When Silas announced that the third hurdle was a dungeon raid, everyone was petrified. Dungeons appeared 100 years ago after the Wall was built. They're labyrinths filled with monsters from the Dark Lands that would not hesitate to kill you.
Dungeons are said to be summoned through dark magic by the Dark Bloods, evil mages in the Dark King's legion. If not closed in time, dungeons evolve from level one to three.
If they reach level three, the zenith of their evolution, a pandemonium breaks out as monsters from the dark lands use the dungeons as a gateway to the kingdom.
This is why guilds are created. Each guild is ordained by the crown to raid dungeons and close them before they mature to level three.
The role of a dungeon raider is prestigious, fraught with danger and adventure for some, and is the primary way mages prove their worth and climb the ranks. The title of Astron Mage isn't just given; it's earned through these perilous undertakings.
