"Step back, it's closing!"
A heavy metallic groan echoed through the dim tunnel, followed by a deep vibration that rumbled through the stone beneath their feet. Sparks shot from the walls as runic mechanisms pushed a massive steel frame forward. It was a solid slab of metal, at least a meter thick.
"I wish I were on the other side..."
Armand stood just beyond the threshold, eyes fixed on the towering wall of dwarven-forged steel. He let out a sigh of disappointment as strange clasps on the sides locked into place. A series of bolts began to spin, slowly driving themselves into the tunnel walls—likely added reinforcement to keep the monsters from breaking through.
"If Wayland was right, we’ll get our chance. For now, let’s get back to the portal and make sure everyone gets out."
Lobelia leaned against the wall, the bow Roland had crafted for her resting across her back.
"Bah, fine!"
Armand kicked a loose rock, sending it tumbling down the now mostly empty corridor. Aside from a handful of remaining adventurers, the place had been cleared out following the evacuation order. He and Lobelia walked alongside a few dwarves who had stayed behind to help operate the closing mechanism. Some of them pushed heavy carts loaded with metallic canisters, each one filled with mana fluid harvested from the area.
“I never could have imagined this.”
Lobelia said, breaking the silence. Her voice carried a hint of admiration.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Armand, lost in thought about the monsters that might appear, turned to her with a curious glance.
“This whole thing,”
She replied while gesturing around.
“Big sis getting married, Albrook becoming... whatever it is now. And look at us. We're rubbing shoulders with nobility. If we really wanted to, we could probably end up as knight commanders, just like Wayland.”
“Hah! I knew from the start there was something different about that bastard!”
Armand puffed out his chest, boasting as if everything had gone according to his grand plan. But Lobelia cut him off before he could get too carried away. She remembered all too well how his first encounter with Roland had gone.
“You did? Didn’t you attack him and get your ass handed to you?”
“T-that was... different.”
“It’s a good thing Wayland’s so open-minded. Otherwise, you’d probably be dead by now.”
“Haha! I would’ve found a way to escape. You’re underestimating the great Lord Armand!”
“Lord?”
Lobelia raised an eyebrow at the title.
“They say people get wiser with age… but with you, I’m starting to think it’s the opposite. Have you actually gotten dumber?”
Armand clutched his chest in mock pain, his expression theatrical.
“You wound me, dear sister! My intellect ages like fine wine!”
“More like milk.”
She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove, nearly knocking him into one of the dwarves. The dwarf grunted and muttered something under his breath that sounded very uncomplimentary. Before they could continue walking, a voice echoed through the corridor, it was the voice of the man responsible for the entire operation.
“Guide the dwarves to the teleportation gate and make sure that everyone makes it out in one piece. Once everyone’s out, return with them.”
“Aye, boss!”
Lobelia responded with her best Bernir impression, speaking into the armband on her wrist. She wasn’t entirely sure how the runic device worked, but it kept her in contact with Roland as long as she was within the city’s range. It was both fascinating and a little unsettling how he could keep tabs on them from afar.
“Are the monsters coming? Will we get a grand battle?”
Armand leaned in close to her wrist, trying to listen in. She immediately kicked him away with an irritated scowl.
“You’ve got your own wrist thing, you big oaf! Don’t spit in my ear!”
Lobelia rolled her eyes again, but a faint smirk tugged at her lips. Despite all his antics, Armand had a way of keeping things light, which was something they all needed now. Even as a tier-3 archer, she felt the tension creeping in. From what she understood, this dungeon break would not be like the others. It was going to be worse. More powerful monsters, more chaos. Behind them, the corridor groaned once more as the last of the dwarves hauled their carts past the second reinforced door.
"Is everyone out? Great, close it!"
"Hey, what about that thing? Are we just leaving it in there?"
Armand pointed toward a strange contraption hidden beneath a heavy cloth. Something dark stuck out from under the covering, its surface marked with a zigzag pattern he did not recognize.
"I guess so? If it wasn't supposed to stay, he would have said something. Let's just go."
The massive door slammed shut with a thunderous clang, followed by the familiar hiss of the locking mechanisms they had seen previously. With the task complete, the group began making their way out. The monsters inside the dungeon had already been eliminated by the automated turret systems, leaving the area temporarily secure. In time, Armand, Lobelia, and the remaining adventurers reached the teleportation gate.
Once activated, the gate shimmered to life, and they stepped through, arriving in Albrook where the others had already gathered and were anxiously waiting. Within a few hours, the monsters would come. And despite everything, Armand and Lobelia could not help feeling both excited and afraid
*****
‘Good, the dungeon is now empty. How is the monster concentration looking?’
Roland glanced at his display as Armand and Lobelia arrived at the main city teleportation facility. With their return, they could finally begin assembling their forces at the walls that had been constructed for such an occasion. For a while, the city had been reinforced from all sides to become a proper fortress to keep the people inside safe, and now was the time to test it.
‘Nothing yet but, the concentration is increasing, the exit is starting to form.’
There were sensors placed within the underground dungeon, but the dense mana concentration made accurate predictions difficult. However, months of siphoning mana had forced the dungeon's exit tunnel to form much farther away than it was likely intended to. This was the true purpose of the culling, something engineered by the super dungeon itself.
When Roland first discovered the place, he was confused. But over time, the mystery revealed itself. The dungeon was creating underground tunnels by slowly eroding the rock with mana while simultaneously reinforcing the passages to a staggering degree. This was why it had taken so long to dig their way into the area, but once inside, the nature of the threat became clear.
Somehow, the dungeon was extending its tunnels beneath the entire island, and worse still, it was targeting large settlements like Albrook. If Roland had not uncovered that path, the tunnel might have emerged directly within the city. Fortunately, they had managed to redirect the process. Now, the exit was forced to form half a kilometer outside the main defensive walls.
It had been nothing but pure luck that he managed to discover it. The walls surrounding the area were thick and designed to prevent any mana from leaking out. That was why it had remained hidden from the higher-tier mages and warriors living above ground.
The only reason he had sensed anything unusual was because the tunnel happened to be located near an actively expanding dungeon. The two dungeons had reacted to one another, with the one he had previously cleared resonating in response to the mana-saturated tunnels nearby. This resonance triggered a strange fluctuation in the surrounding mana, catching his attention. That chain reaction was what ultimately led to the tunnel’s discovery.
‘Are the entrance points designed to collapse after the last monsters make it out? Is this really something planned by a dungeon core?’
Roland pondered the question as he made his way toward the main command tower, where Arthur had already arrived. He had only interacted with a single dungeon core before, and that one had shown no sign of being capable of such complex strategies.
What he was facing now felt entirely different. This dungeon had crafted a plan so elaborate that it had fooled everyone for hundreds of years. And the worst part was, he still was not sure if this was the final stage or just another part of a larger test. Perhaps the true goal was not just this island. Maybe the dungeon was preparing to expand across the entire continent. And if that were true, then perhaps the whole world was next.
"A gold coin for your thoughts."
Roland’s thoughts were interrupted by Arthur, who now stood beside him clad in a fully enchanted suit of armor. At his side was Mary, his ever-loyal guard and the leader of their information-gathering network. He looked quite royal, the suit was made out of pure mithril and had blue accents.
"When this is over, we might have to show the underground to your father. Or at least, parts of it."
Arthur’s eyes widened slightly. His father was still a sensitive subject. Even so, the threat posed by the dungeon was undeniable. If they left it unchecked, it could become a disaster. Still, perhaps they could delay revealing the full truth. It all depended on how far the dungeon had already spread.
"Might?"
"Yes, perhaps we can postpone it and turn the situation to our advantage. But first, we need to get through this."
“Indeed, let us discuss this issue after we get through this.”
Both men nodded to each other, then turned their attention to an interactive magical map. It resembled the one in the Valerian estate but featured an additional function: it could project troop placements in real-time. Their soldiers were marked by green spheres, while any detected monsters appeared as red. To make things even clearer, commanders were represented by blue markers, allowing for quick and efficient coordination on the battlefield.
"Now then, I hope our friends from the Church don’t cause us too much trouble."
"Did they complain about their arrangements?"
"Somewhat. The new paladin leader isn't as easy to talk to as those gentlemen from the Inquisition”
Arthur replied as Roland studied the interactive map. In addition to the standard colors, there were two others displayed. Gray indicated common civilians, while yellow represented individuals affiliated with the Solarian Church.
After the wedding night incident, the Church had taken up residence in Albrook. They had established a small training facility for their holy warriors within the city. The members of the Inquisition who had been present at first had departed to respond to cult activity reported elsewhere in the kingdom. In their place, a new leader had taken command of the paladins, someone far less cooperative.
"I see. So what did they decide?"
Roland's gaze lingered on the yellow markers glowing faintly on the map. His research into elemental mana had made it relatively easy to detect individuals with priestly or divine energy-based classes. Most of the yellow orbs were gathered at the church inside the city while only a few were gathering with their forces.
“They agreed to heal our soldiers if they get injured but they refused to participate.”
Roland nodded and quickly asked a follow up question.
“What if the monsters make it into the city?”
“The same, all they care about is their precious church and followers. They will defend anyone that gathers there but they won’t lift a finger beyond that unless they absolutely have to.”
Arthur’s voice was laced with quiet frustration, but not surprise. Roland exhaled, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the yellow markers clustered like a shield around the central church building.
“Typical.”
Roland muttered.
“They always protect their own first… Can’t say I blame them, but I think we can make them move if we have to.”
Roland expected this behaviour but he had an ace up his sleeve.
“Your wolf?”
"Precisely. If they see their holy beast in trouble, even those paladins will act."
Thanks to Agni’s existence, they had an ace up their sleeve. If the monsters breached the city walls, Roland could rely on Agni, who was currently stationed at the Church, to move in and intercept them. The holy warriors would be forced to defend him, even if they didn’t want to. Agni’s level had surpassed two hundred and now far exceeded most tier-3 paladins. Only the leader of the paladins could match his strength.
"I just hope he follows the plan…"
Roland muttered under his breath, remembering the annoyed expression on Agni’s face when he told him to stay with the fanatical clergymen. It was clear his partner had no love for their company, but for now, they still needed the Church’s support. Their presence remained the best defense against cultist activity, which had quieted down since their last encounter.
"What was that?"
"It’s nothing. I’ll head out then.”
“Go ahead, I’ll be here.”
Arthur suddenly fell silent, his eyes fixed on the map with an intense focus. Roland wasn’t entirely sure what the young noble was thinking, but he could tell that he was nervous. This culling event was Arthur’s opportunity to prove himself. If he could show the other nobles that he was a capable and worthy heir to his father, the Duke, then he might earn a place in the succession competition—something that would no doubt bring him closer to whatever goal he had been quietly pursuing.
The High Knight Commander turned and marched toward the balcony of the command tower. Beyond it, the massive walls of Albrook stretched out in all directions, standing like silent guardians over the city. He moved with a steady stride, his eyes scanning the many defenses they had spent months preparing. Every section of the wall was manned by at least tier-2 archers, each one strategically placed to complement the automated turret systems. These defenses would finally be put to a test and if successful, give them another bargaining chip.
His gaze swept over the landscape beyond the outer wall. The open fields they’d cleared over the past few weeks were eerily still, the horizon distorted slightly by the warping mana pressure bleeding in from the emerging dungeon exit. With his skills he could see it, the current was increasing and a fog of mana was starting to gather in the distance.
Then his gaze shifted further, toward the direction of his own home. Fortunately, the exit point this time was nowhere near it. Even so, Elodia and the others had already been evacuated to the inner city, where the entire army was now stationed. While his estate was well defended, the chances of survival were far greater within the fortified heart of Albrook. Without Agni or himself present, he could not bring himself to leave anyone behind. Everyone, including Rastix, had been moved to secure shelters within the city. His wife had been placed in the safest location available, close to Arthur’s estate.
"We have a few hours left…"
As he moved along the rocky walls, Roland glanced down at the forces he would soon command. Rows of soldiers stood at attention, their eyes steady and full of resolve. To them, he was their superior, and he had every intention of keeping them alive through the battle ahead. Still, he understood the reality of war. Danger was everywhere, and no matter how well they planned, there would always be risk. Lives could be lost.
"Long live the High Commander!"
"It’s Commander Wayland!"
Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he caught the voices of a few city residents calling out from a distance. Even though he had ordered them to stay indoors or seek shelter, there had been little resistance. Their trust in him felt real, and he carried the weight of that trust like armor. He would protect the city from being breached, no matter what.
"This brings me back… if those monsters turn out to be wooden puppets…"
With slow steps, he reached the center of the wall facing the thick haze of mana. Robert and Lucille were already there, waiting for him. Both were clad in runic armor and prepared for battle, though he was not certain they would be needed here. He still held onto the hope that his alternative plan would come into play, and if it did, their strength would be required elsewhere.
"Are you two ready?"
He asked while casting a glance at them.
"I… I’m feeling a bit nervous…"
Lucille admitted, clearly weighed down by the pressure of her new position. Robert, in contrast, appeared calm. As a former knight stationed at the border, he had faced monsters and enemies of the kingdom for years. To him, a dungeon break was almost nothing new.
"Good. Well then… let us wait and see."
He turned his eyes to the horizon where the fog of mana thickened. Soon, an exit point would form and exactly where he had predicted. If everything went according to plan, those monsters would not stand a chance…
216