Ever since the Golden Kingdom Dungeon passed its initial bonus period and entered the long phase of land reclamation, the port had not been this lively for a long time.
From high-tonnage cargo ships to single-leaf sampans, anything capable of floating on water had been leased out by adventurers.
They were like sailors from the Age of Exploration, harboring a yearning for the new world. With eyes sparkling with the desire for overnight riches, they struggled to row their oars and hoist their sails, setting off toward the "One Piece" in their hearts!
All of this stemmed from a certain rumor that had quietly begun to circulate. Although the adventurers who had already tasted the sweetness publicly claimed it was definitely fake—advising their peers not to be so easily duped—the moment they turned their heads, they wished they could charter every single ship available, ensuring no one but themselves could leave the island!
Amidst this feverish Great Adventure, a squad that had just returned from the Dungeon emerged to see this scene and couldn't help but fall into deep confusion.
"Hey, what is going on? What happened on the island?"
"Tch! Don't get in the way, outlander!"
Everyone was incredibly impatient. It took asking four or five people and paying some consultation fees before they finally figured out the sequence of events.
"We were only down there for a few days; I can't believe so much has happened..."
"Now is not the time to talk about this, Maizuru."
The squad leader was a haggard young man. Several days and nights of restless sleep had left him spiritually withered, yet his posture in light armor remained upright; one could tell he was an excellent swordsman.
He cared nothing for the news of treasure or Dungeon entrances on the sea island because he had no time to explore unknown territories, nor did he have the energy to deal with competition from other adventurers.
"Hurry up and purchase supplies. We need to rest and reorganize as quickly as possible to re-enter the Dungeon!"
"Yes, Young Master."
The Eastern woman dressed in shrine maiden attire responded respectfully. Although the few black-clad retainers behind her wore bitter expressions, no one dared to complain.
At this moment, another group that had come out with them—or more accurately, their captain, a dark-skinned but handsome young man—stepped forward and kindly advised him not to be impulsive.
"We have suffered heavy losses. Our equipment is mostly lost, and the mages are all drained of mana. Entering the Dungeon now is not a good idea.
Furthermore, looking at the situation on the island... I'm afraid that even with money, we won't be able to procure enough supplies."
"But!"
The young swordsman roared irritably, "If this continues, Falin will be completely digested by the Red Dragon!"
"I know you're anxious, but you first don't—"
"Who is going to be digested?"
A gentle voice intervened in their dispute, causing the swordsman Shuro and the dark-skinned young man Kabru to freeze in their tracks.
Shuro's reaction was extremely intense. He whipped his head around, and upon seeing the mage girl, his mouth fell open in shock. "Falin? How are you..."
"My brother and the others saved me. Long time no see, Shuro... Well, I suppose it hasn't been that long, um~"
"Saved... Eh?"
Shuro breathed a sigh of relief. A certain string that had been pulled tight suddenly snapped. He felt all strength leave his body, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed right there, causing a commotion in the crowd.
"Young Master!"
"Lord Shuro!"
A little further away from them, Laios's squad and Ryu stood together, watching this scene with some bafflement.
"I know Shuro... but who are the others?"
Laios rubbed his chin, his gaze sweeping repeatedly over these people, especially the dark-skinned young man leading them, before finally confirming:
He didn't know them!
...
Shuro was the former samurai of Laios's squad. After Falin was swallowed by the Red Dragon, he believed Laios's squad no longer had the ability to save her. He decisively quit the team and went to the town to gather his own manpower—he was the young master of a great Eastern noble clan and had brought a group of trusted retainers along for his training journey.
His team was indeed powerful. Their journey could be described as a forced march; they hadn't delayed much and had even conveniently saved Kabru's squad, which had been wiped out by monsters.
When Kabru heard that Shuro was going to save "Falin of Laios's Squad," he immediately expressed his willingness to help to repay the life-saving grace. The two teams merged and accelerated their advance.
However, they never expected that Laios would encounter Ryu and Senshi, effectively playing a speedrun, so they ultimately failed to catch up.
They didn't know the intelligence regarding the Red Dragon and thought the target was on the Sixth Floor. After rushing there desperately, they discovered that the originally dry and hot environment had turned into a world of ice and snow.
And it was there that they encountered the Master of the Dungeon—
The Mad Mage!
That was a dark-skinned Elf holding a golden Grimoire. For some reason, he appeared very weak, but his personality was as irritable and violent as a mad dog.
The two squads didn't understand what was happening at all. Before they could even speak, they were suddenly attacked by the mage!
The opponent summoned monsters to strangle them while shouting, "Was it you?! Did you do this? Which bastard set the trap!"
—Such inexplicable words.
Facing the Mad Mage who could freely manipulate monsters and the Dungeon, they had no power to fight back and were soon on the verge of a total wipeout!
However, at the critical moment of life and death, the mage seemed to have his attention attracted by something. Leaving behind a phrase—"Is it the Winged Lion again?"—he entered the depths of the Dungeon, leaving the bewildered crowd who had just been severely beaten.
Then came the corpse run, resurrection, and collective return to the city. They had thought saving Falin was impossible, but unexpectedly, she had come out even earlier than they did...
"You guys really haven't had it easy~"
After listening to their story, Ryu expressed deep sympathy. "To run into such a lunatic, that's just too unlucky."
"Yeah... It felt like he was looking for someone. What exactly made him so angry?" Kabru rubbed his chin in confusion. "Truly strange..."
"After all, his nickname is the 'Mad Mage,' so don't try to measure him with a normal person's logic."
Ryu's expression remained as usual, without the slightest waver. Even Kabru, who was proficient in reading micro-expressions, didn't detect anything amiss.
At this time, because Shuro had fainted, he had already been taken to an inn to rest by his family retainers. However, Kabru brought his squad and tagged along, looking very curious about their experiences.
Although Laios was simple, he wasn't stupid. He was hesitant in his speech, omitting the parts about black magic and Demons, and simply recounted how they successfully rescued Falin.
"Oh~" Kabru stole a glance at Ryu walking in front after listening.
Although Laios was withholding information and deliberately lowering Ryu's presence, Kabru's emotional intelligence and intellect were far superior. He instantly discerned that Ryu was the most important figure in the entire process.
"By the way, everyone is carrying so many bags and parcels; are you also going to the sea island to explore? The port isn't in this direction."
"We're not going to the sea island; we are going to the Lord's Hall right now."
Chilchuck spoke of this matter with a sense of shared pride. "We are going to buy the Dungeon beneath our feet, along with the entire island!"
"Oh my..."
The members of Kabru's squad were instantly shocked beyond belief. The dark-skinned young man himself, after pausing with wide eyes for a few seconds, immediately blossomed into a smile, appearing very excited.
"Amazing! Truly generous! This is my first time encountering such a thing; please, you must let me witness it!"
"...Hmm, it should be fine, right." Chilchuck scratched his head.
But since Ryu didn't refuse them following along, it was likely a tacit permission.
The transaction process was extremely smooth!
The Island Lord also believed the rumors, thinking that a new Dungeon entrance had appeared on the other deserted island and that the large island under his name was about to lose its value. The movements of the adventurers proved this point.
So when Ryu proposed buying the island for the second time, the Island Lord agreed without hesitation. He even felt that the price Ryu offered was higher than he imagined—what a colossal pushover!
Now that the contract had been signed, the Island Lord was preparing to hand over various documents and ledgers. Ryu didn't care about these and sent Chilchuck to help check them. He himself took Falin and Marcille to a small room inside the Lord's Hall.
He described his specific requirements to the two of them. Marcille, living up to her reputation as a genius girl, pondered for two hours. Combining black magic and Falin's Gnome-style teleportation arts, she barely managed to create a magical array that met Ryu's needs.
As a high-value bronze mirror was placed on the floor, the surrounding runes lit up with white light, and the scene within the mirror instantly turned into a dark and narrow castle corridor.
"Underground 3rd Floor... The depth is shallower than expected; we'll have to adjust it later..."
Marcille looked up to warn him, "What is shown in the mirror isn't necessarily the accurate location. Furthermore, it's an open space and there is no one on the other side to receive it. If someone enters unauthorized, they could get stuck in the wall!"
"I already told you, I'm not sending people down."
Ryu opened his backpack and laid it flat on the ground. Then, dragging the backpack backward bit by bit, he carefully "birthed" the object within.
It was a cylinder roughly one meter in diameter. If not for the interdimensional effect of [The Collector], the pocket of this backpack could never have fit it.
"So big!"
"So big!"
The two young girls cried out in unison, feeling extremely curious about this object with its metallic surface texture.
"What is this?"
"A magical Wonder Tool that we'll be using shortly."
Ryu took a deep breath. He attached a small timing trigger device to it, then hugged the cylinder—which was protruding a small section—along with the backpack. He aimed it downward at the teleportation circle—
Striking straight at the yellow dragon!
—Whoosh!
The cylinder, fully six or seven meters long, rushed in without obstruction. Just watching it gave one a refreshing sensation.
"Phew..."
After releasing the first one, Ryu asked Marcille to change the coordinates, then sent the next one.
Marcille did as told, but she was still somewhat puzzled. "What exactly is the use of this? Will it explode?"
"Explode? That's a bit inaccurate. This is actually a type of fuel."
Ryu revealed a mysterious smile.
"Do you know what the Dungeon's greatest weakness is?"
The two girls looked at each other and shook their heads.
"As a closed and finite space, it relies on the power of Demons to barely maintain an ecosystem. Such a balance is very fragile. You don't need to destroy the whole thing; just taking away certain elements from within is enough to make the Lord of the Dungeon suffer unspeakably."
"...Certain elements?"
"For example, 'oxygen'."
Ryu looked at the cylinder poking its head out of the backpack, a indescribable emotion in his eyes.
"In my hometown, this thing has a name: 'Fuel-Air Explosive'!"
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