The Nature of Dungeons and Impending Doom

The term ‘Dungeon’ originated from gaming, specifically from the renowned tabletop game, ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Its premise generally involved players delving into fantasy world dungeons, vanquishing the dragon-like monsters lurking within, and claiming their hidden treasures.

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ can arguably be considered the progenitor of all RPGs, as the foundational rules for role-playing games were comprehensively established within this very tabletop classic.

Inspired by its success, the rise of electronic gaming saw the birth of video game RPGs, which predominantly featured underground labyrinths as their settings. Players would form adventurous parties, finding thrill and reward in exploring these subterranean mazes.

However, the proliferation of similar games, all set in underground spaces, inevitably led to a certain aesthetic fatigue among players.

Consequently, the public’s understanding of ‘Dungeon’ evolved, returning to the broader concept presented by ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. It was no longer confined to mere subterranean locales but encompassed a more expansive definition: a perilous domain guarded by a formidable lord, concealing enigmatic puzzles and invaluable treasures, functioning as a monster’s lair defended by intricate mechanisms and hidden traps.

In time, the term ‘Dungeon’ came to denote any enclosed space teeming with monsters, yet promising rewards and precious artifacts—a place where both danger and adventure perpetually intertwined.

Now, in a world where superpowers coexist with calamity beasts, such perilous locales have truly manifested. Thus, people naturally adopted the existing designation, ‘Dungeon,’ to refer to these formidable new realities.

****

“So, that’s the gist of it, Host. Do you understand?” Su Xiaoqian, the little teacher, tapped the whiteboard, meticulously explaining the settings.

“Mhm…” Red Spider Lily nodded, then looked at She Min. “So, those calamity beasts are connected to the Dungeons?”

“Naturally, they are. In fact, they’re merely preparations, a pre-emptive deployment for the Dungeons that are about to emerge.”

“The appearance of calamity beasts is inherently unpredictable. While you can detect their presence, it’s incredibly difficult to ascertain *why* they manifest in a particular spot. There are no discernible traces before their arrival; they simply appear out of thin air.”

“Out of thin air?”

“Mhm. Doesn’t that sound a bit like random monster spawns in a game?” She Min asked with a smile.

“Indeed…” Red Spider Lily remained silent.

“After ‘Dungeons’ were discovered, people began to more readily believe the hypothesis that our existing world might actually be a game.”

“Some have even established cult organizations, such as the ‘True Faith Cult,’ which advocates ‘rejecting the confinement of the virtual world and finding a way to return to the real world.’ These people are fanatics; their followers are essentially unafraid of death, believing that death in a ‘virtual world’ isn’t true death. They are convinced that once someone reaches the ‘real world,’ they can awaken everyone else, making any sacrifice worthwhile.”

“My dear, if you encounter such individuals, it’s best to steer clear.”

“Oh~” Red Spider Lily nodded gently, indicating her understanding.

“Returning to ‘Dungeons,’ there’s no doubt they are incredibly vital resources. Beyond the countless rare treasures one can acquire inside, simply defeating the calamity beasts within a ‘Dungeon’ yields spiritual essence, allowing one to grow. In game terms, it’s called ‘experience points.’ This straightforward, brutal method of boosting strength and breaking through bottlenecks is something even top-tier ability users would find hard to resist.”

“…True.” Red Spider Lily sighed, thinking. ‘So, Saint Lily, you see now! How terrifying it is to gain experience points, though an excessively long experience bar is certainly still a problem.’

“Then, for the people of Hehe City, is the appearance of a ‘Dungeon’ a good thing or a bad thing?”

“……” She Min fell silent, gazing at Red Spider Lily. She sighed, then tapped her own forehead, an expression that seemed to say, ‘I knew it~’.

“Dungeons are monster lairs,” she stated, looking at Red Spider Lily, taking a deep breath and growing serious.

“Once a ‘Dungeon’ fully forms, it will continuously generate calamity beasts. Then, in an instant, these beasts will erupt and attack all other non-calamity beast life forms within the ‘Dungeon’s’ range, annihilating them completely.”

“I’ve investigated the locations of these calamity beasts and observed their distribution. I can only conclude that this is a massive ‘Dungeon,’ with its coverage area quite possibly encompassing the entire city.”

“Ugh…” Red Spider Lily furrowed her brow. “Is there no way to stop it?”

“There is, if the Dungeon’s core can be destroyed.”

“However, no one would do that.”

“Huh… Does that mean the core is difficult to destroy? Or hard to find?”

“While it does present some difficulty, the primary reason is that as long as the core exists, the Dungeon can continuously produce resources. Destroying it would be too wasteful,” She Min explained, shrugging her shoulders.

“Ha~” Red Spider Lily pondered, “Is that so?”

“Yes, precisely.” She Min looked at Red Spider Lily’s expression with an innocent face, shrugging again. “Don’t look at your elder sister like that. The ability users’ faction would likely make the same choice.”

“Cities can be rebuilt, but ‘Dungeons’ are a rare sight. The most they would do is ensure others evacuate the city along with them.”

“……” Red Spider Lily pressed her hand to her forehead in frustration. “Mhm, how much time until the ‘Dungeon’ finishes forming?”

“Roughly this week~”

“But I can’t guarantee the exact day, dear~”

“…Mhm, thank you.”

“No, it’s I who should be thanking you, my dear~” She Min looked at her gently, then picked up her handbag, preparing to leave.

“Oh, right. Before a Dungeon fully forms, its core is situated in another dimension, undisturbed. Even so, there will still be an interface remaining.”

“Here?”

“That’s right!”

“Wait, don’t tell me? Then, Ruoruo?”

“Alright, don’t worry, my dear~”

She Min produced two more movie tickets, placing them before Red Spider Lily.

“These are the actual invitation tickets.”

Red Spider Lily, who had just stood up, felt a pat on her shoulder before the woman, bag in hand, turned gracefully and departed.

“As for what to do? My dear, that’s for you to decide. But if you need my help, feel free to come find me. I’ll be staying in this city for now, at least for this week.”

“……”

Watching the figure gradually vanish from her sight, Red Spider Lily heard the surrounding clamor return. She picked up the movie tickets and checked the time.

It wasn’t for today’s showing; she let out a breath of relief.

“Two tickets, huh~”

Red Spider Lily considered. Did she even have a choice?

As her only official contact, she wasn’t sure how to proceed. But if the Dungeon core wasn’t destroyed, someone would surely need to inform everyone and arrange for evacuation.

She snapped a photo with her phone, drafted a message, and selected send.

–Tomorrow, if you’re free, how about we catch a movie together? It’s near your place~

But soon, ‘typing…’ appeared above the chat box. Then, after almost a minute, had she been writing and deleting, deleting and rewriting?

“……” The wait was a little tense.

–Ding~

–Okay! ヾ(Ő∀Ő)ﾉ So excited!

“Pfft~ Haha~ Why is that emoticon exactly like Little Qian’er’s! Did she grow up eating cuteness?”

“Host, I’ll be angry! That’s clearly not as cute as me~” Su Xiaoqian puffed out her little cheeks, clearly displeased.

“Yes, yes~”

****

Two hours later,

–Bai Ruoruo (cautiously): Big oaf, I’m back~ Did Sis come looking for you? You didn’t sell me out, did you?

–Su Mu: How should I put this? I think you should look behind you?

–Bai Ruoruo: …

–Bai Ruoli (smiling): Ruoruo, what’s this about selling out?

–Bai Ruoruo: Ahem~ but if… Big oaf, save me!

–Su Mu (waving): I can’t help you. Have a good journey~