"Hades is the one you already heard about, Jade. Hades isn't his real name but a cover he uses since he became a dungeon master. In fact, none of the well-known dungeon masters use their past names. The name Hades comes from the Greek god of the underworld. Accordingly, his dungeon, the great labyrinth of death, is modeled after the underworld and filled with death-related monsters. His personality has become twisted over the years and now he acts like he's a real god of death.
"Then, there is Libra. Her dungeon is called the halls of determination and is a dungeon that is filled with riddles and challenges. Brute force is basically useless in her dungeon. However, all those riddles and challenges have made her unable to speak or think like a normal person.
"Next up is Vespasian. His dungeon is named Colosseum madness and as the name suggests it's just a series of colosseums that are filled with monster groups. Different from most dungeons that try to force adventurers into smaller groups Vespasian's approach encourages fighting in large groups. His main advantage is how unique his dungeon is.
"The fourth is known as Being Y. A man who believes he is God almighty, the judge of all. His dungeon is the white tower and the most generic of the lot. Each floor contains different environments and is no different from a normal dungeon in appearance. However, there is a unique moral system in place that binds all adventurers and punishes them if they do something deemed wrong.
"Lastly, there is old man Hawaii. His dungeon is known as tropical entropy and is by far the most feared dungeon. Unlike the other dungeon masters who each follow their own specific path this dungeon contains aspects of all the others and is basically a dungeon that contains other dungeons and only by clearing all of it in the right way can you reach the core. Many of the monsters that work here were originally monsters in tropical entropy.
"The current system is also largely due to old man Hawaii. He seems to me like the sanest and most open for change if it benefits him. Any questions so far?"
I'm a little overwhelmed with all the stuff Darwin just told me. I never even entered a high-level dungeon and going by his words these five were the topmost dungeons known of. Jade however seems far less overwhelmed than me.
"Are all the dungeon masters wackos?"
"I suggest not telling them that to their faces but yes, after about a hundred years of being besieged by those you were once part of even the most mentally stable soul would lose its sanity. And often the way they build their dungeon influences them greatly."
"How many floors do those dungeons have for you to call them the greatest?"
"We don't know as it's kept a secret but as I said only the white tower under Being Y and the great labyrinth of death under Hades have actual floors. Libra's dungeon consists of halls that you clear and move between through teleportation circles while Vespasian has a row of colosseums that are just back to back. And tropical entropy is an expanding body of water that is on the surface."
"He has no floors at all?"
"Well, there are mini-dungeons you have to clear to get ahead and those have floors but the main dungeon is just the surface of a giant ocean with islands."
"Can't you just go straight to the dungeon core and ignore the other things then?"
"Jade, have you ever been to a riddle based dungeon? What happens if you forcefully break a door opened through a riddle?"
Jade looks a little uncomfortable with Darwin's question but answers confidently.
"You die because bypassing the dungeon's rules isn't allowed."
"Exactly and tropical entropy as a whole is built as a sort of far-fetched riddle. Challenge might be a better term. Unless you clear it you won't be able to approach the dungeon core alive."
So there are other kinds of dungeons. I never knew of the existence of riddle dungeons but carriers who can dismantle monsters are probably unnecessary there. But something bugs me.
"Darwin."
"Yes, Guy?"
"Towards the beginning, you said the alpha plane joined the fray after the dungeon masters were summoned. Why would they join only then? If it was a need for resources they would have joined sooner."
"A fine question. You would make a good researcher. Have you ever wondered why there are no dungeons here in the alpha plane?"
"Isn't it because we are the highest plane?"
"Not entirely incorrect but this is a half-truth that was spread by the government and some larger organizations. It is like this, dungeons are like potatoes, once they are in the ground long enough they will multiply. Once there is a certain number of dungeons in a world no more will appear and they will instead appear in other worlds. The alpha plane is according to our calculations the last plane that the dungeons will spread to. And the alpha plane got involved after the first dungeon appeared in their world. They found a way to cross the boundaries of space and reach the other worlds and destroy the dungeons there."
So they just wanted to keep the alpha plane free of any dungeons. Somehow I find myself sympathizing with their thoughts.
"Is it really so bad for them to defend themselves?"
Darwin gives me a look that I think is pity. Like I have some kind of sickness that I can't be cured of.
"Guy, this isn't about good or bad. Both humans and dungeons are expanding their influence by increasing their numbers. The space available is limited so conflict seems inevitable. No side has the moral high ground. I hate to force you to make this choice but it is them or us."
"Is there no way to compromise?"
"You are a kind soul. And maybe there is a way to solve this peacefully but I don't know of it. We have repeatedly attempted to make contact but all efforts so far ended in heavy casualties on both sides so negotiations are difficult."