With the rumble of countless vibrations, the new Bone City was finally complete.
"Then, the next step is to bring in the miners."
Yami Tsukishiro raised his hand, resurrecting the hundreds of millions of souls trapped in the afterlife mining zone.
At the same time, he imprinted the rules of the underground city and the mining area directly into their minds.
"Mom, I'm alive! I'm really alive, hahaha!"
Some cried tears of joy after realizing they had been resurrected.
But not everyone reacted the same way.
"What kind of bullshit dungeon is this?! I want to go home!"
The heavens answered before Yami did.
A blood-red thunderbolt split the sky and slammed down without mercy. Thousands of defiant voices were silenced in an instant, reduced to ashes.
The rest quickly shut their mouths.
Nothing works better than killing a chicken to warn the monkeys—it was effective, as always.
Yami then began shaping the system for the miners.
Like adventurers, they were granted personal status panels and access to a mall system.
Their living conditions weren't outwardly harsh: each miner had their own residence, and they would receive a small salary each month. Wages came in the form of magic stones, which could be used in the mall.
However, unlike adventurers, their purchasing power was strictly limited—only water, daily necessities, and basic mining tools were available.
The reason was simple. Yami installed a massive screen in the mining area, continuously displaying the lush environment of the outer city and the luxurious benefits of the adventurers.
See what you could have if you worked harder.
The intention was clear: to create a "healthy" spirit of competition. Strive. Work. Crawl into the top 100. Only then could they escape the life of a miner.
These were tricks Yami remembered all too well from his previous life.
And in this world, miners were endless. Bone City would never run short of labor.
Once the miners were settled, Yami turned his attention to the second level.
There, he constructed the [Ancient City] (古代都市 Kodai Toshi), styled after a vast battlefield frozen in time. Its structure mirrored the first floor, though its central tower was built as a towering castle.
"Kaen, Shion—the second level and the Ancient City will be under your supervision."
"Yes, Master!" the twin sisters replied in unison.
The first floor had been entrusted to Ella, the second to the sisters. Yami felt secure in his choice.
An army, however, was still necessary.
Checking his resources, Yami counted the remaining magic stones: 57,800.
He poured 3,000 stones into the new second-level system. Unlike the first floor, its primitive embryo did not branch into multiple types—it produced only one category: beasts.
But each embryo hatched into a random beast monster.
One after another, eggs split open.
"Roar!"
"Ouuuuu!"
The Ancient Battlefield erupted with life as three thousand beasts howled to the sky.
They came in all shapes and forms—lions, wolves, deer, and countless others. Their appearances varied, but their core data remained nearly identical.
[Monster]:Wild Wolf
[Rank]: first level
[Title]: None
[Race]:Orcs
[Memes]:
Level F: Feral (Level 1)
Feral Meme
A memetic ability that boosts flesh and blood at the cost of sanity.
Also called "Seed Burst," though the effect isn't overwhelming—otherwise it wouldn't be classified as just F-rank.
Yami Tsukishiro began testing combinations.
"Oh?"
He soon discovered something unexpected: aside from the Infection Source, every other meme was compatible with the beast embryos.
Curious, he tested corrosive venom against the beast embryo.
[Ding! Do you want to spend 100 magic stones to hatch this embryo?]
Without hesitation, Yami hatched twenty.
[Ding! The monster has hatched successfully. You have obtained the [Venomous Beast] monster template!]
From the embryos crawled out venomous snakes, toxic frogs, giant scorpions, and spiders dripping with poison.
Snakes and frogs made sense.
But Yami raised an eyebrow.
"…Scorpions and spiders? Aren't those insects?"
Apparently, the definition of "beast" here was broader than he thought.
He decided to expand the Ancient Battlefield further—adding oceans, lakes, and mountain ranges. If beasts existed, they should swim through water, soar through skies, and prowl across land.
Experimenting further, Yami tested more meme fusions:
[Swift Beast] — 20 hatched with the Speed Meme (100 stones each).
[Armored Beast] — fused with the Flesh Enhancement Meme.
[Beast Warrior] — a humanoidized combat variant (20 units).
[Swift Beast Warrior] — fusing speed and strength, 10 units (1,000 stones).
[Fighting Beast Warrior] — specialized close-combat fighters, 10 units.
[Venomous Beast Warrior] — merging venom with body enhancement, 10 units (1,000 stones).
With magic stones dwindling, Yami prepared one last experiment.
This time, he selected a C-rank Meme: Infection Source, combined with D-rank Physical Enhancement and D-rank Armor Enhancement, merging them all into the zombie prototype.
Unlike before, there was no upper limit. The system warned him with a prompt:
[Ding! Do you want to spend 10,000 magic stones to hatch the original embryo of this monster?]
"Sure enough—it works!"
With the second layer of the dungeon now unlocked, Yami Tsukishiro realized the fusion limit for beast embryos had increased.
He experimented again, attempting four different meme fusions.
The results confirmed his theory.
"It seems… a normal embryo can only handle a maximum of three memes."
10,000 magic stones. A heavy cost.
But Yami didn't hesitate.
"Hatch."
[Ding! The monster has hatched successfully. You have obtained the [Sorrowful Matrix] monster template!]
From the depths of the Bone Graveyard, the ground cracked open.
The so-called "mother body" of the Sorrowful Matrix emerged—though there was nothing feminine about it. It was a grotesque monster, transcending the image of a mere zombie.
Standing five meters tall, its frame wasn't bulky but carried a blue-purple hue. Jagged thorns jutted from its body like natural armor.
Six scarlet eyes glowed with malice above a feral maw lined with tearing mouthparts. Clawed hands reached outward, barely maintaining a humanoid silhouette.
Status Display
[Monster]: Sorrowful Matrix
[Rank]: Third Level
[Title]: Rare
[Race]: Undead
Memes:
Level F: Infection (Lv.2)
Level D: Hard Armor (Lv.3)
Level D: Strengthened Body (Lv.3)
Level C: Source of Infection (Lv.3)
The moment it appeared, the zombies scattered across the Bone Cemetery turned as one, lurching toward it like instinctive worshippers.
[Meme]: Source of Infection
[Rank]: C
[Abilities]:
Infection Control — Direct and command the infected, granting them purpose.
Biochemical Infection Zone — Spreads a contagious aura, converting the area into a breeding ground for infection.
As the Sorrowful Matrix grows, so too will its intelligence—eventually evolving into a true commander of the undead, capable of controlling entire legions of zombies.
The Bone Graveyard had birthed its first field general.
…
…
The newly born Sorrowful Matrix stood tall among the dead. Its very presence commanded the zombies, as if a natural captain and commander of the legion had arrived.
Yami Tsukishiro smirked.
"These ten thousand magic stones weren't wasted."
His reserves had dropped to only 6,800 magic stones.
Yami's gaze swept across his undead army.
After the last world invasion, the constant war and slaughter had worked like experience points, pushing their growth forward.
The ordinary monsters had all advanced to Level 2.
The rest of the D-rank units had climbed to the Level 4 cap and could grow no further.
That meant the early dungeon floors would now be crawling with Level 2 monsters. For some challengers, that might be too difficult.
As for Level 3 monsters, Yami was short on resources. What he really needed were more E-rank memes to bridge the gap.
Unfortunately, with what remained, he could only invest 2,000 stones to hatch more basic troops—zombies, mummies, and skeleton soldiers.
And with that, the magic stone reserves were drained dry.
All he could do now was hope his miners worked tirelessly to refill the coffers.
"It's about time the dungeon reopened."
Yami raised his hand, and in the center square of Bone City, a towering screen shimmered into existence.
At the same time, the adventurers were summoned back into the square.
Among them, Yami spotted Takagi Saya slumped against a wall, her shoulders shaking. She looked like she had taken a heavy blow to her pride.
That wouldn't do. Adventurers couldn't be allowed to wallow in despair.
[My dear adventurers, I bring you two pieces of good news.]
[First—The dungeon will reopen.]
"!!!"
Gasps swept the crowd.
Kocho Shinobu and the others practically lit up, their eyes shining with determination.
Their eagerness wasn't just curiosity.
After all, the invasion of the Highschool of the Dead world had already proven something terrifying: any of their own worlds might be next.
The only way to defend their homes was to grow stronger—faster than ever before.
And the dungeon was the best, most efficient way to achieve that strength.
For adventurers, this was not just a challenge.
It was salvation.
[Second… look at this interesting picture.]
The massive light curtain flickered, revealing a scene.
Two vast mining zones appeared on display—one side filled with men, the other with women. All of them gripped tools, breaking away at chunks of black ore in endless rhythm.
"…These people…"
Busujima Saeko frowned deeply. Her eyes traced the uniforms in the projection. They were disturbingly familiar.
"Wait! Those… are soldiers from our world!"
Takagi Yuriko gasped in shock.
Hearing that, Takagi Saya raised her head at once, staring intently at the light curtain.
[I prefer letting others work for me rather than simply killing them.]
[Your world has been devoured. The civilized humans from it are now miners in the underground city, destined to spend their lives extracting ore.]
On the surface, it didn't sound like good news at all. It was slavery, plain and simple. A life of endless toil.
But for Takagi Saya and the others, it was hope.
Because at least—humans were still alive.
Saya's eyes blurred with tears. Her shoulders trembled as the relief poured out of her.
Miyamoto Rei and Busujima Saeko exchanged a glance and shared a faint smile.
Their master, Yami Tsukishiro, was not the merciless butcher they feared. He was cruel, yes. Controlling, without question. But not needlessly cold-blooded.
Slavery was still survival. And survival meant the possibility of a future.
[Of course, I will also give you a chance at redemption. As adventurers, if you conquer all the dungeons, you will be granted your wishes—and with them, the restoration of your world.]
"!!!!"
The entire square shook with emotion.
Takagi Saya and the others stared at the light curtain, their despair burning away in an instant.
Hope.
That single word blazed like fire in their hearts.
If survival was possible—if their world could still be restored...then the only path was forward.
To fight. To conquer. To win.
And Yami Tsukishiro, the dark master of the dungeon, knew exactly how to keep their resolve under his control.
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