Arthur stood before the system core again.
The dungeon network was active.
Portals were to open soon.
But Arthur wasn't satisfied.
Too manual.
Too rigid.
He opened the dungeon control layer.
He began drafting automation protocols.
Spawn rates.
Enemy patterns.
Reward balance.
Then he paused.
Danger.
That was the missing piece.
How would players know what they were walking into?
Arthur leaned back, staring at the floating data.
Numbers were cold.
Ranks were boring.
People understood colors.
Simple.
Instinctive.
Universal.
He thought for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"That's it."
He opened a new framework.
[DUNGEON THREAT INDICATOR]
Arthur began assigning values.
White — Training Tier
Green — Low Risk
Blue — Moderate Risk
Yellow — High Risk
Red — Extreme Threat
Black — Catastrophic
Color would determine monster density.
Boss intelligence.
Environmental hazards.
Escape probability.
Reward scaling.
Everything.
One glance would tell them whether to enter…
or run.
Arthur finalized the rule.
[DUNGEON DIFFICULTY: COLOR-BASED AUTOMATION ENABLED]
Arthur didn't stop there.
Difficulty was only half the equation.
He swiped to a new panel.
[PORTAL DEPLOYMENT MATRIX]
A holographic map of the Outer World unfolded.
Cities.
Highways.
Residential zones.
Industrial districts.
Arthur studied it carefully.
Arthur studied it carefully.
Then he shook his head.
"No," he said quietly.
If monsters poured out the moment a dungeon formed, it would only cause damage to property, infrastructure .
That wasn't adaptation.
He opened another control layer.
[DUNGEON BREACH PROTOCOL]
Arthur began rewriting core behavior.
Dungeons would not release monsters immediately.
Instead, every gate would enter a sealed phase after forming.
A grace period.
A chance.
He typed in the parameters.
• Initial State: Dormant
• Breach Timer: Active
• Exterior Monster Spawn: Disabled
A new window appeared.
[DUNGEON BREACH COUNTDOWN]
Once a dungeon manifested, a timer would begin.
If players cleared the dungeon before the timer expired—
The gate would destabilize.
Collapse inward.
Disappear completely.
No overflow.
No invasion.
But if the timer reached zero…
Arthur's fingers paused.
Then he completed the line.
• On Breach: Full Monster Release Enabled
Creatures would flood into the outer world.
Civilian zones would become battlefields.
Arthur leaned back slowly.
"So you still have a choice," he murmured.
Fight it early…
or suffer later.
He confirmed.
[DUNGEON PRE-BREACH SYSTEM: ENABLED]
Now every dungeon was a ticking clock.
Not just a challenge.
A responsibility.
Arthur wasn't done.
He opened one more control layer.
[DUNGEON ACCESS PARAMETERS]
More rules began forming.
Not every dungeon would allow crowds.
Some gates would restrict entry.
He typed calmly.
• Limited Entry Dungeons: ACTIVE
• Max Participants: Variable by Threat Color
[DUNGEON CLEAR CONDITION: VARIABLE]
Some gates would collapse after a single clear.
Others would regenerate.
Reset.
Demand to be conquered again and again.
• Repeatable Dungeons: ACTIVE
• Single-Clear Dungeons: ACTIVE
Arthur leaned back.
Grinding zones.
Trial zones.
Execution zones.
Every dungeon now had a purpose.
Every gate told a different story.
He finalized the settings.
[DUNGEON ACCESS & RESET SYSTEM: ENABLED]
Arthur folded his hands behind his back.
"Not everyone gets the same chance," he said quietly.
"And not every victory is permanent."
The system hummed softly around him.