Hidden Dungeon
In the Monarch Game, operators existed to oversee the dungeons, and these operators came from various races.
Dayden, the goblin operator in charge of the Fordail Land on the Asgard Continent, was utterly shocked.
'Kirik! One, one lord cleared three missions in just one hour...?!'
An unbelievable record.
And that wasn't all.
A lord has entered the dungeon.
He couldn't see what was happening inside.
To check, the operator would have to enter personally using transparency mode.
However, even without direct observation, he could monitor monster counts, defense, attack power, and such via hologram.
"Kirik, is the lord who just entered the one who set that record?"
The record-setter was listed as 'Anonymous', so even operators couldn't identify them.
Dayden tilted his head when, after eight minutes, not a single monster count had dropped.
"Kirik, getting massacred in there?"
Black-tailed lizards were 1-star monsters, but their speed and attack power were exceptionally high despite weak defense—easily mistaken for 2-stars.
"Kirik kirik, finding the dungeon but not killing a single one."
Sneering at whoever it was, he pulled up the hologram.
The hologram showed a white-haired woman with long locks trapped in ice.
"Kirik, still doing well."
This woman wasn't supposed to emerge into the world yet.
Dayden had questioned his superior when first ordered to hide her in Fordail Land.
'Kirik, why lock such an important woman here?'
The superior had replied,
'Because she's too important. She won't appear for another four years or so. That's why we put her in an unbreakable dungeon. No lords around here can take her. Entering that hidden dungeon means death or imprisonment—nothing else.'
'Kirik, I see.'
The superior had hidden her here deliberately.
Lords still in their protection period couldn't possibly claim her.
Dayden admired her for a moment before glancing back at the monster count—and tilted his head again.
"Kirik?"
Monster count: 83—just as before.
Now: 21.
"Kirek...?"
He tilted his head.
Blinked once.
20.
Blinked again.
19.
"Kirik kirik!"
His eyes widened in shock as it plummeted to 15 in an instant.
"Ki, kirik... What the hell..."
Something incomprehensible was happening.
The monster numbers were dropping at an insane speed.
Suppose Person 1 reduces a monster's HP to 1%, and Person 2 taps it to finish it off.
Who gets the priority claim?
As everyone assumes, it's the one who did 99% of the damage.
But there's a fun system twist.
Even after 99% damage, priority resets after 10 minutes.
So if someone else taps it after 10 minutes, they get the claim—not the original damager.
EXP from growth potions works the same way.
These were Arthur's soldiers.
If Arthur swept ahead, he'd claim most priority, with the thirty soldiers splitting the scraps.
That would be a massive loss.
Arthur needed his territory to level up first anyway.
That's what he'd planned for.
So after 10 minutes?
"This one's at 10 minutes, my lord!"
"Kill it."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers took turns without hesitation.
Another thing Arthur targeted: Ran, the most seasoned and swift among those he'd scouted.
Even starting with equal stats, he stood out.
Arthur granted him priority over more monsters.
With Arthur as overall commander, Ran handled the fine details.
Arthur left monsters on their last breath; soldiers transported them and finished at timeouts.
This was how a lord supported his troops.
"Huff... You've gotten even stronger."
"Incredible."
Plus, Arthur was currently juiced on berserker shots.
His kill speed accelerated nonstop.
Dungeons had pros and cons.
They spawned more monsters than usual.
More and stronger ones, but with higher item and gold drop rates.
Rare drops sometimes, and if a Dungeon Master lurked, their treasures too.
The cash shop sold Dungeon Master detectors.
Buy one upon entry to pinpoint if one existed.
Pfudduk!
Arthur hurled another monster to his soldiers.
A few minutes later, a black-tailed lizard boss appeared—three times larger than normals.
'If that's a con, sure.'
Fortunately, only 40 minutes had passed.
HP -30%, base stats +30%.
"Soldiers, support from behind."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
The soldiers were now 1.1 times stronger than before.
Arthur had snagged three growth potions.
Stacked, they tripled EXP gain and extended 1-hour duration to 1:40.
One lizard now yielded triple EXP.
No wonder they grew fast.
Pushuk pushuk!
The soldiers no longer fretted watching Arthur charge solo.
They trusted him more than anyone.
He was that strong.
Arthur kicked off the ground, charging the black-tailed lizard boss.
After slaying the black-tailed lizard boss, Arthur pondered briefly.
'Try Death Painting?'
He shook his head.
Too wasteful for a skill summoning five minions on 2-star trash.
"Alright, everyone—out of here fast."
"Yes, sir!"
Arthur led his soldiers dashing from the dungeon.
His dungeon didn't reset; clearing the final boss collapsed it after an hour.
Clear three in two hours.
No rest allowed. The soldiers, buzzing with excitement, kept pace swiftly.
The second dungeon took exactly 25 minutes.
Dayden trembled in shock.
"Kirik, how'd he find the second dungeon so fast?"
This couldn't continue.
He might hit Aris's dungeon next.
And even more shocking.
"Kirik, clear speed doubled from the first—despite it being harder?"
The first clear was unbelievable for a protection-period lord.
The second? Beyond imagination.
Monsters massacred with steady counts, then suddenly plummeting.
"Kirik, what kind of lord bastard is this!"
He needed to see that face.
After clearing the second, Arthur and soldiers raced on.
Dungeons hid nearby, so travel was quick.
Soon, Arthur punched a massive boulder repeatedly.
It split sideways, revealing a descending dungeon entrance.
Two clears: about one hour total.
40 minutes left.
Soldiers now 1.3 times stronger than start.
Arthur recommended balancing stats across the four basics.
"Whoa, we're this strong now."
"How much more this time?"
Soldiers beamed brighter.
Our lord is omnipotent!
That was their faces as they followed.
The moment Arthur and all soldiers entered.
BEEP BEEP!
A red hologram blinked before Arthur's eyes.
Important Information View unlocked simultaneously.
A warning and Important Information View together?
First time for this.
'What...?'
A chill.
His spine tingled.
Battle-honed instincts screamed danger.
Arthur clicked Important Information View first.
The mysterious woman Aris is hidden in this dungeon. Clear it, and she will reveal herself.
"A-Aris...!"
Arthur knew who Aris was.
The woman who appeared four years from now.
And...
"Goddess of Buffs..."
Saintess Aris, Goddess of Buffs.
William, leader of a small alliance of three lords, had claimed her.
He didn't know how William got her.
But after acquiring the so-called saintess, William rocketed in growth.
In wars, when William and Aris appeared, crowds roared.
'Max-level buffs incoming!'
Her power was astonishing.
Buffs boosting strength, stamina, agility, endurance.
Not just that.
She stacked defense and attack buffs, then magic defense and attack too.
Most shocking: she could buff up to 500 troops.
Her mana was unimaginable; her buffs unbreakable.
Arthur had witnessed William and Aris in battle.
William's soldiers, supercharged by buffs, charged and shattered foes.
When injured, Aris healed with pinpoint control.
William was arguably the one who'd challenged grand lords beyond even Arthur.
But William died.
'Ambushed by the Heavenly Tribe.'
About a year after getting her.
The Heavenly Tribe launched a full assault to seize Aris.
Reasons unknown, but William fell, and Aris vanished with them.
Important Information View faded; Arthur opened the emergency quest tab.
Hidden Dungeon Conquest
📍 Rank: ?
📍 Cash Reward: ?
📍 Rewards: ?
📍 Penalty for Failure: All Stats -40
📍 Description: You entered thinking it a normal dungeon. The moment you step in, it transforms into a hidden dungeon. An extreme difficulty no protection-period lord can clear. Prove your competence by conquering this hidden dungeon.
"Hidden dungeon triggered..."
Arthur's face twisted.
Hidden dungeons could erupt anywhere.
Low-level goblin or gremlin dens, reset dungeons—anywhere.
Once triggered, clearing became brutally hard.
Dungeons had difficulties; lords picked accordingly.
Hidden ones spiked massively, with unpredictable monsters.
And once inside, no exit without clearing.
Arthur and his soldiers were already in.
'Dangerous.'