This was the first time Wade had taken over someone else's Dungeon, and the sensation was… strange.
Hard to describe, but it made him instinctively cautious, as if he didn't dare act too recklessly.
When he first gained operational control of the Val Dungeon, he asked:
"Do you mind if your home turns into a red swimming pool? It might smell a little… stimulating, and there could be some small, not-so-clean creatures running around."
The crystal on Kid's head flickered anxiously for a long moment before he answered:
"If it isn't necessary, I would prefer you not to do that. This place holds the precious memories Mr. Kirich left me."
Technically, Wade could ignore Kid's opinion and do whatever he wanted. In this place, he had the biggest fist.
But he wasn't a military force stationed abroad—he still respected basic rights. And when it came to Kid, Wade treated him as an equal, someone worth holding a conversation with.
Besides, if one counted carefully, Kid had been a Dungeon Master far longer than both of Wade's lifetimes combined. He must be knowledgeable. And from their interactions so far, Kid's personality wasn't bad—he was practically a walking encyclopedia.
That said, the Val Dungeon couldn't undergo any structural changes for now.
Wade didn't know how the demons had reopened the teleportation portal into the Dungeon, but as long as even one demon remained inside, all remodeling functions were forcibly blocked.
A pity. Some wild ideas Wade had been saving couldn't be realized yet.
"Dungeons close at night, right? Can't we renovate while it's closed?"
"…My apologies."
Surprisingly, Wade could detect guilt in Kid's mechanical voice.
"This Dungeon does not close."
Wade looked up.
"Level-4 Authority?"
Once a Dungeon Master reached Level 4, they could freely adjust closing time—or even keep the Dungeon permanently open. They could also eject anyone lingering inside at will. However, even at Level 4, structural changes still required the Dungeon to be empty.
The limit on how many people could explore at once could also be modified at Level 4—essentially removing the cap entirely.
"Mr. Kirich was Level 4, but I am only Level 1."
The crystal atop Kid's head glowed red, as if expressing embarrassment.
"Mr. Kirich set the Dungeon to remain open forever. When he transferred authority to me, I was Level 4 as well. But since he had already shut down the Dungeon, I never considered changing the schedule."
"Now, as my stored Mana continues to diminish, my authority has fallen to Level 1… and I can no longer modify the time settings."
It was unclear whether this was a universal Dungeon bug or an intentional function, but when a Dungeon Master's authority decreased, their privileges were reclaimed—yet the settings created at higher authority levels remained unchanged.
Very strange… it felt like something that could be exploited if someone tried.
Wade thought for a moment.
In short—they could only rely on monsters to handle the demons squatting inside.
A pity he couldn't modify anything, but he still had plenty of things among his monsters that he normally couldn't use on adventurers.
He opened the miniature model of the Val Dungeon.
It was an underground ancient ruin built entirely from bronze, reminiscent of the Dwarven ruins in Skyrim—though far less advanced. Whenever something didn't work, they simply used magic to glue the problem away.
The layout was split into three sections:
The front half: rocky, open terrain
The central area: the bronze ancient ruins
The back section: a bug nest filled with webbing
The monster roster revealed golems, spiders, and goblin-like small humanoids—each group matching its respective area.
Most demons wandered in the open terrain near the entrance, but according to Kid's observations, they returned to rest in the bronze ruins, whose traps had all been destroyed.
Makes sense—the ruins still contained rooms resembling dormitories. These pure demons had intelligence comparable to humans; of course they would seek comfortable sleeping spots.
Sleeping inside the ruins, huh…
Wade chuckled.
There was so much room for creativity.
He could overwhelm them with hordes of monsters and block the entrance…
Or send elite assassins for a clean decapitation strike.
The demons would never expect an attack in their sleeping quarters.
But Wade wanted to try something else this time.
Such a confined space… wasn't it perfect for releasing a little "gas"?
"Do they have any behavioral habits?" he asked.
Kid raised a metal plate from his body, projecting an image—similar to Wade's crystal ball display.
The projection showed carefully selected recordings.
Kid explained:
"At first, no more than fifty demons entered. They turned this place into a temporary base. While the Dungeon's traps still functioned, they had no effect on the demon leader."
"Their numbers increased the next day. They hid during the day and returned at night, each time bringing back new demons—sometimes five or six, sometimes twenty or thirty. But the newcomers all shared one trait: their intelligence was low, almost as if they were under a stupefying curse."
Stupefied?
Wade immediately seized on the key detail.
The demons that had appeared in his own Dungeon had been similarly vacant and dull.
Those stupefied demons had been humans transformed into demonkin.
Connecting the pieces…
He shared his deduction with Kid.
Kid rocked his round body, imitating a human nod.
"So they are converting outside humans into their own kind."
"You guessed that too?"
Kid didn't answer verbally. Instead, he played another recording.
Several bulky demons were standing together, talking. One held a thumb-sized, bluish-green lump of flesh and said:
"This stuff the priest gave us is great. Stick it on a human, and they scream for a bit before turning into one of us."
"Idiot. Don't compare those impure things to us. They're not worthy."
"I still don't get why the battalion commander bothers converting humans when we could easily take this rundown city ourselves."
"Hey, hey—if Lord Doslepo hears that, you're dead. Don't spout nonsense. He's doing it to boost his score. Keep it quiet, but the other commanders all have higher scores than him, so he needs something big."
The first demon grumbled:
"Score? What's the point besides getting promoted? I don't know why the priest made us play this game crap. If you want to kill, just kill. Why bother with games…"
Another demon quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, what was this thing called again? Lord Doslepo said to give it only to people with 'potential.' Supposedly those humans become even stronger than us."
"Tch, I doubt it. Humans—"
"Demonfall Egg," another demon interrupted.
"It's called the Demonfall Egg. Remember it. The lord said he'll test us later."
"Let's go. Time to catch more humans. We're short on time today."
The recording ended.
Wade's expression froze.
"Can you send me a copy of that?"
Demonfall Egg.
A killing game.
Scores and hierarchy.
It was the first time Wade had learned so much about demon society. It felt like the veil covering the mysterious demon system was finally lifting.
The Demonfall Eggs were used to convert humans into stupefied demonkin—and possibly even stronger variants.
The so-called priest was also worth investigation.
Games, scores, promotions—demons were surprisingly structured. Not primitive at all.
He would definitely capture some alive to interrogate. They might even know something about the Hive Dungeon.
"Of course," Kid said.
"Based on my analysis, the demons treat this place as a hidden base. Every day they bring in converted humans, seemingly gathering forces to attack the nearby city."
"I figured. They say that city has already fallen."
"So quickly?" Kid sounded shocked.
"Faster than I expected. What about the human response?"
"The army is marching now. Earliest arrival is in two days."
"Two days…"
Kid abruptly froze.
Wade wondered if he had malfunctioned, but then Kid spoke—his voice cold and mechanical:
"Mr. Aldwin, I have a request."
"Go ahead," Wade answered gently.
"When the humans and demons clash, may I ask you to attack the demons from behind?"
The mechanical voice crackled with faint static.
"From my observations, the demons believe the Val Dungeon is a secret base unknown to all. If they lose the battle, they will retreat here. If they win, they will return to celebrate. Whether in triumph or in despair, I want you to—"
"Don't worry."
Wade patted Kid's head, giving him a bright, sunny grin.
"I'll make sure every last bastard who defiled your precious memories dies in the most painful way possible."
"Mr. Aldwin…"
Kid was so moved he couldn't form words.
So instead—
[You received a gift from the Val Dungeon Master: 1,000 Mental Energy]
Wade's eyes softened in satisfaction.
Such a generous friend—definitely worth keeping around!
That day, many things unfolded.
The two Dungeon Masters formed an alliance, discussing various ways to make the demons die as agonizingly as possible.
An adventurer and his wolf pack continued their trials against the Farron Undead Legion—now capable of occasionally counterattacking while defending.
The Bedford soldiers, adventurers, churches, and various factions formed a temporary coalition, riding hard—swearing to crush the demons as quickly as possible.
And in demon-infested Val City—
Inside the lord's manor, now wrapped in pulsating flesh and oozing dark red fluid—
At the building's center, the demon commander, Doslepo, sat within the living mass.
"Once the next batch of humans arrives, the offering for birthing the new demon will be complete."
He looked up at the night sky.
The moonlight shone bright and sacred.
"Then I shall rise to the next level."
Time to kill…
Kill, kill, kill.