Apocalypse Frenzy possessed a highly distinctive urban apocalypse backdrop and zombie infection elements, giving it an intense sense of novelty.But novelty always fades eventually. Relying on atmosphere and theme alone was not enough to keep adventurers hooked for the long term.
Kanzaki Ren began updating and refining the dungeon.
He added Single-Player Stage Mode and Multiplayer Stage Mode.
The stage modes were extremely close to the original gameplay and structure of Left 4 Dead. Not only would they feature massive numbers of standard zombies, but also a variety of special infected with wildly different abilities. Both challenge and enjoyment would increase dramatically.
Hunters.Smokers.Chargers.Boomers.Tanks.Witches.
The introduction of these special infected greatly enhanced the dungeon's value and fun.
The new attraction this created for adventurers—
would be nothing short of a trump card.
Deploying special infected required far more Mental Power. Among them, Witches and Tanks consumed the most, each costing 20 Mental Power per unit.
With 448 Mental Power currently available, Kanzaki Ren could theoretically create up to 22 Tanks or Witches.
However, monster counts inside a dungeon were not permanently fixed.
If an adventurer successfully obtained the essence of a Tank zombie, not only would the essence extraction consume a certain amount of the lord's Mental Power, but the number of Tanks deployed in the dungeon would be permanently reduced by one.
Kanzaki Ren would then have to spend another 20 Mental Power to replenish it.
Because of this, he couldn't afford to drain his Mental Power completely.
He spent 330 Mental Power to construct the first large-scale stage.
This included 3 Tanks, 5 Witches, and roughly 30 other special infected, consuming 300 Mental Power in total. The remaining 30 Mental Power went into scene construction and special props.
He then spent 80 Soul Crystals to add 16 new Dungeon Crystals.
The number of crystals in the hall increased from 4 to 20.
Why not build more?
Because the dungeon's reception capacity was limited.
A brand-new dungeon that had not yet been upgraded or expanded could receive a maximum of 100 adventurers per day. Even if Kanzaki Ren built more dungeon entrances, exceeding that cap would be meaningless.
For now, 20 Dungeon Crystals were more than enough.
The priority was improving basic infrastructure and expanding the dungeon's overall scale.
Kanzaki Ren opened the Basic Construction menu again, scanned the dozen or so available facilities, and after careful consideration chose to build a structure called the Mercenary House.
Its functions were as follows:
[Mercenary House]Tier-1 Basic FacilityConstruction Cost: 100 Soul Crystals
Function 1: Dungeon daily reception limit +25
Function 2: Convert up to 30 adventurers into hired mercenaries
This facility increased the dungeon's daily reception limit from 100 to 125. In the long run, this was still a drop in the bucket, but it was sufficient for the next one or two days.
Additionally, it allowed the recruitment of up to 30 adventurers as mercenaries.
Mercenaries were not formal dungeon troops, but they could still be used for scouting and nearby exploration.
Every new dungeon had a 30-day protection period, during which it would not be threatened by external monsters or dark races. The earlier a dungeon expanded, the greater its long-term advantage.
After construction was complete—
Remaining Soul Crystals: 96
…
The next day.
Miracle City opened its gates.
The first wave alone consisted of 85 adventurers.
Nekomi Momo exclaimed, "This dungeon's only been open for three days, right? How did so many people show up already? At this rate, we'll need lightning-fast reflexes just to get inside!"
Ishida Tetsuya groaned, "Misjudged this badly. If I'd known Miracle City would blow up like this, I wouldn't have rushed to post that review."
Lonely Swordsman said calmly, "A dungeon with real quality getting popular is normal. Look—the lord's already built new facilities. The current reception capacity should be fine."
Moonlit Snowfall nodded. "They've added more dungeon crystals too. Lord Kanzaki Ren really has serious potential."
Sleeping in the Wind clenched his fist. "Today, we must clear Beginner Mode!"
"Charge!""Kill zombies!""I want cola! I want essences!""…"
The adventurers had been starving for this.
They flooded into the dungeon hall and immediately began their challenges.
Their progress was rapid. Drawing on experience from the past two days, they moved efficiently, collecting weapons and supplies while slaughtering zombies along the way.
Though they fell again and again, their exploration distance steadily increased.
Five hundred meters.One thousand meters.Fifteen hundred meters…
Finally, the first adventurer found the safe door.
It was Lonely Swordsman.
Holding an M16 rifle and carrying two MAC-10 submachine guns on his back, he burst through a horde of zombies. At the far end of the street, a striking red safe door came into view.
"Whoa!""Everyone, look!""Uncle Blade found the safe door!""…"
The adventurers were stunned.
They sprinted over to watch.
The safe door was real—
but the surrounding situation was extremely dangerous.
"Hurry! The zombies are coming—get inside!""Uncle Blade, be careful!""You have to make it!""…"
Everyone's hearts were in their throats.
This was the closest anyone had come to success so far.
Lonely Swordsman fired while running, emptied his rifle, switched to submachine guns, then to his pistol. Dodging, rolling, scrambling—
At the very last moment, with his ammunition completely depleted, he slid across the ground and slipped under a zombie's legs, barely making it through the doorway.
The instant the zombies lunged—
the safe door slammed shut.
Too close.
Way too close.
[Congratulations!][You have cleared "Apocalypse Frenzy" – Beginner Mode!][Rewards obtained: Zombie Essence x1, Ice-Cold Beer x1!]
The adventurers erupted into cheers.
"Hahaha!""Success!""As expected of Uncle Blade!""Cleared the dungeon in three days!""…"
Lonely Swordsman was filled with a deep sense of accomplishment. Being the first adventurer to clear Miracle City's dungeon meant more than any reward.
And he had obtained two spoils, including a monster essence.
"Congratulations!"Kanzaki Ren personally came forward to congratulate him.
Lonely Swordsman quickly asked, "Lord Ren, does this mean I can challenge other modes now?"
"Of course," Kanzaki Ren replied. "Single-Player Stage Mode and Multiplayer Stage Mode are now unlocked. You're welcome to challenge even more difficult and content-rich dungeon stages."
"Yes!"
The other adventurers were ecstatic.
Lonely Swordsman was no exception.
He was particularly interested in multiplayer mode. Rumor had it that cooperating with others doubled firepower, making it both more fun and potentially easier.
However—
no one else had cleared Beginner Mode yet.
After being urged by the crowd, Lonely Swordsman decided to try Single-Player Stage Mode first.
"Old Blade's challenging the new stage!""Hmph. The lord talked it up like crazy yesterday. Let's see what's actually different!"
The area around the dungeon crystal was packed with adventurers. Lonely Swordsman entered the dungeon, selected Single-Player Stage Mode and a mission, and once again appeared on the familiar rooftop.
"Doesn't feel that different…"
Although there were some changes compared to Beginner Mode, most of the environment looked nearly identical.
Doubts crept in.
Had the lord already run out of ideas?
He quickly grabbed the starting equipment and began exploring.
Two pistols.A silenced submachine gun.Plenty of ammunition.
Lonely Swordsman commented, "The zombie count is higher, but fundamentally it's not much different from Beginner Mode."
The spectators were slightly disappointed.
It felt like old wine in a new bottle.
Maybe the lord really was too young after all—
Then—
Lonely Swordsman rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a colossal figure.
It looked like a three- to four-hundred-pound giant, blocking the path like a mountain of flesh. Its massive belly bulged outward, its body bloated and swollen, covered in pustules and decay.
Grotesque.Terrifying.Completely different from anything before.
Everyone was shocked.
"What the hell?!""What is that thing?!"
Lonely Swordsman instinctively fired several shots.
The monster's body burst like an overinflated balloon, releasing a violent shockwave—and a massive spray of foul-smelling bile.
The stench was overwhelming.
Lonely Swordsman felt dizzy and nauseous.
All nearby zombies were immediately agitated and entered a frenzy, swarming toward him.
"Not good!""Uncle Blade, run!""That thing's fluids attract zombies!"
Lonely Swordsman retreated into the nearest room, using the narrow terrain to defend with his submachine gun. A brutal, bloody battle followed.
When his ammunition ran dry and his body was riddled with wounds—just as the last zombies were about to fall—
Suddenly—
Whoosh.
In an instant.
A long tongue wrapped around his neck.
The suffocating pressure and violent pull made him struggle instinctively, but it was useless.
He was dragged out of the room.
A tall zombie appeared, its body covered in green fungal growths, half its face engulfed in tumors, its mouth grotesquely wide.
The tongue—over ten meters long—
came straight from that gaping maw.
No way to save himself.
Surrounded.
No suspense.
He was torn apart on the spot.
The spectators stood frozen, stunned into silence.
Then—
shock turned into pure exhilaration.