The giant dragon and the undead—one colossal, one tiny—stared at each other in silence.
The moment Red Fang asked, "What era do you come from?", even the air itself seemed to freeze.
Scorching breath escaped from the red dragon's jaws as it proudly raised its head, radiating the majesty of a king.
The undead curled its withered lips into a faint smile, its gaze deep and unfathomable, like that of a sage who had witnessed countless ages pass by.
Two mysterious beings confronted one another, their auras colliding endlessly. Neither side seemed willing to yield. This was a "battle" between existences of "equal" standing—a bloody clash between kings.
Ordinary people had absolutely no right to interfere!
—At least, that was entirely Rainbow Horn's inner monologue.
Watching the two sides "confronting" each other, he couldn't help recalling all the rumors he had heard.
The Sein Dungeon was a rising supernova within dungeon circles, possessing a terrifying level of notoriety that even Wade himself did not fully realize.
In this era, where nearly every Dungeon Lord had already established stable dungeon cycles that required little to no adjustment, Sein Dungeon became the first to completely break the mold. Its mutation rang like a bell announcing the arrival of a new age.
For all kinds of reasons—but mostly because they were bored—many other dungeon lords began following suit. Inspired by this pioneer, they too started experimenting with their own mutations.
Thus began the era known as the Great Mutation.
At first, nobody cared about the changes happening within Sein Dungeon. Most assumed it was just another unfortunate soul dragged into a dungeon, believed the poor bastard had no hope of surviving, and thought he was desperately making one final gamble through mutation before inevitably collapsing.
Everyone assumed the farce would end quickly.
Until the revolution began affecting every Dungeon Lord.
Rainbow Horn, the lord of Unicorn Dungeon, first heard about Sein Dungeon around a month ago—from adventurers.
His dungeon housed unicorns, creatures long extinct on the surface world. These unicorns possessed miraculous abilities: detecting virginity, identifying illnesses within the body—especially certain "romantic" diseases—and even determining whether couples were truly in love.
As a result, Unicorn Dungeon became an incredibly popular destination for couples seeking premarital examinations. Some people even traveled across entire kingdoms just to verify whether their partner was faithful.
Incidentally, magic with similar effects had long since disappeared for unknown reasons, which was why Unicorn Dungeon remained one of the more prosperous dungeons.
That day, Rainbow Horn witnessed a couple whose mutual infidelity had been exposed by a unicorn. He originally expected the usual scene of arguments and dramatic separation.
But then something utterly insane happened.
The woman suddenly pulled out an enormous club and unleashed a gigantic Lion Slash at the man, while the man whipped out a dagger and slid behind her for a backstab!
The two supreme beings fought fiercely inside the dungeon, and the most absurd part was that neither of them had ever trained in martial arts before.
They were completely ordinary people!
After covering each other in blood, the couple happily embraced and reconciled as though nothing had happened.
Apparently, "deep and meaningful communication" truly did strengthen romantic relationships.
What the hell are you two so happy about!?
From that day onward, Rainbow Horn deeply engraved the name Sein Dungeon into his memory—the dungeon capable of giving ordinary people weapons embedded with combat techniques.
The impression was simply too overwhelming to forget.
After that, he continuously heard even more rumors related to Sein.
Some people debated whether the Abyss Watchers at their peak could defeat Artorias.
Others argued endlessly about which blessing combinations in the endless cycle were the strongest.
Some discussed whether authentic roast whole pig tasted better than chef-prepared roast whole pig.
And recently, people had even started fighting inside Unicorn Dungeon itself. One side was a mage, while the other was an extremist supporter of Thops' Barrier.
As for the reason?
No explanation was needed.
Rainbow Horn was utterly bewildered.
Topics surrounding Sein Dungeon always jumped all over the place. One moment people discussed lore and stories, the next moment traps, then monsters, then somehow food.
He had never seen a dungeon with such absurdly diverse content.
He desperately wanted to grab Wade by the collar and shout:
"What exactly is your dungeon's theme!?"
Ordinary dungeons possessing two or three major thematic systems was already considered impressive, making the dungeon lord knowledgeable and experienced.
But Sein Dungeon?
Its thematic systems resembled Doraemon's endless pocket—no matter how much you pulled out, there was always more hidden inside. Nobody knew what ridiculous thing it would reveal next.
Eventually, every Dungeon Lord reached the same conclusion:
Truly terrifying ancient monsters really did exist!
Anyone would naturally assume Wade was some peerless ancient being who had hidden in obscurity for ages before finally being chosen by a dungeon.
Aldwin… what era do you truly come from?
Could one hear real history from you?
Could every mystery in the world be answered by you?
Rainbow Horn stared intensely at Wade, his hooves trembling uncontrollably.
"You actually asked me that question."
Wade smiled calmly, appearing perfectly composed.
Red Fang lowered its massive head and leaned closer. Wade could feel the dragon's scorching breath washing over him as it spoke.
"Please do not misunderstand. This is not an interrogation—merely a polite inquiry."
Red Fang's voice resembled that of an elderly gentleman. Listening to him, one could almost imagine him wearing a top hat and carrying a silver pocket watch.
"You have every right to refuse."
Wade slowly shook his head.
"When it comes to matters involving dungeons, you are my senior. I should show proper respect."
"In truth, I often wonder myself… exactly which era I belong to, and where my true origin lies."
What does that even mean!?
Rainbow Horn's eyes widened instantly.
Could it be…?
Wade pointed apologetically toward his own head.
"You know how it is. After enough time passes, something always starts going wrong up here."
I knew it—it's soul erosion!
Rainbow Horn immediately revealed an expression that practically screamed I guessed correctly! as excitement surged through him.
Only ancient beings who had existed for incomprehensibly long periods of time would suffer from soul erosion! Its symptoms included fragmented memories and hazy consciousness!
Red Fang seemed to reach a similar conclusion, though suspicion still lingered within its eyes.
"How much do you still remember?"
"How much do I remember…"
Wade looked up toward the artificial sky created by the dungeon and deliberately spoke in a nostalgic tone.
"I have witnessed the coming of Demon's Souls and the fog… the burning and fading of fire… endless dreams and the golden tree towering above the earth…"
"I have seen the Sapphire Star that guides the path forward, and…"
Red Fang suddenly reacted to a certain phrase.
"The golden tree…"
Nobody knew what the dragon was thinking, but Wade had already achieved the effect he wanted, so he stopped there.
At times like this, the best strategy was simple:
Throw out a long string of mysterious-sounding terms.
Eventually, one of them was bound to resonate with the listener somehow.
And technically speaking, he wasn't even lying. He truly had seen all of those things.
As for whether those things were real or false, people would naturally fill in the blanks themselves.
Besides, he had never once guaranteed that the stories within Sein Dungeon represented actual local history.
That said, there were probably genuine ancient monsters among the Dungeon Lords. Wade had no idea whether the red dragon before him qualified as one, so caution remained necessary.
Fortunately, Red Fang was considered old—but not ancient enough to completely dismantle Sein's stories.
Moreover, individuals like him, who knew fragments of hidden truths, tended to trust their own conclusions stubbornly. But on the other hand, as long as your words aligned with their worldview, they would quickly begin believing you.
"There is no need to continue."
Red Fang exhaled burning breath as its gaze toward Wade subtly changed. The suspicion diminished slightly, though it did not disappear entirely.
The dragon extended one claw toward Wade—then paused before retracting it, seemingly realizing that this body was incapable of performing a handshake.
After all, handshakes were gestures reserved for intelligent species with hands. Dragons simply could not perform such etiquette.
Wade quietly noticed that detail.
It seemed the soul occupying this intimidating body was not the original owner either.
At that moment, Red Fang openly displayed goodwill.
"It seems your knowledge far surpasses my own. The future potential of Sein Dungeon is limitless."
"You flatter me." Wade displayed genuine humility from the bottom of his heart.
"We can exchange deeper insights later. For now, let us discuss proper matters."
Red Fang snorted and flapped its wings before repositioning itself in front of the five invited Dungeon Lords.
"Welcome, the most outstanding new Dungeon Lords of the past fifty years. To receive an invitation from me is proof beyond doubt that your talents are exceptional. One day, the world map will certainly bear your colors."
"You already understand why I summoned you here. Throughout the endless history of dungeons, newcomers arrive while elders eventually depart. The duty of old beings like myself is to identify promising successors and guide them forward. Only then can all dungeons continue functioning properly."
"And now is the perfect opportunity. Battling the sealed artifact of a dungeon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Be proud—only the most exceptional among you are qualified to participate in this battle."
"The Burning Demon is nothing to fear before us. I shall control the overall situation personally. All you need to do is display your finest abilities here and allow me to witness the strength of the next generation!"
"Together with others, I have prepared gifts for all of you. But what you obtain—and how much you obtain—will depend entirely on your performance!"
Wait a second, this isn't what you originally said!
Rainbow Horn desperately wanted to scream that aloud.
Weren't you supposed to handle the entire battle yourself!?
Why had this suddenly become a competition!?
The others already looked eager for battle at a glance.
Rainbow Horn could only turn toward Wade—only to discover that Wade himself was also revealing an interested expression.
Why are all of you so bloodthirsty!?
Rainbow Horn felt on the verge of collapse.
He managed a dungeon famous for premarital examinations—how the hell had he ended up dragged into a war!?
At that moment, Red Fang continued speaking:
"My flame dragons can continuously absorb the Burning Demon's fire, greatly reducing the effects of the scorching flames. So fight as freely as you wish, and bring forth the shock of a new era!"
While the red dragon was speaking, Rainbow Horn quietly moved beside Wade and whispered:
"Hey… hey… what kind of monsters are you planning to send? Fire-elemental fairies?"
He was genuinely curious about what kind of power Sein Dungeon—with its endless systems—would unveil this time.
Surely it would reveal something shocking once again.
"At first, I was planning to casually send out whatever."
Wade rubbed his chin before revealing an innocent smile toward Rainbow Horn.
Since he was now looking forward to seeing what kind of rewards Red Fang and the others had prepared, he decided things should become a little more interesting.
"Have you ever seen black knights who aren't afraid of fire?"