I frowned.
"…Nova," I said slowly, "something doesn't add up."
[Explain.]
"Arial did way more work than I did," I said. "By my estimate? At least ten times. She was weakening mid-stage and late-stage hounds nonstop—slowing them, destabilizing them, softening them up with her spells before Lenna or Alfred landed the final hit."
Nova commented.
[Yea, you mostly blocked things, got thrown around, and nearly died dramatically.]
That part felt unnecessary.
"So why did I shoot up many levels," I continued, "while she only gained six?"
Nova answered instantly.
[Because levels do not scale linearly.]
I frowned. "Explain properly."
Nova obliged.
[Experience requirements increase exponentially with level.]
[The difference between Level 20 and Level 30 is trivial compared to the difference between Level 60 and Level 70.]
That… made sense. I didn't like it, but it made sense.
[In your case,] Nova continued, [the amount of experience that could elevate you by approximately thirty levels would raise Arial by five or six at most.]
"…That's brutal," I muttered.
[It is necessary.]
I leaned back, processing that.
"So the higher you climb, the harder every step becomes."
[Correct.]
"And if she were Level 100 instead of 67?"
[The same experience might not have increased her level at all.]
I exhaled slowly.
"Alright," I said. "That explains how. But it doesn't explain why dungeon experience is so… special."
Nova paused.
[You already know the answer.]
I frowned. "I do?"
[What is a dungeon?]
I stared at the ceiling. "A… System-generated anomaly?"
[That is a description. Not an explanation.]
I sighed. "Fine. Enlighten me."
Nova's tone shifted—less smug, more instructional.
[A dungeon forms when chaotic energy accumulates beyond a stable threshold in a single location.]
[Left untreated, that energy would distort reality, mutate life, fracture laws, and eventually trigger unprecedented disasters.]
I went still.
[To resolve this without catastrophic repercussions,] Nova continued, [the System compresses that energy into a controlled anomaly.]
"…A dungeon," I whispered.
[Yes.]
The pieces clicked together.
"So the dungeon isn't the problem," I said slowly. "It's the solution."
[Correct.]
Nova continued.
[Dungeon monsters are constructs formed almost entirely from condensed chaotic energy.]
I swallowed.
[Because of this, eliminating them releases a large quantity of refined energy back into the System.]
[Which is then redistributed as experience, resources, and rewards.]
"That's why the experience gain is so high," I murmured.
[Yes.]
I frowned again. "Then what about outer monsters?"
Nova answered immediately.
[Outer monsters are living organisms that absorbed chaotic energy over time and mutated.]
[They retain physical bodies, biological instincts, hunger, etc., but not any sense of self or control.]
I snorted softly.
"So dungeon monsters are… pure energy?"
[Condensed, structured, and regulated energy.]
"And outer monsters?"
[Contaminated biological organisms.]
I tilted my head, thinking.
"…So dungeon monsters are like highly nutritious energy drinks," I said slowly, "while outer monsters are just… normal food with some nutrients mixed in."
There was a pause.
Nova sighed.
[That is an offensively simplistic analogy.]
I grinned faintly. "But not wrong."
[…Not entirely.]
I took that as a win.
Another detail tugged at my attention.
"Oh," I said suddenly. "Speaking of Arial."
I pulled her status window back up.
"She got a new skill. Summon Familiar, A (0/1)."
Nova responded calmly.
[Yes. That is expected.]
"Expected?"
[Individuals with the highest contribution in a dungeon encounter are often offered a skill derived from the boss, provided compatibility exists.]
My eyebrows rose. "So it's basically a bonus drop?"
[A regulated one.]
I hummed.
"Gale Hound's Summoning Howl must've turned into this."
I smirked. "Guess she can summon a Familiar as a pet for herself."
[Not just a pet, A Familiar can be a great asset if summoned with some planning and resources.]
Nova commented.
"Oh.. we will look into it later then," I replied.
Then something else bubbled back up—something that had bothered me since the dungeon collapsed.
"…Nova," I said quietly, "why was that dungeon so twisted in the first place?"
[Define 'twisted.']
"F-rank," I said. "The weakest of all dungeon classifications. It should've been Stage 0 difficulty across the board. Something comparable to us."
I clicked my tongue.
"But instead, we got coordinated packs, a Stage One boss, and enough pressure to kill a whole rookie team."
Nova replied without hesitation.
[It was within acceptable parameters.]
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
[A team composed of veteran Stage 0 individuals was still capable of clearing it.]
[Were that not the case, the dungeon would have escalated to E-rank.]
That answer sent a chill down my spine.
"…So rank isn't about how dangerous it feels," I said slowly. "It's about whether people can clear it."
[Correct.]
Nova continued.
[Dungeon rank should be viewed as a statistical reflection.]
[Specifically: the dungeon's rank is equivalent to ten thousand individual monsters of the same rank within it.]
My breath caught.
"Ten thousand…?"
[If fewer than ten thousand individual monsters are in it, then the remaining energy is consolidated by the boss within itself.]
Goosebumps ran down my arms.
"So," I whispered, "we weren't fighting something meant for a rookie team."
[You were fighting something calibrated for a long-term attrition battle.]
I swallowed hard.
Then forced myself to breathe.
"…Okay," I muttered. "Okay. That's… terrifying."
Then I shook my head, trying to ground myself.
"If dungeons are that dangerous," I asked, "why not just purge the chaotic energy directly? Why go through all this?"
Nova scoffed.
[Because doing so would constitute direct interference.]
I frowned. "Interference how?"
[If the System directly erased chaotic energy,] Nova replied, [it would be no different from a higher being forcibly altering the world.]
The words landed heavy.
[That would violate balance.]
[It would attract scrutiny.]
[And it would provoke retaliation.]
I exhaled slowly.
"So instead," I said, "the System turns a disaster into a… challenge."
[Yes.]
"…One that can be managed by mortals."
[Correct.]
"And rewards them for fixing it."
[…Yes.]
That shut me up.
For once, I didn't have a sarcastic comeback.
The System wasn't cruel.
It was… constrained.
Doing the best it could without becoming the very thing it was designed to prevent.
I lay back against the bed.
"…Alright," I muttered. "I get it."
There was a brief silence.
Then—
I felt the connection cut again.
Not violently.
Cleanly.
Deliberately.
I opened my mouth to comment—
And immediately heard Victoria's voice from outside the door.
"Young Master," she said calmly, "the bath is ready."
I sighed.
"…Timing really is cruel," I muttered.
But I pushed myself up anyway.