"While, on the outside, Dungeons resemble medieval manmade towers, they are completely different on the inside. Some look like caves, others look like forests or swamps, there are even some that appear to be deserts or wastelands.
Of course, there is no sunlight inside of the Dungeons, they are instead illuminated by what we call Mana Crystals, which occur in areas of highly concentrated Mana.
All Monsters produce Mana, in the same way we produce carbon dioxide and plants produce oxygen. This results in a dense concentration of Mana in their environments, and since the Dungeons are enclosed spaces, the Mana gets especially concentrated and ends up crystalizing."
"What do Mana Crystals look like?" Inquired one of the other students.
"Mana Crystals glow with a bright blue hue, and they form on the ceilings and walls of Dungeons. Mana Crystals are used as the primary energy source these days, which makes them highly valuable.
Mana Crystals make up most of the profits made by Hunters, so after a Dungeon is conquered, mining teams are dispatched to gather the Mana Crystals.
Once conquered, Dungeons take approximately twenty-four hours to disappear back through the rifts. But for safety reasons, the Hunters Union has a policy that the mining teams vacate the Dungeons within twenty hours after conquest, even if they haven't finished mining the crystals," Explained Ellyse.
Okay, I didn't know the stuff about the Mana Crystals, I guess I do have more to learn.
<...>
What?
Huh, you did? Yeah, guess I wasn't, I don't remember that at all.
<...>
"While it is possible to make manmade Mana Crystals using Monster farms, it takes a lot of time and money, since not only would we need secure facilities to keep the Monsters from escaping, we would also need to keep them fed and alive, so mining Mana Crystals from the Dungeons is the preferred method.
Well, I suppose I'm getting a bit off-topic, so let's get back on track, shall we? To conquer a Dungeon, Hunters must make their way through each floor, eliminating every Monster they come across along the way.
At the end of each floor, you come across a tunnel leading up to the next floor, until you eventually reach the top floor, which is known as the Boss Room, where the strongest Monster of the Dungeon, the Dungeon Boss, resides. Upon the elimination of the Dungeon Boss, the Dungeon is successfully conquered," Remarked Ellyse, as a thought occurred to me.
"Excuse me, ma'am, is it known what's on the other side of the rifts that the Dungeons come from? Like, would it be possible to dig down to the base of a Dungeon until you reach the rift and then peer through it?" I inquired curiously.
"Actually, that has been tried in the past. However, while the team that attempted that did reach the rift, they couldn't get any further. There are powerful barriers around the rifts, and it is impossible to pass through them," She answered in response.
Huh, I wonder what's on the other side? Any clue, Ai?
Oh, that's too bad. On another note, where did this Sinner System come from? You included.
Come on, don't play dumb. My powers are nothing like the powers that Hunters possess, and given how organized this System is, it seems pretty evident that it was created by someone.
So, who made the Sinner System? And why was I picked to give it to?
<...>
Uh, hello? You there?
Okay, so someone did bestow this System upon me, and you say it was on a whim, but also that whoever or whatever gave it to me isn't malicious.
What, did a bored God or something give me these powers because they thought it'd be interesting or something?
<...>
Huh? Wait, no way, did I actually hit the nail on the head?! I was just spit-balling, holy shit!
Interesting, sounds like there's more to it than that, and I am more than a little curious, but I'll leave it that for now.
Also, that's the first time I've heard you sound nervous.
For whatever reason, it seems you aren't allowed to talk about it, so I won't grill you any further for the time being.
Who knows, maybe something will happen in the future than answers all these questions.
Well, I suppose that's good to know. Unless you're lying, of course.
Yeah, you could've just lied or made something up when I asked you about the system, so I guess that tracks.
Yeah, fine.
I turned my attention back to the instructor, as she continued with the lecture.
"Both the Monsters and Dungeons are ranked using Threat Levels, which are, in ascending order, Low, Mid, High, Critical and Calamity.
Most of the Monsters in a Dungeon will be of the same Threat Level as the Dungeon itself or one level lower, while the Dungeon Boss is usually one Threat Level higher.
For instance, in a Mid Level Dungeon, you are likely to encounter Low Level Monsters on the lower floors, and then mostly Mid Level Monsters from there on, while the Dungeon Boss is likely to be a lone High Level Monster.
However, there have been cases where that pattern varies, some Dungeons can end up being either easier or harder than the Threat Level would suggest."
Huh, it's like a video game, the way the Dungeons are structured. There are established patterns, rules that they stick to. Fascinating...
"Those variances are part of the reason why there are minimum requirements for Hunter parties when it comes to raiding Dungeons. For instance, with Low Level Dungeons, you need a minimum of four Hunters, and at least two of them must be Q-Ranked.
Most parties try to exceed the minimum requirements as much as possible, for the sake of safety...while a larger party means a lower reward since it'll be split between more people, most Hunters see that as a fair trade off since it lowers the risk to their lives."
Yeah, fair enough, not much point in getting a bigger cut of the reward if you end up dead in the process.