Chapter 131: New Dungeon and Meeren

The capital city of the kingdom was known as Meeren, a massive city built around the central royal district and surrounded by several layers of fortified walls.

To the east, the city bordered the Silvercrest Mountains, whose peaks remained covered in snow throughout most of the year.

To the west stretched the Golden Plains, a vast region of farmland that supplied a large portion of the kingdom’s food.

The southern side of Meeren connected to the kingdom’s largest river, the Grand Elysian, which served as one of the most important trade routes in the region.

At the very centre of the city stood the Royal Palace, surrounded by government buildings, noble estates, major academies, and several enormous commercial districts.

Almost every major noble family maintained a residence there, while merchants, adventurers, researchers, and travellers from across the kingdom constantly passed through its enormous gates.

If something happened in Meeren, the entire kingdom eventually felt its effects.

Amon frowned as he listened to Richard. "What exactly are you talking about?"

Richard leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "There have been several unusual dungeon formations recently."

"Dungeons aren’t exactly rare," Amon replied. "What’s unusual about them?"

"Normally, when a dungeon begins forming, it takes roughly two weeks before the dungeon stabilizes enough for adventurers to enter."

Richard picked up a document from his desk and tapped it against the table.

"But recently, we’ve had cases where small dungeons completely formed in one or two days."

Amon’s expression slowly became serious. "One or two days?"

Richard nodded. "That’s what the reports say."

Amon leaned forward slightly. "How many cases have been filed?"

"There have been seven confirmed cases so far."

Richard paused before adding, "But I’m almost certain there will be more."

Amon’s eyes narrowed as he immediately remembered Nadya.

Her words from earlier returned to his mind.

A massive dungeon will form in the centre of the capital.

It will be the beginning of the wars, deaths, and destruction that follow.

Amon leaned back in his chair, his fingers slowly tapping against the broken armrest. ’Could these be related?’

The timing was too strange to ignore.

Nadya had spoken about a future where the kingdom eventually became involved in a massive conflict between humans, elves, and vampires.

And now, dungeons were suddenly behaving abnormally. It could be nothing more than a coincidence.

But Amon had learned long ago that coincidences were rarely worth ignoring when they involved something this serious.

"Amon." Richard’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Be careful when you get to the capital."

Amon looked up and blinked his eyes.

Richard’s expression was unusually serious. "You’ll probably encounter more strange things there than you expect."

Amon rubbed his face and sighed. "Great. Exactly what I wanted to hear before going to university."

Richard gave a small smile. "You’ll survive."

"I hope so." Amon leaned forward again. "Anyway, do you have any dungeons I can visit before I leave?"

Richard thought for a moment before he nodded. "There is one."

He reached toward another pile of documents and pulled out a thin file.

Richard handed it to Amon. "This one should be suitable."

Amon opened the document and began reading.

---

[Dungeon Name: Whispering Yentos]

[Location: 18 Kilometres North of Evergreen Town]

[Estimated Grade: D]

[Recommended Adventurer Level: 10–20]

[Known Monsters: Bunny Wolves, Woman Crawlers, Men-snake....]

[Special Characteristics: High spiritual activity detected inside the dungeon.]

---

Amon raised an eyebrow. "Spiritual activity?"

Richard nodded. "That’s the main reason I thought of it for you."

Amon continued reading.

The dungeon had formed inside an abandoned mining area several years ago.

Most of the original tunnels had collapsed, leaving behind a network of underground chambers connected by narrow passages.

According to the reports, the dungeon wasn’t particularly large. Most adventurers could clear it within a few hours.

However, the dungeon had an unusual characteristic.

The deeper someone travelled, the stronger the spiritual activity became.

Several adventurers had reported hearing whispers coming from empty tunnels, while others claimed they occasionally saw shadows moving at the edge of their vision.

None of the reports suggested that the dungeon was extremely dangerous, but the Adventurer Bureau had recommended that inexperienced adventurers avoid going too deep alone.

Amon nodded slowly. "This sounds interesting."

Richard smiled. "I figured you’d say that."

Amon closed the document. "I’ll take this dungeon."

"Alright." Richard leaned back and looked at him. "So, are you ready to head to Royal University?"

Amon let out a small chuckle. "Not yet. I still have some things to take care of."

Richard nodded. "Fair enough."

Amon placed the document on the desk but didn’t immediately stand.

Instead, he looked at Richard thoughtfully. "Can you tell me something about the current condition of the royalty and nobles?"

Richard’s expression changed slightly.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Everything you can tell me." Amon’s voice became quieter. "Something feels wrong with the kingdom."

Richard stared at him for several seconds before slowly leaning forward.

"There is quite a lot to talk about."

---

By the time Amon returned to his apartment, night had already taken over the city.

The streets outside were illuminated by rows of magical lamps, their pale light reflecting against the windows of the surrounding buildings.

Amon stepped inside his room, closed the door behind him, and stretched his body. "Things are really getting bad."

After everything Richard had told him, Amon couldn’t shake the feeling that the kingdom was slowly moving toward something dangerous.

The King’s worsening condition, the growing tension between noble factions, the strange dungeon formations, and Nadya’s memories were all piling up at the same time.

’At this rate, we might end up having a whole-ass civil war.’ Amon sighed.

He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the back of a chair before pulling his shirt over his head.

He had barely taken another step when a gentle knock came from his bedroom door.

Amon paused. ’Who the hell is that?’

He walked toward the door and opened it as he found Sidney standing outside.

She immediately raised one finger to her lips. "Shhh."

Amon stared at her without a word.

Sidney carefully glanced down the hallway before quietly slipping into his room.

Amon closed the door behind her and looked at her suspiciously. "What are you doing?"