The Chaos Tidewas about to recede.
A countdown to Miracle City's closure began.
The adventurers were all visibly reluctant to leave.
Black Stone Hammer King cursed, "Damn it! The stage mode is way harder than expected. We seriously underestimated how vicious this lord really is!"
Pig King snorted. "Yeah, that thick-browed, honest-looking guy turned out to be rotten to the core. We have to unite and teach him a lesson. No way we let him look down on us adventurers!"
"Exactly!"
"But we're out of stamina today!"
"I'm coming back tomorrow no matter what. I don't care how long it takes. If I don't clear that stage, I'm not giving up!"
"Right, tomorrow we fight again. We have to reclaim our dignity!"
"That said… Apocalypse Frenzy is insanely fun, and today's rewards weren't bad at all."
"The only problem is that this dungeon is too small. People are already talking about it on the forums. If it gets overcrowded tomorrow, we might not even get in. We should pressure the lord to expand the dungeon as soon as possible!"
"…"
As the adventurers debated—
a sudden system notification appeared.
[Ding! Dungeon Task Triggered!][Task Name: Territory Expansion!][Task Description: Miracle City will conduct its first external exploration. Recruiting 18 mercenaries. Adventurers are encouraged to apply!][Task Reward: 5 Contribution Points!]
"Huh?"
"Miracle City released a territory task!"
"What? Only 5 contribution points? That's stingy as hell. Is he treating us like work animals?"
"Nobody take it! Don't encourage this bad behavior!"
"That's true, but—"
"Then why are you running so fast?!"
"Are you stupid? Only 18 slots! If you don't run, you won't get one! With contribution points, tomorrow's entry is guaranteed!"
"Damn you, traitor! Take my Whirlwind Sweep Kick!"
"…"
This was Kanzaki Ren's first dungeon-issued task, and the reward was undeniably miserly.
Yet in less than three minutes, dozens of adventurers rushed to sign up.
Why?
Because contribution points meant guaranteed entry tomorrow.
Five points might be few, but they were enough to push out adventurers with zero contribution.
The adventurers' enthusiasm exceeded Kanzaki Ren's expectations.
In the end, a lottery was used to select 18 adventurers.
These adventurers would be converted into mercenaries at the territory's mercenary camp, becoming Miracle City's temporary military force. Once the Chaos Tide fully receded, they would serve as the dungeon's combat strength for exploring the outside world.
This would be Miracle City's first-ever external expedition.
Dungeon Lord had been Kanzaki Ren's favorite game in his previous life.
Although the game focused almost entirely on the Chaos World and showed little of the surface or deep underground, his ten years of experience gave him access to critical foresight.
This region was called Darkshade Valley.
Choosing this location for his main city had not been accidental.
Darkshade Valley and its surrounding areas were ideal for early development—and more importantly, concealed numerous opportunities. If seized early, they could yield massive benefits.
Therefore—
external explorationhad to begin as early as possible.
Kanzaki Ren possessed 18 Zombie Essences, allowing him to recruit up to 18 adventurers as temporary workers.
Whether for mercenaries or formal troops, essences were indispensable core materials.
However—
raising a professional army was ridiculously expensive.
Formal dungeon forces generally fell into two categories.
The first type involved directly consuming essences to summon corresponding dungeon monsters, requiring the Monster Camp building.
Pros: Instant deployment, absolute obedience, point-and-kill precision.Cons: Extremely high maintenance costs, no intelligence, no growth, incapable of complex tasks.
The second type involved contracting adventurers by imprinting territory essences onto them, granting them permanent monster abilities. This required the Spirit Altar and Warrior Barracks.
Pros: Low upkeep, intelligence, growth potential, capable of complex missions.Cons: Strong personalities, unstable loyalty, and adventurers could bind to only one dungeon. Absolute loyalty was difficult.
Either optionwas currently too troublesome.
Kanzaki Ren had no intention of recruiting formal troops yet.
He had already built the Mercenary House. By investing essences, along with Mental Power and Soul Crystals, he could create temporary units for the territory.
Disposable labor.
Cheap in commitment. Convenient in use.
[You are converting mercenaries.][Cost: Zombie Essence ×18, Mental Power ×90, Soul Crystals ×90. Proceed? Yes / No]
Each conversion consumed 5 Mental Power and 5 Soul Crystals.
The transformation lasted one day. If the unit survived, the essence could be recovered and reused.
Not cheap—but extremely flexible.
Until formal troops were established, these mercenaries were the best option for territory expansion and external scouting.
Zombie Essencescould be converted into over a dozen types of common zombies.
Kanzaki Ren chose Riot Zombies without hesitation.
Among common zombies, performance varied widely, and so did conversion costs, ranging from 2 to 5 Mental Power.
Riot Zombies were a special subtype.
Though not mutated special infected, they had been riot police before infection, retaining full riot gear—helmets, armor, and batons. Their performance was outstanding.
Naturally, they were more expensive.
…
Five minutes later—
Eighteen fully armored, grotesque zombies emerged from the Mercenary House.
Even if they were merely "the tallest among short ones," eighteen Riot Zombies formed a respectable fighting force—more than enough at this stage.
Pig King stared at himself. "Holy hell… what did I turn into? Am I even a zombie anymore?"
Wind-in-Sleep said thoughtfully, "Looks like even common zombies can vary massively in strength."
Irritable Chicken laughed. "With this gear and zombie physique, I could probably take down five or six buff dudes easily!"
"This is fun!"
"Consider it bonus content!"
"…"
As the Chaos Tide fully withdrew,
the scenery outside Miracle City gradually came into focus.
The adventurers, controlling their zombie bodies, marched out of the dungeon.
"Wow… is this what the underground world near Miracle City looks like?"
Nekomi Momo was still a rookie adventurer and had never participated in territory operations before.
Multicolored streams of energy twisted across the sky, forming vast vortices like a distorted, hyper-fantastical oil painting.
The surrounding terrain consisted mostly of rugged, eerie forests shrouded in silence. A winding river cut through the land, while dark red fog in the distance draped the region like a sinister curtain.
At the same time—
inside the Lord's Manor.
Kanzaki Ren opened a panoramic command interface.
The view resembled a real-time strategy perspective, like a high-definition drone feed. He could switch to the first-person perspective of any unit at will.
He could observe movements in real timeand issue commands at any moment.
Based on his knowledge of Darkshade Valley, there were no high-tier monsters nearby.
However, not far from Miracle City lay a small settlement occupied by a dark race.
That was the target.
Miracle City's first battle was about to begin.
A mature dungeon did not survive on harvesting adventurers alone.
It had to expand territory, create more dungeons, and connect with additional adventurer cities.
This battle might be small in scale—
but as Miracle City's first step outward, its significance was immense.