Dungeon

Biodata

Background / History

The Dungeon was originally a trial left behind by the Ancient Titan Gods. At its deepest point lies the Ancient Titan portal, a means of traveling between worlds. The Black Dragon occupied this portal and transformed the labyrinth into an incubator for vicious monsters through its evil energy. 4

For 900 years, the underground has served as a battlefield between the Dragon race and the surface races. Orario was established around it, and Babel Tower stands above its entrance. 4 5

Gods are forbidden from entering the Dungeon: their presence may provoke the Black Dragon in its depths, and their divine power cannot be fully released in the mortal realm. 5

Structure and Environment

The Dungeon is accessed by descending stairs beneath Babel Tower. Its underground air is dry, while glowing plants on the rock walls provide enough illumination to navigate. 7

• It contains branching corridors, maze-like areas, monster food storages, and stairways between floors. 7 8
• Monsters can emerge from the walls, floor, or concealed burrows. 8 17
• Defeated monsters disintegrate into fine sand, leaving behind Magic Stones. 7 17
• Food storages contain water and plants used to sustain monsters; some also hold valuable gatherable resources. 7 27
• The Dungeon becomes more dangerous at night, when common monsters appear more frequently and rare monsters are more likely to emerge. 9

Documented Floors

Hazards

• Monster ambushes — Monsters may spawn simultaneously from walls, drop from ceilings, or burrow under paths. 8 17
• Elite monsters — Great Barking Dogs and Guard Bees are capable of overwhelming novice adventurers; four Guard Bees were an unprecedented first-day fourth-floor kill for novice explorers. 10 32
• Environmental traps — A crack can form in a food-storage wall and release Guard Bees when Star Fruit is gathered. 33
• Mana exhaustion — Overusing abilities during prolonged Dungeon combat can leave an adventurer unconscious or physically overloaded. 32 35
• Adventurer hostility — Explorers may deliberately lure elite monsters toward others or manipulate monster aggression for their own purposes. 8 18 30
• High mortality — Guild statistics state that nearly three-fifths of registered adventurers over the previous ten years were killed or permanently disabled. 5

Inhabitants and Resources

Monsters

• Weak Mushroom — Common first-floor monster; releases spores that cause severe eye pain and leaves a Magic Stone after death. 7
• Barking Dog — Common second-floor monster. 8
• Great Barking Dog — Elite Barking Dog and noted rookie killer; over a hundred newcomers are estimated to have died to them over the past century. 10
• Goblin — Second- and third-floor monster capable of throwing stones at adventurers. 8 17
• Paralysis Mushroom — First-floor monster encountered during later expeditions. 17
• Cave Spider — Third-floor ambush predator that buries itself or camouflages on walls. 17
• Earth Bee — Fourth-floor giant bee that feeds on blood and inflicts paralysis with its stinger. 24
• Guard Bee — Elite bee that protects Star Fruit within food storages. 27 30

Materials

• Magic Stones — Stones left behind when monsters turn to sand; adventurers commonly exchange them for money. 7 10
• Earth Bee Crystals — Valuable crystals with healing applications and use in producing a type of alcohol. 27
• Star Fruit — Rare, valuable fruit found in fourth-floor food storage and guarded by elite Guard Bees. 27 32
• Pale-red spice nuts — Low-level food-storage plants used as a seasoning comparable to star anise. 7

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu first enter through Babel Tower and explore the first floor, defeating Weak Mushrooms and collecting Magic Stones. 7
• Their second-floor expedition introduces the Dungeon's greater danger when an adventurer uses them to draw the aggro of a Great Barking Dog. 8 9
• On a later descent, they reach the third floor, where they encounter Cave Spiders and discover a dead adventurer. 17
• The pair initially withdraw from the fourth-floor entrance after hearing fighting and encountering a fleeing man associated with elite-monster incidents. 18
• After returning to the fourth floor, they fight Earth Bees and Guard Bees, obtain Star Fruit, and suffer severe physical and mana exhaustion. 24 27 30 32
• The Dungeon's deepest portal remains Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu's potential route back to their original world, but reaching it requires becoming the strongest adventurers and confronting the Black Dragon's domain. 4