humanity" and a "noble powerhouse," urging him to seize the opportunity.

Even the extreme Astar Alliance spoke highly of them—clearly, Red Fang possessed both reputation and integrity.

In the end, Wade accepted the invitation.

The battle hadn't begun yet. The Unicorn Dungeon would notify him when it did.

For now, he continued maintaining Val and Sein, while communicating with other dungeon lords in preparation.

That said… what exactly did Sein and Val seal?

After searching through the knowledge crystals, he learned that Val Dungeon sealed the Bronze Dwarves.

As for Sein—

Unknown.

There was no record in the dungeon system.

Why was such crucial information missing?

He only knew about Val's seal because of records left by Kidd's creator. How Kirich had learned it remained unclear.

Not knowing what Sein sealed made Wade uneasy.

"Still… it's probably fine. I might not even see a seal loosen in my lifetime."

Without realizing it, he had just raised a massive flag.

There was one more thing—the location of Eagle Dungeon.

It was near the royal capital of the Kingdom of Yanor, Roland.

Administratively, it fell under Roland's jurisdiction. In reality, however, it was extremely far—equivalent to traveling between Bedford City and Kasuga City four or five times.

But what Wade didn't know was that near Eagle Dungeon was a group he had encountered before—

The Light Eagle Corps.

(***)

Sein Dungeon – Surface

"Come hear Master Wienma's brilliant magical theories! Sign the supporter list and receive a lesson worth ten gold coins, personally taught by the master!"

"Professor Set from the Magic Association is holding a lecture in the city! Sign the supporter list for entry and receive exquisite handcrafted items from the professor!"

"And remember—you can't support Professor Set if you support the elves!"

"And if you support Master Wienma, you can't support that ignorant professor!"

Near the teleport gate, hired promoters from both sides shouted loudly, recruiting supporters—on the verge of coming to blows.

In a city where something new happened every day, the clash of magical theories between the two factions had become major news, drawing widespread attention.

To compete, both sides went all out—actively helping adventurers explore Liurnia of the Lake.

The academy's underground was a classic labyrinth—filled with traps, monsters, and rewards.

Exploration had already reached the third floor, attracting wave after wave of adventurers.

Among the crowd entering the dungeon were two figures wearing hoods and masks—one with brown hair.

"How's the condition of the weapon?"

"Perfect. Those two talents filled it with energy. Even the Sword Saint won't be able to keep up with its speed."

"We need to deliver it before the Sword Saint catches up—improve our chances."

"No rush. We finally got our hands on something this powerful."

The brown-haired youth looked at the teleport gate of Sein Dungeon and said:

"Let's use this dungeon to test it first."