Wade quickly averted his gaze, forcing himself not to look at the sea-blue envelope.
But its presence was suffocating—how could anyone possibly ignore it?
"Damn it, why can't they ever say things clearly? What's this envelope even supposed to mean?"
A challenge from another dungeon? A friendly greeting? Or maybe if he opened it, a fat blue genie would pop out and grant him three wishes?
The envelope shimmered faintly, like sapphire dust dancing in the light. Its craftsmanship was exquisite—an artwork in itself. If not for the warning left behind by the former Aldwin, Wade would've already torn it open without hesitation.
But right now, that beautiful envelope looked more terrifying than a billion serial killers.
"Should I just summon a monster to swallow this thing?" he muttered.
As he hesitated, the altar lit up once more. In the blink of an eye, a second envelope—this one gray—fell neatly atop the blue one.
It multiplies!?
One envelope was already enough of a headache. Now there was a second.
Another flash—this time a pale green envelope appeared.
Wade's expression stiffened.
Then came another flash. Amber-colored.
Then orange.
Then again and again—orange, gold, ochre, flesh, crimson, azure, indigo…
Like snowflakes falling from the sky, the envelopes cascaded endlessly until they buried the entire altar.
Wade stood frozen.
He suddenly felt like he'd logged into some no-rules chatroom while pretending to be a girl—surrounded by wolves from every direction.
A soft breeze turned the brittle pages of the old book. On the back of the last page, more words appeared:
[If more than one envelope appears before you, open them. This is your fate.]
…Bro, that line reeks of resignation.
[Compared to other greetings, letters are the gentlest way. If you receive more than five, that means this generation of dungeon lords isn't too bad. You might even look forward to forming alliances or friendships.]
Over a hundred envelopes had fallen before him. Did that mean all his peers were model citizens?
No… who even knew what "quality" meant in this context?
He dug through the pile until he found the very first sea-blue envelope. Taking a deep breath, he opened it.
Even if demons or monsters jumped out, he'd face them head-on.
"To my unknown new companion:
Hello, I'm Linviel of the Azure Sea Dungeon. I unlocked the world map a few days before you. Hehe, maybe you could even call me your senior. You must be confused right now—I was the same at first. Luckily, a kind person guided me, so I'd like to help you in the same way.
If you have questions, send a reply through your altar. Enclosed is a shell I found while drifting—it's quite pretty. Just showing it to you secretly.
See you~"
Neat handwriting. Cheerful tone. A simple sketch of a seashell. A faint fragrance lingered on the page.
If that pirate chef saw this, he'd probably start daydreaming.
"…"
Wade was silent for a moment, his expression turning strange.
"Why does this… actually seem normal?"
So opening a letter didn't automatically trigger a forced battle? Were dungeon masters really this… friendly? It even felt a little heartwarming.
He opened the gray envelope next. The handwriting was bold and brash:
"Don't trust Linviel—that fake young chick just wants your body, she'll suck you dry. If you're a real man, join forces with me, Pansen, master of the Stone Giant Dungeon! I'll treat you to the best booze and meat!
If you're a woman, well… age isn't that big a problem either."
Your thoughts are… dangerous.
But after reading it, Wade couldn't help feeling suspicious of the sea-blue letter. That small urge to reply quickly vanished.
"One moment of carelessness and you're done for."
He tore open another envelope, this one purple-black.
"Join us, together, destroy humanity!!! Destroy humanity!!! Destroy humanity!!! Glory to the Demonkind!!!"
Thick slime stained the paper, disgusting to the touch.
"Psychopath."
He tossed it aside and picked up a deep-blue envelope.
"Demonkind are dog shit. Join the Astar Alliance! Defend the purity of the human bloodline! Five years to wipe out the demons, ten years to exterminate elves, dwarves, and beastfolk, twenty years to cleanse all impure half-blood humans! For humanity's purity!"
"…You're a bit too extreme."
The more he read, the more relaxed Wade became. These letters weren't nearly as terrifying as he'd feared. They were more like bizarre flyers or eccentric recruitment ads.
The old Aldwin's notes had made it sound like a "dark forest" scenario—where anyone revealing themselves would instantly be hunted down. But this? This was more like a chaotic community forum.
A pattern emerged: the lighter the color of the envelope, the more coherent and "human" the writing. The darker the color, the more deranged and broken it became.
Most letters were greetings, alliance requests, or casual chatter. Of course, some tried to provoke him into starting wars.
"But I don't even know how to start a dungeon battle…" Wade muttered, ignoring the hostile ones.
Maybe the old Aldwin had exaggerated. Or maybe times had simply changed.
He was still sorting through the mountain of envelopes when the altar glowed again—a new purple-black letter appeared.
The same one as before.
"You read my letter, didn't you? Why didn't you reply! Why! You filthy human! I'll kill you!!!"
The crazed handwriting radiated fury.
[Dungeon Master Ganago of the Hive Nest Dungeon has challenged you to a Deathmatch. This is his first initiation—you cannot refuse.]
…Straight to a fight?
[The war will begin in thirty days. Prepare well.]
At that moment, Wade finally understood why his predecessor had warned him never to open the envelopes.
Among the dungeon lords were warmongering lunatics—and he'd almost been lulled into complacency by the harmless ones.
"This is troublesome…"
Should he panic? Or treat this as a crisis?
But then he glanced at his vast sea of Mana, and the nearly endless roster of monsters under his command.
"…First, I'll gather information on the Hive Nest Dungeon. The map shows it's in the west. No wonder—it's demon territory. That means I won't find much in Bedford City. Humans hardly know anything about the western continent."
Wade looked again at the pile of letters. Maybe another dungeon master could provide intel. Risky, yes—but better than charging in blind.
"…Forget it. What's done is done."
He lifted the crystal sphere, his tone turning cold.
"Let's wipe out the Bedford family first—before they cause any trouble."