Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 126 - 121: Keeping Company with Wolves

Chapter 126: Chapter 121: Keeping Company with Wolves

Experience Candy M, an item from the Pokemon world, gives experience points to a Pokemon upon consumption, allowing it to level up or even evolve once it has enough experience.

In this world, however, there’s no such setting as experience points, so the effect has evolved into enhancing the strength of the creature that uses it to a certain extent.

Humans can also use it, but since this isn’t specified in the Hunting Manual, Antili assumes it to be only consumable by Battle Pets.

Even so, she is quite satisfied with the effects of the Experience Candy M.

"Hmm... the effects of many items have changed,"

Sain Dungeon, the City Lord’s room.

To this day, Gong Qiying still hasn’t fully developed the Sain Dungeon.

His previous life comprised extremely complex components, resulting in the Dungeon exhibiting a lively and thriving state, whether it comes to Available Monsters or items.

In short, there are too many usable items, and it’s impossible to develop them all in a short time.

When selecting items as rewards, Gong Qiying personally experiments with them first to ensure there are no major issues before releasing them.

These items come in various types.

Some are items like Ring Capture, Left Bow, and Death-cursing Flying Knife, which materialize the "traits" of the game into special Combat Skills.

Some are items like the Experience Candy and Bonfire, whose effects have slightly adapted to this world.

There are also items with unchanged effects, like the Repair Light Powder, Enemy Attraction Skull, and Blood Vials, which repair weapons with a tap.

Before trying them himself, who knows which items can be released and which cannot? Ring Capture might be alright, but what if adventurers could really conjure up Death-cursing Flying Knives? Then the whole world would be overrun by Soul V.

There are also some things that should absolutely not be released, or even cautiously set up within the Dungeon. Their names alone suggest they are ultimate powerhouses—Mad Fire, Crimson Corruption, Abyss, and all sorts of deleterious effects that persist even after death.

Once employed, these things would over-exploit resources, contrary to Gong Qiying’s pursuit of sustainable development.

By the way, the Abyss in Fran Fort isn’t the real Abyss, it’s just a material that simulates a similar sensory effect. Since adventurers have never seen the true Abyss, they could mistake the imitation for the real thing because of Fran Fort’s various hints.

He looked at an Available Monster displayed with the name:

["Stepping into Corruption" Aggis]

This dragon covered in Crimson Corruption is essentially a moving dirty bomb, absolutely not to be used against adventurers.

But against other Dungeons?

As the time for the deadly battle draws near, Gong Qiying is already selecting suitable combat forces. Since Evil Nest Dungeon mainly uses bugs as its main force, picking some monsters with wide-area AOE damage is very appropriate.

There’s no need to stick to the bugs’ weakness to lightning; use whatever works best.

The battleground for the death battle is mainly provided by the challenged, but the challenger also has the right to connect a piece of their own domain to the battlefield, which will become the challenger’s base.

Gong Qiying plans to deploy his forces with full force from the start, using the highest level of combat force available to steamroll through, not foolishly engaging in a troop-expending contest with bugs.

His game is running a Dungeon, not playing Starship Troopers, Helldivers, or interstellar soldier 2.

Who knows what strategy Evil Nest Dungeon will adopt, as both parties are entering their first death battle and are theoretically both rookies.

They should both be at third-level authority with the strongest Available Monsters being B-rank at most. Gong Qiying has been eager to see what level of powerful creatures in this world could match up to the likes of Chief of the Melting Furnace, Dragon Hunter Armor, and more.

"When will this thing light up," Gong Qiying wondered as he looked at a nameless gray option next to [Available Monster], which appeared after he leveled up to third-level authority.

The unlocking conditions were unclear, and the inquiry sent to the Asta Alliance had yet to receive a response.

"Could it be... this has something to do with adventurers?"

————————————

Dal was surrounded by wolves, uncertain of what to do.

For some reason, four male wolves in the pack suddenly learned to change size at will, freely switching between Wolfman and wolf forms.

Perhaps the latent Monster lineage within them had been stimulated? But...

Watching the pack chasing butterflies and frolicking about, occasionally tumbling, he didn’t find them to resemble fierce Monsters.

Weren’t wild beasts supposed to become aggressive after turning into Monsters?

Indeed, the Demon Clan had attacked the farm, but they weren’t the terrifying figures in Dal’s memory, just a couple of riff-raff that emerged from somewhere.

Yet, they were skinned alive by the Wolfmen, as the wolves that had undergone ancestral awakening seemed to prefer the taste of Demon Clan flesh.

The appearance of the Demon Clan should have spelled grave misfortune, but realizing the farm was only attacked by riff-raff, Dal felt an odd sense of reassurance.

Is this the legendary compromise, where those who block windows cave in to those who want to smash the roof?

Moments later, Roger hurried over to explain the situation.

Dal’s expression was quite peculiar after hearing the explanation.

That day, as Antili was waiting for Dal to return home, she realized the wolf pack had Monster lineage. She had been researching some Experience Candy she had obtained by chance from the gourmet area. A few male wolves chasing after her ate some Experience Candy they had accidentally left behind.

Subsequently, a regression phenomenon occurred, and the wolves’ combat strength soared dramatically.

Antili had also fed Experience Candies to her trained Battle Pets, and although they did indeed grow stronger, no regression took place, which left her utterly puzzled. In the end, she attributed it to just the right bloodline concentration in the wolf pack.

That’s why, while exploring the Dungeon together, she beat around the bush asking Dal about the wolves, even offering to provide training techniques for free.

Besides being thrilled to hunt, she also felt that Dal had a Talent for taming.

"I felt her behavior was inappropriate at the time, but I never found the right moment to tell you..."

Roger said to him with a wink and a nudge, "If you’re angry, why don’t I help you beat her up? I’ll tie up her top half, and you tie up her bottom half."

What exactly does ’beat up’ mean here? Is that literal or figurative...

Dal understood that Roger was only saying this because he saw that Dal wasn’t angry.

He shook his head and said,

"It’s fine, perhaps I should thank her. If it weren’t for her..."

The wolf pack might have suffered heavy casualties today.

Apart from feeling a smidge of relief, Dal also felt a sense of urgency.

They had narrowly escaped a crisis this time, but what if there was a next time? What if an even more powerful member of the Demon Clan attacked? What if not even the Wolfmen could triumph?

This farm could no longer stay; it was necessary to move elsewhere, at the very least not to remain to the southwest. Renting a space in the city seemed possible as well.

No, what if the Demon Clan invaded?

Although highly unlikely, if the leader of these Monsters really was that person...

Perhaps one could only hope that Ceder would take action, or that Sain would go berserk again.

The former was possible, the latter... why would the Dungeon help adventurers for no reason at all?

Relying on others was a foolish thing to do; those without strength were as weak as insects, dying casually from various natural and man-made disasters, such as civilians dying from Abyss Infection or crowds succumbing to the Sea Tiger Explosion Roar.

"Phew,"

Dal exhaled a breath of warm air, his mind made up about a certain decision.

"Roger, could you accompany me to Sain again tomorrow?"

"Hm?"

Roger looked at Dal with surprise, wondering if this guy ever rested, acting like a zealous ascetic.

But when he saw that determined look in Dal’s eyes, he stopped mumbling complaints. It was the kind of look a man had when he was resolved to do something; an unspoken understanding between men, as Roger instantly got it and smiled,

"Sorry, I’m not free,"

In the face of Dal’s puzzled expression, he explained,

"The Guildmaster has notified that a meeting for all Silver Rank adventurers will be held tomorrow to discuss the Demon Clan. It’s voluntary, you can attend or not, but I heard there are rewards for attending."

Roger gave him a mischievous wink, an expression reminiscent of a college student on Earth offering to sign the attendance sheet for a friend who wants to skip class.

The next day, at the adventurer’s guild meeting room.

Indeed, Dal did not attend. All other Silver Rank adventurers were present, making it a full house; his absence was hardly noticeable.

During the meeting, the guild issued a mission exclusively for adventurers of Silver Rank and above.

[Investigate the Demon Clan’s traces southwest of Bed City]

This mission required restricting the participating adventurers’ strength, and participants were forced to form teams of four or more, else casualties would only increase.

The Holy Light Church would provide assistance to each team, including a series of Holy Light Items, and if necessary, even a Priest could be provided.

The Bed Family would also send out guards to intensify patrols, and any discoveries would be communicated to the city’s forces with utmost speed.

The mysterious team of mercenaries brought back by Count Charon would be the Bed Family’s greatest reliance.

After the meeting, Ceder privately called over the Strategy Group and Roger and others.

"I have a secret mission I’d like to entrust to you, issued in my personal name."

Ceder unfolded a map on the table, which detailed the layout of a certain city, even marking the guards’ shift changes and patrol routes. It would be like having a cheat for anyone who wanted to attack the city.

"This is the map of Val City, take it for now."

Ceder stated,

"I need you to quietly enter Val City and document any abnormalities you find."

"That city... something’s been off lately."

Everyone showed a solemn expression; indeed, there had been no recent news from Val City, as if it had been forgotten.

While the adventurer’s guild was enveloped in a somber and tense atmosphere, one person entered the Sain Dungeon.

After numerous fierce combats, Dal dragged his wounded body through the gates of Fran Fort, accompanied by four bloodied Wolfmen.

In an abandoned building, he finally encountered the entity he had longed for—

The Ancient Wolf of Fran!