What qualified as a truly good thing?
A good thing was something whose immense value could be recognized at a glance—even when buried beneath heaps of trash. Something that stood out unmistakably amid mass-produced mediocrity.
For example—
A World You Cannot Leave Without Victory.
The moment Wade saw the name, his imagination ran wild. After carefully reading the detailed description, he nodded in satisfaction again and again.
This was essentially the deluxe, high-end version of a "you-can't-leave-until-you-do-XXX room."
Among all the garbage produced by the Hive Nest Dungeon, this authority shone like the brightest star in the night sky.
To avoid any hidden pitfalls, Wade reread the description once more before making his final decision.
[Creates a subspace that cannot be exited unless specific conditions are met. Opening and maintaining the subspace requires no mana.]
[Each subspace has a construction cap of 3,000 mana. The total mana value of buildings, monsters, and items within it may not exceed this limit.]
[Constructing the subspace requires no mana. Items inside cannot be taken out.]
[The cap may be increased by spending mana. Doing so will cause the subspace to require mana for daily maintenance.]
[Up to ten subspaces may exist simultaneously. Each subspace allows at most one entrant. Both limits increase with dungeon level.]
After finishing, Wade couldn't help but notice how wordy the description was.
He considered it carefully. These subspaces could be used to construct independent, compact, finely tuned stages—or simply pure combat playgrounds.
Used properly, they could become box gardens, arenas, or challenge zones. Used improperly… well, they'd become exactly what their name implied: you-can't-leave-until-you-do-it rooms.
He could hide them in obscure corners of the dungeon to surprise adventurers, or design them as "DLC-style" areas that only unlocked once certain conditions were met.
Coincidentally, he had recently been struggling with design issues in the Scenario World. If he applied this authority there, it might solve everything in one stroke.
The various restrictions didn't concern him much. He had no intention of making the subspaces overly large—otherwise, they'd overshadow the main dungeon itself.
There was only one minor drawback: items inside subspaces couldn't be taken out. Without tangible rewards, their appeal to adventurers might be diminished.
The solution, however, was simple.
Place rare, high-quality items inside. Add difficult conditions to obtain them. And if an adventurer truly succeeded, Wade could simply create an identical copy afterward and reward them directly.
Besides—
"Rewards don't necessarily have to be items."
His fingers tapped unconsciously against the altar as his thoughts drifted further.
Suddenly, a low rumble echoed from outside. Turning his gaze, Wade saw the core of the Nest Dungeon slowly breaking apart.
Ganago was indeed dead, but the remaining mana within the dungeon was still enough to resurrect him—provided Wade didn't take it all.
If Wade chose to make the Nest Dungeon a vassal, Ganago's fate would be in his hands. Even if resurrected, Ganago would exist only as his slave.
If he instead took the authority and mana, then the Nest Dungeon—stripped of everything—would enter dormancy. No one knew when it might next ensnare some unfortunate soul and crown them dungeon lord.
But honestly—
Who would abandon such a powerful authority for a dungeon with virtually no intrinsic value?
"I choose Authority Four. And I'll take all the mental power as well."
At that instant, it was as if Ganago's resentful wail echoed faintly in Wade's ears.
Wade casually dug a finger into his ear and smiled—the smile of a victor.
What a bore, Ganago. I'll probably forget you soon enough.
Next came the reward tally.
[Plundered all Mana of Hive Nest Dungeon: 14,585]
[Dungeon Lord of Hive Nest Dungeon deceased. Dungeon entering dormancy. Additional plunder of reserve mana: 2,300]
[Plundered authority: A World You Cannot Leave Without Victory]
[Obtained battle-avoidance permit: For three months, may refuse any dungeon battle requests]
[Obtained available monster: Chimera Insect]
[Deathmatch result announced]
[Received congratulatory gift from Astar Alliance: 2,000 mana. Message from dungeon lord: "Well done! The purity of the world has once again been defended!"]
[Received congratulatory gift from Azure Sea Dungeon: 1,000 mana. Message from dungeon lord: "You worked hard. Must've been a tough fight—get some good rest."]
[Received congratulatory gift from Stone Giant Dungeon: 800 mana. Message from dungeon lord: "Brother's broke, but brother's got you in his heart."]
[Received gift from …]
Staring at the long stream of notifications, Wade froze for a moment.
What was going on? Since when were deathmatch results made public? Why had he never seen notifications for anyone else's deathmatches before?
It couldn't be that only he and Ganago had fought recently… right?
…Right?
He quickly checked and relaxed when he saw the public announcement was only a single line:
[Sein Dungeon has achieved victory.]
Thankfully, it hadn't broadcast the entire battle.
Wade shook his head, unsure whether to consider this good or bad. On one hand, it allowed him to show off among dungeon lords. On the other—
"Whatever. No point overthinking it."
He closed the dungeon lord interface. Congratulatory gifts were still arriving, but the major mana donations had already ended. The remaining rewards were mostly specialty goods accompanied by increasingly bizarre messages.
Those could wait.
Right now, there was something far more important—something he'd regret missing if he didn't act immediately.
"Reopen the dungeon."
The deathmatch with Ganago had delayed him longer than expected, wasting—
…Huh? Only one hour had passed?
"My efficiency's insane."
Grinning cheerfully, Wade reopened the Sein Dungeon.
The crowd gathered on the surface hadn't fully dispersed yet. Leon was still advising people not to waste time waiting.
Then the teleportation gate suddenly flickered.
In the next instant, it stabilized—open once more.
For a heartbeat, the crowd fell silent.
Then—
Cheers erupted.
"Haha! I knew I shouldn't have left! My beloved Endless Cycle, here I come!"
Many echoed the sentiment. Endless Cycle was the official name of the roguelike dungeon registered with the Adventurers' Guild.
"Another day of hunting bad guys."
The Warriors of Sunlight pulled their hoods low. At this moment, they were indistinguishable from one another—united by a single purpose.
"The speedrun route from Callship Path to the Death Knight gate can still be optimized. Let's keep testing today."
The new team was brimming with motivation.
"…Sigh. Still can't land it."
Sword Saint Gapar sighed—another day of being farmed.
"Boss! Boss! Come down already!"
Maru waved enthusiastically at Leon, grinning as though she'd just scored the deal of a lifetime.
"Everyone's gone! No queue today!"
Leon chuckled helplessly. Given their status, they could have skipped the line at any time—but they never had.
"Didn't expect it to reopen this fast. I've never heard of a reboot this quick."
He looked toward the portal. Once they stepped through, it would be another brand-new adventure.
"Sein Dungeon really does love surprises."
With that, the entire team regrouped and once again entered the dungeon.
It had been exactly one month since their first visit.
In a way, that made today an anniversary.
Hopefully, there'd be some anniversary gifts waiting inside.
Later, everyone realized the Sein Dungeon was unusually generous that day.
Monsters were less aggressive. Item drops increased. Some traps failed to activate. Even the number of souls gained from killing monsters had risen.
That day, everyone made a fortune.
Delighted, people assumed the dungeon's difficulty had finally dropped and rushed to call friends and companions to explore together.
The next day, everything returned to normal.
The increased traffic once again transformed into mana, nourishing the dungeon.
Adventurers might profit a little—but the Sein Dungeon never would.
Both Sein and Bedford City flourished with vitality.
Every day brought celebrations of harvests. Every day, travelers arrived from distant lands to challenge the dungeon. Every day, caravans brought opportunity.
A scene of boundless prosperity.
(***)
Meanwhile—far away on the western continent—
Beyond layers of miasma, where the fog was thickest and the sky darkest—
A colossal black tree pierced heaven and earth. A mythic creation, like a corrupted World Tree.
Around it sprawled an enormous city—the royal capital of the demon race.
The Great Demon City.
Named after the Great Demon Tree, it was the true heart of demonkind. No matter how fierce the tribal wars elsewhere, no flames of war ever reached here.
The city was divided into three layers: the outer ring, inner ring, and core ring—each housing different classes. Within the core ring lived beings of the highest status.
Priests.
Those who communed directly with the Great Demon Tree were exalted above all others.
A temple shaped like an inverted triangle leaned against the massive trunk. From its apex, one could reach out and touch the Great Demon Tree itself.
A girl stood there.
Her demeanor was youthful, yet she wore luxurious robes. She pressed her pale palm gently against the tree.
Her skin was deathly white—almost bone-like—standing in stark contrast to the dark-skinned demons around her. Long, light-purple hair trailed to the ground, adorned with bells of various sizes.
"Lady Elnora…"
The maid dared not lift her head. Though the girl looked cute, the memory of the dozens of tribes annihilated by her hands made the maid's fingers tremble.
A cruel monster in a cute shell—the most bloodthirsty priest she had ever known.
Elnora was infamous for her lack of emotion. No joy. No sorrow. No anger. No fear.
Like a living golem.
Was there truly anything that could stir her heart?
Elnora waved her hand expressionlessly. The maid fled in relief.
"Recently, demon souls of immense power include Doslepo… and Ganago."
Her voice was calm.
"Who is Ganago?"
She stroked the tree. The bark twisted, forming demonic faces—
Doslepo.
Ganago.
"What did they see before they died?"
Pressing her palm against Doslepo's face, Elnora murmured coldly,
"I'll confirm it myself. Whether what they saw is truly my enemy."
As a priest, she possessed the privilege to view the memories of deceased demons whose souls returned to the Great Demon Tree. Even a single moment was enough to glean vital information.
"Doslepo… Doslepo…"
She repeated his name softly, using it as a medium to peer into the instant of greatest emotional upheaval before his death.
A pitch-black void.
Distant, flickering stars.
Massive celestial bodies drifting in silence and cold.
Elnora didn't know this was called the universe. Confusion filled her—why would Doslepo witness such a scene before dying? The chill of it made her instinctively draw inward.
Then—
Warmth.
From behind.
Like her father's embrace when she was young.
Instinctively, Elnora turned—
And saw—
A yellow sun.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
She screamed hysterically.
The connection to the Great Demon Tree was violently severed, and her slender body collapsed to the ground.
Cold sweat poured down her forehead as she covered her eyes, gasping for breath.
"What… what was that? What did I just see?"
The moment her gaze met that yellow flame, her soul felt scorched. Her body dissolved into chaos. Terror beyond description consumed her.
If the Great Demon Tree hadn't severed the link to protect her, she would already—
Elnora sat there for a long time, unable to calm herself.
Her scream had disturbed the surroundings. Guards hesitated at the entrance, intimidated by her reputation.
"What did Doslepo experience…?"
That yellow—no. Don't think about it again.
That was divine power. Or something like it.
Could it be an evil god?
No matter what it was, I cannot investigate it further.
Taking a deep breath, she dismissed the guards and stood once more before the Great Demon Tree.
Her earlier loss of composure filled her with shame. She had spent so long crafting the image of a cold, iron-blooded ruler—yet Doslepo's memory had shattered her mask.
"Ganago's memories won't cause any trouble."
With that thought, Elnora placed her hand on the Great Demon Tree once again.
And then—
"AAAH!"