Fantasia brought magic along with it during The Collision. It changed people's lives, for better or worse. But while humans were figuring out how to subdue this newfound power, the Earth itself was undergoing a change. The magic from Fantasia woke up the Earth itself and soon, the Dungeons were born.
These naturally occurring sub-spaces formed all around the world. In cities, in farms, in mountains, even in oceans, Dungeon Formation didn't discriminate.
The process of a Dungeon's birth was quite fascinating. A Dungeon would choose an individual out of the crowd to become its Master. Then, that Master is in charge of changing the layout, set up traps, and even produce monsters.
The Mages of Fantasia educated the Scientists of Earth about the treasures that littered about in the rooms and the magic cores that can be harvested from Dungeon monsters. The treasures, they dismissed easily since they were familiar. The magic cores, however, would prove to be far more valuable in the modern age. They turned out to be a massive source of energy that didn't produce any waste. A perfect alternative for the current energy crisis.
This sparked the adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit of humans and soon enough, the Adventurers' Guild was born. The Adventurers in the Guild were tasked to enter Dungeons, harvest as much as they can from it and in turn, net huge profits.
It was great at first. Many people entered the Dungeons without restrictions and got rich as a result. But as Dungeons grew, and different types of Dungon Masters took the reins, everyone soon discovered that the Dungeon business model was a brutal one.
Some Dungeon Masters chose the path of evil and did horrible things to Adventurers. To feed their Dungeons, and to grow stronger themselves, they killed hundreds of Adventurers. And with no witnesses and governing bodies inside, crimes ran rampart as well. In the end, the weak died with nothing and disappeared, body and all, while the strong survived with the spoils paid for by their friends' blood.
The bloodbath continued until the Supernatural Police Department was created. Since then, laws were established, limitations were imposed, and alternative ways to feed the Dungeons were discovered. The death toll significantly decreased and when the Dungeon Masters shifted their focus to running a business instead of a murder den, the world economy flourished too.
But even in this new civilized system, some Dungeons were still off limits. Dungeons that were ran by deranged Dungeon Masters were the SPD's responsibility to clear. While others were just far too difficult for the public so they were banned until a competent party was formed.
The Dungeon in front of us, however, was a mystery. Buried deep within the snow, we dug up a flight of stairs that lead into a mysterious subterranean tunnel. Mr. Han held up the Mana Scanner to determine its level while I scanned the surroundings for potential threats.
"Out of all the places," I sighed.
"Perfect place if you ask me," Mr. Han replied. "Remote. Cold. And if the Dungeons ate the bodies, you'd leave no evidence."
"Were there even cases where a Dungeon ate a body that died outside of it?" I asked.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
The scanner produced its high pitched scream.
"Well, that's what we're here to find out," Mr. Han said as he motioned for me to come closer.
I looked over her shoulder to see the result of the scan.
Dungeon Rank: SS
"Well shit..." I trailed. "The Miracleworker sure knows how to pick 'em."
"Bah! It's only SS," he said dismissively. "We can handle it."
I blinked in disbelief. "Excuse me?" I asked. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say WE can handle it?"
"Yes, that's what I said," he smirked.
"Look, Mr. Han," I sighed. "I'd believe that if you can fight in there. But last time I checked, I'm pretty sure that Fantasia banned your race from conquering a Dungeon!"
"Right, 'conquering'. That's the loophole, Roberts," he said. "I may not be allowed to lay a single hand on the monsters inside but I'm still an apex predator! Monsters would need to be either too dumb or too weak to know better than attack a supreme being like me. And I believe you can handle those two types quite easily."
I groaned.
He's got a point. Even if it was an SS Dungeon, we'll be able to explore it without trouble as long as Mr. Han is there. The only thing I need to worry about is the Dungeon Boss. But even that wouldn't be much of a threat since Mr. Han knew the subjugation methods for every creature from Fantasia. Living for a long time sure made him a priceless asset for the department.
"Fine," I relented. "But the moment I feel like I'm gonna die, I'm out."
"You won't," he said with brimming confidence. "Let's go!"
Mr. Han headed in first. He was like a child who found a candy store. Enter first, think later. And I was the tired parent who saw everything on display as traps designed to take my money. But in this case, it was my life on the line.
As we descended deeper into the Dungeon, magical torches automatically lit up the stone corridors. It was cold, but the natural insulation that the walls provided made it a tiny bit warmer.
It was a typical Dungeon layout. Long corridors with some forks along the road and hidden doors that contained treasures or traps. I dealt with the traps easily using my wind magic to trigger every single one of them. As for the monsters, the smart ones stayed away from us as Mr. Han said while I killed the dumb ones like slimes and inorganic ones like golems that did attack us. We also made sure to map it all for the sake of future Adventurers who might want to conquer it.
Hours passed and when we reached the tenth floor, Mr. Han turned to me with quite the disappointed look on his face.
"This is getting boring," he said. "You kill everything too fast and you're just doing your job."
"Well... that's... why we're here..." I replied.
"Yeah but at least take something!" he exclaimed. "Like, we've passed by so many treasure rooms and you didn't even take a single gold coin. This is your opportunity to get rich quick! You got a family to feed now so show a bit of that human greed will you?"
I sighed as I massaged the bridge of my nose. "Mr. Han, I know you haven't forgotten that SPD officers are forbidden to take any treasure from unsanctioned Dungeon Dives. We're here to investigate The Miracleworker and map the place, not get rich quick."
"Boo, you're no fun," he pouted. "But I guess that's why Chakob chose you. Other humans would've compromised their morals if it meant they can take the easy way out."
I stopped in my tracks.
The easy way out...
Those words were so innocent coming out of his mouth. But for me, they were words that pierced the deepest parts of my heart.
"Right..." Mr. Han trailed. "It seems that I've hit a nerve. If you want to-"
I pressed on.
"I don't wanna talk about it," I said.
"Correction, you don't wanna talk about HER," he replied.
My heart twisted in my chest. And before I knew it, I've already turned towards Mr. Han with the most deadly glare I could muster. He was unfazed though. In fact, he responded to my gaze with a bit of sadness on his face.
"You're a thousand years too early to glare at me, Roberts," he said with a smile. "I know you don't want to hear it, but here's some wisdom from your elder. It's good to look back and find wisdom in the past. But when those memories crystalize in your heart, you'll be the one to end up bleeding."
He then moved in walked in front of me and for the rest of the way, we didn't utter a single word.
Before long, we arrived at a giant double-door about fifteen feet tall. The air has also gone significantly colder. The chills penetrated even through my thick layers.
"I guess this is the boss room," Mr. Han said with obvious excitement.
"I'm shitting myself," I replied.
"Oh, please. Whatever's behind these doors, I'm sure I've seen it before," he reassured me. "Just listen to what I say and trust your training. It's easy peasy."
Groaning a bit inside, I gingerly opened the doors. As I did, frigid air immediately blew past me, removing every bit of heat I had left. Then, as if to acknowledge our presence, the entire room suddenly lit up and revealed a crystalline wonderland of clear blue ice. The room itself was dome-shaped. Sharp ice crystals that acted like stalactites and stalagmites filled the area. The ceiling was tall; far too high for me to even make an estimate. And most shocking of all was the creature in the middle of the room.
It was a creature of legends. Its sturdy, white scales glittered in the light. Its leathery wings vibrated as if returning blood into them after some time of inactivity. Sensing our presence, it opened its cold, blue eyes to scan its prey. Then, seeing us in its lair, it opened its dagger-filled mouth and produced a guttural, deafening roar that shattered the fragile ice around it.
"Oh for fuck's sake," I muttered under my breath, mouth agape.
Mr. Han on the other hand, smiled wide, and with sparkle in his eyes said, "Woah! It's a Young White Dragon!"