Chapter 152 – Buried Unsettling Thought

Chapter 152

Buried Unsettling Thought

Date : Day 3 of Lunaeve 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Days slowly bled together for the Freedom Party.

Hyoren, Elise, and Jackey continued their routine for the next three days. Fight. Walk. Map. Rest. Then repeat again. The cycle became as natural as breathing, their bodies adapting to the rhythm of dungeon life with surprising ease.

They swept through the dungeon meticulously, clearing every goblin group they encountered, leaving only cluttered crude clubs and rags which were going to be absorbed by dungeon mechanism.

The disorienting nature of dungeon time slowly began creeping into their minds. Without Sol. Without Luna. Without sunrise or sunset. Only endless pale blue magic lamp light and cracked stone corridors that never changed.

But despite that, they persisted. Because their goal was getting closer. Each corridor mapped and each chamber cleared brought them one step closer to completing the first floor.

At the end of the second day, on the first day of Lunaeve, Elise reported their mapping progress had reached fifty-one percent.  By the third day, it had become seventy-nine percent.

And now, at what Hyoren estimated to be noon on the fourth day, they found it. Their goal.

Hyoren stood silently in front of a pulsating archway embedded into the stone wall.

Unlike the massive Dungeon Entrance Archway on the surface, this one was smaller. Perhaps only two-thirds the size, its frame less imposing but no less impressive. But the design was unmistakably similar. Runes covered its surface, their intricate patterns carved deep into the stone with precision. An eerie blue glow pulsed softly from within the solid shimmering barrier filling the arch.

They had found the path to the next floor–the portal to Floor Guardian Chamber.

The chamber surrounding the archway was also noticeably different from the others. Wide. Spacious. Not as enormous as the Starting Room, but large enough to comfortably fit several adventuring parties resting at once without feeling cramped.

Hyoren slowly swept his gaze around the chamber. And once more, that familiar thought surfaced inside his mind.

The dungeon felt too structured. Too deliberate. Too designed.

The thought of the Demon God Gidol surfaced in Hyoren's mind again. The creator of dungeons. The creator of these strange pocket dimensions that operated according to rules that seemed almost game-like in their consistency.

Hyoren narrowed his eyes slightly while staring at the archway, his thoughts churning beneath the surface.

"Finally… Floor Guardian is beyond this archway… right?"

Jackey rested his Bloody Axe on his shoulder confidently.

"Yes, Big Bro!"

Then he swung the axe lightly through the air, the blade whistling softly as it carved an arc through the space before him. His tabby cat tail spiraled energetically behind him.

"Time to whack something strong!"

He grinned widely, his golden eyes gleaming.

"The last two days were so monotonous it almost became boring!"

Elise immediately giggled from behind Hyoren, the sound musical against the chamber's quiet ambiance.

"Monotonous enough to make you careless and keep getting shot by arrows, you mean?"

Jackey instantly smiled wryly.

"Well… It was really boring!"

His golden eyes gleamed with restless excitement that refused to be diminished by embarrassment.

"I just wanted to finish the fights as fast as possible!"

Then he looked toward Hyoren and laughed loudly, the sound booming through the chamber.

"And Big Bro could patch me up afterward anyway! HAHAHA!"

Hyoren chuckled softly.

"Well… I am thankful for that at least. It became good Light Magic training for me."

But his expression slowly turned serious afterward.

"Still… Please be careful. If an arrow hits somewhere vital… Not even I could patch you up in time."

Jackey's ears twitched slightly at Hyoren's serious tone. Then the Beastkin laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head, his clawed fingers ruffling the orange fur there.

"Okay okay, Big Bro… I will try to not get shot anymore."

Elise giggled softly again, her emerald eyes sparkling with barely suppressed amusement.

"Try?"

Jackey immediately puffed his chest proudly, his posture shifting from sheepish to defiant in the span of a heartbeat.

"No!"

He raised his axe dramatically, the weapon catching the pale light as it ascended.

"I definitely won't get shot anymore!"

A brief silence followed afterward before Hyoren and Elise both smiled helplessly at the overly enthusiastic Beastkin.

Then Hyoren's gaze slowly returned toward the pulsating archway before shifting back toward Elise again.

"Elise, how's our mapping progress?"

Elise closed her eyes briefly, her features settling into concentration as she turned her attention inward.

Inside her mind, the vivid mental image of the dungeon floor appeared once more, a product of her Mapping Skill. Corridors. Dead ends. Chambers. Hidden passages.

A moment later, she opened her eyes again. Her emerald gaze locked onto Hyoren.

"Ninety-four percent, Hyoren…"

She paused slightly, her pointed ears twitching.

"Should we fight the Guardian now… or finish mapping the rest first?"

Hyoren tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm… Better finish the map first. The Title reward is too good to pass up. And if we fully map this floor now, we won't need to backtrack here again in the future."

His eyes sharpened slightly, the calculation behind them evident.

"The remaining six percent should be manageable today."

Then he looked back toward the corridor they came from.

"The last intersection still had two unexplored corridors. So let's finish this properly."

A small grin formed on his face.

"We fully map this floor first. Then tomorrow… We fight the Guardian while fully rested."

Both Elise and Jackey nodded in agreement. And just like that, the three of them turned away from the mysterious archway once more.

The Freedom Party moved through the final unmapped sections of the labyrinth with singular purpose, their pace quickened by the knowledge that completion was within reach.

Their movements had long since become efficient and practiced. One by one, the final dark sections disappeared from Elise's mental map.

Until eventually—around what Hyoren's exhausted body guessed was evening—they reached another dead end. Their stomachs growled from hunger. Indication the evening was closing.

Elise closed her eyes briefly one last time. Then she slowly opened her eyes again. A small proud smile appeared on her face.

"There… First Floor. One hundred percent mapped."

Hyoren immediately smiled.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on his body, but the feeling of finally completing their objective felt incredibly satisfying. The aches in his muscles and the hunger in his stomach seemed somehow less important in the face of this accomplishment.

"Good work, everyone… Let's quickly go back to the Archway. We will rest there tonight."

Both Elise and Jackey nodded immediately, their expressions carrying the same weary determination that had carried them this far.

And so, the three of them once again returned toward the wide dead-end chamber before the pulsating archway.

***

The preparation for camp and dinner went quickly. By now, the three of them had repeated the routine enough times that everything flowed naturally, their movements synchronized by days of shared experience into a seamless choreography of domestic efficiency.

Tonight's meal was simple. Soup and bread. Nothing luxurious. But after four exhausting days of dungeon diving, even simple warm food felt incredibly satisfying.

Soon, the three of them sat together on the tarp beneath the shimmering barrier.

Hyoren slowly exhaled a deep breath. Then Hyoren looked back toward his party members again, his expression settling into something more serious.

"Okay…"

His voice became more serious.

"Tomorrow we fight the Floor Guardian."

He looked between Elise and Jackey, his dark eyes moving from one to the other.

"Elise. Jackey. What should we expect?"

Jackey immediately nodded enthusiastically. His tabby cat tail swished excitedly across the tarp.

"Strong one! Definitely!"

He grinned widely, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Usually elite version of monsters from this floor, Big Bro!"

Hyoren focused his gaze on the Cat-clan Beastkin.

"I see…"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"So probably a stronger goblin… Combined with goblin archers too. Maybe several levels higher?"

Jackey immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Yes, Big Bro!"

Then Hyoren turned toward Elise instead.

"Tell me more about Guardian fights, Elise."

His expression sharpened slightly.

"If things become dangerous… Can we escape? And can we ask for reinforcement?"

Elise nodded slowly. Her silver hair swayed gently with the motion.

"Yes… When we enter the Guardian Chamber through the Archway, we will be transported into another pocket dimension."

Her emerald eyes drifted toward the glowing portal briefly.

"No other adventuring party can enter our fight. Only people recognized as members of the same party by the dungeon can enter together."

She paused briefly, allowing the information to settle before continuing.

"If another party enters afterward… They will be transported into their own separate Guardian Chamber."

Then a weak smile formed on her lips.

"We cannot ask for reinforcements. That is why most adventurers are extremely careful before challenging a Floor Guardian."

Her voice lowered slightly.

"They need to prepare beforehand."

She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her pointed ear before continuing.

"There is another Archway inside the Guardian Chamber which can teleport us back outside. But…"

Her expression slowly became serious.

"If the Guardian is too strong… And we cannot reach the exit Archway…"

Her voice dropped quieter.

"Then the party might get wiped."

A heavy silence followed afterward.

Then Elise looked toward the pulsating portal again, her emerald eyes reflecting its eerie light.

"Gidol was wicked. He made sure nobody else could help us. We are completely alone inside the Guardian Chamber."

Hyoren quietly processed the information in his mind. His brow furrowed slightly as he worked through the implications.

It is basically an instanced boss fight… no one could help… but that means… no one could bother us either…

He remembered many MMORPGs he played with similar mechanics. The systems that developers employed to prevent conflicts.

And if it was instanced. No kill steal. No hogging the boss and not letting others get a chance. Each party would face the Guardian on their own terms, without interference from outside forces.

And slowly—a grin appeared on his face.

"It is actually really good though…"

Elise widened her eyes in shock. Her emerald gaze flickered with confusion, clearly struggling to understand how anyone could find comfort in such dangerous mechanics. Even Jackey looked surprised seeing Hyoren smiling after hearing such ominous information, his golden eyes blinking with bewilderment.

Hyoren noticed their reactions and chuckled softly.

"It sounds wicked at first glance… But think about it again."

He briefly looked at the Archway before turning back toward the two of them.

His eyes glinted faintly with amusement. Like a gamer suddenly seeing familiar systems become reality.

"This design means Gidol was fair. Indeed no one can save us. But at the same time, no one can bother us while fighting the Guardian. No leeching. No kill stealing."

Elise tilted her head slightly. Her pointed ears twitched with confusion, clearly unfamiliar with the strange terms that Hyoren had employed so casually.

Hyoren immediately scratched his cheek awkwardly, realizing that his explanation had ventured into territory that neither of his companions could follow.

"Err… I mean…"

He coughed lightly.

"No other people can ride on our effort without helping. They cannot suddenly appear at the end and proceed deeper despite not fighting. And they cannot steal the Guardian's kill so the rewards become theirs instead of ours."

A small smile appeared on his face again.

"And because of these rules… If several parties want to challenge the Guardian… There is no need to argue about who enters first."

His expression turned thoughtful.

"No conflict. No fighting over Guardian rights. And no bloody disputes between hot-blooded adventurers."

Elise slowly blinked. Her emerald eyes widened slightly as realization gradually dawned on her face. She tucked strands of her silver hair unconsciously behind her ear.

"…You are right."

Jackey also nodded repeatedly afterward, his golden eyes brightening with understanding.

"Ohhh…"

The Beastkin scratched his cheek while grinning.

"When Big Bro explained it like that… It actually sounds really fair!"

Then he crossed his arms confidently.

"Big Bro is right! In populous dungeons, there are usually multiple parties inside chambers like this trying to challenge the Guardian!"

His tabby cat ears perked excitedly.

"Because some adventurers instead of diving deeper… They prefer continuously farming the Guardian for gold chest rewards!"

He swung his tail proudly behind him.

"And the experience from Guardians is way higher than normal monsters too!"

Hyoren nodded slowly.

That was also similar to many MMORPGs from Earth. Some players specialized in boss fights rather than endlessly grinding ordinary mobs. Some enjoyed optimizing raid mechanics. Some repeatedly farmed bosses for rare drops.

The similarities between dungeons and games kept becoming more uncanny the deeper they ventured.

He smiled faintly toward the other two.

“See? If Guardian fights were not instanced…Those multiple parties would definitely argue over who gets to enter first.”

Elise slowly nodded in understanding. A soft smile appeared on her lips.

“I see…”

She glanced toward the pulsating Archway thoughtfully.

“Then while Gidol might still be cruel…”

Her emerald eyes shifted back toward Hyoren.

“If you explain it like that… Yes. He is fair too.”

Hyoren looked toward the pulsating Archway once more. The eerie blue glow silently illuminated the chamber.

And once again, that familiar thought surfaced inside his mind. The dungeon truly felt more and more like carefully designed game content. Dangerous. Cruel. But strangely balanced.

***

Hyoren looked toward his party members. A faint grin appeared on his face.

"Okay… Tomorrow's Guardian fight is settled."

Then he leaned back slightly, his shoulders settling against the comfortable support of the tent's interior.

"So how about we finally check the result of our last four days of dungeon diving and clearing the first floor?"

Elise nodded immediately, her silver hair swaying gently with the motion.

"That sounds good."

She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her pointed ear.

"We already killed hundreds of goblins… And that is not even counting the Monster Room on first day."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Let's check our Guild Cards. The tally should already be recorded there."

The three of them then took out their Guild Cards. Soft magical light flickered from the cards as they checked the recorded kill counts.

A moment later, Hyoren whistled softly. His eyes widened slightly while looking at his card,

"Wow… In four days… I killed a total of 376 goblins."

Then he scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"…And not a single goblin archer."

Elise smiled softly at that. Her pointed ears twitched slightly in amusement.

"That is because you always hold the front line."

Then she looked down toward her own Guild Card, her emerald eyes scanning the recorded figures with careful attention.

"For me… 102 goblin archers… And 323 goblins."

Meanwhile, Jackey proudly raised his Guild Card high into the air.

"43 archers!"

Then he puffed his chest proudly, his broad shoulders squaring with characteristic bravado.

"And 412 goblins! WOHOO!"

Hyoren mentally calculated the total numbers inside his head. His brow furrowed slightly as he added the figures together.

Then his expression slowly turned stunned, the surprise evident in the way his jaw slackened slightly and his eyes widened.

"…1,256 goblins. In four days…"

Even Elise shook her head in disbelief after hearing the final tally. A faint laugh escaped her.

"By Sylvana's grace… And I thought dismantling the Goblin Settlement and killing three hundred goblins in five days was already absurd…"

Her emerald eyes slowly wandered around the chamber, her gaze settling on the ancient stone walls that had witnessed their relentless campaign.

"Are dungeons always this absurd?"

Hyoren and Elise both turned toward Jackey. The Cat-clan beastkin was the only one among them with prior dungeon diving experience.

Jackey immediately nodded enthusiastically, his golden eyes gleaming with the eagerness of someone sharing familiar territory.

"Yes, Big Bro!"

Then he scratched his cheek while thinking.

"Well… This dungeon definitely has the highest monster spawn rate among all dungeons I have entered before… But still…"

He grinned, the familiar enthusiasm returning to his features.

"It is not rare to kill hundreds of monsters in a single day of dungeon diving!"

Hyoren slowly nodded in understanding. Then he smiled faintly.

"No wonder dungeons are treated so carefully… And considered incredibly lucrative."

His gaze lowered slightly toward the Guild Card still in his hand.

"1,256 magic stones in four days… Those alone could fuel enormous amounts of magic tools."

Then he looked toward Elise, his dark eyes meeting her emerald gaze.

"Remember what Martha said? That Akela would enter an economic boom period."

His eyes slowly drifted toward some random direction, as if imagining the rapidly growing dungeon town outside.

"And now… The speed of the dungeon town development finally makes sense."

Elise nodded slowly, her silver hair swaying gently with the motion.

"The difference between surface monsters and dungeon monsters is truly massive… No wonder towns with nearby dungeons always become prosperous."

Jackey immediately nodded enthusiastically again, his tabby cat tail swishing behind him with animated agreement.

"YEAH! Golden Cat Plateau has three branch towns supervising different dungeons!"

His golden eyes gleamed excitedly, the memories of his homeland clearly bringing him pleasure.

"And every single one of those towns is HUGE!"

Three of them then laughed together, the sound echoing softly through the ancient chamber before fading back into silence.

After the laughter receded, Hyoren slowly leaned back slightly, his expression turning thoughtful again.

The more he learned about dungeons, the stranger everything felt.

Dungeon was supposedly created by the Demon God Gidol to disturb humanity. Or at least, that was what most scholars and churches believed.

But now that he had experienced one himself, a dark thought quietly formed inside his mind.

What if Gidol was not truly evil? What if this was the reason the Pillars of Aethell never directly declared that demons must be exterminated?

The Gods of Kresneger never seemed particularly desperate to erase Gidol's existence. They acknowledged the threat, certainly. They empowered champions and blessed heroes to fight against demonic incursions. But there was no holy crusade, no divine mandate demanding the complete annihilation of demonkind. The conflict existed, but it existed within boundaries that seemed almost negotiated.

Hyoren lowered his gaze toward his guild card resting in his hand.

Dungeon. A place overflowing with monsters and danger. A place where adventurers died regularly, where the unwary could be slaughtered without warning, where the very air seemed hostile to human life.

But also, wealth. Experience. Growth. Magic stones. Resources. Opportunities. Things that civilizations needed to advance and prosper. Things that could not be obtained anywhere else in such abundance.

The more he thought about it, the more contradictory it became.

Magic civilization advanced because of dungeons. Magic stones fueled cities, enchanted tools, lamps, barriers, stoves, weapons, industries—everything. The entire infrastructure of modern life in Kresneger depended on resources that could only be harvested reliably from these dangerous, monster-filled labyrinths.

Without dungeons, civilizations of this world would stagnate, lacking enough magic stones to fuel those advanced civilizations because monster on the surface was in low number compared inside the dungeons. Progress would halt. Innovation would cease.

It was almost like… Dungeons were not curses. But a blessing instead.

They were the infrastructure of Kresneger.

Just like coal and fossil fuel had once fueled Earth's industrial civilization. Dungeon was almost like an Oil Rig or Coal mine equivalent. And to be honest, those Earth's mines were also dangerous. Many people died in the mine, just like how many adventurers died in the dungeons. Cave-ins and explosions and poison gas had claimed countless lives throughout human history, the cost of progress measured in bodies buried beneath the earth.

The comparison was apt.

His eyes slowly drifted toward the pulsating Archway across the chamber.

And then there was the Demon Army itself…

Sure, demons attacked humanity every few decades. Sure, there were infiltrators and spies who worked to undermine human civilization from within. The threat was real and constant, a shadow that hung over every frontier settlement and every border fortress.

But from every story he had heard–the attacks always felt strangely restrained. Almost halfhearted. As if the demons were holding back, pulling their punches, ensuring that the damage never exceeded a certain threshold.

Ina once told him demons were overwhelmingly stronger than humans individually. Demon Apostles were practically living disasters, capable of leveling cities and slaughtering armies with relative ease. The power disparity between the average human and the average demon was staggering.

If demons truly wanted humanity extinct. Then humanity should have already disappeared long ago.

Even if the cost was immense, a united Demon Army should have been capable of wiping out human civilization sometime during the last thousand years of Demon War.

But they never did. Instead, the wars came in cycles. Pressure. Conflict. Growth. Adaptation. Each invasion pushed humanity to its limits, forcing innovation and cooperation and advancement. And then the demons would retreat, leaving behind enough survivors to rebuild and grow stronger before the next cycle began.

Almost like, humanity was being tempered. Like a blade inside a forge.

Hyoren narrowed his eyes slightly.

What if… the Pantheon of Kresneger and Gidol had made some kind of agreement?

The thought was absurd. Dangerous even. Something that would probably get him branded a heretic if spoken aloud carelessly.

But the deeper he went into the dungeon, the more the world itself started feeling less like a simple conflict between good and evil. And more like a carefully designed system. Balanced. Cruel. But intentional.

Just like an RPG designed by a developer who wanted players to struggle, grow stronger, overcome impossible odds, and continue progressing.

***

That dark thought made Hyoren shiver slightly. He shook his head afterward, trying to dispel the unsettling idea lingering inside his mind like smoke that refused to dissipate.

There was no use thinking too deeply about it. Not now. Maybe not ever.

His pragmatic side quickly took over.

Whether Gidol was truly evil or not changed nothing for them at the moment. They still needed to survive. Needed to grow stronger. Needed to continue diving deeper into dungeons that would challenge them in ways that surface monsters never could.

Hyoren exhaled softly, then smiled, burying the dangerous thought away in some deep corner of his mind where it could not interfere with the practical concerns that demanded his attention.

He looked at his party members.

"I see… this dungeon definitely going to make Akela rich."

His grin widened slightly.

"And us too. Haha."

Jackey instantly stood up and raised both arms high into the air.

"YEAH! WE ARE RICH! FREEDOM PARTY THE BEST!"

His loud voice echoed through the chamber while his tabby cat tail spiraled wildly behind him. The sound bounced off the ancient stone walls, reverberating through the space until it faded into the oppressive silence that seemed to characterize all dungeon interiors.

Elise chuckled softly at his antics.

"Sure, sure. We are rich."

She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her pointed ear before smiling faintlye.

"But I think we should sleep."

The excitement faded just enough for Hyoren and Jackey to finally notice how exhausted they actually were. Their shoulders felt heavy, the accumulated weight of four days of combat settling across their frames like invisible burdens. Their muscles ached with a persistent dullness that had become so familiar they had almost stopped noticing it. Even their minds were sluggish after four straight days of dungeon diving, their thoughts moving through mental fog that seemed to thicken with each passing moment.

Both men immediately gave sheepish grins.

"Okay… Elise was right. We should sleep."

Hyoren rolled his stiff shoulders lightly before glancing at his party members, the motion producing soft pops from joints that had been held tense for too long.

"Tomorrow is a big day."

His dark eyes slowly drifted toward the pulsating Archway across the chamber.

"We are going to kill the Guardian… And unlock Floor Two."

Jackey raised both arms again energetically despite his exhaustion.

"YEAH!"

Elise simply nodded silently, though the determination inside her emerald eyes was unmistakable.

Without wasting more time, the three prepared for sleep.

Their movements were automatic by now, the routine so deeply ingrained that they could have performed it in their sleep itself. Washing their dirty body. Changed into more comfortable clothes. Weapons were placed within easy reach.

Jackey disappeared into his tent first, the fabric flap closing behind him with a soft rustle that seemed almost subdued compared to his earlier exuberance. Not long after, loud snoring already echoed from inside, the sound thunderous and unapologetic in its volume.

Hyoren chuckled quietly, the sound carrying fond exasperation.

"That fast huh…"

Elise giggled softly, her shoulders shaking slightly with suppressed amusement.

Then the two of them entered their own tent.

The fabric parted before them and closed behind with a whisper, sealing them into a small private space that felt impossibly intimate after days of shared danger and hardship.

The pale blue glow from the dungeon lamps faintly illuminated the small interior while the soft barrier dome shimmered outside their camp. The light filtered through the tent fabric, casting everything in shades of blue and shadow that seemed almost ethereal. The sleeping bags lay spread across the tarp, their surfaces smooth and inviting after the hard stone floor that had been their constant companion throughout the dungeon.

Hyoren lay down first before pulling Elise gently into his arms. She snuggled close against his chest without resistance, resting comfortably against his warmth as her silver hair spread across his shoulder like threads of captured moonlight.

Neither of them talked anymore. There was no need. The silence between them was comfortable rather than awkward. Her breathing slowed against his chest. His heartbeat steadied beneath her ear.

Before long, their eyes slowly closed. And soon, their rhythmic breathing joined together with Jackey's thunderous snoring in the background, creating a symphony of rest that seemed almost peaceful despite the dangerous environment that surrounded them.