The nest—the core of the chimera insects—was the origin point of all bugs.
Calling it the heart of the Hive Nest Dungeon would not be an exaggeration.
A complete Nest Dungeon originally possessed five nests. To reduce daily mana expenditure, Ganago had steadily dismantled them until only this single one remained.
He believed this nest would surely bring him victory—and reclaim vast quantities of mana in the process.
In his reckless youth, he had even fantasized about throwing mighty beings like dragons into the nest, creating an army capable of conquering the world.
It was a dream Ganago buried deep in his heart—a dream that would invite ridicule if spoken aloud.
Yet he still returned to it from time to time. Every night before falling asleep, he imagined himself conquering the world.
Intelligent beings always needed something to look forward to.
They always needed a dream to cling to.
And now, Ganago's dream exploded before his eyes in a burst of multicolored fireworks.
Yellow represented warmth, making any creature that touched it feel the bliss of basking by a fire.
Red represented fortune—any creature tainted by it would welcome eternal life.
Black represented—
If one could ignore the true nature of these fireworks, the explosion itself was rather beautiful.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Ganago clutched his head. His mind went completely blank. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
He stood there, motionless, as if turned to stone.
Frenzied Flame, Scarlet Rot, the Abyss, Curse-Death—aside from the last, all possessed terrifying contagion.
When the four colors spread across the base, Ganago could no longer remain frozen. He immediately exercised his authority, severing the polluted land from the rest of the base!
Damn it. The nest had been located deep in the rear. Its explosion had contaminated a vast surrounding area. After cutting those regions away, the base instantly became cramped.
He had originally hidden himself underground, but once the rear was severed, the chamber he had concealed himself in was exposed. A gust of wind passed through, leaving his backside cold.
"Aldwin…"
Ganago muttered to himself. His current mental state could be summed up in two words:
Completely insane.
Perhaps because he had always been a little mad, this added insanity acted like poison fighting poison, forcibly calming him down.
At least—on the surface.
So that was it. The defining trait of the Sein Dungeon was these unknown effects—highly contagious, highly toxic unfamiliar "diseases." For now, he would simply call them diseases.
Ganago's thoughts raced.
No wonder the dungeon's monsters were all so ordinary—goblins, minotaurs, trolls. Standard configurations for any dungeon.
Earlier, I underestimated them. I saw these commonplace trash mobs and assumed the dungeon was weak. But thinking calmly now—how could a dungeon that reached Level-3 authority possibly be ordinary?
So that's how it is. That's how it is.
He had figured it out.
"Monsters were never the Sein Dungeon's strength. Its true trump card is these unknown diseases. It's a dungeon that survives through terrain and traps!"
Such dungeons usually accumulated mana very slowly. That meant the lord of the Sein Dungeon was likely an "old man" who had lingered at Level-2 authority for years, only recently emptying his savings to upgrade to Level-3!
Every dungeon followed a unique system and had almost no spare capacity to develop other paths—this was an iron rule deeply etched into Ganago's mind, and into the minds of dungeon lords everywhere.
Since the Sein Dungeon specialized in things like Frenzied Flame—
Then it must be weak in terms of monsters!
"If that's the case, then he doesn't have monsters powerful enough to directly attack me."
With that conclusion, Ganago stopped holding back. He spent his final reserves of mana and created another nest.
This time, he abandoned the conventional strategy of spreading fungal carpets before mass production. Instead, he ordered the nest to absorb all nutrients from the carpet, focusing entirely on producing flying chimera insects.
At the same time, he spent mana to directly create summonable flying chimera insects—ones with sufficient strength, roughly mid-tier to high-tier.
Strange—why didn't he categorize them as A, B, or C ranks?
The answer was simple. Aside from the Sein Dungeon, no other dungeon's monsters even possessed power-level classifications!
The Lake of Rot continued eroding his base. However, once he fully retracted the fungal carpet and cut off biological transmission, the corruption's spread across the ground slowed.
Large numbers of ordinary flying chimera insects, supplemented by elite chimera insects created through mana, plus sympathizers summoned specifically to provide group buffs—
Ganago's intent was clear.
Before the corruption devoured everything, he would speedrun the Sein Dungeon and drag Wade out of Farron Keep!
Nest production required time. Creating monsters with mana was fast, but that precious resource could only be spent on elites.
He was racing against death itself.
He had to rebuild his swarm and destroy Farron Keep before the corruption consumed the base entirely.
At that moment, a howl echoed from the sky.
Ganago looked up and saw a giant eagle, with several Heroes clinging to its body.
No need to guess. These Heroes were here to execute an air strike.
Surveying the battlefield, Wade's fighting style struck Ganago as absurdly cost-efficient.
Using just a few "infected" Heroes to detonate the enemy base—and now even deploying a team composed entirely of free Heroes. Thrift taken to the extreme.
And those Heroes were familiar faces—
Leon. Darrick. Stella.
These three alone nearly filled the Sein Dungeon's summoning limit.
The final Hero had a lower bond value than the others, but his strength was unquestionably the greatest.
Because his name was—
Sword Saint Gapar.
"Perfect timing."
A sinister smile crept onto Ganago's face.
The moment Leon and the others entered Nest Dungeon airspace, Ganago activated his authority.
[A World You Cannot Leave Without Victory]
A flash of light—and the Heroes vanished.
"By the time you come out, my swarm will be fully assembled. No… more likely, you won't come out at all."
Using A World You Cannot Leave Without Victory, Ganago could create isolated subspaces separate from the dungeon. One could not leave without killing designated monsters or fulfilling specific conditions. Even if their mana ran dry, they would remain trapped until they became walking corpses.
Within these subspaces, both monsters and structures were capped. Mana could be spent to raise those limits.
Everything placed inside had to be something the dungeon lord had seen before. Creating a ten-thousand-meter abyss out of nothing was impossible—and the subspace's limits wouldn't allow it anyway.
Each subspace could contain many elements, but only one person could enter each. The scenery they encountered might be identical—or entirely different.
In Ganago's eyes, this was a heavily restricted ability. Its greatest use was imprisoning enemies, though even that had limitations.
A perfectly serviceable power—reduced by him into a portable prison.
When the space stabilized, Leon found himself inside a circular structure.
It resembled a colosseum.
He stood at its center.
The next second, a group of grotesque figures appeared around him, cackling.
These were Heroes belonging to the Nest Dungeon.
Though they were demons, their bodies closely resembled humans, and their combat styles were similarly human-like—rarities among demonkind.
They were special forces trained by the Demon King's army specifically to fight humans.
Leon said nothing. He silently drew a straight sword capable of canceling effects.
A perfect matchup.
Darrick also appeared in a colosseum—but his opponents were not humanoid demons.
They were pure monstrosities.
Every monster before him was grotesque, many capable of freely reshaping their bodies—elite demons.
Lower-tier substitutes for Demon Lords, similar in both ability and appearance.
"…."
Darrick wordlessly assumed the stance of the Farron Undead Legion.
Another perfect matchup.
Stella did not appear in a colosseum.
She found herself inside a trap-filled maze. The condition for escape was simple—find the exit.
This place closely resembled the interior of the Nest Dungeon, likely dismantled from elsewhere. The traps were all things Ganago considered extremely vicious.
In Ganago's understanding, at least.
Stella stopped at a corner and casually tossed a pebble forward.
A chimera insect foolishly charged out.
Corner ambush. A classic design.
But what kind of ambush monster ran out on its own just because it heard a sound?
If the Sein Dungeon had designed it, it wouldn't be this simple. At the very least, there would be a fingercreeper on the ceiling, or a collapsing floor beneath one's feet, with a sensory-nullifying pitfall below. Or—
Stella sighed, visibly disappointed.
Another perfect matchup.
These adventurers trained by the Sein Dungeon possessed a level of dungeon-crawling expertise the Nest Dungeon could never imagine.
To put it in more chuuni terms—
"We fought our way out of hell itself. Why would we fear your petty demons?"
As for Sword Saint Gapar—
He hit the jackpot.
Standing before him was the strongest monster in the Nest Dungeon: a super chimera insect cultivated by devouring countless dead.
Its strength surpassed the Guardian Ape and rivaled a Crucible Knight.
A one-in-ten-thousand powerhouse.
Ganago's pride and joy.
Over the years, no one who had entered the Nest Dungeon had ever defeated it.
Gapar looked up at the monster.
He couldn't even be bothered to draw his sword.
Outside—
The nest's production continued at full speed. Elite chimera insects created with mental power guarded Ganago's side.
The Lake of Rot's erosion had slowed, but the situation remained grim. Fortunately, the nest had already produced over a hundred flying chimera insects. Once their numbers increased severalfold, another assault on Farron Keep would be possible.
Ganago nervously rubbed his hands, repeatedly glancing toward the fortress.
Farron Keep now appeared shrouded in mystery.
Ten minutes had passed since Leon was sent into the subspace.
Ten minutes—long enough for even an idiot to react. Why hadn't the enemy sent reinforcements?
Out of mana? Very possible. That batch of Heroes might have been their final combat strength.
Yet an ominous feeling brewed within him.
From the very beginning, he should never have targeted the Sein Dungeon.
A thought surfaced—
I might die here.
Terrified, he shook his head violently.
Every demon's soul had a chance, after death, to be absorbed by the demon race's sacred relic—the Great Demon Tree. Priests could view fragments of their final memories.
If he truly died here, he hoped the memories left behind wouldn't look too pathetic.
He didn't want to lose face before those damned priests.
"Why am I thinking this?"
Ganago froze.
That's right. This battle wasn't over yet. Why was he already assuming defeat?
Tick. Tock.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but he seemed to hear the ticking of a clock.
Exactly twelve minutes after the Heroes were swallowed by the subspaces—
"Right. Let me enjoy their miserable state and relax a bit."
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
Boom—
Like a massive bell being struck, a series of glass-shattering sounds echoed.
Ganago's face drained of color.
Because that sound meant—
His subspaces were being shattered.
And hearing it repeatedly meant—
One.
Two.
Three.
All of them.
Every Hero he had imprisoned had escaped.
Ganago stared in disbelief—no less shocked than when the nest had exploded before his eyes.
"Twelve minutes… how is this possible? Why—?!"
The shattered subspaces became strange light sources in the air. The Heroes stood before the glow, like legendary champions.
Ganago felt as though he were dreaming.
Those subspaces had housed his prized demon special forces—units he had spent enormous resources luring in and killing repeatedly.
The super chimera insect was his magnum opus. With such a monster, even captains of the Demon King's army would treat the Nest Dungeon with respect.
That maze, too, had been carefully designed after long contemplation. When he first thought of placing monsters at corners for ambushes, he'd been delighted for days.
So why—
Why did these Heroes clear everything in just twelve minutes?
And all at the same time?!
Gapar turned his gaze toward the brood nest and finally drew his sword.
"Wait—don't!"
At that critical moment, all elite chimera insects burst from the ground, charging the Heroes in unison.
This was not a close fight.
It was a massacre.
Leon.
Darrick.
Stella.
These proud, veteran "customers" of the Sein Dungeon were not opponents the Nest Dungeon's insects could contend with.
"Huff… huff…"
Ganago's eyes were bloodshot as he gasped for breath.
Why?
Why did the Sein Dungeon have such powerful Heroes?
Could it be that all of them gained their strength from those unknown "diseases"?
Were these adventurers insane? Knowing the Sein Dungeon was toxic, why did they keep entering?!
There couldn't possibly be some one-of-a-kind treasure inside, right?!
Ganago didn't believe a Level-3 dungeon could possess anything truly unique.
Yet he couldn't understand why someone as strong as Gapar had died inside.
But one thing was certain—
If he didn't act now, the nest would explode again.
The other Heroes were locked in combat with the swarm.
Gapar, however, charged straight toward the nest—his objective unmistakable.
"AAAAH!"
Ganago roared. He glanced at his remaining mana and slammed it decisively into a particular monster.
In an instant, the earth shook violently.
The massive nest tore itself from the ground.
Countless tentacles extended beneath it, twisting together to form a towering monster over ten meters tall. Its head was the beating brood nest itself, while its body was a crude insect-like form composed of writhing tentacles.
Its surface opened countless holes, from which small chimera insects poured endlessly.
A sight that shredded sanity.
[Mother of Chimeras]
Ganago's ultimate monster.
Even stronger than the super chimera insect.
Its very existence alone warranted a red-level commission from the Adventurers' Guild.
The Heroes were momentarily entangled by overwhelming numbers of chimera insects, unable to break free.
"Kill them! Mother of Chimeras!"
Ganago shouted, convinced his apex monster would crush these sympathizers like ants.
But something unexpected happened.
The base was too cramped to accommodate the Mother of Chimeras' massive body. Any significant movement caused its tentacles to step into the Lake of Rot.
It was still a living being.
And any living being could be infected by rot.
When Scarlet Rot began creeping up the Mother of Chimeras—forcing it to sever its own limbs to survive, shrinking back into the base, motionless—
Ganago finally broke.
He had believed its overwhelming strength would allow it to resist the rot.
But the corruption's advance didn't slow in the slightest.
This was bullshit.
Cheating.
This was cheating!
The Mother of Chimeras couldn't fly.
It couldn't leap over the Lake of Rot.
Which meant—
It was permanently trapped.
And waiting were the watchful Heroes. Once they adapted to the swarm's attack patterns, they would advance.
Or perhaps—
The Scarlet Rot would reach the ground first, turning everything crimson.
This was absolute despair.
"No—"
The ground bulged.
Ganago burst out from underground.
His mental state was clearly unstable, teetering on the edge of madness. His earlier calm had been nothing more than a forced facade.
"Aldwin!"
Ganago roared, the remaining trumpet insects broadcasting his voice throughout the dungeon.
"I refuse to accept this!"
"My monsters are stronger than yours! Stronger!"
"If we fought fair and square, I would never lose—never!"
"I—I—"
Countless words clogged his throat.
He possessed an invincible chimera army—yet it was rendered helpless by those bizarre, eerie contagious diseases.
The battle left him utterly suffocated.
Before coming here, he had imagined his opponent exhausting every trick, staging an epic, blood-boiling clash.
But there was no passion.
No epic.
Only filthy contagion.
Ganago refused to accept it.
Without that damned Lake of Rot, his Mother of Chimeras and swarm would have crushed the Sein Dungeon.
They would have.
"I won't accept defeat unless you kill me with monsters!"
The sky darkened without warning.
Darkness swallowed the world.
This was pure darkness—no light could exist here. Heaven and earth lost all distinction.
When even light vanished, what meaning did the world retain?
This was the deepest darkness.
The deadest shadow.
The most twisted—
Abyss.
Unnoticed by Ganago, the severed portion of the base was now completely consumed by the Abyss. Frenzied Flame and the rest vanished without a trace.
When the Abyss converged—
What would emerge?
Ganago's eyes became useless. He could see nothing.
Only the buzzing of insects.
Only the heartbeat of the Mother of Chimeras.
Even the sounds of the Heroes disappeared.
In this absolute silence, unease and terror grew.
What was happening?
What was the Sein Dungeon doing?!
Ganago was afraid.
Even as a demon, witnessing such total darkness filled him with dread.
This was not the comforting darkness of night—
This was the darkness that returned everything to silence.
So he prayed for light.
More devoutly than any worshipper of holy radiance.
As if answering his prayer, light appeared in the distance.
Overjoyed, he ran toward it.
The Abyss chilled him to the bone; his body was slowly freezing.
Only light could—
"Huh?"
As he drew closer, confusion spread across his face.
The light came from several massive bracelets.
And the owners of those bracelets—
Were a pair of gigantic skeletal hands.
If the hands were here—
Then where was the body?
Ganago stiffly raised his head, like a machine.
And saw a sight he would never forget.
A Demon King born from countless deaths.
A king fused with the Abyss, standing at the brink of the deepest darkness.
A being utterly beyond the Mother of Chimeras.
A supreme existence he could never hope to defeat.
A demon specially created by the Sein Dungeon—
To answer him.
To utterly break him.
High Lord Wolnir descends upon the world.