At three in the morning, the sky was pitch-black. Autumn's night winds bit straight through the bone.
In front of the Sein Dungeon, a long line had already formed. The place's growing fame drew even larger crowds each day—many people arrived two hours early just to secure a spot. Some, after being kicked out of the dungeon at midnight, didn't even bother going home. They simply lined up again.
But no matter how early the adventurers came, they could never overcome noble privilege.
The guards of the nobility sneered as they watched the line stretch into the distance. One leaned toward his companion and snickered, "What's the point of lining up so early? In the end, they'll still have to move aside."
"Keep your voice down," the other warned quietly. "These people all have short fuses. Anyway, it's about time. Call the workers in. Once they're through, we start charging admission."
The adventurers glared daggers at them, muttered curses breaking out all along the line.
If the guards didn't belong to the local lord—and if that lord weren't under the direct protection of the kingdom—they would've been beaten bloody long ago.
Still, most people calculated the risks and benefits. Exploring the Sein Dungeon was worth the humiliation—for now. They swallowed their rage and endured. But anyone could see that resentment wasn't fading; it was simmering, waiting for the right spark to ignite it.
In fact, those who worked faster had already begun organizing protest marches. No one knew exactly when they would erupt.
Mage Roger observed the restless crowd with a faint grin, feeling as if his sociology experience points had just gone up a level.
Yesterday, the exploration party had delivered a flood of information to Sid—reports about bonfires, visions, punishments, and more. The old man, despite all his years of experience, had fallen silent for a long time afterward. Eventually, he rewarded each member with the promised gold and even handed out bonuses.
He'd said he would organize another expedition later, but Roger doubted this particular team would ever reunite again.
"Lion" Leon had claimed that his long-admired mentor would be deeply interested in the Larval Tear. To show his sincerity, he personally took it and set off to visit the old master, with the others tagging along. They wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.
The Fire Priest, after a frenzied dance performance in the conference hall, rushed to the nearest Fire Church outpost, declaring that he would rally the remaining believers into a new band of Warriors of Sunlight. That outpost was two cities away, so his round trip alone would take days.
The Holy Light Knight returned to his church to report the recent events—and was never seen again.
Stella stayed in town as a Warrior of Sunlight, but thanks to Melga's constant harassment, she appeared in public less and less.
As for Perry, the boy trudged back to the Mage's Association, crystal scroll in hand. His mission was to analyze the bonfire images, and he needed to report his findings.
So why was Roger still here?
Hehe—obviously, for the monsters.
"These miraculous spherical tools can capture dragons," he mused. "So maybe they can catch other monsters too."
He wanted to keep exploring, to expand his collection. The monsters of the Sein Dungeon were rare, unseen species—far more fascinating than the dull, overfamiliar beasts of the surface world.
If he was going to catch something, it had to be rare. Who knew? Maybe someday Wade would release a Shiny Basilisk, a Shiny Mushroom Parent, or even a Shiny Rathian.
"[Invisibility]."
Roger cloaked himself in magic and quietly slipped into the line of workers preparing to enter the dungeon.
Waiting in line? Impossible. He would never queue in this lifetime.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, one of the men standing with the guards turned his head toward Roger's direction, narrowing his eyes.
He noticed me?
Roger froze, but when he saw the man's armor, his tension eased.
The figure was broad-shouldered, clad in silver-white armor etched with simple engravings. His hawk-shaped helmet gleamed under the torches, and on his chestplate was a painted falcon so lifelike it seemed ready to take flight.
Ah, of course—this must be the mercenary company Sid had mentioned: the Light Eagle Corps.
No wonder the adventurers hadn't caused any trouble yet. Everyone knew the reputation of this near-invincible mercenary group. No one in their right mind wanted to pick a fight with such hardened killers.
Judging by his armor, this man was at least of captain rank—a dangerous opponent.
But Roger wasn't intimidated. He gave the man a thumbs-up before slipping through the portal with the workers.
The captain let out a soft chuckle, puzzling the nearby guards.
"Eh? Where's the tenth?" one of them asked.
Inside the dungeon, the workers did a quick headcount. Only nine.
They waited two minutes, but the missing man never showed. Cursing under their breath, they set off toward the mining site.
Roger had intended to leave them behind and explore solo, but he changed his mind. A group this size might attract more monsters—exactly what he wanted. So he followed from a distance.
Not long after, skeleton monsters ambushed the workers. It was only thanks to Roger quietly intervening that none of them died.
"They're too ugly. Aren't there any cooler-looking ones?" he muttered—that was the only reason he bothered to help.
Under his invisible protection, the workers reached the mining site safely, marveling at their luck. Normally, at least half their number would have been lost by now.
Have the monsters gotten fiercer?
Roger crouched unseen nearby, frowning.
It felt like the dungeon creatures had grown more violent since his last visit. Was it just his imagination? The Basilisk and Murlocs were gone—only skeletons remained.
Strange. Very strange. Like the calm before a storm.
"Hey, was this huge rock here before?" one worker asked, pointing at a massive boulder ahead.
"No way," another replied. "I remember this area only had bloodcrystals, not normal rock—"
His words cut off in a scream.
Because the boulder suddenly stood up.
[Onix (Pokémon)]
[Mana Required per Unit: 99]
[Overall Combat Power: D-]
"A monster!"
That single scream marked the beginning of chaos. With one sweep of its tail, Onix crushed a worker flat. Around it, the bloodcrystal ore shattered open—and one by one, round "boulders" crawled free.
No—these weren't stones. They had arms.
[Geodude (Pokémon)]
[Mana Required per Unit: 49]
[Overall Combat Power: E+]
A Geodude slammed into a nearby worker, knocking him over. Then a swarm of them piled on, pummeling him to death before scattering to chase the rest.
Onix rampaged like a living meat grinder, its bloodstained body gleaming in the crimson light.
More and more Geodudes clawed their way up from beneath the earth, cutting off all escape routes. The workers' faces twisted in despair.
The attack had come so suddenly that Roger froze—then broke into a wide grin.
New monsters! He had new monsters to catch!
Ignoring the workers' horrified stares, Roger revealed himself. He seized a Geodude with Mage Hand, and before it could break free, he tossed a Pokéball at it.
The ball popped open midair, turning the Geodude into a stream of light and sucking it inside.
"Perfect!"
Roger clenched his fist triumphantly.
But a second later, the ball burst open—and the furious Geodude popped back out!
Capture failed!
"Huh?"
Roger blinked in disbelief. "It can fail?"
He sidestepped a charging Geodude—only for Onix to unleash Rock Slide. Boulders rained down from above.
"An Earth-element spell? Fitting, I suppose." Roger dodged lightly, mind racing to figure out why the capture failed.
He had thought tossing the ball guaranteed success.
"[Ambush Shard]!"
He cast a newly learned spell.
Magic struck Onix from behind, harrying it until the massive creature grew distracted.
Seizing the chance, Roger expanded Mage Hand, grappling its stone body. Above its head, an enormous hailstone materialized.
"If I weaken it first, will it still resist capture?"
The hail crashed down, smashing into Onix's skull. With a deafening wail, the monster collapsed—perfect for capture. Roger pulled out a rarer Ultra Ball.
"Roar—!"
But before he could throw it, a thunderous roar split the air.
Something plummeted from above and exploded on impact!
"What the—?!"
Roger was thrown off balance as explosions chained all around him. If even one had hit him directly, he would've been obliterated.
Ducking and weaving through the chaos, he looked up—
—and his face lit up in delight.
Because soaring through the sky was a dragon.
Another dragon!
Bazelgeuse!