The capital of Eterna, Demon Lord Atem's seat of power, pulsed with life. Towering buildings, bustling streets, and vibrant marketplaces marked it as more than just a city—it was a metropolis rivaling any in legend. Even Shinji's crew, seasoned otherworlders, couldn't help but be impressed by the city's advanced infrastructure and the absence of any medieval shortcomings.
Unlike the Empire's capital, Nasca, where stench and filth pervaded the streets outside the noble districts, Eterna seemed pristine, organized, and alive with energy.
"I thought we'd be greeted by an empty gate and a barren plaza. Are we sure this is the place?" one of the crew muttered.
"No," another replied, scanning the streets carefully. "Either this city can reshape itself at will, or the intelligence we gathered was deliberately misleading."
"…In any case, we cannot lower our guard."
They exchanged wary glances, tension coiling in their muscles.
Thanks to Kagali's previous arrangements, they had arrived via elemental teleportation, 'Warp Portal,' and while she returned swiftly to the Empire, their return had already been planned. Until then, they were instructed to gather intelligence, observe, and avoid reckless behavior. None of them needed reminding.
"Lady Kagali… she's stunning," Shinji said, unable to hide his admiration.
"Shinji! Focus, man," Mark snapped. "Your girlfriend will dump you if you keep blabbering like that."
"Girlfriend?" Shinji replied, his voice tinged with regret. "I don't have one. If I did… maybe life would've been easier."
Mark and Xin just shrugged, letting him wallow for a moment as they passed through Eterna's entry checkpoint.
With Freedom Association credentials, they were admitted smoothly after a brief explanation of their purpose. Soon after, they secured a room at an inn, under the guise of sightseeing, while secretly investigating the city.
Everything they saw left them in awe. As otherworlders, they were powerful, accustomed to privileges—but even they recognized that Eterna's accomplishments far surpassed what the Empire had achieved.
Food, for instance, was a revelation. Street vendors offered takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba alongside pastries, crepes, and exquisitely decorated cakes. Rare delicacies lined the shelves, their ingredients seemingly impossible to procure. Residents had adapted seamlessly to these foreign tastes, and the city's love for culinary artistry was evident everywhere. Shinji, overwhelmed, even shed tears of joy upon discovering a curry rice shop reminiscent of home.
Comfort and convenience followed. Plumbing, toilets, and inns were impeccable. Public baths had become a popular pastime.
"I think I could live here," Mark muttered wistfully. "Seriously, can we… not go back to the Empire?"
Shinji chuckled. "…Don't tempt me. But honestly, I'd consider it too."
Xin nodded. "Same here."
They sighed in unison. Long had they believed the Empire led the world in civilization and luxury. Eterna shattered that illusion, offering a lifestyle that rivaled their previous world in comfort, entertainment, and freedom.
Yet reality was harsh. A war loomed. Eterna would inevitably be targeted, and defecting now would be fatal.
"…No," Shinji said firmly. "We must focus. Duty comes first."
The next morning, they prepared to ascend the labyrinth once more.
"So," Shinji began, checking their gear, "we're heading to the 51st floor tomorrow. It's called The Paradise of the Dead. Mark's Minos Bardiche, forged of holy mithril, should prove effective against spirits and the undead."
"Exactly," Mark agreed, eyes gleaming. "And really… this whole place feels like a game. The bosses guarding each floor are like a challenge to test us."
"…And the monsters only get stronger," Xin observed, wariness in his tone.
Shinji nodded. As an RPG enthusiast, he recognized the pattern immediately. The labyrinth was structured like a meticulously designed game, but the stakes were real. Bosses appeared every tenth floor, with difficulty scaling steeply: the 40th floor had the A-minus tempest serpent, and the 50th floor held Gozer, a talking gyuki of Hazard-class power—rare, ancient, and dangerous. Most opponents of this caliber served demon lords, and only the most capable parties could survive.
Yet, despite the increasing difficulty, Shinji's team had prevailed, relying not only on strength but also on strategy, observation, and their newfound unique-grade weapons.
"Look at this hole in the bardiche," Shinji remarked, holding it up. "Even appraisal magic can't reveal its secrets. Weapons like this didn't exist before the 40th floor. They're exceptional—rare in the town below, let alone this deep in the labyrinth."
Mark gawked, rubbing the mithril gleam of the Minos Bardiche against his cheek. "Even in the Empire, a weapon like this would be near impossible to acquire!"
Shinji nodded. "Not impossible, but certainly difficult. It requires a special environment, saturated with magical energy, to mature and evolve a weapon over decades—or even centuries. Then, if the wielder is worthy, the weapon unlocks its true potential."
Xin frowned. "Does such a place even exist?"
Shinji shook his head. "Few could survive it. But someone like Atem could… effortlessly."
Mark laughed nervously. "Anyway, it's still beautiful—and deadly. I'm not complaining."
Shinji nodded, his mind sharpening. "A country that freely distributes weapons like this… it's far more dangerous than we imagined."
The trio exchanged uneasy looks. Eterna was not a playground. It was a fortress, a crucible of strength, and potentially a battlefield where survival demanded both skill and wisdom.
"Tomorrow," Shinji continued, "we'll push through. Same tactics, focus on Mark's weapon, and keep our heads clear. This could be the last floor we see for a while."
Xin nodded. "The monsters ahead… they won't be easy."
"True," Mark agreed. "But no matter what, we'll survive. Death isn't a factor. So let's stay sharp—and strike hard."
Three days later…
After conquering the poison swamps and corrosive lands, the trio finally found the stairs on the 59th floor, leading to the 60th floor where the boss monster's room was. It had taken them seven days to reach the 50th floor, but it took them three days to reach the 60th floor from there. The area was smaller than the previous floor, but the difficulty rose exponentially.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
"…Mhm."
They had rested up the night before and were full of energy, ready to go.
"The one ahead is called a guardian, just like the one from Floor 50. There's no doubt that it'll be an intelligent monster."
"I know. It's likely that it's more troublesome than the death lord we fought yesterday."
"…Let's go all out from the start."
As long as they kept their cool, the boss would go down easily. They gave a final nod to each other, and then… They carefully placed their hands on the door and pushed it open with a single thrust.
Stepping back a little in time…
I was in my private chambers, meticulously calibrating the surveillance network I had devised. Agents dispatched across the Great Jura Forest, stationed at strategic positions from the Kingdom of Farmenas to the northern reaches of Ingracia, and even atop the highest mountain peaks, were feeding information into the system. Yet, despite this extensive network, unease gnawed at me. Latency was my greatest concern.
Even if every agent operated in pairs, the chance that both could be eliminated simultaneously was not negligible. Should that occur, the intel from that entire zone would vanish in an instant.
The death of a few agents was one thing. The delay in data transmission that would follow, however, could threaten the very survival of Eterna. I had warned Souei repeatedly: extreme caution was mandatory.
Even a single agent compromised wouldn't be a fatal blow—but it would trigger confrontation, combat, and naturally, delays. I could not allow that. My solution was to construct a surveillance system so robust, so comprehensive, that no enemy movement could escape notice.
The sorcery system contained long-range observation magic, but its utility was laughable. It could barely identify the outline of a target, required tedious re-casting to switch locations, and bounced off even modest magical barriers. Attempting to monitor powerful beings with it was futile.
Then the idea struck me.
The physical magic Megiddo, which converged sunlight into concentrated beams using water droplets as lenses, could be adapted for observation. Why not create a system that suspended water droplets in strategic locations to project real-time images back to me? Coupled with magnifying lenses at high altitudes, the live feed could be projected onto a monitor for continuous surveillance.
Telephoto lenses, projection magic, and transcription mechanisms—together, they formed the blueprint for magical surveillance satellites.
At first, the components seemed incompatible, but Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom, assured me that combining physical magic, spirit magic, and Spatial Domination made it entirely feasible.
The result: a network capable of collecting
precise, instantaneous intelligence across vast distances, immune to delays or minor disruptions. Controlling this information would grant me unparalleled strategic advantage. He who commands the flow of knowledge commands the battlefield.
Wars, nations, and the fate of entire continents often hinge on the ability to anticipate enemy movements. The Battle of Tsushima came to mind: the Japanese Navy's victory under Togo Heihachiro was not merely a result of firepower—it was precise intelligence that dictated the battlefield. Misjudging the enemy's location would have led to annihilation.
Our situation mirrored this principle. Despite being numerically disadvantaged, Eterna could turn the tide if I read the enemy's movements accurately and forced them to concentrate their strength at a decisive point. Conversely, if their forces dispersed, we could defeat them individually, striking with absolute precision. My surveillance network was essential—not just for strategy, but for ensuring victory.
Even as I mused over these principles, the prototype was already complete. Solarys had crafted it to be intuitive, precise, and flawlessly integrated into the labyrinth's command system. My part was oversight; his, execution. Together, the network would be unmatched.
For the first time in weeks, I allowed myself a brief reprieve. Shuna's carefully brewed black tea accompanied a rare moment of calm. My mind wandered over the potential uses of the surveillance magic… when suddenly—
"Lord Atem! Urgent report!"
The voice of Beretta crackled through the Telepathy Net, sharp and tense.
I straightened immediately, the cup of tea paused mid-air.
A second group had cleared the 50th floor of the labyrinth.
The first group, of course, was Masayuki's party, who had already progressed to the 59th floor. Their achievement had transformed the labyrinth into a magnet for challengers, each eager to test themselves, and each increasing Eterna's wealth and influence.
Yet this second group was unusual. Three individuals. All Unique Skill holders. Not experienced Dungeon challengers, but recent arrivals. In peacetime, I might have dismissed it as coincidence—but on the eve of war, the possibility that these were enemy spies could not be ignored.
Their performance left me silently calculating. Gozer and Mezer, my intelligent majins assigned as guardians of the 50th floor, were formidable. Both had honed their combat tactics, exchanging knowledge and improving daily. They were not simple brutes—they were strategic, disciplined, and nearly impossible to defeat.
And yet… these three had bested them.
The treasure awaiting the conquerors of the 50th floor was extraordinary. Unique-grade Minos equipment, named after the legendary Minotaur, the Lord of the Labyrinth. Weapons like Gozu's Battle Axe, Minos's Bardiche, or Mezu's Trident—
all masterpieces of the highest quality. Armor was no less exceptional. I had only stocked a dozen sets, expecting them to last months. Instead, they were claimed in a single day.
It was not just the gear that concerned me. The fact that Gozer and Mezer could be defeated suggested that these challengers were not ordinary. If they were to refuse Eterna's invitation, they could become threats. Thus, I had already arranged an emergency alert: should my guardians fall, I would be informed immediately.
Beretta's report confirmed my suspicions.
"So… what's the situation?" I demanded.
"Three individuals cleared the floor, Lord Atem. All three possess Unique Skills."
I absorbed the news calmly, my mind already
formulating contingencies. Acquaintances? No. Unknown figures, recently arrived, capable of defeating my strongest guardians. New players had entered the labyrinth at the worst possible moment.
Given the timing—on the eve of war—they could easily be enemy operatives, seeking to infiltrate Eterna's defenses.
I pushed aside the half-finished tests of the surveillance system. There would be no distractions. Immediate action was required. The Control Room of the labyrinth awaited. Every calculation, every strategy, every plan hinged upon understanding these challengers.
And I, Atem, King of Games, would ensure no detail was overlooked.