Dungeon Book Struggle 1

[Kaiser Calendar, Year 145, June 23rd. The war was so fierce that no one could predict what lay even one step ahead. The Empire was truly the Empire. We were winning individual battles, yet losing ground in the overall war. To turn the tide, we needed to gamble, and I decided to use myself as bait.]

Once the lord's gamble succeeded, the tide of the war turned completely. Having seized the momentum, the lord relentlessly pressed the Empire, ultimately emerging victorious in the war against them.

I anticipated stories related to the dungeon would finally appear now that the war had ended. But the following content left me speechless.

'The dungeons disappeared? How? How did they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠disappear? That's missing! You can't just forget the dungeons on your own whim.'

We won the war against the Empire—. And flipping to the next page, it jumped straight to a year after the dungeons had vanished. The problem was that there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was absolutely no mention of how they disappeared.

Shocked by the diary's contents, I dropped the book from my hands and staggered. I instinctively grabbed the bookshelf, preventing a fall. I quickly picked up the dropped book and sat in the nearest chair.

The shock made my legs so weak I could barely stand straight.

'How did they disappear? Did they vanish suddenly, just like when they appeared? What the hell happened? And the hunters? What happened to the hunters? Why stop writing the diary, you damn bastard!'

The dungeons disappearing was a problem, but the absence of any mention of those who awakened abilities due to the dungeons was another issue. I couldn't easily shake off the shock from the diary's contents and spat curses at the lord who had abruptly stopped writing.

When writing about the war, he detailed trivial things like serving meat dishes to boost soldiers' morale, yet skipped the crucial parts entirely.

Moreover, the bigger problem was that this diary seemed to be the end. Not just this one—there were no subsequent diaries. The one I was reading had a name tag F01-2, but F01-3 was nowhere to be found. In short, this was the end of the lord's diary.

I couldn't know if a sequel existed somewhere in the dungeon, but for now, there was no way to access further contents. It was like throwing out bait and irresponsibly ending the novel without reeling it in.

At first, the shock was so intense I didn't know what to do, but as time passed, I gradually calmed down.

'No. Nothing's decided yet. I've only read two out of fifteen hundred books.'

I took deep breaths to steady my mind as much as possible. This world might just be a peculiar one. I'd have to check other worlds through the dungeon books to know. While waiting for my mana to recover, I meticulously reread the book to ensure I hadn't missed anything.

"You really okay? You've been looking gloomy lately."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just something on my mind."

Touched by Choi Taesu's concerned tone, I forced a bright smile in response. But I was greatly mistaken—Choi Taesu was still Choi Taesu.

"Yeah, must be bothering you. A guy with no talent or ability in languages suddenly becomes a researcher. That's why people should know their place. Just drop it all and head back. Go make armor again, engrave magic patterns, live like that. Oh, and engrave some on my armor while you're at it."

Even though what was bothering me was something else entirely, his words hit a nerve, leaving me flustered. But to avoid showing it, I responded boldly instead.

"What the hell are you talking about? What's wrong with my talent? And why bring up 'knowing one's place' here?"

But upon hearing Choi Taesu's English next, I fled from him with quick steps.

"From today, the new researcher joining the Dungeon Studies Research Institute... we request your understanding."

Over the past three days, reading 36 books had revealed new facts about the dungeons.

First off—was it coincidence? Or were all the remaining dungeon books diaries too? All 36 books I'd read were diaries.

Like the lord's diary, each recorded events in their worlds after dungeons appeared.

Surprisingly, while dungeons appeared in all the diary owners' worlds, the monsters inside differed slightly. Hunters emerged after the dungeons in each, but their abilities varied by world.

The world after the lord's diary used a power called Psychic powers, mainly manifesting as telekinesis. It divided into ruling and subjugated classes based on Psychic possession. After dungeons appeared, hunters emerged from the subjugated class, their abilities manifesting as Psychic powers.

The other worlds also had powers fitting their own settings.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon of dungeons disappearing—the one I most wanted to confirm—didn't appear in these diaries. I couldn't tell if it was just omitted or if the dungeons truly didn't vanish.

'What the hell happened in the lord's world?'

My curiosity grew stronger over time. But an even greater worry arose: what if dungeons vanished from Earth too?

Precisely, if dungeons disappeared but hunters' abilities remained.

Dungeons vanishing themselves was a huge issue. Mana stones had become Earth's new energy source, replacing over 90% of power ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plants worldwide. Unlike early days, they now offered guaranteed stability, high efficiency, and no waste—hailed as clean energy.

Energy shortages translated directly into power generation booms. If dungeons vanished now, we'd regress to energy scarcity, losing countless current benefits.

But that was it. People weren't fools. They never forgot that dungeons that appeared suddenly could vanish just as abruptly. While advancing mana stone power, they always prepared for the worst: stockpiling mana stones, never discarding old facilities or tech.

There'd be shock, but not worldwide chaos.

Hunters were different. If their abilities vanished with the dungeons, fine—but if they persisted, massive chaos was inevitable. Maybe even greater than when dungeons first appeared.

'Yeah. This is just the start. Plenty more books to read.'

I pushed aside the unsolved riddle and tried to focus on the next book.

That's when a familiar voice and name drifted from somewhere.

"Ms. Choi Kyunghee, you feeling better? If you're not well, rest more—why come out so soon?"

Turning, I saw Park Seongyeol speaking worriedly to a woman. She looked gaunt, and her name was Choi Kyunghee. I recognized her immediately.

'Gotta play it cool.'

She finished talking with Park Seongyeol and was heading my way.

"Hello. I'm Kim Taehoon. Heard you were ill—are you feeling better?"

"Pardon? Kim Taehoon?"

"Yes. Kim Taehoon, introduced by the Hunter Management Bureau. Didn't you get the contact?"

"Ah! Sorry. I was sick and forgot."

She seemed to know me and approach, but her flustered reaction to my pretense soured my mood a bit. She might've missed the first-day notice due to illness, but forgetting entirely irked me.

Still, her pallid face screamed hospital over lab, and her apologetic bow softened me.

"It's fine. Take care of yourself."

I had no real connection to Choi Kyunghee, and my head was full of dungeon books anyway, so I greeted and left.

In that moment, Choi Kyunghee's gaze turned icy cold for an instant before vanishing—but with my back turned, I didn't notice.

Ignoring the response, the White Witch hung up and recalled Kim Suho from today.

'No variables, no matter how trivial.'

"Ms. Choi Kyunghee, sorry about this. But you've benefited from our sacrifices so far—understand lending your face for a bit."

The White Witch glanced at Choi Kyunghee, unconscious in the corner like the dead, then turned back to the window.

The White Witch nodded after confirming all info on Kim Taehoon sent by the other.

"Yes, confirmed."

Whoosh.

The papers on Kim Taehoon in her hand burst into flames, crumbling to ash.

With even potential variables cleared, her mind lightened.

Cold fury laced the White Witch's voice as she responded firmly to the grumbling.

"Vince, warning you—never question the Prophet's will."

The White Witch had no intent to do anything to Vincent and ended with the warning.

"Don't even harbor doubts. He sees conclusions, skipping processes. Never question the Prophet's will again. Final warning."

The call with Vincent ended, and the White Witch gazed out the window.

"Do you know when Geneva's nights became so brilliant? Not your concern, so you ignored it. But you should have at least cared. Whose blood and tears built this progress? You'll know soon. The despair when the 'natural' vanishes..."

It started as an ordinary diary. This diary's protagonist was the Magic Tower Lord, an 8th-circle grand archmage.

From slave origins, his exceptional mana talent led to becoming a mage's disciple, then—through talent and effort—an omniscient figure among the continent's top ten powerhouses.

When dungeons appeared and hunters emerged, seeing his past in them, the Tower Lord took them in.

This irked other magic towers and kingdoms, who warned him. But he ignored them, accepting hunters, enraging the alliance into invasion that nearly annihilated his tower.

The diary's continuation shocked me anew, utterly different from prior ones.

'Compress mana maximally into a spiral? What does that even mean?'

The mana heart method explanation continued, but it was incomprehensible. My mana usage differed entirely from the diary owner's.

Not understanding made reading torture. I considered closing it but steeled myself to finish since I'd started.

But upon finishing, the alert made me yell, forgetting this was the research institute.

To be continued in the next chapter...