When Morgan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Wade standing in front of him.
"Ah… ah—"
A guttural noise tore from his throat, like a man being strangled. His hands clawed wildly toward Wade, and when he tried to lunge forward, the iron chain around his neck yanked him back with a harsh rattle. Wade had already reinforced the lock.
"Interesting," Wade said coldly. "Instead of trying to escape, you actually come charging at me?"
Normally, anyone who woke to see a terrifying monster looming over them had two options: collapse in fear and run, or grab a weapon and fight.
But Morgan… had chosen the latter?
His face twisted with pure hatred, baring teeth and clawing at Wade. His hair stood on end, his chest heaving, breath bursting from his mouth in furious puffs.
But his actions didn't match his appearance. His face was that of a coward, someone born to run away.
Wade sighed and pressed a single finger down. Instantly, Morgan was pinned to the ground, helpless.
The thrill evaporated. Wade only felt boredom.
This one was still an idiot.
The man's movements were savage, but his eyes were vacant, clouded with stupidity. No words formed on his lips, only garbled sounds. Toss him in an asylum and he'd fit right in.
Clearly, his mind had been damaged—fragmented and incomplete.
Was that the price of becoming a demon?
Wade frowned. If the price was so steep, why undergo such a transformation at all? The losses outweighed the gains by far.
The only explanation that made sense was manipulation.
Someone had turned Morgan and his companion into demons and thrown them into the dungeon for some unknown purpose.
And there was proof: the strange brand burned into their necks. It resembled a coiling serpent sprouting crooked appendages—horns, or perhaps tentacles.
Wade quickly sketched the symbol into his notes. No doubt some organization's emblem.
"Why do these groups always brand themselves? Afraid people won't recognize them otherwise?" he muttered.
Just as he prepared to conjure a prison cell and lock the fools away, something went wrong.
"Yaaaahhh—!"
Their bodies swelled grotesquely, ballooning several times larger. Their skin stretched taut and translucent, internal organs pulsing faintly beneath.
Wade's stone wings snapped open in an instant, shielding his body. A heartbeat later—
Boom!
They exploded.
"Destroy the dungeon! Down with the dungeon!"
The Valiant Gargoyle's massive frame staggered back, splattered with gore and filth.
The blast ended, and with it, his transformation time. Wade's body shifted back into his Undead form.
"Destroy the dungeon?" Wade scoffed, kicking a stray skull aside. "With just you?"
Whatever pity he'd felt for Morgan was gone. Cold indifference replaced it.
Their goal was obvious now—an organization devoted to destroying dungeons.
But how?
As long as Mana existed, a dungeon could always regenerate—its monsters, its scenery, even its treasures. Killing or smashing things changed nothing.
And yet…
Wade froze.
When Morgan died, the dungeon's Mana hadn't fluctuated at all.
Silence stretched.
Mana was the foundation of a dungeon's existence. Normally, when an intruder died, their Mana flowed back into the dungeon. If every invader died without releasing Mana… the dungeon would slowly starve.
No matter how they were doing it, the fact remained: this was a genuine way to destroy a dungeon.
His jaw tightened. If I don't track them down and erase them, I won't sleep easy.
There could be no tolerance for such an organization. They would all join Morgan in death.
"But first," he murmured, "I need to find the one pulling the strings…"
That information wouldn't be inside the dungeon. He'd have to look to the outside world.
Just then, his real-world body jolted—someone was shaking him.
With a thought, Wade's consciousness returned.
"What's wrong?" He rubbed his eyes, feigning a yawn.
The construction workers crowded around him, one of them nearly breathless with excitement.
"Sir, something huge just happened outside!"
"What is it?" Wade asked, though he already had a guess.
"It's demons!"
Another worker gestured wildly. "They say they're massive, covered in grotesque mutations—horrifying! Luckily, they've already been crippled!"
"Just get to the point," an older worker cut in. "We only heard secondhand, but apparently a few demons were suddenly thrown out of Sein Dungeon. They even knocked the young master unconscious! Now the whole city's on lockdown."
"Demons?" Wade widened his eyes in feigned shock. "That's… impossible. How could demons appear here?"
The workers exchanged uneasy glances. "We were just as stunned. I've never seen a real demon in my life. They say they're being carted off to the dungeon's prison right now. The guards will be marching them down this very street, so we thought—"
"I understand." Wade waved his hand. "Go watch. Call it half a day's rest."
"Heh, thanks boss!"
The men hurried away, and Wade followed at a measured pace. By the time he arrived, the prison wagons were already rolling by. Half-dead demons were shackled inside, their warped bodies still grotesque enough to chill the crowd.
Until now, most people had only seen demons in drawings and novels. The reality was far more terrifying.
Wade's sharp eyes scanned the cages. One's missing.
The numbers didn't add up.
Escape? Impossible—not under heavy guard, not in such a state.
Then why separate it?
The wagons rumbled into the dungeon's jail, the crowd tailing them until they vanished from sight. Only then did the onlookers disperse.
The workers clapped Wade on the shoulder before heading off for food, leaving him to return to his shop alone.
But waiting at his door were two guards.
"What business do you have here?" Wade frowned, stepping closer.
"Are you Maldron?" one asked.
"I am. What's this about?"
He'd taken the alias Maldron out of caution. Who knew if this world had curses or tracking sorcery tied to names?
The guard pulled a rough sketch from his pouch. The strokes were crude, but the features were unmistakable.
"You know him?"
Wade's eyes narrowed. He did. The man who had sold him the shop.
"He's one of the anti-dungeon group," the guard said. "The city lord has issued a wanted order for all of them."
The man's voice hardened.
"Please come with us for questioning."